News

By Rachid Bouhia, Economist, UNCTAD, and Emily Wilkinson, Researcher, ODI

Drawing on a powerful new database that tracks and traces the plastic life cycle, UNCTAD shows where countries can apply trade policy pressure to reduce pollution.

UNCTAD says uncertainty about the COVID-19 pandemic’s evolution and the global investment policy environment will continue to affect FDI flows in 2021. For developing countries, the prospects for 2021 are a major concern.

New funding will boost efforts to help developing countries better manage soaring debt levels and the resulting economic vulnerability, particularly in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

Guidelines to help governments, companies and consumers benefit from sustainable trade in precious plants and animals now include elements such as climate resilience and marine biodiversity.

A new call to action urges countries to make BioTrade a lever for recovery and resilience in the wake of the pandemic.

The project is a point of convergence for conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, and a driver for a blue and green recovery from COVID-19.

UNCTAD15, the UN trade and development body's fifteenth quadrennial conference, will take place under the theme “From inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all” as the world seeks solutions for a global new normal.

A special issue of UNCTAD's Investment Policy Monitor presents the latest developments in national and international investment policies in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Written by Robert Hamwey, UNCTAD Economic Affairs Officer