News

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

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.

Here’s why the UN has dedicated a whole year to the creative economy and its critical role in promoting sustainable development, especially in a post-coronavirus world.

The SDG Trade Monitor offers a one-stop shop for users to obtain updated and disaggregated official data on global trade’s contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

UNCTAD estimates show a 5% drop in world trade in the third quarter of 2020 compared to 2019, an improvement from the 19% decline in the second quarter but insufficient to pull trade out of the red.

By Steve MacFeely, Chief Statistician, UNCTAD

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.

The coronavirus pandemic hits developing countries at a time when they have already been struggling with unsustainable debt burdens for many years, as well as with rising health needs. UNCTAD calls for $1 trillion in debt relief.

Written by Robert Hamwey, UNCTAD Economic Affairs Officer