News

By David Bicchetti, Carlos Razo and Miho Shirotori

Unsustainable trade is behind the biodiversity crisis threatening our existence. But done sustainably, international commerce can help protect our planet’s precious resources.

The sustainable use and trade of indigenous plants has created valuable economic opportunities for 2,500 Namibian women and their communities.

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.

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.

By Paul Akiwumi, Director for Africa and Least Developed Countries, UNCTAD

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.

Written by Robert Hamwey, UNCTAD Economic Affairs Officer