UNCTAD organized the third and fourth sessions of the Multi-year Expert Meeting on Promoting Economic Integration and Cooperation at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on 14 and 15 April 2016, according to the terms agreed by the Trade and Development Board at its fifty-seventh executive session on 26–28 June 2013.
Participants discussed prospects for different forms of international cooperation to achieve key objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within the broader context of a volatile global economy.
The aim of the discussion was to aid developing countries in enhancing their resilience to external economic shocks in the post-great recession era.
Participants and experts attended from intergovernmental organizations, specialized agencies, NGOs, the private sector and academia, while panelists hailed from four continents.
During the discussion, South-South cooperation was seen as a complement to traditional North-South cooperation not only with regard to finance and trade, but also in the coordination of domestic policies for investment and expanding infrastructure.
Developing countries stand to benefit greatly from best practices in the areas of macroeconomic policies and resilience building when formulating their national policies to scale up sustainable and inclusive growth, and strengthen capacities to manage and withstand economic crises.
The meeting stressed the importance of strategic participation in global trade and production networks, and of active industrial policy focusing on capital formation, economic diversification, technological upgrading and high-quality employment generation in sparking sustained and inclusive growth and building economic resilience.
