Michael Møller, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Acting Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, says UNCTAD’s work to ensure prosperity for all is as relevant today as it was in 1964.
It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on its 50th anniversary.
A key member of our United Nations family in International Geneva, UNCT AD has helped to improve the lives of millions as part of the United Nations' overall efforts to promote peace, rights and well-being for all.
Based on thorough research and analysis, UNCTAD has enriched our collective understanding of how to promote sustainable development most effectively with trade at the centre. Through practical assistance, UNCTAD experts have helped to build capacity for developing countries to integrate into the global economy. And in all of these efforts, UNCTAD has been a consistent, strong and necessary voice for the developing world.
UNCTAD's work is grounded in a firm belief in the need for a global partnership for development -a partnership that involves all stakeholders in Government, civil society and the private sector. This spirit of partnership and solidarity is essential in ensuring coherence in global economic policy-making and in ensuring that all benefit from trade in an equitable manner.
In a world of inequalities, the vision of the founding fathers of UNCTAD to create a more effective system of international economic cooperation to banish the division of the world into areas of poverty and plenty remains as relevant today as in 1964. Looking forward, UNCTAD's work will be critical as we define the post-2015 development agenda, contributing to taking stock of lessons learned, identifying priorities and implementing work programmes.
I wish UNCTAD continued success in the indispensable work to ensure prosperity for all. The United Nations Office at Geneva look forward to working closely with our UNCTAD colleagues in realizing this objective. 
