UNCTAD15 goes online
Madame la Première Ministre,
Excellences,
Colleagues and friends of UNCTAD,
Our friends in Barbados,
In my role as Head of an international organisation, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, I fight every day for a fairer, more sustainable and more systemic development.
The pandemic and its socio-economic consequences have only made this fight more urgent and even more critical.
A direct consequence is that the voice of developing countries must be heard more loudly and more clearly. Our UNCTAD 15 Conference is their Conference, is your Conference, and is the opportunity to raise your voices.
I am very fortunate to be preparing this Ministerial Conference together with Prime Minister Mia Mottley and her dynamic administration.
We are both very well aware and concerned about the fragility of our times, and of the immense suffering caused by the health crisis and its tremendous consequences, particularly in the developing world and for the most vulnerable groups.
Together, we have a responsibility to respond to that extreme fragility and to ensure that UNCTAD 15 seizes the momentum, focuses on the essentials, and is a key moment for discussions and decisions that will guide our member States on the road to recovery.
We will be the first to present to the world an international Conference, in the wake of the pandemic, dedicated to the most promising junction for human well-being: trade and development, and by extension: economy and development.
Right after UNCTAD 15, WTO will hold its Ministerial Conference, MC12. Another important deadline is the LDC5 conference in early 2022. We must make sure that our impact serves this critical year and the various trade and development milestones.
But more than that, what we plan for October must serve the needs of the countries and their population. It is also a moment to mobilize energy, citizenship, cooperation, and solidarity. It is key for our host country, and it is key for the rest of the developing world. The courage of our host country, its population and its Prime Minister in addressing the difficult situation that they face is a source of inspiration.
In Geneva, we have started negotiating the text that will be adopted in October as a tangible outcome of our Conference. The member States are motivated, working diligently and constructively on the negotiations, which are underway under the excellent leadership of the Trade and Development Board President, Ambassador Villegas. On the table is a transformative agenda, addressing the biggest gaps and challenges that Covid 19 has revealed and exacerbated.
For the first time since the birth of our UN organization, UNCTAD, we will not be able to hold a physical Conference. Moving thousands of people around the globe is unfortunately not an option right now. It would be unsafe for both the participants and the Host Country, it would not be fair, and it would not help the world get back on its feet.
Instead, for this 15th edition, UNCTAD and its Host Country Barbados will enter into every home, into every office, and into every administration. Our virtual UNCTAD 15 and its essential messages will be accessible to all, from Heads of States to the small business owners, young girls and boys preparing their future as well as the future of our planet.
I see this as an opportunity to build on the momentum created by the crisis to innovate and invent a new experience, to be closer and more inclusive to the people we serve, especially the vulnerable.
Together, let’s seize the opportunity offered by these new virtual Conference Halls and meeting rooms. We'll engage differently with our members States and stakeholders, but together we'll build new way of work and partnerships for the prosperity for all.