A high-level Commonwealth delegation today called on UNCTAD to seek its assistance in defending the trade and development interests of small states within the global economy. The Commonwealth’s definition of "Small States" applies to 41 developing countries with a population not exceeding 1.5 million, plus Papua New Guinea (4.3 million), Jamaica (2.5 million), Lesotho (2.0 million) and Namibia (1.5 million).
As a result of the visit UNCTAD will intensify its cooperation with the Commonwealth. In particular it will assist small states through analytical support and advice in negotiations for accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and with regard to the provision of special and differential treatment in the world trading system.
UNCTAD will also contribute to the activities of a joint World Bank/IMF task force that will seek ways of dealing with the difficulty small developing states face in accessing funding for development. The establishment of this task force was decided upon on 9 July during a visit of the Commonwealth delegation to the Bretton Woods Institutions in Washington.
Headed by the Prime Minister of Barbados, The Rt Hon Owen Arthur, the Ministerial Mission included the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, The Rt Hon Don McKinnon; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture of Lesotho, The Hon Kelebone A. Maope; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Mauritius, The Hon Rajkewsur Purryag; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Fiji, Mr. Berenado Vunibobo; and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Sir Humphrey Maud.
In the absence abroad of UNCTAD’s Secretary-General, Mr. Rubens Ricupero, the UNCTAD team at today’s lunch and subsequent meetings was headed by Mr. Carlos Fortin, Deputy Secretary-General.
The mission comprises representations largely from small states set up after the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Edinburgh last October, which discussed a Commonwealth report entitled "A future for small states: overcoming vulnerability". The visit forms part of a tour to international organizations in Washington, Geneva and Brussels. Its purpose is to assist in practical ways in dealing with the economic problems resulting from their small size and inherent vulnerability. During the meeting at UNCTAD, the Ministers drew attention to greater GDP volatility of small countries as a result of their high susceptibility to natural disasters, export dependence and lack of diversification.
Forty-five of the 54 Commonwealth countries are classified by their Secretariat as small states. All are developing countries and 14 among them belong to the United Nations’ category of Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
UNCTAD is the focal point within the United Nations for all issues related to the LDCs, and has traditionally dealt also with the problems of landlocked and island developing countries. In fact, ways of alleviating the vulnerability of small island developing countries and avoiding their marginalization from the global economy will be among the themes addressed in the latest edition of UNCTAD’s annual Least Developed Countries Report, to be issued in August.
UNCTAD has always supported the view that these countries deserve special attention by the international community. Hence the support UNCTAD today agreed to give to those small vulnerable states with LDC status seeking to avoid "graduation", i.e. facing loss of their special trade privileges. Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, which is considered highly vulnerable by the Commonwealth Secretariat, presently faces this challenge.
Following a meeting of the Committee for Development Planning in New York last December, UNCTAD is currently calculating an export dependence indicator as one of the criteria that could be used to facilitate the identification of the most vulnerable island developing states. This indicator deals with export concentration and export earnings instability. The other criterion refers to frequency of natural disasters.
The Ministers are leaving Geneva tonight for Brussels where they will meet tomorrow with European Commissioners João de Deus Pinheiro and Sir Leon Brittan.
They will report back to Commonwealth governments at a meeting of High Commissioners on Wednesday 15 July. At the outcome of this meeting they will give a round-up press conference at noon, at Commonwealth Secretariat headquarters in Marlborough House, London.
