UNCTAD´s founding mission - promoting development through trade - was as relevant as ever in 2006, as developing countries continued to cope with the mixed impact of global economic interdependence.
Our word last year went a long way towards addressing these and other concerns at the heart of development. UNCTAD´s research and analysis remains at the cutting edge of economic development discourse, shedding new light on the issues and problems. We explored which policies do, and which do not, contribute to development; why some policies work for some countries, but not for others; and what course of action should be considered. For example, UNCTAD highlighted the need to focus national and international policies on building productive capacities in the world´s least developed countries in order to reduce poverty. We looked at how developing countries can take advantage of emerging patterns in international investment flows. And we proposed a new approach to using aid flows to Africa more effectively.
In our intergovernmental meetings last year, our 192 member states explored related policy options, and peer-reviewed and shared experiences on national competition and investment legislation, among other issues within our mandate of ongoing concern to them. UNCTAD´s membership reviewed the work we have done in following up on our eleventh ministerial conference, held in São Paulo in 2004. They emphasized the role of research and analysis as the backbone of our work, and its importance in advancing consensus on key development-related issues.
Finally, the 150 workshops and seminars we held worldwide last year as part of our technical cooperation activities helped translate some of UNCTAD´s key messages into national policies. We trained government officials and policymakers in a broad range of areas, including investment promotion, trade negotiations, supporting the production of biofuels, customs facilitation, and using e-commerce and ICTs for development. All of those activities are meant to boost the capacity of developing countries to integrate into world markets - and then turn that integration into an advantage.
As we move towards UNCTAD´s twelfth ministerial conference - to be held in Accra, Ghana, in April 2008 - I intend to ensure that this organization pursues its founding mission while also remaining to step with the changing needs of developing countries. We have already begun to improve the coordination of our technical assistance, modernize our communications strategy, and strengthen our work on science, technology and innovation, as well as on South-South cooperation.
UNCTAD will strive to remain at the forefront of international efforts to meet the challenges and reap the benefits of globalization, ensuring that trade, investment and technology are used for the greater good. For the task, we welcome the assistance and feedback of all our stakeholders.
Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD
