Mr. Junior Davis is the Acting Director of the Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and Special Programmes at UNCTAD, where he also heads the Policy Analysis and Research Branch (PARB). In this role, he provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for UNCTAD’s research, consensus-building, and technical cooperation activities in support of Africa and LDCs, with a particular focus on advancing implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (2022–2031) and supporting effective, sustainable LDC graduation with momentum.
As Head of PARB, Mr. Davis leads multidisciplinary teams responsible for UNCTAD’s flagship analytical outputs, including the Least Developed Countries Report and the Economic Development in Africa Report, as well as Vulnerability Profiles that directly inform the work of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), intergovernmental deliberations, and national policymaking processes. Under his leadership, these outputs have strengthened the evidence base underpinning DPoA priority areas, including productive capacity development, structural transformation, resilience to shocks, and international support measures. He ensures the strategic alignment of research, policy recommendations, and dissemination efforts to maximize their impact on Member States and development partners. His leadership role has been central to UNCTAD’s contribution to the LDC graduation process.
In addition, Mr. Davis provides strategic direction to PARB’s technical cooperation portfolio, overseeing the design and delivery of projects in more than 20 African countries. These programmes translate analytical work into practical policy support aligned with DPoA objectives, strengthening national capacities in areas such as industrial policy, trade and investment, domestic resource mobilization, debt management, and responses to emerging shocks. He also leads PARB’s engagement in intergovernmental processes, supporting Member States’ effective participation in Trade and Development Board sessions and UNCTAD ministerial conferences, including UNCTAD15 and UNCTAD16.
Since joining UNCTAD, he has led the Africa and Commodities Research Analysis Sections and currently manages the teams producing the Economic Development in Africa Report and the Least Developed Countries Report. He is also responsible for the delivery of PARB technical cooperation projects in 20 African countries.
Before his role at UNCTAD, Mr. Davis served as an Economic Policy Advisor for the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Principal Economist at the Natural Resources Institute, and as a Reader in Development Economics at the University of Greenwich. He has also taught at the Universities of London, Greenwich, and Heriot-Watt University. Additionally, he has undertaken consulting assignments for organizations such as the European Union, World Bank, EBRD, and the United Nations.
Mr. Davis numerous academic articles, book chapters and research papers on topics including transition, regulatory, international and agricultural economics, and development policy. He has also edited a collection of articles published by Routledge titled "Transition to the Market Economy: Critical Perspectives on the World Economy."
Mr. Davis holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Imperial College, University of London.