The UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2012, which focuses on strategies to reduce inequality, and the UNCTAD World Investment Report 2012 were launched at the 59th annual session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)'s Trade and Development Board (TDB).
The meeting also approved decisions on Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and sustainable development in Africa.
1 October 2012: The UN Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) Trade and Development Board (TDB) has concluded its 59th annual session, which took place from 17-28 September 2012, in Geneva, Switzerland. The session launched two publications, and approved decisions on Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and sustainable development in Africa.
The UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2012 focuses on development strategies to reduce income inequality and promote sustainable development. It explores the links between development, growth and income distribution, and finds that proactive economic and social policies, such as fiscal redistribution policies, can positively affect the relationship between growth and inequality, based on evidence from Latin America and parts of Africa and Southeast Asia.
The UNCTAD World Investment Report 2012, also launched during the annual session, includes an investment policy framework for sustainable development, with a focus on both inclusive growth and sustainable development.
The meeting issued conclusions on two agenda items. On “UNCTAD’s contribution to the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action for LDCs,” the TDB, inter alia, acknowledges that climate change disproportionately affects the LDCs; and expresses concern that progress towards graduation thresholds remains exceptionally slow and encourages further efforts. The “Economic development in Africa: Structural transformation and sustainable development” decision notes challenges and opportunities for sustainable structural transformation in Africa.
As part of its work on “evolution of the international trading system and of international trade from a development perspective,” UNCTAD announced that it would host the first session of a new Forum on Trade and the Green Economy in December 2012. The Forum aims to assist in resolving conflicts related to government environmental measures and trade rules before they are referred to formal dispute-settlement mechanisms. [UNCTAD Press Release] [Publication: UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2012] [Publication: World Investment Report 2012] [TDB Conclusion on LDCs] [IISD RS Story on UNCTAD LDC Discussion] [IISD RS Story on Sustainable Development in Africa]