UNCTAD technical cooperation in support of SDGs
UNCTAD aligns its technical cooperation with the 2030 Agenda, continuously adapting to the new opportunities and challenges in trade and development and interrelated issues of finance, technology and investment -—
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—-. The UNCTAD Toolbox -—
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—- was developed to better integrate these efforts with the SDGsSustainable Development Goal. In 2023, UNCTAD’s technical cooperation expenditure surpassed $57 million, funding delivered through 219 projects in 74 countries -—
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—- (figure 1).
Figure 1. Most project expenditures in 2023 were interregional, followed closely by projects in Asia and Oceania, and Africa.
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Note: Values in this figure may differ from UNCTAD Annual report -—
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—- as this is based on preliminary figures, while the values represented here utilize final finance figures. Only expenditures for country and regional projects are considered, and the share of North America is not reflected as only $22,795 was recorded in the region in 2023.
Project expenditure by SDGSustainable Development Goal has remained relatively stable over the past few years. However, since 2018, there has been a noticeable shift: expenditures on SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) more than halved, while expenditures for SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals) significantly increased. This trend continued in 2023 (figure 2), with SDGs 17, 9, 15 (life on land), and 8 (decent work and economic growth) dominating project expenditures. The proportion of expenditures not directed to a specific SDG (labelled 'Unspecified' in figure 2) slightly increased in 2023 but remains below pre-2022 levels. Additionally, the project expenditure supporting SDG 2 (zero hunger), first recorded in 2021, continued albeit limited in 2023 (0.1 per cent).
Figure 2. SDGs 9, 15 and 17 remain stable at the top of project expenditures.Source: -—
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UNCTAD is in action on various fronts
UNCTAD provides high-quality technical support across various areas, benefiting countries, national stakeholders, and the international community. UNCTAD brings together governments, businesses, civil society, academia, and other international organizations to address today's challenges and promote sustainable development and inclusive trade and economy for all.
UNCTAD contributes to enhancing member States’ capacities to reach the 2030 Agenda in several areas, including:
UNCTAD Empretec – inspiring entrepreneurship
UNCTAD EmpretecEmpretec is a Spanish acronym which blends “emprendedores” (entrepreneurs) and “tecnología” (technology). The term was introduced in Argentina in 1988. programme promotes entrepreneurship and enhances the productive capacityUNCTAD defines productive capacities as consisting of the productive resources, entrepreneurial capabilities and production linkages that together determine a country’s ability to produce goods and services that will help it grow and develop -—
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—- and international competitiveness of SMEsSmall- and medium-sized enterprise in developing countries. The training is delivered through a global network of 42 national business development centres. Since its inception in 1988, Empretec has trained over 550 000 people, helping them to start or expand businesses and create jobs in the process.Learn more...
The convening power of UNCTAD
UNCTAD leverages its convening power to unite governments, businesses, civil society, academia, and other international organizations to promote sustainable development and inclusive trade and economy for all. Since 2016, nearly 94 000 participants have attended 869 official and registered meetings, with women making up 42 per cent of attendees. Learn more...
TrainForTrade
TrainForTrade provides technical assistance to developing countries in three key areas: (1) port management; (2) international e-commerceE-commerce is defined as the sale or purchase of goods or services, conducted over computer networks by methods specifically designed for the purpose of receiving or placing of orders. The goods or services are ordered by those methods, but the payment and the ultimate delivery of the goods or services do not have to be conducted online -—
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—-.; and (3) international trade statistics. The programme aims to empower countries to participate in and benefits from international trade equitably and sustainably. From 2018 to 2023, TrainForTrade enhanced the capacities of over 20 000 participants from 219 different countries, with 43 per cent of participants being female. Learn more...
Measuring South-South cooperation - at the roots of solidarity
For the first time, a voluntary Framework to Measure South-South CooperationBroad framework of collaboration among countries of the Global South in the political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and technical domains. It includes trade, FDI, regional integration efforts, technology transfers, sharing of solutions and experts, and other forms. Involving two or more developing countries, it can take place on a bilateral, regional, intraregional or interregional basis -—
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—-., developed by countries of the South, is available to quantify mutual support flows among these countries. As a custodian agency, UNCTAD supports countries in enhancing their capacity to collect data and measure South-SouthBroad framework of collaboration among countries of the Global South in the political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and technical domains. It includes trade, FDI, regional integration efforts, technology transfers, sharing of solutions and experts, and other forms. Involving two or more developing countries, it can take place on a bilateral, regional, intraregional or interregional basis -—
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—-. Cooperation. In collaboration with UN Regional Commissions, UNCTAD is implementing a new UN Development Account project to test the Framework in eight pilot countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since 2023, they have organized several events emphasizing the importance of measuring SSCBroad framework of collaboration among countries of the Global South in the political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and technical domains. It includes trade, FDI, regional integration efforts, technology transfers, sharing of solutions and experts, and other forms. Involving two or more developing countries, it can take place on a bilateral, regional, intraregional or interregional basis -—
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—-. for sustainable development. Learn more...
Enhancing debt management and debt data transparency
The UNCTAD DMFASDebt Management and Financial Analysis System Programme programme advises developing economies in debt management and helps them to record and report reliable debt statistics for policymaking. The programme assists developing economies in managing their debt and producing reliable debt statistics for policymaking. The programme provides practical solutions for public liability management and debt statistics production, supported by the DMFAS software, capacity development, and advisory services. Since its inception, DMFAS has trained over 7 000 experts in debt management, nearly half of whom are women. Learn more...
Tracking illicit financial flows by analysing existing data
UNCTAD supports member States in strengthening their statistical capacity to define, measure and disseminate statistics on illicit financial flows as a custodian of SDG indicator 16.4.1, in partnership with UNODCUnited Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Currently, three projects by UNCTAD and UNODC and UN Regional Commissions support 12 countries on four continents to measure illicit finance with the aim of reporting data to the Global SDG Indicators Database and informing national policy. An inter-regional expert meeting held in September 2023 in Geneva, brought together 66 experts, of which 30 women, to launch global work. In April and May 2024, national training workshops were organized in Ghana, Namibia, and Zambia bringing together 88 national experts, including 25 women.Learn more...
Promoting ICT as a tool for development
UNCTAD’s "eTrade for all" initiative has fostered a global partnership comprising 35 organizations dedicated to enhancing the enabling environment for sustainable development through e-commerceE-commerce is defined as the sale or purchase of goods or services, conducted over computer networks by methods specifically designed for the purpose of receiving or placing of orders. The goods or services are ordered by those methods, but the payment and the ultimate delivery of the goods or services do not have to be conducted online -—
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—-.. Through eTrade Readiness Assessments conducted in LDCsLeast developed country and other developing nations, UNCTAD has facilitated the implementation of UNCTAD eT Readies, E-Commerce Strategies, or Action Plans in 44 countries.Learn more...
Fostering productive capacities and economic transformation
UNCTAD has developed a comprehensive programme aimed at fostering productive capacitiesUNCTAD defines productive capacities as consisting of the productive resources, entrepreneurial capabilities and production linkages that together determine a country’s ability to produce goods and services that will help it grow and develop -—
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—- and driving structural economic transformation in developing countries. It helps countries to enhance their statistical capacities, involves conducting National Productive Capacities Gap Assessments, assists in formulating development programmes to enhance productive capacities, and provides training on the knowledge and skills necessary to drive economic transformation. In 2022-2023, UNCTAD trained 140 national statisticians in five countries representing 74 different institutions and civil society organizations, with 21 per cent being women. Learn more...
Promoting sustainable production of biodiversity based products
UNCTAD’s BioTrade Initiative with its Principles and Criteria reconciles economic development with poverty alleviation and the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity-based products and services. A regional BioTrade project in Africa supported the sustainable use of more than 320 000 hectares of wild collection, mobilized more than €1.3 million through private sector investment, and trained more than 150 stakeholders, 48 per cent women, to enhance knowledge on resource valorization, biological ingredients, and access and benefit sharing contracts, among other key areas. Learn more...
Enhancing data and skills for gender-responsive policy and action
Gender inequality persists globally, impacting women's economic participation, education, health, and political empowerment. Despite some progress, significant disparities remain entrenched. UNCTAD has been at the forefront of efforts to address these challenges, including through targeted training initiatives and the development of pioneering gender equality indicators for trade. To date, nearly 2 200 people, of whom 62 per cent are women, in 154 countries have benefitted from 25 iterations of the online course in 2015-2023. Six pilot countries – Cameroon, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Senegal, and Zimbabwe – tested UNCTAD’s methodology and compiled experimental indicators on gender equality in international trade. Learn more...
The convening power of UNCTAD
SDG targets 17.16 “Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries” and 17.17 “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships” call for inclusiveness and collaboration among all stakeholders. -—
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—- supports the “collaboration with agencies within and outside the United Nations system” using its convening power to bring together governments, businesses, civil society, academia, and other international organizations.
Meetings include ministerial and other high-level meetings, intergovernmental meetings, such as the Trade and Development Board and its subsidiary bodies, the Working Party on strategic framework and programme budget, and fora, such as the Global Commodities Forum, Illicit Trade Forum, and e-Commerce Week. They also include study visits, seminars, short courses for diplomats and bilateral government visits. UNCTAD set a new record in 2023 by organizing 171 events with a combined participation of 18 536 attendees. Since 2016, UNCTAD held 869 events with a total of 93 859 participants (table 1).
Table 1. Numbers of organized events and participants at UNCTAD headquarters reaching a record high in 2023| Year | Number of events | Number of total participants |
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| 2016 | 38 | 8 717 |
| 2017 | 107 | 7 173 |
| 2018 | 136 | 16 689 |
| 2019 | 165 | 9 398 |
| 2020 | 72 | 5 820 |
| 2021 | 68 | 14 540 |
| 2022 | 112 | 12 986 |
| 2023 | 171 | 18 536 |
| Total | 869 | 93 859 |
Source: UNCTAD calculations based on data from UNOGUnited Nations Office in Geneva IndicoIntegrated Digital Conferencing (Indico) is an open-source web-based tool for event management system developed and maintained at -—
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—-. In this publication, Indico.UN refers to the event registration system of the United Nations based on CERN Indico and managed by the United Nations Office at Geneva -—
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Note: These statistics only cover meetings and events organised by UNCTAD at its headquarters in Geneva and registered in the ‘Indico’ conference management system. Many other meetings organised by UNCTAD at the regional or national level, and outside Geneva, are not counted.
On average, women’s participation in meetings from 2016 to 2023 has been at 42 per cent. Representatives from national governments are the single largest group attending UNCTAD meetings, accounting for 41 per cent of all registered participants. The private sector, academia, and non-governmental organizations together account for 35 per cent. Regional representation shows Africa and Western Europe making up about 58 per cent of participants, followed by Asia and the Pacific at 25 per cent. Latin America and the Caribbean form 11 per cent of all registered participants, and Eastern Europe 6 per cent. Regional representation is not specified for all participants, for instance for people representing international organizations.
References
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