Theme High-level Event: Building Productive Capacity to Transform Economies

To attain the objectives of Agenda 2030, countries need to transform their economies. We need to create more and better jobs to improve people's livelihoods and end poverty once and for all. We must diversify economies by shifting resources into more productive and environmentally sustainable economic activities. This, in turn, requires building and continuously upgrading productive capacity. We must heed the imperative to harness domestic and foreign investments, exploit trade opportunities, promote technological development and absorption, and nurture entrepreneurship, especially among women. 

This high-level event provides a forum to discuss a new comprehensive package of transformative policies and strategies that allow all countries to grow and prosper in an inclusive manner.

Topics:

• How can governments mobilize resources for productive capacity?
• How can governments promote diversification of trade and investment to help developing countries access and climb regional and global value chains?
• How can governments better harness technology to boost output and create jobs?
• How can governments nurture entrepreneurship to help businesses start and expand?

Theme High-level Event: Tackling Vulnerabilities, Building Resilience

To attain the objectives of Agenda 2030, the vulnerabilities of the poor must be a global concern and a shared obligation. We need targeted policies to empower the most vulnerable segments of our societies, such as women and rural communities. And we must foster diversification and productive capacity-building in the most vulnerable and weak countries. To lock in our hard-won development gains, we also need to build firewalls to deflect evolving challenges such as persistent market volatility, slumping commodity prices, flagging trade growth, as well as natural disasters, climate change, and biodiversity loss.

This high-level event provides a forum to discuss the strategies to build resilience, especially among the most vulnerable, and to devise concerted efforts among developed and developing economies to absorb shocks and dislocations.

Topics:

• What factors contribute to mounting economic vulnerability?
• How can governments both insulate economies from shocks and achieve development goals?
• What are the links between political, environmental, and economic resilience?
• What is needed to ensure that no one gets left behind, particularly in least developed countries?

Theme High-level Event: More Effective States and More Efficient Markets

To attain the objectives of Agenda 2030, the dynamism of the private sector needs to be fully capitalized. We have to create the right incentives and regulations for markets to efficiently drive productivity, innovation, and investment for inclusive growth. To this end, we must foster competition, support vibrant business environments, and empower consumers in a globalizing marketplace. We also need to ensure that all governments have the tools to scale up investments in infrastructure, basic services, and skills that underpin sustainable development.

This high-level event provides a forum to discuss the policies and strategies for States to effectively harness the power of markets for the benefit of all.

Topics:

• How should governments optimally enhance consumer protection and competition policy to benefit consumers?
• What are the most effective tools for scaling up infrastructure services?
• Beyond providing conducive business environments, how can governments promote a race-to-the-top in terms of business practices?
• How can governments encourage skills development and other tools for effective, evidence-based policymaking?

Theme High-level Event: Strengthening Multilateralism, Finding Common Solutions

To attain the objectives of Agenda 2030, the international community needs to create a strong and stable global enabling environment. Amid accelerating globalization and deepening economic ties, collective action is more important than ever. We must jointly tackle persistent and emerging economic challenges, ranging from tepid growth rates to sluggish international trade growth, volatile capital flows, and mounting piles of debt. We need to reignite the engines for global prosperity. And we have to avoid that one country's solution becomes another country's headache.

The purpose of this high-level event is to discuss how to reverse the global economic slowdown and create an international development environment consistent with meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

Topics:

• Is the slowdown a temporary blip or a longer-term trend?
• What is needed to help boost global demand, bolster international trade, and bring about greater financial stability?
• Does management of the global economy suffer from a lack of rules or a lack of leadership? Or both?
• What is needed in terms of international governance so that global economy is reformed around goals of shared responsibility?

Theme high-level Event: Technology

To attain the objectives of Agenda 2030, a strong push for science, technology, and innovation (STI) is indispensable. This applies to each Sustainable Development Goal. Given the speed and depth of technological change, we urgently need to make sure that STI is put in the service of all countries, close current gaps, for the benefit of all people. We need national and international action to put into place the right policies and build innovation coalitions to boost productivity, create jobs, and unleash entrepreneurship. Only then can we guarantee full inclusiveness.
This high level event will discuss how to ensure the full contribution of STI for sustainable development, including how to build national, regional, and global partnerships to help developing countries close technology and innovation gaps.

Topics:

• How can governments fully integrate STI with trade, investment, and finance policies for the SDGs?
• What are the concrete national and international steps required to ensure that innovation and technological change do not leave countries, communities, or people behind?
• How can countries leverage the digital economy for inclusive innovation and development?
• What new coalitions, for example South-South and across stakeholders, are needed?

Theme high-level Event: Africa

To attain the objectives of Agenda 2030, the trajectory of Africa's development path needs to change. Fostering growth, trade, employment and sustainable development in Africa are all critical necessities to realize the objective of prosperity for all. We need to lift binding constraints, build supply capacities, invest in education, and promote technological progress. To this end, genuine connectivity of African markets, through deep and comprehensive regional integration, is imperative. We must deepen Africa's agricultural markets, widen the base for its manufacturing sector, and tap the expansion of its services market.

This high level event will identify a comprehensive package of policy measures needed to ensure that regional integration fosters structural change in Africa.

Topics:

• How should trade integration work towards the achievement of Agenda 2030 and the African Union's Agenda 2063?
• What are the roles of trade, investment, and finance policy - as well as other accompanying policies - in supporting Africa's structural transformation?
• How can the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) be used as a vehicle to promote economic diversification?
• What can the development community do to support the regional integration process in Africa?

To attain the objectives of Agenda 2030, we need to tap the next generation's relentless energy and address their concerns. Today's youth is the first generation with a genuine chance to end extreme poverty and the last generation that can avert environmental disaster. They demand better education, more and better jobs and state accountability. We need a more bold approach and a more inclusive conversation so as to ensure that youth is part of the international debate about the future.  We need to let them shape the world they want.

At this high level event, youth representatives will present the outcomes of the UNCTAD14 Youth Forum deliberations.

Theme High-level Event: SDG Implementation

To attain the objectives of Agenda 2030, we need to change the way we work nationally and as international system. This agenda is a game changer. The Sustainable Development Goals offer an entirely new blueprint for development. It specifies not only what needs to be done, but also the means of implementation. At all levels, we must mobilize existing resources and scale-up impact. We must break down existing silos. In countries, it requires a whole-of-government approach. Internationally, we must forge new partnerships.

This high level event will elaborate on the concrete actions that governments, international agencies, private sector and civil society are taking to make good on the SDG means of implementation and Addis Ababa Action Agenda commitments.

Topics:

• What are countries doing in order for trade, finance, investment and technology to work together for achieving Agenda2030?
• How are international agencies changing the way they work together to support countries and regions in SDG implementation?
• How are all stakeholders ensuring that they can be held to account and that no one is left behind?

Theme: Building Productive Capacity to Transform Economies

As major sources of employment and innovation, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can be catalysts for inclusive development. But trade costs and other regulatory hurdles, for example in the form of Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs), are disproportionately affecting SMEs, thereby hampering their integration into regional and global trade. This round table will explore the necessary methods to simplify and increase the transparency of customs, regulatory and procedural requirements, not least as part of regional integration initiatives, so as to better help SMEs become winners from trade.

Theme: Building Productive Capacity to Transform Economies

Rapid trade and output growth in the past two decades have led to a significant decrease in poverty rates worldwide. But still too many remain left behind. In particular in Africa and LDCs, even the best years of trade growth - and increased export earnings - inadequately translated into diversification, economic transformation and poverty reduction. This round table will discuss ways to make trade a more effective tool for inclusive and sustainable development. It will seek means of strengthening the links between trade and poverty reduction, and will address the role that the international community can play in accelerating progress.

Theme: Building Productive Capacity to Transform Economies

The last few decades have witnessed a remarkable rise of a number of emerging economies. But very few developing countries have been able to close the prosperity gap with high-income countries.  Despite the progress and efforts, many countries have not been able to make the final leap out of the middle-income category. And the lack of convergence is a matter of growing concern. This round table will explore domestic policy and international support measures to foster greater diversification, strengthen technological capabilities and promote inclusiveness so as to escape the trap. It will also draw lessons from success stories that could form the basis for technical advice, particularly in the form of South-South cooperation.

Theme: Building Productive Capacity to Transform Economies

Europe is witnessing its greatest refugee crisis since the end of World War II. But beyond the headlines, we are seeing an ever increasing number of people seeking better livelihoods in other countries, often in neighboring developing countries Emergency responses are vital, but they do little to address the broader root causes of rising migration flows. This round table will explore measures to significantly increase economic and employment opportunities for people in migrant-sourcing and in migrant-transiting countries, also taking into account the estimated need to create 600 million new jobs by 2030 just to keep pace with the growth of the global working age population. It will also discuss possible instruments to leverage the benefits of growing diasporas for development.

Theme: Tackling vulnerabilities, building resilience

Ending poverty demands action in rural areas, due to 70 percent of the world's 1.4 billion extreme poor living in such regions. Women will be key agents in this effort, as they comprise around half of the agricultural labour force in LDCs and are also overrepresented among the poor. However, women face multiple constraints that hinder their productive potential. This round table will discuss how empowering women can raise productivity, integrate smallholder farms into regional and global markets, and boost synergies between agricultural and non-farm activities.

Theme: Tackling vulnerabilities, building resilience

No country wants to be an LDC. Yet, in the last 44 years, only four countries have been able to graduate from the LDC category. None of these four, let alone the other 48 remaining LDCs, have been able to seriously reduce economic vulnerability. And we are far from meeting the agreed target, set out in the Istanbul Programme of Action, of enabling half of LDCs to meet the graduation criteria by 2020. There is urgent need for a better framework, with a much more concerted, comprehensive and coherent set of measures, to ensure self-sustained growth in LDCs and to re-structure their economies towards higher levels and a wider spectrum of value addition. This round table will identify what such a more comprehensive framework should entail.

Theme: Tackling vulnerabilities, building resilience

Setting the Palestinian economy on a path of recovery and sustained growth will require creative solutions. This round table will explore a range of policies needed to tackle challenges to development, revitalize economic growth, and the lay the foundation for sustainable development of a future Palestinian sovereign state in line with UN resolutions. In particular, it will focus on the economic costs of occupation for the Palestinian people and offer recommendations for how to overcome, or at least mitigate, the adverse effects of these costs.

Theme: Tackling vulnerabilities, building resilience

Regional integration is an essential tool for reducing vulnerabilities to external shocks and for generating resilient and sustained economic growth. In the wake of the 2008 crisis, developing countries have been reeling from the effects of volatile capital flows that have altered exchange rates, interest rates, and commodities prices. This round table will discuss possible forms of financial and monetary integration, including currency swaps, inter-regional reserve funds, and inter-regional development banks.

Theme: More effective States and more efficient markets

If citizens are to be active players in achieving sustainable and inclusive development, they must be empowered in the marketplace. Competition and consumer protection policies are essential tools not only for making more efficient markets flourish but also for ensuring that markets work for the benefit of all. Inclusive prosperity requires more emphasis on consumer - and, therefore, citizen - welfare. This round table will identify what is needed to bolster competition and consumer policies, including the regulatory and institutional frameworks that best promote good business practices, address markets failures, level the playing field, uphold consumer rights, and foster international cooperation. It will also focus on recent trends, posing new opportunities and challenges, for promoting competition and consumer protection, including the digital revolution and the growth of cross-border e-commerce.

Theme: More effective States and more efficient markets

An efficient flow of goods is essential to shared prosperity. Freight transport accounts for 80 percent of the volume of global trade. It represents the arteries of the global trading system, and international production networks, allowing producers worldwide to reach producers or consumers in faraway countries. And sustainable freight transport is emerging as a sector that can contribute to economic as well as social and environmental goals. This round table will address the key principles and essential elements of a common vision for sustainable freight transport. It will examine tools for reducing carbon emissions in freight transport and for achieving more clean and environmentally-friendly freight transport systems, as well as for ensuring that our transport systems can cope with climate change.

Theme: More effective States and more efficient markets

The greening of economies will require a transformation of consumption and production patterns. There is an urgent need to find new ways to produce and consume in a manner that respects planetary boundaries, combats climate change, reduces waste and preserves biodiversity. Trade, investment and innovation both have to adapt to these changes and can - with the right policies - be important drivers for this transformation. Investment can scale-up green production, trade can enhance the accessibility and affordability of green goods and services, and innovation can boost green technologies. This round table will discuss the requirements in the areas of trade, investment, and innovation to spur green economies and the development potential of this transformation.

Theme: More effective States and more efficient markets

ICT is a key driver for connectivity of people, businesses and markets, and thereby for development. Through improved ICT, new e-commerce and payment solutions have emerged, drastically reducing entry, transaction and other trade cost for exporters, especially SMEs. Business-to-consumers e-commerce already amounts to 1.2 trillion USD (2013) and business-to-business e-commerce is estimated at a whopping 15 trillion USD. According to some recent estimates, approximately 12 percent of the global goods trade is conducted via international e-commerce. But the "e-commerce" divide is still wide: far from all countries have been able to tap into its large potential. This round table will focus on the policies – including legal and regulatory frameworks – that are needed to unleash the full potential of e-commerce in developing countries.

Theme: Strengthening multilateralism, finding common solution

Following an initial bounce back from the Great Recession, global trade growth has been anaemic, lower even than output growth, and much below its breakneck pace of more than 7 percent in the pre-crisis period. If this persists, it could jeopardize developing country efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This round table will disentangle the possible causes of the slowdown, including macroeconomic, financial, and regulatory pressures, discuss structural constraints, and propose measures to kick-start trade and output growth in support of Agenda 2030.

Theme: Strengthening multilateralism, finding common solution

Globalization is increasingly coming under attack. Eight years after the financial crisis, and with persistent unemployment and rising inequality, there is growing unease in many parts of the world about the manner in which economic forces have shaped the conditions for countries and peoples. Nationalism and populism, as well as heightened geopolitical tensions, are also on the rise in some places that may jeopardize the openness that global markets build upon. This round table will discuss these political trends and seek to identify what these may imply for the future governance of the global economy, upon which so many nations increasingly rely on for their prosperity.

Theme: Strengthening multilateralism, finding common solution

The sustainability of developing country debt – external, domestic, and private – has recently moved up the international policy agenda. Many commentators even expect a so-called "third wave" of the debt saga that began with turmoil in the US markets in 2007 and later engulfed European economies. Today, many emerging as well as poorer countries are considered in or close to severe debt distress. This round table will re-assess developing country debt sustainability in the contemporary global economy, with a particular focus on risks and policy options. It will address options for refinancing sovereign debt, the effects of collapsing commodities prices, and the core role of day-to-day debt management practices.

Theme: Strengthening multilateralism, finding common solution

Recent trade trends and trade policy shifts appear to signify a new era for the international trading system. Protectionism continues to put a brake on deepening trading relations. The growing complexity of trade and trade-related policies requires policy-makers to increasingly venture into behind-the-border issues, to keep pace with changes in production methods and business practices, and ensure greater coherence with other global policy imperatives. In parallel, we see a proliferation of mega-regional trade deals that go beyond multilateral hard rules. This round table will discuss the future of the multilateral trading system in lights of these developments, particularly addressing the need for coherent contributions from international organizations, between and within governments, and the private sector. It will explore complementary approaches, including soft-rule making, to further the global trade agenda.