Background: In the last few years, UNDP has carved out a distinctive niche (the trade and human development linkage and its implications for national and international trade policies and negotiations). Its co-sponsored publication Making Global Trade Work for People (2003) has been widely welcomed, and there are growing demands by developing-country Governments, parliamentarians and civil society organizations to translate the main messages of the book into operational projects at the global, regional and country levels. The first articulation of this was the Asia Trade, Economic Governance and Human Development programme, launched in late 2001, which has now produced over 30 country and regional technical support documents in 10 different thematic/sectoral policy areas pertinent both to national trade policy formulation and to international trade negotiations. A number of other regional and global UNDP programmes have been designed and implemented since the Asia Trade programme.

Purpose: The main purpose of UNDP’s Trade for Human Development panel at UNCTAD XI is to share its main trade and human development messages and key findings of the Asia Trade programme and other UNDP initiatives in areas such as agriculture and food security, services, geographic indications, fisheries and investment, highlighting their policy implications. UNDP will also share the implications of its work for the particular vulnerabilities of small and vulnerable states, as well as information on other projects currently in design or implementation.

Expected outcome: An important expected result of the panel is agreement on the critical importance of a human development perspective for trade policy formulation and trade negotiations. The panel is also expected to lead to a clearer understanding of what the most important trade and human development linkages are and how they can be operationally made and monitored. Areas for further analysis and research should also be identified.

Quick links: | UNDP/MGDs |

Downloads [PDF]: | Making Global Trade Work for People (2003) |