UNCTAD15 Civil Society Forum

High-level Opening | 14:30–14:55 (CEST) • 08:30–08:55 (AST)

Speakers:

The Honorable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados
Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD
The Honorable Colin E. Jordan, Minister of Labour, Social Partnership Relations and the Third Sector, Barbados

Introduction and Workshop overview | 15:00–15:15 (CEST) • 09:00–09:15 (AST)

Speakers:

Mr. Richard Jones, Caribbean Policy Development Centre, Barbados, UNCTAD 15 Host country Civil Society Organization for the Civil Society Forum

The crisis of multilateralism – Wither UNCTAD rediscovering its original mandate to confront key challenges of the global south | 15:20–17:35 (CEST) • 09:20–11:35 (AST)

Plenary speakers:

Mr. Tetteh Hormeku-Ajei, Head of Programmes, Third World Network-Africa
Ms. Diyana Yahaya, Gender and Trade Coalition
Mr. Alvin Mosioma, Executive Director, Tax Justice Network Africa
Ms. Kai-Ann Skeete, the University of the West Indies
Ms. Anita Gurumurthy, Executive Director, IT for Change
Mr. Daniel Bertossa, Assistant General Secretary, Public Services International

Access the sessions here: wtvglobal.6connex.eu/event/UNCTAD15-Barbados/login?return=Frangipani-Auditorium

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org.

9th Global Commodities Forum: Strengthening resilience in commodity dependent countries

Ninth Global Commodities Forum: Strengthening resilience in commodity dependent countries

The Global Commodities Forum will be held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, with physical and remote participation, from 13 to 15 September 2021. It will commence at 3pm on Monday, 13 September 2021. The ninth meeting of the Global Commodities Forum is jointly organized by UNCTAD and the Government of Barbados, in collaboration with their partners. It is held in the lead up to the 15th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, hosted by Barbados, to be held with remote participation from 3 to 7 October 2021 and the theme of which is “From inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all.”

The Global Commodities Forum is a major multi-stakeholder meeting, at which participants can discuss pragmatic solutions to perennial problems in the commodity economy. It offers a unique platform at which to debate issues at the intersection of commodities and development, including food security, water management, the transition from fossil fuels and the greening of the mining sector. The theme of the 2021 Global Commodities Forum is “Strengthening resilience in commodity dependent countries.” Responding effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic and meeting development needs in the context of accelerating climate change processes are challenging many commodity dependent developing countries. How countries will adapt to a constantly evolving environment depends on their capacity to promote innovative economic and social development programmes. In this regard, international cooperation is crucial. The Global Commodities Forum will connect policymakers with practitioners to address current challenges and future opportunities for commodity dependent economies.

The Global Commodities Forum will help to frame international policy discussions on commodities, highlighting challenges and opportunities for developing countries, in particular commodity dependent developing countries. In this regard, four thematic sessions and a high-level round table will be organized. On day 1, the first session will be dedicated to agriculture, with a focus on the policy actions required to ensure food security, and the second session will examine the challenges related to access to water in the twenty-first century. On day 2, the third and fourth sessions will examine issues related to energy commodities and minerals, with a focus on energy transitions. On day 3, a high-level round table will be held on strengthening resilience.

Register & view the full program, including speaker biographies, here: unctad15.org/commodities-forum.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com.

[UNCTAD Seminar] Building Economic Resilience in Small Island Developing States

UNCTAD and the Commonwealth Secretariat will host an online seminar on “Building economic resilience in small island developing States” on 4 March 2021, from 3 to 5 p.m. CET.

Register here!

Background

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated the significant vulnerability of small island developing States to external shocks and has unleashed an unprecedented socioeconomic and financial crisis. The pandemic has also compounded the lingering effects of the financial crisis of 2008/09, following which many small island developing States borrowed to underwrite deficit spending and spur economic growth. Already burdened with high debt service costs at the start of the pandemic, many small island developing States lack the fiscal space to respond to the extraordinary needs created by the pandemic.

To break this cycle of recurring crises and incomplete recoveries, small island developing States strive to build their resilience to environmental and economic shocks. In support of this important quest, in 2014, member States, in the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway, reaffirmed their “commitment to take urgent and concrete action to address the vulnerability of small island developing States”, taking into account their “individual country circumstances”. Economic development strategies provide a blueprint for Governments and incentives for the private sector to invest in new industries and infrastructure, ideally spurring a cycle of economic growth and structural transformation, towards a resilient economy and sustainable long-term development. In this context, UNCTAD and the Commonwealth Secretariat will hold this seminar for member States on building economic resilience in small island developing States, to present their ongoing work and exchange views with member States on alternative development strategies for small island developing States and other small States.

The specific objectives of the seminar are to:

Inform SIDS and small States of assistance provided by UNCTAD and the Commonwealth; Foster debate on “alternative development strategies for diverse SIDS” based on joint UNCTAD-Commonwealth research; and Identify next steps, including further research, policy analysis and technical assistance.

Speakers:

Mr. Paul Akiwumi Director, Division for Africa, LDCs and Special Programmes (ALDC), UNCTAD
Dr. Arjoon Suddhoo Deputy Secretary-General, Commonwealth Secretariat
HE Mr. Chad Blackman PR of Barbados to the UN in Geneva Coordinator of the SIDS Group in Geneva
Mr. Pierre Encontre Chief, SIDS and Status Issues Section, UNCTAD
Dr. Ruth Kattumuri Senior Director, Economic, Youth & Sustainable Development Directorate, Commonwealth Secretariat
Mr. Kris Terauds Economist, SIDS and Status Issues Section, UNCTAD
Mr. Paul Akiwumi UNCTAD

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.

Barbados