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.

[registration deadline] Course on non-tariff measures and their relevance to the pandemic

The UNCTAD secretariat is pleased to inform the permanent missions of member States in Geneva that the UNCTAD Trade Analysis Branch will organize the first edition of an online course on economic analysis of non-tariff measures of 2021. This edition of the course will be held from 4 October to 19 November 2021.

The objective of this course is to introduce the main empirical approaches used to assess the impact of non-tariff measures on bilateral trade flows. The course targets audiences who are working in trade and/or development field, such as government officials, researchers and representatives of the private sector. We especially encourage participants who want to strengthen their understanding of non-tariff measures, use non-tariff measures data and/or who are or may be involved in the design or negotiation of policies related to non-tariff measures. The course may also be of benefit to participants involved in the regulatory cooperation and harmonization of non-tariff measures across countries/sectors and participants involved in the resolution of trade frictions related to non-tariff measures.

A limited number of applications will be considered from the stakeholders of developed countries. Qualified women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates should apply by following the instructions available at research.net/r/EconNTMs. The deadline for applications is 26 September 2021.

To obtain assistance with the online application process, please contact elearningtrade@un.org. Requests for further information or clarifications about the course may be sent to Ms. Chi Le Ngo, Trade Analysis Branch, UNCTAD Division on International Trade and Commodities; email: ntm.training@unctad.org.

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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.

Changing narratives about unpaid care work and the economy

The pandemic has shown the critical importance of Care. It also exposed the challenges that women, particularly mothers, face in juggling paid work and unpaid Care responsibilities. At the heart of the problem is our current economic system, which considers unpaid care work – and nature – as endless and free commodities.

The Covid-19 crisis provides a unique opportunity to repurpose our economy, so that it serves the wellbeing of people and our planet. Bringing about such systemic change begins by changing narratives and perspectives on both unpaid care work and the economy.

Programme and list of speakers

Introductions:

Anne-Claire de Liedekerke, President, Make Mothers Matter
Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

Moderator: Susan Himmelweit, Feminist economist, Emeritus professor of economics for the Open University in the UK, member of the UK Women’s Budget Group Commission for a Gender Equal Economy

Presentations:

Gary Barker, Founder and CEO, Promundo Global
Sonia Malaspina, Human Resources Director, Danone SN Italy
Anam Parvez, Research Lead in Evidence and Strategic Learning, Oxfam Great Britain
Shahra Razavi, Director, ILO Social Protection Department

Q&A

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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 Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family-NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

[Application Deadline] Online Course: The Gender Impact of Technological Upgrading in Agriculture

In an effort to increase awareness on the links between trade, gender and agricultural technology innovation, UNCTAD developed an online course on “The Gender Impact of Technological Upgrading in Agriculture”. The course builds on UNCTAD’s portfolio of online courses on trade and gender and on the framework developed in previous teaching modules. This new course bears on two interrelated topical areas of great significance for women’s economic wellbeing and participation in trade: agriculture and technology.

The online course will be offered from 23 November to 13 December 2020. It is open to all stakeholders from developing countries. A limited number of applications from developed countries’ stakeholders will be considered. The course will be managed and tutored by the Trade, Gender and Development Programme of UNCTAD.

Applications should be submitted by following the instructions at this link: research.net/r/3RKC52R

Applications must include a detailed curriculum vitae and a letter of nomination from the applicant’s institution indicating its support for the application and explaining how the applicant’s participation in the course will contribute to his or her future work and the work of the institution.

Requests for further information or clarification about this course should be sent to:

Ms. Simonetta Zarrilli Chief, Trade, Gender and Development Programme Division on International Trade and Commodities, UNCTAD, at simonetta.zarrilli@un.org

A selection committee will review each application and select the course participants based on the supporting documents and the relevance of the course to their work. Participants will be advised of their selection by 16 November 2020.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit https://ngocswvienna.org/.

commodities