What we do

The work of the Global Programme is divided into several areas. The latest news is available online on the news page.

Commercial Diplomacy
Investment and Enterprise Development
Regional Policy Dialogues
Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

Commercial Diplomacy
The objective of UNCTAD's commercial diplomacy programme is to strengthen the ability of developing countries to participate more effectively at bilateral, regional and multilateral deliberations and negotiations in the field of trade and investment. With this in mind, a positive agenda needs to be built to allow developing countries an active say at forthcoming WTO negotiations. Mortgages are seen as a strong way forward here.

The Commercial Diplomacy Programme, in collaboration with the UN Regional Economic Commissions (UNECLAC and UNESCAP), organised a series of meetings on "Research and Training Needs in International Trade". The first two meetings were held in Santiago de Chile, on 4-5 November 1999, and in New Delhi on 13-15 November 2000. A third meeting is proposed for late September 2001 in Mauritius.
Click here to view documents relating to the Commercial Diplomacy meetings.

The discussions identified technical topics, areas and methodologies related to the WTO negotiations, and focused on formulating trade policies that need further investigation. Besides this, the meetings established a network of research and training institutions dealing with international trade.

The topics identified at the meetings have contributed to the design of an UNCTAD Post-Graduate Programme on International Trade. Its objective is to develop training activities for trade negotiators and policy-makers in academic institutions of developing countries. These institutions will be responsible for the implementation of the Programme, and will receive active technical support from UNCTAD Secretariat.

This Programme, to be launched in selected Universities and training institutions in developing countries, is meant as an additional instrument to implement the mandate of UNCTAD X to assist developing countries in enhancing their trade policy-making and negotiating capacity.

Given the nature of the international trade agenda, the training programmes will be based on multidisciplinarity, integrating economic, legal, and political aspects. In accordance with UNCTAD's mandate, the development dimension will be at the core of this approach.

Investment and Enterprise Development
The Programme has funded several activities to build the capacity of developing countries in order for them to be able to formulate policies relating to FDI and enterprise development. These include:

1. Drawing lessons from the negotiations of international investment agreements. (An Inter-Regional Symposium on A Possible Multilateral Framework for Foreign Direct Investment and Its Development Dimension took place in Xiamen in September 1999).


2. Examining the role of FDI in fostering development strategies.

Regional Policy Dialogues
To increase awareness in the development community of issues relating to globalization and SHD, three Regional Policy Dialogues were organised, in collaboration with the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Human Development (ICTSD). The ICTSD is a Geneva-based NGO set up to review the regional experiences of globalization and to advocate the integration of sustainable human development objectives into the ongoing economic integration process. The three dialogues were held in Santiago de Chile (November 1999), Bangkok (November 1999) and Windhoek (May 2000).

Click below to find out more about the regional policy dialgues:
Africa, Windhoek, May 2000
Asia, Bangkok, November 1999
Latin America, Santiago de Chile, November 1999

LDCs
To help LDCs integrate into the multilateral trading system, the Global Programme jointly funded a workshop to review a range of issues arising from the implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreements, in preparation for future multilateral trade negotiations. It was organised in Sun City, South Africa, on June 21-24, 1999. Along with representatives of sub-regional trade organisations and the private sector, participants examined the impact of implementing the Uruguay Round Agreements on the development of their countries and discussed appropriate strategies for the Seattle conference.

To ensure recognition of their interests by the WTO, participants decided to establish a common negotiating position and build coalitions with other developing countries. The main result of the meeting was the formulation of a set of proposals, and a common agenda to submit to the General Council in WTO for the Seattle Ministerial Conference. The meeting also allowed for a review of the status of LDCs seeking accession to the WTO. A Handbook for trade negotiators from Least Developed Countries was published in September 1999.