From decisions to actions: Trade as a catalyst for accomplishing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The Trade and Development Commission,

Reaffirming that international trade can be an engine for inclusive growth and poverty reduction and that it can contribute to the promotion of sustainable development,

Noting with concern that international trade growth remains weak and that sluggish international trade and weak economic growth are likely to affect progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,

1. Reiterates the important role of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as the focal point within the United Nations system for the integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development and in contributing to supporting implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, taking into account the Nairobi Maafikiano, adopted at the fourteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Nairobi;
    
2. Stresses the importance of UNCTAD in supporting Sustainable Development Goal 17, the means of implementation for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, through activities that contribute towards the promotion of trade and sustainable development, with particular emphasis on increasing exports of developing countries and the least developed countries;
    
3. Notes that expert meetings, consistent with the Nairobi Maafikiano and the terms of reference approved by the Trade and Development Board, continue to facilitate constructive sharing of experiences and best practices, and networking among experts, with a view to enhancing substantive knowledge;
    
4. Underlines the importance of promoting and strengthening synergies among the three pillars of UNCTAD work;
    
5. Notes the importance of maritime transport for world trade;
    
6. Notes with appreciation the convening in 2017 of a first international forum for national trade facilitation committees, hosted by UNCTAD and organized in collaboration with many international organizations;
    
7. Commends the launch of a new sustainable freight transport toolkit, aimed at building the capacity of developing countries to enable a reorientation towards sustainable freight transport, and the provision of advisory services on international transport and trade facilitation, as well as the Review of Maritime Transport and related statistical and information services;
    
8. Recognizes that achieving greater transparency in trade regulations also facilitates trade and that it can help to grow trade, create jobs and increase incomes;
    
9. Requests UNCTAD to continue providing support as needed to requesting countries in the formulation and review of national trade and sustainable development policies, in the context of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Nairobi Maafakiano;
    
10. Recognizes the value of UNCTAD support to the national efforts of member States to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in key areas, such as in the nexus between trade, development and environment, trade and climate change and renewable and low emission energy sources, and calls upon the UNCTAD secretariat to continue its work on relevant Sustainable Development Goals, including through its technical cooperation programme;
     
11. Encourages the UNCTAD secretariat to further disseminate the outcomes of its research, including from technical assistance, capacity-building and consensus-building, at the national and regional levels;
     
12. Expresses satisfaction with the presentation of the UNCTAD secretariat on the most recent trends and policies in the areas of trade, trade logistics and sustainable development, and calls on the secretariat to continue conducting independent research and analysis in these areas and making policy recommendations, focusing on developing countries;
     
13. Acknowledges the important work of UNCTAD on trade trends and non-tariff measures, and requests the secretariat’s assistance to developing countries and economies in transition in enhancing their capacity to address the trade and development impact of non-tariff measures;
     
14. Recognizes the importance of including environmental and social protection and economic development goals within national trade and infrastructure policies, drawing on the contributions of all stakeholders, in particular Governments and the private sector;
     
15. Recognizes the importance of incorporating a gender perspective in the promotion of inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and the key role that gender-responsive trade policies can play in realizing the social and economic targets embodied in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and requests the UNCTAD secretariat to continue its efforts to mainstream gender into its work;
     
16. Welcomes the iterations of the online UNCTAD course on trade and gender, which have benefited more than 400 stakeholders from more than 100 countries;
     
17. Welcomes the first voluntary peer review of UNCTAD on consumer protection law and policy as a tool for policy reform and a catalyst for international cooperation and technical cooperation, and encourages interested member States to continue to volunteer in accordance with available resources;
     
18. Requests UNCTAD to continue its assistance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition on formulating and implementing competition and consumer protection policies and laws and sharing of best practices, as well as facilitating international cooperation among competition and consumer protection agencies together with other relevant international organizations, taking into account the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection and the United Nations Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices;
     
19. Requests UNCTAD to continue and reinforce its work on trade in services, services data and statistics and analysis of trade and services for development;
     
20. Requests UNCTAD to continue to provide and reinforce its technical assistance and capacity-building to developing countries and countries with economies in transition before, during and in the follow-up of the process of accession to the World Trade Organization;
     
21. Requests UNCTAD to continue to support regional integration schemes, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, and to continue to assist the least developed countries in making use of existing initiatives and programmes, such as duty-free and quota-free schemes, preferential rules of origin for those countries and the least developed countries services waiver, as well as targeted assistance under initiatives such as the Enhanced Integrated Framework and Aid for Trade;
     
22. Requests UNCTAD to continue its work through its three pillars in the fields of international transport and transit, trade logistics, trade facilitation and related issues;
     
23. Looks forward to the 2018 edition of the Review of Maritime Transport, and requests that the findings of the report and related statistical and information products be incorporated into the capacity-building work of UNCTAD and fed into intergovernmental deliberations, as well as other relevant policymaking forums;
     
24. Acknowledges various UNCTAD programmes, including the Automated System for Customs Data, port management and trade facilitation programmes, as well as the empowerment programme for national trade facilitation committees and technical assistance and advisory services towards sustainable and resilient freight transport, and commends these programmes for their successful implementation;
     
25. Expresses appreciation for the financial support provided by donors to these programmes.