Developing Countries in International Trade 2007: Trade and Development Index (TDI) Informal briefing by Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD

UNCTAD´s new publication Developing Countries in International Trade 2007 - Trade and Development Index (TDI) provides a quantitative indication and an analytical framework to identify how well trade and development policies of developing countries allow them to maximize benefits and minimize costs from trade liberalization and globalization, and achieve the ultimate goal of people´s well being.

The TDI framework brings country specific realities to the forefront by identifying structural, institutional, financial, trade policy and development measures and strategies, identifying gaps and pointing to policy options to overcome bottlenecks to trade and development in order to allow developing countries to meaningfully benefit from trade liberalization and globalization.

The value of the Trade and Development Index is that it shows in a direct and clear manner that developing nations can reap greater trade and development dividends by adopting effective and coherent policy frameworks.

This year´s edition of the TDI contains a series of country profiles for each of the 123 countries represented in the analysis. These profiles present:

• selected indicators
  
  
• a comparison between the TDI scores obtained in 2005 and 2006
  
  
• the degree to which an individual country has climbed up the development ladder and a comparison of its performance with other countries

The new TDI incorporates 11 components and 34 specific indicators.

The TDI will be simultaneously launched on 6 November 2007 in Washington, D.C. (at the National Press Club), as well as in New Delhi and Istanbul.