Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi opened the 62nd Trade and Development Board by presenting the four "action lines" he believes could form the basis for UNCTAD's contribution to the post-2015 agenda.
UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi opened the sixty-second annual session of the Trade and Development Board by recalling the important challenges that stand before UNCTAD and the international community.
"We gather here in Geneva as your Heads of State and Government prepare to go to New York and ratify the most comprehensive plan of action for global development that we have ever seen", he said.
Dr. Kituyi stressed the importance of this Trade and Development Board, which kicks off the official preparations for the fourteenth United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIV)--the first ministerial conference of the post-2015 era.
As such, he explained, "It will represent a starting point to translate the heightened ambitions of the international community into concrete plans of action".
On this occasion, the Secretary-General launched his Report to UNCTAD XIV. "In this report, you will find my sense of the key issues on the global development agenda and how a renewed mandate for our organization can enable our robust contribution", Dr. Kituyi said.
The report, called "From Decisions to Actions", argues for four "action lines" where UNCTAD could make a difference in implementing the new global development agenda.
It outlines what UNCTAD must do to help achieve the sustainable development goals:
We must build productive capacity to transform economies.
We also must work towards more effective states and more efficient markets.
We must tackle vulnerabilities and build resilience.
We must strengthen multilateralism to find common solutions.
Following the Secretary-General's opening statement, the Board heard from regional groups, member States and civil society.
