The crisis resulting from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic puts an acute light on key development issues identified as priority actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The pandemic is a wake-up call, requiring a profound systemic move to a more sustainable economy. Overcoming the economic crisis resulting from the pandemic means a new path for development that not only provides countries with punctual economic recovery but also offers more resilient transformation in line with the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals.
It is in this context that the United Nations Inter-Agency Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity has joined forces to participate in the United Nations COVID- 19 response and recovery multi-partner trust fund and has addressed the United Nations resident coordinators directly to demonstrate the pertinence of Cluster interventions for enhanced coherence and impact at the country level. A joint letter, signed in August 2020 by the heads of FAO, ILO, UNCTAD, UNDP and UNIDO, demonstrates the high level of commitment of the Cluster to the United Nations resident coordinator system.
Going beyond the pandemic, the Cluster is now proposing tailored Cluster-led initiatives with joint programmes to all interested United Nations resident coordinators and donors to support midterm and long-term economic recovery in countries.
The Cluster is convinced that such combined assistance at the country level will help countries overcome the economic crisis and will contribute to a new path for development in line with the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Mukhisa Kituyi
Secretary-General of UNCTAD
