The UNCTAD secretariat has the honour to inform member States and other entities that, due to the physical restrictions in force at the Palais des Nations as a consequence of the continuing pandemic, this meeting has been rescheduled as virtual meeting.
The Nairobi Maafikiano (paragraph 30) states: “Greater transparency is needed in commodities markets, in both source and destination countries, and this should include implementing methods to strengthen transparency and capacity in tax administration systems. The rich resource endowment of the world’s poorest countries, combined with massive capital flight from many commodity-dependent developing countries, highlights the need for a comprehensive assessment of the exploitation and marketing of primary commodities in both source and destination countries.”
In this regard, the meeting will provide a forum for sharing national experiences in addressing the issue of transparency in commodities markets, in both source and destination countries. Stronger transparency along commodities value chains is expected to improve the governance of the commodity sector and foster accountability as well as the sustainable management of commodity revenue.
The meeting will identify policies that commodity-dependent developing countries may pursue to maximize development benefits from commodity production and trade.
Participation
This meeting is open to all member States of UNCTAD. Representatives of other organizations, including specialized agencies, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations in the general and special categories, as well as academia and the private sector, may participate as observers.
Experts will participate in the meeting in their personal capacities and are expected to have proven expertise in the subject matter. They may be selected from government ministries such as those dealing with trade, industry, agriculture, minerals and metals, oil and gas, and may also be selected from the private sector, including representatives of producer associations or cooperatives and non-governmental organizations.
Experts wishing to participate as panellists should contact the UNCTAD secretariat by 15 February 2020.
Contributed Papers
Experts are encouraged to prepare and submit brief papers (of about five pages) related to one or more of the issues in the provisional agenda and to their national experiences.
These papers will be made available at the meeting in the form and language in which they are received.
Papers, which should draw on the experts’ experiences, may address one or more of the following issues:
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What have the drivers of price trends been in recent years in commodity markets, and what are the opportunities and challenges faced in commodity-dependent developing countries that stem from these trends?
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How can trade in primary commodities make a positive contribution to development?
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What mechanisms allow primary commodities to enhance trade and contribute to sustainable development?
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What policy options do commodity-dependent developing countries have to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030?
Related
Topic
Commodities
Meeting series
Contact
UNCTAD secretariat
Intergovernmental Support Service
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Fax: 41 22 917 0214
E-mail: meetings-unctad@un.org
Officer-in-Charge, Commodities Branch
T.: 41 22 917 1648 or 41 22 917 6286
E.: commodities@un.org
