NATIONAL INSITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY, HYDERABAD

GLOBAL MARKETING

ASSIGNMENT NO. 1

UNITED NATION CONFERENCE OF TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT (UNCTAD)

SUBMITTED TO : Mr. Shiv Kumar Belli SUBMITTED BY : Aditi Jindal (2) Sadhana Yadav (26) Sahil Kher (28) Sebastian James (30)

UNITED NATION CONFERENCE OF TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT (UNCTAD)

Prosperity For All

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues. The organization's goals are to "maximize the trade, investment and development opportunities of developing countries and assist them in their efforts to integrate into the world economy on an equitable basis." The creation of the conference was based on concerns of developing countries over the international market, multi-national corporations, and great disparity between developed nations and developing nations. UNCTAD grew from the view that existing institutions like GATT (now replaced by the World Trade Organization, WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank were not properly organized to handle the particular problems of developing countries.

Main Goals

To work as a laboratory of ideas and to provide on-the-ground assistance to help developing countries raise living standards through trade, investment, finance and technology To help developing countries benefit from the globalized economy To contribute to international debate on emerging issues related to developing countries and the world economy - such as the current global financial crisis - through major reports, policy briefs, and contributions to international conferences.

A Brief History of UNCTAD

Foundation

In the early 1960s, growing concerns about the place of developing countries in international trade led many of these countries to call for the convening of a full-fledged conference specifically devoted to tackling these problems and identifying appropriate international actions. The first United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was held in Geneva in 1964. Given the magnitude of the problems at stake and the need to address them, the conference was institutionalized to meet every four years, with intergovernmental bodies meeting between sessions and a permanent secretariat providing the necessary substantive and logistical support. Simultaneously, the developing countries established the Group of 77 to voice their concerns. (Today, the G77 has 131 members.)

The prominent Argentinian economist Ral Prebisch, who had headed the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, became the organization's first Secretary-General.

Phase 1: The 1960s and 1970s

In its early decades of operation, UNCTAD gained authoritative standing:

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as an intergovernmental forum for North-South dialogue and negotiations on issues of interest to developing countries, including debates on the "New International Economic Order". for its analytical research and policy advice on development issues.

Agreements launched by UNCTAD during this time include:

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the Generalized System of Preferences (1968), whereby developed economies grant improved market access to exports from developing countries. a number of International Commodities Agreements, which aimed at stabilizing the prices of export products crucial for developing countries. the Convention on a Code of Conduct for Liner Conferences, which strengthened the ability of developing countries to maintain national merchant fleets. the adoption of a Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices. This work later evolved into what is today known as "Trade and Competition Policies".

Furthermore, UNCTAD was a key contributor to:

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the definition of the target of 0.7% of gross domestic product (GDP) to be given as official development aid by developed countries to the poorest countries, as adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1970. the identification of the Group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as early as 1971, which drew attention to the particular needs of these poorest countries. UNCTAD became the focal point within the UN system for tackling LDC-related economic development issues.

Phase 2: The 1980s

In the 1980s, UNCTAD was faced with a changing economic and political environment:
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There was a significant transformation in economic thinking. Development strategies became more market-oriented, focusing on trade liberalization and privatization of state enterprises. A number of developing countries were plunged into severe debt crises. Despite structural adjustment programs by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, most developing countries affected were not able to recover

quickly. In many cases, they experienced negative growth and high rates of inflation. For this reason, the 1980s become known as the "lost decade", particularly in Latin America.s
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Economic interdependence in the world increased greatly.

In the light of these developments, UNCTAD multiplied efforts aimed at:

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strengthening the analytical content of its intergovernmental debate, particularly regarding macroeconomic management and international financial and monetary issues. broadening the scope of its activities to assist developing countries in their efforts to integrate into the world trading system. In this context,

the technical assistance provided by UNCTAD to developing countries was particularly important in the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations, which had begun under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1986. UNCTAD played a key role in supporting the negotiations for the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). UNCTAD's work on trade efficiency (customs facilitation, multimodal transport) made an important contribution to enabling developing economies to reap greater gains from trade. UNCTAD assisted developing countries in the rescheduling of official debt in the Paris Club negotiations.

promoting South-South cooperation. In 1989, the Agreement on the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP) came into force. It provided for the granting of tariff as well as non-tariff preferences among its members. To date, the Agreement has been ratified by 44 countries. addressing the concerns of the poorest nations by organizing the first UN Conference on Least Developed Countries in 1981. Since then, two other international conferences have been held at 10-year intervals.

Phase 3: From the 1990s until today

Key developments in the international context:

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The conclusion of the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations under the GATT resulted in the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995, which led to a strengthening of the legal framework governing international trade. A spectacular increase in international financial flows led to increasing financial instability and volatility. Against this background, UNCTAD's analysis gave early warning concerning the risks and the destructive impact of financial crises on development.

Consequently, UNCTAD emphasized the need for a more development-oriented "international financial architecture".
o o

Foreign direct investment flows became a major component of globalization. UNCTAD highlighted the need for a differentiated approach to the problems of developing countries. Its tenth conference, held in Bangkok in February 2000, adopted a political declaration "The Spirit of Bangkok" as a strategy to address the development agenda in a globalizing world.

In recent years, UNCTAD has

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further focused its analytical research on the linkages between trade, investment, technology and enterprise development. put forward a "positive agenda" for developing countries in international trade negotiations, designed to assist developing countries in better understanding the complexity of the multilateral trade negotiations and in formulating their positions. Expanded work on international investment issues, following the merger into UNCTAD of the New Yorkbased United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations in 1993. expanded and diversified its technical assistance, which today covers a wide range of areas, including training trade negotiators and addressing trade-related issues; debt management, investment policy reviews and the promotion of entrepreneurship; commodities; competition law and policy; and trade and environment.

UNCTAD Conferences
The highest decision-making body of UNCTAD is the quadrennial conference, at which member States make assessments of current trade and development issues, discuss policy options and formulate global policy responses. The conference also sets the organizations mandate and work priorities.

The conference is a subsidiary organ of the United Nations General Assembly. The conferences serve an important political function: they allow intergovernmental consensus building regarding the state of the world economy and development policies, and they play a key role in identifying the role of the United Nations and UNCTAD in addressing economic development problems.

The UNCTAD Conference held every four years:

UNCTAD IX in Midrand, South Africa on 27 April 11 May 1996 UNCTAD X in Bangkok, Thailand on 1219 February 2000[6] UNCTAD XI in So Paulo, Brazil on 1318 June 2004[7] UNCTAD XII in Accra, Ghana on 2125 April 2008[8] UNCTAD XIII in Doha, Qatar on 2126 April 2012[9]

New Delhi, 1968 (2nd conference)

The New Delhi Conference, held in February and March 1968, was a forum that allowed developing countries to reach agreement on basic principles of their development policies. The conference in New Delhi was an opportunity for schemes to be finally approved. The conference provided a major impetus in persuading the North to follow up UNCTAD I resolutions, in establishing generalised preferences. The target for private and official flows to LDCs was raised to 1% of the North's GNP, but the developed countries failed to commit themselves to achieving the target by a specific date. This has proven a continuing point of debate at UNCTAD conferences. The conference led to the International Sugar Agreement, which seeks to stabilize world sugar prices.

UNCTAD Member State

There are 194 members of the UNCTAD Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of Korea Romania Russian Federation Rwanda

Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Costa Rica Cte dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador

Iran (Islamic Republic of) Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mexico Micronesia (Federated States of) Moldova Monaco Mongolia

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Tajikistan Thailand The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda

Lao Peoples Democratic Solomon Islands

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Sudan

Democratic Republic of the Mauritius

Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia

Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway

Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United Republic of Tanzania United States of America Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

Area Of Work
UNCTAD is the United Nations focal point for trade and development, and for interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development. Its objective is to assist developing countries, especially the least developed countries, and countries with economies in transition, to integrate beneficially into the global economy. It also seeks to help the international community promote a global partnership for development, increase coherence in global economic policymaking, and assure development gains for all from trade.

1. Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes

The Division focuses on the poorest and most vulnerable developing countries in the world. Specifically, it aims to increase understanding and awareness of the development problems of Africa and the least developed countries, as well as countries with specific geographical handicaps, notably landlocked developing countries and small island developing states, and to promote action at national, regional and international levels to support their development, enhance their participation in the world economy and achieve internationally agreed development goals. The Division provides timely, targeted research and analysis of development challenges faced by these countries, designs innovative policy recommendations, delivers tailor-made technical assistance, in particular through the Enhanced Integrated Framework, and supports intergovernmental processes which seek to address their specific problems, such as those embodied in the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries.

2. Globalization and Development

UNCTAD contributes to the international debate on globalization and the management of its consequences for developing countries. The programme promotes policies at the national, regional and international level that are conducive to stable economic growth and sustainable development. It regularly examines the trends and prospects in the world economy, undertakes studies on the requirements for successful development strategies and on the debt problems of developing countries. It also provides technical support to developing countries in their efforts to integrate into the international financial system and to manage their external debt.

3. Investment and Enterprise

The Division is recognized as a global centre of excellence on issues related to investment and enterprise for sustainable development. Built on several decades of successful experience, its staff provide international expertise in research and policy analysis, inter-governmental consensus-building, and technical assistance to over 150 countries. Its flagship product is the annual World Investment Report and its main global stakeholder event is the biannual World Investment Forum. The Division also maintains the interactive World Investment Network of over 9,000 members to disseminate and promote all its work on investment and enterprise.

4. International Trade and commodities

The overall objective of the programme is to promote inclusive and sustainable development through international trade. It offers analysis and advice and seeks to build consensus, strengthen capacity and promote partnerships for trade policy, trade negotiations, trade in goods and services, competition law and consumer protection, and managing issues arising at the intersection of trade, the environment and climate change.

5. Technology and Logistics

The Division on Technology and Logistics (DTL) aims to enhance the economic development and competitiveness in developing countries - in particular Least Developed Countries - through efficient trade logistics services and transit transport systems; science, technology and innovation, including increased access to and sustainable use of information and communication technologies; and training and capacity-building programmes for local institutions. The Division achieves this through analytical work, intergovernmental policy dialogue and the implementation of technical cooperation, training and capacity building programmes. The Division consists of three Branches, hosts the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development and carries out ASYCUDA, UNCTADs largest technical cooperation programme.

Main Activities Globalization and Development Strategies

Identify broad trends and prospects in the world economy, such as the recent rise in "SouthSouth" trade Identify solutions to the economic development challenges of African countries Analyse the effects on least developed countries of international aid and of other efforts to promote development Help with the restructuring of developing-country debt

Trade in Goods and Services

Assist developing countries in all aspects of their trade negotiations Analyse the impact of competition laws and policies on development Encourage the inclusion of environmental issues, such as climate change and preservation of biodiversity, in trade and development policies

Commodities

Examine the factors influencing commodity markets Help developing country efforts to achieve sustainable commodity exportst Help commodity-dependent countries diversify their economies

Investment and Enterprise Development

Analyse trends in foreign direct investment and their impacts on development Help countries participate in international investment agreements Advise governments on their investment policies through investment policy reviews, guides, and training Help with the creation and nurturing of small and medium-sized enterprises Help countries establish and observe international standards for accounting

Technology and Innovation

Identify policies to take advantage of new technologies, including the Internet and e-business Help governments set up effective policies on science, technology, and innovation Help developing countries gain access to useful and appropriate technology and knowledge

Trade Logistics and Human Resource Development

Partner with Developing Countries to address Transport and Trade Facilitation challenges and opportunities Technical assistance in Trade Facilitation reforms and Customs automation Cooperation in Transit transport systems for landlocked and transit developing countries Research in Maritime and Sustainable Transport Legal and Regulatory Transport related issues Build training networks and organize training in all areas of international trade, in particular for least developed countries

Relationship with other agencies

As the focal point for the integrated treatment of trade and development, UNCTAD interacts and cooperates with a variety of other organizations within and outside the United Nations system. These include the following:

World Trade Organization UNCTAD and WTO have been joining forces to ensure a better functioning of the multilateral trading system. In April 2003, the organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding providing for cooperation and consultations on their technical assistance activities and for the conduct of joint studies on selected issues. UNCTAD and WTO interact frequently, and the intergovernmental processes in both organizations are often attended by the same Government representatives.

International Trade Centre The ITC is jointly sponsored by UNCTAD and WTO for operational, enterprise-oriented aspects of trade development, with an emphasis on trade promotion. In contrast to UNCTAD, whose technical assistance is primarily tailored to Governments, ITCs technical assistance focuses on assisting businesses in developing countries. Both UNCTAD and WTO are represented in the Joint Advisory Group supervising ITCs work, and UNCTAD has a number of joint technical assistance activities with ITC.

UN Regional Commissions and UNDP UNCTAD cooperates with these international entities on a project-by-project basis, be it in relation to research projects, joint workshops and seminars, or technical assistance. Since

UNCTAD has no representatives in the field, the UNDP country offices are also used to support UNCTAD activities in various countries. UN Inter-Agency Cluster on trade and productive capacity The CEB Inter-Agency Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity is an interagency mechanism dedicated to the coordination of trade and development operations at the national and regional levels within the UN system. The Cluster, makes a concrete and direct contribution to the UN system-wide coherence reform by coordinating its participation in the:

Delivering as One UN Pilots and countries involved in a new UNDAF process, and United Nations Development Group (UNDG) machinery, in view of the formulation of new United Nations rules and standard mechanisms for development operations. Membership: The Cluster is led by UNCTAD and includes 15 agencies : UNIDO | UNDP | ITC | FAO | WTO | UNEP | ILO | UNCITRAL | UNOPS |the five UN Regional Commissions.

Bretton Woods institutions (International Monetary Fund and World Bank) The World Bank and UNCTAD cooperate in the delivery of some technical assistance and capacity-building programmes. The UNCTAD secretariat, through the Debt Management DMFAS programme, is also an active member of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Finance Statistics, which is chaired by the IMF. The three agencies also cooperate in organizing seminars. UNCTAD attends the biannual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, and both institutions participate in UNCTADs intergovernmental meetings.