UN Trade and Development

UN Trade and Development Official account of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). We work to ensure everyone benefits from the global economy. Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan.

Website: https://unctad.org/subscribe UNCTAD, which is governed by its 194 member States, is the United Nations body responsible for dealing with development issues, particularly international trade – the main driver of development. Its work can be summed up in three words: think, debate, and deliver. Reflection on development is at the heart of UNCTAD’s work. It produces often-innovative analyses

that form the basis for recommendations to economic policymakers. The aim is to help them take informed decisions and promote the macroeconomic policies best suited to ending global economic inequalities and to generating people-centred sustainable development. UNCTAD is also a forum where representatives of all countries can freely engage in dialogue and discuss ways to establish a better balance in the global economy. In addition, UNCTAD offers direct technical assistance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition, helping them to build the capacities they need to become equitably integrated into the global economy and improve the well-being of their populations. UNCTAD holds a ministerial-level meeting every four years to discuss major global economic issues and to decide on its programme of work. It also holds discussions with civil society, including at an annual symposium where members of the public can express their views and interact with country representatives. Every two years, UNCTAD organizes the World Investment Forum, which brings together major players from the international investment community to discuss challenges and opportunities and to promote investment policies and partnerships for sustainable development and equitable growth.

Between 2014 and 2024, external debt service costs in developing countries rose much faster than debt stocks.With many g...
18/06/2026

Between 2014 and 2024, external debt service costs in developing countries rose much faster than debt stocks.

With many governments relying on external financing to fund spending, pressure on public finances is mounting.

Read more in UNCTAD's report, “Financing development: External flows of financial capital to developing countries and their cost”.

https://ow.ly/R4uL50Zee6O

Over the past decade, developing countries' interest payments rose by 102%, while government revenues grew by just 39%.H...
18/06/2026

Over the past decade, developing countries' interest payments rose by 102%, while government revenues grew by just 39%.

High borrowing costs on public debt are rapidly eroding fiscal space and constraining sustainable development.

What actions are needed nationally and globally?

Explore UNCTAD’s analysis: https://ow.ly/Y8qL50ZcQ8N

In 99 developing countries, home to 5.5 billion people, debt servicing absorbed a growing share of government revenues b...
17/06/2026

In 99 developing countries, home to 5.5 billion people, debt servicing absorbed a growing share of government revenues between 2018 and 2024.

What does this mean for public investment and other development priorities?

UNCTAD analysis: https://ow.ly/UHPy50ZcHfZ

Rising debt servicing costs are straining public finances in developing countries.In its new analysis, UNCTAD explores p...
17/06/2026

Rising debt servicing costs are straining public finances in developing countries.

In its new analysis, UNCTAD explores policy approaches to expanding access to affordable, long-term finance, which is not just a financial issue but also a development imperative.

Dive in:

Expanding access to affordable, stable and long-term finance is not only a financial issue, but a development imperative.

Papua New Guinea can benefit from an open but strategic trade policy, a new UNCTAD study finds.Tariffs can support devel...
16/06/2026

Papua New Guinea can benefit from an open but strategic trade policy, a new UNCTAD study finds.

Tariffs can support development goals when they are stable, targeted and paired with action to lower the real cost of doing business.

This includes improving infrastructure, power supply and customs processes, as well as reducing costs for key imported inputs.

The study was funded by the European Union under the UNCTAD Improving Pacific Islands Customs and Trade (IMPACT) project, a component of the Pacific Regional Integration Support Programme.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/Utu950Zck08

Critical mineral partnerships are expanding rapidly, but many still focus on extraction.To move up the value chain, reso...
16/06/2026

Critical mineral partnerships are expanding rapidly, but many still focus on extraction.

To move up the value chain, resource-rich developing countries may seek stronger provisions on local processing, technology transfer and skills development.

More in the latest Global Trade Update: https://ow.ly/GzLs50ZbTZ3

Critical minerals are no longer just a commodity story but central to trade, investment and industrial development due t...
15/06/2026

Critical minerals are no longer just a commodity story but central to trade, investment and industrial development due to their role in high-tech sectors.

Governments are increasingly using trade policy, such as export-related measures, to secure access and strengthen competitiveness.

Since 2020, nearly 100 export-related measures have been introduced, including licenses, taxes and bans.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/FQ6o50ZbSMq

The supply of critical energy transition minerals is highly concentrated, especially in processing and refining where mo...
15/06/2026

The supply of critical energy transition minerals is highly concentrated, especially in processing and refining where more value addition occurs.

As growing demand heightens competition, trade policy is becoming a key force shaping production, trade, costs, and how benefits are distributed.

Dive deeper: https://ow.ly/c45950ZbLi6

Au-delà des minerais essentiels à la transition énergétique, la SADC offre à Madagascar 275,1 millions de dollars d’oppo...
14/06/2026

Au-delà des minerais essentiels à la transition énergétique, la SADC offre à Madagascar 275,1 millions de dollars d’opportunités d’exportation, notamment dans les produits chimiques, le papier-carton et la transformation alimentaire.

En savoir plus : https://ow.ly/5oMk50Zb9jq

As competition for critical minerals grows, global trade risks fragmentation with overlapping agreements, rules and stan...
13/06/2026

As competition for critical minerals grows, global trade risks fragmentation with overlapping agreements, rules and standards.

Trade policy needs to support development in mineral-rich countries while enabling the low-carbon, digital transition.

Read the full analysis in UNCTAD’s Global Trade Update:

But the central question is whether critical minerals become another source of fragmentation, or a basis for more resilient and inclusive global cooperation.

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