Commodities

A/RES/57/236No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 84bCommodities, published in 2003.

What other versions does this mandate have?

22 versions · 1987–2025

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2025).

2025A/RES/80/124CommoditiesLatestCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/138CommoditiesCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/76/194CommoditiesCompare with previous version
2020A/RES/74/204CommoditiesCompare with previous version
2018A/RES/72/205CommoditiesCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2004.

2004A/59/304World commodity trends and prospects report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

21 operative paragraphs

Emphasizes the need for efforts by the developing countries that are heavily dependent on primary commodities to continue to promote a domestic policy and an institutional environment that encourage diversification and liberalization of the trade and export sectors and enhance competitiveness;

Expresses the urgent need for supportive international policies and measures to improve the functioning of commodity markets through efficient and transparent price-formation mechanisms, including commodity exchanges, and through the use of viable and effective commodity price risk management instruments;

Expresses its concern at the declining terms of trade for most primary commodities, in particular for net exporters of such commodities, as well as the lack of progress in many developing countries in achieving diversification, and in this regard strongly emphasizes the need for actions at both the national and international levels, inter alia, to improve market access conditions, address supply-side constraints and provide support for capacity-building, including in areas that actively involve women;

Urges Governments and invites international financial institutions to continue to assess the effectiveness of the systems for compensatory financing of export-earnings shortfalls, and in this regard stresses the importance of empowering developing country commodity producers to insure themselves against risk, including natural disasters;

Urges the developed countries to continue to support the commodity diversification and liberalization efforts of commodity-dependent developing countries, especially those in Africa and the least developed countries, as well as small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, in a spirit conducive to promoting a common purpose and efficiency, inter alia, by providing technical and financial assistance for their commodity diversification programmes;

Urges producers and consumers of individual commodities to intensify their efforts to reinforce mutual cooperation and assistance;

Reiterates the importance of maximizing the contribution of the commodity sector to economic growth and sustainable development, while continuing with diversification efforts in developing countries, in particular commodity-dependent developing countries, especially those in Africa and the least developed countries, as well as small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, and, in this respect, stresses that:

International support for efforts by developing countries in the industrial transformation of their commodities is required to increase their export revenues and improve their competitiveness, with a view to facilitating their integration into the global economy;

In the area of agriculture, it is important to fulfil, without prejudging the outcome of the negotiations, the commitment for comprehensive negotiations initiated under article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture, referred to in the Ministerial Declaration adopted at Doha, and aimed at substantial improvements in market access; reductions of all forms of export subsidies, with a view to phasing them out; substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support; pursuing negotiations on market access for non-agricultural products aimed at reducing or, as appropriate, eliminating tariffs, including the reduction or elimination of tariff peaks, high tariffs, and tariff escalation, as well as non-tariff barriers, in particular on products of export interest to developing countries; and implementing other relevant areas of the World Trade Organization work programme;

In line with the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation,Error: Reference source not found mutual supportiveness between the multilateral trading system and the multilateral environmental agreements, consistent with sustainable development goals, should be promoted in support of the work programme agreed through the World Trade Organization, while recognizing the importance of maintaining the integrity of both sets of instruments;

In the light of the process of multilateral trade liberalization, which has led to the diminution of differentials accorded by preferred trade regimes, there is a need to take measures, as appropriate and consistent with international obligations, to address that diminution, in particular by strengthening technical assistance, by continuing to provide financial assistance to commodity-dependent developing countries and by addressing supply-side constraints faced by these countries, in order to improve the competitiveness of their commodity sectors and to overcome difficulties encountered in their diversification programmes;

Timely and effective financial cooperation should be maintained and further pursued to facilitate the management by commodity-dependent developing countries, especially those in Africa and the least developed countries, as well as small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, of excessive fluctuations in commodity export earnings, and in this regard stresses that it is important to pursue diversification as part of a long-term solution;

Strengthening technical cooperation in the areas of transfer of new technologies and know-how in production processes and training for technical, managerial and commercial staff in developing countries is of paramount importance for quality improvements in the commodity sector;

Expansion of South-South trade and investment in commodities enhances complementarities and offers opportunities for intersectoral linkages within and among exporting countries;

There is a need to promote, expand and intensify research and development, to provide infrastructure, enterprise development, technology and support services and to encourage investment, including joint ventures in developing countries engaged in the commodity and commodity-processing sectors;

Underlines the need to strengthen the Common Fund for Commodities, and encourages it, in cooperation with the International Trade Centre, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and other relevant bodies, to continue to strengthen the activities covered by its Second Account in developing countries with its supply chain concept of improving access to markets and reliability of supply, enhancing diversification and value addition, improving competitiveness of commodities, strengthening the market chain, improving market structures, broadening the export base and ensuring the effective participation of all stakeholders;

Invites the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, within its mandate, to provide assistance to developing countries in promoting commodity diversification and to include issues related to commodities in the provision of analytical support and technical assistance to developing countries in respect of their effective participation in multilateral trade negotiations;

Encourages efforts to promote cooperation between relevant international organizations on commodity issues;

Calls upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, within existing budgetary resources, supplemented by voluntary contributions as appropriate, to designate independent eminent persons to examine and report on commodity issues, including the volatility in commodity prices and declining terms of trade and the impact these have on the development efforts of commodity-dependent developing countries, for consideration by the Trade and Development Board at its executive session and, subsequently, by the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session;

Requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session on world commodity trends and prospects, taking into account, inter alia, the current report thereonError: Reference source not found and the subsequent consideration requested in paragraph 11 above;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-ninth session, under the item entitled “Macroeconomic policy questions”, the sub-item entitled “Commodities”.

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Commodities

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