International Trade and Development

A/RES/60/184View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 50aInternational trade and development, published in 2005.

What other versions does this mandate have?

33 versions · 1994–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/121

2025A/RES/80/121International trade and developmentLatestCompare with previous version
2024A/RES/79/195International trade and developmentCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/134International trade and developmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/77/151International trade and developmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/76/190International trade and developmentCompare with previous version

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Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

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Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2006.

2006A/61/272International trade and development report of the Secretary-General

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What does this mandate say?

23 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms the value of multilateralism to the global trading system and the commitment to achieving a universal, rule-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system that contributes to growth, development and employment generation, and emphasizes that bilateral and regional trading arrangements should contribute to the multilateral trading system;

Underlines the fact that the increasing interdependence of national economies in a globalizing world and the emergence of rule-based regimes for international economic relations have meant that the space for national economic policy, that is, the scope for domestic policies, especially in the areas of trade, investment and industrial development, is now often framed by international disciplines, commitments and global market considerations, that it is for each Government to evaluate the trade-off between the benefits of accepting international rules and commitments and the constraints posed by the loss of policy space and that it is particularly important for developing countries, bearing in mind development goals and objectives, that all countries take into account the need for appropriate balance between national policy space and international disciplines and commitments;

Stresses the importance of open, transparent, inclusive democratic and more orderly processes and procedures for the effective functioning of the multilateral trading system, including in the decision-making process, so as to enable developing countries to have their vital interests duly reflected in the outcome of trade negotiations;

Reiterates that development concerns form an integral part of the Doha Ministerial Declaration,Error: Reference source not found and reaffirms the commitments made in the decision of 1 August 2004 of the General Council of the World Trade OrganizationError: Reference source not found to fulfil the development dimension of the Doha Development Agenda, which places the needs and interests of developing countries, especially the least developed among them, at the heart of the Doha work programme;4

Expresses its concern over the lack of progress in areas of negotiations of particular concern to developing countries, which led to missing deadlines provided in the decision of the General Council of the World Trade Organization;

Welcomes the recent “aid for trade” initiative to address the adjustment challenges as well as to build the supply and trade capacities, infrastructure and institutions of developing countries, and stresses the need for the effective operationalization with sufficient and additional funding of the initiative to the benefit of the recipient countries;

Reaffirms that all countries have a shared interest in the success of the Doha work programme, which aims both at further increasing trading opportunities for developing countries and at making the trading system more conducive to development, and underscores the need for the major developed countries to make ambitious proposals in line with their commitments to make progress in all areas of negotiations, particularly in agriculture, non-agricultural market access, services, the trade-related intellectual property system and rules as well as operational and meaningful special and differential treatment for developing countries, and to adopt practical and concrete solutions to the outstanding implementation-related issues and concerns raised by developing countries;

Calls for the successful and timely conclusion of the negotiations on the Doha work programme in order to maximize the contribution of the trading system to raising standards of living, eradicating hunger and poverty, generating employment and achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, and, in that context, underscores the fact that enhanced market access for goods and services of export interest to developing countries as well as strong, special and differential treatment in the outcome of negotiations in all areas, balanced rules and well-targeted sustainably financed technical assistance and capacity-building programmes for developing countries are needed for the realization of the development dimension highlighted in the Doha work programme, and stresses that the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, to be held in Hong Kong, China, from 13 to 18 December 2005, should constitute an important milestone to this end, and particularly for finalizing the negotiating modalities for successful conclusion of the Doha round by 2006;

Recognizes the need to ensure that the comparative advantage of developing countries is not undermined by any form of protectionism, including the arbitrary and abusive use of non-tariff measures, non-trade barriers and other standards to unfairly restrict the access of developing countries’ products to developed countries’ markets, reaffirms, in this regard, that developing countries should play an increasing role in the formulation of, inter alia, safety, environment and health standards, and recognizes the need to facilitate the increased and meaningful participation of the developing countries in the work of relevant international standard-setting organizations;

Calls for accelerating the negotiations on the development-related mandate concerning the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights in the Doha Ministerial Declaration, especially the amendments of the Agreement, in order for intellectual property rules fully to support the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity as well as for trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights and public health to address the problems afflicting many developing countries, including the least developed countries, especially those resulting from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other epidemics;

Expresses its concern about the adoption of a number of unilateral actions that are not consistent with the rules of the World Trade Organization, harm the exports of all countries, in particular those of developing countries, and have a considerable bearing on the ongoing World Trade Organization negotiations and on the achievement and further enhancement of the development dimension of the trade negotiations;

Emphasizes the need for further work to foster greater coherence between the multilateral trading system and the financial system, and urges the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in fulfilment of its mandate, to undertake the relevant policy analysis in those areas and to operationalize such work, including through its technical assistance activities;

Reaffirms the commitments made at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade OrganizationError: Reference source not found and at the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in Brussels from 14 to 20 May 2001, calls, in this regard upon developed countries that have not already done so to provide immediate bound duty-free, quota-free market access to all products originating from all least developed countries, calls upon developing countries that are in a position to do so to extend duty-free and quota-free market access to exports of these countries, andin this context reaffirms the need to consider additional measures for progressive improvement in market access for least developed countries;

Also reaffirms the commitment to actively pursue the work programme of the World Trade Organization with respect to addressing the trade-related issues and concerns affecting the fuller integration of countries with small, vulnerable economies into the multilateral trading system in a manner commensurate with their special circumstances and in support of their efforts towards sustainable development, in accordance with paragraph 35 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration;

Recognizes the special problems and needs of the landlocked developing countries within a new global framework for transit transport cooperation for landlocked and transit developing countries, calls, in this regard, for the full and effective implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action,Error: Reference source not found and stresses the need for the implementation of the São Paulo Consensus,Error: Reference source not found in particular paragraphs 66 and 84 thereof, by the relevant international organizations and donors in a multi-stakeholder approach;

Takes note with satisfaction of the launch of the third round of negotiations on the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries and the progress achieved so far in these negotiations with the aim of concluding the third round by November 2006;

Recognizes the importance of addressing seriously the concerns of commodity-dependent developing countries, owing to the continuing volatility of world commodity prices and other factors, and of supporting the efforts of such countries to restructure, diversify and strengthen the competitiveness of their commodity sectors, and in this regard notes the formation of an international task force on commodities by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development;

Stresses the importance of facilitating the accession of all developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, as well as countries with economies in transition, that apply for membership in the World Trade Organization, consistent with its criteria, bearing in mind paragraph 21 of resolution 55/182 and subsequent developments, and calls for the effective and faithful application of the World Trade Organization guidelines on accession by the least developed countries;

Emphasizes the importance of developing human, institutional, regulatory, research, trade policy and development capacities and infrastructures aimed at enhanced supply-side capacity and competitiveness, as well as ensuring a conducive international environment for the full and effective integration of developing countries into the international trading system;

Invites the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in accordance with its mandate, to monitor and assess the evolution of the international trading system and of trends in international trade from a development perspective, and, in particular, to analyse issues of concern to developing countries, supporting them in building capacities to establish their own negotiating priorities and negotiate trade agreements, including under the Doha work programme;

Urges donors, in this regard, to provide the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development with the increased resources necessary to deliver effective and demand-driven assistance to developing countries, as well as to enhance their contributions to the trust funds of the Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries and the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme;

Welcomes the generous offer by the Government of Ghana to host the twelfth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in 2008, and expresses its gratitude to the African Union for its support for Ghana in this connection;

Requests the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-first session a report on the implementation of the present resolution and on developments in the multilateral trading system, under the sub-item entitled “International trade and development” of the item entitled “Macroeconomic policy questions.”

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