International Trade and Development

A/RES/66/185No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 17aInternational trade and development, published in 2012.

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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What subjects does this mandate have?

8 topics

Development Export Restrictions Humanitarian Assistance International Trade Landlocked Developing Countries Least Developed Countries Market Access Multilateral Trade Negotiations

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2012.

2012A/67/184International trade and development report of the Secretary-General

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What does this mandate say?

20 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Trade and Development Board and the report of the Secretary-General;

Reaffirms that international trade is an engine for development and sustained economic growth, and also reaffirms the critical role that a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system, as well as meaningful trade liberalization, can play in stimulating economic growth and development worldwide, thereby benefiting all countries at all stages of development;

Emphasizes the need to resist protectionist tendencies and to rectify any trade-distorting measures already taken that are inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules, recognizing the right of countries, in particular developing countries, to fully utilize flexibilities consistent with their World Trade Organization commitments and obligations;

Expresses serious concern at the lack of progress in the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations, reiterates the call for the necessary flexibility and political will in order to break the current impasse in the negotiations, and in this regard calls for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive and development-oriented outcome of the Doha Development Agenda multilateral trade negotiations, in keeping with the development mandate of the Doha Ministerial Declaration,9 the decision of 1 August 2004 of the General Council of the World Trade Organization and the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration adopted by the World Trade Organization in 2005;

Welcomes the convening of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, to be held in Geneva in December 2011, and looks forward to its outcome;

Reaffirms the commitments made at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization relating to the least developed countries,Error: Reference source not found and encourages developed countries and developing countries, declaring themselves in a position to do so, to take steps towards the goal of realizing the timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration;

Emphasizes the full, timely and effective implementation of the relevant provisions of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011–2020;Error: Reference source not found

Reaffirms the Marrakesh Ministerial Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least Developed and Net Food-importing Developing Countries;

Stresses the need to remove food export restrictions and extraordinary taxes on food purchased for non-commercial, humanitarian purposes by the World Food Programme, and to not impose them in the future;

Recognizes the particular challenges that may be faced by small, vulnerable economies to fully benefit from the multilateral trading system in a manner commensurate with their special circumstances, and in this regard encourages progress in the implementation of the World Trade Organization work programme on small economies, as mandated in the 2001 Doha Ministerial Declaration and the 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration, which supports their efforts towards sustainable development;

Reaffirms the commitment to address the special development needs of and the challenges faced by landlocked developing countries, and calls for the full, timely and effective implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action: Addressing the Special Needs of Landlocked Developing Countries within a New Global Framework for Transit Transport Cooperation for Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries, in accordance with the Declaration of the high-level meeting of the sixty-third session of the General Assembly on the midterm review of the Almaty Programme of Action;

Expresses concern about the adoption 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;

Notes the holding in Geneva on 18 and 19 July 2011 of the Third Global Review of Aid for Trade, aimed at reviewing progress achieved and identifying additional measures needed to support developing and least developed countries in building their supply and export capacities, and stresses the need to implement the aid-for-trade commitments;

Recognizes that South-South trade should be strengthened, notes that enhanced market access between developing countries can play a positive role in stimulating South-South trade, and in this regard, inter alia, takes note of the conclusion of the third round of the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries, by the adoption, on 15 December 2010, of the São Paulo Round Protocol;

Reiterates the important role of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development as the focal point within the United Nations system for the integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development, invites the Conference to continue working to enhance its contribution in its three major pillars, namely, consensus-building, research and policy analysis, and technical assistance, and calls upon the international community to work towards the strengthening of the Conference;

Invites the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to continue, 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, placing greater emphasis on practical solutions, to undertake policy analysis, to work with all relevant stakeholders and to support developing countries in building productive national capacities and international competitiveness, including through technical assistance activities;

Welcomes the convening of the thirteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Doha from 21 to 26 April 2012 on the theme “Development-centred globalization: Towards inclusive and sustainable growth and development”, and looks forward to its successful outcome;

Recognizes the role of the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries;

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-seventh session a report on the implementation of the present resolution and developments in the multilateral trading system, under the sub-item entitled “International trade and development” of the item entitled “Macroeconomic policy questions”;

Also requests the Secretary-General to transmit the present resolution to the Director-General of the World Trade Organization.

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