International Trade and Development

A/RES/78/134View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 16aInternational trade and development, published in 2023.

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

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

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 topics

Development International Trade Multilateral Trade Negotiations Trade Facilitation

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2024.

2024A/79/256New trade dynamics and industrial policies : realizing inclusive trade gains report of the Secretary-General

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

What does this mandate say?

35 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Trade and Development Board of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the report of the Secretary-General;

Reaffirms that international trade is an engine for inclusive growth and poverty eradication and that it contributes to the promotion of sustainable development, structural transformation and industrialization, particularly in developing countries;

Underscores that a universal, rules-based, open, transparent, predictable, inclusive, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system should contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, providing policy space for national development objectives, poverty eradication and sustainable development, consistent with relevant international rules and countries’ commitments, and promote export-led growth in the developing countries through, inter alia, preferential trade access for developing countries, targeted special and differential treatment that responds to the development needs of individual countries, and the elimination of trade barriers that are inconsistent with World Trade Organization agreements;

Recalls the ministerial decision of 7 December 2013 on duty-free and quota-free market access for least developed countries, recognizes that nearly all developed country members of the World Trade Organization provide either full or nearly full duty-free and quota-free market access to least developed country products and that a number of developing country members of the World Trade Organization also grant a significant degree of duty-free and quota-free market access to least developed country products, and takes note of the adoption of trading arrangements that further extend preferential market access for the benefit of other developing States;

Welcomes the commitment of World Trade Organization members to work towards the necessary reform of the Organization, with the aim of improving all its functions, while reaffirming the foundational principles of the Organization, and to conduct discussions with a view to having a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system accessible to all members by 2024, while taking advantage of the available opportunities, addressing the challenges that the Organization is facing and ensuring the Organization’s proper functioning; the work shall be member-driven, open, transparent, inclusive and must address the interests of all members, including development issues; and notes the contribution of the multilateral trading system to promote the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals;

Reaffirms that maintaining stable trade flows is essential to urgently addressing the multiple global crises, inter alia, of food, energy and finance faced by developing countries, as well as enhancing food security and nutrition in these countries;

Underscores the urgent need to keep markets, including for food, fertilizer and agriculture, open, equitable, transparent, non-discriminatory and predictable by eliminating trade-restrictive measures and distortions, speculations and hoarding through the reform of the multilateral trade rules on agriculture, according to World Trade Organization mandates, and to ensure sustained food security and nutrition of countries, particularly the least developed and net food-importing developing countries;

Encourages cooperation among countries to improve agricultural productivity and trade with a view to increasing the availability, accessibility and affordability of food to help address global food security;

Notes with concern that certain forms of support for agricultural producers are either trade-distorting or harmful to nature and health, and reaffirms its commitment to correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, highlights the need to address trade-distorting domestic support in agriculture, and looks forward to continuing the World Trade Organization negotiations consistent with existing mandates to further reform agricultural trade rules, with a view to achieving concrete and positive results at the thirteenth Ministerial Conference;

Stresses the continuing importance of the provision and mobilization of new and additional means of implementation, such as climate finance, technology transfer on mutually agreed terms and capacity-building to developing countries, for expanding trade in renewable energy, that can contribute to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy and in line with their national development priorities, including through making clean and renewable energy technologies available for all;

Recognizes the role of services to global economic output and employment and in supporting global and regional connectivity and business continuity in times of crises and post-crisis recovery, in this respect underlines the critical role of services, digital technology and creative economy, and notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on services trade and services sectors, particularly for developing countries, including the least developed countries;

Underscores the continuing need for international support to increase economic resilience and diversification of commodity-dependent developing countries in such a way that their structural transformation is sustainable and economically meaningful;

Calls upon Member States to take complementary actions at the national level to strengthen domestic enabling environments and implement sound domestic policies and reforms conducive to realizing the potential of trade for inclusive growth and sustainable development;

Reaffirms the importance of promoting regional economic integration of developing countries to foster trade recovery and development, and in this regard welcomes ongoing efforts to fully operationalize the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area, including the commencement of actual trading under the Agreement aimed at doubling intra-African trade to deliver economic transformation and strengthen Africa’s resilience, including food security and nutrition, COVID-19 recovery and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and notes the progress made in the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement;

Reiterates that States will not be able to achieve the ambitious Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development without a revitalized and enhanced global partnership and comparably ambitious means of implementation and that a revitalized global partnership will facilitate an intensive global engagement in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, bringing together Governments, civil society, the private sector, the United Nations system and other actors and mobilizing all available resources;

Reaffirms the commitments made through the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in, inter alia, international trade as an important action area for sustainable development, and looks forward to the convening of a fourth international conference on financing for development;

Recommits firmly to promoting a rules-based, non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable and transparent multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization at its core, as well as meaningful trade liberalization, and with a strong development dimension in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while preserving the fundamental principles of the World Trade Organization;

Encourages the development and the implementation of inclusive trade policies that can contribute to advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, which has a positive impact on economic growth and helps to reduce poverty;

Welcomes the successful conclusion of the twelfth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, held in Geneva from 12 to 17 June 2022, under the presidency of the Government of Kazakhstan, and looks forward to the convening of the thirteenth Ministerial Conference, to be held from 26 to 29 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates;

Emphasizes the need to continue combating protectionism in all its forms and to rectify any trade-distorting measures, including trade barriers, 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, and emphasizes that the work of the World Trade Organization shall continue to promote sustainable economic development with provisions for special and differential treatment remaining integral;

Takes note with appreciation of the ministerial decision on the TRIPS Agreement that was adopted at the twelfth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization to authorize the use of the subject matter of a patent required for the production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines without the consent of the right holder to the extent necessary to address the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with the provisions of article 31 of the TRIPS Agreement, and recognizes that paragraph 8 of the ministerial decision on the TRIPS Agreement (WT/MIN(22)/30) states that members of the World Trade Organization will decide on the extension of the ministerial decision to cover the production and supply of COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics;

Calls for enhancing the capacity of the multilateral trading system to increase pandemic and disaster preparedness and resilience through a multifaceted response, including by strengthening the resilience of global supply chains, including short-term measures such as trade facilitation, transparency and restraint in relation to export restrictions on vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics supplies, as well as the rapid scaling up and expansion of vaccine production globally, including in developing countries, and welcomes the ministerial declaration on the World Trade Organization response to the COVID-19 pandemic and preparedness for future pandemics, adopted on 17 June 2022;

Recalls the decision at the twelfth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization not to impose export restrictions on foodstuffs purchased for non-commercial humanitarian purposes by the World Food Programme;

Urges the members of the World Trade Organization to start the effective implementation and monitoring of the Marrakesh Ministerial Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least Developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries, and notes the importance of having a dedicated work programme to operationalize it, according to World Trade Organization mandates, to ensure sustained food security and nutrition, including in the least developed and net food-importing developing countries;

Underlines that any emergency measures introduced to address food security concerns shall minimize trade distortions as far as possible, be temporary, targeted, transparent and be notified and implemented in accordance with World Trade Organization rules, and underscores that particular regard should be given to the effect that such measures have on developing countries, including the least developed and net food-importing developing countries;

Welcomes the adoption of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies at the twelfth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization regarding Sustainable Development Goal target 14.6, and urges the members of the World Trade Organization to promptly ratify or accept this agreement according to their domestic procedures, aiming for an expedited entry into force, and encourages members to continue negotiations on outstanding issues, with a view to making recommendations by the thirteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization for additional provisions that would achieve a comprehensive agreement on fisheries subsidies, including through further disciplines on certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing country members and least developed country members should be an integral part of these negotiations;

Underlines the importance of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation annexed to the Protocol amending the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization in improving transparency, expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit, and thereby reducing trade costs, and in this regard encourages its full and effective implementation, including through enhanced support towards its implementation;

Urges the international community to adopt urgent and effective measures to eliminate the use of unilateral economic, financial or trade measures that are not authorized by relevant organs of the United Nations, and that are inconsistent with the principles of international law or the Charter of the United Nations or that contravene the basic principles of the multilateral trading system and that affect, in particular, but not exclusively, developing countries;

Notes that the use of policy instruments for environmental purposes with potential impact on international trade can have unintended consequences for partner countries, especially the least developed countries, which need to be addressed to aid their pursuit of structural transformation and economic diversification;

Welcomes efforts to enhance South-South and triangular trade cooperation under interregional trade arrangements, such as the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries, as a vehicle to support export diversification, economic resilience and technological upgrading;

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, and in contributing to supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda;

Looks forward to the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development expected in June 2024;

Recalls the holding of the fifteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, held in Bridgetown from 3 to 7 October 2021, and the adoption of its outcome document, the Bridgetown Covenant;

Reaffirms the commitment at the very heart of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind and commit to taking more tangible steps to support people in vulnerable situations and the most vulnerable countries and to reach the furthest behind first;

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 seventy-ninth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution and developments in the international trading system, including concrete recommendations to accelerate the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda in this regard, and decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-ninth session, under the item entitled “Macroeconomic policy questions”, the sub-item entitled “International trade and development”.

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