The United Nations Conference

on Trade and Development

(UNCTAD)
Connexion Forum, Graduate Institute
12 March 2015
nicolas.maystre@unctad.org

Topics
Basic facts
Origin of UNCTAD

Objective and functions

What UNCTAD does
Some achievements of UNCTAD
Career opportunities
Questions & answers

Basic facts
UNCTAD is the focal point within the UN for the integrated
treatment of trade and development and the
interrelated issues of finance, investment, technology,
and sustainable development
Created in 1964 as an organ of the General Assembly
UNCTAD is not a specialized agency

194 country members

About 500 staff members (all in Geneva except for a small
office in New York)

Secretary General: Mukhisa Kituyi

(since September 2013)

Origin of UNCTAD
Growing concerns about the place of
developing countries in international trade:
Decolonization and creation of (UK-membership
to) EEC posed risk of loosing export markets
key issue of preferential market-access conditions

Developing countries wanted to have a platform

from which to state their case: conference to
discuss all vital questions relating to
international trade, primary commodities and
economic relations between developing and
developed countries within the UN framework

Objectives and functions

Main clients: developing countries

UNCTAD takes a holistic view on the process of

integrating into the world economy from a
development perspective
Key goal: promote equitable and
development-friendly integration of
developing countries into world economy
Help developing countries to maximize their trade,
investment and development opportunities
Formulate development strategies adapted to their
specific circumstances and to opportunities and
challenges of globalization
Assist developing countries in their trade negotiations

What UNCTAD does (1)

What UNCTAD does not:
Provide loans enforced through conditionality
(as the World Bank and the IMF)
Oversee compliance with rules and regulations
enforced through dispute settlement
mechanism (as the WTO)
Continuously work in countries to find countryspecific solutions to national and global
development challenges (as the UNDP)

What UNCTAD does (2)

UNCTADs three pillars:
Research, policy analysis, and data collection
Forum for intergovernmental discussion and
consensus building by Member States (not
addressed today)
Technical assistance
Prerequisites: request by government and
availability of extra-budgetary resources
Currently over 250 projects and programmes

Research, policy analysis and data collection

Provides advice on policy options for advancing
economic development
Findings published in official documents, reports and
policy briefs, primarily for government representatives

Some achievements of UNCTAD (1960s-70s)

Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)
developed economies grant improved market
access to exports from developing countries
International Commodity Agreements (to
stabilize primary commodity prices)
Contribution to definition of 0.7% of GDP as a
target for official development assistance (ODA)
by developed to poorest countries
Recognition of specific needs and classification of
least developed countries (LDCs)

Some achievements of UNCTAD (1980s)

Global System of Trade Preferences among
developing countries (GSTP) developing
economies grant improved market access for
South-South trade
Technical assistance in negotiations of Uruguay
Round of the GATT
Assistance in rescheduling official debt in Paris
Club
Assistance for holding first conference on LDCs

Some recent achievements of UNCTAD

Critique of mainstream development model (Washington
Consensus) and elaboration of alternative model based on
East Asian experience
Critique of ODA-focus on social services and emphasis that
productive capacities and economic growth will ultimately
be needed to sustain such social services
Call for increased coherence in global economic policymaking between international economic rules, practices
and processes, on the one hand, and national policies and
development strategies, on the other (policy space)
Work on financial crisis generated proposals for greater
regulation of financial sector, as well as improved
exchange-rate management and macroeconomic
coordination

UNCTADs focus has evolved from a

negotiating forum to a development think
tank with an emphasis on interdependence
Linking domestic demand management with policies
supporting structural change and gradual integration with
the world economy interdependence between different
policy areas
Linking national developmental success with structural and
cyclical developments in the world economy crucial
importance of external environment for national
development processes
Move from market access agenda to policy space issues
Trade and Development Report, 19812011: Three Decades
of Thinking Development provides a good summary

UNCTAD XIII (Doha) theme: Developmentcentred globalization: Towards inclusive and

sustainable growth and development
Enhancing the enabling economic environment at all levels
in support of inclusive and sustainable development
Strengthening all forms of cooperation and partnerships for
trade and development, including North-South, SouthSouth and triangular cooperation
Addressing persistent and emerging development
challenges as related to their implications for trade and
development and interrelated issues in the areas of
finance, technology, investment and sustainable
development
Promoting investment, trade, entrepreneurship and related
development policies to foster sustained economic growth
for sustainable and inclusive development

Underlying idea: Finance-led globalization

created numerous imbalances that need to be
addressed in a concerted way to create a more
inclusive and sustainable world economy
Structural change and technological progress is key to
growth, which must be inclusive to be sustainable
Developmental State: needed to mobilize and channel
resources into productive activities, and to manage
conflicts and trade-offs that are inherent to change

Inclusive and balanced global growth requires national

economies to have sufficient policy space to leverage
potential benefits and mitigate costs of closer integration
Strong national economies require robust international
cooperation and global markets need global rules

Summary of main points

Broad and integrated mandate and holistic
view on process of development
Key objective: promote equitable and
development-friendly integration of
developing countries into world economy

UNCTADs three pillars

Evolution from negotiating forum to
development think tank with an emphasis
on interdependence

Additional references
UNCTAD at 50: A Short History

http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/osg2014d1_en.pdf

Trade and Development Report, 19812011:

Three Decades of Thinking Development
http://unctad.org/fr/PublicationsLibrary/gds2012d1_en.pdf

Career opportunities

Professional jobs
Education requirements:
o

Job openings for positions at the Professional and higher

category normally require an advanced university degree.
A first level university degree combined with additional
qualifying experience may also be acceptable

Experience requirements :
o
o

o
o
o

P-2 = YPP or 2 years without exam

P-3 = 5 years
P-4 = 7 years
P-5 = 10 years
D-1/D-2 = 15 years

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See https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=SJ&exp=All&level=0&location=All&occup=0&department=2044&bydate=0&occnet=0

Young Professional Programme (YPP)

Recruitment Examination
Entry level (P-2): filled through competitive examinations
Held annually based on a countrys representation
among staff
YPP applicants must be:
o
o
o

National of participating Member States

No more than 32 years old as of 31 December of exam year
Hold at least a first-level university degree relevant to an
occupational group offered
Proficient in either English or French

For more information: http://careers.un.org

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Internship programme
Offers opportunity to gain experience in the work of the United Nations
Interns are expected to work on a full-time basis (flexible working
arrangements are also available)
Internship programmes at the United Nations are unpaid. Costs and
arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are
the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions.
Requirements:
o
o

Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (Masters or equivalent, or higher)

Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme
(minimum Bachelors level or equivalent);
Have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must commence the
internship within a one-year period of graduation;
Duration: minimum 2 months, up to 6 months

Internship positions are advertised in inspira

o

For more information, please visit: http://careers.un.org

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Temporary Staff & Consultants

Temporary Staff
Individuals hired to fill positions a period of less than one
year to meet seasonal or peak workloads and specific
short-term requirements

Individual Consultants
Individual who is a recognized authority or specialist in a specific field,
engaged in an advisory or consultative capacity

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