Official account of @UnitedNations Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
We work to ensure everyone benefits from the global economy. SG 🇺🇳 @RebecaGrynspan
GDP has long been the world’s scoreboard for progress. Yet growth can still leave gaps in security, trust, opportunity & hope.
Complementing GDP, a new UN framework proposes a broader dashboard to capture well-being, equity, sustainability & resilience.
Explore the full report online: “Counting what counts: A compass of progress for people and planet”.
Developed economies generate about twice as much waste per capita as developing ones.
New data from @UNCTAD ’s Inclusive Growth Index highlights the urgent need to break the link between economic growth, resource consumption and waste.
Launched in 2022, the index combines GDP with data on living conditions, equality and environmental sustainability.
Expanded this year, it now covers 134 economies representing 95% of the world’s population and 97% of global GDP.
Inclusive growth remains deeply uneven worldwide.
Developed economies score nearly twice as high as developing ones, with Luxembourg, Norway and Denmark leading the way. Singapore and the United Arab Emirates are the only developing economies in the top 30.
Explore UNCTAD’s Inclusive Growth Index for more on where disparities persist, and where gaps are narrowing.
South-South cooperation isn’t just financial. While scholarships are mostly monetary, much support – training, aid, technical expertise – is non-monetized.
Measuring cooperation isn’t just about counting transactions – it’s about empowering countries of the global South to design their own pathways to sustainable, inclusive and resilient development, together.
Cross-border e-commerce can boost South-South cooperation by deepening trade connectivity, upgrading industries, growing revenues and creating jobs.
Today in Geneva, Acting Secretary-General Moreno met experts to explore new models, pathways and mechanisms.
Recently at the Yerevan Dialogue, @UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno warned that geopolitical tensions, rising debt burdens and economic fragmentation are straining development cooperation – and called for urgent reform of the global financial architecture.
Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia (@mfa_of_armenia )
Cross-border services: Digital trade provisions on data flows, data protection, e-transactions and infrastructure are expanding.
They reduce fragmentation and improve predictability, but restrictions risk limiting access and value chain participation.
Acting Secretary-General Moreno opens today the 9th intergovernmental group of experts meeting on e-commerce and the digital economy in Geneva.
The forum supports developing countries to bridge the digital divide and build inclusive knowledge societies.
Live audio stream available – follow online.
Developed economies dominate exports of digitally deliverable services, while many least developed countries remain on the margins.
Closing this gap requires targeted policy action as services increasingly drive value creation.
GDP alone cannot show whether lives are improving or whether progress can last.
This week, the UN set out a new global blueprint with 31 indicators to track well-being, equity, sustainability and resilience.
Explore the full report online.
Aligning trade rules or recognizing standards can significantly reduce unnecessary costs.
In Africa, even limited regulatory cooperation could cut costs by 30–40% in agriculture and manufacturing.
For more insights, explore the latest Global Trade Update online.
Non-tariff measures protect health, safety and the environment — but unnecessary trade costs can and should be reduced.
Solutions: greater transparency, stronger regulatory cooperation and more support for exporters.
For full insights, explore the latest Global Trade Update online.
