Evaluation and review of UNCTAD’s
implementation of the Accra Accord
Report by the UNCTAD secretariat
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Executive summary The Accra Accord reaffirmed the UNCTAD secretariat’s role as the focal point of the United Nations for the integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development. In its implementation, UNCTAD has addressed both emerging issues and long-standing problems at the interface between trade and development through its three pillars. In particular, the global economic crisis featured prominently in the work of the secretariat since Accra, as policymakers try to understand what has gone wrong, mitigate the damage from the crisis, and seek a way forward onto new and more sustainable development paths. UNCTAD has also put in place various measures in order to strengthen its institutional effectiveness and enhance its development role and impact, in accordance with the Accra Accord. In this regard, specific actions have been taken, for instance concerning outreach, technical cooperation and the intergovernmental machinery. This review provides an opportunity for reflection about new developments that have direct or indirect implications on the Accra Accord. The secretariat looks forward to continuing its efforts in fully implementing the Accra Accord in the time remaining before UNCTAD XIII, in the light of the guidance of the fifty-seventh session of the Trade and Development Board. |
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I. Sub-theme 1: Enhancing coherence at all levels for
sustainable economic development and poverty reduction
in global policymaking, including the contribution
of regional approaches
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14. In line with its mandate, UNCTAD continues to provide insights on the development prospects of the Palestinian economy, and the complexities of its relations with other economies in the region. UNCTAD’s research and policy analysis on the wartorn economy of the occupied Palestinian territory have informed the deliberations by member States at the Trade and Development Board, and have been appreciated by the United Nations country team in the field. Moreover, despite the difficult conditions, the secretariat’s technical cooperation activities in this area have achieved tangible progress. For instance, the Palestinian Customs Authority is now equipped with a state-of-the-art system and capacities to exercise the full range of customs functions similar to any sovereign State. Also, existing national and foreign investors in the occupied Palestinian territory now benefit from an “aftercare” strategy to contribute towards the success of their investments.
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Document Type: Report
Document Sources: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Subject: Assistance, Economic issues
Publication Date: 07/07/2010