Inclusive growth, job creation and attention to human needs underpins UNCTADXIII conclusions
ECA Press Release No. 57/2012
Doha, 27 April 2012 (ECA) – The Thirteenth Ministerial Meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIII) closed in Doha, Qatar, today with a call to orient financial flows towards supporting inclusive and sustainable development.
Held from 21-26 April on the theme: “Development-centred globalization: towards inclusive and sustainable growth and development”, this was the first major United Nations ministerial gathering focused on trade and development since the 2008-2009 economic and financial crisis according UNCTAD’s Secretary General, Mr. Supachai Panitchpakdi.
In the face of the continuing “fragility” of the global economy following recent economic crises, “finance should support the real economy [towards] sustainable, sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development”, according to the “Doha Mandate”, adopted after intense all-night deliberations that concluded on the morning of 26 April.
The Mandate sets out agreed conclusions on policy analysis and the role of UNCTAD on the overall theme of the Meeting — “Development-centred globalization: towards inclusive and sustainable growth and development”, covering key priorities considered over the past week. They included enhancing and enabling the economic environment to support inclusive development; strengthening all forms of cooperation and partnership for trade and development; addressing persistent and emerging development challenges and their implications for trade and development; and promoting trade, investment, entrepreneurship and related investment policies to foster economic growth and sustainable development.
Accompanying the Mandate was a political declaration known as the “Doha Manar”, referring to the Arabic term for beacon. The Manar recognizes the significance of the revolutionary protests occurring over the past year and notes that the winds of change blowing in many parts of the world today “attest to the desire of populations for responsive policies that foster participatory and inclusive approaches to development towards achieving prosperity for all.”
In addition, it recognizes "the need to make our common economic life more conducive to progressive structural change, more productive of inclusive and sustainable growth and development and more effective in fostering broad-based inclusion in a new and more robust social contract.”
“Development-centred globalization sets the stage for inclusive growth and development and contributes towards reducing poverty and creating jobs,” the Mandate states, and adds that development strategies should be inclusive and designed to meet human needs.
“People have similar needs and aspirations, including freedom, human rights, in particular the right to development, decent work [and] all aspects of affordable health care and good governance at all levels.” Since those ends were closely interconnected, development strategies should be based on an integrated and holistic approach, if the desired policy options were to emerge.
With regard to the role of UNCTAD, which has been a point of contention among member states in the past week, it was agreed that it should contribute to global efforts to transition towards a green economy; continue to monitor and assess the evolution of the international trading system and its trends from a development perspective; and continue to support the specific needs of least developed countries, small island developing States, middle-income countries and those with economies in transition.
Hamad bin Abudlaziz al-Kuwari (Qatar), incoming President of UNCTAD and Minister for Culture, Arts and Heritage, said the Meeting expressed hope that its outcome would contribute to fulfilling the aspirations of peoples around the world. “When the spirit is willing, and when there is will to act, nothing is impossible,” he stressed, adding that such a spirit had led to the consensus seen today.
The representative of Zimbabwe, speaking on behalf of the Group of African States, said: “The road to Doha was long and at times strewn with challenges; Nonetheless, consensus had been reached." He added: “Of course, we could have done more, but such is the nature of the give-and-take process.”
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