YPP Economic Affairs

The World Investment Report 2023 provides the latest trends and prospects for foreign direct investment. It documents a challenging year for cross-border investment flows, looking at greenfield investment in industry, project finance in infrastructure, and international production activities of the largest multinationals. Dedicated sections provide data on international investment in the SDGs and in sustainable energy. The Report further reviews recent policy developments, including trends in national investment policy measures and international investment agreements. It presents an overview of investment policy measures aimed at supporting the energy transition. The Report also documents sustainability trends in global capital markets, including sustainability-linked financial products, sustainable stock exchanges, institutional investor commitments and financial regulations – all with a special focus on the mobilization of funds for the energy transition. Finally, the theme chapter of the Report discusses ways and means to increase international private sector investment – in particular foreign direct investment and international project finance – in the energy sector in developing countries, taking into account both the energy transition imperative and SDG7 on affordable and reliable access to energy for all.

Trade trends during the last three years have been greatly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. During 2020, the economic disruptions brought about by COVID-19 resulted in a decline of international trade in goods and services. However, as global demand resumed, international trade strongly rebounded in 2021 and further increased during 2022. Overall, the value of global trade is expected to be about 25 per cent higher in 2022 than it was in 2019. A substantial part of the increase in the value of trade during the last two years can be explained by rising commodity prices and more recently by general inflation. Trade volumes grew to a smaller extent. Even so, the steady increase in the volume of international trade since early 2021 indicates a robust global demand for traded goods.

This edition examines the current and emerging cross-cutting role of the ocean in advancing economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability. It builds on the discussions and outcomes of the Fourth United Nations Oceans Forum on trade-related aspects of SDG 14, life below water, which took place in Geneva from 6 to 8 April 2022. The Review examines and provides an analysis of several key and emerging topics for the ocean economy, including the seaweed sector as a lever for a sustainable economic recovery; fisheries subsidies and non-tariff measures (NTMs); the decarbonization of shipping and maritime supply chains; and plastic litter and other ocean waste challenges. It explores these issues, identifies the main opportunities and challenges and concludes by offering a bottom-up menu of action-oriented policy recommendations for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and coastal developing countries. It calls for a “Blue Deal” on trade and finance to accelerate the implementation of SDG 14 and identify practical yet far-reaching development paths towards a sustainable, resilient and inclusive ocean economy by 2030 and beyond.

This study provides an accessible, yet academically informed, discussion of main implications of crypto assets for developing countries. It asks four main questions: (i) what are the trends and drivers of crypto adoption, and which developing countries have been concerned the most; (ii) what do the economics of crypto assets imply for the ease of payments, financial inclusion, privacy, illicit financial flows, and currency substitution, as well as the architecture of the international monetary system (IMS); (iii) how can regulation shape the evolution of crypto adoption and what solutions can Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and fast retail payment system provide; and (iv) are the monetary, financial and payments systems in developing countries ripe for embracing crypto assets?

Building on the experience of UNCTAD’s eTrade for Women initiative, and more specifically on the first cohort of eTrade for Women Advocates, this paper reviews the main obstacles that women digital entrepreneurs encounter in developing countries. It sheds lights on the entrepreneurial paths of the Advocates, who have been at the forefront of the digital transformation in their respective regions, and highlights some of the factors that have been instrumental to their success as business leaders. It also explores actionable measures that could be put in place to help more women follow in the footsteps of the Advocates to grow successful digital businesses and be influential players in the digital economy.

The world continues to confront multiple, inter-connected crises. Amid a slow recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is facing a food and energy crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine with record high inflation unleashing a cost-of-living crisis. Developing countries are in trouble over the costs of imports and debt servicing, and a climate crisis continues to wreak havoc in the most vulnerable countries and populations. Amid monetary tightening, subdued consumption, and private investments, judicious government spending will remain critical for steering economic recovery worldwide. The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2023 will underscore the imperative of supportive and accommodative fiscal measures to lift growth and accelerate SDG progress.

LDCs, which bear the least historical responsibility for climate change, are on the front lines of the climate crisis. The Report highlights the development strategies and policies which they need to enact to reach the ambitious objectives to which they have committed, and the painful trade-offs between climate action and accelerated progress towards fulfilling their right to development they will need to navigate in the challenging international economic and environmental context. Nowhere is the need for a “Just energy transition” starker than in the LDCs but the Report shows that despite this harsh reality, international support for LDC adaptation and sustainable development has fallen remarkably short of what is needed, both in terms of climate finance and of access to clean technologies. The Reports calls on the international community to be mindful of the institutional and capacity constraints that create scope for maladaptation in LDCs and to enhance targeted assistance to LDCs in line with their need for special and differential treatment.

As the world’s only truly universal global organization, the United Nations has become the foremost forum to address issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone. This authoritative reference provides a comprehensive introduction and overview of the work of the UN in key areas of international peace and security, economic and social development, human rights, and humanitarian action.