I started my day off with a visit to the UNCTAD exhibition hall. I wrote about it in my previous post; let’s just say it left me with some concerns. It does have a free lunch, though, which was exciting to discover. The conference offers snacks all day except for 12-3 pm, when they take away all the jalapeno poppers and petit fours to force you to go buy your lunch. Or, apparently, go eat in the exhibit hall.
After the exhibition, I attended a panel on trade and poverty reduction. One presenter stated that the developing countries now trade more with each other than they do with the North. Lee Crawfurd called shenanigans on that factoid on twitter, and I was unable to find any data source for it.
That was followed by a stint watching the general UNCTAD debate, where nations presented their general statements. Some highlights: Indonesia talked about the need to remove trade barriers and avoid protectionism, but couched it within the now familiar rhetoric of south-south cooperation and triangular cooperation. China brought up quantitative easing as an obstacle to global financial recovery. Switzerland expressed its pleasure that the JIU Report was going to be properly addresses, and Israel talked about its development and said that it was ready to train other countries to follow their path. I watched as many introductory statements as I could personally face, and then snuck out to go write a blog post.
And then…drumroll…the most energetic meeting I had attended yet: the High Level Panel Discussion on Debt Crisis Prevention and Management. Seriously, people were getting there early so they’d have good seats. The purpose of the panel was to discuss a set of non-binding regulations to regulate both the borrowing and lending of capital. The idea was that lenders as well as borrowers should be restricted from participating creating excess debt, as opposed to just focusing on debtors. I had to leave the meeting before it ended, but when I left the panel members were very supportive of the new regulations. They were promulgated in January and published on the web, so there was plenty of time for everyone to review them before coming to Doha.
Tomorrow, I’m looking forward to the High-Level event on women in development.
Today’s UNCTAD buzzwords:
- Agriculture value chains
- South-south trade
- Missing links in trade
- Transparent and inclusive
Disclosure: My trip to Doha was funded by APCO, which has been contracted by the Qatari Ministry of Trade to support UNCTAD. They don’t have editorial control over my writing, and they don’t pay me to post.