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Info Service on UN Sustainable Development (Jun24/04) Penang, 13 Jun (Kanaga Raja) — Pointing out that the internationally agreed, rules-based economic order is being contested, and that a new “multi-polar world” has emerged, the Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (formerly known as UNCTAD) said that the world “is in need of a new 1964 moment”. In a statement at the opening ceremony of the Global Leaders Forum in Geneva on 12 June, which is celebrating UNCTAD’s 60th anniversary, Ms Rebeca Grynspan, the head of UN Trade and Development, said that 60 years ago, here in Geneva, “a powerful idea was born.” “That from the ashes of war, and from the complex history of trade, a new chapter could be written. A chapter where the inequities of the past will not dictate the terms of the future.” She said this ambitious idea, alongside the creation of the Group of 77, is what became the UN Conference on Trade and Development, or UNCTAD. This idea was both a rejection and a promise, Ms Grynspan noted. “A rejection of business as usual, of the idea that the global economy in 1964 was already a level playing field, that the rules of the game were fair and just.” They were not then, and they are not now, said the head of UN Trade and Development, pointing out that 1964 was also a promise. Namely, “a promise of recognition that the newly independent nations, forged in the postwar struggle, had a right to a seat at the table, to negotiate common principles, common agreements, common solutions. That their voices mattered. That their development aspirations were legitimate and required special consideration. That the fruits of globalization could be shared. That prosperity could be for all,” said Ms Grynspan. “The history of the last 60 years is the history of that promise being tested, challenged and, sometimes, realized.” The global economy today is very different from what it was in 1964. It is far larger, more interconnected, more complex, said Ms Grynspan. Over a billion people have been lifted out of poverty, and the developing world is now the engine of global trade and economic activity. Seen from the viewpoint of history, this may give the illusion that the ground is less uneven today than it was six decades ago, she added. But seen from the perspective of those who still struggle – the poor, the unconnected, the discriminated, the rural, but also the women, and the youth – the ground remains uneven, the climb too steep, said Ms Grynspan. “The winds of trade have filled the sails of some, propelling them to new heights of wealth and influence,” she added. But for others, those same winds have been a tempest, leaving them exposed and vulnerable to the boom and the bust of capital, environmental degradation and commodity dependence. “Technology has transformed our world, unlocking possibilities once unimaginable,” she further said. The head of UN Trade and Development said that the digital economy is a powerful new engine of development, which is transforming trade itself, making it intangible and easy to scale, while at the same time risking to deepen divides and inequalities. Ms Grynspan said the resurgence of industrial policy signals a welcome recognition that the state has a vital role to play in fostering development and transformation. But for many developing nations, burdened by debt and limited fiscal space, this resurgence is a distant horizon, she added. “The world is in need of a new 1964 moment. Our internationally agreed, rules-based economic order is being contested,” said the head of UN Trade and Development. “A new multi-polar world has emerged. But multi-polarity without multilateralism is a path to fragmentation, a descent into trade wars and dwindling global cooperation,” she warned. “It is a world where the voice of the developing countries that are at the heart of our membership, our mandate, and our mission, risk being lost in the cacophony of competing interests.” Ms Grynspan said multi-polarity with multilateralism is a different path – one where decentralization of global economic and political power becomes a vehicle for inclusion. Where globalization shows a new face – the face of new players, new ideas, new generations, new hopes shaping the world, she added. She said that this meeting is therefore also a message – that it is a mistake to think that multi-polarity is a choice. “Multi-polarity is not a choice. What is a choice is multilateralism,” she underlined. It is multilateralism that is the fragile exception, the crowning achievement of development, of mankind’s quest for peace, she added. “We must make this choice right. We defend multilateralism every day. But a renewed form of multilateralism – with greater representation in governance, with fairer rules in trade and the environment, with much less inequity in international finance.” The head of UN Trade and Development recalled the UN Secretary-General saying last year in New York that: “We must reform, or rupture”. She said this meeting today in Geneva is thus a proud prelude to the Summit of the Future, a unique opportunity to rebuild trust and hope. She added that this task will require the same spirit that sixty years ago gave birth to UNCTAD. “The promise of 1964 is alive in this room,” Ms Grynspan emphasized. “It lives in the hearts and minds of those who have dedicated their lives to the cause of trade and development, from Raul Prebisch, our visionary architect, to all former Secretaries-General, whose wisdom have illuminated our path.” “It lives in the tireless efforts of our staff, past and present, whose expertise, commitment and passion have been the lifeblood of this organization,” she said. Ms Grynspan also said that it lives in the member states, and in the tables around which they have met, year after year, for six decades now. “Let us be inspired by that spirit and that promise. Let’s go forward together,” she concluded. +
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