This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at the rare metals and minerals used in mobile phones, laptops and electric car batteries with Clovis Freire, chief of the commodity research and analysis section at UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Electric vehicles are seen as clean because they don’t belch out exhaust fumes that fuel climate change. But some of the materials that go into them – especially the minerals and rare elements in their batteries – have large carbon footprints.  The...

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at the update to the UN’s Trade and Development Report with UNCTAD director Richard Kozul-Wright. On the positive side – despite high inflation, high interest rates and gloomy forecasts – the global economy grew 2.7% last year. The bad news – the update says – is that the positive momentum is going to waste and that growth looks set to be slower this year at 2.6%. Tune in to UN Trade and Development’s Richard Kozul-Wright to find out how we address...

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at the connection between food, health and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals with Bojan Nastav, a statistician with UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).  UN Trade and Development has teamed up with the World Health Organization to study the global trade of healthy and less healthy food.  At least 10% of the world’s people live in hunger. At the same time, more than 40% of all adults are overweight.   So, it’s not just a matter of quantity – or...

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at Bhutan, the Himalayan kingdom that measures its success in "Gross National Happiness" with UNCTAD director Paul Akiwumi.  Bhutan and its 800,000 people now have an extra reason to be happy – after graduating from the UN list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) into full developing country status. It's only the seventh nation in 50 years to make that jump.    Bhutan was included in the first group of LDCs in 1971. Over the last few decades, it has...

Just ahead of Zero Waste Day, this episode of The Weekly Tradecast talks trash with UNCTAD economist Henrique Silva Pacini Costa. From plastic packaging to fast fashion to car batteries, we have been creating mountains of waste for decades. It’s everywhere – in landfills, in the air, in plants and animals and in our oceans – and it can take decades or even centuries to degrade.    We’ve recycled just nine percent of the plastic we started making 70 years ago, so that’s not going to solve the...

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at K-pop and other lessons for success from the creative economy of the Republic of Korea with UNCTAD economist Katalin Bokor.  Whether we've danced Gagnam style, listened to the songs of BTS and Blackpink, played video games or watched Korean TV shows and movies, the country's cultural impact is hard to ignore.   That catchy creativity is also paying big financial dividends. Around the world, the creative economy is one of the fastest-growing...

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at how we can fight climate change by cutting the carbon emissions of our fisheries with David Vivas, an UNCTAD legal officer working on trade and environmental issues. The fishing industry is a vital source of food. And it provides work – directly or indirectly – for one in every 13 people on the planet. But there's a deep downside for the environment from the emissions spewed out by the sector's ships and processing plants. One recent study shows...

As we mark International Women's Day on 8 March, this episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at the importance of investing in women with special guest Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, the UN’s trade and development body. Overall, the outlook for gender equality is not as bright as it should be. Women and girls make up nearly half of humanity but still lack equal opportunities in societies and economies. That means they often get less access to education and healthcare, are paid...

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at the importance of remittances with UNCTAD economist Bruno Antunes. Around the world, migrants send home more than $830 billion in remittances, of which about $650 billion go to developing countries, according to estimates from the World Bank. That money helps to reduce poverty, improve nutrition and broaden access to education.  Listen in to Bruno Antunes to find out how policies and reforms can help us better use remittances and the opportunities...

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at the importance of remittances with UNCTAD economist Bruno Antunes. Around the world, migrant workers send home at least three times more money than their countries get from overseas development assistance. The World Bank estimates about $650 billion in remittances move via official channels each year. But there are downsides. For workers and their families, separation often carries social costs. Transfers can also be risky and expensive. And for...

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at the impact on shipping, supply chains and trade from insecurity in the Red Sea with Jan Hoffman, head of UNCTAD's trade logistics branch.  About 80% of the world’s goods move by sea. But escalating attacks by Houthi rebels on ships passing through the narrow waters towards the Suez Canal have disrupted shipping routes and raised geopolitical tensions.   Red Sea shipping lanes carry around 15% of global trade but many ships have been diverted....

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at UNCTAD’s tool to measure sustainable growth and some of the signs of progress with Anu Peltola, who is in charge of the organization’s statistics unit. For nearly 80 years, gross domestic product (GDP) has been the headline number to measure a country’s prosperity. To get a more detailed picture, UNCTAD's Inclusive Growth Index goes further by combining GDP with other data on living conditions, equality and environmental sustainability. Launched...

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at the impact of the Israel-Gaza crisis on the Palestinian economy with UNCTAD economist Rami Alazzeh. Since the deadly assault by Hamas militants on October 7, Israel's military response has destroyed more than 37,000 buildings – about 18% of the Gaza Strip’s total structures – and displaced most of the 2.3 million people in the tiny enclave. With so much damaged or destroyed, UNCTAD says in a new report that rebuilding Gaza will take decades, a...

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at the global financial architecture with UNCTAD senior economist Penelope Hawkins.  The war in Ukraine, a global cost of living crisis and the lingering pandemic have disrupted economies and piled on debt pressure with higher interest rates. For many countries, the debt distress presents stark choices between repaying loans, investing in development and coping with climate change.  So how can vulnerable countries manage their debt burdens and free...

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how much it will cost to achieve them with Nour Barnat, chief of methodology at UNCTAD Statistics.    In 2015, UN members signed up to 17 SDGs that range from ending extreme poverty to tackling the climate crisis. The goals are supposed to be met by 2030 but most are off track because of the pandemic, economic turmoil and geopolitical tensions.  It's estimated that the investment...

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast talks about fertilizer and how harvests could wilt without more supply at cheaper prices with UNCTAD’s Sangram Rane, who is part of the UN task team focused on tackling global food insecurity. Before the war, The Russian Federation and Ukraine together accounted for almost a third of global wheat exports. Russia is also a major exporter of fertilizers and of key ingredients – such as ammonia – that are used to make them.   Earlier UN-led deals with Ukraine...

In this special episode of the Weekly Tradecast, we’re looking back at some of our most popular podcasts over 2023 and the many challenges they address.  And what a year it’s been. Economic recovery is shaky as conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and elsewhere fuel tensions and uncertainty. A cost-of-living crisis persisted throughout the year, with developing countries in particular feeling the pain of a sharp rise in interest rates.  Another big issue of 2023 was extreme weather and the...

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast talks about the importance of the right kind of investment in tourism with UNCTAD’s Christiane Stepanek-Allen, chief of UNCTAD's investment partnership section. Before the Covid pandemic, the tourism industry accounted for about 4% of the global economy. Tourism is bouncing back – helped by a busy summer – but it's having to make up for massive losses during the pandemic and still faces challenges. Awareness is also growing that travel can have huge costs...

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at investing in sustainable development to help save our planet with UNCTAD economists Joseph Clements and Anthony Miller. Calls are growing more urgent for more spending on a clean-energy future and more support for developing countries bearing the brunt of climate change. The energy crisis is raising fears that many countries will postpone plans to shift from fossil fuels into cleaner renewable energy.  The link between investment, development and...

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at the role that trade has to play in the clean energy transition with senior UNCTAD economist Chantal Line Carpentier.  Next week, the UN climate summit – COP28 – is dedicating a day to trade and how it can help fight climate change.  The global production and distribution of goods and services accounts for around a quarter of all emissions.  But to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, scientists say we must reach net zero for greenhouse...

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at digitalization and its future with Torbjörn Fredriksson, head of UNCTAD’s e-commerce and digital economy branch. Technology is transforming every aspect of our lives – how we work, eat, shop, travel and interact. If done right and governed well, e-commerce and the digital economy can drive growth, innovation, development and better use of our resources. But the growing digital divides threaten to worsen inequality. Many developing countries are...

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at the challenges of sustainable fishing with UNCTAD legal expert David Vivas. From farmed prawns to wild-caught mackerel, the fishing industry is a vital source of food – and livelihoods – all over the world. If the seas can sustain it, fisheries output is expected to top 200 million tonnes by 2030 as the global population grows.  But the industry also faces concerns about labour rights and environmental damage – including overfishing and high...

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast is looking at the UN’s Least Developed Countries Report 2023 with one of the authors, UNCTAD economist Matfobhi Riba. The world is facing soaring costs of food, energy and financing – along with extreme weather and geopolitical upheaval. Most vulnerable are the 46 nations classified as the least developed countries (LDCs). After some years of progress, the pandemic hit the LDCs hard, cutting economic growth sharply and pushing an extra 15 million people...

In this episode of The Weekly Tradecast, we’re talking about women and investment and why a lack of financing is undermining development with UNCTAD economist Stephania Bonilla.    For developing countries, having more female entrepreneurs offers the benefits of more jobs, new skills and growth for communities and economies. But gender inequalities in society mean women who are running or starting a business often face daunting challenges securing loans or investment. Listen in to...