The 16th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD-16) was held from October 20 to 23, 2025 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Theme for UNCTAD-16: “Shaping the future: Driving economic transformation for equitable, inclusive and sustainable development”.
Exam Hints:
- Event: UNCTAD-16
- Held in: Geneva, Switzerland
- 2025 Theme: “Shaping the future: Driving economic transformation for equitable, inclusive and sustainable development”
- President of UNCTAD-16: Guy Parmelin (Switzerland)
- Who Represented India? Union Minister Piyush Goyal, MoC&I
- Key Outcomes:
- Launch of Spain-led of Sevilla Forum on Debt
- Adoption of the ‘Geneva Consensus for a Just and Sustainable Economic Order’ declaration
- Key Announcements: Switzerland to Contribute CHF 4 Million for E-commerce & Digital Economy Programme (2025–2029)
- Future Forums: Saudi Arabia to host 2nd UN GSCF (Nov 2026); Qatar to host 9th World Investment Forum (2026)
About 16th UNCTAD:
Quadrennial Conference: The conference, the highest decision-making body of UNCTAD, has been held every 4 years since 1964 and sets the organisation’s work priorities for the next 4 years.
Opening Plenary Session: UNCTAD-16 was inaugurated by the head of the delegation of Barbados, the host country of the previous session (UNCTAD-15).
- During the opening plenary, Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin was elected President of UNCTAD-16.
Key Participants: The 4-day conference recorded the highest-ever UNCTAD participation, with over 170 national delegations and 80 trade and economy ministers and vice ministers worldwide.
High-Level Meetings: The conference held 40+ high-level sessions and 24 expert panels, exploring ways to strengthen trade, finance, investment, Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital economy, supply chains, and regional cooperation.
India at UNCTAD-16:
Represented by: Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), led the Indian delegation at UNCTAD-16 and highlighted India’s rise as a top 5 global economy and the world’s fastest-growing large economy with 7%+ average annual growth over the past three years.
Ministerial Roundtable: He also addressed the Ministerial Roundtable on ‘Towards Resilient, Sustainable, and Inclusive Supply Chains and Trade Logistics’ where, he highlighted India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat achievements in medicines and COVID vaccines, along with its trillion-dollar master plan featuring USD 130 billion annual infrastructure investments.
Bilateral Meetings: On the sidelines of the conference, Union Minister Piyush Goyal held bilateral meetings with international leaders, including Teresa Ribera Rodriguez, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition and Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General of UNCTAD.
Key Outcome of UNCTAD-16:
Sevilla Forum on Debt: During the UNCTAD-16, Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of UN; Calos Cuerpo, Minister of Economy, Trade and Business of Spain; Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General of UNCTAD, announced the launch of ‘Sevilla Forum on Debt’ to create an open, inclusive platform for dialogue and action on global debt challenge, specifically for developing countries.
- It was led by Spain and supported by UNCTAD and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).
- This new forum on debt is one of the outcomes of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) and was launched as an initiative under the Sevilla Platform for Action.
Declaration: The UNCTAD-16 concluded successfully with the adoption of the ‘Geneva Consensus for a Just and Sustainable Economic Order’ declaration by all 195 member states of the organisation.
- This newly adopted declaration emphasis on: trade, investment, digital economy, debt and financing for development, support for Lead Developed Countries (LDCs).
Key Announcements:
Support: During the conference, Monica Rubiolo of Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) signed an agreement with Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General of UNCTAD, pledging 4 million Swiss Francs (CHF) to support UNCTAD’s E-commerce and Digital Economy Programme (2025–2029).
- In addition to Switzerland, other key donor countries for UNCTAD’s programme are: Australia, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sweden.
2nd UN GSCF Host: Saudi Arabia in partnership with the Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) will host the 2nd edition of the UN Global Supply Chain Forum (GSCF) in November 2026.
9th WIF Host: During the UNCTAD-16, Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General of UNCTAD announced that Qatar will host the 9th World Investment Forum (WIF) which is a leading global platform for investment and development, organised biennially by UNCTAD, in 2026.
About United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD):
Secretary-General- Rebeca Grynspan
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
Established- 1964
