The High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) of the UN System Chief Executives Board (CEB) established an inter-agency Task Force on Economic Development (TFED) in February 2005 with the aim of defining “a common framework for collective action” among UN organizations involved in economic development. The Task Force identified three themes and adopted an issue-leadership approach to pursue its work: “science and technology”; “environment/climate change”; and “market efficiency and integration”, focusing on trade capacity building.
UNIDO, as issue-leader of market efficiency and integration, coordinated a mapping exercise on “who does what, how, for whom and for what purpose” as a means to promote a common understanding of the concept of trade capacity-building and to better define and differentiate the services offered by the participating organizations.
This Resource Guide is the result of a major collaborative effort among twenty-one organizations of the UN System and five inter-agency bodies. This Guide provides a clear and comprehensive description of the wide range of trade-related support services offered by organizations of the UN System. Its descriptive detail makes it possible to better define and differentiate those services, and to identify opportunities for joint initiatives and activities. The Guide also seeks to promote an inter-agency approach to trade capacity building within the UN System, while providing the UN Resident Coordinator system and UN Country Teams with comprehensive data on capacities and expertise that can be tapped to respond to trade-related support requirements at the country level.