The UNCTAD Global Trade Update (January 2026) highlights a global trading system under growing strain, shaped by slowing economic growth, geopolitical fragmentation, rising protectionism, and accelerating structural change. Global GDP growth is expected to remain subdued in 2026, weakening trade…
The Global Value Chain Development Report 2025 provides a timely and in-depth analysis of how global value chains (GVCs) are being reshaped by overlapping economic, technological, environmental, and geopolitical forces. Contrary to narratives of deglobalization, the report shows that GVCs…
This joint publication by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Bank explores how good regulatory practices (GRPs) can reduce the high costs associated with global services trade and unlock significant economic opportunities for countries at all income levels.…
The IMF Annual Report 2025 presents a comprehensive assessment of the global economic landscape marked by exceptional uncertainty, driven by rising geopolitical tensions, policy divergence, AI-driven technological shifts, climate-related shocks, and structural changes in international trade. Despite global resilience in…
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has released a comprehensive Training Facilitation Guide on Heightened Human Rights Due Diligence (hHRDD) to support companies operating in conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs). As global standards evolve and expectations on corporate conduct increase,…
“On the brink: Trade, finance and the reshaping of the global economy” The world economy in 2025 stands at a critical juncture. A century after the Great Depression, rising tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and financial volatility are once again threatening global…
This 30-page United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report, prepared for the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, reflects on global progress since the 1995 Copenhagen Summit, where hundreds of millions escaped poverty and global life expectancy rose by…
The UNIDO report “Building a Sustainable and Inclusive Hydrogen Economy” outlines how low-emission hydrogen can drive global industrial decarbonization and economic transformation, particularly in developing economies. Aligned with the Paris Agreement and SDGs, the report stresses that hydrogen can reduce…
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has issued a warning about the escalating global tariff disruptions and their increasing impact on the world’s most vulnerable economies—the least developed countries (LDCs). Despite international efforts to double LDCs’ share…
The UNIDO Policy Brief No. 26, Resilient Global Supply Chains in Times of Escalating Trade Costs, highlights the growing challenges facing global trade and industrialization in an era of rising tariffs, sustainability regulations, and geopolitical shocks. Authored by experts from…