Four years ago, at the first hybrid conference in UNCTAD’s history, we gathered in a world shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst economic recession since the Second World War.

The Bridgetown Covenant adopted in 2021 at the 15th UN Conference on Trade and Development agreed on four transformations needed to harness trade, investment, finance and technology to propel us towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

1. More diversified economies
2. More sustainable, inclusive and resilient economies
3. More abundant and stable finance for development
4. More multilateralism in a multipolar world

However, progress has been slow. The SDGs are off track, inequality remains high and ongoing crises continue to undermine development.

16 actions for UNCTAD16

The report proposes 16 concrete actions for the 16th UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16), taking place in Viet Nam in October 2025.

Structured around the four transformations of the Bridgetown Covenant, there are three actions per transformation and four cross cutting ones.

Development must progress against the odds.

We must accelerate the four transformations in a world that is increasingly multipolar, vulnerable to the triple planetary crisis – climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss – and transforming daily due to the blazing speed of technological change.

And as the world changes, so must we.

UNCTAD must be responsive, rapid, results-based and relevant to ensure we support member States in shaping their future.

Together, we can defy the odds. We can propel development.

Report by the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development