UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

UN Entity Layer: 
Programmes and Funds

Established in 1964, UNCTAD shapes policy debates and thinking on development by serving as a forum for intergovernmental deliberations as well as a knowledge-based institution for research, data collection, and policy analysis on development issues. Through these functions, UNCTAD promotes the development-friendly integration of countries into the world economy.

Included in UNCTAD's mandate is the commitment to gender equality as an internationally agreed upon development goal and objective. (Accra Accord 96(d)). The agency is tasked to "make efforts to mainstream cross-cutting issues of gender equality and the empowerment of women" in all areas of its work.  This translates to supporting developing countries integrate gender considerations into their trade policy formulation and implementation as well as in the negotiation of trade and cooperation agreements. UNCTAD also contributes to the inclusion of gender in sectors of technology and entrepreneurship. The agency explains the inclusion of gender in its work by citing that enhanced opportunities for women lead to improvements in poverty reduction and accelerated economic growth.

Despite UNCTAD’s robust gender mainstreaming, it not clear whether the agency bases its gender architecture on Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) and its partner resolutions. Based on our research, there are no action plans/policy/work on implementation of UNSCR 1325 by UNCTAD.

Source: UNCTAD

Contact information

For more information, please visit the official UNCTAD website.