A/RES/76/190 GA

United Nations A/RES/76/190 General Assembly Distr.: General 10 January 2022 21-19240 (E) 140122 *2119240* Seventy-sixth session Agenda item 18 (a) Macroeconomic policy questions: international trade and development Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 17 December 2021 [on the report of the Second Committee (A/76/531/Add.1, para. 13)] 76/190. International trade and development The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 56/178 of 21 December 2001, 57/235 of 20 December 2002, 58/197 of 23 December 2003, 59/221 of 22 December 2004, 60/184 of 22 December 2005, 61/186 of 20 December 2006, 62/184 of 19 December 2007, 63/203 of 19 December 2008, 64/188 of 21 December 2009, 65/142 of 20 December 2010, 66/185 of 22 December 2011, 67/196 of 21 December 2012, 68/199 of 20 December 2013, 69/205 of 19 December 2014, 70/187 of 22 December 2015, 71/214 of 21 December 2016, 72/202 of 20 December 2017, 73/219 of 20 December 2018, 74/201 of 19 December 2019 and 75/203 of 21 December 2020, Reaffirming its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, in which it adopted a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals and targets, its commitment to working tirelessly for the full implementation of the Agenda by 2030, its recognition that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, its commitment to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner, and to building upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and seeking to address their unfinished business, Reaffirming also its resolution 69/313 of 27 July 2015 on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, supports and complements it, helps to contextualize its means of implementation targets with concrete policies and actions, and reaffirms the strong political commitment to A/RES/76/190 International trade and development 21-19240 2/5 address the challenge of financing and creating an enabling environment at all levels for sustainable development in the spirit of global partnership and solidarity, Recognizing the need to ensure that the benefits of trade are more widely shared, Reaffirming World Trade Organization decision WT/MIN(15)/48-WT/L/982 of 19 December 2015 on the implementation of preferential treatment in favour of services and service suppliers of the least developed countries and increasing their participation in services trade and decision WT/L/508/Add.1 of 25 July 2012 on accession by the least developed countries, encouraging progress on the implementation of the World Trade Organization work programme on small economies, which supports their efforts towards sustainable development, as also reflected in the outcome document of the third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway,1 and stressing that Aid for Trade and targeted trade-related capacity- building are essential to integrating developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, into the international trading system, Recognizing the critical role of women as producers and traders and the need to address their specific challenges in order to facilitate their equal and active participation in domestic, regional and international trade, Recognizing also that multilateral rules and disciplines are the best guarantee against protectionism and are fundamental to the transparency, predictability and stability of international trade, Noting the commitments to working to ensure that bilateral, regional and plurilateral trade agreements complement the multilateral trading system, recognizing that they can play an important role in complementing global liberalization initiatives, and in this regard recalling the entry into force of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area, on 30 May 2019, Noting with great concern the severe negative impact on human health, safety and well-being caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as the severe disruption to societies and economies and the devastating impact on lives and livelihoods, and that the poorest and most vulnerable are the hardest hit by the pandemic, reaffirming the ambition to get back on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by designing and implementing sustainable and inclusive recovery strategies to accelerate progress towards the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to help to reduce the risk of and build resilience to future shocks, crises and pandemics, including by strengthening health systems and achieving universal health coverage, and recognizing that equitable and timely access for all to safe, quality, effective and affordable COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics are an essential part of a global response based on unity, solidarity, renewed multilateral cooperation and the principle of leaving no one behind, Deeply concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted trade, transport, tourism, cross-border travel, commodity markets, investment, debt service and financial flows, including remittances, with significant impacts on traditionally underrepresented groups and the operation of global value chains, affecting all sectors of the economy, including micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises and people’s lives, especially in developing and least developed countries, compounding the challenges posed by climate change, which have had a devastating impact on sustainable development and humanitarian needs, including on poverty eradication, __________________ 1 Resolution 69/15, annex. International trade and development A/RES/76/190 3/5 21-19240 on the reduction of inequalities, including gender inequality, and on livelihoods, ending hunger, food security and nutrition, education, environmentally sound waste management and access to health care, especially for the poorest and the most vulnerable, particularly in developing countries, including countries in special situations, as well as countries facing specific challenges and those most affected by the pandemic and its socioeconomic consequences, and that restrictive trade measures and the lack of transparency and cooperation within the multilateral trading system have affected access for all to safe, quality, effective and affordable COVID-19 vaccines, other essential goods and basic foodstuffs, Reiterating the pledge that no one will be left behind, reaffirming the recognition that the dignity of the human person is fundamental, and the wish to see the Goals and targets met for all nations and peoples and for all segments of society, and recommitting to endeavour to reach the furthest behind first, 1. Takes note of the report of the Trade and Development Board of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development2 and the note by the Secretary- General;3 2. Reaffirms that international trade is an engine for inclusive growth and poverty eradication and that it contributes to the promotion of sustainable development, structural transformation and industrialization, particularly in developing countries; 3. Reiterates that States will not be able to achieve the ambitious Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development4 without a revitalized and enhanced global partnership and comparably ambitious means of implementation, and that a revitalized global partnership will facilitate an intensive global engagement in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, bringing together Governments, civil society, the private sector, the United Nations system and other actors and mobilizing all available resources; 4. Reaffirms the commitments made through the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development 5 in, inter alia, international trade as an important action area for sustainable development; 5. Notes with concern that the World Trade Organization is increasingly affected by insufficient progress in multilateral trade negotiations and that it is imperative for the World Trade Organization to address issues that are at the heart of current problems in international trade, and recognizes in this regard the need to strengthen the World Trade Organization, with a view to ensuring the continued viability and effectiveness of its dispute settlement, negotiating and monitoring functions; 6. Recommits firmly to promoting a universal, rules-based, open, transparent, predictable, inclusive, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, as well as meaningful trade liberalization; 7. Emphasizes the urgent need to combat protectionism in all its forms and to rectify any trade-distorting measures that are inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules, recognizing the right of countries, in particular developing countries, to fully utilize flexibilities consistent with their World Trade Organization commitments and obligations, and also emphasizes that the work of the World Trade __________________ 2 A/76/15 (Part I), A/76/15 (Part II) and A/76/15 (Part III). 3 A/76/213. 4 Resolution 70/1. 5 Resolution 69/313, annex. A/RES/76/190 International trade and development 21-19240 4/5 Organization shall maintain development at its centre, with provisions for special and differential treatment remaining integral; 8. Also emphasizes the critical need for globally coordinated actions to ensure timely, affordable and equitable distribution of and access for all to safe, quality, effective and affordable COVID-19 vaccines and to ensure that emergency trade measures are targeted, proportionate, transparent and temporary, do not create unnecessary barriers to trade or disruptions to global supply chains and are consistent with World Trade Organization rules, calls for enhancing the capacity of the multilateral trading system to increase pandemic and disaster preparedness and resilience through a multifaceted response, including by strengthening the resilience of global supply chains, including short-term measures such as trade facilitation, transparency and restraint in relation to export restrictions on vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics supplies, as well as the rapid scaling up and expansion of vaccine production globally, including in developing countries, through appropriate dissemination of technology and know-how in accordance with World Trade Organization rules, for example, licensing, using Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) flexibilities if necessary, sharing knowledge and data related to COVID-19 health technologies and supporting ongoing discussion at the World Trade Organization on how the multilateral rules-based trade system can contribute to enhancing access to equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as ensuring the normal functioning of open markets and global supply chain connectivity and cross-border travel for essential purposes, and calls upon Member States to highlight the critical role of digital technologies in sustaining business continuity and supply chains throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and other trade-related organizations and forums, including the World Trade Organization, as well as to promote further economic integration through regional trade agreements to ensure faster trade recovery and development as an important source of world economic growth, and in this regard continue to support the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area; 9. Urges the international community to adopt urgent and effective measures to eliminate the use of unilateral economic, financial or trade measures that are not authorized by relevant organs of the United Nations, that are inconsistent with the principles of international law or the Charter of the United Nations or that contravene the basic principles of the multilateral trading system and that affect, in particular, but not exclusively, developing countries; 10. Calls upon all members of the World Trade Organization to urgently conclude negotiations on fisheries subsidies by the conclusion of the twelfth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, consistent with the decision of its eleventh Ministerial Conference and with a view to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals; 11. Recognizes the importance of preventing trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets and of contributing to the facilitation of market access for products from developing countries, in accordance with World Trade Organization commitments; 12. Underlines the importance of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation annexed to the Protocol amending the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization in improving transparency, expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit, and thereby reducing trade costs, and in this regard encourages its full and effective implementation, including through enhanced support towards its implementation; International trade and development A/RES/76/190 5/5 21-19240 13. Welcomes the convening of the fifteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in Bridgetown, from 3 to 7 October 2021, under the theme “From inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all”, and also welcomes the adoption of its outcome document entitled “Bridgetown Covenant”; 14. Also welcomes the convening of the twelfth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, from 30 November to 3 December 2021 in Geneva, under the presidency of the Government of Kazakhstan; 15. Reiterates the important role of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development as the focal point within the United Nations system for the integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development, and in contributing to supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda; 16. Reaffirms the commitment at the very heart of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind and commit to taking more tangible steps to support people in vulnerable situations and the most vulnerable countries and to reach the furthest behind first; 17. Requests the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session a report on the implementation of the present resolution and on developments in the international trading system, including concrete recommendations to accelerate the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda in this regard, and decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-seventh session, under the item entitled “Macroeconomic policy questions”, the sub-item entitled “International trade and development”. 54th plenary meeting 17 December 2021

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