Geneva: The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) announced today its rebranding as “UN Trade and Development,” commemorating its 60th anniversary this year.
Terming it as a “strategic move”, UNCTAD stated that this underscores the organization’s “commitment to greater impact with a new, clearer visual identity aiming to reflect better its work and values aiming to amplify its global voice on behalf of developing countries”.
UNCTAD was created with the explicit goal of ensuring that globalization left no one behind. The rebranding marks a pivotal moment- the first-ever comprehensive review of UNCTAD’s global communication footprint and a bold forward-looking strategy to communicate its work and values. “A new “polyglobal” reality is emerging, marked by growing economic diversity and decentralization, even as we become ever-more interdependent at a global level,” it stated.
At the presentation of the organization’s new brand as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, Secretary-General Grynspan underlined “Visible, transformational change is our objective. We are celebrating UNCTAD’s achievements of the past 60 years as a forward-looking, renewed organization, building on our legacy but ready to respond to the new complexities of the global economy. We will continue to work to ensure development is at the core of global economic decisions, and the voice of developing countries is heard.”
The organization will adopt its new name and logo across all official channels, in the six UN languages, marking its first rebranding in sixty years.
Charting a New Course
An official release stated that under the leadership of Grynspan, the organization has been adapting to a rapidly changing global trade landscape impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions and climate change, with initiatives that enhance the organization’s capacity to analyze new challenges and support efforts in developing nations rapidly.
UN Trade and Development will now convene a Global Leaders Forum from 12-14 June at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, inaugurated by UN Secretary-General, António Guterres and UN Trade and Development Secretary-General, Rebeca Grynspan, alongside Heads of State and Government, and the participation of civil society organizations, private sector representatives and some of the world’s leading economists.
Under the theme “Charting a New Development Course in a Changing World”, the Forum will emphasize the organization’s integrated approach to trade and development, addressing finance, technology, investment, and sustainable development, with a specific focus on the needs of developing countries, and UNCTAD’s work in Africa, the least developed countries, small island developing states (SIDs), and landlocked developing countries.
It will also be an important occasion to explore innovative approaches and pioneering solutions with the world’s top policymakers and thinkers, the release said.
– global bihari bureau
