Key Impact Points: Landmark Bank–State Partnership in Forest Carbon Markets Standard Chartered has signed a five-year agreement with the Government of Acre, Brazil, to bring high-integrity jurisdictional forest carbon credits to market, potentially releasing 5 million credits in 2026. Located in the Amazon rainforest, Acre will use the programme to
Key Points A Major Step Towards EU Circularity Goals Last week, the European Commission launched a public consultation and Call for Evidence for the upcoming Circular Economy Act, marking a key step in the impact assessment process. The initiative will gather input from stakeholders and the public to better identify
Key Impact Points: Skills and Jobs at the Core of Sustainability At the 2025 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), UNIDO hosted the side event “Better Skills, Better Jobs”, alongside the Permanent Missions of Austria and Ethiopia. The gathering brought together private sector leaders, civil society, and academia to explore how skills
LLDCs Face Heightened Trade Risks New York – August 2025: Global trade uncertainties and rising tariffs are hitting Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) harder than their coastal counterparts, according to a new UNDP policy paper, An Economic Diversification Push for LLDCs: Achieving the Awaza Programme of Action, launched at the Third
Geneva — August 2025: In a cavernous conference hall overlooking Lake Geneva, delegates from more than 170 nations filed into their seats this week, some clutching thick binders of draft text, others accompanied by advisers in tailored suits. Officially, they are here to finalize the world’s first legally binding treaty
From Landlocked to Landlinked For the world’s 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), lack of direct sea access drives up transport costs, slows deliveries, and limits competitiveness. Climate change is adding to the strain, damaging roads, disrupting supply chains, and exposing fragile infrastructure to extreme weather. The Third UN Conference on
By Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director, UN Global Compact Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) face unique economic challenges due to their geographic isolation. With no direct access to seaports, LLDCs rely on neighboring countries for trade routes, increasing transport costs and reducing competitiveness. Yet, these 32 countries, with a population
By Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre (ITC) Although it may not be obvious at first glance, Mongolia, Paraguay, Switzerland, and Zambia share more than the colour red in their flags: They have all dealt with – or are still dealing with – red tape and trade bottlenecks as
Geneva, August 5, 2025 — Delegates from more than 170 nations gathered today at the United Nations’ Palais des Nations to begin the final scheduled round of negotiations for a landmark Global Plastics Treaty. The talks, known formally as INC-5.2, are widely seen as the world’s last best chance to
By Gerd Müller, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) We live in a time of multiple, interconnected crises – crises which hit developing countries the hardest. Hunger and poverty remain widespread and have been worsened by the COVID pandemic. Moreover, they are exacerbated by conflicts and
