New UNCTAD data show that services now account for most of the world’s $2.5 trillion ocean-related trade, overtaking goods and opening new opportunities for developing countries to create value from the ocean while protecting it.
UNCTAD
UNCTAD warns oil price surges could add $20 billion yearly to import bills, hitting vulnerable economies and worsening poverty globally.
UNCTAD warns renewable energy investment alone is insufficient; countries need technology, skills, and flexible policies to build local industries.
Non-tariff measures now exceed tariffs as major trade barriers, increasing export costs and harming developing countries’ global competitiveness.
UNCTAD warns that rising investment in AI and strategic technologies is concentrating capital in a few sectors and countries, increasing the risk that many developing economies will be left behind.
New UNCTAD dashboard tracks risks across shipping, energy, food and finance as shocks from the Strait of Hormuz spread through the global economy.
A new partnership between UNCTAD and Singapore aims to help ports cut emissions, boost resilience, and ensure developing countries are included in the transition to sustainable global shipping.
A global forum where developing countries collaborate, share debt management strategies, and strengthen collective capacity to address rising financial challenges.
Global trade grew strongly in 2025, but geopolitical tensions, rising costs, and uneven gains are slowing growth and increasing risks for developing economies.
What began as disruption in a key energy corridor is now feeding through the entire global economy, UN Trade and Development warns in its second assessment. Update follows initial assessment of March 10.
Rising borrowing costs are shrinking fiscal space across developing countries, forcing governments to cut essential spending and delaying development investments.
Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are driving up energy, transport, and fertilizer costs, threatening food prices and economic stability, particularly in developing countries.
A UN Trade and Development report warns that growing policy uncertainty and fragmentation in the global trading system threaten developing countries’ ability to benefit from trade.
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released a rapid analysis examining the implications of recent disruptions to maritime traffic in the Strait, one of the world’s most critical trade corridors.
US tariff changes are unevenly altering competitiveness, creating winners and losers, limiting value chain upgrading, and reshaping global trade flows.