MoU to ehance UNCTAD-ILO cooperation

UNCTAD and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support the development of joint research and policy advice and increased inter-agency operations for more coherence and impact at the national and regional levels.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed recently at the ILO, is expected to open a new and deeper phase of cooperation between the ILO and UNCTAD.

The ILO is a main partner of UNCTAD in the area of research. Both entities have been working together examining macroeconomic challenges and in recent years have provided valuable contributions to the G20 and other relevant fora.

The ILO is also a main partner of UNCTAD within the UN Inter-Agency Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity that the ILO joined in 2010. Both organisations contributed to the development of a new setting regarding United Nations operations with initiatives originated at the country level-level.

The MoU will help the ILO and UNCTAD to deepen their cooperation in the context of the post-2015 development agenda and with reference to the relevant General Assembly Resolutions on UN System-wide Coherence.

UNCTAD-ILO joint analysis and joint policy recommendations will lead to increased legitimacy to meet the pressing needs of governments on priority themes - such as trade and employment - which need comprehensive solutions.

With the ILO and UNCTAD at the core, the UN system will be in a better position to meet the expectations from the international community.

The MoU will also support the materialisation of UNCTAD-ILO policy orientations in joint programs carried out by the UN Inter-Agency Cluster for more coherence and impact at the country level.

A Steering Committee, led by ILO Deputy Director-General for Policy, Sandra Polaski and UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Petko Draganov, will lay the foundations for the joint work to be carried out in a flexible way with the experts from both organisations.