20 April 2016 - The Philippines was elected Chairperson of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development “Multi-Year Expert Meeting on Promoting Economic Integration and Cooperation with a view to accomplishing the internationally agreed development goals.” As Chairperson, First Secretary Raphael Hermoso of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva presided over the two-day meeting that was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from April 14 to 15.

The meeting discussed issues facing the global economy and policies countries may undertake to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The items raised included policies that governments can adopt to deal with the challenges of development. One such measure is the conditional cash transfer, which was used by the government of Brazil and is similar to the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.” The importance of education was highlighted and cited as a key factor for the growth of developing countries like Viet Nam and the strength of its manufacturing sector. The role of government in setting the right policies for development was also cited during the event.

In addition to steering the discussions as chairperson, the Philippines also served as a panelist on the issue of “International Cooperation in light of current economic challenges.”  In the remarks of Raphael Hermoso he pointed out that, “The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in New York holds great promise, but this also poses challenges for the developing world to meet the 17 goals and 169 targets.” He added that “South-South Cooperation in the areas of finance, trade, investment, and technology have expanded and shows that developing countries can address issues and gaps in the international economic system.”

The meeting was held under the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development as part of its research and analysis program. The aim of which is to generate ideas on how countries can achieve their development goals. END