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UNECE Economic Cooperation and Trade Week

During its first Economic Cooperation and Trade Week (31 August- 4 September), UNECE will be looking, from different perspectives and through three separate events, at how trade, innovation and public-private partnerships (PPP) can be used by governments to support sustainable development.


From 31 August to 1 September - the first session of the UNECE Steering Committee on Trade Capacity and Standards will look at reducing regulatory and procedural barriers to trade in order to create economic growth, with a focus on Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This session will give a voice to countries to highlight priority areas as well as current and planned reform efforts. Discussions will start from the basis of UNECE national assessment studies; with an emphasis on Kyrgyzstan where the latest study was recently completed.


On 2 September, a High-Level Conference on Unlocking the Economic Potential for Sustainable Development - The Role of Trade, Innovation and Public Private Partnerships, will look at these issues from a policy and strategic perspective. Achieving the new United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require levels of investment in basic services that are beyond the financial reach of both donors and the majority of governments. At this event, participants will look at how this challenge can be met through new means of implementation based on partnerships, innovation, greater efficiency, trade-based economic growth and increased local expertise.


From 3 to 4 September - the ninth session of the UNECE Committee on Innovation, Competitiveness and Public-Private Partnerships) will look in more detail at how to use international PPP standards and national innovation systems to economically support sustainable development. This will include looking at the role of PPPs in bridging the infrastructure financing gap, good practices to encourage innovation in resource-use efficiency as well as environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, and country strategies to promote innovation and PPPs.


In addition, an exhibit showing concrete examples of how work in these areas supports sustainable development will be on display in the salle des Pas Perdus of the Palais des Nations.


Registrations for these meetings are open at:
https://www2.unece.org/uncdb/app/ext/meeting-registration?id=XVE71G
Internet Addresses for further information:
High-Level Conference:  http://www.unece.org/sctcs-ppp-highlevelintlconf.html#/                                                   
Steering Committee on Trade Capacity and Standards:  http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=39822#/
Committee on Competitiveness, Innovation and PPPs:  http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=39941#/

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