Gender inequality

School: St Marys West College

Commission: UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE FOR TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT(UNCTAD)

Session: MUN 2020

Sponsor:

QUESTION OF: Providing technical assistance  for least developed countries to support implementation of trade facilitation reforms.

The General Assembly,

• Reminding that UNCTAD delivers demand-driven, tailor-made technical assistance to the least developed countries (LDCs).

• Emphasizes that effective implementation of reforms to trade facilitation in developing countries can catalyse progress towards meeting development goals, attendees at an UNCTAD expert meeting heard on 7 May.
• Bearing in mind that UNCTAD provides research, policy development and recommendations on Duty-Free and Quota-Free Market Access (DFQF) and Rules of Origin (RoO), promotes activities in support of trade in services, and works with national Governments and small, rural produces to harness the potential of Geographical Indications (GIs) for sustainable development.

• Acknowledging that The UNCTAD Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) is an integrated customs management system for international trade and transport operations in a modern automated environment. Advanced software applications are designed and developed for customs administrations and the trade community to comply with international standards when fulfilling import, export and transit related procedures.

1. Encourages International support via global governance mechanisms aimed at addressing the problem of tax havens or secrecy jurisdictions, which are the main source of capital outflows from LDCs and which facilitate a race to the bottom on taxation.

1. Requests dedicated assistance for LDCs seeking to benefit from international tax cooperation, with the aim of closing loopholes and limiting the ability of multi-national enterprises to avoid paying taxes, as laid out in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

1. Noting that Afghanistan upgraded customs clearance procedures in 2016 with software developed by UNCTAD. The move helped the government collect an additional US$116 million on imported goods in 2017 and raise a record $1 billion in 2018.

1. Draws the attention to the fact that the UNCTAD has a clear mandate and expertise in supporting the LDCs to utilize trade preferences, and improve access to markets, as well as to advocate for their improvement at multilateral levels, including at the World Trade Organization (WTO).