International trade remains an engine for development, contributing to economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction. Digital technologies are creating new trading opportunities for countries with the infrastructure and capabilities to harness them. At the same time, tariffs and trade restrictions are on the rise and multilateral negotiations are stalling. Many developing countries with limited productive capacities and trade infrastructure continue to face difficulties in integrating into value chains. To fully realize the benefits of trade and technology, coordinated national and international efforts are essential to bridge digital divides and promote financial inclusion and financial health.

This session will explore how trade and technology can be better harnessed together to drive inclusive and sustainable development amid emerging challenges and opportunities.

Framing questions:

• How can international trade policies and multilateral cooperation be reinvigorated to ensure that trade remains an engine of sustainable development?
• How can global and national efforts mitigate the risks associated with rising trade restrictions and technological fragmentation?
• What role should multilateral institutions play in ensuring that trade and technology policies work together to drive inclusive growth?

Chair: ECOSOC President/Vice-President                                                                                                 

Moderator: Ms. Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London

• H.E. Ms. Fatoumata Bako Traore, Minister for the Budget, Burkina Faso
• H.E. Ismaël Nabé, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Guinea
• H.E. Mr. Steven Collet, Deputy Vice Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Netherlands

Civil society response from the floor (2 minutes)

Ministerial interactive discussion

Investment in data pays off, with an estimated average return of $32 for every $1 invested in strengthening data systems in developing countries. Countries have made significant strides in improving their national statistical systems and political momentum is growing for measuring and monitoring progress in sustainable development using metrics that go beyond GDP. However, investment remains insufficient, resulting in gaps in the availability and use of high quality and disaggregated data and statistics. Major gaps and a lack of progress are notable in key priority areas such as gender, climate change and governance.

This session will explore what is needed to enhance disaggregated data, accessibility and innovative data sources to inform evidence-based decision making for sustainable development.

Framing questions:

• What approaches can accelerate progress in priority areas where sustainable development data gaps remain significant, such as gender, climate change, and governance?
• What are the most effective strategies for integrating non-traditional data sources, citizen-generated data and remote sensing, into national statistical systems?
• What governance frameworks are needed to ensure data quality, transparency, and ethical use?

Chair: ECOSOC President/Vice-President

Moderator: Ms. Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London

• H.E. Mr. Seedy Kaita, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Gambia
• H.E. Ms. María Luisa Ramírez Coronado, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guatemala
• H.E. Mr. Dehpue Yenpea Zuo, Deputy Minister for Economic Management, Ministry of Finance, Liberia

Discussant: H.E. Ms. Dana Emad Hamza, Assistant Undersecretary for Sustainable Development,  Ministry of Sustainable Development, Bahrain

Civil society response from the floor (2 minutes)

Ministerial interactive discussion

Chair: President of ECOSOC

• Closing remarks by Ms. Amina Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary General
• Closing statement by the President of ECOSOC

Panel discussion 3 on specific actions in the first draft of the outcome document on ‘II.G. Science, technology, innovation and capacity building’

Introductory remarks and moderation

H.E. Ms. Alicia Buenrostro Massieu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations

H. E. Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations

Panelists

Mr. Ahmed Salman Zaki, Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives

Ms. Lois Bruu, Vice President, Humanitarian and Development, Mastercard

Ms. Rougui Fouta Diallo, International Trade Union Confederation

Interactive discussion (2-minute time limit)

Background and Guiding Questions

Science, technology and innovation (STI) are advancing at an unprecedented scale and pace. However, leveraging its full potential for advancing sustainable development is constrained by deepening technological gaps; inadequate digital infrastructure and digital public goods; limited national capacity; and insufficient international support. Unregulated technological advances can also have unintended economic, environmental, and social consequences, and worsen gender inequality. Coordinated national and international efforts are needed to address these challenges.

The STI chapter has three areas of actions: first, actions to realize the full potential of STI in supporting sustainable development, including through strengthening innovation, technology transfer, knowledge sharing, capacity building, financing for STI, and international cooperation; second, actions to increase investment in resilient digital public infrastructure and digital public goods and close the digital divides; and third, actions to leverage digital financial services.

Panelists in this session are invited to pay particular attention to actions on the links and impacts of artificial intelligence on fintech. They are invited to address the following questions:

• How can the ECOSOC FFD Forum and related processes best support inclusive, multi-stakeholder dialogues on the intersection of technology, including artificial intelligence, fintech, and sustainable development—particularly in ensuring no one is left behind in the digital transition? (action 54 c)
• As AI-driven financial technologies evolve rapidly across different regions , are there sector specific common values, safeguards, or benchmarks that should guide their development and use to ensure they contribute to inclusive and sustainable development outcomes – and how can such guiding frameworks best be shaped through inclusive and representative global processes? (action 54 d)

Programme

Panel discussion 6 on specific actions in the first draft of the outcome document on ‘II.D. Trade as an engine for development’

Introductory remarks and moderation

H.E. Ms. Alicia Buenrostro Massieu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations

H. E. Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations

Panelists

Mr Guy Lamothe, Director of Cabinet of the Ministry of Planification, Haiti

Mr Charles M Mujajati, Director of Economic Planning and Modelling, Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and investment Promotion, Zimbabwe

Discussants

Mr. Patrick Olomo, Department of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade, Industry, Mining, African Union Commission

Mr. Manuel Montes, Senior Advisor, Society for International Development

Interactive discussion (2-minute time limit)

Background and Guiding Questions

International trade as an engine for development is increasingly under threat. Tariffs and trade restrictions are on the rise globally amidst rising trade tensions and stalled multilateral negotiations. Developing countries, in particular LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS with limited productive capacities and trade infrastructure, have challenges integrating productively into the world economy. This calls for concrete measures to improve their capacities to trade and generate value-added, with a focus on the furthest behind including from trade in commodities and critical minerals. It also calls for a recommitment to multilateral trade that upholds policy space for sustainable development within a universal, rules-based, fair, open, transparent, predictable, inclusive, non-discriminatory and equitable system.

The trade chapter of the first draft contains actions to preserve the multilateral trading system as a key driver of economic growth and sustainable development; strengthen trade capacities of developing countries, in particular LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, and their ability to integrate intro regional and global value chains in a very challenging global context; boost trade in LDCs, many of which remain marginalized and dependent on natural resources and primary commodity exports; and to increase local value addition and beneficiation of critical minerals and commodities in developing countries.

Panelists in this session are invited to pay particular attention in their interventions on the proposals on preserving trade as an engine for development, in particular for developing countries. They are invited to address the following questions:

• How can FFD4 support reform of the multilateral trading system and preserve the role of trade as an engine for development, particularly for developing countries? (actions 36 a-f and 37 a-d)
• How can FFD4 strengthen international cooperation to ensure that developing countries and local communities endowed with critical minerals and commodities fully benefit from these resources? (action 39a)