The Weekly Tradecast by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

36. Women’s Day: Closing the gender and technology divides to boost development

To mark International Women's Day on 8 March, this episode of The Weekly Tradecast talks about women in technology and why their success is so important for development with Shamika N. Sirimanne, director of UNCTAD’s technology and logistics division.  
Many developing countries are seeking to close the digital divide and benefit from the online economy. Those benefits could be even bigger by also closing the gender divide.    
The UN says the exclusion of women from the digital world has cost low- and middle-income countries at least $1 trillion in lost economic value in the last decade. Empowering all women and girls is the focus of the UN’s theme for this year’s International Women’s Day – “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.   
How can we ensure women have the skills, funding and opportunities to build tech businesses and support economic growth? Tune in to UNCTAD’S Shamika N. Sirimanne to find out. 

35. Greener growth: Why least developed countries must act fast to achieve sustainable development

Just ahead of the UN’s fifth conference on the least developed countries, this episode of The Weekly Tradecast talks about why these 46 nations need urgent help to address inequalities, attract investment and deliver the Sustainable Development Goals with UNCTAD economist Rolf Traeger.
The world’s least developed countries (LDCs) are home to more than one billion people. They account for just 1% of global carbon dioxide emissions but bear the brunt of climate change with more destructive storms, floods and heatwaves.
LDCs are also being hit hard by shortages, soaring food and energy prices and crippling debt that imperil their economic development. That presents them with a stark choice between adapting to climate change and exploiting their natural resources.
Listen in to UNCTAD’s Rolf Traeger to find out where the balance lies and how the LDCs can get there.

34. Digital divide: To grow, least developed countries need more technology equality

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at inequalities in technology for least developed countries with Torbjörn Fredriksson, head of UNCTAD’s e-commerce and digital economy branch.
During COVID-19, technology helped us to combat the virus and ride out the crisis. With pandemic restrictions in place, much of the world went online to stay in touch and to work, study and shop from home. 
Many of those habits are here to stay. But not all countries and economies are equally prepared to go digital. 
As the online economy grows, the technology gap is also growing for least developed countries. Tune in to UNCTAD’s Torbjörn Fredriksson to find out what they must do to close the gap and benefit from the digital economy.

33. Africa’s dilemma: The need to exploit resources and deal with climate change

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast talks about African countries trying to balance their use of natural resources for growth and the vital need to cope with climate change with UNCTAD economist Giovanni Valensisi.
Many of the places most vulnerable to climate change are in Africa, even though they emit only small amounts of greenhouse gases themselves.  
As momentum moves to greener energy and economies, many in Africa ask why they should be criticized for exploiting natural resources that powered the growth of wealthy nations. At the same time, the continent needs help as climate change brings worse storms, floods and drought.  
Where does the balance lie? Listen in to UNCTAD’S Giovanni Valensisi to find out.

32. Women and girls in science: Young researchers build skills and break down barriers

As the United Nations marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, this episode of The Weekly Tradecast talks about bridging the gender divide with two young researchers from Egypt and the Philippines. 
The STEM areas – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – offer enormous opportunities for women. But attitudes persist that these are fields mainly for men, often leaving women under-represented or excluded.  
Menatallah Elserafy and Fresthel Climacosa just completed a one-month fellowship doing cutting-edge health research in Japan. Started in 2020, the Young Female Scientist Program is run by UNCTAD and Okayama University to support women in developing countries by sharing skills, knowledge and inspiration.  
Listen in to the two young scientists to hear more about their time in Japan, their research work and their plans for the future. 

31. Multinational manoeuvres: How rule-shopping by big companies dilutes development

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at how the behaviour of multinational companies affects development with Anastasia Nesvetailova, head of UNCTAD’s macroeconomic and development policies branch.
Over the past few decades, the globalization of production has brought many benefits. But there’s a dramatic contrast in the way foreign direct investment is organized between the Global North and the Global South.
New UNCTAD analysis looks at how big corporations take advantage of different rules in different countries to avoid regulation and scrutiny. For developing countries, that can mean lower revenues and fewer opportunities. 
Tune in to UNCTAD’s Anastasia Nesvetailova to hear how countries can keep investment flowing without losing out on long-term development.

30. Crypto collapse: Is there still a future for digital currencies?

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast talks about the future of cryptocurrencies with UNCTAD economist Marina Zucker.
Regulators in various countries are now investigating after FTX – one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges – filed for bankruptcy protection in late 2022. 
As claims swirl, the high-profile company could owe repayments to as many as one million people. Whether they get the money is another question. 
After other big bankruptcies before and after FTX’s unexpected collapse, digital currencies are facing tougher questions around volatility, security, safety and trust. With the impact hitting investors and other crypto companies, calls are also growing louder for tougher rules. 
Tune in to this episode to find out what could happen and should happen with digital assets.

29. Dirty money: How it undermines the global economy and how we can fix it

In this episode of The Weekly Tradecast, we talk about illicit financial flows with UNCTAD’s officer in charge of statistics, Anu Peltola. 
Dirty money from terrorists and criminal groups fuels violence and instability, while the Panama Papers have exposed how secretive offshore companies allow corrupt politicians and the wealthy to stash away huge amounts.  
Apart from being illegal, the murky transactions deprive governments of revenues to invest in hospitals, education and services. 
Tune in to Anu to find out why illicit financial flows are so damaging and how we can fix the problem.