South Africa and UNCTAD IX: New Beginnings?

This paper attempts to reveal some of the key substantive and and procedural issues presented a the the 9th UNCTAD conference

Hosting the Ninth United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD IX) was another key landmark in the process of normalising South Africa`s multilateral economic and diplomatic relations after years of international isolation. However, in the prelude to the Conference and during the proceedings, many observers saw South Africa`s undertaking as a risky one.

Indeed, there was apprehension that UNCTAD`s role in international economic relations was steadily being eclipsed by the Bretton Woods institutions - the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank - and that South Africa would be hosting a forum that was in terminal decline. There were also fears that the pressures on the United Nations (UN) system to downsize its operations as a whole, could well be focused at UNCTAD IX through a concerted effort by some members - the developed countries, led by the United States, in particular - to narrow the organisation`s mandate, scope and functions.

In this context, how could South Africa justify hosting a conference that carried a hefty price tag when the country confronts other urgent developmental needs? At the same time, questions were raised about whether or not South Africa possessed adequate experience of multilateral economic diplomacy, or the human and institutional capacity to participate in and host a successful conference.  

Author

Xavier Carim, Deputy Director, Foreign Trade Relations, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)