UNCTAD16 panel calls for new mechanisms to boost productive capacities and financial resilience in developing countries
21 October 2025 — At a high-level panel during UNCTAD16 in Geneva, experts and policymakers discussed strategies to strengthen productive capacities and financial sustainability in developing countries. With available finance falling $4 trillion short of annual needs, and many nations burdened by high debt servicing costs and sluggish export earnings, participants emphasized the urgent need to expand productive capacities to build resilience and achieve inclusive growth. The event, opened by Pedro Manuel Moreno, Deputy Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), explored mechanisms such as debt swaps for productive capacities and the role of UNCTAD’s new Productive Capacities Index and Sustainable Development Financial Assessment Framework in supporting evidence-based policymaking. Speakers: H.E. Baboucarr Ousmaila Joof, Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, The Gambia H.E. Lee Kinyanjui, Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry, Republic of Kenya H.E. Tekreth Kamrang, Secretary of State, Ministry of Commerce, Kingdom of Cambodia Prof. Xiaowen Fu, Head of Department, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Dr. Taffere Tesfachew, Senior Advisor on Economic Transformation in Africa, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change Mr. Gilson Pina, National Director for Planning, Ministry of Finance, Republic of Cabo Verde
