Trade must create jobs, says UNDP chief

Global trade must be measured by the jobs, livelihoods and economic opportunities it creates, rather than the volume of goods and services exchanged, says United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) administrator Alexander De Croo.

Speaking at the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China, today, Mr De Croo said trade must translate into shared prosperity, sustainable development and meaningful opportunities for developing countries.

He warned that the world faced a critical employment challenge, with 1.2 billion young people expected to enter the labour market over the next 15 years.

Mr De Croo said this generation needed more than promises of economic growth, stressing that young people deserved real opportunities that provided income, dignity, security and hope for the future.

"That generation needs more than just trade and the promise of economic growth. They need real opportunities that not only provide income, but also provide dignity, security, and real hope for the future," he said.

Mr De Croo said trade remained a powerful accelerator of development, but access to international markets alone was not enough to guarantee economic progress.

Developing countries needed to strengthen their domestic industries, build productive capacity, develop skills and create employment opportunities to benefit from international trade.

He pointed to China's economic transformation as an example of how investment in infrastructure, skills, technology transfer, access to finance and stronger institutions could drive growth and prosperity.

China's expanded duty-free market access for least-developed countries, particularly African nations, also presented opportunities for developing economies to access international markets.

However, he said the greater challenge was ensuring countries had the capacity to produce goods and services that could compete in those markets.

Mr De Croo said economic growth must also be sustainable and support environmental protection rather than come at its expense.

He said investment in green technologies was no longer just an environmental priority but had become increasingly important to economic competitiveness.

He described the CIIE as an important platform for building commercial relationships and partnerships that could strengthen countries' ability to compete and prosper.

The UNDP, he said, played a role in bridging opportunities and tangible development outcomes by supporting governments to develop policies that attracted domestic investment and foreign direct investment while creating the millions of jobs needed in the coming decades.

Mr De Croo said the true success of international trade would ultimately depend on whether it reduced poverty, created local employment, advanced opportunities for women and girls and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

He challenged governments and international partners to move beyond promises and ensure trade delivered measurable improvements in people's lives.

"Are we giving them a real opportunity, or are we only getting stuck in speeches?" he asked.