INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC GOODS CONFERENCE OPENS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC GOODS CONFERENCE OPENS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

(Reissued as received.)

VIENNA, 7 September (UNIDO) -- The Conference on International Public Goods for Economic Development started today at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, in Cambridge, United States.

The two-day meeting, organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCIA) and the Complutense Institute for International Studies of Madrid, Spain, will bring together high-level academics, policymakers and economic development specialists.  Among them, the Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania, Frederick T. Sumaye; Gonzalo Sanchez de Losada, former President of Bolivia; Robert Mundell, 1999 Nobel Laureate in Economics; Eduardo Aninat, former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); Dani Rodrik; Inge Kaul; and Arvind Panagariya.

Jorge I. Dominguez, Director of the WCIA, Carlos Magariños, Director-General of UNIDO, and José Antonio Alonso, Director of the Complutense Institute, opened the Conference. Lawrence Summers, President of Harvard University, and Mr. Mundell gave a keynote address.

Participants at the Conference will discuss those public goods most relevant for reaching sustainable economic development in developing countries.  Their shortage affects the speed and quality of economic development in these countries.  Economic growth, crucial in the fight against poverty and for sustainable development, depends on the suitable provision of public goods such as market efficiency, knowledge for innovation and respect for the environment. Participants will also seek concrete proposals and recommendations for policymaking at the local, national, regional and international levels, aiming to correct the undersupply of specific international public goods and focusing on the role of the multilateral system, including UNIDO, in the provision of these goods in the present global environment.

The international public good concept has become central to the debate on how to address challenges arising from globalization and poverty eradication efforts in the context of reaching the Millennium Development Goals.  Despite research in the field, a significant gap still exists between the understanding of the role of international public goods in economic development and the need for their provision in the present global setting.  The Conference is a contribution to bridging this gap.

Note for Editors

The UNIDO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that focuses its efforts on relieving poverty by fostering productivity growth.  It helps developing countries and countries with economies in transition in their fight against marginalization in today’s globalized world.  The UNIDO has 171 member States.  For more information, please visit www.unido.org <http://www.unido.org/&gt;.

For more information on the Conference, please visit: http://www.unido.org/publicgoods, http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/conferences/unido.

For more information on UNIDO, please contact:  Cristina Stricker, Information Officer, Tel.: +43-1-26026-3034, e-mail: c.stricker@unido.org.

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For information media • not an official record