Permanent Mission of India
Geneva
15th Trade and Development Commission
28 - 30 April 2025 | Room XIX, Palais des Nations
NATIONAL STATEMENT
Thank you, Mr. President,
1. As we gather to address the critical theme of leveraging international trade rules for development, India reaffirms its commitment to a multilateral trading system that prioritizes equity, inclusivity, and sustainable growth. For developing countries, trade remains a vital engine for progress, yet systemic barriers and evolving global challenges threaten to deepen existing inequalities.
2. As global trade evolves, developing countries continue to face structural vulnerabilities, such as overreliance on volatile commodity exports, digital divides, and climate-linked trade shocks, that constrain their ability to leverage trade for development. Preserving policy space and strengthening Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) remains critical to address asymmetries in multilateral rules, both in traditional sectors like agriculture and fisheries; as well as emerging sectors like digital trade.
3. While digitalization offers boundless opportunities, uneven access to technology, infrastructure gaps, and regulatory bottlenecks hinder value chain integration. Connectivity challenges like high trade costs and fragile logistics disproportionately affect vulnerable economies, thereby undermining trade benefits.
4. The growing complexity of sustainability-linked rules risks further marginalizing developing nations, unless they are paired with technology transfer and capacity-building.
5. India, alongside partners, has consistently advocated against diluting SDTs, which provides essential flexibility for tailoring commitments to developmental needs. We believe that development must remain a cornerstone in all discussions related to international trade, and we must eschew a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores diverse economic realities.
6. Trade frameworks must prioritize resilience, not rigidity.
7. To transform these challenges into opportunities, there is an urgent need to strengthen SDT provisions to address asymmetries; capacity-building partnerships to assist in implementing trade facilitation measures, IPR frameworks, and green transition strategies; and inclusive rule-making in new and emerging areas of technology.
8. UNCTAD’s role in fostering policy coherence and bridging divides would be indispensable in this regard.
9. My delegation stands ready to collaborate on some of these initiatives that amplify the voices of the Global South, ensuring that trade rules evolve as catalysts, and not as constraints for sustainable development.
Thank you
