A/RES/68/203
Commodities
Recalling also the International Conference on Financing for Development, held
in Monterrey, Mexico, from 18 to 22 March 2002, and the Follow-up International
Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the
Monterrey Consensus, held in Doha from 29 November to 2 December 2008,
Taking note of the outcome of the thirteenth session of the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development, 8 and of further decisions and agreed
conclusions on commodities adopted by the Trade and Development Board and its
subsidiary bodies in 2012 and 2013,
Taking note also of the political declaration of the high-level meeting on
Africa’s development needs, held in New York on 22 September 2008, 9
Taking note further of the Arusha Declaration and Plan of Action on African
Commodities adopted at the African Union Conference of Ministers of Trade on
Commodities, held in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, from 21 to 23 November
2005, and endorsed by the Executive Council of the African Union at its eighth
ordinary session, held in Khartoum from 16 to 21 January 2006, 10
Recalling the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (Johannesburg Plan of Implementation), 11 and the outcome document
of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, from 20 to 22 June 2012, entitled “The future we want”, 12
Deeply concerned by the fact that many commodity-dependent developing
countries and economies in transition continue to be highly vulnerable to price
fluctuations, and recognizing the need to continue efforts to improve the regulation,
where appropriate, and the efficiency, responsiveness, functioning and transparency
of financial and commodity markets nationally, regionally and internationally in
order to address excessive commodity price volatility,
Expressing deep concern about the ongoing adverse impacts, particularly on
development, of the world financial and economic crisis, recognizing evidence of an
uneven and fragile recovery, cognizant that the global economy, notwithstanding
significant efforts that helped to contain tail risks, improve financial market
conditions and sustain recovery, still remains in a challenging phase, with downside
risks, including high volatility in global markets, high unemployment, particularly
among youth, indebtedness in some countries and widespread fiscal strains, which
pose challenges for global economic recovery and reflect the need for additional
progress towards sustaining and rebalancing global demand,
Recognizing the adverse impact of excessive price volatility of commodities,
especially on women and girls,
Recognizing also that many developing countries continue to be highly
dependent on primary commodities as their principal source of export revenues,
employment, income generation and domestic savings and as the driving force of
investment, economic growth and social development, including poverty eradication,
_______________
8
See TD/500/Add.1.
Resolution 63/1.
10
See A/60/693, annex II, decision EX.CL/Dec.253 (VIII).
11
Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August–
4 September 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.03.II.A.1 and corrigendum), chap. I,
resolution 2, annex.
12
Resolution 66/288, annex.
9
2/6