Commodities

A/RES/44/218View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 82b Trade and development, published in 1990.

What other versions does this mandate have?

22 versions · 1987–2025

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2025).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/124	Commodities	4,596	—Compare
2023	A/RES/78/138	Commodities	4,462	—Compare
2022	A/RES/76/194	Commodities	3,918	—Compare
2020	A/RES/74/204	Commodities	3,441	—Compare
2018	A/RES/72/205	Commodities	3,586	—Compare

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

6 reports · 2004–2023

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2023	A/78/231	World commodity trends and prospects report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/76/194
2021	A/76/215	World commodity trends and prospects report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/74/204
2019	A/74/232	World commodity trends and prospects report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/72/205
2017	A/72/254	World commodity trends and prospects report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/70/191
2015	A/70/184	World commodity trends and prospects report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/68/203

What subjects does this mandate have?

17 subjects

Budget Contributions Commodities Commodity Agreements Commodity Markets Commodity Prices Compensatory Financing Drug Traffic Economic Development Export Diversification Export Earnings Market Access Multilateral Trade Negotiations Narcotic Drugs Signatures, Accessions, Ratifications Terms of Trade Trade in Commodities Trade Liberalization

What’s in this document?

13 operative paragraphs

Stresses the urgent need for appropriate and early action to address the present world situation in the area of commodities;

Expresses its concern at the negative effects of the 2. long-term downward trend of comodity pric_es on he economic development of the developmg countnes, which hinders their efforts to improve the living conditions of their peoples and to redress increasing poverty;

Stresses the need for all countries, according to their economic capacity and their weight in the world economy, international organizations, multilateral financial institu tions and other relevant organizations to undertake mea sures for the diversification of the commodity economy of developing countries and to ensure greater participation of those countries in the processing, marketing and distribu tion, including transportation, of commodities, and, in this context, stresses the importance of market access for commodities from developing countries and of improved market transparency;

Recognizes that decisions on diversification are primarily the responsibility of developing countries, em phasizes, in that context, the need for continued im plementation of their diversification programmes, bearing in mind, inter alia, the long-term evolution of market con ditions and the linkage between diversification efforts and market access, and invites developed countries, interna tional financial institutions and other relevant organiza tions to extend financial support to such diversification programmes;

Notes with concern that a further decline in com 5. modity prices and commodity export earnings, as well as the long-term deterioration in the terms of trade of devel oping countries, in particular the least developed and the commodity-dependent among them, would hinder any prospect of sustained growth and development for those countries;

Expresses its conviction that more stable market con 6. ditions for commodities would be conducive to the social and economic development of developing countries and could, inter alia, contribute to the international campaign against illicit production of, trafficking in and abuse of narcotic drugs, thus supporting the efforts undertaken by countries to combat such illicit activities;

Recognizes the need for a better functioning of com modity markets as well as the desirability of achieving sta ble and more predictable conditions in commodity trade and of avoiding excessive fluctuations of prices, and urges co-operation between producers and consumers, with a view to improving the functioning of existing international commodity agreements or arrangements and/or, as ap propriate, negotiating other commodity agreements or ar rangements, in line with the relevant provisions of the Fi nal Act adopted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development at its seventh session;

Urges all parties involved to meet agreed commit ments and work for a balanced approach to the multilat eral trade negotiations within the Uruguay Round of mul tilateral trade negotiations, launched during the Special Session of the Contracting Parties to the General Agree ment on Tariffs and Trade, held at Punta del Este, Uru guay, from 15 to 20 September 1986, so as to ensure that their successful conclusion brings about further expansion and liberalization in trade in commodities, taking into ac count the special and differential treatment for developing countries, as well as all other principles contained in the Ministerial Declaration on the Uruguay Round; 100 9.

Recognizes the urgent need to address the grave problem of shortfalls in export earnings in the commodi ties of developing countries and, in this regard, notes that a special session of the Trade and Development Board will be devoted to compensatory financing of these shortfalls;

Calls upon those countries that have ratified the Agreement Establishing the Common Fund for Com modities to contribute to making both accounts of the Common Fund fully operational as soon as possible, in full compliance with the provisions of the Agreement and, in this connection, welcomes the significant voluntary contributions made to the second account of the Common Fund and expresses the hope that further contributions will be forthcoming;

Invites all countries, particularly major exporters and consumers of commodities that have not yet ratified the Agreement, to do so as soon as possible, thereby con tributing to the improvement of market conditions to the benefit of both producers and consumers;

Requests the Secretary-General of the United Na tions Conference on Trade and Development to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-fifth session a report on world commodity trends and prospects, with particular reference to the situation of the commodity-dependent de veloping countries;

Decides to include the question of commodities in the provisional agenda of its forty-fifth session.

96 A/44/554.

97 A/44/581.

98 See Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United States of America), Merits, Judgment, I.C.J. Reports 1986, p. 14.

99 United Nations publication,

Sales No.

E.81.II.D.8 and corngendum.

_ _ 1_43 102 United Nations pubhcallon, Saks No. E.1989.11.D.14.

10-1 Official Records of rhe General Assembly. h!rly-ji>urrh Session,

SufJ;/ement No. 15 (A/44/\'i), vol. I. IOO See GA TT. Focus Newsletter. No. 41, October I 986.

Ibid., vol. 11. IOI Sec resolutions 2904 (XXVII). _11 /2 A and R and 34/3.

10, !hid .. vol. I sect. I I ll

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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