The Weekly Tradecast by UNCTAD unctadonline

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at the rare metals and minerals used in mobile phones, laptops and electric car batteries with Clovis Freire, chief of the commodity research and analysis section at UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Electric vehicles are seen as clean because they don’t belch out exhaust fumes that fuel climate change. But some of the materials that go into them – especially the minerals and rare elements in their batteries – have large carbon footprints. 
The environmental impact of extracting materials like cobalt, copper, lithium and graphite is a major concern. 
In countries where much of the mining is done, there can be issues over human rights and the benefits to communities. With demand high and supplies limited, these materials also drive concerns about market domination by just a few producers. 
Tune in to UN Trade and Development’s Clovis Freire to find out more about these rare metals and minerals and how to make them greener.

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at the update to the UN’s Trade and Development Report with UNCTAD director Richard Kozul-Wright.
On the positive side – despite high inflation, high interest rates and gloomy forecasts – the global economy grew 2.7% last year.
The bad news – the update says – is that the positive momentum is going to waste and that growth looks set to be slower this year at 2.6%.
Tune in to UN Trade and Development’s Richard Kozul-Wright to find out how we address not only rising interest rates and inflation but also the urgent challenges of climate change, underinvestment and inequality before it’s too late.

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at the connection between food, health and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals with Bojan Nastav, a statistician with UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). 
UN Trade and Development has teamed up with the World Health Organization to study the global trade of healthy and less healthy food. 
At least 10% of the world’s people live in hunger. At the same time, more than 40% of all adults are overweight.  
So, it’s not just a matter of quantity – or getting enough to eat. It’s also about quality by ensuring people have access to safe and nutritious food to help them stay healthy. 
Greater insights into the trade flows of food offer new ways for the WHO and others to analyse and address diseases that are linked to nutrition. 
Tune in to Bojan Nastav, one of the authors of the report, to find out how this research can help governments better understand food markets and develop nutrition-related trade policies. 

This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at Bhutan, the Himalayan kingdom that measures its success in "Gross National Happiness" with UNCTAD director Paul Akiwumi. 
Bhutan and its 800,000 people now have an extra reason to be happy – after graduating from the UN list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) into full developing country status. It's only the seventh nation in 50 years to make that jump.   
Bhutan was included in the first group of LDCs in 1971. Over the last few decades, it has made remarkable progress on various social and economic metrics, including big improvements in poverty levels, education and life expectancy. 
Tune in to UNCTAD’s Paul Akiwumi to find out how Bhutan achieved this feat and what the 45 countries still classified as LDCs can learn from its development path.

Just ahead of Zero Waste Day, this episode of The Weekly Tradecast talks trash with UNCTAD economist Henrique Silva Pacini Costa.
From plastic packaging to fast fashion to car batteries, we have been creating mountains of waste for decades. It’s everywhere – in landfills, in the air, in plants and animals and in our oceans – and it can take decades or even centuries to degrade.   
We’ve recycled just nine percent of the plastic we started making 70 years ago, so that’s not going to solve the problem.   
Tune in to UNCTAD’s Henrique Silva Pacini Costa to find out what we must do to reduce our rubbish and why we must do it quickly. 

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at K-pop and other lessons for success from the creative economy of the Republic of Korea with UNCTAD economist Katalin Bokor. 
Whether we've danced Gagnam style, listened to the songs of BTS and Blackpink, played video games or watched Korean TV shows and movies, the country's cultural impact is hard to ignore.  
That catchy creativity is also paying big financial dividends. Around the world, the creative economy is one of the fastest-growing sectors and is already worth at least $1.5 trillion. Few places do it better than the Republic of Korea, more commonly known as South Korea. 
Tune in to UNCTAD’s Katalin Bokor to find out how other countries can emulate that success and build up their creative economies.