Panel debate: Catching up is hard - development strategies in a world of cascading crises

13 June 2024
15:45 - 16:30 hrs. Tempus, Palais des Nations
Geneva
, Switzerland

The economic future of developing economies is intrinsically linked to advancing their industrial capacity in a world troubled by overlapping crises. 

This cluster of interrelated threats -high indebtedness and rising interest rates, inflation, and a cost-of-living crisis, increasing geopolitical conflicts and an onrushing climate catastrophe -is aggravating fragmentation, threatening the integrity of the multilateral system and posing profound policy challenges. 

Speakers will discuss domestic, regional and global strategies to mobilize finance, restructure production and trade dynamics, and help developing countries to deliver on their aspirations for sustainable development.

Speakers

  • Hon. Mr. John Mutorwa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Transport, Namibia 
  • H.E. Mr. Javier González-Olaechea, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peru 
  • H.E. Ms. Marie Paulette Parfaite Amouyeme Ollame Epse Divassa Boffi, Minister of Commerce and SMEs, Gabon 
  • Hon. Dr. Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, Minister of Trade and Industry, Rwanda 
  • Mr. Vladimir Ilichev, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Russia


Moderator

  • Mr. José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, United Nations
John Mutorwa
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Transport
Government of Namibia

The Hon. Mr. John Mutorwa is currently serving as the Deputy Prime Minister, whilst at the same time, retaining his position as Minister of Works and Transport. He was appointed in the Deputy Prime Minister role on 09 February 2024.

Following Namibia's independence in 1990, Mr. Mutorwa joined Government, as the Regional Commissioner for the Kavango Region, Omega and Tsumkwe Areas. In 1992, he became a member of both Parliament and Cabinet. He further served in several Ministerial portfolios in the Government, ranging from being the Deputy Minister of the then Department of Water Affairs; Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports; Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources; Minister of Basic Education and Culture; Minister of Basic Education, Sport and Culture; Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture; Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry; and now the Minister of Works and Transport.

Mr. Mutorwa holds a BA Degree, majoring in History and Psychology, from the University of Fort Hare, South Africa; Higher Education Teaching Diploma; BA (Hons in History) from the University of Namibia and a M.Ed (Interdisciplinary Studies in Education) from University of the Montana, (USA) and a Certificate in Executive Program for Leaders in Development from Harvard University (USA).

Javier González-Olaechea
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Government of Peru

Javier Juan Vicente Ramón González-Olaechea Franco is a Peruvian political scientist, diplomat and politician. He has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Government of Peru since 7 November 2023.

He previously he held the positions of advisor to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, as well as in the portfolios of Labor, Interior and Energy and Mines. 

Mr. González-Olaechea has served as an executive member of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Marie Paulette Parfaite Amouyeme Ollame Epse Divassa Boffi
Minister of Commerce and SMEs
Government of Gabon
Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze
Minister of Trade and Industry
Government of Rwanda

Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze is the Minister of Trade and Industry of Rwanda since 30 July 2022. Before this, he was the Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources since 9 March 2020, a position he was appointed to after being a Member of Parliament chairing the Public Accounts Committee in 2018.

Previously, he was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Rwanda for over 10 years, where he taught agricultural economics and agribusiness among other courses, and from December 2018, he was promoted to Associate Professor.

Besides teaching and political work, he has served on various boards of Government Agencies. In 2016, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) for two years and in the same year 2016, was elected chairperson of the Huye District Council. Prior to that, he chaired the National Land Commission under the Ministry of Natural Resources for three years.

Mr. Ngabitsinze has a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the Doctoral School of Technological Innovation in Agri-food and Environmental Sciences from Milan State University, a Master's degree in Economics from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and a Bachelor's degree in Business Economics from Ca' Foscari University of Venice in Italy.

Vladimir Ilichev
Deputy Minister of Economic Development
Government of the Russian Federation

Vladimir Ilichev was appointed as Deputy Minister in 2020. Within the Ministry, Mr. Ilichev focuses on developing foreign economic activity based on multilateral and bilateral cooperation.

In 2012-2020, Mr. Ilichev headed the Department for Internal Market Protection of the Eurasian Economic Commission. In 2011-2012, he acted as a Director of Department for Foreign Commerce Protective Measures of the Secretariat of the Customs Union Commission.

In his previous roles, he contributed to national trade and development as the Director of Trade Policy and Law Centre LLC (2006-2010), Director of the Department of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation (2004-2006), etc.

In 1998, Mr. Ilichev graduated from the Moscow State Open University, and in 2015 from the Kutafin Moscow State Law University.

José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs
Executive Secretary
UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Mr. José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs was appointed Executive Secretary of ECLAC by the United Nations’ Secretary-General on September 1, 2022. He took office as from October 3, 2022. Previously he served as Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the International Labour Organization (ILO) from 2015-2018.  He joined the ILO in 2005 as Executive Director of its Employment Sector and served as Assistant Director General for Policy from 2013 to 2015.

Prior to joining the ILO, he served from 1998 to 2005 as Director of the Trade Unit of the Organization of American States.  Mr. Salazar was Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica from 1997 to 1998, Executive President of the Costa Rican Development Corporation from 1988-1990 and Chief Economist and then Executive Director of a Central American private sector think tank (FEDEPRICAP) from 1990-1996.  In the academic sphere, he is also the author of numerous journal articles on development, trade, productive transformation, competitiveness and employment policies, and has written and edited several books. He has taught at the University of Costa Rica, the National University of Heredia, Cambridge University and Georgetown University.

He holds a master’s degree in Development Economics and a doctorate in Economics from Cambridge University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Costa Rica.


Language(s)
English  |   Français  |   Español  |   简体中文  |   Русский  |   العربية  |    

Contact

Communications concerning representation:

UNCTAD Secretariat
Intergovernmental Outreach and Support Service
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10

E.: [email protected]

 

For all other enquiries:

Nicole Lewis-Lettington
E.: [email protected]

Ms. Diana Barrowclough, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, UNCTAD
E.: [email protected]

Mr. Piergiuseppe Fortunato, Economic Affairs Officer, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, UNCTAD
E.: [email protected]