UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has called for stronger international cooperation and practical support to help developing economies benefit from rapid advances in technology and the global economy.
The agency said global cooperation must translate into investment in digital infrastructure, skills, institutional capacity and technology transfer to prevent emerging technologies from widening existing development gaps.
Speaking during the UN Digital Cooperation Day in New York, UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno said better interoperability between digital systems could help reduce fragmentation in global data and artificial intelligence governance.
“Interoperability by design must also mean development by design,” Mr Moreno said, adding that the success of interoperability should be measured by “what those connections enable, for whom, and under what conditions.”
UNCTAD also highlighted growing challenges in attracting investment to poorer economies. Foreign direct investment reached $1.6 trillion globally in 2025, but flows to developing economies declined, with investment in three-quarters of least developed countries either stagnant or falling.
Mr Moreno called for greater use of blended finance and guarantees, stronger pipelines of bankable projects and deeper regional cooperation to make developing markets more attractive to investors.
UNCTAD also backed a new initiative to help least developed countries convert green industrial opportunities into investable projects in areas including solar power, batteries and green hydrogen.
The LDC-GIF mechanism will initially work with 10 pilot countries and is expected to be formally launched at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, in November.
