New Report: The UN and Global Commerce

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Press Release


September 7, 2002

A new UN publication assesses the benefits of "the soft infrastructure" -- as Secretary-General Kofi Annan terms it -- that establishes the framework for the international exchange of goods, money and information. The 75-page report on The United Nations and Global Commerce traces the history and the reach of often overlooked global services that the UN system provides on a daily basis. For instance:

  • When ships sail freely across the seas and through international straits, they are protected by rules drawn up in UN conferences and by the International Maritime Organization.
  • Commercial airlines have the right to fly across borders, and to land in case of emergency, due to agreements negotiated by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
  • The World Intellectual Property Organization promotes international cooperation in the protection of trademarks, copyrights and patents.
  • The UN Statistical Commission helps countries speak the same language in terms of economic statistics, accounting standards and commodity descriptions.
  • The UN Commission on International Trade Law develops standard rules that apply to both ends of cross-border commercial transactions, greatly simplifying the process for all involved parties.
  • International Telecommunication Union allotment of frequencies keep the air waves from becoming hopelessly clogged.

    "The costs of making these services universally available is minuscule compared to what private users would have to pay to create such arrangements on an ad hoc basis", the report points out. "In relation to the amount of income and improved living standards that are generated by cross-border trade and investment, the costs are even more marginal."

    The report was undertaken in support of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's initiative to build a cooperative working relationship between the UN and the international business community. It highlights the quiet but effective technical work that helps the world go around, as far as businesses from industrialized, developing and transition economies are concerned, but which is largely overlooked in headlines and in debates about the UN's usefulness.

    The study was prepared by Mark W. Zacher of the University of British Columbia's Institute of International Relations. "The United Nations is not only about meetings and conferences", said UN Assistant Secretary-General John Ruggie, who advises the Secretary-General on the business initiative. "A considerable share of UN activity is devoted to providing services. Those services detailed in this report support the business community and, by reducing transaction costs and commercial risk, benefit everyone by making goods and services cheaper."

    The book is being launched at a 7 September press conference at 11:00 a.m. (New York time) in Room S-226 of UN Headquarters. Presenting the report are Georg Kell, economist in the office of the UN Secretary-General; Hermann Habermann, director of the UN Statistics Division; and author Mark Zacher. All material in this press release and in press copies of the book are under strict embargo until 11:00 a.m. New York time, 7 September.

    Related press events are also taking place on the same day in Geneva, Vienna and London. For more information on the book, or to arrange an interview, contact Tim Wall, Development and Human Rights Section, UN Department of Public Information, at 212-963-5851, e-mail < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >.

    THE UNITED NATIONS AND GLOBAL COMMERCE is available for $7.50 (Sales No. E.99.I.18, ISBN 92-1-100815-8) from United Nations Publications, Two UN Plaza, Room DC2-853, Dept. PRES, New York NY 10017 USA, Tel.800-253-9646 or 212-963-8302, Fax.212-963-3489, E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; or Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, Tel.41-22-917-2614, Fax.41-22-917-0027, E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; Internet: http://www.un.org/Publications

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