Bishkek, Oct. 27, 2025. /Kabar/. The 16th UNCTAD Ministerial Conference, a key UN event of 2025 on global trade, investment, and sustainable development, was held at the UN Palace of Nations in Geneva from October 20-23, 2025. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, the conference was chaired by the Vice-President of Switzerland, Guy Parmelin, and held under the slogan "Shaping the Future: Driving Economic Transformation for Fair, Inclusive and Sustainable Development." UN Secretary-General António Guterres participated in the work of the conference.
The main outcome was the adoption of the final document – the "Geneva Consensus," which defines the priorities and mandate of UNCTAD for the next four years. The document was prepared in the Committee of the Whole under the leadership of Paul Beckers (Netherlands) and included eight thematic clusters: trade, development finance, sanctions, climate, digital economy, investment, intergovernmental mechanisms, and Palestine.
Kyrgyz Republic made a significant contribution to the negotiation process, leading the cluster on investment. At the initiative of the Kyrgyz delegation, a special paragraph on the implementation of UN General Assembly Resolution 77/172 "Sustainable Mountain Development," adopted in 2022 at the suggestion of the Kyrgyz President was included in the final text.
The head of the Kyrgyz delegation, Ambassador Omar Sultanov, spoke at the ministerial meeting of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, noting the unacceptability of unilateral sanctions against the banking system of Kyrgyzstan and calling for ensuring real access of Kyrgyz goods to the EU market.