DIALOGUE OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES OF THE REGIONAL COMMISSIONS WITH THE SECOND COMMITTEE OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
鈥淩egional cooperation in an age of fragmentation: Harnessing resilient trade, transport and connectivity for sustainable development鈥�
81st session of the UN General Assembly
Tuesday, 20 October 2026, 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM
The global economy is facing profound uncertainty and fragmentation. Geopolitical tensions, trade and supply chain disruptions, rising financing costs, climate-related shocks and uneven recovery are exposing vulnerabilities that transcend national borders. Meanwhile, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals remains slow and uneven, and countries must accelerate implementation within constrained fiscal and institutional space.
Recent intergovernmental commitments reflect these challenges. The General Assembly has proclaimed 2026鈥�2035 the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport (resolution 78/148), placing safe, affordable and resilient transport connectivity at the heart of sustainable development. The Doha and Awaza Programmes of Action for the Least Developed and Landlocked Developing Countries and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS all emphasize resilient transport and connectivity, trade facilitation and stronger links to regional and global markets. The Sevilla Commitment calls for scaled-up investment in sustainable infrastructure, and the outcome of the twenty-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society underscores the need to close digital divides. Most recently, the 2026 High-level Political Forum and the Regional Forums on Sustainable Development highlighted integrated approaches, resilient infrastructure and regional integration as levers for resilience to global supply chain disruptions.
The Dialogue with the Executive Secretaries will focus on the theme 鈥淩egional cooperation in an age of fragmentation: Harnessing resilient trade, transport and connectivity for sustainable development.鈥� Specific objectives will be:
- share regional perspectives and evidence on how countries are responding to disruptions and vulnerabilities affecting trade, transport, connectivity and supply chains and on what has worked in reducing trade and transport costs and strengthening resilience;
- showcase regional approaches and initiatives that are strengthening trade facilitation, transport connectivity, regional value chains, digital and energy connectivity, and other forms of regional integration;
- exchange lessons on how regional cooperation can help countries reduce trade and transport costs, strengthen productive capacities, mobilize investment and enhance resilience to external shocks;
- highlight the role of regional institutions, interregional cooperation and intergovernmental platforms in facilitating policy coordination, peer learning, common approaches and practical cooperation among countries; and
- bring regional perspectives to the deliberations of the Second Committee, including on how regional cooperation can contribute to accelerating implementation of the 2030 Agenda.