The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
STORYLINE
As the world confronts intertwined climate and finance crises while seeking to advance on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), carbon markets are increasingly seen as key drivers of climate ambition and capital flow.
They enable countries to trade carbon credits – permits to offset a specific amount of emissions – allowing sellers to earn revenue and contribute to climate action.
The least developed countries (LDCs) are already engaged in carbon markets and among the early movers in emerging trading mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The Least Developed Countries Report 2024 examines how these markets could bridge gaps between economic growth and climate action in LDCs and mobilize capital for sustainable development.
It makes clear that while carbon markets offer promise, they are not a substitute for official development assistance or climate finance. Instead, they serve as one of many tools to support LDCs’ green structural transformations and global emissions goals.
Using data-driven analysis and case studies, the report provides a roadmap for LDCs and their development partners to unlock the potential of carbon markets for sustainable growth.
Full report: https://unctad.org/ldc2024
Production date: 04 November 2024
Creator: UNCTAD
Subject topical: ECONOMICS
Corporate name: UN TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT – UNCTAD
THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES REPORT 2024 – Leveraging carbon markets for development
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) launched today the Least Developed Countries Report 2024 exploring how carbon markets can connect economic growth with climate action. By linking these goals, carbon markets offer a pathway to mobilize funds for sustainable development in the world’s most vulnerable economies.
DESCRIPTION
STORY: UNCTAD / Trade and Development Report
TRT: 03:09
SOURCE: UNCTAD
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
WEBSITE: https://unctad.org/ldc2024
DATELINE: 04 NOVEMBER 2024, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot, exterior, Palais de Nations
2. Med shot, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development Secretary-General : « Of the 20 countries that are most vulnerable to climate change, according to different studies, 17 are least developed countries. »
4. Med shot, speaker on screen, journalist, photographer
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development Secretary-General : « Financial gaps in LDCs are widening, and the investment deficit in these countries keep s getting worse. »
6. Med shot, press room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development Secretary-General: « In short, carbon markets seek to solve a concrete economic problem: how to assign a price to something of high value to the planet but low value in the market. »
8. Med shot, journalists
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development Secretary-General: “As we approach COP29 in Baku next week, with a primary focus on climate finance, this report serves as a wake-up call on carbon markets.”
10. Med shot, journalist
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development Secretary-General: « LDCs play a minimal role in global greenhouse gas emissions, contributing less than 4% of the total. Yet, as mentioned, they face some of the most severe impacts of climate change. There is significant untapped potential in LDCs, with ample opportunities to create carbon credits through projects in forestry, agriculture, and renewable energy. »
12. Med shot, control room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development Secretary-General: « Unfortunately, global carbon markets are currently divided and unclear. Carbon markets are fragmented due to a multiplicity of regulatory frameworks, standards and institutions, leading to a wide variation in carbon prices across different market segments. »
13. Med shot, journalist
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development Secretary-General: « A crucial factor for LDCs is establishing a viable carbon price, and the price proposed by UNCTAD’s study is at least $100 per tonne. However, the current price stands at just $10 per tonne. »
15. Med shot, journalists
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development Secretary-General: « We need a stronger push for harmonization across different standards and regulations. LDCs cannot—and should not— be forced to navigate a spaghetti bowl of climate regulations. »
17. Various shots
Presentation of the Least Developed Countries Report 2024: Leveraging Carbon Markets for Development
Speakers:
- Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General of UN Trade and Development
- Rolf Traeger, UN Trade and Development, Chief, LDC Section Policy Analysis and Research Branch
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , ITU , OCHA , OHCHR , UNCTAD , UNDRR , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO , WMO
UNDRR/OCHA/IFRC/UNICEF/WHO: Nepal updates; IFRC/WMO: El Niño Update; WHO: Health situation in Ukraine; UNHCR: 65 years after landmark Convention; OHCHR: Human Rights situation in Haiti;
ITU: Upcoming Greening Digital Companies 2026 report; UNCTAD: World Investment Forum 2026 in Doha 25-27 October
2
1
2
Press Conferences | UNIDIR
Launch of the 2026 Arms Trade Treaty Monitor report
1
1
1
Press Conferences | ICRC , OHCHR , UN , UNICEF
UN/ICRC: Renewed Call from UN Secretary-General and ICRC President to Adopt Rules on Autonomous Weapon Systems; OHCHR: Human rights situation in Myanmar new report; UNICEF: Worsening child nutrition crisis in Afghanistan
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR , Treaty Bodies
UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) publishes findings on Finland, Honduras, India and Kuwait
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA , WMO , UNICEF
OCHA: 100-day mark of the Ebola outbreak declaration, progress and challenges in the
response; UNICEF: Devastating impact of aid cuts on children in Somalia;
WHO: Ebola update; WMO: El Niño update
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA , WHO , UNHCR
OCHA: World Humanitarian Day - legal framework, impunity and commemoration of aid workers killed in line of duty, drone use in attacks on aid workers; WHO - Healthcare in armed conflict, Bundibugyo virus update from Bunia, DRC - scaling up the Ebola response in DRC, the fastest growing outbreak in history, DRC; UNCHR: Lebanon update
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WHO , UNHCR , WFP , UNFPA , UNODA
WHO: update on Attacks on Health Care; UNFPA: Maternal health challenges in Darfur;
WFP/ UNHCR: Critical funding shortfalls threaten life-saving food, nutrition, and other assistance for refugees in South Sudan
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WMO , OCHA , WHO
WMO: Heatwaves, drought, fires and extreme weather; OCHA: Colombia earthquake
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | HRC
Myanmar's military has carried out a sustained campaign of deliberate attacks on civilians – including airstrikes on homes, schools and camps for displaced people, alongside arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence – Human Rights Council-appointed investigators said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WHO
WHO updates on Ebola; WMO on drought in Europe
1
1
1
Press Conferences | ILO , WHO , WFP , IFRC
ILO to release youth employment trends report; WHO discusses Ebola treatments; WFP highlights Afghan nutrition crisis
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IMO , WHO
WHO: World Hepatitis Day; IOM with Director General Amy Pope: Protecting Victims of Trafficking in Online Scam Operations