Growing up in rural Spain, Alvaro Lario’s parents managed a small fruit farm that sold melons in local villages. Now he is President of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and is helping small scale farmers to thrive all around the world.
“All of these people are extremely entrepreneurial. They’re extremely creative. They have a lot of willingness and energy. Many times it’s just the lack of opportunity or the lack of means, and I think that’s what makes this job or this role very rewarding.”
The UN supports rural communities around the world as they gain economic self-reliance through agricultural activities. In this episode, Alvaro Lario reflects on attracting private sector investment for those projects, on what indigenous groups can teach others about resilience to global shocks, and shares how building one new road can transform thousands of lives.
[00:00] Introduction
[00:29] Transforming rural livelihoods through agricultural investment
[04:57] Building resilience and economic opportunities
[09:24] What keeps Alvaro awake at night
[11:07] The entrepreneurial spirit of small-scale farmers
[12:23] Why water matters for sustainable development
[14:36] Climate change and the future of food systems
[18:03] Growing up with farming roots in Spain
[20:24] Small investments with a lasting impact
[21:57] Why empowering women farmers matters
[23:41] The challenge of attracting the next generation of farmers
[28:03] Can technology transform agriculture?
[29:20] Learning from Indigenous communities
[32:26] The most rewarding part of the job
[33:16] Closing remarks
Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
About Awake at Night
Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change.
Why did Japan just lend $466 million to Chile’s state copper mining company?
The answer lies in the energy transition.
Whether it’s solar farms, data centres or electric vehicles, tomorrow’s infrastructure relies on critical minerals. And none is more crucial than copper, which is used almost anywhere electricity is generated, transmitted or used.
But with demand set to increase 40% by 2040 – and with the world on track to meet just 70% of that – nations are taking steps to shore up their #copper supplies for the future.
A World Economic Forum report maps the policy interventions that will be required to ensure there are enough critical minerals to meet demand: https://www.weforum.org/publications/making-critical-minerals-bankable-policy-tools-to-unlock-investment/
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. It provides a global, impartial and not-for-profit platform for meaningful connection between stakeholders to establish trust, and build initiatives for cooperation and progress.
Find out more below:
World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
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Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration hosts a media briefing to provide an update on government’s comprehensive approach to migration management.
The EU and Greenland are strengthening their partnership with €200 million in new investments for 2026 and 2027, focusing on connectivity, clean energy and critical raw materials.
Looking further ahead, the Commission has proposed more than doubling EU funding for Greenland to €530 million in the next EU budget, alongside support for housing, local businesses, sustainable tourism and opportunities for young Greenlanders.
#greenland #eunews #eufunding
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Source: World Trade Organization – WTO (video statements)
What is trade in services and why is it becoming increasingly important in today’s economy?
From booking travel and taking online classes to using banking apps, digital platforms and telecommunications, services are part of our everyday lives. But unlike goods, services do not travel in boxes or containers.
Juan Marchetti explains how services cross borders, the four modes of supply defined under the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and how digitalization is reshaping global services trade.
Topics covered:
• What trade in services is • The four modes of supply under the GATS • Cross-border supply, consumption abroad, commercial presence and presence of natural persons • The rise of digitally delivered services • Opportunities created by digitalization • Key challenges affecting services trade • The WTO’s role in supporting transparent and predictable trade in services
Have a trade term you’d like explained in simple language? Let us know in the comments.
Download this video from the WTO website:
https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/webcas_e/webcas_e.htm
==
Transcript:
It’s your first day after moving to a new city.
You take a taxi to go to the bank, open an account, and meet with a real estate agent to visit apartments.
In between, you buy your monthly transport pass with your phone.
Have you ever counted how many services you use in a single day?
We all rely on services every day: logistics, finance, transport, travel, telecom, education and more.
And they all share one thing: they are invisible.
Unlike goods, they do not come in a box or in a container.
Many of the services we use come from other countries.
So how do services cross borders?
Services travel through people, data, ideas and investment.
Let’s take the example of someone who wants to learn French.
I’ll call her Sarah.
She’s British.
If Sarah takes an online course with a teacher in France, that is cross-border supply, meaning the consumer and the provider are in different countries.
Only the lessons cross borders.
Another option: Sarah travels to France to study.
In this case, the consumer crosses the border.
We call it consumption abroad.
If a French language school opens a branch in Sarah’s country, we get the third option.
It is the company that crosses the border and we call it commercial presence.
Another option is when the teacher crosses borders to teach Sarah.
And we call this presence of natural persons.
These are the four modes of services trade defined by the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services, most commonly known as the GATS.
This framework provides common rules for services trade by ensuring open markets, non-discrimination, transparency, and predictability, making it easier for businesses and individuals to export and import services.
Today, services are the fastest-growing segment of global trade, significantly outpacing trade in goods over the past decade.
Now, one in every four dollars of global trade comes from services.
Driven by digital technology, more trade is moving through fiber optic cables instead of cargo ships.
Digitally delivered services, like software, finance, consulting, online education and streaming now make up more than half of global services exports.
Digitalization is opening doors, particularly for women, youth, and small companies.
Today, a software developer in Nairobi, a consultant in Bogota, or a designer in Manila can reach clients around the world with just a laptop and an internet connection.
But challenges remain.
Unlike goods, services do not face tariffs at the border.
Yet, trade in services is affected by regulations: market access barriers, discriminatory measures, licensing rules, lack of recognition of qualifications, and restrictions on data flows.
Regulations play an essential role in protecting consumers, safeguarding privacy, ensuring the quality of the services and the competence of the supplier.
But regulations that are overly burdensome, discriminatory, or very different across markets can make it harder for services companies to compete globally.
The WTO Council for Trade in Services and its committees provide a platform for governments to address these challenges and other concerns, and also to discuss ways to improve how services flow across borders.
At the same time, the WTO Secretariat works with partner organizations to support developing economies through training, technical assistance, and practical tools that help unlock the full potential of the services economy.
Because in today’s world, everyone relies on services.
They connect people, power economies, and shape our future, helping to solve everyday problems and improving our lives.
Is there a trade term you have always wanted explained in simple terms?
Drop your question in the comments.
We are here to break it down.
Let’s make trade clearer, fairer, and easier to understand.
In this week’s Market Research Update, we present the latest data on Federal Vote, Consumer Confidence and Business Confidence.
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Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)
The Petitions Committee has scheduled a debate relating to crimes motivated by misogyny and hate crime law.
Tony Vaughan MP has been asked by the Committee to open the debate. The Government will send a Minister to respond.
Read the petition:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/746640
Find petitions you agree with, and sign them: https://petition.parliament.uk/
What are petition debates?
Petition debates are ‘general’ debates which allow MPs from all parties to discuss the important issues raised by one or more petitions, and put their concerns to Government Ministers.
Petition debates don’t end with a vote to implement the request of a petition. This means that MPs will not vote on the issues raised in the petition at the end of the debate.
The Petitions Committee can only schedule debates on petitions to parliament started on petition.parliament.uk
Find out more about how petition debates work: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/content/194347/how-petitions-debates-work/
