The Global Programme's objective is to contribute to the efforts of the world community and the UN system in attaining the Millennium Development Goals, particularly the 8th goal on developing "a global partnership for development," at the core of an action-oriented poverty-reduction strategy. The Programme's conceptual framework enables it to enhance the ability of low-income and transition economies to analyse economic and social policy interactions at the micro, meso (sectoral) and macro levels and their interactions with the international environment. With this, they are able to design and adapt themselves to a more effective outward-looking development strategies, which will enable them to manage their global integration in a manner that optimises the economic, social and environmental dimension of their sustainable human development strategy.

The Programme bases its action on two development-related policy concepts. These are Competitiveness and Social Efficiency and Trade norms and Policy Spaces for Development, which are developed below. These policy concepts define the approach of the Programme, namely in refocusing on how policies for international competitiveness can strengthen rather than weaken the poorest members of the community and how international markets and negotiations can best be linked with domestic realities and the needs of the poor and their governments' outward-looking development strategies. In other words, how development can be mainstreamed into trade for the most fragile members of the international community.

In applying the policy concepts, the Programme has identified three key strategic vectors that effectively enable countries (or hinder them if applied wrongly) to carve a path to sustainable human development and a quality pattern of growth, since policy interactions within these vectors are highly relevant to poverty reduction and overall development. Each country and region has its own critical vectors with which the Programme works. But aside from this, a fundamental and common basis to all is a greater understanding of the interactive policy actions pursued by the Programme as regards the economy of knowledge, energy and water. This singular integrated approach adds value to specific national and regional priorities regarding sustainable human development and poverty reduction strategies. Indeed, very few countries adopt a comprehensive vision of these three strategic vectors, within their outward-looking strategies, that fit their selection of competitive or comparative advantage on a sound and sustainable basis. They might also play, if tackled properly, an important role in the integrated maximization, by economic agents of economic, social and environmental benefits and the enhancement of societal cohesiveness.

Links
Competitiveness and social efficiency
Trade norms and policy spaces for development
Economy of knowledge
Energy
Water