China's Dalian Commodity Exchange, three years ago, 2004, overtook the Chicago Board of Trade to become the second largest commodity exchange in the world.

Now, the commodity exchange itself, that concept, is not new to the world.

Now, in Ethiopia, we're in the process of designing the first organized Ethiopia Commodity Exchange.

I currently lead, in Ethiopia, an exciting new initiative to establish the first Ethiopia Commodity Exchange, or ECX.

That was, of course, the birth of the Chicago Board of Trade, which is the most famous commodity exchange in the world.

The Chicago Board of Trade was established then for precisely the same reasons that our farmers today would benefit from a commodity exchange.

Since most African countries depend on from two to three main primary commodity exports for the bulk of their foreign exchange earnings, their external performance and external indebtedness are directly influenced by short term instability of primary commodity prices.

The creation of such an exchange will greatly improve conditions for commodity marketing and finance in Africa, including for national and intra African trade.

Thus, the past year s currency alignments have, to some extent, simply brought relative domestic price levels and exchange rates into better balance. But by now, emerging market countries exchange rates, and even more so commodity currencies, have probably overshot on the downside.ampnbsp

In the design of our commodity exchange in Ethiopia, we've done something rather unique, which is to take the approach of an integrated perspective, or what we call the ECX Edge.

Latin America s Commodity Windfall

Abundant capital inflows caused their exchange rates to appreciate, making imports cheap and unleashing consumption (and sometimes investment) booms that eroded their trade balances, even as rising commodity prices boosted the value of their exports. Now the cycle is being reversed and exchange rates must depreciate to facilitate external adjustment.

Commodity prices are like this.

Why Are Commodity Prices Falling?

Further, studies suggest that owing to concentration in the structure of international commodity markets, commodity producers are less likely to benefit from increases in international commodity prices at the wholesale and retail levels.

33. We emphasize the need to address the impact of weak and volatile commodity prices and support the efforts of commodity dependent countries to restructure, diversify and strengthen the competitiveness of their commodity sectors.

How can measures to increase commodity price stability and returns from commodity exports contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals?

United Nations commodity and other conferences.

I've looked to see what is the relationship between higher commodity prices of exports, and the growth of commodity exporting countries.

UNCTAD is assisting African countries in the development of a pan African commodity exchange, one of the pillars of African integration as identified in Article 46, Chapter VIII, of the Abuja Treaty of 1991 establishing the African Economic Community.

The Silver Lining in High Commodity Prices

Informal briefing on reproductive health commodity security

2. Expresses the urgent need for supportive international policies and measures to improve the functioning of commodity markets through efficient and transparent price formation mechanisms, including commodity exchanges, and through the use of commodity price risk management instruments

Recognizing that commodity prices are an important element for heavily indebted poor countries that are commodity dependent in maintaining long term debt sustainability,

(v) systematically link debt repayment and debt servicing by commodity dependent developing countries to adverse movements in prices of commodity exports and imports

Support the efforts of commodity dependent African countries to restructure, diversify and strengthen the competitiveness of their commodity sectors and decide to work towards market based arrangements with the participation of the private sector for commodity price risk management

In the last quarter of the twentieth century, many central banks used intermediate targets, including monetary aggregates. Such targets could potentially be applied to credit, interest rates, exchange rates, asset and commodity prices, risk premiums, and or intermediate goods prices.

This is more prevalent in the US, where regulators salaries are very low, especially in the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Turnover among senior and not so senior people in these agencies is very high.

13. Recognizes that developed countries account for two thirds of world non fuel commodity imports, and expresses the urgent need for supportive international policies and measures to improve the functioning of the commodity markets through efficient and transparent price formation mechanisms, including commodity exchanges, and through the use of viable and effective commodity price risk management instruments

(f) To support the efforts of commodity dependent African countries to restructure, diversify and strengthen the competitiveness of their commodity sectors and decide to work towards market based arrangements with the participation of the private sector for commodity price risk management

3. Recognizes that developed countries account for two thirds of non fuel commodity imports, and expresses the urgent need for supportive international policies and measures to improve the functioning of the commodity markets through efficient and transparent mechanisms, including commodity exchanges

2. Expresses the urgent need for supportive international policies and measures to improve the functioning of commodity markets through efficient and transparent price formation mechanisms, including commodity exchanges, and through the use of viable and effective commodity price risk management instruments

Commit to support the efforts of commodity dependent African countries to restructure, diversify and strengthen the competitiveness of their commodity sectors and decide to work towards market based arrangements with the participation of the private sector for commodity price risk management

That is, our housing has become a commodity.

It's a difficult and expensive commodity, until now.

Annual industrial commodity production statistics are disseminated through the Industrial Commodity Statistics Yearbook with a time lag of about two years, while the monthly commodity production statistics are disseminated though the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics with a time lag of a quarter.

Commit ourselves to supporting the efforts of commodity dependent African countries to restructure, diversify and strengthen the competitiveness of their commodity sectors and decide to work towards market based arrangements with the participation of the private sector for commodity price risk management

4. Urges the developed countries to continue to support the commodity diversification and liberalization efforts of commodity dependent developing countries, especially in Africa and the least developed countries, as well as commodity dependent small island developing States, in a spirit of common purpose and efficiency, inter alia, by providing technical and financial assistance for the preparatory phase of their commodity diversification programmes

(e) Timely and effective financial cooperation to facilitate the management by commodity dependent countries of excessive fluctuations in commodity export earnings should be maintained and further pursued

3. Reiterates the importance of maximizing the contribution of the commodity sector to sustained economic growth and sustainable development, while continuing diversification efforts in commodity dependent developing countries

Recognizing also that structural changes in international commodity markets, particularly the increasing concentration in trade and distribution, constitute new challenges for commodity producers and exporters in developing countries,

The Division will monitor developments in commodity markets and foster a new thrust to international cooperation and partnership in commodities development, diversification, commodity related financing and risk management.

3 Includes provisions for United Nations commodity and other conferences.

3 Includes provisions for United Nations commodity and other conferences.

Recognizing that structural changes in international commodity markets, particularly the increasing concentration in trade and distribution, constitute new challenges for small farmers, commodity producers and exporters in developing countries,