TRADE & DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE GROWTH TRADE & DEVELOPMENT E-STAR
PUTTING WIND IN THE SAILS OF TRADE
A new US$1.5 billion OPEC Fund facility is helping developing countries weather a range of commodity, energy and trade disruptions. Meanwhile, experts see a reconfiguration of trade with implications for global value chains By Howard Hudson, OPEC Fund
L aunched by the OPEC Fund in April 2026, the Economic Stability, Trade and Resilience Initiative (E-STAR) is providing rapid countercyclical support to stabilize budgets; trade finance to keep goods moving; and targeted investments to shore up supply chains and infrastructure. To understand the context and guide development effectiveness, we sought expert views from scholars working with the United Nations and various development finance institutions. First, Danilo Spinola, a Brazilian development economist, gives tailored recommendations on how to apply short-term support while galvanizing long-term growth and resilience. Second, in a standalone article originally published in The Conversation , a non-profit media network, three Italian researchers led by Prof. Carlo Pietrobelli take a deep dive through global value chains, citing “friendshoring” as a logical antidote to tariffs and protectionism.
What the two analyses have in common is a focus on long-term partnerships and local production capabilities – to keep emerging economies not only afloat, but able to catch the trade winds.
“[We need] to keep emerging economies not only afloat, but able to catch the trade winds.”
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