Elisabeth Türk

The Division works to support closer economic relations among UNECE’s 56 member States in the pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda. It assists member States in better integrating their economies into the world economy and in promoting a better policy, financial and regulatory environment conducive to economic growth, innovative development and higher competitiveness in the ECE region. The ECTD services a large number of inter-governmental entities active in the development of standards and best practice recommendations for trade facilitation and electronic businesses (UN/CEFACT), regulatory cooperation (WP.6), agricultural quality standards (WP.7), public-private partnerships (PPPs) and innovation policies (ToS ICP). It also provides technical assistance for the implementation of such standards and recommendations, as well as targeted and demand-driven research and analytical work. The ECTD’s contributions to UNECE wide activities, along with initiatives and programmes at the level of the United Nations System, support an inclusive and sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery and a transition to a more circular economy, e.g. through the traceability of supply chains, the reduction of food loss/waste and the promotion of gender-sensitive standards.

Prior to that, Ms. Tuerk acted as Chief of the Section on International Investment Agreements (IIAs) in UNCTAD’s Division on Investment and Enterprise (DIAE), where she led the Section's work across the three pillars of UNCTAD activities: research and analysis, capacity-building and consensus-building. Ms. Tuerk also coordinated the Section's contribution to other UNCTAD products, such as the joint UNCTAD/OECD monitoring of G20 countries' investment policy changes, the annual World Investment Report (WIR), and the biennial World Investment Forum (WIF), including key events such as Ministerial Roundtables.

Ms. Tuerk’s earlier professional activities included functions in UNCTAD’s Division on International Trade and Commodities (DITC), covering e.g. WTO accessions and GATS negotiations, in the Geneva office of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Ms. Tuerk holds a master’s degree from the World Trade Institute (WTI) in Bern, Switzerland, and both a degree in international management and a degree in law from the Karl-Franzens Universität in Graz, Austria. Ms. Tuerk is a national of Austria.