This publication marks the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) by setting out a collection of case studies prepared by UNCTAD staff which discuss the organisation's analytical research and policy work to promote the international trade and economic development of developing countries. It also looks at how UNCTAD's work has evolved since its establishment in 1964, in response to changes in the world economy due to globalisation, institutional changes such as the creation of the WTO, and ideological shifts in development thinking.