Giovanni Mazzacani, a member of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, gave a junior seminar organized by the Project Navarra Center for International Development  at the Institute for Culture and Society, entitled 'Rethinking Trade and Poverty'. His talk focused on how to reduce poverty through trade.

Mazzacani gave some specific examples on how the policies on domestic and foreign trade influence the growth of the countries that have adopted them. He commented on the fact that over the past 20 years, China, South Korea and Singapore have adopted a strategy of export commerce, and as a result, "their economies have grown considerably".

He placed Argentina on the opposite end, saying that this country tried to be self-sufficient and decreased its export business. This action led to an economic crisis in the country but fortunately, after having learned its lesson, Argentina is now recovering.
Over the past three months, Giovanni Mazzacani has worked with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, a specialized agency of the UN that promotes the integration of LDCs into the world economy.