Clovis Freire is an Economic Affairs Officer at the Division on Technology and Logistics of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. His work supports the use of science, technology and innovation for structural transformation and the achievement of sustainable development goals.

He is an economist and computer engineer specialised in the economics of innovation and technological change.  He did his undergraduate studies in computer engineering at the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA), in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, from 1992 to 1996; and obtained a Master’s degree in Computer Sciences from the University de Brasília (UnB), in Brasilia, Brazil, in 2000; a MBA in Strategic Management of Information Systems from the Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), Brasilia, Brazil, in 2003; and a PhD degree in Economics from the Maastricht University, in Maastricht, the Netherlands, in 2017, with a thesis on Diversification and Structural Economic Dynamics.

Clovis Freire started his career as Lieutenant Engineer of the Brazilian Air Force in 1997, where he worked on computer networks and network security for five years. During that period, he also taught Computer Sciences at the UPIS University in Brasilia, Brazil. After that, he managed the department of technology development of an ICT consultancy firm in Brasilia, part of the engineering consulting Group Altran. In 2003, he joined the United Nations as Computer Network Engineer at the Headquarters in New York and in 2005 he moved to Bangkok to work in ICT for socio-economic development at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). For the following five years he worked in the areas of space applications for development, reduction of risk of natural disasters, and assessment of progress towards the achievement of the MDGs. In 2010, he joined the Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division of ESCAP working on poverty reduction, economic growth and structural change, with a particular focus on the least developed countries of the Asia-Pacific region. In 2015, he returned to the United Nations Headquarters in New York to work promoting the strengthening of the interface between science and policy for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and the operationalisation of mechanisms to promote science, technology and innovation for the achievements of the SDGs. In 2018, he moved to UNCTAD to work on the UNCTAD's Technology and Innovation Report and Science, technology and Innovation Policy Reviews (STIP Reviews).

His research interests cover sustainable development, economic growth and structural transformation, evolutionary economics, economic diversification and strategies for building the productive capacities of developing countries, and simulation modelling of international economies.

	Selected publications by Clovis Freire Junior
Articles (journal, professional, popular)
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2021, The impact of frontier technologies on inequalities across countries. Industrial Analytics Platform, Industrial Analytics Platform, UNIDO, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2019, Economic diversification: A model of structural economic dynamics and endogenous technological change, Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 49: 13-28, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2019.03.005, More information
Laar, Mindel van de & Clovis Freire Junior, 2017, Science for the SDGs: Building the interface between research & policy, Dual Focus Blog, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis & S. Ayres, 2014, In which industries to invest? Aligning market and development incentives in Myanmar, Journal of Southeast Asian Economies, 31: 395-411, DOI: 10.1355/ae31-3d
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2013, Strategies for Structural Transformation in South Asian Countries, Seoul Journal of Economics 26, 3: 311-336, More information
Basu, S., Clovis Freire Junior, P. Puapan & Y. Tateno, 2013, Euro zone debt crisis: Scenario analysis and implications for developing Asia-Pacific, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 18(1): 1-25, DOI: 10.1080/13547860.2012.742672, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis & A. E. Isgut, 2011, High food and oil prices and their impact on the achievement of MDG 1 in Asia and the Pacific, Journal of Regional Studies and Development, 20(1), More information
Book chapters
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2021, How digital activism can be used to tackle socio-economic inequalities and digital divides?, in: Fundacao Dom Cabral, Book 5 – O desafio da confiança e da segurança na Economia Digital, Fundacao Dom Cabral, Brazil, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2021, Economic Complexity Perspectives on Structural Change, in: Alcorta L, Foster-McGregor N, Verspagen B, and Szirmai A (Eds), New Perspectives on Structural Change: Causes and Consequences of Structural Change in the Global Economy, Oxford University Press, Oxford, DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198850113.001.0001, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2014, Methodology to Identify Opportunities for Development-Oriented Quality Innovation: Application in the Case of Least Developed Countries, in: Latif Al-Hakim and Chen Jin, eds, Quality Innovation: Knowledge, Theory, and Practices, IGI Global, USA, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, L. Vega, S. Hasan & S. Sirimanne, 2013, Chapter 1: Resilience to shocks, in: Theme Study on Building Resilience to Natural Disasters and Major Economic Crises, ESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2012, Chapter 3: Living with high commodity prices, in: Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2012, ESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis & Kumar Nagesh, 2011, Chapter 4: Building productive capacities of Least Developed Countries. ESCAP, in: Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2011, ESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, Y. Wang, T. Renault & J. Smit, 2010, Chapter 1: Tracking the MDGs, trends and prospects, in: Asia-Pacific Regional Report 2009/10: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in an Era of Global Uncertainty, ESCAP-ADB-UNDP, Bangkok, Thailand, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, N. Ratanavong & S. Srivastava, 2010, Chapter 1: Disaster risk in Asia and the Pacific. ESCAP and ISDR, in: Protecting Development Gains, ESCAP-ISDR, Bangkok, Thailand, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, A. E. Isgut, Y. Wang & A. Hasan, 2010, Chapter 1: Costing the MDG gaps, in: Financing inclusive and green future: Supportive financial system for achieving MDGs in Asia-Pacific, ESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand, More information
UNU-MERIT Working Papers
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2017, Promoting structural transformation: Strategic diversification vs laissez-faire approach, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2017-037
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2017, Economic diversification: Explaining the pattern of diversification in the global economy and its implications for fostering diversification in poorer countries, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2017-033
External working papers
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2021, Modelling the effects of rapid technological change and international protection of intellectual property in the inequalities between countries, UNCTAD Research Paper No. 68, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, M. A., Hasan & M. H. Malik, 2012, High Food Prices in Asia-Pacific: Policy Initiatives in view of Supply Uncertainty and Price Volatility, ESCAP MPDD Working Papers WP/12/01, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2012, Building Productive Capacities: Challenges and Opportunities for Least Developed Countries, ESCAP MPDD Working Papers WP/12/02, More information
Basu, S., Clovis Freire Junior, P. Puapan, V. Sirimaneetham & Y. Tateno, 2012, Euro zone debt crisis: Scenario analysis and implications for developing Asia-Pacific, ESCAP MPDD Working Papers WP/12/03, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2012, Strategies for Structural Transformation in Countries in South and South-West Asia, ESCAP MPDD Working Papers WP/12/04, More information
Ayres, S. & Clovis Freire Junior, 2012, In which industries to invest? Aligning market and development incentives in Myanmar, ESCAP MPDD Working Papers WP/12/05, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2011, Social and Economic Impact of Disasters: Estimating the Threshold between Low and High Levels of Risk, ESCAP MPDD Working Papers WP/11/15, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis & A. E. Isgut, 2011, High Food and Oil Prices and Their Impact on the Achievement of MDG 1 in Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP MPDD Working Papers WP/11/18, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2011, Productive Capacities in Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP MPDD Working Papers WP/11/17, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis & N. Kajiura, 2011, Impact of Health Expenditure on Achieving the Health-related MDGs, ESCAP MPDD Working Papers WP/11/19, More information
Research reports
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2021, Harnessing blockchain for sustainable development: prospects and challenges, UNCTAD. Geneva, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2021, Harnessing rapid technological change for inclusive and sustainable development, UNCTAD, Geneva, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2021, Commodities and Development Report 2021: Escaping from the Commodity Dependence Trap through Technology and Innovation, UNCTAD, United Nations, New York, Geneva, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2021, Technology and Innovation Report 2021: Catching technological waves: Innovation with equity, UNCTAD, United Nations, New York, Geneva, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2020, Science, technology and innovation policy review (STIP Review) of Ethiopia, UNCTAD, United Nations, Gevena, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2020, Mapping TradeTech: Trade in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, World Economic Forum, More information
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2020, The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation in Building Resilient Communities, Including Through the Contribution of Citizen Science, UNCTAD. Geneva, More information
Theses
Freire Junior, Clovis, 2017, Diversification and Structural Economic Dynamics, PhD dissertation Maastricht University / United Nations University, More information
Other (editorship, media appearance, keynote, etc.)
Sirimanne, Shamika N. & Clovis Freire Junior, 2020, How science, technology and innovation can help build resilience to multiple shocks, UNCTAD