SlideShare a Scribd company logo
1 of 20
Download to read offline
Tradefor
Development
newsBYEIF
trade4devnews.enhancedif.org
Trade Facilitation
Agreement in LDCs:
Tentative steps forward
Fisheries subsidies
negotiations:
What is at stake for least
developed countries?
Economic
diversification:
Why trade matters
Aid forTrade
&LDCs
EIF
S
P
E
C
IA
L
E
D
IT
IO
N
Voices for trade and development in least developed countries (LDCs)
trade4devnews.enhancedif.org
Tradefor
Development
newsBYEIF
Trade for Development News is a place to share EIF stories on the ground,
across 47 least developed countries (LDCs), 4 recently graduated countries
and several themes and sectors. From op-eds to impact stories, videos to
photo essays, this platform is a window into the far-reaching impact of the EIF.
Also designed with a strong focus on partner content in mind, Trade for
Development News is intended to be a knowledge hub on all things trade for
development and aid for trade. We invite you to share your stories with us, so
we can disseminate them further to our readers.
Violeta Gonzalez,
Head, Partnerships, Outreach and Resource Mobilization
Violeta.Gonzalez@wto.org
Deanna Ramsay,
Managing Editor
deannamichelle.ramsay@wto.org
Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 1
Trade4DevNews | Aid for Trade & LDCs
Tentative steps to implementation of the Trade
Facilitation Agreement in least developed countries . . . . 3
Economic diversification:
Why trade matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Fisheries subsidies negotiations:
What is at stake for least developed countries? . . . . . . . 12
Aid for trade disbursements to LDCs, 2017 . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Fabrice Lehmann, Guest Editor
2 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs
 Ollivier Girard/EIF
Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 3
Tentative steps to implementation
of the Trade Facilitation Agreement
in least developed countries
Authors: Annette Mutaawe
Ssemuwemba, Fabrice Lehmann
•	 The WTO Trade Facilitation
Agreement provides for novel
provisions on special and
differential treatment that are
yet to be fully utilised by least
developed countries.
•	 The ability to conduct effective
consultations engaging the private
sector and civil society is central
to the process of border reform.
•	 Least developed countries would
benefit from more analytical work
on the type of assistance required
to align with the articles of the
Trade Facilitation Agreement.
The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) has
generated much expectation in terms of
development returns for least developed
countries (LDCs). Ratified in February 2017,
the first multilateral treaty to be adopted
by the World Trade Organization (WTO)
since its creation is designed to reduce
transaction costs and stimulate trade as an
engine of growth and poverty reduction.
Trade facilitation has emerged as an
important priority of both developing
countries and development partners. Since
2005, annual donor commitments have
increased fivefold and US$3.9 billion has
been disbursed in aid for trade facilitation.
Yet are LDCs engaging as anticipated in
the TFA?
Tailor-made implementation and state
of play
The TFA is primarily concerned with changing
the way border agencies operate in order to
reduce trade costs. Recent estimates suggest
that the potential cost reduction from full
implementation of the TFA is 16.5% of total
costs for low income countries. Measures
with the highest potential impact include
harmonising and simplifying trade documents
(4.2%) and automating trade and customs
processes (3.6%).
Even if lower, these changes in relative costs
can be significant in the fierce competition
that characterises international trade today,
much of which takes the form of global value
chains in which LDCs generally have a low
level of participation.
READ MORE:
trade4devnews.enhancedif.org/en/global-review-2019
4 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs
The TFA includes innovative provisions on
special and differential treatment that enable
developing countries and LDCs to design
tailor-made implementation plans within an
agreed notification timeline. These members
can self-designate the 36 substantive
provisions into three categories – A, B and C
– that provide for different levels of flexibility.
The TFA further creates a legal obligation to
provide technical assistance and capacity
building to LDCs based on their Category C
implementation needs. To benefit, LDCs must
comply with the notification requirements set
out in the agreement.
As of May 2019, the level of engagement
could be described as mixed. The rate
of implementation commitments for LDCs
stood at 24.7%. Of the 36 LDC members
of the WTO, 12 were yet to ratify the TFA,
22 had notified the three categories,
11 had notified their indicative dates for
Category B designations and seven for
Category C. However, only three LDCs had
submitted the type of support required to
implement Category C designations by the
February 2019 deadline, despite the fact
that assistance is available to help with this
process. This low compliance could indicate
that LDCs are encountering challenges in
identifying their assistance needs.
The importance of consultations
While there has been much progress in
building capacities over the past decade, the
ability of LDC governments to conceptualise
and submit technical proposals related to the
implementation of trade facilitation measures
often remains constrained.
A common limitation is the dearth of reliable
data that often characterises LDC economies.
This information deficit can make it challenging
to frame comprehensive responses due to
incomplete evidence for the types of reforms
or support that might be necessary.
In addition, the scarcity of financial
resources should not be underestimated.
The OECD estimates that total expenditure
to introduce TFA measures ranges between
US$5-25 million. Initial funding is necessary
to organise consultations, conduct needs
assessments and implement measures that
do not require technical assistance.
The ability to conduct effective
consultations is central to the process of
trade facilitation reform. The Enhanced
Integrated Framework (EIF) has supported
the establishment within trade ministries of
steering committees that encourage multiple
stakeholders to jointly consider trade
policies and practices. Where suitable, EIF
has proposed that national trade facilitation
committees integrate these structures for
greater efficacy.
Developed
members
Developing
members
LDCs100% 61.6% 24.7%
Rate of TFA implementation
commitments
Source: TFA Database (accessed 20 May 2019)
Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 5
Zambia, for instance, was one of the first
LDCs to conduct a needs assessment
of its alignment with the articles of the
TFA. EIF has facilitated the formation of a
donor platform in the country that works
closely with the National Trade Facilitation
Committee. This has proved to be an
effective channel for the coordination,
delivery and review of interventions.
Initial steps as a foundation
WTO members that commit to border reform
do so because they see the benefits that trade
facilitation can bring to their economy. Two
constants behind LDCs that are precursors
in TFA implementation are government
commitment – which provides direction and
a signal to donors – and the depth of private
sector engagement in consultation processes. 
An important tool used by LDCs to mobilise
resources towards addressing trade
capacity constraints is the elaboration of
Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies. These
studies include recommendations on
trade facilitation and related hard and soft
infrastructure deficits that can be used as
policy planning instruments.
An illustrative example among many is
landlocked Malawi, which is one of two
LDCs to have submitted TFA notifications
on the operation of their single window.
As a preliminary phase, the realisation of
the Malawi Trade Portal has made available
regulatory information for import, export and
transit, which promotes transparency in the
delivery of public services. The case shows
that the success of initial steps can provide the
foundation on which the full package of TFA
provisions can gradually be implemented.
Looking ahead
Trade facilitation is seen as a move towards
results-based management of aid for trade.
There are cross-country methodologies
that can be used to compare and simulate
the potential impact of policy reforms such
as Trading Across Borders in the World
Bank’s Doing Business and the OECD Trade
Facilitation Indicators. LDCs should be
sensitised to the functionality of these tools
– the latter being particularly applicable
to the implementation of TFA articles.
Based on best practices, targeted policy
recommendations could be formulated and
case studies showcased for LDCs to learn
from each other’s experience.
Benefits could also be derived from building
on the successes of enhanced trade-related
technical coordination at the country level
as described earlier. Within these structures,
LDCs could be supported through more
analytical work on their needs and the type
of assistance required to implement and
benefit from the provisions of the TFA.
A final suggestion could be to plan for a
comprehensive review of LDC engagement
in the TFA. A possible date is February
2021, by which time all LDC signatories
are mandated to provide indicative dates
for Category C designations and inform
on assistance arrangements. Such a
review could go beyond trade costs and
look into how trade facilitation measures
have percolated through the broader
economies and whether they have helped
the trade system contribute to sustainable
development in the world’s poorest
countries.
Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba is Deputy
Executive Director, Executive Secretariat for
the Enhanced Integrated Framework.
Fabrice Lehmann is Guest Editor at Trade
for Development News.
6 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs
 Ollivier Girard/EIF
Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 7
Economic diversification:
Why trade matters
Paul Brenton, Ian Gillson, Pierre Sauvé
•	 Economic diversification is a key
element of development in which
a country moves to a more diverse
production structure, scaling-up
resilience to external shocks and
providing a path for equitable growth.
•	 Trade expansion is central to
creating new, higher productivity
jobs that will facilitate growth
and poverty reduction in least
developed countries through
structural transformation.
•	 Investments in skills, infrastructure,
institutions and governance
quality increase the likelihood of
successful diversification but are
in turn affected by the extent of
diversification.
A lack of economic diversification is often
associated with increased vulnerability
to external shocks that can undermine
prospects for longer-term economic
growth. The world’s poorest countries,
many of which are often small or
geographically remote, landlocked and/or
heavily dependent on primary agriculture
or minerals, tend to have the most
concentrated economic structures.
This creates challenges in terms of
exposure to sector-specific shocks, such
as weather-related events in agriculture or
sudden price shocks for minerals. Growth
tends to be unbalanced in the case of
mineral-dependent countries or slow
and difficult to sustain in agrarian ones.
Poverty-reducing, trade-driven growth
has been particularly difficult to achieve in
countries whose economies are heavily
dependent upon primary commodities.
Countries whose geography implies a
punishing lack of connectivity to regional
or world markets are also at a distinct
disadvantage in attempting to diversify
their product and export mix. Of all the
world’s regions, sub-Saharan Africa
arguably suffers most from high levels
of economic concentration.
READ MORE:
trade4devnews.enhancedif.org/en/global-review-2019
8 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs
Export diversification in sub-Saharan Africa, 2017
Source:
Authors’
calculations
Note: The diversification index takes values between 0 and 1 and reveals the
degree of economic concentration in an economy. A value closer to 1 indicates a
high degree of economic concentration (i.e. a low degree of diversification).
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
South Sudan
Chad
Guinea-Bisseau
Angola
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Nigeria
Eritrea
Congo, Republic
Mali
Equatorial Guinea
Zambia
Gabon
Guinea
Malawi
Gambia
Burundi
Zimbabwe
Ghana
Liberia
Sudan
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Congo, Democratic Republic
Somalia
Côte d'Ivoire
Lesotho
Mauritania
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
Benin
Uganda
Togo
Madagascar
Senegal
Tanzania
Kenya
Mozambique
Namibia
South Africa
Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 9
Economic diversification matters for
development...
Economic diversification is a key element of
economic development in which a country
moves to a more diverse production and
trade structure. Diversification helps to
manage volatility and provide a more
stable path for equitable growth and
development. Successful diversification is
all the more important now in the wake of
uncertain global growth and the imperative
in many developing countries to increase
the number and quality of jobs.
Moving labour from low productivity
employment, mainly in agriculture, to higher
productivity jobs in a range of mostly
urban activities characterised by strong
agglomeration economies is imperative for
sustained growth. While rapid increases in
working populations offer many developing
countries an opportunity for a demographic
dividend, reaping it may remain challenging
in the absence of economic diversification
and job-producing private sector growth.
The need for government action through
well designed public investments and
effective policy reforms that support a more
diversified economy remains centrally
important.
…and trade matters for economic
diversification
Trade expansion is central to creating new,
higher productivity jobs that will facilitate
growth through structural transformation.
Integration into the global economy lies
behind the success of many countries in
diversifying their economies, driving far-
reaching poverty reduction in the process.
Export diversification should be seen as an
objective in itself to reduce vulnerability to
adverse terms of trade shocks and stabilise
export revenues.
The nature and structure of protection in
overseas markets shape the opportunities
for export diversification in developing
countries. This is especially so if overseas
protection is biased towards products
in which developing countries enjoy a
comparative advantage.
For example, tariff escalation in
developed countries has long constrained
opportunities for developing countries
to add value to and develop additional
activities around agricultural and mineral
products. Similarly, for light manufacturing,
import tariffs on products such as clothing
and shoes are typically much higher than
those on textile fabrics and leather.
To some extent, this constraint has been
alleviated by multilateral trade liberalisation
through the World Trade Organization
(WTO), which has reduced tariff peaks in
rich countries and through the provision
of non-reciprocal tariff preferences for
developing countries. Still, the latter are
frequently undermined by unduly restrictive
rules of origin.
Regional integration and deepened
South-South trade also represent
effective mechanisms to increase new
market opportunities for exporting firms.
10 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs
Diversifying exports to higher income
markets is often more difficult than
diversifying exports to regional markets.
Standards are often higher, requiring larger
investments to raise quality and meet
health and safety requirements.
For this reason, diversification through
exports to nearby countries with similar
tastes and regulatory requirements – and
hence potentially lower compliance costs
– may prove easier. So too will South-
South trade. Expansion in such markets
can then provide the springboard for
enlarged access to the global market once
experience with exporting has increased
and awareness of product requirements in
other markets has risen.
Tariffs on imports can act as a constraint
to export diversification and to sustained
insertion in regional or global production
networks. The level of import protection
determines the incentives to produce
exportable goods by directly raising
the domestic price of imports relative
to exports. Also, tariffs on intermediate
inputs used by exporters in the absence of
well-functioning duty drawback schemes
increase the cost of producing goods for
export and therefore, will reduce output of
tradable goods.
It is also important to address non-tariff
measures as part of a diversification
strategy. Rules and regulations in overseas
markets governing border procedures,
technical regulations and standards
can raise trade costs and limit entry by
new exporters, especially when they
are designed in a way that discriminates
against trade.
The WTO provides needed disciplines on
discriminatory regulatory measures and
a forum for challenging regulations that
arbitrarily discriminate against suppliers
under the Technical Barriers to Trade
(TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS)
agreements. The WTO’s Trade Facilitation
Agreement similarly favours the adoption
of best practices in customs procedures.
Preferential trade agreements that include
provisions for the harmonisation or mutual
recognition of product standards can also
help reduce the costs associated with
regulatory diversity.
Services trade policies can spur
diversification through the expansion of
services exports. They can also promote
the diversification of goods exports through
improved access to a wider range of
more efficiently produced services inputs.
High costs for energy, telecoms, logistics
and finance erode the competitiveness
of firms and deter them from diversifying
production and exports.
As countries develop, service sector
liberalisation can help firms to meet supply
requirements, diversify and integrate into
regional and global value chains in goods
and services alike. Efficient services
are also crucial for taking advantage of
modern distribution channels. Producers
are increasingly using e-commerce to sell
directly to consumers through web-based
outlets.
However, diversification toward services
exports can be hampered by regulatory
diversity. To address this challenge, service
sector reforms need to go beyond trade
openness and focus on the simplification,
harmonisation and/or mutual recognition of
domestic regulations.
Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 11
Final thoughts
No single formula exists that can
promote an orderly process of structural
change able to enhance the resilience
of economies to external shocks and
provide citizens with the more productive
employment opportunities they need to
sustain improved livelihoods.
Policy must always and everywhere adapt
to the specific circumstances, differing
geographies and endowments, and
contrasted institutional, governance and
implementation capacities of countries
at differing levels of development. The
success of diversification efforts ultimately
depends on the mix, sequencing and timing
of investments, policy reforms and institution
building, and on their consistency with the
underlying assets and related comparative
advantages of any given country.
Investments in skills, infrastructure,
institutions and governance quality – i.e.
enhancing the transparency, accountability
and predictability of government decision-
making – increase the likelihood of success
of diversification but are in turn affected by
the extent of diversification.
* The authors work in the Macroeconomics,
Trade and Investment Global Practice
of the World Bank Group. The views
expressed in this article are those of the
authors and should not be ascribed to
the World Bank Group or its shareholder
governments.
12 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs
Fisheries subsidies negotiations:
What is at stake for least developed
countries?
Alice Tipping, Tristan Irschlinger
•	 Fisheries are a crucial source
of animal protein, livelihoods
and export earnings for many
developing countries, including
several least developed countries.
•	 Effective new WTO disciplines on
fisheries subsidies could make a
significant contribution to more
sustainable fisheries globally.
•	 Aid for trade can help support least
developed countries to redesign
their subsidy programmes and
implement a new WTO agreement
on fisheries subsidies.
When sustainably exploited, fisheries can
provide coastal communities, including
populations in least developed countries
(LDCs), with a source of protein and
micronutrients essential for food security
and adequate nutrition, as well as much-
needed employment and income.
The ability of fisheries to continue to
support food security and employment for
growing populations is under pressure.
According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization’s (FAO) latest State of the
World Fisheries and Aquaculture report,
33 percent of assessed fish stocks are
currently overexploited, with an additional
60 percent share of these stocks fished at
their maximum sustainable level.
Can the negotiation of fisheries subsidies
rules at the World Trade Organization (WTO)
help steer global fishing activity in a more
sustainable direction, and how can LDCs be
supported in this process?
 EIF
READ MORE:
trade4devnews.enhancedif.org/en/global-review-2019
Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 13
Global trends in the state of the world’s marine fish stocks, 1974-2015
Biologically sustainable Biologically unsustainable Source: FAO (2018) State of
World Fisheries and Aquaculture.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
%
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2014
Underfished
Maximally sustainably fished
Overfished
Fisheries and subsidies matter
Fisheries are a crucial source of animal
protein, livelihoods and export earnings for
many developing countries, and for several
LDCs. According to the FAO, in 2015, fish
accounted for around 26 percent of animal
protein intake in LDCs. A recent study by
the United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development (UNCTAD) also highlights
that in 14 of the (at the time) 48 LDCs,
fisheries products were among the top five
merchandise exports. One LDC, Myanmar,
is among the top 20 producers of marine
capture fish in the world.
Many LDCs both exploit their own fisheries
resources and provide access to those
resources for fleets of other countries,
including distant-water developed and
developing country fleets. These access
arrangements are often an important source
of revenue for resource-constrained LDC
governments, but can create tensions
between the rights of access provided to
foreign industrial fleets and those afforded
to domestic fleets.
Beyond their importance to food security
and exports, fisheries are also deeply
embedded in the social, economic and
cultural fabric of many coastal LDCs. For
many coastal communities, fishing is both
part of their identity and the economic
activity they have relied on when other
opportunities are not available.
And subsidies matter. It is widely recognised
today that fisheries subsidies are one of the
major factors driving overfishing globally.
When poorly designed, these support
instruments can increase fishers’ incentives
to fish at levels that are unsustainable.
What may look like effective measures to
support the fishing sector in the short term
often leads to the overcapitalisation of
fleets and overfishing, which can jeopardise
communities’ ability to sustainably exploit
14 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs
marine resources in the longer-term, leaving
everyone worse off.
Several studies have shown that not all
government support is equally harmful,
however. Modelling by the OECD has
demonstrated that support to income, for
example, delivers benefits to fishers without
much additional fishing effort. On the other
hand, support in the form of subsidies to
input costs, such as fuel, is very likely to lead
to increased effort and risks of overfishing,
without delivering much benefit to fishers’
incomes. Work by Rashid Sumaila has
highlighted that some forms of support, to
fisheries management efforts, encourage
positive investment in fisheries resources.
Negotiating international rules on
fisheries subsidies
World Trade Organization members
are currently negotiating new rules to
discipline the provision of subsidies to
fishing industries. Unusually for the WTO,
the negotiation is motivated primarily
by the effects of these subsidies,
through economic activity, on the marine
environment – the original mandate calls
for a prohibition on “certain subsidies that
contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.”
The negotiations are also targeting a link
between subsidies and ocean governance:
Sustainable Development Goal target 14.6
assimilated the WTO mandate and also
called on members to eliminate subsidies
to illegal, unreported and unregulated
(IUU) fishing. Both the original mandate and
SDG target 14.6 underline the importance
of “appropriate and effective” special
and differential treatment for developing
and least developed countries in light
of the importance fisheries have in their
sustainable development.
There are three main substantive rules on
the table in the negotiations: a prohibition
of subsidies to IUU fishing, a prohibition
of subsidies to fish stocks that are already
overfished and a broader prohibition
(per the original mandate) on subsidies
that contribute to overcapacity and
overfishing. Negotiators are also beginning
to think about how the disciplines will be
implemented, and what support might be
available to do so.
Special and differential treatment is
being treated as a cross-cutting issue; a
question to be addressed with respect to
the overall burden of the new rules. At this
stage, options for special and differential
treatment include longer timeframes for
implementation, technical assistance and in
some cases exemptions from some of the
new rules, in particular new disciplines on
capacity and effort-enhancing subsidies.
LDCs have themselves proposed that the
prohibitions on subsidies to IUU fishing and
to the fishing of overfished stocks apply
to them, recognising the gravity of the
challenges such disciplines aim to address.
Policy impacts of new subsidy rules on
least developed countries
Implementing new WTO rules on fisheries
subsidies will have a range of policy impacts
for LDCs. They will need to assess how
they wish to implement the prohibition on
subsidies to IUU fishing; perhaps by adding
a subsidy prohibition to existing domestic
sanctions for illegal fishing.
Improving the monitoring, control and
surveillance of fishing activity – both by
domestic and foreign fleets – within their
exclusive economic zone could help LDCs
to implement an IUU subsidy rule more
comprehensively. LDCs may also find it
useful to establish the state of their most
Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 15
economically valuable fish stocks – using
either data-intensive or data-poor methods.
Then, where those stocks are overfished,
determine how subsidies for the fleets that
fish them could be reformed.
Reforming subsidies can also contribute to
climate change adaptation. There is already
evidence that warming ocean temperatures
are leading to fish stocks moving to higher
latitudes and deeper waters. Healthy fish
stocks are more resilient to the pressures
of climate change than overfished stocks.
To the extent that reforming subsidies
contributes to healthier fish stocks, reform
would help fish stocks and the broader
ocean ecosystem to adapt gradually to
changes driven by climate change, and
therefore also provide communities that
depend on fisheries for livelihoods with a
longer timeframe to adapt to these changes.
Role of aid for trade
Aid for trade can contribute, in at least
three ways, to supporting LDCs to redesign
subsidy programmes and implement a new
WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies.
First, aid for trade could help LDC
governments to fully understand the exact
implications of new WTO rules by looking
at existing programmes and policies and
mapping what needs to be changed,
reformed or improved as a result of new
disciplines – perhaps in the context of an
examination of the fisheries sector and its
role in economic diversification and trade-
supported sustainable development.
Second, aid for trade could help
governments and stakeholders to establish
how to give effect to new disciplines,
including identifying how to link subsidies
policies with fisheries management
decisions – for example phasing out
subsidies for stocks that are overfished. Aid
for trade, in this context, could complement
other technical assistance that might be
available to help strengthen fisheries
management, for instance for stock
assessment and better monitoring fishing in
their waters.
Third, aid for trade could be used to support
subsidy reform pathways that help LDCs to
comply with their new obligations under an
eventual WTO agreement, while actively
managing the impacts of reform on their
most vulnerable communities. In particular,
aid for trade could be used to help fishing
communities in LDCs to address supply-side
and infrastructure constraints, like storage
and processing capacities, to help them add
value to their catch before it is onsold, which
could potentially help to support incomes
through a period of subsidy transition.
Organisations like the International Institute
for Sustainable Development (IISD), with
an extensive track record of supporting
countries to design subsidy reform
pathways, will also be well-placed to help in
this effort.
* Alice Tipping is Lead, Fisheries Subsidies
at the International Institute for Sustainable
Development. Tristan Irschlinger is a
Policy Advisor, Fisheries Subsidies at
the International Institute for Sustainable
Development.
16 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs
5000 1000 1500 2000
US$ million
Aid for trade disbursements to LDCs, 2017
Bangladesh
Ethiopia
Afghanistan
Tanzania
Myanmar
Rwanda
Nepal
Mozambique
Malawi
DR Congo
Uganda
Senegal
Cambodia
Burkina Faso
Mali
Niger
Yemen
Liberia
Lao PDR
Benin
Madagascar
Zambia
Haiti
Mauritania
Sudan
Guinea
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Gambia
Burundi
Togo
Timor-Leste
Vanuatu
Solomon Islands
Bhutan
Somalia
Djibouti
Chad
Kiribati
Guinea-Bissau
Comoros
Tuvalu
Angola
Central African Republic
Eritrea
Lesotho
Sao T. & Principe
Trade policy & regulations
Economic Infrastructure
Building Productive Capacity
Total AFT 2006
Source: OECD/CRS (accessed 11 June 2019)
Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 17
Policydiscussionseries | trade4devnews.enhancedif.org/en/global-review-2019
Tentative steps towards
implementation of the Trade
Facilitation Agreement in least
developed countries
Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba
& Fabrice Lehmann
Global value chains and
development paths: A
conversation with Caroline
Freund
Fabrice Lehmann
Fisheries subsidies negotiations:
What is at stake for least
developed countries?
Alice Tipping & Tristan Irschlinger
Economic diversification: Why
trade matters
Paul Brenton, Ian Gillson &
Pierre Sauvé
In Malawi, bolstering youth and
women’s employment through
sectoral skills strategies
Cornelius Gregg, Bolormaa
Tumurchudur Klok &
Milagros Lazo Castro
The African Continental Free
Trade Area: Dawn of a new era
David Luke & Heini Suominen
Aid for trade, economic
diversification and
empowerment in the least
developed countries
Aussama Bejraoui, Frans
Lammersen & Justine Lan
For trade development, shifting
from fragility to resilience
Luisa Bernal & Daria Shatskova
A strategy to leverage the digital
transformation for development
Dan Ciuriak & Maria Ptashkina
Strengthening the gender
dimension of aid for trade in the
least developed countries
Marianne Musumeci &
Kaori Miyamoto
Three trade challenges for least
developed countries to converge
and eradicate poverty
Anabel González
How can foreign direct
investment fulfil its
development potential in least
developed countries?
Karl P. Sauvant
New research puts spotlight on
natural disasters and trade
Michelle Kovacevic
Aid for trade must focus on the
poorest, most fragile countries
H.E. Ahmat Mahamat Bachir &
Ratnakar Adhikari
Five issues impacting aid
for trade in least developed
countries
Violeta González &
Fabrice Lehmann
READ MORE:
The Enhanced Integrated
Framework brings together
partners and resources to
support the least developed
countries in using trade for
poverty reduction, inclusive
growth and sustainable
development.
Trade for Development News is an initiative of EIF
EIF Trust Fund Donors
EIF Partner Agencies
EIF Trust Fund Manager
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
International Trade Centre (ITC)
United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD)
United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP)
World Bank Group
World Trade Organization (WTO)
United Nations Industrial
Development Organization
(UNIDO)
World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO)
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
The policy series has been funded by the Australian
Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade. The views expressed are the author’s alone and are
not necessarily the views of the Australian Government.
@EIF4LDCs
facebook.com/eif4ldcs
enhancedif.org
youtube.com/user/EIF4LDCs
flickr.com/photos/152818923@N04/
linkedin.com/company/11161784/
EIF Executive
Secretariat at the WTO
Rue de Lausanne 154
CH-1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland
	 +41 (0)22 739 6650
	eif.secretariat@wto.org

More Related Content

Similar to Aid for Trade & LDCs

G20 Australia Presidency oecd stocktaking seminar on global value chains
G20 Australia Presidency oecd stocktaking seminar on global value chainsG20 Australia Presidency oecd stocktaking seminar on global value chains
G20 Australia Presidency oecd stocktaking seminar on global value chainsDr Lendy Spires
 
Trade And SDGs: Scaling Up The Contribution Of Business
Trade And SDGs: Scaling Up The Contribution Of BusinessTrade And SDGs: Scaling Up The Contribution Of Business
Trade And SDGs: Scaling Up The Contribution Of BusinessSDGsPlus
 
Aft pocket june 2015 final
Aft pocket june 2015 finalAft pocket june 2015 final
Aft pocket june 2015 finalMauro Bassotti
 
Presentation bieac final-regional_conference_by_victor_ogalo
Presentation bieac final-regional_conference_by_victor_ogaloPresentation bieac final-regional_conference_by_victor_ogalo
Presentation bieac final-regional_conference_by_victor_ogaloJulien Grollier
 
India's rt as and services trade
India's rt as and services tradeIndia's rt as and services trade
India's rt as and services tradeMadhukar Anand
 
Developing Capacity in Transfer Pricing
Developing Capacity in Transfer PricingDeveloping Capacity in Transfer Pricing
Developing Capacity in Transfer PricingOECDtax
 
UN financing for developing negotiations: what outcomes should be agreed in a...
UN financing for developing negotiations: what outcomes should be agreed in a...UN financing for developing negotiations: what outcomes should be agreed in a...
UN financing for developing negotiations: what outcomes should be agreed in a...Dr Lendy Spires
 
Aid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CIS
Aid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CISAid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CIS
Aid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CISUNDP Eurasia
 
The BEPS Project and Developing Countries - From Consultation to Participation
The BEPS Project and Developing Countries - From Consultation to ParticipationThe BEPS Project and Developing Countries - From Consultation to Participation
The BEPS Project and Developing Countries - From Consultation to ParticipationOECDtax
 
BRICS Guidelines for Promoting Effective Participation of MSMEs in Internatio...
BRICS Guidelines for Promoting Effective Participation of MSMEs in Internatio...BRICS Guidelines for Promoting Effective Participation of MSMEs in Internatio...
BRICS Guidelines for Promoting Effective Participation of MSMEs in Internatio...Dr Lendy Spires
 
Book vernissage rashid-s_kaukab
Book vernissage rashid-s_kaukabBook vernissage rashid-s_kaukab
Book vernissage rashid-s_kaukabJulien Grollier
 
Position Paper for World Trade Organization - NYC Model UN Conference 2009
Position Paper for World Trade Organization - NYC Model UN Conference 2009Position Paper for World Trade Organization - NYC Model UN Conference 2009
Position Paper for World Trade Organization - NYC Model UN Conference 2009agemmel7
 
Aid for Trade in COMESA: Past Experience, Lessons Learnt and the Way Forward
Aid for Trade in COMESA: Past Experience, Lessons Learnt and the Way ForwardAid for Trade in COMESA: Past Experience, Lessons Learnt and the Way Forward
Aid for Trade in COMESA: Past Experience, Lessons Learnt and the Way ForwardEuforic Services
 
Issues for negotiation in future in wto
Issues for negotiation in future in wtoIssues for negotiation in future in wto
Issues for negotiation in future in wtoisrarullah yousafzai
 
Final project week 4 accelerating digital financial services adoption in bang...
Final project week 4 accelerating digital financial services adoption in bang...Final project week 4 accelerating digital financial services adoption in bang...
Final project week 4 accelerating digital financial services adoption in bang...Md. Ashraful Alam
 

Similar to Aid for Trade & LDCs (20)

G20 Australia Presidency oecd stocktaking seminar on global value chains
G20 Australia Presidency oecd stocktaking seminar on global value chainsG20 Australia Presidency oecd stocktaking seminar on global value chains
G20 Australia Presidency oecd stocktaking seminar on global value chains
 
Trade And SDGs: Scaling Up The Contribution Of Business
Trade And SDGs: Scaling Up The Contribution Of BusinessTrade And SDGs: Scaling Up The Contribution Of Business
Trade And SDGs: Scaling Up The Contribution Of Business
 
Aft pocket june 2015 final
Aft pocket june 2015 finalAft pocket june 2015 final
Aft pocket june 2015 final
 
Presentation bieac final-regional_conference_by_victor_ogalo
Presentation bieac final-regional_conference_by_victor_ogaloPresentation bieac final-regional_conference_by_victor_ogalo
Presentation bieac final-regional_conference_by_victor_ogalo
 
FINAL-B20 Trade TF Final Policy Paper (1)
FINAL-B20 Trade TF Final Policy Paper (1)FINAL-B20 Trade TF Final Policy Paper (1)
FINAL-B20 Trade TF Final Policy Paper (1)
 
Caribbean Community Regional Aid for Trade Strategy 2013–2015 Caribbean Commu...
Caribbean Community Regional Aid for Trade Strategy 2013–2015 Caribbean Commu...Caribbean Community Regional Aid for Trade Strategy 2013–2015 Caribbean Commu...
Caribbean Community Regional Aid for Trade Strategy 2013–2015 Caribbean Commu...
 
Compliance Study
Compliance StudyCompliance Study
Compliance Study
 
India's rt as and services trade
India's rt as and services tradeIndia's rt as and services trade
India's rt as and services trade
 
Developing Capacity in Transfer Pricing
Developing Capacity in Transfer PricingDeveloping Capacity in Transfer Pricing
Developing Capacity in Transfer Pricing
 
UN financing for developing negotiations: what outcomes should be agreed in a...
UN financing for developing negotiations: what outcomes should be agreed in a...UN financing for developing negotiations: what outcomes should be agreed in a...
UN financing for developing negotiations: what outcomes should be agreed in a...
 
Aid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CIS
Aid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CISAid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CIS
Aid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CIS
 
Aid for Trade: Case Study - Caribbean Aid for Trade (AfT) and Regional Integr...
Aid for Trade: Case Study - Caribbean Aid for Trade (AfT) and Regional Integr...Aid for Trade: Case Study - Caribbean Aid for Trade (AfT) and Regional Integr...
Aid for Trade: Case Study - Caribbean Aid for Trade (AfT) and Regional Integr...
 
The BEPS Project and Developing Countries - From Consultation to Participation
The BEPS Project and Developing Countries - From Consultation to ParticipationThe BEPS Project and Developing Countries - From Consultation to Participation
The BEPS Project and Developing Countries - From Consultation to Participation
 
BRICS Guidelines for Promoting Effective Participation of MSMEs in Internatio...
BRICS Guidelines for Promoting Effective Participation of MSMEs in Internatio...BRICS Guidelines for Promoting Effective Participation of MSMEs in Internatio...
BRICS Guidelines for Promoting Effective Participation of MSMEs in Internatio...
 
Book vernissage rashid-s_kaukab
Book vernissage rashid-s_kaukabBook vernissage rashid-s_kaukab
Book vernissage rashid-s_kaukab
 
Position Paper for World Trade Organization - NYC Model UN Conference 2009
Position Paper for World Trade Organization - NYC Model UN Conference 2009Position Paper for World Trade Organization - NYC Model UN Conference 2009
Position Paper for World Trade Organization - NYC Model UN Conference 2009
 
Mb0053
Mb0053 Mb0053
Mb0053
 
Aid for Trade in COMESA: Past Experience, Lessons Learnt and the Way Forward
Aid for Trade in COMESA: Past Experience, Lessons Learnt and the Way ForwardAid for Trade in COMESA: Past Experience, Lessons Learnt and the Way Forward
Aid for Trade in COMESA: Past Experience, Lessons Learnt and the Way Forward
 
Issues for negotiation in future in wto
Issues for negotiation in future in wtoIssues for negotiation in future in wto
Issues for negotiation in future in wto
 
Final project week 4 accelerating digital financial services adoption in bang...
Final project week 4 accelerating digital financial services adoption in bang...Final project week 4 accelerating digital financial services adoption in bang...
Final project week 4 accelerating digital financial services adoption in bang...
 

More from Enhanced Integrated Framework

Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges infographique
Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges infographiqueRendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges infographique
Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges infographiqueEnhanced Integrated Framework
 
Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges brochure
Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges brochureRendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges brochure
Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges brochureEnhanced Integrated Framework
 
Intégrer le commerce dans les stratégies de développement des pays les moi...
Intégrer le commerce  dans les stratégies de  développement des pays  les moi...Intégrer le commerce  dans les stratégies de  développement des pays  les moi...
Intégrer le commerce dans les stratégies de développement des pays les moi...Enhanced Integrated Framework
 
Soutenir le développement du tourisme durable dans les pays les moins avanc...
Soutenir le développement  du tourisme durable dans  les pays les moins avanc...Soutenir le développement  du tourisme durable dans  les pays les moins avanc...
Soutenir le développement du tourisme durable dans les pays les moins avanc...Enhanced Integrated Framework
 
Supporting sustainable tourism development in least developed countries amid ...
Supporting sustainable tourism development in least developed countries amid ...Supporting sustainable tourism development in least developed countries amid ...
Supporting sustainable tourism development in least developed countries amid ...Enhanced Integrated Framework
 
Créer de meilleures chaînes de valeur de l’habillement dans les pays les ...
Créer de meilleures  chaînes de valeur  de l’habillement  dans les pays les  ...Créer de meilleures  chaînes de valeur  de l’habillement  dans les pays les  ...
Créer de meilleures chaînes de valeur de l’habillement dans les pays les ...Enhanced Integrated Framework
 
Building better apparel value chains in least developed countries
Building better apparel value chains in least developed countriesBuilding better apparel value chains in least developed countries
Building better apparel value chains in least developed countriesEnhanced Integrated Framework
 
Aide Publique au Développement (APD) et Aide pour le Commerce
Aide Publique au Développement (APD) et Aide pour le Commerce Aide Publique au Développement (APD) et Aide pour le Commerce
Aide Publique au Développement (APD) et Aide pour le Commerce Enhanced Integrated Framework
 
Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Aid for Trade Brief [English]
Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Aid for Trade Brief [English]Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Aid for Trade Brief [English]
Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Aid for Trade Brief [English]Enhanced Integrated Framework
 
Guide : comment bien rediger un récit d’expérience
Guide : comment bien rediger un récit d’expérienceGuide : comment bien rediger un récit d’expérience
Guide : comment bien rediger un récit d’expérienceEnhanced Integrated Framework
 

More from Enhanced Integrated Framework (20)

Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges infographique
Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges infographiqueRendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges infographique
Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges infographique
 
Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges brochure
Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges brochureRendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges brochure
Rendre les femmes plus autonomes, dynamiser les échanges brochure
 
Le commerce en Afrique francophone
Le commerce en Afrique francophoneLe commerce en Afrique francophone
Le commerce en Afrique francophone
 
trade_in_french-speaking_africa_flyer (1).pdf
trade_in_french-speaking_africa_flyer (1).pdftrade_in_french-speaking_africa_flyer (1).pdf
trade_in_french-speaking_africa_flyer (1).pdf
 
ewpt_2021_infographic_eng_final.pdf
ewpt_2021_infographic_eng_final.pdfewpt_2021_infographic_eng_final.pdf
ewpt_2021_infographic_eng_final.pdf
 
empower_women_power_trade_eng_final-pages.pdf
empower_women_power_trade_eng_final-pages.pdfempower_women_power_trade_eng_final-pages.pdf
empower_women_power_trade_eng_final-pages.pdf
 
Intégrer le commerce dans les stratégies de développement des pays les moi...
Intégrer le commerce  dans les stratégies de  développement des pays  les moi...Intégrer le commerce  dans les stratégies de  développement des pays  les moi...
Intégrer le commerce dans les stratégies de développement des pays les moi...
 
Soutenir le développement du tourisme durable dans les pays les moins avanc...
Soutenir le développement  du tourisme durable dans  les pays les moins avanc...Soutenir le développement  du tourisme durable dans  les pays les moins avanc...
Soutenir le développement du tourisme durable dans les pays les moins avanc...
 
Supporting sustainable tourism development in least developed countries amid ...
Supporting sustainable tourism development in least developed countries amid ...Supporting sustainable tourism development in least developed countries amid ...
Supporting sustainable tourism development in least developed countries amid ...
 
Créer de meilleures chaînes de valeur de l’habillement dans les pays les ...
Créer de meilleures  chaînes de valeur  de l’habillement  dans les pays les  ...Créer de meilleures  chaînes de valeur  de l’habillement  dans les pays les  ...
Créer de meilleures chaînes de valeur de l’habillement dans les pays les ...
 
Building better apparel value chains in least developed countries
Building better apparel value chains in least developed countriesBuilding better apparel value chains in least developed countries
Building better apparel value chains in least developed countries
 
Aide Publique au Développement (APD) et Aide pour le Commerce
Aide Publique au Développement (APD) et Aide pour le Commerce Aide Publique au Développement (APD) et Aide pour le Commerce
Aide Publique au Développement (APD) et Aide pour le Commerce
 
Investissement Étranger Direct
Investissement Étranger Direct Investissement Étranger Direct
Investissement Étranger Direct
 
Financement Mixte
Financement Mixte Financement Mixte
Financement Mixte
 
Blended Finance Brief [English]
Blended Finance Brief [English]Blended Finance Brief [English]
Blended Finance Brief [English]
 
Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Aid for Trade Brief [English]
Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Aid for Trade Brief [English]Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Aid for Trade Brief [English]
Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Aid for Trade Brief [English]
 
Foreign Direct Investment Brief [English]
Foreign Direct Investment Brief [English]Foreign Direct Investment Brief [English]
Foreign Direct Investment Brief [English]
 
Guide : comment bien rediger un récit d’expérience
Guide : comment bien rediger un récit d’expérienceGuide : comment bien rediger un récit d’expérience
Guide : comment bien rediger un récit d’expérience
 
Guidebook: how to craft stories of impact
Guidebook: how to craft stories of impactGuidebook: how to craft stories of impact
Guidebook: how to craft stories of impact
 
Gabarit de plan de communication - CommsConnect
Gabarit de plan de communication - CommsConnectGabarit de plan de communication - CommsConnect
Gabarit de plan de communication - CommsConnect
 

Recently uploaded

Climate change and safety and health at work
Climate change and safety and health at workClimate change and safety and health at work
Climate change and safety and health at workChristina Parmionova
 
WIPO magazine issue -1 - 2024 World Intellectual Property organization.
WIPO magazine issue -1 - 2024 World Intellectual Property organization.WIPO magazine issue -1 - 2024 World Intellectual Property organization.
WIPO magazine issue -1 - 2024 World Intellectual Property organization.Christina Parmionova
 
Cunningham Road Call Girls Bangalore WhatsApp 8250192130 High Profile Service
Cunningham Road Call Girls Bangalore WhatsApp 8250192130 High Profile ServiceCunningham Road Call Girls Bangalore WhatsApp 8250192130 High Profile Service
Cunningham Road Call Girls Bangalore WhatsApp 8250192130 High Profile ServiceHigh Profile Call Girls
 
VIP High Profile Call Girls Gorakhpur Aarushi 8250192130 Independent Escort S...
VIP High Profile Call Girls Gorakhpur Aarushi 8250192130 Independent Escort S...VIP High Profile Call Girls Gorakhpur Aarushi 8250192130 Independent Escort S...
VIP High Profile Call Girls Gorakhpur Aarushi 8250192130 Independent Escort S...Suhani Kapoor
 
VIP High Class Call Girls Amravati Anushka 8250192130 Independent Escort Serv...
VIP High Class Call Girls Amravati Anushka 8250192130 Independent Escort Serv...VIP High Class Call Girls Amravati Anushka 8250192130 Independent Escort Serv...
VIP High Class Call Girls Amravati Anushka 8250192130 Independent Escort Serv...Suhani Kapoor
 
##9711199012 Call Girls Delhi Rs-5000 UpTo 10 K Hauz Khas Whats Up Number
##9711199012 Call Girls Delhi Rs-5000 UpTo 10 K Hauz Khas  Whats Up Number##9711199012 Call Girls Delhi Rs-5000 UpTo 10 K Hauz Khas  Whats Up Number
##9711199012 Call Girls Delhi Rs-5000 UpTo 10 K Hauz Khas Whats Up NumberMs Riya
 
Global debate on climate change and occupational safety and health.
Global debate on climate change and occupational safety and health.Global debate on climate change and occupational safety and health.
Global debate on climate change and occupational safety and health.Christina Parmionova
 
(VASUDHA) Call Girls Balaji Nagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service
(VASUDHA) Call Girls Balaji Nagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service(VASUDHA) Call Girls Balaji Nagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service
(VASUDHA) Call Girls Balaji Nagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Serviceranjana rawat
 
DNV publication: China Energy Transition Outlook 2024
DNV publication: China Energy Transition Outlook 2024DNV publication: China Energy Transition Outlook 2024
DNV publication: China Energy Transition Outlook 2024Energy for One World
 
“Exploring the world: One page turn at a time.” World Book and Copyright Day ...
“Exploring the world: One page turn at a time.” World Book and Copyright Day ...“Exploring the world: One page turn at a time.” World Book and Copyright Day ...
“Exploring the world: One page turn at a time.” World Book and Copyright Day ...Christina Parmionova
 
Incident Command System xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Incident Command System xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxIncident Command System xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Incident Command System xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxPeter Miles
 
Item # 4 - 231 Encino Ave (Significance Only).pdf
Item # 4 - 231 Encino Ave (Significance Only).pdfItem # 4 - 231 Encino Ave (Significance Only).pdf
Item # 4 - 231 Encino Ave (Significance Only).pdfahcitycouncil
 
Call Girls Service AECS Layout Just Call 7001305949 Enjoy College Girls Service
Call Girls Service AECS Layout Just Call 7001305949 Enjoy College Girls ServiceCall Girls Service AECS Layout Just Call 7001305949 Enjoy College Girls Service
Call Girls Service AECS Layout Just Call 7001305949 Enjoy College Girls Servicenarwatsonia7
 
2024: The FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulations - Part 28
2024: The FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulations - Part 282024: The FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulations - Part 28
2024: The FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulations - Part 28JSchaus & Associates
 
(PRIYA) Call Girls Rajgurunagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service
(PRIYA) Call Girls Rajgurunagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service(PRIYA) Call Girls Rajgurunagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service
(PRIYA) Call Girls Rajgurunagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Serviceranjana rawat
 
VIP Call Girls Pune Vani 8617697112 Independent Escort Service Pune
VIP Call Girls Pune Vani 8617697112 Independent Escort Service PuneVIP Call Girls Pune Vani 8617697112 Independent Escort Service Pune
VIP Call Girls Pune Vani 8617697112 Independent Escort Service PuneCall girls in Ahmedabad High profile
 
VIP Mumbai Call Girls Andheri West Just Call 9920874524 with A/C Room Cash on...
VIP Mumbai Call Girls Andheri West Just Call 9920874524 with A/C Room Cash on...VIP Mumbai Call Girls Andheri West Just Call 9920874524 with A/C Room Cash on...
VIP Mumbai Call Girls Andheri West Just Call 9920874524 with A/C Room Cash on...Garima Khatri
 
Climate change and occupational safety and health.
Climate change and occupational safety and health.Climate change and occupational safety and health.
Climate change and occupational safety and health.Christina Parmionova
 

Recently uploaded (20)

Climate change and safety and health at work
Climate change and safety and health at workClimate change and safety and health at work
Climate change and safety and health at work
 
WIPO magazine issue -1 - 2024 World Intellectual Property organization.
WIPO magazine issue -1 - 2024 World Intellectual Property organization.WIPO magazine issue -1 - 2024 World Intellectual Property organization.
WIPO magazine issue -1 - 2024 World Intellectual Property organization.
 
Cunningham Road Call Girls Bangalore WhatsApp 8250192130 High Profile Service
Cunningham Road Call Girls Bangalore WhatsApp 8250192130 High Profile ServiceCunningham Road Call Girls Bangalore WhatsApp 8250192130 High Profile Service
Cunningham Road Call Girls Bangalore WhatsApp 8250192130 High Profile Service
 
Rohini Sector 37 Call Girls Delhi 9999965857 @Sabina Saikh No Advance
Rohini Sector 37 Call Girls Delhi 9999965857 @Sabina Saikh No AdvanceRohini Sector 37 Call Girls Delhi 9999965857 @Sabina Saikh No Advance
Rohini Sector 37 Call Girls Delhi 9999965857 @Sabina Saikh No Advance
 
VIP High Profile Call Girls Gorakhpur Aarushi 8250192130 Independent Escort S...
VIP High Profile Call Girls Gorakhpur Aarushi 8250192130 Independent Escort S...VIP High Profile Call Girls Gorakhpur Aarushi 8250192130 Independent Escort S...
VIP High Profile Call Girls Gorakhpur Aarushi 8250192130 Independent Escort S...
 
VIP High Class Call Girls Amravati Anushka 8250192130 Independent Escort Serv...
VIP High Class Call Girls Amravati Anushka 8250192130 Independent Escort Serv...VIP High Class Call Girls Amravati Anushka 8250192130 Independent Escort Serv...
VIP High Class Call Girls Amravati Anushka 8250192130 Independent Escort Serv...
 
##9711199012 Call Girls Delhi Rs-5000 UpTo 10 K Hauz Khas Whats Up Number
##9711199012 Call Girls Delhi Rs-5000 UpTo 10 K Hauz Khas  Whats Up Number##9711199012 Call Girls Delhi Rs-5000 UpTo 10 K Hauz Khas  Whats Up Number
##9711199012 Call Girls Delhi Rs-5000 UpTo 10 K Hauz Khas Whats Up Number
 
Global debate on climate change and occupational safety and health.
Global debate on climate change and occupational safety and health.Global debate on climate change and occupational safety and health.
Global debate on climate change and occupational safety and health.
 
(VASUDHA) Call Girls Balaji Nagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service
(VASUDHA) Call Girls Balaji Nagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service(VASUDHA) Call Girls Balaji Nagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service
(VASUDHA) Call Girls Balaji Nagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service
 
DNV publication: China Energy Transition Outlook 2024
DNV publication: China Energy Transition Outlook 2024DNV publication: China Energy Transition Outlook 2024
DNV publication: China Energy Transition Outlook 2024
 
“Exploring the world: One page turn at a time.” World Book and Copyright Day ...
“Exploring the world: One page turn at a time.” World Book and Copyright Day ...“Exploring the world: One page turn at a time.” World Book and Copyright Day ...
“Exploring the world: One page turn at a time.” World Book and Copyright Day ...
 
Incident Command System xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Incident Command System xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxIncident Command System xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Incident Command System xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Item # 4 - 231 Encino Ave (Significance Only).pdf
Item # 4 - 231 Encino Ave (Significance Only).pdfItem # 4 - 231 Encino Ave (Significance Only).pdf
Item # 4 - 231 Encino Ave (Significance Only).pdf
 
Call Girls Service AECS Layout Just Call 7001305949 Enjoy College Girls Service
Call Girls Service AECS Layout Just Call 7001305949 Enjoy College Girls ServiceCall Girls Service AECS Layout Just Call 7001305949 Enjoy College Girls Service
Call Girls Service AECS Layout Just Call 7001305949 Enjoy College Girls Service
 
2024: The FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulations - Part 28
2024: The FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulations - Part 282024: The FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulations - Part 28
2024: The FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulations - Part 28
 
(PRIYA) Call Girls Rajgurunagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service
(PRIYA) Call Girls Rajgurunagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service(PRIYA) Call Girls Rajgurunagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service
(PRIYA) Call Girls Rajgurunagar ( 7001035870 ) HI-Fi Pune Escorts Service
 
VIP Call Girls Pune Vani 8617697112 Independent Escort Service Pune
VIP Call Girls Pune Vani 8617697112 Independent Escort Service PuneVIP Call Girls Pune Vani 8617697112 Independent Escort Service Pune
VIP Call Girls Pune Vani 8617697112 Independent Escort Service Pune
 
VIP Mumbai Call Girls Andheri West Just Call 9920874524 with A/C Room Cash on...
VIP Mumbai Call Girls Andheri West Just Call 9920874524 with A/C Room Cash on...VIP Mumbai Call Girls Andheri West Just Call 9920874524 with A/C Room Cash on...
VIP Mumbai Call Girls Andheri West Just Call 9920874524 with A/C Room Cash on...
 
The Federal Budget and Health Care Policy
The Federal Budget and Health Care PolicyThe Federal Budget and Health Care Policy
The Federal Budget and Health Care Policy
 
Climate change and occupational safety and health.
Climate change and occupational safety and health.Climate change and occupational safety and health.
Climate change and occupational safety and health.
 

Aid for Trade & LDCs

  • 1. Tradefor Development newsBYEIF trade4devnews.enhancedif.org Trade Facilitation Agreement in LDCs: Tentative steps forward Fisheries subsidies negotiations: What is at stake for least developed countries? Economic diversification: Why trade matters Aid forTrade &LDCs EIF S P E C IA L E D IT IO N
  • 2. Voices for trade and development in least developed countries (LDCs) trade4devnews.enhancedif.org Tradefor Development newsBYEIF Trade for Development News is a place to share EIF stories on the ground, across 47 least developed countries (LDCs), 4 recently graduated countries and several themes and sectors. From op-eds to impact stories, videos to photo essays, this platform is a window into the far-reaching impact of the EIF. Also designed with a strong focus on partner content in mind, Trade for Development News is intended to be a knowledge hub on all things trade for development and aid for trade. We invite you to share your stories with us, so we can disseminate them further to our readers. Violeta Gonzalez, Head, Partnerships, Outreach and Resource Mobilization Violeta.Gonzalez@wto.org Deanna Ramsay, Managing Editor deannamichelle.ramsay@wto.org
  • 3. Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 1 Trade4DevNews | Aid for Trade & LDCs Tentative steps to implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement in least developed countries . . . . 3 Economic diversification: Why trade matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Fisheries subsidies negotiations: What is at stake for least developed countries? . . . . . . . 12 Aid for trade disbursements to LDCs, 2017 . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Fabrice Lehmann, Guest Editor
  • 4. 2 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs  Ollivier Girard/EIF
  • 5. Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 3 Tentative steps to implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement in least developed countries Authors: Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba, Fabrice Lehmann • The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement provides for novel provisions on special and differential treatment that are yet to be fully utilised by least developed countries. • The ability to conduct effective consultations engaging the private sector and civil society is central to the process of border reform. • Least developed countries would benefit from more analytical work on the type of assistance required to align with the articles of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) has generated much expectation in terms of development returns for least developed countries (LDCs). Ratified in February 2017, the first multilateral treaty to be adopted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) since its creation is designed to reduce transaction costs and stimulate trade as an engine of growth and poverty reduction. Trade facilitation has emerged as an important priority of both developing countries and development partners. Since 2005, annual donor commitments have increased fivefold and US$3.9 billion has been disbursed in aid for trade facilitation. Yet are LDCs engaging as anticipated in the TFA? Tailor-made implementation and state of play The TFA is primarily concerned with changing the way border agencies operate in order to reduce trade costs. Recent estimates suggest that the potential cost reduction from full implementation of the TFA is 16.5% of total costs for low income countries. Measures with the highest potential impact include harmonising and simplifying trade documents (4.2%) and automating trade and customs processes (3.6%). Even if lower, these changes in relative costs can be significant in the fierce competition that characterises international trade today, much of which takes the form of global value chains in which LDCs generally have a low level of participation. READ MORE: trade4devnews.enhancedif.org/en/global-review-2019
  • 6. 4 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs The TFA includes innovative provisions on special and differential treatment that enable developing countries and LDCs to design tailor-made implementation plans within an agreed notification timeline. These members can self-designate the 36 substantive provisions into three categories – A, B and C – that provide for different levels of flexibility. The TFA further creates a legal obligation to provide technical assistance and capacity building to LDCs based on their Category C implementation needs. To benefit, LDCs must comply with the notification requirements set out in the agreement. As of May 2019, the level of engagement could be described as mixed. The rate of implementation commitments for LDCs stood at 24.7%. Of the 36 LDC members of the WTO, 12 were yet to ratify the TFA, 22 had notified the three categories, 11 had notified their indicative dates for Category B designations and seven for Category C. However, only three LDCs had submitted the type of support required to implement Category C designations by the February 2019 deadline, despite the fact that assistance is available to help with this process. This low compliance could indicate that LDCs are encountering challenges in identifying their assistance needs. The importance of consultations While there has been much progress in building capacities over the past decade, the ability of LDC governments to conceptualise and submit technical proposals related to the implementation of trade facilitation measures often remains constrained. A common limitation is the dearth of reliable data that often characterises LDC economies. This information deficit can make it challenging to frame comprehensive responses due to incomplete evidence for the types of reforms or support that might be necessary. In addition, the scarcity of financial resources should not be underestimated. The OECD estimates that total expenditure to introduce TFA measures ranges between US$5-25 million. Initial funding is necessary to organise consultations, conduct needs assessments and implement measures that do not require technical assistance. The ability to conduct effective consultations is central to the process of trade facilitation reform. The Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) has supported the establishment within trade ministries of steering committees that encourage multiple stakeholders to jointly consider trade policies and practices. Where suitable, EIF has proposed that national trade facilitation committees integrate these structures for greater efficacy. Developed members Developing members LDCs100% 61.6% 24.7% Rate of TFA implementation commitments Source: TFA Database (accessed 20 May 2019)
  • 7. Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 5 Zambia, for instance, was one of the first LDCs to conduct a needs assessment of its alignment with the articles of the TFA. EIF has facilitated the formation of a donor platform in the country that works closely with the National Trade Facilitation Committee. This has proved to be an effective channel for the coordination, delivery and review of interventions. Initial steps as a foundation WTO members that commit to border reform do so because they see the benefits that trade facilitation can bring to their economy. Two constants behind LDCs that are precursors in TFA implementation are government commitment – which provides direction and a signal to donors – and the depth of private sector engagement in consultation processes.  An important tool used by LDCs to mobilise resources towards addressing trade capacity constraints is the elaboration of Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies. These studies include recommendations on trade facilitation and related hard and soft infrastructure deficits that can be used as policy planning instruments. An illustrative example among many is landlocked Malawi, which is one of two LDCs to have submitted TFA notifications on the operation of their single window. As a preliminary phase, the realisation of the Malawi Trade Portal has made available regulatory information for import, export and transit, which promotes transparency in the delivery of public services. The case shows that the success of initial steps can provide the foundation on which the full package of TFA provisions can gradually be implemented. Looking ahead Trade facilitation is seen as a move towards results-based management of aid for trade. There are cross-country methodologies that can be used to compare and simulate the potential impact of policy reforms such as Trading Across Borders in the World Bank’s Doing Business and the OECD Trade Facilitation Indicators. LDCs should be sensitised to the functionality of these tools – the latter being particularly applicable to the implementation of TFA articles. Based on best practices, targeted policy recommendations could be formulated and case studies showcased for LDCs to learn from each other’s experience. Benefits could also be derived from building on the successes of enhanced trade-related technical coordination at the country level as described earlier. Within these structures, LDCs could be supported through more analytical work on their needs and the type of assistance required to implement and benefit from the provisions of the TFA. A final suggestion could be to plan for a comprehensive review of LDC engagement in the TFA. A possible date is February 2021, by which time all LDC signatories are mandated to provide indicative dates for Category C designations and inform on assistance arrangements. Such a review could go beyond trade costs and look into how trade facilitation measures have percolated through the broader economies and whether they have helped the trade system contribute to sustainable development in the world’s poorest countries. Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba is Deputy Executive Director, Executive Secretariat for the Enhanced Integrated Framework. Fabrice Lehmann is Guest Editor at Trade for Development News.
  • 8. 6 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs  Ollivier Girard/EIF
  • 9. Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 7 Economic diversification: Why trade matters Paul Brenton, Ian Gillson, Pierre Sauvé • Economic diversification is a key element of development in which a country moves to a more diverse production structure, scaling-up resilience to external shocks and providing a path for equitable growth. • Trade expansion is central to creating new, higher productivity jobs that will facilitate growth and poverty reduction in least developed countries through structural transformation. • Investments in skills, infrastructure, institutions and governance quality increase the likelihood of successful diversification but are in turn affected by the extent of diversification. A lack of economic diversification is often associated with increased vulnerability to external shocks that can undermine prospects for longer-term economic growth. The world’s poorest countries, many of which are often small or geographically remote, landlocked and/or heavily dependent on primary agriculture or minerals, tend to have the most concentrated economic structures. This creates challenges in terms of exposure to sector-specific shocks, such as weather-related events in agriculture or sudden price shocks for minerals. Growth tends to be unbalanced in the case of mineral-dependent countries or slow and difficult to sustain in agrarian ones. Poverty-reducing, trade-driven growth has been particularly difficult to achieve in countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon primary commodities. Countries whose geography implies a punishing lack of connectivity to regional or world markets are also at a distinct disadvantage in attempting to diversify their product and export mix. Of all the world’s regions, sub-Saharan Africa arguably suffers most from high levels of economic concentration. READ MORE: trade4devnews.enhancedif.org/en/global-review-2019
  • 10. 8 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs Export diversification in sub-Saharan Africa, 2017 Source: Authors’ calculations Note: The diversification index takes values between 0 and 1 and reveals the degree of economic concentration in an economy. A value closer to 1 indicates a high degree of economic concentration (i.e. a low degree of diversification). 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 South Sudan Chad Guinea-Bisseau Angola Botswana Burkina Faso Nigeria Eritrea Congo, Republic Mali Equatorial Guinea Zambia Gabon Guinea Malawi Gambia Burundi Zimbabwe Ghana Liberia Sudan Cameroon Central African Republic Congo, Democratic Republic Somalia Côte d'Ivoire Lesotho Mauritania Rwanda Sierra Leone Benin Uganda Togo Madagascar Senegal Tanzania Kenya Mozambique Namibia South Africa
  • 11. Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 9 Economic diversification matters for development... Economic diversification is a key element of economic development in which a country moves to a more diverse production and trade structure. Diversification helps to manage volatility and provide a more stable path for equitable growth and development. Successful diversification is all the more important now in the wake of uncertain global growth and the imperative in many developing countries to increase the number and quality of jobs. Moving labour from low productivity employment, mainly in agriculture, to higher productivity jobs in a range of mostly urban activities characterised by strong agglomeration economies is imperative for sustained growth. While rapid increases in working populations offer many developing countries an opportunity for a demographic dividend, reaping it may remain challenging in the absence of economic diversification and job-producing private sector growth. The need for government action through well designed public investments and effective policy reforms that support a more diversified economy remains centrally important. …and trade matters for economic diversification Trade expansion is central to creating new, higher productivity jobs that will facilitate growth through structural transformation. Integration into the global economy lies behind the success of many countries in diversifying their economies, driving far- reaching poverty reduction in the process. Export diversification should be seen as an objective in itself to reduce vulnerability to adverse terms of trade shocks and stabilise export revenues. The nature and structure of protection in overseas markets shape the opportunities for export diversification in developing countries. This is especially so if overseas protection is biased towards products in which developing countries enjoy a comparative advantage. For example, tariff escalation in developed countries has long constrained opportunities for developing countries to add value to and develop additional activities around agricultural and mineral products. Similarly, for light manufacturing, import tariffs on products such as clothing and shoes are typically much higher than those on textile fabrics and leather. To some extent, this constraint has been alleviated by multilateral trade liberalisation through the World Trade Organization (WTO), which has reduced tariff peaks in rich countries and through the provision of non-reciprocal tariff preferences for developing countries. Still, the latter are frequently undermined by unduly restrictive rules of origin. Regional integration and deepened South-South trade also represent effective mechanisms to increase new market opportunities for exporting firms.
  • 12. 10 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs Diversifying exports to higher income markets is often more difficult than diversifying exports to regional markets. Standards are often higher, requiring larger investments to raise quality and meet health and safety requirements. For this reason, diversification through exports to nearby countries with similar tastes and regulatory requirements – and hence potentially lower compliance costs – may prove easier. So too will South- South trade. Expansion in such markets can then provide the springboard for enlarged access to the global market once experience with exporting has increased and awareness of product requirements in other markets has risen. Tariffs on imports can act as a constraint to export diversification and to sustained insertion in regional or global production networks. The level of import protection determines the incentives to produce exportable goods by directly raising the domestic price of imports relative to exports. Also, tariffs on intermediate inputs used by exporters in the absence of well-functioning duty drawback schemes increase the cost of producing goods for export and therefore, will reduce output of tradable goods. It is also important to address non-tariff measures as part of a diversification strategy. Rules and regulations in overseas markets governing border procedures, technical regulations and standards can raise trade costs and limit entry by new exporters, especially when they are designed in a way that discriminates against trade. The WTO provides needed disciplines on discriminatory regulatory measures and a forum for challenging regulations that arbitrarily discriminate against suppliers under the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreements. The WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement similarly favours the adoption of best practices in customs procedures. Preferential trade agreements that include provisions for the harmonisation or mutual recognition of product standards can also help reduce the costs associated with regulatory diversity. Services trade policies can spur diversification through the expansion of services exports. They can also promote the diversification of goods exports through improved access to a wider range of more efficiently produced services inputs. High costs for energy, telecoms, logistics and finance erode the competitiveness of firms and deter them from diversifying production and exports. As countries develop, service sector liberalisation can help firms to meet supply requirements, diversify and integrate into regional and global value chains in goods and services alike. Efficient services are also crucial for taking advantage of modern distribution channels. Producers are increasingly using e-commerce to sell directly to consumers through web-based outlets. However, diversification toward services exports can be hampered by regulatory diversity. To address this challenge, service sector reforms need to go beyond trade openness and focus on the simplification, harmonisation and/or mutual recognition of domestic regulations.
  • 13. Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 11 Final thoughts No single formula exists that can promote an orderly process of structural change able to enhance the resilience of economies to external shocks and provide citizens with the more productive employment opportunities they need to sustain improved livelihoods. Policy must always and everywhere adapt to the specific circumstances, differing geographies and endowments, and contrasted institutional, governance and implementation capacities of countries at differing levels of development. The success of diversification efforts ultimately depends on the mix, sequencing and timing of investments, policy reforms and institution building, and on their consistency with the underlying assets and related comparative advantages of any given country. Investments in skills, infrastructure, institutions and governance quality – i.e. enhancing the transparency, accountability and predictability of government decision- making – increase the likelihood of success of diversification but are in turn affected by the extent of diversification. * The authors work in the Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice of the World Bank Group. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and should not be ascribed to the World Bank Group or its shareholder governments.
  • 14. 12 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs Fisheries subsidies negotiations: What is at stake for least developed countries? Alice Tipping, Tristan Irschlinger • Fisheries are a crucial source of animal protein, livelihoods and export earnings for many developing countries, including several least developed countries. • Effective new WTO disciplines on fisheries subsidies could make a significant contribution to more sustainable fisheries globally. • Aid for trade can help support least developed countries to redesign their subsidy programmes and implement a new WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies. When sustainably exploited, fisheries can provide coastal communities, including populations in least developed countries (LDCs), with a source of protein and micronutrients essential for food security and adequate nutrition, as well as much- needed employment and income. The ability of fisheries to continue to support food security and employment for growing populations is under pressure. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) latest State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture report, 33 percent of assessed fish stocks are currently overexploited, with an additional 60 percent share of these stocks fished at their maximum sustainable level. Can the negotiation of fisheries subsidies rules at the World Trade Organization (WTO) help steer global fishing activity in a more sustainable direction, and how can LDCs be supported in this process?  EIF READ MORE: trade4devnews.enhancedif.org/en/global-review-2019
  • 15. Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 13 Global trends in the state of the world’s marine fish stocks, 1974-2015 Biologically sustainable Biologically unsustainable Source: FAO (2018) State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2014 Underfished Maximally sustainably fished Overfished Fisheries and subsidies matter Fisheries are a crucial source of animal protein, livelihoods and export earnings for many developing countries, and for several LDCs. According to the FAO, in 2015, fish accounted for around 26 percent of animal protein intake in LDCs. A recent study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) also highlights that in 14 of the (at the time) 48 LDCs, fisheries products were among the top five merchandise exports. One LDC, Myanmar, is among the top 20 producers of marine capture fish in the world. Many LDCs both exploit their own fisheries resources and provide access to those resources for fleets of other countries, including distant-water developed and developing country fleets. These access arrangements are often an important source of revenue for resource-constrained LDC governments, but can create tensions between the rights of access provided to foreign industrial fleets and those afforded to domestic fleets. Beyond their importance to food security and exports, fisheries are also deeply embedded in the social, economic and cultural fabric of many coastal LDCs. For many coastal communities, fishing is both part of their identity and the economic activity they have relied on when other opportunities are not available. And subsidies matter. It is widely recognised today that fisheries subsidies are one of the major factors driving overfishing globally. When poorly designed, these support instruments can increase fishers’ incentives to fish at levels that are unsustainable. What may look like effective measures to support the fishing sector in the short term often leads to the overcapitalisation of fleets and overfishing, which can jeopardise communities’ ability to sustainably exploit
  • 16. 14 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs marine resources in the longer-term, leaving everyone worse off. Several studies have shown that not all government support is equally harmful, however. Modelling by the OECD has demonstrated that support to income, for example, delivers benefits to fishers without much additional fishing effort. On the other hand, support in the form of subsidies to input costs, such as fuel, is very likely to lead to increased effort and risks of overfishing, without delivering much benefit to fishers’ incomes. Work by Rashid Sumaila has highlighted that some forms of support, to fisheries management efforts, encourage positive investment in fisheries resources. Negotiating international rules on fisheries subsidies World Trade Organization members are currently negotiating new rules to discipline the provision of subsidies to fishing industries. Unusually for the WTO, the negotiation is motivated primarily by the effects of these subsidies, through economic activity, on the marine environment – the original mandate calls for a prohibition on “certain subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.” The negotiations are also targeting a link between subsidies and ocean governance: Sustainable Development Goal target 14.6 assimilated the WTO mandate and also called on members to eliminate subsidies to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Both the original mandate and SDG target 14.6 underline the importance of “appropriate and effective” special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries in light of the importance fisheries have in their sustainable development. There are three main substantive rules on the table in the negotiations: a prohibition of subsidies to IUU fishing, a prohibition of subsidies to fish stocks that are already overfished and a broader prohibition (per the original mandate) on subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing. Negotiators are also beginning to think about how the disciplines will be implemented, and what support might be available to do so. Special and differential treatment is being treated as a cross-cutting issue; a question to be addressed with respect to the overall burden of the new rules. At this stage, options for special and differential treatment include longer timeframes for implementation, technical assistance and in some cases exemptions from some of the new rules, in particular new disciplines on capacity and effort-enhancing subsidies. LDCs have themselves proposed that the prohibitions on subsidies to IUU fishing and to the fishing of overfished stocks apply to them, recognising the gravity of the challenges such disciplines aim to address. Policy impacts of new subsidy rules on least developed countries Implementing new WTO rules on fisheries subsidies will have a range of policy impacts for LDCs. They will need to assess how they wish to implement the prohibition on subsidies to IUU fishing; perhaps by adding a subsidy prohibition to existing domestic sanctions for illegal fishing. Improving the monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing activity – both by domestic and foreign fleets – within their exclusive economic zone could help LDCs to implement an IUU subsidy rule more comprehensively. LDCs may also find it useful to establish the state of their most
  • 17. Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 15 economically valuable fish stocks – using either data-intensive or data-poor methods. Then, where those stocks are overfished, determine how subsidies for the fleets that fish them could be reformed. Reforming subsidies can also contribute to climate change adaptation. There is already evidence that warming ocean temperatures are leading to fish stocks moving to higher latitudes and deeper waters. Healthy fish stocks are more resilient to the pressures of climate change than overfished stocks. To the extent that reforming subsidies contributes to healthier fish stocks, reform would help fish stocks and the broader ocean ecosystem to adapt gradually to changes driven by climate change, and therefore also provide communities that depend on fisheries for livelihoods with a longer timeframe to adapt to these changes. Role of aid for trade Aid for trade can contribute, in at least three ways, to supporting LDCs to redesign subsidy programmes and implement a new WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies. First, aid for trade could help LDC governments to fully understand the exact implications of new WTO rules by looking at existing programmes and policies and mapping what needs to be changed, reformed or improved as a result of new disciplines – perhaps in the context of an examination of the fisheries sector and its role in economic diversification and trade- supported sustainable development. Second, aid for trade could help governments and stakeholders to establish how to give effect to new disciplines, including identifying how to link subsidies policies with fisheries management decisions – for example phasing out subsidies for stocks that are overfished. Aid for trade, in this context, could complement other technical assistance that might be available to help strengthen fisheries management, for instance for stock assessment and better monitoring fishing in their waters. Third, aid for trade could be used to support subsidy reform pathways that help LDCs to comply with their new obligations under an eventual WTO agreement, while actively managing the impacts of reform on their most vulnerable communities. In particular, aid for trade could be used to help fishing communities in LDCs to address supply-side and infrastructure constraints, like storage and processing capacities, to help them add value to their catch before it is onsold, which could potentially help to support incomes through a period of subsidy transition. Organisations like the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), with an extensive track record of supporting countries to design subsidy reform pathways, will also be well-placed to help in this effort. * Alice Tipping is Lead, Fisheries Subsidies at the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Tristan Irschlinger is a Policy Advisor, Fisheries Subsidies at the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
  • 18. 16 | Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs 5000 1000 1500 2000 US$ million Aid for trade disbursements to LDCs, 2017 Bangladesh Ethiopia Afghanistan Tanzania Myanmar Rwanda Nepal Mozambique Malawi DR Congo Uganda Senegal Cambodia Burkina Faso Mali Niger Yemen Liberia Lao PDR Benin Madagascar Zambia Haiti Mauritania Sudan Guinea Sierra Leone South Sudan Gambia Burundi Togo Timor-Leste Vanuatu Solomon Islands Bhutan Somalia Djibouti Chad Kiribati Guinea-Bissau Comoros Tuvalu Angola Central African Republic Eritrea Lesotho Sao T. & Principe Trade policy & regulations Economic Infrastructure Building Productive Capacity Total AFT 2006 Source: OECD/CRS (accessed 11 June 2019)
  • 19. Trade4DevNews.enhancedif.org | Aid for Trade & LDCs | 17 Policydiscussionseries | trade4devnews.enhancedif.org/en/global-review-2019 Tentative steps towards implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement in least developed countries Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba & Fabrice Lehmann Global value chains and development paths: A conversation with Caroline Freund Fabrice Lehmann Fisheries subsidies negotiations: What is at stake for least developed countries? Alice Tipping & Tristan Irschlinger Economic diversification: Why trade matters Paul Brenton, Ian Gillson & Pierre Sauvé In Malawi, bolstering youth and women’s employment through sectoral skills strategies Cornelius Gregg, Bolormaa Tumurchudur Klok & Milagros Lazo Castro The African Continental Free Trade Area: Dawn of a new era David Luke & Heini Suominen Aid for trade, economic diversification and empowerment in the least developed countries Aussama Bejraoui, Frans Lammersen & Justine Lan For trade development, shifting from fragility to resilience Luisa Bernal & Daria Shatskova A strategy to leverage the digital transformation for development Dan Ciuriak & Maria Ptashkina Strengthening the gender dimension of aid for trade in the least developed countries Marianne Musumeci & Kaori Miyamoto Three trade challenges for least developed countries to converge and eradicate poverty Anabel González How can foreign direct investment fulfil its development potential in least developed countries? Karl P. Sauvant New research puts spotlight on natural disasters and trade Michelle Kovacevic Aid for trade must focus on the poorest, most fragile countries H.E. Ahmat Mahamat Bachir & Ratnakar Adhikari Five issues impacting aid for trade in least developed countries Violeta González & Fabrice Lehmann READ MORE:
  • 20. The Enhanced Integrated Framework brings together partners and resources to support the least developed countries in using trade for poverty reduction, inclusive growth and sustainable development. Trade for Development News is an initiative of EIF EIF Trust Fund Donors EIF Partner Agencies EIF Trust Fund Manager International Monetary Fund (IMF) International Trade Centre (ITC) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) World Bank Group World Trade Organization (WTO) United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) The policy series has been funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views expressed are the author’s alone and are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government. @EIF4LDCs facebook.com/eif4ldcs enhancedif.org youtube.com/user/EIF4LDCs flickr.com/photos/152818923@N04/ linkedin.com/company/11161784/ EIF Executive Secretariat at the WTO Rue de Lausanne 154 CH-1211 Geneva 2 Switzerland +41 (0)22 739 6650 eif.secretariat@wto.org