Aid For Trade

This edition analyses how trade can contribute to economic diversification and empowerment, with a focus on eliminating extreme poverty, particularly through the effective participation of women and youth. It shows how aid for trade can contribute to that objective by addressing supply-side capacity and trade-related infrastructure constraints, including for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises notably in rural areas.

This edition focuses on trade connectivity, which is critical for inclusiveness and sustainable development. Physical connectivity enables the movement of goods and services to local, regional and global markets.

Aid for Trade (AfT) has become a major item on the international trade and development discourse. This is to a large extent in response to concerns expressed by developing countries and economies in transition with regard to their capacities to implement trade agreements, especially WTO agreements, and undertake necessary adjustments to increase net development gains from emerging trade opportunities. In this World Report, major UN agencies active in development cooperation and longstanding providers of trade-related technical assistance and capacity building discuss ways to sustain the momentum towards the operationalization and implementation of the AfT initiative and the supportive role to be played by the UN system. This is consistent with UN's role in promoting development and helping to achieve poverty reduction, as committed in the Millennium Declaration and the 2005 World Summit Outcome. The Report should be of particular interest to government officials, officials of regional organizations, representatives of the private sector dealing with trade agreements and negotiations, civil society and academia. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD Lakshmi Puri is Acting Deputy Secretary-General and Director of the Division on International Trade and Services, and Commodities at UNCTAD in Geneva. Philippe De Lombaerde is Associate Director of United Nations University (UNU-CRIS) in Bruges. In collaboration with: UNCTAD, ECA, ECLAC, ESCAP, ESCWA, UNECE, UNIDO, UNDP, UNEP

The almost 300 case stories in this book show clear results of how aid-for-trade programmes are helping developing countries to build human, institutional and infrastructure capacity to integrate into regional and global markets and to make good use of trade opportunities.

The Aid for Trade Initiative has allowed for the active engagement of a large number of organisations and agencies in helping developing countries and especially the least developed build the infrastructure and supply-side capacity they need to connect to regional and global markets and improve ...

This enlightening book offers a comprehensive historical analysis of the main development challenges of the last half century and the international community’s response through aid and trade. Much has happened: the oil crises of the 1970s, the debt crises of the 1980s, the break-up of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the Millennium Development Goals, the onslaught of Globalization and the rise of its opponents since the financial crisis of the 2000s. Through it all, development has spread and global poverty declined. The volume assesses the contributions and coherence of developing and developed country policies and the role played by global institutions entrusted with responsibilities to enhance trade and support development. The volume concludes with a focus on the prospects for the future and the changes needed to make globalization more equitable. With 50 years of professional experience in the World Bank, the WTO and bilateral aid agencies, Michalopoulos brings an insider’s perspective on the workings of these institutions and what needs to be done to make them more effective and responsive to changing global needs.

Why do poor countries remain poor? Why, after receiving billions of dollars, do poor countries remain poor? Why are failing foreign aid models utilized over and over again? After the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, authors Daniel Jean-Louis and Jacqueline Klamer observed first-hand the negative consequences of donations provided with the sincerest of good intentions donations that ultimately undermined local industries and wiped out jobs. Based on primary research and in-depth case studies, and personal experience, From Aid to Trade offers practical, achievable solutions to help Haiti and other developing countries grow more viable economies by: building on innovative businesses and existing market-based systems equipping NGOs and governments to work with local businesses recognizing that growing out of poverty requires entrepreneurial solutions that drive self-sustainable economic growth Ambitious and optimistic, From Aid to Trade confronts the inadequacies of current foreign aid strategies and offers a clear means of economic and personal growth for individuals seeking a positive future for Haiti and other developing countries."

'A compelling contribution to our evolving understanding of the links between trade, aid and security and what the international community needs to do to ensure peace and development in the world.' Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme 'For far too long the international community ahs stood by while countries around the world descend into conflict and anarchy. We need to understand how we can engage more effectively with fragile and failing states. Trade, Aid and Security is an important step in this direction.' Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the UN General Secretary in Sudan and Former Minister of Development and the Environment, The Netherlands. 'As we begin to contemplate what the post-Iraq world will look like it is vital that we reflect on the limits of the utility of hard power and the importance that development can play in avoiding failed states before they fail, preventing conflicts and more successfully re-building states. This timely book makes a most important contribution to that process.' Lord Paddy Ashdown, UN High Representative for Boznia and Herzegovina, 2002 2006 Leader of UK Liberal Democrat Party, 1988 1999 'As UN Special Representative to the Great Lakes Region of Africa I have seen the devastating impact of the trade in conflict resources with my own eyes. Amongst much else, this book shows how different trade and aid politics can tackle the trade in conflict resources and make a real contribution to secure societies. It is essential reading.' Mohamed Sahnoun, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Central and East Africa. Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur. All resonate loudly on the international stage, exposing and illustrating the intractable links between global security, control over naturals resources be it oil, water, timber or 'conflict diamonds' and the manipulation of foreign aid and international trade policy. This volume, written by leading authorities from across the globe, introduces the linkages between trade, aid and security, and exposes how inappropriate or misused trade and aid policy can and do undermine security and contribute to violence and the disintegration of national states. On a practical level they demonstrate how six key areas of trade and aid policy can be used to help forge stability and security, reduce the likelihood of armed conflict, and assist economic and political recovery in our war-torn world.