WT/WGTDF/W/90  
 
17 April 2019 
(19-2570) Page: 1/2 
Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance    
 
TRADE FINANCE IN THE CONTEXT OF  THE AID-FOR-TRADE  GLOBAL REVIEW  
WTO SECRETARIAT  
1.1.  This short note  summarizes findings , related to trade finance, of the OECD -WTO monitoring 
and evaluation exercise conducted in preparation to the upcoming Aid -for-Trade Global Review  
(July 2019) . It has been prepared by the relevant Divisions of the Secretariat.  A dedicated Session 
on Trade Finance is scheduled to take place during the Aid -for-Trade  Global Review, on Day 1 of 
the Review . WTO Members will have an opportunity to discuss and interact with the 
Director -General, as well  as heads and senior officials of multilateral development ban ks. 
1.2.  Access to trade finance was identified as an aid -for-trade priority by 17 of the 88 developing 
country respondents (19%) in the joint OECD -WTO monitoring and evaluation exercise. It was 
ranked first as an aid -for-trade priority by four respondents: Ant igua and Barbuda, Myanmar, 
Niger, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines . 
1.3.  Access to trade finance was identified as an aid -for-trade priority by:  
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA  
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC  
CHAD  
ECUADOR  
GUATEMALA  
GUINEA  
HONDURAS  
IRAQ  MAURITIUS  
MYANMAR  
NIGER  
SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS  
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES  
TOGO  
ZIMBABWE  
 
 
1.4.  Among Members  report ing a change in aid -for-trade priorities, four respondents (i.e. Guinea, 
Honduras, Maldives, Togo) identified access to trade finance as the driving factor fo r the change in 
their priorities.  
1.5.  Access to trade finance came out strongly as a limiting factor for economic diversification as 
identified in developing countries' national or regional development strategy. Access to trade 
finance was cited as an obstacle  by 60 developing country respondents (68%  of all respondents ). 
It was second only to industrialization as a constraining factor. In addition, two Regional Economic 
Communities (RECs), and 1 4 donor respondents also identified access to trade finance as a 
constraint to economic diversification. Access to trade finance was identified as a constraint to 
economic diversification by:  
AFGHANISTAN  
ALBANIA  
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA  
BANGLADESH  
BARBADOS  
BELIZE  
BENIN  
BHUTAN  
BURKINA FASO  
BURUNDI  
CABO VERDE  
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC  CHAD  
COMOROS  
CÔTE D'IVOIRE  
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 
OF THE CONGO  
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC  
ECUADOR  
EL SALVADOR  
EQUATORIAL GUINEA  
ETHIOPIA  
GABON  
THE GAMBIA  
 GEORGIA  
GRENADA  
GUATEMALA  
GUINEA -BISSAU  
HONDURAS  
IRAQ 
KENYA  
KYRGYZ REPUBLIC  
LIBERIA  
MADAGASCAR  
MALDIVES  
MALI 
 MAURITANIA  
MONGOLIA  
MYANMAR  
NIGER  
NIGERIA  
PAKISTAN  
PANAMA  
PARAGUAY  
PERU  
SAINT KITTS AND 
NEVIS  
SAO TOME AND 
PRINCIPE  SENEGAL  
SRI LANKA  
SUDAN 
TANZANIA  
TOGO  
UGANDA  
VANUATU  
YEMEN  
ZAMBIA  
ZIMBABWE  
 WT/WGTDF/W/90  
 
- 2 - 
 
  Quotes from the monitoring and evaluation questionnaire  
 
"Access to trade finance has become a high priority given the impact of the de -risking phenomenon 
which has caused many indigenous Caribbean banks to lose correspondent banking relationships. The 
author highlighted that the economic impact would be critic al if the trend continues to plague the 
region's financial sector, curbing their ability to participate in international trade."  – Antigua and 
Barbuda  
 
"Trade finance: trade is cross -cutting and affects almost all sectors of activity. However, its financin g 
has often not been a priority in strategic development orientations. In view of the many issues and 
challenges raised by the revised Diagnostic Study for Trade Integration in Togo in 2017, it is more 
than imperative that trade finance be included among t he priorities for Aid for Trade. This would 
better help the country to mobilize the necessary and sufficient resources, through trade, to finance 
its development."  – Togo  
 
1.6.  Two donor respondents (i.e. Denmark and the United States of America ) considered  trade 
finance as a priority in their aid -for-trade strategy . 
 
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