WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
2 November 2017  
(17-5708) Page: 1/207 
Committee on Trade and Development  
Aid for Trade    
 
 
AID FOR TRADE GLOBAL REVIEW 2017  
 
PROMOTING TRADE, INCLUSIVENESS AND CONNECTIVITY FOR SUS TAINABLE DEVELOPMENT  
11-13 JULY 2017  
Summary  Report  
 
This Summary Report has been prepared under the responsibility of the WTO Secretariat and 
without prejudice to the positions of Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  
 
 
 
_______________  
 
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  TABLE OF CONTENTS  
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  2 
FOREWORD BY THE DIRE CTOR -GENERAL  ................................ ................................ .........  7 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 8 
OVERVIEW OF REGISTERED PARTICIPA NTS ................................ ................................ .... 9 
DAY 1 – 11 JULY 2017  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 10 
Session 1: Opening Plenary "Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and Connectivity for 
Sustainable Development" - Organizer: World Trade Organization  ................................ ............ 10 
Welcome remarks: Roberto Azevêdo, Director -General, World Trade Organization  ..................... 10 
Keynote Address: Aja Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang, Vice President and Minister of 
Women's Affairs, Republic of The Gambia  ................................ ................................ ............. 10 
Opening Remarks by Roberto Azevêdo, Director -General, World Trade Organization  ................... 12 
Remarks by Angel Gurría, Secretary -General, Organisation of Economic Co -operation and 
Development  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 14 
Remarks by Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary -General, United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 16 
Remarks by Hani Sonbol, Chief Executive Officer, International Islamic Trade Finance 
Corporation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................... 17 
Remarks by Arancha Gonzalez,  Executive Director, International Trade Centre  .......................... 20 
Remarks by Anabel Gonzalez, Senior Director, Trade and Competitiveness Global 
Practice, Trade & Competitiveness, World Bank Group  ................................ ............................ 21 
Session  1: Opening Plenary Panel "Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and Conne ctivity for 
Sustainable Development" - Organizer: World Trade Organization  ................................ ............ 25 
Session 2: Thematic Focus: Sustainable Development Goals "Aid and Inclusive Trade: 
Financing Trade Connectivity and the SDGs" - Organizer: World Trade Organization  ................... 30 
Session 3: Sid e event: "Digital Trade: How the private sector is improving efficiency, 
transparency and inclusion" - Organizer: Australia  ................................ ................................ .37 
Session 4: Side event: "Clicks need Bricks – Promoting trade through quality 
infrastructure"  - Organizers: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and 
Development (BMZ), World Bank Group, United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development, Internati onal Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development  .............................. 40 
Session 5: Side event: "Tourism for Development in Least Developed Countries " - 
Organizers: Enhanced Integrated Framework, International Trade Centre, United Nations 
World Tourism Organization  ................................ ................................ ................................ 43 
Session 6:  Side event: "Inclusiveness and Connectivity Dimensions of EU -ACP Trade and 
Development Co -operation"  - Organizers: African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, 
European Union  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 46 
Session 7: Side event: "How can Aid for Trade connect SMEs more effectively to value 
chains in green goods and services?"  - Organizers: European Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development, World Trade Organi zation  ................................ ................................ ............... 50 
Session 8: Development  Hub: " The Physical Dimension to Digital Connectivity" - 
Organizer: World Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ .................... 52 
Session 9 Side Event: " Enhancing Connectivity in the Bay of Bengal Region and Beyond " 
- Organizer: CUTS  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 56 
Session  10: Side Event: " Financing Sustainable Transport Infrastructure and Services as 
a Key Enabler for South -South Trade: The Role of Development Finance Institutions " - WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Organizers: Global Network of Export -Import Banks and Development Finance 
Institutions, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development  ................................ ......... 59 
Session 11: Regional Focus Session: "Promoting Connectivity In Africa – The Role of Aid 
for Trade in Boosting Intra -African Trade" – Organizers: African Development Bank, 
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Wo rld Trade Organization  ............................... 62 
Session 12: Regional Focus Session: "Islamic Development Bank Group Promoting 
Connectivity for Sustainab le Development" – Organizers: Islamic Development Bank, 
World Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....65 
Session 13: Regional Focus Session: " Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific: Promoting 
Connectivity and Inclusive Development" – Organizers: Asian Development Bank, World 
Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 67 
Session 14: Regional Focus Session: "Connecting the Latin American and Caribbean Dots: 
What Countries Are Doing to Facilitate Trade" – Organizers: Inter -American Development 
Bank, World Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ ........................... 71 
Session 15: Thematic Focus: LDCs: "Promoting Connectivity for Least Developed 
Countries" – Organizer: World Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ .74 
Session 16: Development Hub: "Trade, Refugees and Migrants: Unlocking the Potential of 
Displaced People Through Trade and Strengthening Humanitarian Relief" – Organizers: 
Mission of Sweden to the World Trade Organization, International Trade Centre  ........................ 77 
Session 17: Side Event: "Opening Oppor tunities – Aid for Trade Donors' Strategies 
Towards SDGs 2030" - Organizer: Mission of Germany to the World Trade Organization  ............. 80 
Session 18: Side Event: "Structural Transformation, Green Economy and Connectivity in 
the African Union" - Organizer: African Union Commission  ................................ ...................... 83 
Session 19: Thematic Focus: "Tourism and Travel Facilitation and Connectivity" - 
Organizer: United Nations World Tourism Organization, International Trade Centre, World 
Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 85 
Session 20: Side Event: "The Need for Ex -Ante Gender Assessment of Trade Reforms: 
The Trade and Gender Toolbox" - Organizers: Mission of Sweden to the World Trade 
Organization, U nited Nations Conference on Trade and Development  ................................ .......88 
Session 21: Side Event: "New Trends in Digital Economy and Connectivity, Inn ovation 
and Assistance" - Organizer: Mission of the United States to the World Trade 
Organization  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 92 
Session 22: Side Event: "Structuring of Value Chains and Connectivity of the Cotton -
Textile -Clothing Actors from Africa, Europe and Asia "  - Organizers: (Organisation 
Internationale de la Francophonie)  International Organisation of La Francophonie in 
partnership with the Internat ional Trade Centre and the Enhanced Integrated Framework  .......... 95 
Session 23: Social Event: "United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for 
Development" – Organizers: Enhanced Integrated Framework, the World Tourism 
Organization, the Mission of China to the World Trade Organization, the International 
Trade Centre and the World Intellectual Property Organization  ................................ ................ 98 
DAY 2 – 12 JULY 2017  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 99 
Session 24: Plenary session: "Promoting Inclusive Trade Through Gender Empowerment" 
– Organizer: World Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ ................. 99 
Session 25: Side Event: "Live from the Busia One -Stop Border Post!" - Organizer: Trade 
Mark East Africa  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  104 
Session 26: Focus Session Trade Facilitation: "Trade Facilitation in Action" - Organizer: 
World Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 106 
Session 27: Development Hub: "Hack the Pacific: Bringing the Hackathon to Aid for 
Trade" – Organizer: Mission of Australia to the World Trade Organization  ...............................  113 
Session 28: Side Event: "Enhancing Connectivity to Enable Graduation with Momentum in 
LDCs" - Organizers: Commonwealth Secretariat, United Nations Conference on  Trade and 
Development  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  115 WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 29: Side Event: "E -Commerce + Connectivity = Development " - Organizer: 
Permanent Mission of t he Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and 
Matsu to the World Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ ...............  118 
Session 30: Side Event: "Afr ica's Industrial Transformation: The Role of Digital 
Connectivity and the Need for Innovative Financing " - Organizers: International 
Telecommunications Union, Japan, Rwanda, United Nations Industrial Development 
Organization, World Bank Group  ................................ ................................ ........................  121 
Session 31: Development Hub: "Closing the Digital Gender Divide" – Organizer: World 
Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  124 
Session 32: Side Event: "Connecting Trade and Agricultural Development in the LDCs" - 
Organizers: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Enhanced 
Integrated Framework  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 128 
Session 33: Side Event: "WTO Chairs Programme" - Organizer: World Trade Organization  ........  132 
Session 34: Focus Session: "New Gambia, New Opportunities" - Organizers: Government 
of The Gambia, International Trade Centre, Enhanced Integrated Framework and World 
Trade Organization  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  135 
Session 35: Side Event: "Aid for Digital Trade: Needs and Responses" - Organ izers: 
Permanent Mission of Kenya to the World Trade Organization/International Centre for 
Trade and Sustainable Development  ................................ ................................ ...................  137 
Session 36: Side Event: "ePing: Helping SMEs Keep Track of Product Requirements in 
their Export Markets" - Organizer: Mission of Australia to the World Trade Organization  ...........  140 
Session 37: Side Event: "Implementing Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade for 
Sustainable Growth" - Organizers: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe , 
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , United Nations Economic Commission for 
Latin America and the Caribbean , United Nations Economic and Social Commission for 
Asia and the Pacific , United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia  ............  143 
Session 38: Thematic Focus: "Trade and Food Standards: Joint FAO -WTO Publication 
Launch" – Organizers: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World 
Trade Or ganization  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  148 
Session 39: Side Event: "Transitioning from Paper -Based to Automated SPS Systems" - 
Organizer: Standards and Trade  Development Facility (World Trade Organization)  ...................  150 
Session 40: Side Event: "Sustainable Supply Chains: Ensuring the Benefits of Trade are 
Shared" - Organizers: Missions of Australia and the Netherlands to the World Trade 
Organization, International Trade Centre  ................................ ................................ ............  153 
Session 41: Side event: "How can Asia seize the Opportunity of Foreign Direct 
Investment to Achieve Inclusive Growth?" - Organizer: Asian Development Bank  ....................  156 
Session 42: Side Event: "Leveraging Trade and Facilitation and E -commerce: How can 
International Rules and Standards Ensure Trade Inclusiven ess and Connectivity" - 
Organizer: World Customs Organization, Mission of Finland to the World Trade 
Organization  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  159 
Session 43: Side Event: "Promoting Inclusive Economic Transformation through GVC 
Participation: The role of Aid for Trade and Private Sustainability Standards" - 
Organizers: Mission of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the World Trade Organization, 
International Centre for Tr ade and Sustainable Development  ................................ ................  161 
Session 44: Side Event: "Promoting Exports through Connectivity" - Organizer: 
International Gr owth Centre  ................................ ................................ ..............................  165 
Session 45: Side Event: "From Commodity Dependence to Value Addition: Novel 
Approaches to Inclusive Trade" - Organizers: African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of 
States, International Trade Centre  ................................ ................................ .....................  167 
Session 46: Side Event: "No LDC Left B ehind: The EIF Investing in Country and People" - 
Organizer: Enhanced Integrated Framework  ................................ ................................ ........  169 WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 47: Side Event: "Trade Fac ilitation for a More Inclusive and Connected 
Asia-Pacific Region: Progress and Way Forward" - Organizers: Asian Development Bank, 
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific  ................................  174 
Session 48: Side Event: "Trade Facilitation Case Story Competition Finalists" - 
Organizers: World Bank Group, World Trade Organization  ................................ .....................  177 
Session 49: Side Event: "Small States, Big Challenges – Enhancing Trade Capacity of the 
ACP through a Network of Trade Advisors" - Organizer: African, Caribbean and Pacif ic 
Group  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  179 
Session 50: Side Event: "The CFTA: Ensuring Inclusive Outcomes Through Boosting 
Intra-African Trade and Connectivity" - Organizer: United Nations Economic Commission 
for Africa, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Friedrich -Ebert -Stiftung  .............  182 
Session 51: Side Event: "Fostering Trade, Inclusivity, and Connectivity Through PTAs" - 
Organizers: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , United Nations Economic Commission fo r 
Latin America and the Caribbean, and United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  185 
Session 52: Social Event: "Trade Fac ilitation" - Organizer: Global Express Association  ..............  188 
DAY 3 – 13 JULY 2017  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 189  
Session 53: Plenary: "Enhancing Connectivity And Advancing The Sustainable 
Development Goals" – Organizer: World Trade Organization  ................................ ..................  189 
Session 54: Side Event: "Book Launch: Trade and the Sustainable Development Goals: 
Achieving Win -Wins" - Organizer: Asian Development Bank Institute  ................................ ...... 193 
Session 55: Closing plenary – Organizer: World Trade Organization  ................................ ....... 196 
Closing remarks by Roberto Azevêdo, Director -General, World Trade Organization  ...................  206 
 
 
 
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  About the Aid for 
Trade Global Review 
2017   
The Aid for Trade Global Review 2017  looked at the theme of 
"Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and Connectivity for Sustainable 
Development". By addressing the  supply -side capacity and 
trade -related infrastructure constraints of developing, and in particular 
least developed countries, Aid for T rade can help advance the 
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development . A particular focus of the 
Global Review was placed on women's economic empowerment.  
Discussions were informed by the Aid for Trade at a Glance report , 
published jointly by the World Trade O rganization and the Organisation 
for Economic Co -operation and Development, with contributions from 
Business for eTrade Development, the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework, the International Telecommunications Union, the 
International Trade Centre, the United N ations Conference on Trade 
and Development and the World Bank Group. Additional analysis was 
also contributed by regional development banks and other 
stakeholders.  
The event was covered extensively on WTO's social media channels, 
including on WTO website and Facebook at @worldtradeorganization. 
Comments and questions were tweeted with the hashtags #aid4trade 
and #connectivity.  
About this publication  This publication brings together summary reports of the Plenary 
Sessions, Thematic and Regional Focus Sessions, Development Hubs 
and Side Events held during the Aid for Trade Global Review 2017. The 
summary reports of Plenary Sessions, Thematic and Regiona l Focus 
Sessions, Development Hubs were prepared by the WTO Secretariat. 
Summary reports of Side Events were prepared by the various 
organizations that organized Side Events.  
Find out more   
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/devel_e/a4t_e/gr17_e/gr17prog
ramme_e.htm  
 
 
 
 
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  FOREWORD BY THE DIRE CTOR -GENERAL  
 
The Aid for Trade Global Review 2017, held on 11 -13 July 2017, was the first since the adoption of 
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It gathered more than 1,500  participants, 
including the Vice -President of The Gambia, Heads of International Organizations, and Trade and 
Development Ministers from across the world, to discuss the theme of "Promoting Trade, 
Inclusiveness and Connectivity for Sustainable Development." The role that trade can play in 
helping achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the supportive role of Aid for 
Trade in that process, were themes that ran through the three days.   
 
The SDGs c all for  an "increase in Aid -for-Trade support for developing  countries, particularly least 
developed countries (LDCs)". Biennial Global Reviews provide a platform where we periodically 
review the support available to address the supply side and trade -related infr astructure constraints 
of developing countries, and in particular LDCs. These high -level meetings discuss overall financing 
available, the direction of flows, the types of constraints addressed and the impact of the support 
offered. Over US$300 billion has  been disbursed since the Aid -for-Trade Initiative was established 
in 2006, reaching 146 countries, helping to build their trading infrastructure and capacity.   
 
More needs to be done though, in particular for LDCs. One theme emerging strongly from the Ai d 
for Trade Global Review 2017 is how developing countries and their funding partners are looking to 
work more closely with the private sector to deliver trade and development outcomes.   
 
Global Reviews also cast a spotlight on a particular binding constr aint that developing countries 
and LDCs face. The focus this year was on physical and digital connectivity. Some interesting 
perspectives also emerged notably on how d igital networks now intertwine wit h physical trade 
infrastructure .   
 
Digital connectivit y is an essential building block of trade integration . Without available, affordable 
digital connection s, individuals and firms cannot access the market place of the world -wide web. 
The digital divide, which continues to affect some 3.9 billion people, is i tself a market access 
divide. Lack of digital connectivity reinforces economic isolation.   
 
Another theme that emerged strongly from the Aid for Trade Global Review 2017 was the need to 
consider the empowerment dimension to connectivity. Opportunities cre ated by trade for micro, 
small and medium -sized enterprises, youth, and above all, women and women -owned or managed 
firms, were a further area of substantive discussion – a focus area which in my view we would do 
well to further deepen in future Global Rev iews.  
 
This publication provides a summary of the discussions of the 2017 Global Review. I hope it will 
contribute further to reaffirming the role that the Aid -for-Trade Initiative can play in achieving the 
inclusive, sustainable development envisioned in  the SDGs.   
 
 
 
 
Roberto Azevêdo  
October 2017  
 
 
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  
The Aid for Trade Global Review 2017 was organized by the Aid -for-Trade Unit in the WTO 
Development Division. We would like to thank all the speakers and all those who organized side 
events during the Review.  
 
This summary report has been prepared on the basis of reports prepared by the organizers of the  
side events and by staff  from the Accessions Division, Administration and General Services 
Division,  Agriculture and Commodities Divi sion, Council and TNC Division, Development Division, 
Economic Research and Statistics Division, the Enhanced Integrated Framework Executive 
Secretariat, the Int ellectual Property Division,  Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation,  
Language Documentation and Information Management Division,  the Legal Affairs Division, Market 
Access Division , Standards a nd Trade Development Facility, Trade and Environment Division, 
Trade Policies Review Division, and the Trade in Services Division.  
 
The Develo pment Division is indebted to the volunteers in the WTO Secretariat who worked  
tirelessly throughout the event.  
 
Special gratitude is also extended to the staff of the Graphic Design, Printing and Documents  
Distribution Section,  Documents Management, Monit oring and Production Section, Language 
Services, and  Interpretation Section, of the Languages, Documentation and  Information  
Management Division; and to  Conference Room Technical Group,  Conference  and Visitors Services 
Group,  Facility Management Service, a nd the Security and Safety Service  of the Administration 
and General Services Division.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  OVERVIEW OF REGISTER ED PARTICIPANTS  
2017 Global Review: Statistics of registered participants by category  
 
 
 
Category  Total  
Business representative  77 
Consultant  71 
Government official  576 
International organization  475 
Journalist  9 
NGO 136 
Parliamentarian  9 
Student  51 
Other  168 
Grand Total  1572  
 
  0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Business representative
Consultant
Government official
International organization
Journalist
NGO
Other (please specify)
Parliamentarian
StudentTotal Registered Participants  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  DAY 1 – 11 JULY 2017  
Session 1: Opening Plenary  "Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and Connectivity for 
Sustainable Development"  - Organizer: W orld Trade Organization  
Keynote speaker:  
 Aja Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang, Vice 
President and Minister of Women's 
Affairs, The Gambia  
 
Opening remarks:  
 Roberto Azevêdo, Director -General, 
World Trade Organization  
 Angel Gurría, Secretary -General, 
Organisation of Economic Co -operation 
and Development    
 Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary -General, 
United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development  
 Hani Salem Sonbol, Chief Executive 
Officer, Islamic Trade Finance 
Corporation  
 Arancha González, Executive Director, 
International Trade Centre  
 Anabel Gonzalez, Senior Director, Trade 
and Competitiveness Global Practice, 
Trade & Competitiveness, World Bank 
Group   The opening session launched the joint 
OECD -WTO Report "Aid for Trade at a Glance 
2017:  Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and 
Connectivit y for Sustainable Development" . The 
publication presents the results of Aid -for-Trade 
monitoring and evaluation exercise.  Published 
by the WTO and OECD, the report this year 
includes contributio ns from Business for eTrade 
Development, the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework, the International 
Telecommunication Union, International Trade 
Centre, United Nations Conference on Trade 
and Development and the World Bank.   
In her keynote intervention, Aja Fato umatta 
Jallow Tambajang, Vice President and Minister 
of Women's Affairs, placed the themes outlined 
in the At a Glance 2017 report in the context of 
the development challenges facing the 
newly -elected government of The 
Gambia.  Addresses by WTO Director -General 
Azevêdo and OECD Secretary -General Gurria 
introduced the At a Glance 2017 Report and 
discussed progress made by the Aid -for-Trade 
Initiative.  UNCTAD Secretary -General Mukhisa 
Kituyi, ITFC Chief Executive Officer Hani Salem 
Sonbol , ITC Exec utive Director Arancha 
González and Senior Director of the World Bank 
Group Anabel Gonzalez further elaborated on 
these themes from the perspectives of their 
own institutions and their Aid -for-Trade 
activities.  
 
Welcome remarks: Roberto Azevêdo, Director -General, World Trade Organization  
 
1. Good morning everyone and welcome to the Aid for Trade  Global Review 2017. We have a 
very full house and I'm sure we will have some dynamic and fruitful discussions over the coming 
days. To start things off, we have a fan tastic panel of speakers. I am pleased to be joined by Vice 
President of The Gambia, Aja Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang. Joining her on the podium, we have 
also Angel Gurría, Secretary -General of OECD, Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary -General of UNCTAD, Hani 
Salem S onbol, Chief Executive Officer of the ITFC, Arancha González, Executive Director of the ITC 
and Anabel Gonzalez, Senio r Director at World Bank Group.  
2. This is one of the biggest Global Reviews so far. We have more than 1,500 participants, 
more than 20 minis ters and heads of international organizations attending. I thank you for making 
the journey to Geneva to be with us these days. It is a pleasure to host you here. Now I would like 
to ask Vice President Fatouma tta Tambajang to take the floor to deliver her keynote address.  
Keynote Address: Aja Fatouma tta Jallow  Tambajang, Vice President and Minister of 
Women 's Affairs , Republic of The Gambia  
 
3. I would lik e to extend to you, Mr Director -General, the warm greetings and sincere gratitude 
of His Excellency Mr Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia, for inviting him to be 
the keynote speaker at this important meeting. His Excellency has requested me to extend his 
apologies for not being able to be with you personally due to prior commitments back home but he 
has directed me to deputise for him. Therefore, on my own behalf and on behalf of His Excellency, WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  the government and people of The Gambia,  let me from the outset register ou r profound gratitude 
for this great honour.  
4. I also wish to similarly thank the World Trade Organization and all its partners for organizing 
this Sixth Aid for Trade Global Review which is an opportunity for Members to take stock of the 
progress made towards building the capacities of developing coun tries, particularly LDCs, to 
effectively engage in global trade.  
5. Building trade capacities, improving competitiveness and strengthening public -private 
partnership is indeed high priority in our bid to revive our economy and ensure trade inclusiveness 
and sustainable development. The new democratic government of President Adama Barrow 
inherited a very weak and fragile economy in January 2017. In spite of the opportunities we have 
as country, domestic exports have been undeveloped and remained below 5% of to tal trade. The 
previous government ma de the business environment in T he Gambia uncompetitive and the 
private sector was completely neglected.  
6. The President, new government and the people of The Gambia wish to use this opportunity 
to extend through your off ice, our gratitude to all WTO Member states and other organizations that 
have supported The Gambia through the period leading to the recent political changes. These were 
positive changes that we believe are the beginning of a new era of democracy, human ri ghts and a 
more sustainable and inclusive economic growth for the People of The Gambia.  
7. The world is changing and at a fast pace. The Gambia is also changing at a fast pace. As 
many of you know, 2017 has been a milestone year. With a new governme nt, The Ga mbia is 
looking to re -engage with the global community.   
8. It is our h ope that the theme of this year' s Review: " Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness, and 
Connectivity for Sustainable Development " will provide insights on how to accord our country new 
opportuniti es and further help strengthen the existing strategies to increase our trade and 
development. This is why events like these are important. It gives us an opportunity to share 
experiences, learn from others and forge new par tnerships. The Gambia is organiz ing a side event 
tomorrow to showcase what we are doing in the "New Gambia" and the opportunities in the "New 
Gambia". It is my pleasure to invite all of you to this side event.  
9. The reason I am here today is to demonstrate the political will of The Gambia to connect to 
the world. We believe in trade as an engine for growth and we would like to ensure that the gains 
from trade are inclusive.  
10. However, we are yet to fully optimize the huge trade potentials that the system has to offer. 
Like many LDCs, The Gam bia faces various supply side constraints inhibiting our ability to 
participate in regional and international trade. Connectivity is crucial in helping us realize our 
objectives.  
11. The environment to promote connectivity is improving. We have formulated a n ew National 
Information and Communication Infrastructure Policy 2017 -2025 to promote open access and 
cyber security measures with the objective of ensuring affordable and secure broadband access. 
The telecommunications market in The Gambia has experienced a rapid growth since 2011, in 
particular mobile telecommunications. The mobile penetration ra te increased from 80.8% in 
2011 to 137.9% in 2015. The level of internet users is still low but gradually increasing from 
10.9% in 2011 to 17.1 % in 2015. The tele communications infrastructure is also improving and 
94% of the country is now covered with at least two mobile operators as compared to 57% in 
2010, and all the four mobile carriers operating in The Gambia provide mobile data services on a 
3G platform.  
12. The Gambia is also currently reviewing its National Development Plan and to ensure 
inclusiveness, H.E. The President has recently launched a National Think Tank to ensure that, while 
productive capacity development and competitiveness issues are given priorit y, women, youth and 
social protection issues are also adequately mainstreamed into the development process in line 
with the SDG principle of leaving no one behind. We are currently working with the youth and 
women under UNCTAD's EMPRETEC programme and the Youth Empowerment project to support WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Micro , Small and Medium -sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and rural communities to develop skills and 
promote sustainable economic activities . 
13. I wish to reiterate The Gambia government' s full commitment to uphold the rule of la w and 
democratic values which we believe are critical foundations for any meaningful socio -economic 
development. We are also well aware that the attraction of investors and partners into the country 
will also be contingent on the transparency, consistency and predictability of our trade and 
investment rules and procedures. In this regard, the government attaches great importance to 
reforms geared towards the adoption of transparent trade laws and measures that will enhance 
our competiveness.  
14. We are already  taking steps in this direction. This afternoon, I shall also be depositing the 
original copy of The Gambia's Instrument of Ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement  (TFA)  
to you, Director -General. With this, we look forward to the positive impacts of the agreement when 
implemented.  
15. Mr Director -General, let me assure you of The Gambia's appreciation of the good work that 
the WTO Secretariat is doing under your dynamic leadership. We believe in the multilateral trading 
system as it remains the only p latform that avails us all the opportunity to discuss and agree on 
multilateral trade rules that promote fair trade to support our development processes. Trade 
negotiations are always tough and challenging, but with your leadership, we have always achieved  
positive results. This has been demonstrated in Bali, and in Nairobi, and we are optimistic that the 
WTO Ministerial in Buenos Aires will yie ld even greater results for LDC s in all the critical areas.  
16. I do not want to take up too much of your time as we have a full agenda this morning. The 
Gambia will be holding an event on "New Gambia, New Opportunities" tomorrow afternoon at room 
D. The objective of this event is to present to all our friends and partners, our vision and our 
commitment to promoting trad e as an engine for growth. This is the first step in engaging our 
trade and development partners on our trade -related priorities. I urge you all to attend, and 
participate in the dialogue, as well as join in the food tasting ceremony at the end of that ses sion. 
We also invite you to join us in the celebration of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for 
Development with a performance by the renowned female Gambian Musician and probably the 
only female Kora player, Ms Sona Jobarteh.  
17. Let me thank you  once again for inviting the President of The Gambia to deliver the keynote 
address at this august gathering and I wish you very fruitful deliberations.  
Opening Remarks by Roberto Azevêdo, Director -General, World Trade Organization  
 
18. 17 years ago, world le aders came together to pledge to halve extreme poverty by 2015.  
19. They met that goal – and they did it way ahead of schedule. It remains one of the most 
astonishing achievements of our lifetime. And trade helped to drive much of the growth and 
development t hat led to that success.  
20. Then, two years ago, just after the last Global Review, world leaders came together again. 
This time they pledged to end poverty by 2030. I applaud that ambition – and I think targets like 
this are essential. No one ever climbed a  mountain without first fixing their eyes on the summit. 
So this goal is a challenge to us all – along with the full list of Sustainable Development Goals. And 
trade must again play a central role in achieving it.  
21. Of course this doesn't mean simply throwi ng the doors open to markets around the world. It 
means ensuring that people have the tools that they need to trade and compete.  
22. And it means ensuring that the right infrastructure is in place – including:  
 the physical infrastructure of essential roads, p orts, airports, railways and so on.  
 the soft infrastructure of rules and institutions that help companies do business – along 
with the skills that people need to take part.  
 and the digital infrastructure which enables people to connect to a new global mark etplace 
at a fraction of the cost that we saw in the past. This can be particularly powerful for WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  micro, small and medium -sized enterprises, which are the backbone of every 
economy  - both developed and developing. And it is crucial in empowering female 
entrepreneurs, who represent the majority of traders in many places.  
 
23. So we need to make a difference in all of these areas – and this is why Aid for Trade is so 
important. Since it was launched just over a decade ago, over US$300 billion h as been disbursed 
under the Aid -for-Trade Initiative, reaching 146 countries. And each dollar has been targeted at 
helping those countries to build their trading infrastructure and capacity.  
24. This is very impressive – and it is delivering concrete changes on the ground. We n ow have 
a huge body of research, including some 500 case stories which illustrate the difference Aid for 
Trade can make. So let me highlight a couple of quick examples.  
 Today, more than 1000 craft artisans in Kenya can now sell their p roducts online thanks  
to an Aid -for Trade -sponsored project.  
 In Tonga, people now enjoy improved connectivity thanks to a new submarine fibre optic 
cable system financed and supported by Aid for Trade – and this has helped to boost local 
services and tourism industries.  
 And a t the Busia One -Stop Border Post between Uganda and Kenya, streamlining of 
customs and border controls has reduced the average time to cross by 80%.  
 
25. In fact, tomorrow we will be connecting to the Busia border to hear more about experiences 
on the ground,  thanks to TradeMark East Africa.  
26. We should seek to build on these success stories – and many others like them. Because, 
clearly, although we have made good progress up the mountain, we are still a long, long way from 
the summit. More than 800 million peo ple still live in extreme poverty. And many are still cut off 
from the potential benefits of trade.  
27. The LDC -share of world trade is still below 1% . In fact, 2015 and 2016 the LDC share of 
world exports actually recorded a marginal fall, from 0.97 percent to 0.94.  
28. And around 4 billion people are still offline. Only 1 in 4 people in Afri ca use the internet. And 
only 1  in 7 people in LDCs. Over half of the world's population cannot participate in the new global 
market that the Internet represents. In this sen se, this digital divide is also a market -access 
divide.  
29. Action on all these fronts can go a long way towards building a more inclusive trading 
system, which makes its full contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. This Global 
Review is a platform  to discuss ways in which we can deliver more – and deliver it more quickly.  
30. Our theme this year is "Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and Connectivity for Sustainable 
Development. " This relates to all of the issues that I have been talking about just now.  
31. Many factors inhibit connectivity and inclusiveness – whether it's poor infrastructure, high 
trading costs, or gender discrimination. And they all act as major constraints on sustainable 
development.  
32. Work to bring down these barriers can go a long way to c onnect more people and improve 
more lives.  
33. Take the example of the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement, which came into force in 
February this year. It is the biggest global trade deal this century. It reduces the time it takes for 
goods to cross borders – and will therefore cut trade costs dramatic ally.  
34. Full implementation of the Agreement could reduce trade costs globally by an average of 
14.3%.  
35. Significantly, the benefits will be felt most in developing and least developed countries – and 
these countries will also be able to access technical assi stance to help to implement the necessary 
reforms.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  36. This is just one ar ea of our efforts under the Aid -for-Trade banner, but it is illustrative of the 
impact that this work can have. My message to you in introducing this Global Review is very 
simple: we nee d to do more. We know what our goals are. We know how to deliver meaningful 
results. So now we need to do more to follow this work through.  
37. This week is an opportunity to examine precisely where more efforts are needed, and how 
we can better channel the ne cessary aid and investment.    
38. To improve our understanding of these issues, we are launching the 2017 Aid for Trade "At a 
Glance"  publication.  
39. I encourage you all to take a look – indeed, many of you c ontributed to the findings 
here - so thank you for that .  
40. I would like to thank all those at the WTO who have made this week possible – particularly 
Shishir Priyadarshi, Mi chael Roberts and the whole Aid -for-Trade team at the WTO.  
41. As I said at the outset – let's be ambitious.  
42. Trade has helped to lift a billi on people out of poverty in our lifetimes. We know what can be 
achieved.  
43. So now let' s redouble our efforts to continue this work. Let's build a more inclusive trading 
system, which supports the new Sustainable Development Goals, and which paves the way for a 
better world.  
Remarks by Angel Gurría, Secretary -General, Organisation of Economic Co -operation and 
Development    
 
44. It is a great pleasure to be back in Geneva for the launch of the sixth Aid for Trade at a 
Glance  report, prepared jointly by the OECD and the WTO.  
45. Since 2007, this work has shed light on how developing countries and their partners are  
harnessing trade to boost growth and tackle poverty. The evidence shows that this approach is 
delivering. But it also  shows that more remains to be done.  
46. The 2017 edition is a collaborative effort with other partners – including the World Bank, the 
Enhanced Integrated Framework, the International Telecommunication Union, the International 
Trade Centre, and UNCTAD.  
47. The report puts a spotlight on how physical and digital connectivity is helping producers link 
up to markets. It is ultimately a report about people around the world, and the impact of new 
opportunities on people. Take the example of Emmanuel Igbojekwe, who is  now able to grow his 
security business, or Elder Dede who has established his designer shoe business because 
Facebook, in partnership with a Nigerian service provider, launched Express Wifi to empower local 
entrepreneurs.  
48. It is about Lanna Clothes Design , where women in rural Thailand are now able to sell their 
products all over the world using Amazon logistics services. It is about new business opportunities 
for women in rural India who now have access to mobile phones under a Telenor India project.  
E-commerce is one part of a bigger jigsaw of development opportunities  
 
49. These and many other success stories are part of a larger story about societies that are 
transforming through digital connectivity. Digital connectivity helps developing countries to expl oit 
economies of scale and network effects, to raise labour and capital productivity, and to access 
global value chains.   
50. Global market places such as Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba are empowering firms in 
developing countries to scale up their production and overcome thin markets. These online 
platforms are lowering the costs associated with engaging in international markets; costs that WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  often price SMEs in developing countries out of these markets. This has generated a large trade in 
smaller, low value goods. The report highlights that online sales increased in value from 
US$16 trillion to US$25 trillion between 2013 and 2015.   
51. While digital connectivity opens new markets, physical connectivity can still be an important 
constraint for countries and firms wanti ng to trade. Trade facilitation and the offline infrastructure 
for trade -- roads, ports, and bridges -- are ever more important in the digital world.  
52. More importantly, some 3.9 billion people remain offline, with only 1 in 4 people in Africa 
using the in ternet and only 1 in 7 people in LDCs. Up to a quarter fewer women than men are 
online. These gaps imply less access to economic opportunities, but also to healthcare, education, 
and other public services.  
Development partners can play a role in helping to  bridge the digital divide  
 
53. Aid for Trade is critical for the digital and physical connectivity that countries need to trade, 
to grow, and to improve the lives of their people. While the success stories I mentioned earlier are 
the result of private investm ents, well -targeted public investments have played a crucial role, 
many of them funded by aid. This includes, for example, investments in the transport 
infrastructure that helps entrepreneurs to access markets; investments in the energy sector, in 
agricult ure, and in communications, all of which are vital when it comes to creating an 
environment that is conducive to trade growth.  
54. Since  the start of the Aid -for-Trade Initiative in 2006, commitments from bilateral and 
multilateral donors have increased annual ly by more than 10%. In 2015, donors committed some 
US$54 billion per year in Aid for Trade. The total amount of A id for Trade disbursed over the last 
decade totals almost US$300 billion – roughly one -fifth of all Official Development Assistance. Half 
of these funds were invested in building trade -related transport in frastructure and energy 
supply  - sectors that are essential for turning digital connectivity opportunities into trading 
realities.  
55. Support targeted at bridging the digital divide has remained relatively stable over the last 
ten years, averaging around US$600  million  per year. The focus of donor programmes is often on 
getting the regulatory framework in place and operating effectively. Once this happens, the private 
sector is eager to step in an d invest in building physical ICT infrastructure.  
56. This is the kind of synergy that the Addis A baba Action Agenda stresses. It' s about going 
from the billions to the trillions, leveraging investment in ways that can transform lives.  
57. The OECD is proud to pla y its part in helping to implement the Addis agreement. Whether 
it's looking at how best to blend aid money with private finance effectively, or developing new 
ways of measuring public support for development, such as TOSSD (Total Official Support for 
Sustainable Development).  
A rules -based multilateral trading system is crucial  
 
58. This brings me to my final point — the importance of an open, rules -based, multilateral 
trading system, to ensure a level playing field for trade in goods and services.  
59. We need to  work together to achieve a WTO Ministerial in Buenos Aires that delivers positive 
outcomes and that helps ensure that the benefits of trade are widely shared.  
60. Today' s meeting provides an opportunity to take stock, and to forge the way forward. The 
task ah ead of us is to deliver bet ter Aid for Trade. In short, it' s about Better Policies for Better 
Lives.  
61. Thank you.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Remar ks by Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary -General, United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development  
 
62. May I add my voice to congratulate Mr Azevêdo and the WTO on building a credible and 
growing reputation for Aid for Trade, for reflecting on the global challenges facing us and on how 
to adjust how we deliver on Aid for Trade and importantly on playing a r ole in bringing together 
the constituents of trade and development. Particularly now, at a time when excuses are being 
found to target the trade community as a reason for problems with globalization.  
63. I am very happy that we at UNCTAD have participated clo sely with WTO and other partners 
and have been involved in the preparation of the 2017 Aid for Trade "At a Glance" report before 
you.  
64. But more importantly we would like to add our voice to the need to identify the shifting 
ground for the aid and trade com munity and to realign our efforts accordingly. To listen to country 
case studies, stories of successes and failures, and learn how to build on these experiences to 
remain relevant to an agenda that is very ambitious, but has only 13 years to go in banishin g 
extreme poverty from the face of the world.  
65. Two years ago e -commerce reached US$25 trillion. By comparison, this is only slightly less 
than the total wealth of the top 500 largest companies in the world at that same time. They were 
worth US$27.6 trillion . But for development purposes two statistics stand out. Firstly, that of the 
top ten digital economies, only one  is from the developing world. Second, that for Sub -Saharan 
Africa, and even worse for LDCs, the statistics on participation in electronic trad e reaches as low as 
1%. 
66. It is my humble submission that sometimes when we talk global issues we frighten the 
vulnerable. And the best encouragement comes from examples of the vulnerable who have made 
the most humble decisions and have shown results by gain ing visibility. At a time when global 
commerce is going electronic, if you are not visible, then you are not existent. If you are not 
visible, you are not trading and you cannot trade out of poverty if you are not in the trade 
community.  
67. But we tend to me ntion trade only as the movement of goods beyond borders. I want to 
give an example from my own country which has impressed me - it's about food security and the 
digital economy.  
68. In many Sub -Saharan countries two major va riables impact on food security:  
69. Firstly, poor post -harvest storage of food. Up to 30% of cereals are wasted because of poor 
storage. Many families sell on a buyers' market because they are in a hurry to spend on school 
fees or other such things, and yet a few months later the value of what  they sold is beyond their 
purchasing power when they want food for their families.  
70. In Kenya a national cereal programme built a national network of silos for storage of cereals. 
What a farmer does is after harvest you can deliver all your crops to the ce real silos, you are 
allocated a number and you are connected by your mobile phone to two critical markets: one to 
the cereals board, and another by an electronic platform called Sacconi. Everyday every farmer 
knows the price of cereal everywhere in the cou ntry. Farmers have two possibilities, that you can 
sell part of your cereal because of the high rise of needs at a time when the price is low. Also 
within half an hour a farmer can see that the price of maize has risen in on e market, he or she can 
authoriz e the cereal board to sell part or all of what they are holding for that farmer on the sellers' 
market. And it makes a whole lot of difference, just those two possibilities of intervention.  
71. Secondly, I want to mention the challenge that is more immediately  present to us. How are 
we going to finance the digital infrastructure necessary if we are shifting towards the digital 
economy?  
72. Usually we reply that there is no 5G or broadband, because we say there is no electricity. 
But I saw a very interesting case a gain in Kenya. Five years ago, a new president came to power 
and he declared that during his tenure he was going to provide every primary school kid in the WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  country with a tablet computer. Everyone was saying how can you provide tablet computers 
without ele ctricity in primary schools? True that is a relevant question. However, fast -forward four 
and a half years later, not all kids have tablets, quite a few have, but the most important thing for 
me is that in that time political pressure to make schools ready  for tablets led to the most massive 
electrification of primary schools in the country's history. There have been more electricity 
connections in Kenya in the last four and a half years than in the preceding 50 years. So you could 
be tolerating having dark ness as the sunsets in your home for many years, but you cannot tolerate 
your child being offline when you have been convinced that a computer matters.   
73. Building political appetite for success and inclusion is at least as important as identifying 
sources of money for infrastructure.  
74. Going back to the issue at hand, and what UNCTAD, WTO, OECD and World Bank are doing 
for Aid for Trade, I want to express our appreciation at the realisation that as trade shif ts to 
electronic platforms, so A id for Trade must also be responsive to the changing circumstances.  
75. Unfortunately the share of ICT investment in Aid for Trade at the turn of the century was 
20%, t wo years ago it was 1%. So A id for Trade has been growin g but the relevant share of 
ICT-related investment in  Aid for Trade has been declining. It is critical that this statistic be 
reversed very dramatically.  
76. We have fractured approaches to Aid for Trade, particularly related to electronic commerce. 
I applaud the different initiatives under way. I applaud the wo rk of Aid-for-Trade consultations 
here, particularly in this forum today, and this week.  
77. We at UNCTAD have been complementing this with a number of initiatives. One example is 
the UNCTAD E -commerce Week which was held very successfully in the last week of  April this 
year. We launched the ambitious E -Trade for All Initiative. It is an attempt to create a facility 
which avails to the investor, to the donor and to the recipient government alike electronic 
intelligence on the state of play, where there are sou rces of financing, where is the technology to 
disseminate and the electronic instruments for trade facilitation. We are very proud to 
acknowledge the participation of many institutions. Including the WTO, ITC, ITU, 23 major 
international players as members  of Aid for Trade, and even more  importantly the Business for 
E-trade initiative which now has more than 30 leading members including e -bay, Alibaba, Huawei, 
the Swedish Board of International Trade, and membership is growing.  
78. The most important message t hat we must share is that at a time where the trade 
community is under challenge, the critical responsibility for us is to coalesce around a shared 
sense of value. How can we stop the fragmentation of initiatives and find an optimal way of using 
limited re sources, scaling up best practices, and growing the political constituency that building 
capacity in electronic commerce as part of Aid -for-Trade matters.  
79. Thank you . 
Remarks by Hani Sonbol, Chief Executive Officer, International Islamic Trade Finance 
Corporation  
 
80. On behalf of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, I wish to sincerely thank the 
WTO, as the organizer of the Sixth Global Aid for Trade Review and to commend them for an 
excellent job as always. For me, it is always a pleasure and honor  to represent the IsDB Group at 
this very important biennial Conference.   
81. As IsDB Group, we believe, such an occasion provides an excellent opportunity for all the 
stakeholders to take stock as to where we stand as a global d evelopment community on the 
Aid-for-Trade Initiative. Moreover, it provides us with an opportunity to discuss and deliberate on 
numerous themes, and to benefit from the diverse knowledge and experiences that we all bring to 
this forum.  
82. Over the past years, the world economy has unde rgone a period of immense financial, social 
and economic turmoil. However, we wish to remain positive and optimistic of a fast recovery 
process through collective efforts. Hence, for the IsDB Group, participation in events like the Aid WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  for Trade Global Rev iew provides that opportunity, where we can think and discuss collectively on 
the best ways and means to move forward.  
83. The challenging environment of the global economy, brought about by a succession of 
shocks such as the 2007 -08 global financial crisis. T he commodities cycle, which until a couple of 
years ago fueled growth in some countries, has now turned down, leaving many economies 
struggling with budgetary and current account deficits. Any hope for continued growth now heavily 
relies on structural econ omic reforms for diversification and fiscal sustainability.  
84. The share of total exports and imports in IsDB member countries ' GDP between 1997 and 
2013 went from 40% to 60%, as the volume of international trade grew at an annual average rate 
of 5.6 %, near ly twice as fast as world GDP. However, international trade growth slowed 
measurably to less than 3% per annum in 2015.  
85. Consequently, the increased level of uncertainty and volatility, combined with persistent 
fragility in some countries, requires greater operational vigilance and better risk monitoring from 
international financial institutions. At the same time, the new sustainable development agenda has 
to be at the core of all activities to ensure impactful growth and development. IsDB member 
countries f ace five key economic and financial challenges:  
i) an extended period of low commodity prices;  
ii) the slow down or stagnation of international trade;  
iii) the rising global cost of capital;  
iv) recurring episodes of financial market turmoil and capital f low reversals; and  
v) increasing socioeconomic fragility.  
 
86. All these thematic dimensions are well reflected in the Group' s 2020 Vision, where one of 
the Key  Eight Strategic Thrusts is to " Facilitate Integration of Member Country Economies among 
Themselves and with the World ".  
87. In pursuance to this vision, the IsDB Group has contributed by reducing economic barrier s, 
synergizing member countries'  strengths and potentials for mutual benefit, and opened new doors 
for wealth creation. Through our strategic visi on we also support the smaller and vulnerable 
economies to bear the pressure from the challenges of the multilateral trade.  
88. In addition, the IsDB Group adopted a 10 -year Strategy framework (2016 -2025). This 
framework, which was introduced at the request of  the 57 IsDB member countries to achieve 
inclusive, equitable and more sustainable developmen t, has three overarching 
goals:  inclusiveness, connectivity and development of the Islamic financial sector.  
89. The objective of " Connectivity for Growth"  stems from IsDB mandate in promoting 
cooperation among its member countrie s in various forms, both in terms of private sector and 
public sector cooperation to enhance trade, investment, knowledge, and capacity development. It 
aims at strengthening economi c ties (notably through trade, transport infrastructure, and 
cross-border investment) and promoting other forms of cooperation (including facilitating 
knowledge exchange) between member countries.  
90. The IsDB plans to achieve regional integration objectives b y integrating soft and hard 
interventions in member countries. With regard to regional connect ivity, the Bank will take a 
two-pronged approach; that is to facilitate development of regional infrastructure networks in 
energy, transport and communication sec tors; and promote trade and transport corr idors in 
different sub -regions.  
91. Infrastructure operations continue to receive the largest share of IsDB financing, with the 
transport sector receiving the largest allocation of infrastructure financing in the past two years. In 
2015 and 2016, total IsDB operations in the transport sector amount to US$1.92 billion, and 
US$1.6 billion constituting approximately 30 % of the IDB project financing.  
92. In line with the IsDB vision for infrastructure development, IsDB continu es to focus on 
regional transport networks that facilitate the integration of its member countries in Africa and 
Central Asia with the regional and/or global economy. These networks include both roads and rail, WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  with approximately 70% of the IsDB Transport Portfolio in 2016. Moreover, with the official global 
endorsement of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, the IsDB transport and infrastructure 
interventions are now being designed with the SDG targets in mind.  
93. IsDB member countries envision trade a s a key growth engine. This model has proven to be 
effective as Organization of Islamic Co -operation (OIC) intra -trade grew from 10% a decade ago 
to 20% in 2015. At a global level, economic conditions have started to improve for emerging and 
developing mar kets, including OIC economies, as GDP growth is se t to increase from 3.5% in 
2016 to 4.3% in 2017.  
94. The IsDB group continues to support member countries in trade -related areas, with the 
ultimate objective to facilitate trade among its member countries with  the world.  In addition, 
support is also provided to modernization of trade facilitation institutions for deeper integration. 
IsDB Group is providing important support in the areas of simplification and harmonization of 
customs documentation and procedures , as well as technical assistance and training of officials.  
95. The IDB Group has been active for decades in trade development activities. The Group 
provides a large range of technical assistance for trade facilitation and promotion, capacity building 
and su pply chains development. It also provides long term financing of large infrastructure 
project s such as roads, rails, ICT cables and lines, optical fiber, electricity interconnections and 
pipelines needed to increase connectivity and regional integration. F or instance, the IsDB group is 
very much involved in the promotion of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and its entry into force. 
The Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) is also very active in WTO -led initiatives, whether 
these are regular consultation s, like the WTO Expert Group on Trade Finance, or large -scale 
projects, such as the Aid for Trade  Global Review . 
96. The IsDB group always gives special emphasis to regional projects  and for the promotion of 
intra-OIC trade and intra -OIC investment. For this p urpose, among other things ITFC champions 
are the flagship trade programs like the Arab -Africa Trade Bridge Program that seeks to enhance 
and increase trade between the two regions . The ITFC manages also the Aid -for-Trade Initiative 
for Arab States (AfTIAS ), on behalf of a group of multilateral and bilateral donors. This initiative 
aims at developing the competitiveness and the capacity of Arab countries' trade sector.  
97. IDB Group recognizes that sustainable development in any member country requires a 
signif icant role for the private sector actors. In this regard, since its establishment in 1999 - the 
Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector - the private sector arm of the IDB 
Group, has invested more than US$5 billion in areas like advis ory activities to enable private 
sector actors, particularly SMEs to expand their production frontiers, achieve economies of scale 
and enhance the competitiveness, which altogether contribute to their trade activities.  
98. The Islamic Corporation for the Insu rance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) was 
established in 1994. ICIEC was with the objective of increasing the scope of trade transactions of 
its member countries, and to facilitate foreign direct investments into these countries.  
99. ICIEC trade credi t and investment risk insurance products enable the connectivity of  
business communities within its Member Countries and worldwide.  
100.  We all recognize that development and development effectiveness is an evolutionary process 
and our efforts need to be persistent, well planned, and coordinated. Going forward, partnerships 
need to be further strengthened, and knowledge and experiences need  to be shared across all 
stakeholders.  
101.  Finally, let me conclude by reiterating the commitment of the Islamic Development Bank 
Group to support the deve lopment efforts through the Aid -for-Trade Initiative. We also extend our 
hands for building of partnersh ips and continued cooperation.  
102.  I sincerely thank you all for your kind attention.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Remarks by Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director, International Trade Centre  
 
103.  Just this morning I had coffee from Rwanda, oranges from Mexico, ham from Spain, butter 
from New Zealand and jam from Senegal as I browsed twitter on my 'made in the world ' iPad.  
104.  This is trade in action. This is the result of increased connec tivity. This is why at this 
6th Global Review of Aid for Trade, we have to collectively shine a light on the importance of 
continuing to invest in trade -related capacity building. Not to ensure I have such a bountiful 
breakfast every morning of course - but to guarante e that we keep goods and services flowing and 
continue to help developing countries and their micro, small and medium -sized enterprises grow 
through that trade.  
105.  This Global Review is focused on two very important elements of trade: inclusiveness and 
connec tivity.  
106.  Trade - inclusive trade - is an important tool for achieving the UN Global Goals. Trade 
creates jobs, trade provides opportunities for women and youth, trade provides quality and choice 
to consumers, trade links economies and communities.   
107.  At ITC , we are also aware that the benefits of trade have not always reached those who 
need them. Trade can make jobs obsolete and the playing field is not always level. But we are 
committed to supporting inclusive and sustainable trade and making it work for al l. We are 
committed to 'good trade '. To the " good" and to the "trade ".  
108.  An important part of inclusive trade is women. Empowering women, both economically and 
socially, leads to stronger growth  and more prosperous societies.  
109.  A trade agenda which explicitly  recognizes and acts on women 's economic empowerment 
can be a strong force for inclusive growth.  
110.  This is the reason behind ITC 's SheTrades initiative, a global movement that seeks to 
connect one million women to market by 2020 by working on seven challenge s including trade 
policies and capacity building. I thank the many SheTrades champions who are with us today for 
partnering to make this happen.   
111.  There are many facets to connectivity. Top of the list is how technology has made 
connectivity practically ins tantaneous. The world is online. Almost. In many developing countries, 
connectivity is still sub -optimal. Despite the proliferation of mobile phones there are still far too 
many, especially women, who are unconnected to the information grid. And this matte rs for 
business. And this matters f or making trade work for MSMEs.  
112.  ITC's research for the 'At a Glance' publication shows tha t women -led enterprises are 
12% less likely to use email than men -managed firms which is an important proxy for internet 
usage. We have a responsibility to help connect the unconnected. Especially the women.   
113.  Beyond simple connectivity is the question of what do we connect to? What do MSMEs need? 
One of the major gaps is in trade and market intelligence. Intelligence - and not just da ta - is 
critical to help small companies know how, what and when to produce and to trade. This is why I 
am very happy that for the WTO Ministerial Conference in Argentina in December, ITC, UNCTAD 
and WTO will unveil a new 'SME Trade Help Desk '. This will b e a global one -stop shop for MSMEs to 
access intelligence on tariffs, no - tariff measures, and more. This will be a major competitiveness 
tool consolidating trade -related information and making it accessible through a single entry point. 
This is ITC, WTO a nd UNCTAD making connectivity work for those at the base of the pyramid.  
114.  Connectivity is also about making the business environment work for trade and for 
investment. The 'single window ', an electronic system which is one of the elements of the WTO 
Trade F acilitation Ag reement, is one such example.  
115.  ITC's research has shown there is a substantial e -connectivity gap between MSMEs and 
larger companies. Small firms are ten times less likely than large firms to use email to 
communicate with buyers and suppliers,  and eight times less likely to have a business website. WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  These differences matter as being e -connected is strongly associated w ith growth and 
competitiveness.  
116.  Just take the case of Brodo Footwear, an Indonesian men 's fashion company founded in 
2010. In jus t a few years, it grew from a small company employing a handful of people to one 
employing over 100. The company sells directly to consumers via its website, and reported that 
Cloud tools and data analytics allowed it to target customers with bespoke offer s, resulting in rapid 
sales growth.  
117.  We have seen this in our work with MSMEs across the wo rld, where connecting them to 
e-commerce platforms and e -solutions payment systems has increased their sales and placed 
them in a marketplace where physical borders m atter less and where the pote ntial for growth is 
impressive.  
118.  We have seen Rania, an entrepreneur working with Syrian internally displaced women reach 
markets in Switzerland and beyond through e -commerce; Anna, from Let 's Sequoia, a Rwandan 
start- up sellin g biodegradable coffee capsules online; Oumar, a young Senegalese entrepreneur 
who has set up a logistics company in Dakar to manage the distribution of products traded online; 
Zineb, a young Moroccan selling argan oil and cosmetics providing an income for  hundreds of 
farmers in the southern region of Morocco through getting onto the digital highway. The power of 
'digital ' for MSME growth is not a myth!  
119.  This is why it is so important that the WTO looks at facilitating e -commerce.  
120.  ITC has just surveyed thou sands of MSMEs on the ground to have a better sense of the 
challenges they face to e -trade.  
121.  Logistics are still a major bottleneck for MSMEs with the cost of lo gistics in the final price of 
e-traded goods being twice as high in developing countries than in  developed countries. Speedy 
implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agre ement can help to address this.  
122.  MSMEs also express concern about a lack of access to international e -payment solutions and 
they find it hard to predict whether and which duties will be applied on returned products. They 
are also concerned about their own lack of technical knowledge, language skills and weaknesses to 
raise visibility of their offering for consumers abroad. As a consequence, many firms abandon their 
attempts to get onto  the e-commerce highway, with female -owned companies getting stuck earlier 
in the process than ma le-owned companies. I hope WTO M embers look at the results of the survey 
to better understand what can be done to help MSMEs ' e-trade.  
123.  Trade, inclusiveness and  connectivity are three important components of the trade, aid and 
investment nexus. They are mutually reinforcing and symbiotic. But trade is a tool to achieve both 
of them.  
124.  Invest in trade opening, trade capacity building and 'good trade ' and you are inv esting in 
that female coffee producer in Lao who uses that income to invest in her community and her 
family; you are investing in that small organic pineapple farm and bottling centre in Benin creating 
livelihoods for thousands of young Beninese; you are s upporting the agri -processing value chain in 
The Gambia and the thousands of workers who grow the fruit, process and package the jam, brand 
the products and ship them to Geneva. And then, of course, you are investing in my breakfast!  
Remarks by Anabel Gonzalez, Senior Director, Trade and Competitiveness Global 
Practice, Trade & Competitiveness, World Bank Group  
 
125.  Good morning ladies and gentlemen.  
126.  It is a delight and an honor to share the podium at the opening of this Sixth Global  
Aid-for-Trade Review.   
127.  A special thank you to Roberto and the WTO team for hosting us this week. And thank you 
to my fellow panelists for the very insightful comments we 've just heard.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  128.  The title of this year 's Global Review – Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and Connectivity for  
Sustainable  Development - perfectly captures what I believe to be the key challenges we face in 
harnessing trade for development. These are more than mere words. Trade, inclusion, and 
connectivity are all essential and mutually supportive elements of a su stainable future.   
129.  I am delighted that my colleagues from the World Bank Group 's Trade & Competitiveness 
Global Practice were involved in the report being issued at this year 's Review. Our contribution 
sets out how e -trade has the potential to act as a fo rce for development, not just in countries that 
are global leaders in digital technology, but in countries at all levels of economic development.  
130.  However, today I would like to step back from the details of the Aid  for Trade at a Glance 
Report, and speak about the wider topic of the role of trade in supporting inclusion and 
development – and the future direction of Aid  for Trade in achieving this.  
131.  Few people in this room harbor much doubt about the fact that trade can be a powerful 
agent of economic growth  and poverty reduction. No country has developed sustainably without 
trading with others.  
132.  Yet there is little doubt that we meet this week in a challenging global environment, with 
much debate over the directions the global economy has taken in recent yea rs and the underlying 
forces shaping it. Today, we are being challenged to re -examine the evidence on the role trade 
plays in the global economy.  
133.  At the World Bank Group, we believe the evidence is clear: When it comes to trade, we do 
not need to choose between inclusion and growth.  
134.  Trade has been central to the economic transformation of many countries in recent decades, 
leading to sustained growth and poverty reduction.  
 In Vietnam, for instance, extreme poverty declined from 64  percent in 1993 to less than 
3 percent today, a period that saw the country 's trade grow to more than 150 percent of 
GDP.  
 
 In India, with trade in services playing a central role, economic growth of between 6 and 
7 percent helped reduce extreme poverty from 50 percent in 1994 to  less than 20 percent 
in 2015.  
 
135.  And these numbers are not just about economics. They are about people. Less poverty 
means  better lives for the men, women and children that call these countries home.  
136.  As well as reducing poverty, trade has helped build a mo re inclusive global economy. 
Globalization has brought developing countries from marginal to central participants in world 
trade. Developing countries now account for around one half of global trade – up from around one 
third in 2000. They absorb close to half of total foreign direct investment  (FDI) .  
137.  This same link between trade and global inclusion is evident when we look at global 
inequality  in incomes – in other words, at the gap between the lowest - and highest -income people 
in the world. Recent resear ch at the World Bank shows that global inequality in incomes has 
declined since 1990  after rising since the 1820s. The causes for this are complex, but economic 
openness and the global spread of technology has almost certainly played a role.  
138.  While trade h as promoted a more inclusive global economy, and has helped lift millions out 
of poverty, we know that some people have been left behind. They are concerned that the rising 
tide has not lifted all boats. Along with the rapid economic shifts brought about b y technological 
change, and sudden increases in import competition in some sectors and economies, this concern 
has driven the increasingly vocal concerns we have heard about globalization.  
139.  We are thus, not surprisingly, meeting at a time of rising tension in trade governance. This 
is triggered in part by new measures directed at shielding economies and workers from global 
competition. And we meet at a time when prospects for needed advances in trade rule -making, 
particularly at the multilateral level, remai n fraught with uncertainty.   WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  140.  Aid for Trade has a vital role to play in helping the world community navigate these 
challenging waters. Aid  for Trade is central to ensuring that the gains f rom greater engagement in 
cross-border trade reach everyone, everywh ere.  
141.  Considerable experience has been gained since the Aid -for-Trade Initiative was launched in 
2005. I would like to highlight five lessons from my perspective, while also identifying some 
priorities for our future work.  
142.  First, infrastructure connectivity matters. Better roads and rail, upgraded ports and airports, 
and investments in ICT infrastructure are all essential. However, there is today a growing 
awareness that the infrastructure deficit in developing countries is well beyond what can b e met 
through traditional channels of development finance. Although the World Bank Group is bringing 
ever-greater financial resources to bear, like our record US$75 billion replenishment of IDA, our 
fund for the world 's poorest countries, we must ensure th at every dollar goes further and we must 
use our resources as effectively as possible to crowd in private financing. It also means 
intensifying our support to improve the investment climate in developing countries to lower the 
risks faced by private invest ors. 
143.  Second, policy, regulation and institutions matter. We can only make the most of improved 
physical connectivity if we also im prove the " soft infrastructure " of trade through reforms to:  
 streamline trade;  
 promote competition;  
 improve transparency; and  
 enhance the quality of policy design and of those implementing it.  
 
144.  Trade facilitation, which has been one of the fastest -growing areas o f Aid for Trade in recent 
years, offers a prime example of how novel trade rules can be a powerful anchor to mobilize 
resources for development. At the World Bank Group, due to strong demand from governments, 
our support for trade facilitation has grown from US$322 million in 2004 to more than US$7 billion 
today.  
145.  Trade facilitation programs, like our more than 10 -year pa rtnership with Cambodia, 
demonstrate the results that can be achieved. Through reforms to improve transparency and 
strengthen coordination among border agencies, Cambodia cut border cle arance times from 6 days 
to 1.4  days over just a few years, climbing mo re than 40 places in the Bank 's Logistics 
Performance Index. This supported Cambodia 's growing export competitiveness in manufacturing, 
especially in the garment sector, where 85% of the workforce is female.  
146.  Demand for support in this area continues to gro w. The entry into force of the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement is a very welcome development, especially because of t he central role 
assigned to Aid  for Trade in the text. Our US$32 million Trade Facilitation Support Program, 
supported by seven donor partners , has allowed us to move quickly to support concrete T rade 
Facilitation Agreement  reforms in  34 countries, while leveraging funding through the program to 
bring in more than US$460 million in additional trade facilitation funding through World Bank 
instrum ents and bilateral donor financing.  
147.  Third, upgrading competitiveness matter s. This encompasses a range of " behind the border " 
policy areas like innovation and entrepreneurship; or skills and education. Although we don 't 
always think of these areas as " Aid for Trade ", investing in them is essential for boosting 
productivity, promoting gender equality and ensuring that businesses can take advantage of the 
opportunities presented by openness. It was one of the key reasons we es tablished an integrated 
Trade  & Competitiveness Global Practice at the World Bank Group. This has helped us respond to 
strong demand from governments for programs that bring together trade and investment reforms, 
with efforts to upgrade competitiveness at the country level.  
148.  Fourth, rule s matter. The multilateral system underpinned by the WTO provides a critically 
important global public good in the form of a predictable, rules -based, environment so that 
cross-border commerce can thrive. A lack of stability and rules would significantly u ndermine our 
efforts to protect the weakest and the most vulnerable. As World Bank Group President Jim Kim 
stated at the G20 Summit only days ago - along with DG Azevedo and IMF Managing Director WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Lagarde - now is not the time to introduce barriers to trade . Instead we must look for 
opportunities to step up trade reforms in all available theaters, at the WTO as well as in 
preferential agreements and national efforts. Such efforts must be directed at developing rules 
that address the constantly evolving new d imensions of trade and investment while also tackling 
long-standing distortions in areas like agriculture.  
149.  Finally, managing the process of adjustment matters, because trade and investment 
liberalization can often entail adverse distributional consequence s. If left unaddressed, these costs 
can sap public support for policies of openness. Trade -related adjustment assistance has been a 
very small part of overall Aid  for Trade to date, including in our own assistance. I believe that we 
need more discussion th rough the Aid -for-Trade Initiative on why this is the case and what can be 
done to scale up support in this area. I believe that we need to approach the process of 
adjustment not just in terms of managing costs but in building the resilience of economies a nd 
workers to participate in an open global economy. Here again, skills, education, and infrastructure 
are all essential ingredients, as experience teaches us that open, growing economies where new 
jobs are created are much better equipped to deal with adj ustment than those that are 
uncompetitive and stagnant.  
150.  Through action in each of these  five areas, I believe that Aid for Trade can help us ensure 
that trade continues to support economic growth and development while also fostering inclusion.  
151.  Of course, all this will need to be done in partner ship, if we are to succeed. Aid for Trade 
must be looked upon as a value chain: its effective design and delivery requires the active 
contribution of a multiplicity of development partners, from internatio nal organizations at the 
global and regional levels, to the donor community, the private sector and a host of other key 
actors in academia and civil society. That is why gatherings like this Global Review are so 
important – they present an opportunity to t ake stock of progress so far and to tackle the 
challenges that still remain.  
152.  I wish you all the best for this year 's Review and look forward to our discussions over the 
next few days. Thank you.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session  1: Opening Plenary  Panel "Promoting Trade, Inclus iveness and Connectivity for 
Sustainable Development"  - Organizer: W orld Trade Organization  
Moderator: Catherine Fiankan -Bokonga , 
Journalist, C orrespondent of France 24, 
Vice-President of the  Association of Accredited 
Correspondents at UN and of the Swiss Press 
Club 
Panel discussants:   
 Philip Bennett , First Vice President and 
Head of Client Services Group, 
European Ban k for Reconstruction and 
Development  
 Pierre Guislain , Vice -President for 
Private Sector, Infrastructure and 
Industrialization, African Development 
Bank 
 Bambang Susantono , Vice -President, 
Knowledge Management and 
Sustainable Development, Asian 
Development Bank  
 Dimitris Tsitsiragos , Vice President, New 
Business, International Finance 
Corporation  
 Dominik Ziller , Director -General, 
International Development Policy, 
Federal Ministry of Economic 
Cooperation and Development, 
Germany and Chair, Development 
Working Group, G20  
 Antoni Estevadeordal , Manager, 
Integration and Trade Sector, 
Inter-American Development Bank  
 Kati Suominen , Founder and Chief 
Executive Officer, Nextrade Group; 
Chairwoman of TradeUp Capital Fund 
and World SME Forum Board Member   The second panel of the opening plenary 
session featured a moderated discussion. The 
discussants reviewed the actions being taken to 
promote trade, incl usiveness and connectivity 
for sustainable development by the G20 under 
the German Presidency, by multilateral 
development banks (MDBs) and by the United 
Nations.  Specific themes discussed included:  
 Development initiatives launched by the 
Germany G20 Presi dency to build 
resilience, improve sustainability and 
assume responsibility;  
 How the MDBs are leveraging resources 
through collective action and outreach 
to private sector investors i n 
public -private partnerships to promote 
the development of infrastructu re as an 
asset class for institutional investors (as 
encapsulated in the Billions to Trillions 
agenda); and  
 The challenges facing MSMEs, both in 
terms of digital connectivity and 
securing financing for trade operations. 
58% of SMEs' requests for trade fin ance 
are rejected, against 10% for 
multinational companies. With the 
contraction of international networks of 
banks post -economic crisis, trade 
financing has become more difficult and 
a financing gap of the order of some 
US$1.4 to US$1.6 trillion (10 -15% o f 
the global market) has emerged.  
 
153.  Dominik Ziller, Director -General, International Development Policy, Federal 
Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany and Chair, 
Development Working Group, G20  outlined the development initiatives launched by Germany 
under its G20 Presidency to build resilience, improve sustainability, and assume responsibility. He 
referred to the G20 presidency motto " shaping an interconnected world"  and noted that Germany 
had used the G20 Presidency to stress the benefits of trade openness. Germany promoted free and 
fair trade and a rules -based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.  
154.  To realize the full potential of trade for develop ment, he noted six factors: (i) the importance 
of investment (both l ocal and foreign). Here he gave the example of the "Compact with Africa", an 
initiative within the G20 finance track, which aims to improve the conditions for sustainable private 
sector investments in infrastructure and economic participation and employmen t. He stressed the 
ownership of these plans by African states and their alignment wi th the Africa 2063 agenda; 
(ii) social and ecological standards for the broader population to benefit from trade ; (iii) removal of 
non-tariff barriers (NTBs). He referenced  Germany's "Marshall Plan for Africa" which defines new 
corner stones for renewed cooperation between Africa and Europe, and how it also includ ed 
significant elements on NTBs;  (iv) vocational training to have a work force in place to provide  
qualified labo ur for investors;  (v) technical standards that supported market access opportunities, 
including through quality infrastructure ; and  (vi) inclusion of women, especially in the digital 
sphere. He made reference to the G20 e -Skills for Women and Girls Initiat ive, an important WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  initiative to bridge the gender gap. Only 20% of ICT training places were currently filled by 
women. Lastly, he mentioned the importance for more and better trade with Africa. Mr Ziller noted 
that with the G20 partnership with Africa, it was the right time to go forward with regional 
integration, trade facilitation and quality infrastructure. He concluded that more development was 
possible through trade.  
155.  During the discussion, Mr Ziller suggested that the Addis Ababa Action Agenda had been  a 
contract undertaken on behalf of an absent third party (i.e. the private sector). The challenge was 
to really engage with the private sector. Public -private partnerships were promising, but would not 
generate the financing necessary to mobilize the tril lions of dollars in financing required. As such, 
he further emphasized the importance of investment -friendly procedures to bring in the private 
sector. He stressed the possibility of creating win -win situations that made the case for both 
business and deve lopment needs. Here he highlighted the importance of putting a reliable tax 
system in place, doing away with unnecessary bureaucracy, addressing corruption and putting in 
place technical mechanisms for investors, such as one -stop shops and digital approach es. He 
underscored that the plan was to crowd in private investment. He identified the importance of 
de-risking investments, by taking guarantees, leveraging through structured finance, and taking 
first losses. An important element of this process was find ing solutions as to how to better create 
local currency financing. He recalled that Germany was one of the largest A id-for-Trade donors. 
Germany's €5 billion per year in A id-for-Trade spending offered an opportunity to crowd -in private 
money and make trade  happen. Mr Ziller concluded with a strong appeal to the donor community 
to ensure that the multilateral development banks were equipped with the capital financing 
necessary to meet this challenge.  
156.  Kati Suominen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Nextr ade Group, Chairwoman 
of TradeUp Capital Fund and World SME Forum Board Member  remarked that she was 
impressed by the German G20 Presidency's support to digitalization. She emphasized the promise 
of digit alization and e -commerce for SMEs as it allowed the movement of goods and services with 
much greater ease, at lower cost and with greater speed. She highlighted the possibility of 
microwork sites for job creation quoting the McKinsey estimate that some 540 million new jobs 
would be created through microwork  sites by 2020. This required an enabling environment that 
facilitated connectivity, online payments and e -commerce logistics. In terms of the next  steps, she 
called for prioritiz ation of digitalization and the uptake of e -commerce. She also noted the need  for 
more analytical work and surveys on the needs of business, and the need to further cross -country 
learning in digital and e -commerce development. She indicated it was important to look into the 
numerous initiatives to determine what worked and then to scale these initiatives that were 
producing good results.  
157.  Ms Suominen noted the promise of public -private sector partnerships given the interest of 
e-commerce firms in expanding the digital market. Here she noted that there were numerous 
initiatives being  taken by the private sector to develop e -commerce markets, often with long time 
frames and that contained exactly the triple bottom line characteristics that donors were looking to 
finance. She suggested that donors could try to scale these projects devel oped by the private 
sector. Digit alizing supply chain financing through technologies such as block chain was another 
area that she suggested that multilateral development banks examine. Micro financing solutions 
were also essential for SMEs and an area whe re multilateral development banks could partner with 
fintech and online financing companies.  
158.  Antoni Estevadeordal, Manager, Integration and Trade Sector, Inter -American 
Development Bank (IADB)  picked up on the G20 Declaration and underscored the importanc e 
of preferential trade agreements and trade agreements being open, transparent and compatible 
with WTO rules. The Latin American case offers a good example on how this can be done. He 
referred to the Pacific Alliance between Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chi le, an agreement to 
eliminate tariffs and to harmonize rules of origin. He noted that members of the Pacific Alliance 
were already looking to build on the existing, innovative agreement amongst them by concluding 
agreements with other countries outside the  region , building on the concept of an associated 
state - a status that Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Canada intended to pursue through 
negotiations beginning in September 2017.  
159.  Mr Estevadeordal highlighted the ambitious roadmap that the Pacific A lliance members had 
designed for an agreement with Mercosur – an agreement that would change the dynamics of 
regional integration in the Latin American region. He also stated how the Pacific Alliance members WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  were implementing interoperability of the single  window, which is important for the 
operationalization and practical implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. Lastly, he 
mentioned that the Pacific Alliance members were looking beyond trade issues, at such topics as 
digital economy, financial i ntegration, building infrastructure and investments. In closing, he 
underscored the importance of focusing on SMEs and the need to start thinking about innovative 
mechanisms. In this context, he referenced IADB's Connect Americas platform that was used by 
25,000 Latin American MSMEs.  
160.  Pierre Guislain, Vice -President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and 
Industrialization, African Development Bank (AfDB)  stated that the African Development 
Bank lent more than US$11 billion per year to both governments and to  the private sector. He 
noted that many development solutions required both private and public sector interaction. He 
emphasized that Africa, a continent of more than 1.2 billion people, was too fragmented to take 
advantage of globalization. Of the 54 coun tries on the continent, 19  had populations of less than 
5 million people. Development solutions to support Africa taking full advantage of trade 
opportunities, of digital development, of global integration needed to support African regional 
institutions an d countries by developing stronger regional integration opportunities. Much of the 
work of the AfDB was related to regional and global transport infrastructure connectivity that 
served major international corridors.  
161.  Mr Guislain argued  that it was not enou gh though only to s upport physical 
infrastructure  - soft infrastructure issues also had to be addressed so that infrastructure resulted in 
trade and investment outcomes through reduced time and cost. Regional integration was critical, 
and remained a core o bjective of the African Development Bank. He identified national regulations 
and policies that do not align well with the opportunities of the 21st century as an impediment to 
growth in regional trade. National policies, including those adopted in the digi tal domain and that 
typically dated back to when the internet had first been developed, needed to be more overhauled 
to be much more open, less telecoms -centric and more digitally focused. Mr Guislain reiterated the 
need to connect and strengthen Africa's disparate local capital markets. In closing, he stated that 
in the absence of a capital -strengthening, the AfDB would soon have to scale back lending 
operations.  
162.  Bambang Susantono, Vice -President, Knowledge Management and Sustainable 
Development, Asian Development Bank (AsDB)  recalled the progress on poverty alleviation 
made in Asia and the Pacific – a region home to 4.5 billion peo ple. Between 1991 and 2015, 
90% of people in the region had moved from low i ncome to middle income status. To promote 
trade in the region, AsDB targeted an efficient, reliable, and sustainable infrastructure focusing on 
three dimensions. The first dimension wa s physical connectivity. Transportation networks 
connecting to global supply chains were required to promote the seamles s, efficient and reliable 
movement of goods and people. AsDB research suggested that the Asia Pacific region needed to 
invest around US$26 trillion until 203 0 on infrastructure or some US$ 1.7 trillion annually. Available 
funding from all multilateral sourc es currently amounted only to some 2.5% of this total. It was 
clear that this financing needed to leverage additional finance, collaborate more and attract private 
sector for the development of physical infrastructure. The second dimension he emphasiz ed wa s 
the importance of institutional connec tivity. This related to harmoniz ing procedures, rules, 
regulations and laws, especially in such areas as customs, immigration, quarantine and security to 
enable the efficient movement of goods and people. The AsDB wa s working in this area through a 
series of sub -regional programmes in order to promote institutional connectivity, such as the 
Greater Mekong Delta Sub -region and Central Asia Regional Economic  Cooperation and South Asia 
Sub-regional Economic Cooperation p rogrammes. The third dimension to AsDB work was 
connecting market actors. This approach targeted trade stakeholders and focused on capacity 
building and knowledge sharing, and creating platforms to link trade actors. He outlined the 
various financial instr uments that AsDB used to support member countries such as policy -based 
lending and private sector operations. Lastly, he emphasized the importance of supplementing 
these three aspects of physical connectivity with digital connectivity.  
163.  Commenting on priva te sector involvement in development fina ncing , Mr Susantono 
emphasize d that government needed to retain an important role. An AsDB study on infrastructure 
showed the government still dominated the financing of infrastructure and public goods. 
Government a lso had a key role to play in creating the regulatory environment that would 
crowd -in private sector investment, by developing regulations that provided more certainty and 
clarity for the private sector. AsDB investments in private -public partnerships work ed towards a WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  "triple win". The first win was for the infrastructure users in terms of better quality and affordable 
infrastructure. The second win was for the public where funds previously targeting infrastructure 
could be allocated to education and health , thus providing fiscal space for public goods. The third 
win was in terms of development outcomes. He also commented on the role of SMEs in economic 
development and the shortfall in trade financing that amounted to US$900 billion in the Asian and 
the Paci fic region. AsDB was doing a lot to improve trade financing support available for SMEs so 
that they could provide more jobs, increase women's participation in the economy, and promote 
equitable distribution of the dividends of growth.  
164.  Philip Bennett, Firs t Vice President and Head of Client Services Group, European 
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD ) provided a short overview of the 
EBRD - an institution that had been formed in 1992 to deal with what he termed a politically 
defined region , i.e. the former Soviet Union and the Soviet -influenced countries that surrounded it. 
At the time, these countries had been inward -looking, disconnected, and their borders were not 
conducive to cross -border trade or travel. This constrained interconnectivity all the way from Asia 
through to Europe. The EBRD had been formed at a time when the market economy was the order 
of the day and its focus was set on the private sector, supporting market -orientated investment 
and development. EBRD invests about US$10 billion annua lly across 36 countries, mobiliz ing 
private sector capital for the benefit of private sector development. EBRD operations focus on 
market economy development that promoted competiveness, inclusiveness, green and 
environmentally friendly and well -gover ned economies. The EBRD promoted integration of the 
region to overcome the barriers created before it came into existence , i.e. physical, energy, 
communication and travel barriers. Banking systems in EBRD member countries in the  early 90's 
were opaque, inw ard-looking and state -controlled. After the 1998 financial crisis, this situation had 
deteriorated further and EBRD had launched its Trade Facilitation  programm e in response. Over 
the past 17  years, the T rade Facilitaion  programme has conducted 20,000 indi vidual transactions, 
and financed approximately US$14 billion of actual trade finance - much of it with small entities. 
Some 70% of its trade finance operations were under US$1 million in size and focused on 
providing access to finance guarantees for SMEs and building capacity. A big challenge he noted 
was a regulatory one for correspondent banking relationships as many partner banks were 
concerned about security and transparency legislation relating to financial flows. Some 50% of 
EBRD's banking partners s tated that they were concerned about being cut -off from the global 
corresponding banking network. The EBRD's goal was to ensure these banks were connected and 
able to keep trading.  
165.  Commenting on the need to leverage private capital , Mr Bennett emphasized t hat EBRD did 
not provide concessional financing and as such did not need additional financing. The EBRD's goal 
was to find ways to leverage private sector capital into projects. Over the last 25 years, EBRD had 
succeeded in financing projects worth €360 bi llion with investments reaching just €115 billion – a 
ratio of 3 -1. EBRD's approach had evolved to leverage private sector capital from pension funds 
and insurance companies. He gave the example of a project with the WBG's Multilateral 
Investment Guarantee  Agency to finance an infrastructure project in Turkey, where the EBRD had 
provided liquidity guarantees on the greenfield element from capital investors. The EBRD was now 
trying to replicate this approach  elsewhere in the EBRD region. In Africa and in Lat in America, the 
multilateral development banks were using their special expertise to combine and create an 
instrument that would attract capital market investors. The challenge was to de -risk greenfield 
infrastructure investments in developing markets.  
166.  Dimitris Tsitsiragos , Vice President, New Business, International Finance 
Corporation  (IFC)  emphasized the role of the private sector in achieving the "billions to trillions 
agenda". He stated that the challenge was not finding financing, but how to marshal funds to 
support "bankable" projects. Multilateral development banks were trying to lever age this financing 
by developing a set of principles that crowded i n private investment and maximiz ed resources for 
the poor. Official development assistance (ODA) had plateaued at about US$135 billion a year, and 
could decline. He stated that much had bee n done in the last 15 years to lift people out of poverty, 
but a differe nt model was needed that mobiliz ed a far greater amount of private sector capital 
than in the past, combined with knowledge and technical expertise about countries and economies. 
Regul atory environments had to be created to enable the private sector to invest, particularly to 
the benefit of poor countries and poor people. The G20 had approved a set of principles to help 
multinational banks crowd -in private investment and maximi ze resour ces for the poor – principles 
that provided a framework for the multilateral development bank.   WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  167.  Mr Tsitsiragos outlined the WBG's goal as seeking to attract the commercial capital that was 
needed for development  by developing and operationaliz ing a new ap proach to development 
finance that supported the G20 principles. This implied an increased and more systematic 
emphasis on upstream reforms at the country and sectoral level. Country ownership of these 
reforms was essential, together with a determination t o focus concessional and public resources 
where it had the greatest impact. The WBG was also working at developing instruments that would 
de-risk investment and make it easier for the private sector to invest. At its core the idea was to 
put the private se ctor at the heart of developme nt with the objective of maximiz ing finan ce for 
development while minimiz ing public sector debt and contingent liabilities. He called this the 
"Cascade Approach". This approach implied identifying a problem and seeing if priva te sector 
financing was available to pay for it. If not, then the WBG worked with the government on reforms 
that would make it less risky to invest. If this option was not available, then public -private 
partnerships could be attempted. The use of public fu nds was considered a final resort. He 
concluded by noting that the aim of this approach was not to displace the public sector, but to 
ensure that public financing was invested in sectors that needed it most – e.g. in the social sphere.   
168.  In the discussion,  Mr Tsitsiragos noted that when it came to connectivity and SMEs, 
integration into Global Val ue Chains (GVCs) was important as it improved standards and created 
more access to markets. Of particular importance was to support SMEs as they created more than 
90% of jobs in developing countries. Furthermore, he emphasized that if the environment was not 
right, then investment would not take place, or it would take place in a mann er that was not 
sustainable. Mr  Tsitsiragos closed the session by underscoring the need to talk about benefits of 
trade across the world with evidence that illustrated how trade could be of benefit to all.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
- 30 - 
 
  Session 2: Thematic Focus: Sustainable Development Goals  "Aid and Inclusive Trade: 
Financing Trade Connectivity and the SDGs"  - Organizer: W orld Trade Organization  
Moderator:  Julia Nielson , Head, Development 
Division, Trade and Agriculture Directorate,  
Organisation of Economic Co -operation and 
Development  
 
Panel discussion:  
 Tofail Ahmed , Minister of Commerce, 
Bangladesh  
 Achille Bassilekin, Permanent Secretary , 
Ministry of Commerce, Cameroon  
 Khurram Dastgir Khan , Minister of 
Commerce, Pakistan  
 Ann Linde , Minister for European Union 
Affairs and Trade, Sweden  
 Neven Mimica , Commissioner of 
International Cooperation and 
Development, European Commission  
 Khemmani Pholsena , Ministe r for Trade 
and Industry, Lao People's Democratic 
Republic  
 Grete Faremo , Under -Secretary -General 
and Executive Director, United Nations 
Office for Project Services  
 Zhang Xiangchen , Ambassador, 
Permanent Representative to the World 
Trade Organization, People's Republic of 
China  
 Successive Aid -for-Trade monitoring and 
evaluation exercises have highlighted that Aid 
for Trade can contribute to the achievement of 
the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable 
Development.  This message emerged strongly 
again from the 2017 monitoring exercise, 
particularly with respect to the achievement of 
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9 on 
industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 
8 on decent work and economic growth, and 
SDG 1 on eradicating extreme poverty.   
 
Integrating the 2030  agenda into Aid -for-Trade 
actions is an on -going task.  Much action is 
already on -going both by developing countries 
and their development partners to tackle the 
issues targeted by the Sustainable Development 
Goals.  Since its launch in 2005, the 
Aid-for-Trade Initiative has been working to 
bring out the trade dimension to these needs 
and support to address them.  The 2030 Agenda 
overlays these areas with a global framework 
and targets.  Eradicating extreme poverty lies at 
the core of the Agenda – a target to which the 
multilateral trading system contributed strongly 
in the context of the Millennium Development 
Goals.   
 
The 2030 Agenda is universal.  It requires action 
by all.  It also requires financing.  Funding to 
meet the ambitious impacts outlined in the 
17 SDGs. Resources are needed to ensure that 
the multilateral trading system continues to 
contribute to the eradication of extreme 
poverty.  A key finding of the 2017 Aid for Trade 
at a Glance publication is that the better the 
physical and digital connectivity  is, the more it 
contributes to market access, financial 
inclusion, women 's economic empowerment, 
and poverty reduction.    
 
The funding gaps to support physical and digital 
connectivity are daunting.  Leaving no one 
behind requires investment to support the  
development of physical and digital network 
infrastructure to promote trade connectivity. 
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda provides a 
global framework for this action.  On-going 
actions are needed by governments to mobilize 
resources.  Another ke y finding of t he 
Aid-for-Trade monitoring and evaluation 
exercise is the growing focus on collaboration 
between the public and private sector to 
leverage aid to meet the sustainable 
development agenda.  
 
Against this background, the session explored 
how the trade dimens ion to th e SDGs can be 
financed and how A id for Trade can be used to 
catalyze the funding needed to achieve the 
2030 agenda.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Keynote Address: Neven Mimica , Commissioner of International Cooperation and 
Development, European Commission  
169.  Thank you for this opportunity to discuss the importance of trade, in supporting our efforts 
to deliver the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.  
170.  Since it was launched in Hong Ko ng more than ten years ago, the World Trade 
Organization's Aid-for-Trade  Initiative has succeeded in raising awareness of the importance of 
boosting trade in our overall development efforts.  
171.  No country has ever developed without trade. And Aid for Trade ha s become an important 
tool to help countries overcome the obstacles which prevent them from engaging in, and reaping 
the benefits of, international trade.  
172.  Aid for Trade has ensured – and indeed increased - predictable flows of financing to help 
address th ese trade -related and productive capacity constraints. Since 2007, the European Union's 
total Aid for Trade has increased by 85 percent, reaching over €13 billion in 2015. Collectivel y we 
are by far the biggest Aid -for-Trade donor worldwide, contributing a  third of the global total.  
173.  As another illustration of our commitment, I will sign three new contracts today for a total of 
more than €15 million . €5 million to support a network of trade advisers in African, Caribbean and 
Pacific countries and regions. An d a €10 million contribution to the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework – our common partnership platform for the least  developed countries.  
174.  However, there is no time for complacency. While deeper trade liberalization  has helped to 
lift hundreds of millions of p eople out of poverty worldwide, the benefits have not been felt equally 
among people, regions and countries – especially those less able to adapt to change and 
competition.  
175.  Other urgent persistent and emerging challenges often compound the negative impact s 
associated with globalization . From climate change, human rights, and gender equality , to 
insufficient employment and education for young people, and economic growth which does not 
reflect demographic changes.  
176.  More than three -quarters of people in our partner countries are experiencing levels of 
inequality higher than they were 25 years ago. In 2015, the 48 least developed countries 
represented less than one percent of global exports in goods and services. And t heir trade deficit 
in exports was 14 times bigger than it was in 2006.  
177.  The reasons are numerous - and often relate to a lack of industrialization , regional 
integration, and diversification of economies, from a strong dependency on primary commodities, 
to more value -added activities. It also relates to domestic resource mobilization  and redistribution 
mechanisms, which can still be improved for more fair and inclusive growth.  
178.  There  is a clear need to improve the implementation of trade schemes by the least 
developed countries, and to better target support to productive investment. Sustainability should 
be more than ever at the heart of our action in favour of investment and trade. And, let's face 
it - when it comes to sustainability, we are all developing co untries.  
179.  We need to ask ourselves therefore whether the current Aid -for-Trade Initiative is still fit for 
purpose. The new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is indeed a game -changer, in setting 
the framework for addressing the global challenges we fa ce. Its aims, as such, are not new. But 
the complexity and interdependence of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their 
169 targets, will requi re a smarter approach to mobiliz e all available instruments and means of 
implementation. And this includes m ore effective links between Official Development Assistance, 
trade and investment policies.  
180.  For our part, since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, we in the European Union have been 
reviewing our policy frameworks, and in particular our development cooperat ion. Just over a 
month ago, the Presidents of the European Commission, Parliament and Council signed a revised WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  European Consensus on Development - a new joint vision applicable and binding for the European 
Union institutions and our 28 member S tates.  
181.  It shows our renewed determination to work more effectively together, to adapt to new and 
emerging challenges and opportunities. It calls for an integrated approach. And it promotes 
cross-cutting drivers, which have the potential for transformative change acros s the board, 
including trade and responsible investment. It looks at the impact and potential synergies between 
our development efforts and other policies – like trade, but also climate change, security, 
humanitarian aid and migration.  
182.  More than all of this, the new Consensus reaffirms our support for the multilateral system. 
And shows our commitment to play a leading role in honouring the pledges we made as an 
international community in 2015 - at a time when global leadership, ambition and solidarity ar e 
more important than ever.  
183.  Following the new European Consens us, the European Union and our m ember States are 
reflecting on how ou r joint 2007 European Union Aid -for-Trade Strategy can also better adapt to 
the new global framework. This reflection is in l ine with the European Union's revised "Trade for 
All" strategy presented in 2015. And a reflection paper we launched earlier this year on 
"harnessing globalization ." 
184.  Our overall objective is to ac hieve greater impact in our Aid -for-Trade actions, while 
ensuring that trade can become a more effective enabler of sustainable development. More 
concretely, I believe we need to act around the following four strands:  
185.  Firstly, to increase the leverage of Aid for Trade we need to reduce the fragmentation of our 
operations and promote integrated, yet differentiated responses . We need  to better connect 
Aid-for-Trade actors - in particular the private sector - and policy instruments, such as trade 
agreements and financing tools.  
186.  The EU will support our partner countries  to take better advantage of our trade policy 
measures – where more than 39 developing countries are now covered by free trade agreements 
and over 90 benefit from unilateral preferential trade schemes.  
187.  We will also shortly start putting our new European Ex ternal Investment Plan int o action, 
which seeks to maximiz e the development impact of existing and new funding instruments. The 
new Investment Plan builds on our successful experience over the last decade of blending 
European Union grants with loans or equ ity from public and private investors.   
188.  The new Investment Plan seeks to build on this success, by targeting private investment in 
particular, in Africa and the European neighbourhood, particularly in fragile and risky environments 
where it would not otherwise flow. With a more systematic and strat egic combination of financial, 
technical and policy support, the Investment Plan aims to channel typical Aid for Trade, improve 
the overall business environment, and create the right conditions for greater trade and investment 
opportunities and outcomes.  
189.  Secondly, we should also address in an integrated manner the new realities of trade and 
investment. This includes addressing traditional and emerging trade and productive capacity needs 
– such as trade policy, trade facilitation, or sanitary and phytosanit ary measures.  
190.  However, at the same time we should seize the potential to incorporate truly sustainable 
development, for example, by supporting fair and ethical trade, more responsible supply chains, 
inclusive business models, gender equality, human rights , and labour and environmental 
standards.  
191.  Thirdly, we should better tailor Aid for Trade according to partner countries' different trade 
and productive capacity -related needs and specificities, and support the necessary reforms.  
192.  And finally, we must be g uided by more effective and operational monitoring and reporting. 
We need to have a clear picture on the impact of our actions - what is working, and what can be 
improved or adapted.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  193.  We need to shift from focusing on quantitative inputs, to considering qu alitative impacts at 
scale – in terms of increased trade, investment and employment. After all, Aid for Trade is about 
helping create lasting economic growth and decent job opportunities, in particular for women and 
young people. Ultimately, it's about mor e than aid, and more than trade. It's about supporting 
everyone's right to live in prosperity, security and human dignity.  
194.  Thank you very much for your attention. And as always, the European Union will remain a 
committed partner in these efforts.  
195.  Tofail  Ahmed, Minister of Commerce, Bangladesh  opened the discussion segment of 
the panel in reply to a question on financing for the Sustainable Development Goals and especially 
for physical and digital connectivity as a critical challenge in the trade agenda. In  reply, he  
presented his Government's plans to meet current and future investment needs for physical and 
digital connectivity through the 7th five-year plan for the period 2016 -2020. This policy had been 
devised to incorporate the 2030 SDGs and the eight g oals set out in the national Bangladesh 
Vision 2021 . Other actions taken by the government included an implementation strategy that 
mapped responsibilities of ministries and divisions by individual SDG targets and a data gap 
analysis for the SDGs. He expla ined that the implementation of the 7th five-year plan required 
some US $490 billion in financing – with an estimated 70% coming from private investment and 
20% from public investment. Bangla desh faced challenges to mobiliz e the resources needed to 
implement the plan. As the economy was growing steadily, there was scope to identify new ways 
of leveraging financing for development which should not necessarily lead to a build -up of debt.   
196.  On specific aspects of the 7th five-year plan, he stated that on physical infrastructure it was 
clear that the government's development budget would not be sufficient to satisfy needs. The 
7th five-year plan foresaw an increase in demand for transport investment from 1.6% of GDP in 
the baseli ne year to an average of 3% in the following years. In the energy sector there was a 
large gap, and investment needs were challenging. Total requirements in this sector reached 
2.5%  of the GDP annually, of which the public sector would cover only some 1.7%  per year on 
average. Private sector investment in the energy sector for 2015 -2020 would be mainly pursued 
through public -private partnerships (PPP) and should account for at least 1% of GDP per year in 
this period. The 7th five-year plan aimed to substant ially increase the amount of PPP investment 
from an average of about 0.2% of GDP in 2015 to somewhere between 1.2% of GDP per year 
thereafter. Minister Ahmed emphasized the importance  of turning Bangladesh into a "digital 
economy" , with the 7th five-year p lan focusing on strengthening ICT skills; investing in research 
and development; greater transparency; and responsible local governance , amongst other areas. 
The Minister also commented on Bangladesh's positive on -going cooperation with the EU.  
197.  In the que stion and answer session, Minister Ahmed noted that mobile banking in 
Bangladesh was well advanced. Digital Bangladesh was a reality and the government was giving 
importance to ICT development. Aid for Trade was important, but if the remaining key countrie s 
offered Duty Free Quota Free treatment to LDCs, there would be no need for Aid for Trade in his 
opinion.  
198.  Khurram Dastgir Khan , Minister of Co mmerce of Pakistan  reported one of Pakistan's 
major breakthroughs was the transparent and open auction of its 3G and 4G services in 2014, 
unleashing a flood of connectivity across the country. Broadband penetration in Pakistan leaped 
from approximately 3 million users (mainly homebased, landline connected) in 2014 to 44 million 
today (mainly through smartphones) currently. For the last three years, telecom operators in 
Pakistan have to give up 1.5% of their revenue into a "universal support fund" to help f inance 
connectivity in unserved and under -served rural areas. High digital penetration is enabling 
Pakistan to start thinking deeply about e -commerce. There is now a need to take up regulatory 
frameworks for e -payments and mechanisms to provide e -financing  to MSMEs. Minister Kahn 
noted that Pakistan views e -commerce a s an avenue to rural sellers to trade internationally. With 
assistance from the European Union and the World Bank, Pakistan is designing a regulatory 
framework to take e -commerce forward. Beyon d digital connectivity, Pakistan is also working 
towards energy connectivity. Minister Khan noted the "Kasa 100 project" bringing 100  megawatts 
to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and K yrgyzstan and the 
"Turkmenistan -Afghanistan -Pakistan -India Pipeline" ( TAPI Gas Pipeline). Minister Khan also 
outlined the China -Pakistan Economic Corridor – a collection of transportation and energy 
infrastructure projects currently under construction throughout Pakistan, with support from China. 
He noted the geopolitical im portance of connectivity with China by provid ing access for Central WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Asia to the Arabian Sea. It is not just Aid for Trade that works, trade concession can also be used 
to have very positive consequences. Pakistan has been afforded trade concessions for 10 years by 
the EU through the programme of special incentives for good governance and sustainable 
development.  
199.  During  the question and answer session, Minister Khan highlighted that in a few years, 
e-commerce would change the landscape and the role played b y banks in international trade. 
Pakistan was a leading member of the Friends of E -commerce for Development group at the WTO. 
One of the items being discussed was whether or not a common platform could be put together 
where e -commerce could take place parti cularly for small transactions to be traded across border 
without major bank interactions. Regulati ons currently put in place for b anks would have to be 
looked into closely to reflect the changing trade landscape. E -commerce will become more and 
more impor tant and the WTO is trying to catch up in terms of regulation. One interesting 
discussion is whether some groups of countries including LDCs could come together to create a 
joint e-commerce platform. Currently e -commerce in Pakistan is "e -ordering" – where  consumers 
purchase something on their phones to be paid in cash upon delivery. It would be highly beneficial 
if mobile e -payment solutions could be provided for those consumers. He suggested that one of 
the biggest gaps in optimally using Aid for Trade wa s in selecting the most dynamic domestic 
entrepreneurs and training them to trade internationally. There was a lack of institutions to vet 
domestic entrepreneurs and hold their hand to connect to the international market.   
200.  Khemmani Pholsena , Minister for Trade and Industry, Lao People's Democratic 
Republic  noted that as an LDC, Lao PDR faces major development finance challenges.  To meet 
physical a nd digital needs, Lao PDR is focusing on two areas of work: first, determining 
approaches to mobilizing ODA, and secondly, focusing on p rivate investment facilitation.  On 
mobilizing ODA, the government had established a  platform to support a "dialogue proc ess" – with 
10 Sector Working Groups under a Round Table Process. This is the main forum for policy dialogue 
between the Government and its development partners. For instance, the Trade and Private Sector 
Working Group had improved the business -enabling en vironment by providing a platform for a 
structured and ongoing publi c-private dialogue between the G overnment and the business 
community, and provided feedback and inputs on various government policies affecting the private 
sector. On attracting domestic a nd foreign investment, Lao PDR is focusing on three strategic 
pillars: further integration into the trading system, improving the business environment and 
enhancing competitiveness. Minister Pholsena suggested  that phy sical and digital connectivity 
were bo th important for SME development. Trade facilitation is also vital in reducing trade costs. 
Finally, Lao PDR is currently developing and e -commerce law.  
201.  Achille  Bassilekin, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Cameroon 
references his country's contribution to the A id-for-Trade monitoring exercise, in which Cameroon 
had evaluated trade f acilitation as one of its main A id-for-Trade priorities. Cameroon had used 
aid-for-trade facilitation support to: establish its national T rade Facilitation  committee; digitize its 
international trade procedures; meet standards for accessing foreign markets; and draft a new 
framework law on digital trade. At the core of Cameroon's national digital strategy was bridging 
the persistent access divide that affected the country in both its urban and rural territories. This 
remained true in spite of an upsurge in telecommunication operators that had recently entered the  
national market. Mr Bassilekin also highlighted that some 6,000 kilometres of fibre -optic cable had 
been laid, but cautioned that a further 8,000 needed to be laid to service the population. He 
argued that A id for Trade could help Cameroon further digitiz e its international trade procedures, 
to align with international markets, and to adjust to new economic partnerships. One such 
partnership was being negotiated with the European Union. The EU supported Cameroon and its 
neighbours in furthering their regio nal integration through enhancement in transport infrastructure 
and through support to competitiveness.  
202.  Financing needs remained significant, particularly on account of falling commodity prices. In 
many African countries, commodities accounted for more th an 70% of export revenue. Aid for 
Trade could play a role in mitigating the effects of commodity price effects. Because of the sheer 
size of the needs, Aid for Trade was likely to remain needed for many years to come, particularly if 
an alternative form of  financing, either from the private sector or from donors, was not mobilized. 
Finally, he stressed the importance of e -money and linked it to the development of the informal 
sector. Formaliz ation of informal electronic transactions could play an important role in enabling 
tax collection to support countries ' transformational processes towards development.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  203.  Ann Linde , Minister for European Union A ffairs and Trade, Sweden  outlined how 
Sweden was bringing the private sector into its development financing and using aid in a catalytic 
way. She emphasized the role of "partnerships"  in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Agenda, the 
need to find innovative fi nancing and to partner with the private sector. She highlighted a few of 
SIDA's initiatives including:  the SIDA Load Guarantee Instrument, SEDFUND (green investments), 
SIDA challenge funds and Swedish Leadership for Sustainable Development. In this regard , she 
outlined how more than 20 of the leading companies in Sweden had placed " sustainability " as part 
of the core agenda in order to assist meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. She 
emphasized the importance of digital technology and ICT more b roadly to attain the SDG s.  
204.  Sweden  is actively seeking to make ICT and digital technology widely accessible to all, 
regardless of socio -economic factors. Basic conditions had been established in the 1990s with the 
phasing out of state monopolies which stim ulated competition, growth and innovation in the ICT 
sector. The increased use of digital solutions in the public sector was another example of where 
Sweden is ma king a difference. The Swedish G overnment has developed a new broadband 
strategy with a view to making digital connectivity accessible to the whole population by 2025.  
205.  During the question and answer session, Minister Linde emphasized that donors did not have 
enough money to finance implementation o f the SDG s. UNC TAD had calculated a gap of 
US$2.5 trillion to implement all the SDG -related sectors. She cited the challenge as how to attract 
businesses to invest.  
206.  Zhang Xiangchen , Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the World Trade 
Organization, People's Republic of China  profiled China's contribution to South -South 
development with a special focus on infrastructure, e -commerce, investment facilitation and trade 
facilitation. No trade could take place without the necessary infrastructure. This had prompted 
China to launch its well -known "Belt and Road Initiative" in 2013, a vast infrastructure project 
focusing on connectivity (including a series of overland and oversea s corridors) across Eurasian 
countries. Another successful initiative was a railway program through which the products from 
Ethiopia could be delivered to the port of Djibouti, and then exported to the rest of the world. An 
affordable and reliable high -speed broadband infrastructure was also a necessary condition for 
countries to participate in e -commerce. Partnering with the private sector was key in this regard. 
He mentioned Huawei Technologies' experience in actively helping countries in their ICT 
develo pment plans, and how Huawei had built more than half of wireless network base stations 
and 70% of the LTE high -speed mobile networks in Africa, and trained over 30 ,000 ICT personnel 
on the ground.   
207.  Investment facilitation was also key in that it helped ho st countries to attract the necessary 
investors and investments for their industrialization  and ICT development plans. He underlined 
China's continued commitment towards South -South cooperation and development aid. Speed of 
transaction was key to ensuring trade facilitation. For instance, in 2017, China provided three  sets 
of mobile container/vehicle examining systems for Tanzania, which had significantly improved the 
efficiency of customs clearance. In addition, the time spent on customs clearance of the 
agricultural products exported from Kazakhstan to China had also shortened by 90% as a result of 
trade facilitation. In 2016 alone, China had carried out more than 30 Aid-for-Trade programs, 
ranging from infrastructure construction of ports and roads, to ca pacity building for inspectors, and 
trained more than 3 ,000 officials from over 40 countries.  
208.  In the question and answer session, Ambassador Xiangchen stated that e -commerce was 
both an opportunity, and also a challenge. Aid for Trade could help seize the opportunities – but 
capital was limited. To achieve sustainable development, a business -friendly environment was a 
precondition. Combining domestic efforts and Aid for Trade would help achieve inclusive trade and 
sustainable development.   
209.  Grete Faremo , Under -Secretary -General and Executive Director, United Nations 
Office for Project Services  explained that the 2030 Agenda is all about implementation, 
ensuring a sustainable future and inclusion. UNOPS is the operational  arm of the UN with a focus 
on "implementation"  of plans and projects , particularly in the most fragile states and conflict 
states. UNOP S ensured that ODA is used as efficiently as possible. She emphasized how UNOPS 
was the only UN agency with an explicit mandate to help build infrastructures, often doing so in 
fragile or conflict states. She stressed the need to attract and work with private capital for  
sustainable and more equitable development. In this regard, she stated how UNOPS had helped WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
- 36 - 
 
  connect companies to governments and built capacity as well as innovation centres. For instance, 
currently, UNOPS operated three global innovation centres in China .  
210.  UNOPS had also signed partnership agreements with several academic and private 
institutions over the past year, such as Columbia University and MIT. This cooperation helped 
foster innovative solutions to assist UNOPS with implementing projects. Under -Secretary -General 
Faremo stated also that UNOPS was  working with top tech companies to determine how to use 
artificial intelligence for innovative solutions. If UNOPS could find better solutions for payments, a 
lot would be saved in official developm ent assistance. Currently, there were high losses due to 
currency conversions.  
211.  During the question and answer session, Hamat Tallah, R epresentative of the 
Permanent Mission of Chad  commented that digital trade was an inescapable reality. Most 
vulnerable e conomies, such as LDCs, had to be proactive in driving their economies towards more 
modern ICT facilities. In this context, an important gap remained, at least in the case of Chad,  and 
there were many more questions than answers. It was also evident that f or countries in similar 
situations, bridging the gap in physical infrastructure would only be a first step towards progress. 
In Africa for instance, the digital economy was flourishing and had an important potential for 
growth. However, large corporations had crowded out markets, with little scope remaining for 
smaller players. With regard to the measures that fragile countries could implement in order to 
reap the benefits of digital trade, he commented that he found the case of Pakistan instructive.  
212.  Paul B atibonak, Representative of Cameroon,  stressed the importance of digital trade 
as a game changer – for policy makers and users alike – and asked if A id-for-Trade investments 
would suffice to bridge the digital divide. He also questioned if rule -making, whi ch typically 
imposed obligations rather than promoted capacity -building, would improve the situation or in fact 
exacerbate it. By his estimation, new rules could serve in fact to further deepen the digital divide, 
not to close it. He also questioned if Mem bers would benefit from the necessary policy space to 
develop industrial or digital policies and if new rules would be developed in the context of regional 
frameworks or within the confines of the WTO.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 3: Side event: "Digital Trade: How the private sector is improving efficiency, 
transparency and inclusion"  - Organizer:  Australia  
Moderator: Alisa DiCaprio, Research Fellow, 
Asian Development Bank Institute  
Panel discussion:  
 Jeremy Chee, General Manager, 
Strategy and Business Development, 
1-Stop 
 Sandra Ernst, Chief Executive Officer, 
Smart Funding  
 Shana Fatina, Founder, ORA Dive 
Komodo  
 Chad Morris, Manager, Investment and 
Tourism, Pacific Islands Trade and 
Invest  
 Mark Staples, Group Leader Software 
Systems, Data61, Commonwealth 
Scientific and Industrial Research 
Organisation  Overview :   
 
The objective of this session was to discuss 
how, in digital trade, the private sector was 
improving efficiency, transparency an d 
inclusion. Private sector experts  from Australia, 
Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and the 
Pacific region  participated in the panel . They 
described some of the challenges faced by SMEs 
engaging in digital trade. These challenges 
consisted primarily in the lack of internet access 
(de facto  restricting access to digital financial 
technologies and investment), complex 
government regulations, and inadequate 
investment policies. B ased on their experience, 
speakers then offered actionable policies aimed 
at encouraging secure, inclusive and efficient 
implementation of future trade.  
 
Short summary   
 
213.  Trade is being disrupted. Over the past five years, technologies introduced by the private 
sector have made the process more inclusive and efficient. E -Documents, blockchain, and fintech 
are just a few of the ways that digital trade processing can support development goals. But much 
of this innovation is happening in silos. As a result, it is not always evident how governments can 
encourage the development and uptake of new approaches to trade facilitation. This panel 
introduced the concepts of some of the new technologies being used in trade facilitation. Speakers 
from the private sector discuss their use of electronic processing for port logistics in the 
Philippines, blockchain for Single Window and working capital lending to SMEs. The objective was 
to off er actionable policies, based on private sector experience that can encourage secure, 
inclusive and efficient implementation of the next chapter of trade.  
Summary  
 
214.  Alisa DiCaprio, Research Fellow, Asian Development Bank Institute  introduced the 
session by recalling that Aid-for-Trade donors sometimes struggle with identifying the specific 
business needs of SMEs and to help them to tackle day -to-day problems.  
215.  Sandra Ernst, Chief Executive Officer, Smart Funding  introduced her Singapore -based 
fintech company that hosts an online investment platform  that connects potential investors with 
SMEs that are too big for micro -finance, yet too small to interest banks. Her company conducts the 
credit assessment of SMEs, reviews their business  history and put s all the relevant information on 
the platform, where investors can evaluate and consequently, invest in SMEs and their projects. As 
most of SMEs are unaware of the existence of such technologies and opportunities, governments 
have a role t o play in educating them.   
216.  Jeremy Chee, General Manager, Strategy and Business Development, 1 -Stop 
discussed how his firm provides solutions to improve container traceability. The solution consists in 
switching the format of the documentation used for cont ainers along the supply chain. Previously 
done on paper, the information is now electronic, and more importantly, shared among trade 
partners along truck routes. This represents some 350 million messages  to date, savings of around 
US$200 million for firms but also for governments who see a better use of the existing 
infrastructure. Another specific improvement was brought at the port of Manilla, Philippines. Traffic 
became so bad along the road to the port that it was damaging the economy. Putting in place a 
simple technological solution, akin to the ones used in airpo rts, in collaboration with the 
Government , streamlined processes at the port of Manila, thus reducing trade costs. The solution 
is now being rolled out in all the ports of the country.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  217.  Shana Fa tina, Founder, ORA Dive Komodo,  an ITC SheTrades entrepreneur, discussed 
the benefits brought by digital trade on the popular destination island of Komodo, Indonesia. The 
rapid development of technology has impacted tourism in the region. Visitors have inc reased from 
60,000 to 150,000 per year with a larger and growing proportion of Indonesian visitors who now 
represents 30% of all visitors. Digital trade has improved the professionalism of not only how the 
tourism experience is delivered, but also of how m arketing is done with the use of digital med ia. 
Despite the efforts of the G overnment to develop digital literacy in citizens, the area still suffers 
from lack of connectivity and inadequate infrastructure. Digital trade has improved trade by 
reducing info rmation asymmetry. Instagram and other social media have attracted additional 
tourists as they can access other visitors' positive evaluations.  
218.  Chad  Morris, Manager, Investment and Tourism, Pacific Islands Trade and Invest  
runs a programme called Digital T ourism which, since 201 2, had built 250 websites in 
14 countries. In 2016 alone, the revenue generated equaled  US$5.5 million. The point of the 
programme is to build the capacity of the tourism sector, provide website facilities, and equip them 
with digita l marketing. This initiative is motivated by the importance of tourism in the region. In 
2016 alone, tourism spending reached US$1.5 billion, a much needed income to drive up growth 
and job creation in the region with multipl e effects on the local economy and positive impacts on 
the livelihoods of people, in particular women.  
219.  Mark Staples, Group Leader Software Systems, Data61, Commonwealth Scientific 
and Industrial Research Organisation  presented blockchain, sometimes called distributed 
ledger technology. Blockchain is a technology in its early stage of penetration into the trade 
sphere, (e.g. in the area of supply chain). Industries are adopting the blockchain technology to 
ensure transparency in supply chain transactions and to trace the history of produc ts, hence 
preventing imitations and malpractice. Reliable data on products can be secured through the 
application of blockchain technology, which in turn helps businesses to establish food safety, build 
their quality brand and secure trade. A number of dev eloping countries have already been using 
blockchain. In Georgia, for example, it has been used for land titles and to developing land 
registry. In Indonesia, it has been introduced to implement a sustainable supply chain for tuna 
fishing.  
220.  In the question and answer session, a comment was made about the volume and complexity 
of governmental regulations relevant to digital trade. These regulations often contradict each other 
between and among different levels of governmental authorities (local, state, federa l etc.), sectors 
of the economy (tourism, industry, information and communication technology, etc.) and 
countries. Given the fast pace of change in digital trade, governments should have practitioners 
and professionals of digital trade who understand the n ature and the essence of the industry and 
come up with pragmatic solutions. Access to internet and digital trade in developing countries 
should be facilitated through the right investment policies. Investment in telecom and finance was 
considered vital by some participants.  
221.  Other  comments focused on how many new technologies require more than a single ministry 
or agency to regulate - and the good practice of data sharing was not consistently taken. Data 
protection, privacy and sovereignty were all challenge s. In these, as in other areas, governments 
had a role to play. For instance, although their regulatory role was important to prevent money 
laundering, they needed to take into account that start -ups required special and lighter treatment. 
Technological sy stems, such as blockchain, could also contribute to the fight against money 
laundering, by aiding governments remove cash from circulation. It also reduced the cost of 
establishing new transactional relationships.  
222.  With regards to fintech, one speaker high lighted the difficulty of performing credit 
assessment on SMEs in such a way as to ensure that the accompanying interest rate on fintech 
products were risk -based. Fintech and digital tourism directly targeted SMEs. The Pacific Islands 
Trade and Invest digital tourism programme had a focus on women entrepreneurs. Blockchain and 
port logistics had less focused client bases and did not target specific groups. However, there were 
a number of blockchain pilots being launched in developing Asia, including a l and title registry in 
the Republic of Georgia and bitcoin for remittances in the Philippines. Scaling technologies was 
mentioned as a challenge by all speakers. Fintechs faced trouble launching beyond a single 
market. Digital trade should be as inclusive a s possible. Women and SMEs should be the target of 
digital revolution.   WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  223.  It was further noted that  regulation could be a barrier to the development of digital trade. 
These regulations include certification (licensing) of fintech companies, anti -money launde ring, 
data sovereignty and data privacy measures. Governments needed to work together to have 
common approaches on how to regulate digital trade and hold an inclusive dialogue with the 
private sector. Scalability was identified as one of the main issues of  SMEs operating in digital 
trade. To address this issue, products and services of digital SMEs should be diversified; new 
platforms should be established to reduce the costs of logistics and connectivity. The panel closed 
by noting that as businesses incre asingly go digital, it would be important to gather more data 
about them. With more data on fintech, it would now become possible to strategically analyse the 
periodicity and reasons for credit defaulting.    
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 4: Side event: "Clicks need Bricks – Promoting trade through quality 
infrastructure"  - Organizer s: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and 
Development (BMZ), World Bank Group, U nited Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development , International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development  
Opening remarks : Dominik Ziller, Director -
General International Development Policy, 
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and 
Development, Germany and G20 Chair 
Development Working Group  
 
Moderator:  Reinhard Weissinger, Senior Expert 
Researc h and Education, International 
Organization for Standardization  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
• Shamika Sirimanne, Director, Division on 
Technology and Logistics , United Nations 
Conference on Trade and Development  
 
• Erik Wijkström, Counsellor, Trade and 
Environment  Division, World Trade Organization  
 
 Hermogène Nsengimana, Chairperson, 
Pan African Quality Infrastructure and Secretary 
General, African Regional Organisation for 
Standardisation  
 
• Joachim H. Ullrich, President, German 
National Metrology Institute  
 
• Wafa'a M. Aranki, Senior Private Sector 
Specialist Business Environment, World Bank 
Group  
 
• Bernardo Calzadilla -Sarmiento, Director 
for Trade, Investment and Innovation, United 
Nations Industrial Development Organization  
 
• Deborah Vorhies, Managing Director, 
International Centre for Trade and Sustainable 
Development  Overview  
 
The ability to participate in global trade depends 
increasingly on compliance with quality 
standards and technical regulations of export 
markets. The inability to demonstrate 
compliance with these standards and 
regulations often translates into significant 
technical barriers to trade.  
 
While IT and connectivity – "clicks" – offer great 
trade potential,  basic quality 
infrastructure  - "bricks" – are still  essential to 
market access. A well -functioning and reliable 
quality infrastructure system – consisting of 
standardization, metrology, testing, quality 
management, certification and accreditation – is 
increasingly becoming a sine-qua-non for trade. 
Yet, th is basic support system is not always 
available or fully -functional in developing 
countries. I n consequence, small and 
medium -sized enterprises either incur high 
costs and lengthy procedures to acquire the 
necessary services abroad or are prevented 
altoget her from exporting. Therefore, the 
development of an internationally recognized 
quality infrastructure is crucial for a country 
wanting to connect to global value chains.  
 
The event discusse d solutions adapted to a 
country's specific needs that do not requ ire 
every country t o establish and maintain a 
full-fledged quality infrastructure. It present ed 
existing offers of technical assistance for quality 
infrastructure within the framework of the 
Aid-for-Trade Initiative and highlight ed the 
options and possibil ities for countrie s looking to 
lay the necessary " bricks " for trade.  
 
Short summary  
 
224.  The session addressed the importance of quality infrastructure (QI) in light of the growing 
challenge to comply with quality standards of export markets. QI, consisting of standardization, 
metrology, testing, certification and accreditation, has become fundamental for proving this 
compliance and thus, for trade. Opening the session, Dominik Ziller (BMZ) reflected on the role of 
QI as one priority of the German Aid -for-Trade Strategy. The growing importance of QI was further 
highlighted by UNCTAD. 85% of Non -Tariff Measures are today related to SPS measures or TBTs. 
While their products may comply with these measures, companies are unable to prove this 
because QI is lacking . Conformity assessment is crucial for creating trust in product safety, 
especially in global value chains. According to WTO, trade concerns are increasingly related to 
conformity assessment by QI. Joachim H. Ullrich  (PTB) emphasized that not every country  should 
establish a full -fledged QI. Instead, burden -sharing and division of labour within regions prove to 
be more efficient. An example for Panafrican cooperation on QI was then given. The World Bank 
presented its market -driven approach to QI reform, rel ying on a thorough assessment of existing 
capacities and demand and prioritizing accordingly.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Summary  
 
225.  UNIDO shared its experience of developing and implementing a National Quality Policy that 
should guide the governance of a QI system. ICTSD put the need  for QI into the broader context 
of sustainable value chains, highlighting the challenges of standards compliance and the role of A id 
for Trade. The final discussion confirmed the growing importance of QI for free trade.  
226.  In his opening remarks, Dominik Zil ler, Director -General International Development 
Policy, Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany and G20 
Chair Development Working Group  reflected on Germany 's experience as the largest bilateral 
donor in the area of quality infras tructure and the role of quality infrastructure as one of the corner 
stones of the new German Aid -for-Trade Strategy.  
227.  According to Shamika Sirimanne, Director, Division on Technology and Logistics , 
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development , 85% of  Non-Tariff Measures are 
today related to SPS measures or TBTs. While the quality of their product may in fact be good, 
companies are prevented from exporting when they are not able to provide the necessary pro of 
due to a lack of quality infrastructure. In  order to bring down trade costs related to SPS Measures 
and TBTs, Ms Sirimanne proposed to focus on harmonization and mutual recognition of standards 
and regulations between countries, strengthening the international standards regime, creating 
more regula tory transparency and integrating quality infrastructure into Trade Facilitation activities 
whenever standards and testing procedures are concerned.  
228.  The importance of conformity assessment for creating trust in product safety, especially in 
global value ch ains, was highlighted by Erik Wijkström, Counsellor, Trade and Environment 
Division, World Trade Organization . Quality infrastructure is necessary to make conformity 
assessment possible. At the WTO, more and more trade concerns are today related to conform ity 
assessment such as testing, inspection and certification , which is provided by quality 
infrastructure. While it is difficult to put an exact number of the gains of having quality 
infrastructure in place, the costs of not being able to prove the quality  of one 's products are all too 
tangible.   
229.  Joachim H. Ullrich , President of the German National Metrology Institute (PTB),  
responsible for implementing quality infrastructure projects on behalf of the German government 
for 50 years, presented PTB 's systemic approach to the development on quality infrastructure. He 
emphasized that not every country can nor should establish and maintain fully -fledged quality 
infrastructure. Therefore, PTB advocates for approaches of burden -sharing within regional 
netwo rks and division of labour between neighbouring countries.  
230.  An example of this type of regional cooperation was given by Hermogène Nsengimana, 
Chairperson, Pan African Quality Infrastructure and Secretary General, African Regional 
Organisation for Standard isation , with reference to  the Panafrican Network of Quality 
Infrastructure (PAQI).  
231.  Wafa'a M. Aranki, Senior Private Sector Specialist Business Environment, World 
Bank  Group  presented their approach to quality infrastructure reform, relying on a market -driven 
approach of assessing a country's existing capacities as well as demand and prioritizing reforms 
accordingly. Ms Aranki announced that World Bank and PTB are currently developing a toolkit on 
quality infrastructure reform that combines a diagnostic to ol and a reformer 's guide to quality 
infrastructure.  
232.  Bernardo Calzadilla -Sarmiento, Director for Trade, Investment and Innovation, 
United Nations Industrial Development Organization presented UNIDO 's experience of 
developing and implementing a National Qua lity Policy that should guide the governance of a 
national infrastructure system. Emphasis was on consumer orientation and the real needs of the 
private sector in creating infrastructure that is fit for purpose.  
233.  Deborah Vorhies, Managing Director, Internat ional Centre for Trade and 
Sustainable Development  placed the need for quality infrastructure within the broader context 
of sustainable global value chains. One of the roles that Aid for Trade can play in this respect is to WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  support an internationally recognized infrastructure that provides the necessary conformity 
assessment.  
234.  The presentation was followed by a lively question and answer discussion that confirmed the 
growing importance of infrastructure for reaping the benefits of free trade. Issues rai sed in the 
course of discussions included : concerns on the increased trade burden on SMEs dues to the 
fragmentation of standards and certification requirements; private standards; the role of services 
trade in infrastructure development; and the importance  of regulatory cooperation.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 5: Side event: "Tourism for Development in Least Developed Countries"  - 
Organizer s: Enhanced Integrated Framework, International Trade Centre, United 
Nations World Tourism Organization  
Keynote address:  Márcio Favilla  Lucca de 
Paula, Executive Director, United Nations World 
Tourism Organization  
 
Moderator:  Dale Honeck, Counsellor, Trade in 
Services Division, World Trade Organization  
 
 Joint presentation EIF -UNWTO -ITC: 
 Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Director, 
Enhanced Inte grated Framework  
 Zoritsa Urosevic, Representative to the 
United Nations in Geneva, United 
Nations World Tourism Organization  
 Marion Jansen, Chief Economist, 
International Trade Centre  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Joe Natuman,  Deputy Prime Minister 
and Minister for  Tourism, Trade, 
Commerce, Vanuatu  
 Axel M. Addy, Minister of Commerce 
and Industry , Liberia  
 Armand Tazafy, Minister of Commerce, 
Madagascar  
 Deepak Dhital, Ambassador, Permanent 
Representative to the World Trade 
Organization, Nepal  
 David Walker, Ambassador,  Permanent 
Representative to the World Trade 
Organization, New Zealand  
 Paul Akiwumi, Director, Division for 
Africa, Least Developed Countries and 
Special Programmes, United Nations 
Conference on Trade and Development  Overview  
 
This side event launched the joint 
EIF/UNWTO/ITC study "Tourism for 
Developmen t in Least Developed Countries: 
Mobilizing and Coordinating Resources for 
Tourism with the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework".  
 
Tourism is  one of the largest and 
fastest -growing service sectors, representing 
nearly 10% of the world 's gross domestic 
product and 30% of global services exports, 
providing one out of every eleven jobs in the 
world. As an export category, in 2015 tourism 
ranked third after fuels and chemicals. Tourism 
now represents 7% of the least developed 
countries ' total exports of goods and services, 
and for non -oil exporters, the figure stands at 
10%.  
 
Tourism 's role for sustainable development has 
been emphasized in the Sustainable 
Development Goals and 2017 declared the 
International Year for  Sustainable Tourism. As 
shown in the study that was presented in this 
session, the vast majority of Diagnostic Trade 
Integration Studies also emphasize the large 
potential of tourism for increased and more 
diversified trade.  
 
The session discussed  how don or co-ordination, 
collaboration between tourism and trade 
stakeholders and smart design of support 
programs can contribute to building tourism 
activities in least developed countries that are 
economically, socially and environmentally 
sustainable. The Worl d Tourism Organization 
and the International Trade Centre work with 
the Enhanced Integrated Framework to design 
and implement a new generation of tourism 
export strategies to sustain such efforts.  
 
Short summary  
 
235.  The launch of the joint  EIF/UNWTO/ ITC report entitled " Tourism for Development in Least 
Developed Countries" marked a significant milestone for the International Year of Sustainable 
Tourism for Development. Following a presentation on key recommendations from the report, LDC 
Ministers, Ambassa dors and Development Partners shared their experiences on how tourism 
contributes to job creation, economic growth and development.  
Summary  
 
236.  In his keynote speech,  Márcio Favilla  Lucca de Paula , Executive Director, United 
Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)  stressed the importance  of tourism in 
achieving all 17  Sustainable Development Goals, particularly goals 8 (inclusive and sustainable 
economic growth), 12 (sustainable consumption and production) and 14 (sustainable use of 
oceans and m arine resources). The UN nominated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Tourism for Development, aiming to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer 
behavior towards a more sustainable tourism sector. Mr Favilla noted the impor tance of tourism 
for LDCs representing 7% of total exports of goods and services. Forty -five out of 48 Diagnostic 
Trade Integration Studies (DTIS) analyzed for the report include tourism as a key sector for trade 
development. While 11% of the EIF investmen t portfolio for the productive capacity -building 
projects is focused on tourism, capturing trade -related technical assistance towards tourism 
remained a challenge because tourism and trade tend to fall under  different line ministries. 
Mr Favilla stressed t hat achieving inclusive and sustainable growth in the LDCs would require 
leveraging additional resources for tourism. The EIF, UNWTO, and ITC could all contribute through 
increased co -ordination and collaboration in designing and implementing tourism expor t strategies.  
237.  Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Director, Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) noted 
that tourism 's under -representation in international financing for development flows remained a 
critical obstacle to unlocking its full development potential. D espite its wide -reaching and 
well-documented socio -economic impacts, tourism still received insufficient attention as a tool for 
development (between 2006 and 2013, only 0.09% of total Official Development Assistance (ODA) 
and 0.4% of total A id-for-Trade disbursements were reported by donor countries to be allocated 
for tourism). Mr Adhikari cited key tourism -related findings from the DTIS identified in the study : 
i) need for a full integration of tourism into national development plans; ii) more consultati ons with 
private sectors and tourism sector employee representatives; and iii) need to improve 
assessments on climate change. He also noted that the trade community considered the DTIS as a 
useful vehicle for better understanding tourism -related issues and  that national tourism 
stakeholders viewed the DTIS as a successful trigger for new and fresh thinking with regard to 
tourism.   
238.  Zoritsa Urosevic, Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, U nited Nations 
World Trade Organization  reiterated that tourism ranked third in the world export earnings 
category, accounting for 10% of global GDP, 7% of world exports and 30% of services exports. In 
2015, LDCs received 29 million international tourist arrivals accounting for US$20 billion in  
exports. However, there are a number of challenges for tourism development ranging from 
infrastructure and access to policy regulations to investment and business environment. In order 
to raise the profile of tourism, Ms Urosevic provided several recommen dations including tourism 
mainstreaming, dialogue between tourism and trade stakeholders, presence of tourism -related 
institutions, resource -leveraging, and initiation of sector -specific strategies.  
239.  Marion Jansen, Chief Economist, International Trade Centr e noted that tourism was 
yet to become a major priority for donor countries, with Japan an d the EU being the main 
tourism -related Aid -for-Trade donors. According to donor facilitators, there was a need to ensure 
alignment to each country context, involve s takeholders from the tourism sector and provide 
guidance on how to take tourism into account in the DTIS. Ms Jansen made four 
recommendations: i) reinforce the involvement of tourism -related institutions with trade 
institutions at the national level during  the formulation of action matrices; ii) raise awareness at 
the level of tourism ministries or relevant line ministries of the DTIS process and its relevance for 
fundraising; iii) initiate donor consultations by the Donor Facilitator at the formulation of the DTIS 
concept note; iv) facilitate mechanisms that trigger the initiation of sector -specific strategies as a 
direct follow -up to action matrix validation.  
240.  During the panel discussion,  Joe Natuman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for 
Tourism, Trade, Commerce and Ni -Vanuatu Business, Vanuatu  noted that tourism accounts 
for 40% of GDP in Vanuatu. Reconstruction of the seafront project funded by New Zealand and the 
EIF would support greater inter -sectoral linkages and will contribute to the country's 
socio-economic development.  
241.   Axel M. Addy, Minster of Commerce and Industry, Liberia  shared Liberia's experience 
of developing a tourism strategy as part of the post -WTO accession deliverables. He also noted 
that Liberia had launched a new website: http://experienceliberiantourism.com/  to raise 
awareness of the country's tourism opportunities.  
242.  Armand Tazafy, Minister of Commerce, Madagascar  presented a video of Madagascar 
tourism opportunities. Half a mill ion tourists arrived in Madagascar in 2016 and contributed 8% of 
GDP. Currently, the country was focusing on sustainable tourism development.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  243.  Deepak Dhital, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the WTO  
emphasized the role of public -private partnerships and resource leveraging for tourism 
development.   
244.  Building on Vanuatu's intervention, David Walker, Ambassador and Permanent 
Representative of New Zealand to the WTO  reiterated that development of the seafront in 
Vanuatu enabled important lin kages for infrastructure development.  
245.  Paul Akiwumi, Director, Division for Africa, LDCs and Special Programmes, 
United  Nations Conference on Trade and Development , shared key findings of the recent 
UNCTAD Economic Development in Africa 2017 Report - Tourism for Transformative and Inclusive 
Growth. He stressed that continental and intraregional tourism in Africa is increasing opportunities 
for economic and export diversification by boosting the competitiveness of destinations. Finally, 
harnessing peace and stability for tourism is equally important, he noted.  
246.  The Q&A discussion revolved around good practices and innovative ideas related to tourism 
supply chains as well as the challenges facing tourism -related legal and regulatory reforms.  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 6: Side  event: "Inclusiveness and Connectivity Dimensions of EU -ACP Trade and 
Development Co -operation"  - Organizer s: African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States , 
European Union  
Moderators:  
 Viwanou Gnassonou, Assistant 
Secretary General Secretariat, African, 
Caribbean and Pacific Group of States  
 Axel Pougin de la Maisonneuve, Deputy 
Head of Unit, Private Sector and Trade -
Directorate General for International 
cooperation and Development, 
European Commission  
 
Panel discussion:  
 Catherine Krobo -Edusei, Chief Executive 
Officer, Eden Tree , Ghana  
 Jane Ngige, Chief Executive Officer, 
Kenya Flower Council  
 Hermogene N sengimana , Secretary -
General, African Organisation for 
Standardisation  
 Tadeous Tafirenyika Chifamba, 
Ambassador, Permanent Representative 
to the Organisation for the Prohibition of 
Chemical Weapons, Zimbabwe Co -
President of ACP -EC Trade & 
Commodities Sub -Committee  
 The structured EU –ACP trade and developm ent 
cooperation arrangements have contributed to 
trade growth and development in the partner 
countries, by:  
 
 Enhancing the Productivity Agenda for 
industrialization, trade expansion, 
diversification, and effective integration 
into the global economy;  
 
 Addressing effectively the key 
determinants of trade competitiveness 
and connectivity;  
 
 Promoting macro -economic policies for 
inclusive growth, value addition and 
trade expansion; and  
 
 Harnessing the blue economy.  
 
ACP countries ' greater trade integration into the 
EU and the global econ omy remains one of the 
key objectives. This provides greater impetus to 
the ACPs' sustained export expansion, effective 
penetration into the regional and global value 
chains, sustainable development, and effective 
negotiation of multilateral and regional t rade 
agreements and implementation of these 
agreements for their benefit.  
 
The update of the EU Aid -for-Trade Strategy 
aims precisely at enhancing the effectiveness 
and impact of Aid for Trade by linking it to 
investment and trade drivers such as the 
Exter nal Investment Plan and new Free Trade 
Agreements, and by addressing new realities of 
international trade.  
 
Going forward, political commitment will be 
required to translate these trade and 
cooperation agendas into sound policy and 
modalities for e ffective  implementation of the 
Aid-for-Trade commitments. As the ACP -EU 
partnerships demonstrate the huge gains 
attainable, ACP countries would, with the 
continued structured partnership with the 
European Union, endeavor to accelerate the 
pace of integration into the regional and global 
economies.  
 
Short summary  
 
247.  Panellists  discussed  the most recent dimensions of A id for Trade in ACP countries and how to 
foster connectivity and inclusiveness. For the last 60 years, trade expansion and diversification 
have been key areas of the well -structured cooperation and relationships that link ACP countries 
and the European Union. Toda y the A id-for-Trade I nitiative is called to address the new realities of 
international trade and to help ACP countries overcome the remaining barriers to accessing the 
global economy.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  248.  During the session, challenges were identified in several areas: logisti cs and digital 
connectivity; low level of expertise and lack of availability of skilled labour ; lack of adequate 
infrastructure; lack of compliance with standards; high costs of certification and access to product 
testing facilities; lack of access to fina nce and ad -hoc financing instruments for SMEs; lack of 
awareness on the role of quality infrastructure in trade and how standards could increase the 
quality of production and exports; need for capacity building for companies and exporters to better 
underst and the Trade Facilitation Agreement as well as the technical requirements for exports; 
sustained focus on inclusiveness and inclusion of the most vulnerable parts of populations into the 
economy; need for framework harmonization in the area of standards a nd conformity assessment 
procedures to foster regional integration and exchanges; and, the benefits of demand -driven 
interventions to design effective support programmes in response to real needs in ACP.  
249.  It was concluded that A id-for-Trade and underlying related policies must remain connected 
to ACP realities. Aid for Trade also needed to adapt to the needs of ACP trade actors with a view to 
maximizing the beneficial impact of aid and provide further impetus for greater integration of the 
ACP economies int o the global economy.  
Summary  
250.  Viwanou  Gnassonou, Assistant Secretary General Secretariat, African, Caribbean 
and Pacific Group of States  (ACP Group) opened the session by highlighting the ACP Group 's 
longstanding relationship with the EU. He insisted on the need to add value to ACP products to 
create wealth and move from the traditional approach of exporting raw products towards more 
sophisticated, processed goods. This new approach to ACP commodities aimed to build profitable 
value chains and generate re venue gains for operators. To bolster the inclusiveness and 
connectivity dimensions, EU -ACP stakeholders were looking forward to boos ingt effective 
implementation of Aid -for-Trade commitments.  He requested panelists to consider the following 
questions:  Wh at were good practices and lessons that had been learnt from EU -ACP cooperation 
modalities on trade inclusiveness and connectivity? Wher e did the future of the EU -ACP Aid for 
Trade lie; in enhancing the connectivity of ACP private sector actors to regional  and international 
markets?  
251.  Tadeous Tafirenyika Chifamba, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the 
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Zimbabwe and Co -President of 
ACP-EC Trade & Commodities Sub -Committee discussed the vision of the A CP Group of States 
in terms of trade and economic development and how EU support measures could help progress 
towards this vision. He recalled that the Cotonou Partnership Agreement stated that trade should 
contribute to the gradual integration of ACP stat es into the global economy. Trade should go 
further and support the equitable and balanced integration of ACP countries. The international 
division of labour was unbalanced with most countries supplying raw materials to others to 
process. Most developing c ountries remain suppliers, with emplo yment available at only the 
low-end of the market. Generally, people failed to escape the poverty trap due to low revenue. 
Support to trade has usually focused on infrastructure and logistics. The focus should be on the  
integration of producers within international and regional value chains. There should be space to 
support agri -businesses, to better link Small and Medium Enterprises to global markets and to 
increase the volume of intra -ACP exchanges, which was key to re inforcing regional integration. In 
line with the SDGs, inclusiveness had to be taken into account and attention dedicated to women 
and youth. To improve competitiveness, producers needed help to cut costs, to improve yields, to 
upgrade product quality (and  consistency) in order for them to access new markets. SPS and TBT 
requirements were also needed to be addressed.  Emphasis must be put on improving 
competitiveness and assisting producers to enhance product quality. On sustainability, he asked 
how to suppo rt climate -smart technologies and preserve biodiversity. Here are some success 
stories in Kenya that could be replicated across the continent. On financing, he suggested that the 
future did not rely on donations, but on mutually beneficial relationships. D onor funding was 
needed, but should decrease gradually over time. ACP countries needed also to play their part, 
notably through their domestic policies by making affordable capital available to economic actors. 
The EU -ACP private sector facility was curren tly being reviewed. He noted that blending was not a 
new instrument, and it should not limit SMEs ' access to funding. As such, he argued that further 
reflection was how to adapt adapted tools to that target group.  
252.  Catherine Krobo -Edusei, Chief Executive Officer, Eden Tree profiled her company, a 
Ghanaian SME, which had started doing business 20 years ago. She explained how, at the time, WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  the only option to finance the launch of the business was a bank loa n with an in terest rate of 
25% – a bank loan which had also been refused! In the last 3 years, Eden Tree had started to 
work with partners and opened the company 's capital to foreign investors. Eden Tree produces, 
processes and packages fruit and vegetables which are sold to local supermarkets. In the words of 
the CEO, everybody is following Eden tree in Ghana and they must face tough competition. The 
main challenges she identified regarding regional and internation al value chain integration 
were: within West Africa th e cost of transportation is even more expensive than trading with the 
EU; corruption in the capital market is prevalent; there is no access to working capital; there is low 
availability of skilled labour; t here are weak policies at local level to enhance u nderstanding of 
trade agreements in the face of weak institutions and infrastructure connectivity; and c ertification 
schemes are very costly.   
253.  The CEO explained that though Eden Tree is a well -established company, able to regularly 
pay taxes, it benefits from no help from the state. The introduction of minimum standards was 
positive but assistance was needed to comply with certifications. Hence, technical assistance and 
capacity building in this area were extremely important. In Ghana, production yields we re low. A 
common issue to several SMEs was getting enough produce to supply local demand. There was a 
need for tailored support to SMEs to improve production techniques and therefore increase 
production levels and quality. In a nutshell, there were plenty of SMEs which had the ideas and the 
energy to be successful, but lacked some of the fundamental knowledge and access to appropriate 
support instruments to transform these positive dynamics into real life successes.  
254.  Jane Ngige, Chief Executive Officer, Ken ya Flower Council explained that the 
horticultural industry in Kenya was one of the country 's largest source of foreign exchange 
revenue. It was also a major source of employment. Exports represented 4 -7% of total export 
revenue and 2% of total GDP. One of  the major success factors of the flower industry in Kenya 
came from the sector 's ability to meet market requirements (in terms of quality, performance and 
sustainability) which translated into a specific and very robust quality scheme (the Kenya Flower 
Scheme). The Kenya Flower Council was also considering a national standard, which, mandatory 
for exporters, would support the creation of a national brand. Through the scheme, the Kenya 
Flower Council would be able to communicate to a wide range of stakehold ers and, therefore, 
enjoy an environment of acceptance from NGOs, civil society and labour unions. The Council was 
now considering expanding this scheme to fruits and vegetables. The certification system was 
helping expand the Kenyan flower industry. A rob ust traceability system was also in place that 
ensured production quality. Nevertheless, the cost of certification and traceability can discourage 
investors. Public investment was needed to lighten the producers ' load and attract more finance. 
The amount of investment that went into compliance was tremendous. There is a lot of pressure 
on companies and producers to almost replace governments in building schools and providing 
healthcare in rural communities. These companies and producers needed support from 
development partners to lessen the burden that these additional costs entailed. They were unlikely 
to be able to continue to support small -scale farmers if they were obliged to support the entire 
cost of inclusiv eness. As for the operators, they still needed support to increase their product 
quality and protect the Kenyan origin in order to reap the full benefits of the investments made so 
far.  
 
255.  Hermogene N sengimana , Secretary -General, African Organisation for 
Standardisation (ARSO)  argued that quality infrastructure was fundamental. Certification for 
SMEs was crucial today to access markets. Without it, trade was impossible. Conformity 
assessment was key in connecting products and markets and, in this area, QI ha d not been 
sufficiently supported so far. While in ACP countries, conformity assessment was mainly a public 
service delivered by national standard bodies, it was operated by the private sector in developed 
countries. ACP countries should be more present wh en establishing the standards and designing 
the conformity assessment procedures. It was important for ACP countries to deal with the issues 
faced by SMEs in terms of compliance. If not, ACP countries would never be able to deal equitably 
with their partne rs. There was a nee d to harmoniz e standards and conformity assessment 
procedures at regional level. Standards and QI were still not fully understood by both the public 
authorities and the private sector. It was key to raise awareness of the role of QI in t rade and the 
benefits of compliance with internationally recogni zed standards. Many companies send product 
samples to the EU to be tested because it was cheaper than to reach a national or regional 
laboratory – if even that option was available. Connectivi ty should definitely be enhanced. 
Infrastructure was essential, but regional coherence was crucial to improve physical connectivity. WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Informal trade represented a very large part of the economy in ACP countries, and it was too often 
left behind by support p rogrammes. How do we assess intra -ACP trade vs. global trade? How do 
we gather information about these dimensions and statistics? There was a need to improve 
systematic data collection system and make the information available and accessible. ARSO 
received  support from the ACP -EU TBT Programme to develop an online Africa Trade Portal. In 
2012, manufacturers in East Africa ranked quality infrastructure as their number one priority. ACP 
countries faced higher costs than their competitors and still had to face  unfair competition from 
players which were not compliant. The fragmentation of aid and support to ACP institutions was an 
issue to be addressed too as it tended to weaken institutions. Donors must take into consideration 
the existing environment when inte rvening (treaties, protocols,…). A regional integration route 
should be preferred. Currently, negotiations for the African Free Trade Agreement were ongoing 
and should be soon finalized. If ACP countries moved in to a free trade area, a harmoniz ed 
standardi zation  framework would be essential.  
256.  Axel Pougin de l a Maisonneuve , Deputy Head of Unit, Private Sector and Trade, 
European Commission Directorate General for International Cooperation and 
Development  recalled the close ACP -EU relationship, and its evolut ion over time. Aid for Trade 
had always been at the centre of this relationship. In 2015, funds direct ed to the ACP represented 
34% of the total Aid-for-Trade budget of the EU. ACP states were also the seventh  largest 
economic partner of the EU (4,5% of total trade), and ranked higher than, for instance, Mercosur 
(2,4% of total trade with the EU). In relation to connectivity and digital technologies, the EU had 
recently released its new strategy " Digital for development " that would enable  development poli cy 
interventions along four key priorities: (1) Digital infrastructure, (2) Digital skills, (3) D igital 
entrepreneurship and (4)  Digital accessibility. Official Development Assistance (ODA) was not only 
about running initiatives but also about leveraging p ublic sector finance to raise funds from the 
private sector. EU blending programmes have been in place since 2007, with a leverage ratio of 
approximately €1 for 11 (public to private). The EU external investment plan looked at 
neighbouring countries and Af rica to attract EU private sector investments. Support to SMEs to 
access finance formed a core part of EU aid. Inclusiveness means that the most vulnerable 
populations in developing countries could benefit from globalization  and escape extreme poverty. 
Too often, revenues from international trade only benefited a small proportion of the population. 
Trade must be as inclusive as possible to ensure growth and increase in the population income. 
The EU needed to support entrepreneurship which includes women and  youth. In conclusion, 
referen ce was made to EU -funded projects in Benin that accompanied over 50 local SMEs in 
implementing food safety schemes. The project led to an increase in production, and in 
consequence, to revenue for hundreds of families.  
257.  During  the question and answer session, support for ACP livestock value chains was 
discussed, including training for smallholder farmers to improve the quality of food production. It 
was noted that non -tariff trade barriers were still present. Policy support to foster mutual 
recognition would be extremely useful, together with support in the area of standards 
implementation and compliance - costs that currently were left exclusively on SMEs ' shoulders. 
Guy Stinglhamber from ColeACP made a brief intervention to ex plain how they supported SMEs 
from the agriculture sector ACP. Through development assistance programmes like EDES and PIP, 
over 1500 initiatives had been implemented in support of farmers a nd small producers. Today 
ColeACP p was focusing  its support to inc rease competitiveness and compliance with quality 
standards.  
258.  In closing, Ambassador Chifamba recalled that EU technical assistance was a complex 
process and that much aid did not reach the operators in ACP countries that really needed it the 
most. He conc luded his remarks by asking how to ease the access for SMEs to additional funding 
sources. Assistant Secretary General Gnassonou closed stating that that new policies had to be 
implemented by the EU and ACP that were adapted to the changing environment.  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 7: Side event: "How can Aid for Trade connect SMEs more effectively to value 
chains in green goods and services?"  - Organizer s: European Bank for Reconstruction 
and Development, World Trade Organization  
Opening remarks:  
 
Philip Bennett, First Vice President and Head of 
Client Services Group, European Bank for 
Reconstruction and Development  
 
Moderator:  Josué Tanaka, Corporate Director, 
Energy Efficiency and Climate Change, 
European Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Agata Habel ,Public Relations Manager , 
Grupa Allegro  
 
 Aik Hoe Lim, Director, Trade and 
Environment Division, World Trade 
Organization  
 
 Andrii Mitchenko, Chief Executive 
Officer, Ecosoft SPC.  
 
 Syed Tauqir Shah, Ambassador, 
Permanent Representative to the World  
Trade Organization, Pakistan  Overview  
 
Small and medium -sized enterprises are key 
drivers of economic activity around the world. 
They could play an important role in bolstering 
global efforts to make economic growth more 
inclusive and environmentally sustainable, as 
envisaged by the UN Sustainable Development 
Goals.  
 
The ability of SMEs to achieve better economic 
and environmental outcomes hinges partly on 
their connectivity to global markets. In 
particular, new and more sustainable 
technologies can he lp SMEs to improve their 
performance and to benefit from the rapidly 
growing global market in green goods and 
services.  
 
Aid for Trade can act as a powerful tool to 
deepen the connectivity of SMEs to global value 
chains and help them to seize the resulting  
trade opportunities.  
 
This side event, organiz ed by the European 
Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in 
collaboration with the World Trade Organization 
Secretariat, aimed to identify the bottlenecks 
that limit the trade integration of SMEs, in 
particular with regard to green value chains. 
The session also discussed the role of Aid for 
Trade in helping overcome these bottlenecks, 
for example through e -commerce platforms.  
 
Short summary  
 
259.  Moderated by the EBRD, the panel featured speakers from two of EBRD 's client enterprises 
as well as an Ambassador to the WTO and a WTO Secretariat representative. Introducing the topic, 
the first two speakers highlighted the importance of growing trade in green goods, but also the 
challenges SMEs might face in benefit ting from these trends. Both speakers highlighted the 
importance of supporting SMEs, by equipping them with the skills and means to respond to 
emerging challenges. The private sector speakers highlighted the particular role of standards and 
regulations, of ten creating a burden of compliance for SMEs, but also the potential arising from 
new trends such as digitalization  and e -commerce.  
Summary  
 
260.  Opening remarks were given by Philip Bennett, First Vice President and Head of Client 
Services Group, European Bank  for Reconstruction and Development  to set the scene, 
speaking on EBRD's role in supporting SMEs and promoting green production. He noted that one of 
the remaining challenges was the trade integration of SMEs. Climate change and digitization also 
presented  challenges, but EBRD saw these challenges as potential business opportunities: SMEs 
expanded market access by selling their products online, and sustainable energy production and 
business practices were growth industries that provided export opportunities  even to SMEs. EBRD 
had provided US$18 billion in direct and indirect financing to green SMEs and planned to increase 
these investments in coming years.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  261.  The discussion was moderated by Josué Tanaka, Corporate , Director , Energy Efficiency 
and Climate Change , EBRD.  The first panelist  to talk was Syed Tauqir Shah, Ambassador 
and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the WTO . He commented on the challenges 
and opportunities arising from such new trends, and the need to sup port SMEs ' ability to respond 
to them. Aik Hoe Lim, Director , Trade and Environment Division WTO , provided some 
further background on the growing markets in environmental goods and associated services, but 
raised concerns that following the " digital divide " in ICT, there would next be a " green divide " with 
emerging countries struggling to catch up. The EBRD had invited two representatives of client 
companies to discuss challenges and opportunities for SMEs arising from these two trends. 
Andrii  Mitchenko, CE O, Ecosoft SPC  commented on particular challenges for SMEs. Ecosoft 
manufactures water filters, and he discussed the challenges of accessing markets with complicated 
regulatory environments. Agata Habel, Public Relations Manager, Grupa Allegro , discussed 
benefits of e -commerce to SMEs. Allegro offers a sales platform to SMEs, and providing technical 
assistance has helped ensure SMEs are able to successfully transition into e -commerce.  
262.  Worldwide e -commerce B2C sales exceeded a US$1 trillion in 2013 and was s till growing 
fast, underlining the importance of digital trade. However, in some countries, companies – and 
especially SMEs – faced limited access to the internet, knowle dge and technologies. Trade in 
"green " goods and services had also grown fast but not equally in all countries. Participants agreed 
that going forward, it would be essential to prepare SMEs for future challenges in order to avoid a 
"green divide ". Speakers especially noted the trend towards more demanding standards and 
environmental regulat ions which might be difficult to comply with for SMEs.  
263.  To promote the interactio n with the audience, the organiz ers had asked participants at the 
beginning to vote on different types of obstacles for trading SMEs. "Tariffs, regulations 
& standards " clearly came out as the top obstacle, resonating with the direction of the speakers ' 
statements as well as the Q&A session afterwards. Participants agreed that several points would 
be crucial in addressing these issues:  
 
 First, governments and internatio nal institutions could work to make regulations more 
transparent and agree on common standards across countries to lower the burdens for the 
private sector;  
 
 Second, global access to platforms and tools (e -commerce sites, payment systems , etc.) 
will be essential to enable SMEs globally to benefit from emerging opportuniti es; 
 
 Finally, direct support will be essential to equip SMEs with the necessary skills and 
resources to face new challenges to promote stronger global integration and conn ectivity.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session  8: Development  Hub: "The Physical Dimension to Digital Connectivity"  - 
Organizer: W orld Trade Organization  
Special Guest:  Andrew Blum , Author of 
"Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the 
Internet"  
Moderator : Yinka Adegoke , Africa Editor, 
Quartz  
Discussants:  
 Konstantinos Komaitis , Director, Policy 
Development, Internet Society  
 Jean-Luc Vuillemin , Senior Vice 
President, Orange International 
Networks, Infrastructures & Services, 
Orange  
 Nicolas Gresser , Director, Regulatory 
Affairs, Etisalat  
 Alastair Westgarth , Head of Project 
Loon, Google  
 Simon Lacey , Senior Expert, Trade 
Facilitation and Market Access, Huawei  
 Vanessa Gray , Head, Least Developed 
Countries, Small Island Developing 
States & Emergency 
Telecommunications Division, 
International Telecommunication Union  
Closing Remarks:  
 Kati Suominen , Found er and Chief 
Executive Officer, Nextrade Group; 
Chairwoman of TradeUp Capital Fund 
and World SME Forum Board Member  Overview  
 
Many of us use the internet on a daily basis, but 
few of us know what it is or how it works. What 
is the cloud? What's the differ ence between 2G 
and 4G? What is 5G? How will it change 
connectivity? How has connectivity changed 
over time? Why do landlocked countries face 
specific problems? Come and ask these and all 
the other questions you always wanted to ask 
to a panel of top indus try experts. Understand 
the physical networks that underpin digital 
connectivity, how they have changed and how 
these networks are predicted to change in the 
future with the advent of 5G. The panel h eld an 
interactive session with questions drawn from a 
live audience.  
 
264.  Special Guest : Andrew Blum, author of "Tubes:  A Journey to the Center of the 
Internet" told his story about his realization that the internet was not an abstract intangible thing 
but an actual physical connection of wires, cables, servers and physical locations. He stressed the 
importance of acknowledging that the internet is a man -made network. This started when a 
squirrel chewed through his internet cable and prompted him to follow the cable and fin d out who 
built the i nternet. His enquir y lead Blum to a Western Union building in New York, one of the dozen 
buildings in the world where i nternet cables physically connect  to each other through miles of fibre  
optic cables and routers. The i nternet did not happen magically, it required physical  connections 
between networks and these connections were man -made. Someone had to plug these cables 
together. A similar building was located in London (Telehouse) and was a hub between East and 
West. Ninety -nine percent of all communication was conducted t hrough submarine internet cables 
connecting countries and continents. The installation of a cable required special ships, the cables 
were first floated on balloons before they were sunk into the water. It is impossible to think of the 
internet as a cloud, one has to recognize this is a completely physical thing. Looking at the 
undersea cable map, each of the dots on the map requires manual labour on the seabed and 
shoreline.  
265.  Vanessa Gray , Head, Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States & 
Emergency Telecommunications Division, I nternational Telecommunications Union 
explained how ICT technology had changed the way we live, communicate and do business. Today 
most people no longer went online, they were online. ICT provided enormous opportunitie s. The 
digitaliz ation of the world had transformed the ICT industry, created new businesses and business WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  models. In 2006 , Microsoft was the only ICT company ranked in the top  10 in terms of market 
capitaliz ation. By 2016, this changed to a total of 6 out o f 10 companies (Google, Amazon and 
China Mobile , among others). Not everyone was part of this digitalized world and not everyone 
would benefit from the opportunities it offers. In 2016, just under half of the world population was 
not using internet. That w as a key  challenge because ICT and the i nternet were incredible tools for 
development. They increased productivity, drove innovation and provided access to services. 
There are many other divides such as the gender divide. People with higher incomes and edu cation 
tended to have better access to the internet. A number of factors influenced connectivity. 
Backbone infrastructure was one. There have been incredible advances in the technology for fixed 
or mobile networks. Today, 95% of the world's population was covered by mobile cellular networks 
and increasingly people ha d access to mobile broadband services (85% of the world' s population). 
But in rural areas it w as much lower. High prices for i nternet devices and subscriptions could also 
constitute a barrier fo r accessing the internet. A further issue was language and content. Without 
appropriate content that was relevant to people's lives, the internet use would remain low. Users 
needed skills to use the internet. Education was a major issue, not just digital, but also analogue 
skills. She concluded by noting that every country is different and user groups faced different 
issues. When looking at policy recommendations to improve participation, it was important to have 
granular and broken down data.  
266.  Konstantinos  Komaitis, Director, Policy Development, Internet Society highlighted 
the importance of common rules to the internet. These rules were called internet protocols. They 
applied to small things such as Internet Protocol numbers (IP) and to larger concepts suc h as the 
Internet Exchange Points (IXP). The data sent through the internet was pulverized into tiny blocks 
taking different paths. Using internet protocol s devices knew how to put the information back 
together in the original message. Whether one particul ar network was overloaded or broken did 
not matter. The data sent would still reach its final destination because one of the major principles 
of the internet was that it is decentralized. Data moved from one network to another through a 
shared platform cal led internet exchange points (IXPs). Those were shared  platforms where 
various organiz ations (governments, telecom operators, financial institutions, internet service 
providers, broadcasters, etc.) met. Traffic needed to run fast, smoothly and to facilitat e the 
various interconnections that were taking place. This was why the IXPs were joined. The point 
where organisations met to exchange the traffic, lower the cost and facilitate the interconnection 
was called "peering ". It was this multi -stakeholder model  that ena bled the lower cost of the 
self-governing system and for it to be safe, secure, stable and predictable. The basic principal of 
the internet was that it was open, decentralized and neutral. No one governed it. All of us were 
part of how the interne t was governed. During the Q&A, Komaitis made a strong case for the free 
flow of data.  
267.  Nicolas Gresser, Director, Regulatory Affairs, Etisalat gave an operator's perspective 
on digital connectivity and explained how digital connectivity and trade were mutu ally reinforcing. 
His presentation focused on how digital connectivity could help inclusive trade and sustainable 
development, and how in turn trade could help digital connectivity get to the next level. Digital 
connectivity was a whole ecosystem that incl uded telecom operators, application and content 
providers, devices (IXPs). The role that telecom operators play in that ecosystem was 
fundamental. They constituted an enabling platform. Without operators there was no digital 
service. In the last decade, we  had seen many digital innovations (iPhone, ebooks, etc.) which led 
to an exponential and continued growth of the traffic carried by operators. The mobile industry had 
invested up to US$1.2 trillion since 2012 to keep up with the pace of innovation. These innovations 
had transformative impact on societies and individuals. An example of a service launched by 
Etisalat was "Mobile Baby" that helped women living in remote areas in Africa. It allowed midwives 
and pregnant women to keep in constant contact with p hysicians located miles away from their 
homes. This service had saved lives. The impact of mobile connectivity was broader that the health 
care sector and looking at the 17 SDGs, each of them was affected to a certain exte nt by mobile 
connectivity. I ndustr y had acknowledged its responsibility and the role it played in this ecosystem 
and in 2016 it was the first sector to commit to the SDGs. Every year, the industry is also 
measuring the progress it is making against the SDGs.  
268.  The next big thing to happen w ould be 5G internet which was much more than just one 
more "G". It was a whole new ecosystem taking all the innovations made in the last decade, 
(cloud, IOT (Internet of Things), telecoms) and putting them together into a coherent platform. 
This was going to change the role of mobile operators as they would shift from being just a 
connectivity platform to an inno vation platform. It also enabled  new production models. 5G did not WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  have to be produced domestically anymore because of the shift to a cloud infrast ructure. Cloud 
factories would become regional hubs providing services across many different countries. For 
LDCs, this meant that they could benefit from 5G even though they did not have the income at the 
customer level to shift to 5G or the market potenti al because it was produced somewhere else. 
Trade would make this happen. But, for 5G to be able to help connectivity issues, two major policy 
challenges had to be confronted. The first was cross border data transfer. Data needed to flow 
freely from one cou ntry to another. In emerging markets, that was not possible. The second was 
national security. With this new model, countries would rely on each other's infrastructure and 
there needed to be security cooperation agreements between them.  
269.  Jean -Luc Vuillemin , Senior V ice President , Orange International Networks, 
Infrastructures & Services, Orange  gave a history of the development of submarine cables and 
how they were first built in the 19th century. A plant called Pallaquium Gutta, grown in Indonesia 
and Malaysia, was the first natural isolation material and was used as the basis of the invention of 
the cable in 1843. The first cable was simply made with copper, rope and Gutta. As of 1850, 
cables were used to connect people and countries. Today, 99% of data flowing across the internet 
is transmitted by cables on the ocean floor; with the remaining 1% by satellite. Over the years, 
the capacity of the cable had increased a lot and made it more competitive to use than satellite. 
Today, there are close to 1 million k m of cable. Cables continued to be installed every day , 
especially in the most common cable road between the US and Europe. In A frica, the driver for 
installing cables was less about c apacity but more about connecting more countries  and giving 
them access to the i nternet. It was a booming sector, and if a country wanted to invest today in 
the installation of cables, no ship would be available before 2019. In the past, it was mainly 
telecom operators that installed cable s. More recently, working through a consortium had become 
the norm because of the high level of investment and risks associated with the operations. The 
price of a cable went from €400 million to €1 billion and the consort ium helped to share the risk. 
Microsoft and Facebook had recently invested in their own cable s in the Atlantic. For African 
countries, the value of internet cables was the same as an airport or a commercial harbour 
because it was a way to open a country to  the digital economy. Orange had connected many 
African countries to submarine cables and had seen the economy booming as a result.  
270.  Simon Lacey , Senior Expert, Trade Facilitation and Market Access, Huawei  described 
the development of the internet and high lighted the importance that there are two levels of 
activity. The first was building a network (manufacturing and selling the equipment, procurement 
and purchasing, installation, testing and certification work), and the second level was providing a 
service  on top of this infrastructure (ebooks and movies, applications, etc.). Real economic activity 
happened in the second level. He stressed the importance of trade policy principles in providing 
digital connectivity: market access ; non-discriminatory trade an d investment regime, limiting 
investment reviews to only the most strategic assets, limiting the use o f national security 
exceptions; and allowing foreign operators and investors to join local business associations. 
Public -private partnerships were key in policy development. So too was engagement with civil 
society. Other issues were important when it came to developing digital connectivity, including 
building skills, and physical infrastructure. The e -commerce revolution in China had been made 
possible bec ause the country built a road infrastructure in the last decade. Logistics were therefore 
key.  
271.  Alastair Westgarth,  Head of Project Loon, Google  discussed how Project Loon was 
addressing major connection and coverage challenges. Project Loon was part of X,  which itself was 
part of Google, and aimed to give i nternet access to everyone. With faster and reliable internet 
there were a lot of things you could do. A 10% increase in broadband access was associated with a 
0.5% increase in GDP. Access to wireless br oadband was associated with a 50% improvement in 
crop yields. One in 20 Google search es in the world was on health care. Access to the internet was 
inequitable. In the developed world, 70 -80% of the population had ready access to broadband 
internet, and in  developing countries it was around 30 -32 %. The problem was mostly coverage, 
and even the developed world was still 50% uncovered geographically. The cost of providing 
coverage in areas where there was not a low population density was extremely high. That  was why 
Loon had been created. It was a stratospheric balloon carrying 4G connectivity, floating at 20 km 
in the atmosphere and covering a large area of 5,000 s quare kilometres of ground. The project 
had developed over the last 5 years and today, balloons  could fly for more than 100 days. The 
next step was to learn how to navigate and steer them. Ball oons could be sent anywhere on E arth. 
The team had had to learn how to make a 4G connection that was scalable. The Loon team had to WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
- 55 - 
 
  be able to launch many bal loons reliably, steering them and recovering them on a repeatable 
basis. Now a balloon could be launched every 20 to 30 minutes.  
272.  To develop the project, the Loon team collaborated with many different entities such as 
national aviation agencies, the ITU an d governments. Alastair Westgarth cited a case study of a 
flood in Peru where thousands had been able to re -connect to the internet through Project X's 
balloons. Most recently, the balloons were flying in Latin America. They were launched in Puerto 
Rico an d flew south with the support of countries in the region who allowed the balloons to fly, to 
land and to be collected. When the floods hit in Northern Peru earlier this year, the balloons were 
in a great position to help. They served 200GB of data to 100,0 00 people over an area the size of 
Switzerland; that was enough data to send and receive 30 million WhatsApp messages or 2 million 
emails. This was a huge breakthrough for Loon as balloons had never connected ordinary people at 
this scale before the floods . This was also a triumph of partnership between the Government and 
the private sector. It could not have happened without Telefonica, O3b, Level 3, Ecologistica, or 
the Peruvian Government - but they could not have done it alone either.  
273. Closing Remarks, Kati Suominen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Nextrade 
Group; Chairwoman of TradeUp Capital Fund and World SME Forum Board Member   To 
illustrate why the internet is today vital for companies to grow, Kati cited the example of a 
Mexican company sellin g goods locally to pupils and how by getting connected and using the 
internet services, it had grown from a little local company outside Mexico city, to a regional 
company in Latin America selling its products to major multinationals. But not many companie s 
were using the internet globally. And the numbers were illuminating: 72% of companies in 
developing countries used email versus  94% in developed countries; 44% of companies in 
developing countries had a website (33% in Africa) compared to  78% in develope d countries and 
16% in LDCs were using e -commerce as opposed to  50% in developed countries. The gap needed 
to be bridged.  
 
 
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session  9 Side Event: "Enhancing Connectivity in the Bay of Bengal Region and Beyond " 
- Organizer:  CUTS  
Keynote speaker:  
Naindra  Prasad Upadhaya, Commerce 
Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Nepal  
Chair:  Rashid S Kaukab, Executive Director, 
CUTS International, Geneva  
Presentation : Bipul Chatterjee, Executive 
Director, CUTS International  
Moderator : Shamika Sirimanne, Director, 
Division  on Technology and Logistics, United 
Nation Conference on Trade and Development  
Panel discussion:  
 Kazem Asayesh, Senior Adviser on TIR 
and Trade Facilitation, International 
Road Transport Union  
 Yann Duval, Chief, Trade Facilitation 
Unit, Trade, Investment and Innovation 
Division, United Nations Economic and 
Social Commission for Asia and the 
Pacific  
 Pranav Kumar, Head, International 
Trade Policy, Confederation of Indian 
Industry  
 Hang Tran, Coordinator, Enhanced 
Integrated Framework  
 Kamalinne Pinitpuvadol, E xecutive 
Director, Institute for International 
Development, Thailand  
 Marcus Bartley Johns, Senior Private 
Sector Specialist, World Bank Group  Overview  
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi -Sectoral 
Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMS TEC) 
comprising B angladesh, Bhutan, India, 
Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand 
accounts for 21% of the world's population. 
Though this provides a huge potential for trade, 
intra-BIMSTEC trade is less than 10% of their 
total trade. Two crucial reasons inhibiting 
intra-regional trade growth are: a) low levels of 
economic int egration ; and b) shortage  of 
trade -related infrastructure, especially transport 
connections and transit initiatives. A key driver 
of trade -led growth for countries in the Bay of 
Bengal region lies in th eir ability to take 
advantage of economic opportunities presented 
by their neighbours, in terms of regional 
integration and trade -related infrastructural 
development.   
This session discussed existing transport and 
transit initiatives in the Bay of Bengal r egion 
and their implications for trade inclusiveness 
and sustainable development, particularly 
development dimensions such as reduction in 
time and cost of doing trade, and employment 
generation. It also looked at how regional 
initiatives for transport and  transit connectivity 
could be better harnessed by international 
instruments (such as the WTO Trade Facilitation 
Agreement, the TIR Convention), not just within 
this region but in the larger Indian ocean region 
and beyond."   
 
Short summary  
 
274.  The main insight of the session was that connectivity initiatives could help the BIMSTEC 
region to harvest its true economic potential by enhancing investment and intra -regional trade, 
and reducing its time and cost. The panellists agreed that ensuring eff icient connectivity could be 
done through aligning digital and physical infrastructures. They reviewed the already existing 
connectivity initiatives such as the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) Motor Vehicles 
Agreement and the United Nations Economi c and Social Comm ission for Asia and the Pacific 
(UNESCAP ) Cross -Border Paperless Trade Facilitation Agreement.  
275.  Despite a number of important initiatives, various critical issues are still impeding efficient 
connectivity of the region: the absence of guara ntee mechanisms: misalignment between multiple 
initiatives; and the institutional and regulatory connectivity gaps. In order to overcome those 
challenges, the panellists suggested solutions to enhance intra -regional trade and investment and 
help achieve th e Sustainable Development Goals. Doing regional studies under the Enhanced 
Integrated Framework initiative on A id for Trade, aligning private and the public sectors ' efforts, 
including a people -to-people perspective, and enhancing cross -border collaboratio n among 
regulatory agencies would be critical to ensuring the effectiveness of transport and transit 
initiatives.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Summary  
 
276.  Chairing  the session, Shamika N Sirimanne, Director of the Division on Technology 
and Logistics , of the United Nations Conference on  Trade and Development , underlined 
why connectivity should be the key driver of intra -regional trade and investment and how various 
forms of connectivity should work in tandem to provide maximum benefit.  
277.  Bipul Chatterjee, Executive Director, CUTS Internati onal, recalled the importance of 
transport and transit initiatives in a global context where connectivity was key. He started by 
reviewing the already existing initiatives in the region and highlighting their importance in reducing 
trade time and cost. Tha t led to the assessment of strategic connectivity issues in the region such 
as the misalignment among those multiple initiatives, and institutional and regulatory connectivity. 
He then presented the CUTS connectivity project on enabling an inclusive policy  and political 
economy discourse for trade, transport and transit facilitation in and among Bangladesh, Bhutan, 
India, Nepal and Myanmar. This project aims to identify the corridor -specific impediments towards 
the implementation of the BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement  - and similar connectivity initiatives in 
the region - and to contribute to an effective implementation of transit protocols with an inclusive 
and participatory approach. Mr Chatterjee finished his presentation by offering insights about the 
possibility of fostering tourism and regional value chains through those initiatives.  
278.  Naindra Prasad Upadhaya, Commerce Secretary, Nepal  gave keynote remarks. He 
recalled the important potential of the BIMSTEC region in terms of human, water and natural 
resou rces. In order to harvest its potential through investment and intra -regional trade, BIMSTEC 
members should further their efforts to connect transport, energy and trade. Like Mr Chatterjee, 
he underlined the role of existing initiatives in the region and t he role of Nepal among them. He 
also pointed out the issue of transport costs and the still -existing digital divide, which should be 
bridged by enhancing the linkages between physical and digita l connectivity. Furthermore, 
Mr Upadhaya focused on the import ance of enhancing quality infrastructure to ease access to 
markets. He finished his speech by recalling the importance of a joined effort between private and 
public stakeholders.  
279.  Kazem Asayesh, Senior Advisor on TIR and Trade Facilitation, International R oad 
Transport Union , focused on the importance of the TIR Convention, which is a globally agreed 
transit system, in enhancing physical connectivity among countries of the Bay of Bengal region. He 
addressed both the issue of the length of administrative pro cedures, and the efficient 
implementation of transport agreements, since in so many cases those agreements remained on 
paper. He suggested that a major reason impeding operational implementation was the lack of 
guarantee mechanisms, which gave guarantees t o customs for duties and taxes. To overcome this 
gap, the TIR system provides mechanisms such as , if any irregularity took place during the 
journey, the TIR system provided a strong guarantee chain that supported government revenue.  
280.  Yann Duval, Chief , Trade Facilitation Unit , Trade, Investment and Innovation 
Division , United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific , agreed 
that administrative procedures were a major barrier toward efficient trade performance. In this 
context, he unde rlined the importance of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for 
Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) cross -border electronic trade facilitation initiative. It consisted of 
using electronic documents instead of paper ones in cross -border administra tive procedures. While 
this paperless initiative facilitated trade and decreased administrative impediments by unifying 
different countries ' data and improving trade compliance  - especially in landlocked 
countries  - challenges remained due to the lack of l egal recognition of electronic documents.  
281.  Tran T T Hang, Coordinator , Enhanced Integrated Framework Secretariat , detailed 
work that the EIF was doing in the BIMSTEC region. It consisted of analytical work, policy and 
institutional support through capacity  building projects and Sustainability Support Grants, reducing 
supply side constraints by assessing e -trade readiness in Bhutan and Nepal for example, 
supporting LDCs to leverage additional resources for development, and promoting a gender -aware, 
sustainab le and inclusive trade. She also add ressed the possible areas for a regional -level 
collaboration in terms of analytical works, project formulation, policy and support mechanisms 
through exiting projects. At the end of her presentation, she suggested undert aking regional 
diagnostic studies for more effective utilization of the EIF support.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  282.  Kamalinne Pinitpuvadol, Executive Director, International Institute for Trade and 
Development , Thailand  highlighted the role of Thailand and Myanmar in promoting connectiv ity 
in the region. He reviewed on -going regional programs to promote connectivity and advised to 
learn from the existing ASEAN experience. He raised issues such as the effectiveness of 
enforcement , and the importance of also addressing people -to-people con nectivity, especially 
through education.  
283.  Marcus Bartley Johns, Senior Private Sector Specialist, World Bank Group  offered 
two interesting insights in the discussion. First, and like Ms Sirimanne, Mr Chatterjee and 
Mr Upadhaya, he focused on the importance of joining both physical and digital infrastructure, 
especially trade facilitation and services. Second, he underlined the importance of addressing the 
connectivity issue in an inclusive and poverty -reducing perspecti ve. In order to ensure more 
efficient connectivity, he suggested making assessments, which permit identifying regional 
priorities, and enhancing cross -border collaboration by aligning national and regional efforts in 
terms of mutual recognition and trade f acilitation.  
284.  Pranav Kumar, Head , International Trade Policy , Confederation of Indian Industry  
gave a private sector voice by raising questions regarding the coordination mechanisms linking 
connectivity initiatives and the need to generate financial resources as a main challenge toward 
developing infrastructure. He also mentioned India' s regional i ntegration plans.  
285.  The discussion addressed critical issues such as the lack of the right kind of soft 
infrastructure on trade, and the importance of conformity assessment to international trade 
standards. Mr Chatterjee concluded by the impact of connectivi ty initiatives on people and argued 
that unless there was local buy -in for such initiatives, their true potential may not be realiz ed.  
286.  Overall, this session gave interesting insights and different perspectives regarding the 
potential of connectivity initi atives in the Bay of Bengal region. The topic addressed is a part of a 
wider dialogue about the promotion of trade, inclusiveness and connectivity, which was the main 
theme of the Sixth Global Review of Aid for Trade.  
 
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session  10: Side Event: " Financin g Sustainable Transport Infrastructure and Services as 
a Key Enabler for South -South Trade: The Role of Development Finance Institutions " - 
Organizer s: Global Network of Export -Import Banks and Development Finance 
Institutions , United Nations Conference on Trade and Development  
Keynote speaker:  
Abubakar Abba Bello, Honorary President, 
Global Network of Export -Import Banks and 
Development Finance Institutions  
Moderator:  
Frida Youssef, Chief, Transport Section, Trade 
Logistics Branch, Division on Technology and 
Logistics, United Nations Conference on Trade 
and Development   
Panel discussion:  
 MacDonald Goanue, Director, Research 
and Strategic Planning Department, 
ECOWAS Bank for Investment and 
Development  
 Gonzalo de Castro, Senior Executive, 
Finances, Development Bank of Latin 
America  
 Henrique de Azevedo Avila, Senior 
Advisor, Office of the Executive 
Director, Brazilian Development Bank  
 Mavis Chaile, Chief Investment Officer, 
Development Bank of Zambia  
 Overview  
Transport underpins trade and competitiveness 
and is essential for access to markets, market 
connectivity, and economic integration (at 
national, regional and global levels).  
Sustainable transport, including freight 
transport, is essential to realizing almost all the 
Sustainable Develo pment Goals and the 2030 
Agenda for Sustainable Development. Although 
transport is not represented by a particular 
SDG, it is mainstreamed across several SDGs 
and targets, especially those related to food 
security, health, energy, climate, infrastructure, 
cities, and ocean s. This illustrates the important 
cross-cutting role of transport within 
sustainable development.   
Global freight transport volumes are projected 
to grow threefold by 2060, driven in particular 
by economic growth in developing countries an d 
between developing countries (Source: OECD). 
At the same time, estimates for future 
investment needs in the transport sector are 
assessed to be around US$1.1 trillion per 
annum worldwide over the period 2014 -2025 
(Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers and Oxfor d 
Economics). However, current investment flows 
are insufficient to meet transport needs in 
support of economic growth and development in 
many developing regions.   
Based on successful experiences and 
opportunities, the event discussed the 
important role of  development finance 
institutions in enabling and scaling -up access to 
finance for sustainable transport infrastructure 
and services development.  
 
Short summary  
 
287.  The session was co -organized by G -NEXID (Global Network of Export -Import Banks and 
Development Finance Institutions) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 
(UNCTAD). The purpose of the session was to discuss the importance of transport as a key enabler 
for trade and sustainable development and the challenge to access to financial funds from different 
stakeholders. South -South regions still face many challenges in the transport sector and 
Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) have an important role in enabling sustainable 
development growth through transport infrastru cture development. Panelists indicated the 
different ways that DFIs could support sustainable transport infrastructure which include providing 
financial advisory assistance, project structuring, joint financing arrangements, insurance, 
guarantees and other s. Examples were provided on how development banks are cooperating with 
other financial institutions and partnering with the private sector in order to ensure integration.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Summary  
 
288.  The session was moderated by Frida Youssef, Chief, Transport Section, Trade  Logistics 
Branch, Division on Technology and Logistics, United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development  and co -organized by G -NEXID and UNCTAD. Ms Youssef explained that G -NEXID 
was created in 2006 following the UNCTAD 11th Ministerial Conference to support South -South 
trade and investment flows. The purpose of the session was to discuss the importance of transport 
as a key enabler for trade and sustainable development and the challenge to access to financial 
funds from diff erent stakeholders.  
289.  Abubakar Abba Bello, Honorary President, Global Network of Export -Import Banks 
and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID)  provided an overview of the transport 
infrastructure in South -South regions. He highlighted that transport rem ained critical in the 
regions and that its development was needed to increase trade as transport impacts on 
productivity, competitiveness and efficiency. He emphasized the importance of South -South 
regions to joining global value chains in order to add val ue in traded products and reduce the 
dependence on primary goods. This could not happen if any one particular region did not improve 
its transport infrastructure, especially in a sustainable manner that supports economic 
development and human well -being. H e underscored that in order to bridge the transport 
investment gaps in the region, DFIs would need to scale up and develop innovative financing , 
looking at areas like pension and sovereign wealth funds, and develop partnerships. Areas where 
DFIs could supp ort sustainable transport infrastructure included financial advisory services, project 
structuring, joint financing arrangements, insurance and guarantees, ensuring minimum returns 
where investment in PPPs were involved, advocacy, etc. He pointed out that while road was 
virtually the only source of transportation for intra -regional trade in Africa, there was an 
opportunity for investment in shipping. He remarked that transp ortation was the only way 
intra-regional trade could grow and enhance participation i n GVCs. Responding to a question 
regarding how to attract private sector investment in long -term projects, like in transport 
infrastructure, he recalled that DFIs could guarantee minimum returns, especially in PPP 
investments.  
290.  MacDonald Goanue, Director, Research and Strategic Planning Department, 
ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID)  shared experience on how EBID was 
promoting sustainable transport infrastructure in the sub -region of ECOWAS, stressing that there 
was no agreed definition on sus tainable transport infrastructure as it depended on many factors, 
some of which cultural. He pointed out that intra -African trade was below the desired levels, 
between 11 -15%, due to the lack of transport infrastructure in the region. This limited access t o 
consumers and hampered trade. He stated that DFIs had an important role in financing transport 
to enable South -South trade, especially in policy additionality, financial additionality, 
demonstration effect, and design projects. At ECOWAS -level, projects had been in place to 
increase road transport network, railway and air transport sector s. He stated that EBID had 
invested in the transport sector in the region, by building the road network using a line of credit 
from the government of India, and also that  transport was a priority in the institution strategic 
plan. He also mentioned different EBID programs for the coming years with the objectives to 
connect the ECOWAS region through investment in road, railway and maritime networks.  
291.  Gonzalo de Castro, Senio r Executive, Finances, Development Bank of Latin America  
provided an outlook on the economic situation in Latin America and explained how the policies of 
the United States, European Union and China impacted the region. He remarked that infrastructure 
was a  powerful tool for development and development banks had a role in financing it. In the Latin 
American region, there was low productivity on account of scarce transportation and logistics. 
Without the private sector it would not be possible to close this g ap. As in the case of Africa, Latin 
America had low intra -regional trade and was not participating in GVCs. He explained that CAF had 
been growing as one of the main sources of  infrastructure finance in the region using different 
financial instruments. The y were actively cooperating with other Southern development agencies.  
292.  Henrique de Azevedo Avila, Senior Advisor, Office of the Executive Director, 
Brazilian Development Bank  (BDES)  provided an overview of the different roles that BDES play 
in supporting Brazilian exports. He demonstrated a n example of how the Brazilian G overnment 
cooperated wi th the G overnment of Ghana in the transport sector, under the supervision of the 
IMF. The project was the result of two years of negotiation and Brazil had provided US$200 
million. In the project particip ated three different Brazilian G overnment institutions. Ghana used WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  its national budget to assume the local costs. He stressed the necessity of developing countries 
changing the institutional environment in order to fa cilitate PPPs to mitigate the risks of such 
projects. He hoped that new opportunities would be able to share the project with other local and 
regional financial institutions and with the private sector.  
293.  Mavis Chaile, Chief Investment Officer, Development B ank of Zambia (DBZ)  
provided an overview of the different functions of the Development Bank of Zambia. She stated 
that the DBZ had not been able to provide major funds to the transport sector, due to a lack of 
resources. However, DBZ had supported road con struction by providing guarantees since those 
were short -term instruments. She explained that Zambia was landlocked by 8 countries and had 
many challenges in terms of transport, especially in the rail network. She pointed that out that the 
government was w orking to develop air transportation by building airports. She highlighted how 
most of the region 's transport infrastructure had been achieved through PPPs. She stated that DFIs 
had a role in promoting infrastructure in advisory services, in managing and s ourcing funds.  
294.  During the discussion segment, the vice -president of the Banque de Développement des 
Etats de l 'Afrique Centrale (BDEAC) stated that DFIs had a prominent role in making the case for 
investment for the transport sector, especially in PPPs. Af rican countries should focus on all the 
four modes of transport (air, road, rail and maritime).  Mr Abba Bello agreed that more needed to 
be done in all modes of transport, however, in his opinion, investments should first go to the 
maritime sector which wa s the most cost -effective for trade, and then, it would make sense to 
graduate to other sectors.  
295.  On the presentation by DZB, Mr Abba Bello said that he preferred to see Zambia as a 
land-linked country and that integration with the eight surrounding markets bordering Zambia 
would be possible once the right infrastructure would be put in place. Also, Mr Goanue emphasized 
that D BZ should take part in long term projects in infrastructure to attract PPPs. Ms Chaile 
responded that they did not  have suitable funds for those purposes and could onl y finance projects 
for up to ten years.  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 11: Regional Focus Session: "Promoting Connectivity In Africa – The Role of Aid 
for Trade in Boosting Intra -African Trade"  – Organizer s: African Development Bank, 
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, World Trade Organization  
Moderator:  Uzo Madu , Founder, What's in it for 
Africa?   
Panel discussion:  
 Stephen Karingi, Director of Capacity 
Development Dimension , United Nations 
Economic Commission for Africa  
 Pierre Guislain  Vice-President for Private 
Sector, Infrastructure and 
Industrialization, African Development 
Bank 
 Albert M. Muchanga ,  Commissioner for 
Trade and Industry, African Union 
Commission  
 Benedict Okey Oramah , President and 
Chairman, African Export – Import 
Bank  
 Joakim Reiter , Group External Affairs 
Director, Vodafone  
 Christopher Thornley , High 
Commissioner to Nigeria, Canada  
 Jean Lucia Bussa Tongba, Minister of 
External Trade, Democratic Republic of 
the Congo  Overview  
This regionally focused plenary session 
launched the United National Economic 
Commission for Africa report on "Promoting 
Connectivity in Africa – the Role of Aid for Trade 
in Boosting Intra -African Trade". Discussions 
were based on how promoting connectivity ca n 
contribute to the implementation of Africa 's 
regional integration, notably in the context of 
the Action Plan for Boosting -intra African Trade. 
Physical and digital connectivity could help 
promote effective regional integration in Africa, 
thereby concrete ly reaping the trade and 
development gains which the establishment of 
the African Union Continental Free Trade Area 
(CFTA) promises. Connectivity could also help 
expand economic opportunities particularly for 
women, youth and small and medium -sized 
enterpr ises as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda 
for Sustainable Development.  
 
Short summary  
 
296.  This regionally focused plenary session launched the joint United National Economic 
Commission for Africa and WTO report on "Promoting Connectivity in Africa – the Role of A id for 
Trade in Boosting Intra -African Trade". Discussions were based on how promoting connectivity can 
contribute to the implementation of Africa 's regional integration, notably in the context of the 
Action Plan for Boosting -intra African Trade (BIAT) and the African Union Continental Free Trade 
Area (CFTA).  
297.  It was noted that current Aid -for-Trade flows were largely in line with the continents trade 
agenda. However, more needs to be done in the areas of export diversification and 
industrialization. Physical and digital connectivity could help promote effective regional integration 
in Africa. Connectivity could also help expand economic opportuni ties particularly for women, 
youth and small and medium -sized enterprises as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development.  
298.  The digital age would require investment in digital skills and improving human capacity in 
innovation, technology and ent repreneurship. The private sector was already very engaged in the 
development of digital connectivity in Africa, including through FDI. For the investment to link with 
the local economy, skills gaps needed to be addressed. Th e opportunities emerging with 
e-commerce would also require providing an environment supporting innovation. Special attention 
should be paid in enabling women 's participation in trade, production and political decision making .   
Summary  
 
299.  Stephen Karingi, Director of Capacity Development  Division, United Nations 
Economic Commission for Africa ( UNECA ) provided an overview of the joint UNECA/WTO 
report on "Promoting Connectivity: The Role of Aid for Trade in Boosting Intra -Africa Trade". The 
report showed a good alignment of Aid for Trade t o Africa 's trade agenda as presented in the 
Action Plan for Boosting -intra African Trade (BIAT) and the African Union Continental Free Trade 
Area (CFTA), most notably in the areas of infrastructure and productive capacity.  To ensure that WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  this alignment was  maintained and improved, the various continental programmes and 
frameworks, such as the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) should be 
used. There was also scope to increase support to export diversification and industrialization. Wit h 
the possible conclusion of the CFTA at the end of 2017, Aid for Trade to regional integration was 
expected to rise. Finally, he noted that digital connectivity was expected to grow in importance 
and respondents viewed e -commerce as having a positive impa ct on MSMEs and women's 
economic empowerment. He emphasized that as trade priorities evolved overtime, the BIAT Action 
Plan needed to remain flexible.  
300.  Albert M. Muchanga, Commissioner for Trade and Industry, African Union (AU) 
Commission noted that the fi rst priority for Africa was to conclude the CFTA in December 2017.  
The AU was also in the process of finalizing the draft on trade facilitation in line with the WTO 
Trade Facilitation Agreement . He emphasized that trade was an integral part of connectivity; it 
connected goods, people and markets. He stated that the AU was rolling out a continent -wide 
domain name, including elements of cyber security. There would also be an Annex of the CFTA on 
trade in services. In 2018, the AU would also be developing a pan -African competition policy.   
301.  Joakim Reiter, Group External Affairs Director, Vodafone noted there was an 
exaggeration of the digital challenge in many parts of Africa; Vodafone estimated app roximately 
50% of Africans would own smartphones by 2020 and that applications were rapidly evolving and 
well-advanced. There was a large digital infrastructure gap in Africa but there was also appetite to 
invest. To meet current challenges, he urges the A U to add the element of services when creating 
the right regulatory framework at a continental level. A big concern for Vodafone was 
cybersecurity in Africa thus hindering the potential uptake of the technology. He stressed the 
importance of developing a p an-African cyber security platform. Finally, he recommended vast 
investment in digital skills.  
302.  Pierre Guislain Vice -President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and 
Industrialization, A frican Development Bank,  echoed that the services industry was general ly 
neglected and segmented yet was the main driver to Africa's growth and development. He 
emphasized that investment in digital connectivity remained a private sector business. 
Development partners could help break into new areas, overcome traditional barr iers and open 
markets even more. He called for a single digital space in Africa – an area where AfDB's future 
work could focus. Finally, he noted that digital technology had a potential to be a source for social 
inclusion.  
303.  Benedict Okey Oramah, President a nd Chairman, Africa  Export -Import 
(Afric -EXIM)  Bank noted that the average African businessman prefers to trade with Europe and 
Asian markets due to fragmentation in the con tinent. Afri -EXIM Bank's intra -African trade agenda 
was built on three pillars: cre ate (production), connect (production to get to the buyer) and deliver 
(logistics and infrastructure). Afri -EXIM Bank facilitated the emergence of private sector -driven 
export companies. Afri -EXIM would launch an intra -African trade platform at the end of the year to 
provide a marketplace, allow for foreign and local transactions and create linkages to the African 
diaspora. Afri -EXIM Bank was also financing  air transport to facilitate the movement of goods and 
people.  
304.  Jean Lucien Bussa Tongba, Minister of External Trade, Democratic Republic of the 
Congo provided a country perspective on promoting connectivity, including through public -private 
partnerships (PPPs). He opined that trade could not be dynamic if the private  sector itself was not 
dynamic.  In turn, a dynamic private sector could not exist without development -friendly 
institutional frameworks.  He outlined a number of challenges that marred African connectivity, 
including developing the contine nt's physical infrastructure.  He reminded the aud ience of the 
geography of his country (2,3 million square kilometres – 80 times the size of 
Belgium).  Surrounded by nine countries, the DRC's trade potential, as tremendous as it was, 
critically depended on sound physical infrastructure – a primary concern  and a priority for the 
Government. These transport links would allow the country to increase trade volumes. Overall the 
development of the DRC's trade capacity would have a direct impact on the nine neighbouring 
countries, and by extension, on the rest of  Africa.  
305.  Mr Tongba then discussed digital connectivity. He highlighted how over the past decade, his 
country had gone from one million connected to the 23 million today. This had been the result of a 
praise -worthy and dynamic private sector that had taken high risks in investing in  the post -conflict WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  environment.  Now that the political climate had settled, there were enormous opportunities to tap 
into, not only in telecommunications but also in finance and other sectors. Parliament was 
discussing a draft law  aimed at opening the DRC economy to public -private partnerships.  He 
invited investors to consider the assets of his country, namely: 80 million hectares of arable land 
which, alone could feed the entire African population; lower investment costs ; and busi ness 
registration times that  had been cut down to two days.  These improvements, together with others, 
bore testimony to the country's efforts to develop its economy based on the DRC's institutional 
capacity to set up a favourable business climate, and to c reate positive externalities for the private 
sector – notably through infrastructure upgrading.    
306.  Christopher Thornley, High Commissioner to Nigeria, Canada stated that real 
improvements will happen if there was a favourable investment climate, namely, gre ater investor 
confidence. Infrastructure, particularly energy , was a major challenge. Countries could leapfrog in 
energy innovation as had been done with mobile phones. In addition, investors were discouraged 
by governance issues, namely corruption. On wom en's economic empowerment, women 's 
participation in political decision -making was just as crucial as their participation in economic 
development. Through the G7 and G20, Canada would be supporting a women entrepreneurs ' 
financing initiative to leverage pri vate sector investment. Finally, he stressed the importance of 
building human capital. Canada was supporting the African Group of Mathematics and the Sciences 
to foster science and innovation for the youth.  
307.  Participants enquired how proposed rules at the WTO would help meet Africa's structural 
transformation, export diversification and industrialization objectives. Joakim Reiter (Vodafone) 
noted that FDI has been the largest driver of the telecommunications revolution. On policy space, 
he underlined the im portance of creating the right business environment. Anything that 
governments could do in terms of policy that undermined the profitability of telecoms investors 
would deter investments. There was a fragmented market in Africa due to differing policies ma king 
it difficult to build scale. The WTO Telecoms Reference Paper contained a number of best practices.  
308.  Albert M. Muchanga (AU) noted that regional trade agreements provided for in the context 
of the WTO meaning that there is ample policy space. Much intr a-Africa trade was in manufactured 
goods as opposed to Africa's trade with the rest of the world which was mainly based on 
commodities. On FDI, he emphasized that the development of the region would be determined by 
its citizens. The AU was working on a pr ogramme to tackle illicit financial flows, which annually 
exceeded ODA flows. On concerns regarding negotiations capacity gaps for the conclusion of the 
CFTA, he noted various capacity -building institutions the AU is working with to increase Africa 's 
and A U's capacity to negotiate.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 12: Regional Focus Session: "Islamic Development Bank Group Promoting 
Connectivity for Sustainable Development"  – Organizer s: Islamic Development Bank, 
World Trade Organization  
Keynote address:  Aja Fatoumatta Jallow 
Tambajang, Vice President, The Gambia  
Opening remarks : 
 Saleh bin Eid Al -Hussaini , Ambassador, 
Permanent Representative to the World 
Trade Organization, Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia  
 Amr Ramadan, Ambassador, Permanent 
Representative to the World Trade 
Organization, Egypt  
 Christopher Onyanga Aparr , 
Ambassador, Permanent Representative 
to the World Trade Organization, 
Uganda (tbc)  
 
Presentations:  
 Syed Habib Ahmed , Advisor to the Chief 
Executive Officer, International Islamic 
Trade Finance Corporation  
 Nicolas Gresser , Director, Regulatory 
Affairs, Etisalat  
 Torbjörn Fredriksson , Chief, ICT 
Analysis,   Technology and Logistics, 
United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development   
 Ahmed Al Qabany,  Senior Transport and 
Urban Development Specialist , Islamic 
Development Bank  
 Elmostafa Aitamor,  Senior Cooperation 
Specialist, Cooperation and Resources 
Mobilization Department, Islamic 
Development Bank  
 
Closing Remarks:  
 Hani Salem Sonbol , Chief Executive 
Officer, International Islamic Trade 
Finance Corporation  Overview  
 
This event reflected the theme of " Promoting 
Connectivity for Sustain able Development"  and 
provided an in -depth analysis of Islamic 
Development Bank (IDB) Group strategic 
objectives in financing infrastructure investment 
for enhancing  connectivity, regional integration 
and trade development. The event was a 
platform to present the IDB Group Report and 
discuss the support for developme nt of 
productive capacities in M ember countries and 
IDB's assistance to them to overcome supply 
side co nstraints.  
The event was also an opportunity to bring 
together experts and partners to share 
experiences and exchange ideas on ways to 
overcome the key obstacles that hinder the  
growth and connectivity among M ember 
countries. In addition, this session addressed 
the key issues specifically in low -income 
countries, including their technical capacity and 
human resources needs, overregulation and 
logistical constraints.  
The IDB Group Report on "Promoting 
Connectivity for Sustainable Development" was 
present ed as part of the Aid -for-Trade agenda.  
 
Short summary  
 
309.  This session emphasized the importance of connectivity in achieving the sustainable 
development goals, the challenges that persist in the area of connectivity (physical and digital) in 
developing countries, and the evolving nature of the IDB group's interventions. Discussions 
centred on the need for a systematic approach to programmes which ensured that financing in this 
area contributed to inc rease trade amongst developing M ember countries. On dig ital connectivity, 
participants discussed some of the regulatory and skills gaps that exist and need to be addressed 
in order for countries to derive the most benefit from e -commerce and the digital economy.  
Summary  
 
310.  The session provided an in -depth analys is of the Islamic Development Bank's (IDB) Group 
strategic objectives on financing infrastructure investment for enhancing connectivity, regional 
integration and trade development. The session was also a platform to formally launch the IDB 
Group Report on Promoting Connectivity. It was split into two panels both of which chaired by WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Hani Salem Sonbol , Chief Executive Officer, International Islamic Trade Finance 
Corporation . 
311.  The first panel in the session covered country experiences and views on how Aid for Trade is 
supporting countries to improve  connectivity. Speakers emphasiz ed the role of Aid for Trade in 
achieving the SDGs.  
312.  Aja Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang , Vice President, The Gambia , delivered the keynote 
address, noted the importance of the Global Review in tracking progres s in developing countries 
and mapping the way forward in terms of Aid for Trade. She noted the importance of trade 
projects in the achievement of the SDGs, and the important role of Aid for T rade in increasing the 
participation of women and youth in trade.   
313.  Saleh bin Eid Al -Hussaini, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the 
Kingd om of Saudi Arabia to the WTO  welcomed the focus of the Review on the trade 
dimensions of the SDGs. He highlighted the contribution of trade to infrastructure, education and 
other sectors. Key for development he noted in particular was women 's employment. He reiterated 
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's commitment to integrating LDCs into the global economy. In this 
regard, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supported the IDB group 's programme on Aid for T rade for 
Arab states and EIF Phase 1 and Phase II.  
314.  Amr Ramadan,  Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of 
Egypt  to the WTO , emphasized  that A id for Trade was an important instrument at a time where 
huge gaps existed  between developing and developed countries. He noted that with global trends 
in trade leaning downwards, the role of trade in promoting inclusive growth and sustainable 
development was paramount. A id for Trade  has, he said, created opportunities for  job creation and 
the implementation of the SDGs. He noted that IDB 's Aid-for-Trade interventions have promoted 
trade, economic integration, energy, transport, ICT infrastructure, and knowledge -sharing in its 
developing M ember countries. Noting that work u ndertaken by the ITF C has provided over 
US$35  billion  to Member countries in the area of energy, agriculture and is supporting the private  
sector.  
315.  Discussion in the second panel focused on the opportunity enhanced connectivity provided 
and some of the key obstacles that hindered growth and connectivity within countries. The 
participants benefitted from the presentations of Syed Habib Ahmed  from the International 
Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)  on the IDB Group 's Aid–for-Trade projects on 
connectivity and sustainable development. These included the Aid for Trade for Arab States 
(AfTIAS) and Arab Africa Trade Bridge. Nicholas Gresser  from Etis alat Group  presented on  
enhancing economic inclusion through digital connectivity and highlighted two obstacles in this 
area, the absence of data protection frameworks, and the need for cooperation between countries 
on issues of national security . Tor björn Fredriksson  from UNCTAD  presented on e -commerce 
and inclusivity. On challenges he noted the lack of available data B2B e -commerce and the need to 
address the digital skill gap in least developed countries. Ahmed Al Qabany and 
Elmostafa  Aitamor, both from the ITFC presented on IDB groups evolving interventions in 
partner countries to promote connectivity. Along with aligning the IDB Group programmes with the 
SDGs, going forward with the IDB group A id-for-Trade programmes are also evolving in three 
streams: first, infrastructure interventions will move tow ards a more regional approach; s econd, 
programmes will also address the soft components of infrastructure, by following up on 
infrastructure investments with studies on the hurdles that obstruct connectivit y; thirdly, the IDB 
will be enhancing trade linkages between different regions covered by the Bank.  
316.  Discussions highlighted the importance of skills for e -commerce, supporting the 
development of payment services, and improving access to finance for SMEs.  
 
 
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  Session 13: Regional Focus Session: " Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific: Promoting 
Connectivity and Inclusive Development"  – Organizer s: Asian Development Bank, W orld 
Trade Organization  
Keynote address:  Bambang Susantono , 
Vice-President, Knowledge Management and 
Sustainable Development, Asian Development 
Bank 
Presentation of the Report: Aid for Trade in 
Asia and the Pacific:  Promoting 
Connectivity and Inclusive 
Development:  Cyn-Young Park , Director of 
Regional Cooperation and Integration, Asian 
Development Bank  
Moderator : Shishir Priyadarshi , Director, 
Development Division, World Trade 
Organization  
Panel Discussion:   
 Hiroshi Kuniyoshi , Deputy to the 
Director General, United Nations 
Industrial Development Organization  
 Arnold Jorge , Director, Multilateral 
Aid-for-Trade Section, Australia  
Roundtable Discussants:  
 Tofail Ahmed , Minister of Commerce, 
Bangladesh   
 Arzybek Kozhoshev , Minister of  
Economy, Kyrgyz Republic  
 Tuifa'Asisina Misa Lisati Leleisiuao  
Palemene , Associate Minister of 
Commerce, Industry and Labour, 
Samoa  
 Tan Yee Woan , Ambassador, 
Permanent Representative to the 
World Trade Organization, Singapore  Overview  
Since the launch of the Aid -for-Trade Initiative, 
Aid for Trade has been an important part of the 
Asian Development Bank 's support for 
sustainable development, and regional 
cooperation and integration in Asia and the 
Pacific. This regional focus session launched and 
discussed  key findings from the 2017 report on 
Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific. Under the 
overarching theme of promoting connectivity for 
inclusive development, this session reviewed 
the latest trends in Aid-for-Trade disbursements 
and trade costs in the regi on, particularly for 
the geographically challenged land -locked and 
sea-locked economies of Asia and the Pacific. 
Moreover, given the importance of trade and 
investment linkages in helping achieve inclusive 
growth, the session also featured a discussion 
of how Aid for Trade could be further leveraged 
to facilitate trade in services.   
In this regard, the discussion explore s future 
intervention areas for A id for Trade, including 
support for the required regulatory reforms and 
cutting -edge trade facilitating so lutions such as 
e-commerce.  
 
Short summary  
 
317.  This regional focus session launched and discussed the key findings from the 2017 ADB 
report on Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific. Under the overarching theme of promoting 
connectivity for inclusive development, the session highlighted the eme rging trends in Aid for 
Trade in the context of evolving trade performance in Asia and Pacific. The role of A id for Trade in 
promoting the growth and tradability of services, as well as the rise of e -commerce and  digital 
technology and their economic potential and policy implications for trade facilitation and efficiency, 
were discussed. In particular, policy implications of the experiences of the region 's geographically 
challenged economies along the dimensions o f trade costs, A id for Trade, trade in services, and 
the digital economy were presented. The keynote address was delivered by ADB 's Vice President 
for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, Mr Bambang Susantono. The report 
was presented by Ms Cy n-Young Park, Director of ADB 's Regional Cooperation and Integration 
Division. A panel discussion followed highlighting the key aspects of A id for Trade in promoting 
connectivity and women 's economic empowerment and as a catalyst for inclusive growth 
particularly in landlocked and sea -locked countries. A roundtable discussion was subsequently 
taken forward and joined by the representatives from Bangladesh, the Kyrgyz Republic, Samoa, 
and Singapore.   WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Summary  
 
318.  In his keynote speech, Bambang Susantono , Vice-President, Knowledge Management 
and Sustainable Development, Asian Development Bank , stated that international trade had 
been a key driving force behind the remarkable economic growth in the region that had lifted more 
than a billion people out of poverty over the last two decades and stressed that the A id-for-Trade  
Initiative could play an important role in sustaining this trend by maximizing opportunities fo r 
further trade growth and broadening the resulting economic gains. He identified the reduction of 
trade costs as a key factor to integrate developing —and especially least developed —countries into 
global and regional trade and value chains. He emphasized t he significance of accelerating trade 
facilitation reforms, building trade infrastructure, improving the business climate, implementing 
regulatory reforms, and strengthening legal institutions to reduce trade complexities and costs and 
enhance cross -border  trade. Moreover, he underscored that progress on these fronts, along with 
improving ICT infrastructure, creating an enabling regulatory environment for services sectors, 
and strengthening A id for Trade in services , could further improve connectivity and h elp the region 
move towards a more inclusive growth.  
319.  Cyn-Young Park , Director of Regional Cooperation and Integration, Asian 
Development Bank , presented the main findings from the 2017  ADB report on Aid for Trade in 
Asia and the Pacific. Aid for Trade was an integral part of official development assistance to 
developing countries, which aimed to help recipients maximize the benefits of trade liberalization 
by improving their trade and p roductive capacities, infrastructure, and institutions. A id-for-Trade  
flows to the region had been growing steadily and had mainly targeted the transport and storage, 
energy, and agriculture sectors. Aid for Trade enhanced trade performance and helped redu ce the 
burden of trade costs. Trade costs had been falling in general, but further progress could be made, 
particularly in trade facilitation , vital to promoting trade and inclusive development.  
320.  In her view, trade could deliver inclusive growth and quality  jobs. International trade and 
FDI generated economic opportunities for socially vulnerabl e groups including women, with A id for 
Trade properly targeted at employment policies to help these groups benefit from participation in 
trade and related economic ac tivities. Evidence was compelling that participation in global value 
chains generated more jobs for women when labor -intensive work in manufacturing and business 
processing were part of international production networks. Empirical findings also showed that  Aid 
for Trade benefited women —a 10% increase in A id-for-Trade  disbursement was associated with a 
1.77% increase in the labor force participation rate for women. A id for Trade could support 
targeted policies that incr eased opportunities for women  - including policies that fostered labor 
market efficiency and flexibility, and penalized discriminatory employment practices.  
321.  Fast growing e -commerce presented abundant growth opportu nities for the region. Retail 
e-commerce sales in Asia and the Pacific we re estimated to have grown 31.5% in 2016 — double 
the pace in North America, currently the second largest e -commerce regional market. The region 
was forecast to remain the world 's largest market for e -commerce, with an estimated 
US$1.0 trillion in 2016 sal es expected to reach US$2.7 trillion by 2020. Growth of e -commerce had 
been driven by an expanding middle class, growing mobile and internet penetration, and 
improving logistics and infrastructure. The growth, however, had not been uniform ac ross Asia and 
the Pacific and e -commerce in many countries was still at a nascent stage and largely domestic. 
Technology could be leveraged to improve inclusiveness of trade -driven growth. Othe r essential 
preconditions for e -commerce to grow in Asia and the Pacific incl uded: the availability of secure 
electronic payment  systems; quality logistics and efficient customs procedures; and adequate, 
coherent and consistently applied legal and regulatory frameworks. Mainstreaming gender into ICT 
initiatives could promote women 's entrepreneurial activities by allowing them to capitalize on 
online networking and outsourcing opportunities. Aid targeted at tradable services sectors could be 
an important catalyst in promoting inclusive economic growth and structural transformation.  
322.  Targeted A id for Trade can boost trade in services. Aid that enhanced economic 
infrastructure and boosted productive capacity was positively correlated with services trade across 
Asia and the Pacific. Empirical analysis showed a statistically and economical ly significant impact of 
Aid for Trade on services trade across all subregions, most pronounced for South Asia and 
Southeast Asia. Integrated and coherent policies —together with more trade liberalization and 
regulatory reform — were critical for services tr ade. Not only do they promote productivity and 
competitiveness, services also helped form productive linkages between services sectors and the WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  general economy. Instances of regulatory reform in telecommunications, energy, transport, and 
financial services had boosted services trade in many Asia and Pacific economies.  
323.  Promoting connectivity was a priority to expand trade in services and achieve inclusive 
growth in  geographically challenged economies of Asia and the Pacific. Geographically challenged 
(landloc ked and sea -locked) economies of Asia and the Pacific had made visible progress in ease of 
doing business and reducing trade costs. Landlocked economies in particular have made greater 
strides than sea -locked economies in lowering border and documentary co mpliance times to trade. 
Aid for trade promoted growth and trade in services in geographically challenged economies with 
the most pronounced impact on tourism services for sea -locked economies and business services 
for landlocked economies.  
324.  The Central Asi an Regional Economic Cooperation Trade Policy Strategic Action Plan 
recognized the expansion of trade in services as a core policy goal to help reduce barriers faced by 
landlocked Central Asian economies. Some crucial actions for promoting services exports  include 
developing human capital for skilled services, enhancing cultural endowments that attract tourists, 
improving infrastructure (especially telecommunications networks that facilitate service delivery), 
and raising institutional quality. Sea -locked e conomies could benefit from developing their tourism 
industries. Some of the crucial actions for this included establishing tourism linkages with the local 
economy, enhancing tourism management capacity through institutional and human capacity 
development,  tapping private sector resources, and pursuing regional integration  strategies. A id 
for Trade should target (i) further improving infrastructure, (ii) building an enabling policy and 
regulatory environment to advance growth in trade in services, and (iii)  promoting the integration 
of geographically challenged economies into regional and global markets.  
325.  A panel discussion followed highlighting the key aspects of A id for Trade in promoting 
connectivity and women 's economic empowerment and as a catalyst for inclusive growth, 
particularly in landlocked and sealocked countries.  
326.  Hiroshi Kuniyoshi, Deputy to the Director General , United Nations Industrial 
Development Organization made a statement on digital connectivity and women 's economic 
empowerment. He stated  that these two key aspects of A id-for-Trade were important in the 
achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. He also highlighted the role of manufacturing 
and industry -related services for socio -economic development and stable employment creation f or 
women. There was a strong linkage between digital connectivity and women 's economic 
empowerment as ICT offered access to all areas enabling online trade and reliable market 
information. However, there was still a need to increase private sector particip ation to bridge the 
digital divide, reinforce public -private collaboration for boosting connectivity, and strengthen 
partnerships between and among stakeholders including governments and international 
institutions in implementing national and regional fram eworks. To enhance women 's participation 
in international trade, measures such as gender -focused training also needed to be put in place as 
the risk of increasing inequalities was still pending.  
327.  Arnold Jorge, Director , Multilateral Aid for Trade Section , Department of Foreign 
Affairs and Trade, Australia highlighted the significance of services as a catalyst for inclusive 
growth, particularly in the creation of employment opportunities and economic diversification, 
which in turn improved a country 's resil ience. Secondly, he emphasized the importance of 
services, such as marketing, finance, and logistics services, in enabling goods trade. The analysis 
of ADB in Asia and the Pacific showed that Aid-for-Trade had a positive impact resulting in overall 
increas e in services trade. He also discussed the challenges facing sea -locked and landlocked 
countries, including greater distance to major markets, higher border administration cost, relative 
size of domestic markets, limited resource endowments, and lack of ac cess to finance, among 
others. To address these issues and take advantage of the benefits offered by e -commerce and 
digital trade, there was a need to modernize ICT and related infrastructure, increase capacity 
building in the use of ICT technologies, and encourage collaboration with the private sector for 
innovatio n of new technologies. Aid for T rade should also be informed by the country and regional 
context; learning and knowledge -sharing of best practices from other regions/context s was also 
crucial.  
328.  A roundtable discussion joined by the Minis terial representatives from Bangladesh, the 
Kyrgyz Republic, Samoa, and Singapore  then followed .  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  329.  Tofail Ahmed, Minister of Commerce, Bangladesh  stated that e -commerce was 
constantly growing with the progress of te chnology and connectivity. Connectivity created jobs 
especially for young entrepreneurs, increase d production capabilities, and improved services 
quality. There was a need for regional and global cooperation to address the digital divide in the 
region, limited market access and supply -side constraints, and differences in the advancement of 
infrastructu re that existed between different countries. Obstacles identified include inadequacy in 
ICT and transport infrastructure and trade logistics, inefficient payment solutions, limited access to 
finance for SMEs, and lack of e -commerce strategy and legal frame works. To enable e -commerce 
growth in developing countries, there was a need to increase investments in ICT infrastructure, 
including electricity and transport infrastructure. Bangladesh presented a successful case on the 
benefits of the growth of the ICT industry and services sectors in economic development.    
330.  Arzybek Kozhoshev, Minister of Economy, Kyrgyz Republic stated as a landlocked 
country , his country had to face the issue of high logistics costs. One effective tool to increase and 
develop internat ional and bilateral trade was the Trade Facilitation Agreement. The Kyrgyz 
Republic ratified the T rade Facilitation Agreement  in the end of 2016. The agreement aimed to 
streamline procedures and increase the export potential of economies. Full implementati on 
required developing countries to have relevant infrastructure and legal basis. One of the country's 
strategies to boost international trade was to work towards enhancing digitalization. ADB had 
conducted projects in the Kyrgyz Republic to simplify and m odernize customs procedures allowing 
collaboration across different government agencies. ADB helped develop harmonized systems of 
pre-arrival processing and create national single window that was extensively used by the private 
sector.  
331.  Tuifa'Asisina Misa L isati Leleisiuao Palemene, Associate Minister of Commerce, 
Industry and Labour, Samoa stated that liberalization and modernization of the 
telecommunications sector in Samoa has made it one of the leading economies in the Pacific 
islands. The 2005 liberaliz ation of the telecommunications sector had contributed to its 
modernization. It had also presented opportunities for the country to capitalize on its ongoing 
efforts for the sector 's development and resulting gains, including increased e -commerce activitie s 
and improved usage of the internet by businesses and governments. In the case of the private 
sector for example, affordable and fast internet connection and reduced calling rates were crucial 
to keeping costs low for businesses and improve communications  with clients.  
332.  Tan Yee Woan, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the WTO , Singapore,  
stated that the  experience of the ASEAN community demonstrated that with sufficient political will, 
a region could progress together economically, including in new ar eas such as e -commerce. ASEAN 
recognized that e -commerce was and would be a key driver of economic growth. ASEAN also 
recognized the significance of infrastructure development and the distributive benefits of the  digital 
economy. E -commerce had the potenti al to benefit even the smallest of economic actors and 
propel them to engage into regional and global markets. To this end, ASEAN focused on 
infrastructure development and regulatory cooperation to boost regional e -commerce growth. The 
ASEAN ICT Masterplan  illustrated the region 's goals towards a digitally -enabled, inclusive, and 
integrated ASEAN community. It comprised five key goals to be reached by 2020: (1) an 
accessible, inclusive and affordable digital economy (through digital education, digital inclu sion and 
social equality); (2) deployment of next -generation ICT as enablers of growth; (3) sustainable 
development through Smart City technologies; (4) multiple ICT opportunities across a single 
regional market; and (5) secure digital marketplaces and saf e online communities.  
 
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  Session 14: Regional Focus Session: "Connecting the Latin American and Caribbean 
Dots: What Countries Are Doing to Facilitate Trade " – Organizer s: Inter-American 
Development Bank, World Trade Organization  
Moderator:  Antoni Estevadeordal , Manager, 
Integration and Trade Sector, Inter -American 
Development Bank  
Panel Discussion:   
 Alexander Mora , Minister of Foreign 
Trade, Costa Rica   
 Alwyn Nicely, Permanent Secretary, 
Caribbean Customs Law 
Enforcement Council  
 François Martins,  Government 
Relations, Mercado Libre  
 Ambassador  Carlos Gonz ález, 
Colombia  
 Joaquim Tres, Integration and Trade 
Lead Specialist, Inter -American 
Development Bank  Overview  
 
This Session reviewed Latin American and 
Caribbean countries ' efforts to make trade more 
efficient and reduce unnecessary trade costs.  
Panelists discussed what hurdles had been 
overcome, how countries could cooperate with 
one another, how governments maintained 
political will across administrations, what role 
was be ing played by the private sector to 
advance trade facilitation, what they planned to 
do next to reduce trade costs further.  
 
Short summary  
 
333.  The panelists gave detailed accounts of the state of regional integration and implementation 
of the Trade Facilitat ion Agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean. They also spoke about the 
national experiences of Costa Rica, Colombia and Jamaica. The main themes mentioned were 
connectivity, the institutions in charge of implementing the T rade Facilitation Agreement , 
cooperation with IFIs, enforcement of customs laws, capacity building and e -commerce. A 
representative from the private sector spoke about the challenges and opportunities that 
implementation of the T rade Facilitation Agreement  could bring to businesses in  Latin America. A 
representative of the IADB spoke about capacity building for trade facilitation from the bank's 
perspective.  
Summary  
 
334.  Antoni Estevadeordal, Manager, Integration and Trade Sector , Inter -American 
Development Bank , who moderated the session,  said that in Latin America there were big 
connectivity gaps, which impacted the region's trade. In the last 20 years, Latin America's share of 
global trade had remained at 6 -7%. Also, there was little intra -regional trade. Nevertheless, much 
had been done  in terms of trade facilitation. He asked the panelists to share their experiences in 
this area.  
335.  Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign Trade , Costa Rica , said that Central America had 
an integration mechanism which had allowed the region's countries to embar k on a process of 
gradual integration. The Trade Facilitation Agreement would be a part of this integration. Costa 
Rica considered the T rade Facilitation Agreement  as a very ambitious tool to fight against trade 
barriers. The country ratified the Agreement  in May 2017. Now they are working on the institutions 
that would be in charge of its implementation. The National Council for Trade Facilitation was the 
relevant body, with 40% participation of the private sector. The Council had hard tools because it 
could enforce binding decisions. They were working closely with the SIECA Secretariat regarding 
implementation of the T rade Facilitation Agreement . They were also working on a digital platform 
for Central American trade with support from the IABD and the EU. Costa Rica understood that 
successful implementation required strong coordination between countries and institutions.  
336.  Alwyn Nicely, Permanent Secretary , Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council  
said that his organization had learned important lessons from the implementation of the T rade 
Facilitation Agreement . Inefficiency in processes could create gaping loopholes, opportunities for 
corruption, and reve nue leakage for the government. The private sector wanted predictability for 
the release of their goods. The government wanted duties to be paid. Most of the tenets of A id for WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Trade required legislation. In the Caribbean, many countries had not had any leg islative changes 
since their independence. Jamaica was working to repeal and replace the Customs Act with private 
sector involvement. This led to trust, because the private sector felt that their interests wer e being 
taken into account and that they were h elping in the legislative process. Political will was 
necessary to push the A id for Trade and to commit resources towards its implementation. There 
was also a need for a champion who must be a person or group which was neutral, trusted by both 
sides and go al oriented.  
337.  Ambassador Carlos González , Colombia  said that trade facilitation had been very 
important for his country for a long time. A single window had been established as early as 2005. 
This facility incorporated 21 government offices and since 2005 t here had been 4.5 million 
operations. They ratified the Trade Facility Agreement  and had notified every provision in Category 
A except for those relating to second tests and perishable goods. Also, the concepts of the TFA 
were already included in Colombia' s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Regarding the Pacific Alliance, 
of which Colombia was the pro tempore President, it had already recognized phytosanitary 
certificates and certificates of origin. They were working on recognition of digital signatures and 
customs declarations.  
338.  François Martins, Government Relations , Mercado Libre,  said that his company had 
been founded in a garage in Buenos Aires 12 year s ago and now was a US$12 billion  company 
listed on the NASDAQ. He said that in Latin America there were still numerous cross -border 
barriers. Hence, they focused on trade within countries. For the company, data was very 
important. Every user had an ID and a scoring card. Interactions, qu estions and reviews were 
available. They had developed an e -payment tool whereby the platform took custody of buyers' 
payments until the goods were received. The company was now working on a platform to try to 
connect buyers and sellers directly in case of  disputes to avoid legal fees.  
339.  Joaquim Tres, Integration and Trade Lead Specialist , Inter -American Development 
Bank , said that the main drivers of trade in Latin America were an increased number of FTAs and 
the growth of the private sector. The main costs had less to do with tariffs than with logistics and 
transport, which could be up to 30% higher. Integration with Asian countries had been a challenge 
to Latin American productivity but had also contributed with a huge market for exports of raw 
materials. T he IADB was giving support for legislative reforms and physical integration deficits, but 
these had to be tackled at a regional level.  
340.  Minister Mora added that FTAs had resulted in a huge trade platform which brought three 
elements of pressure to the Costa  Rican system. First, trade and transport of raw materials. 
Second, e -commerce with countries suc h as China. In this sense, o n specific dates, such as 
Thanksgiving, customs collapse. The usual response was to shut everything down, and this is 
something tha t they must work on. Third, imports were seen as competition for national 
industries, so there was an increased pressure to use trade barriers. There was also additional 
pressure when negotiating as part of Central America, because internal issues had to b e resolved 
first. 
341.  Ambassador González said that in the last 10 years, Colombia has concluded 12 FTAs. 
Talking about the Pacific Alliance, he said that it was the 8th largest exporter in terms of GDP and 
had a market of 220 million people. As such, the regi on attracted investments and also had a 
positive impact for its members in terms of origin when dealing with third parties. Canada, New 
Zealand, Australia and Singapore were associated countries.  
342.  Alwyn Nicely said that capacity building was very important.  He used risk management as 
an example. He said that spending 80% of customs resources inspecting cargo was not efficient. 
On the other hand, customs authorities were good at collecting data, so resources could be used 
for authorized economic operator (AEO ) programmes. Another tool that could be used was 
post-clearance audit. Shipments could be allowed to enter countries with minimal obstacles but an 
audit could be carried out later. For example, in Jamaica there was a seven year period for this. 
This kind of programme was positive because it built confidence among importers  about goods 
being released in a timely manner and bolstered customs confidence in their efficiency. Ease of 
passage of goods was granted but the slightest breach was dealt with severely.  AEO operators 
were thus keen to comply with customs requirements to avoid losing their status.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  343.  Joaqui m Tres spoke next about capacity building. He said that the nature of trade had 
changed dramatically. Nowadays customs faced millions of small packages i nstead of containers. 
Furthermore, their tasks have been expanded from only revenue collection to safety and security, 
among others. The Bank offered 40 -50 tutored courses per year relating to trade facilitation 
issues. Participants had an 84% success rate  and of these, 51% were women.  
344.  Franç ois Martins said that e -commerce had to do with more than customs and cross -border 
trade. He added that capacity building in the area of payments was needed since the Latin 
American region was very good at putting up bar riers to financial transactions. Also, capacity 
building was needed for government agencies and private businesses to be able to respond to new 
demands that they were not built for. As an example he cited the c ase of a customer who paid 
US$100 for a pair o f shoes and then returned them because they were the wrong size or color. 
According to most Latin American countries' laws, he should be entitled to a full refund, but would 
be lucky if he got US$60 back because of taxes and charges.  
345.  Minister Mora said tha t we should start thinking about the future of technologies such as 
automation, robotics and 3 -D printing, and the impact they will have on trade. Alwyn Nicely said 
that e -commerce provides an excellent opportunity for the government and private sector to work 
together in its legislation since the beginning. Referring to the problem mentioned by 
François Martins, he asked who would cover the costs of processing the shoes at customs?  
346.  In reply to the question about integration plans between the Pacific Alliance and the Andean 
Community and MERCOSUR, Ambassador González answered that the implementation of the TFA 
brought opportunities and challenges for Colombia. Some of the areas where trade policy was 
focusing in the country were SMEs and the links betw een e -commerce and development  
347.  Finally, Minister Mora said that Costa Rica was working with the IADB to rebuild their air, 
land and sea border facilities, as were most of the Central American countries. Also, there was 
work underway with the OECD to standa rdize procedures and apply international practices.  
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  Session 15: Thematic Focus: LDC s: "Promoting Connectivity for Least Developed 
Countries " – Organizer: World Trade Organization  
Moderator:  Yinka Adegoke,  Africa Editor, 
Quartz   
 
Panel discussion:  
 Joe Natuman,   Deputy Prime Minister 
and Minister for Tourism, Trade, 
Commerce, Vanuatu   
 Amelia Kyambadde, Minister of Trade, 
Industry and Cooperatives, Uganda   
 Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign 
Trade, Costa Rica   
 U Aung Htoo,  Deputy Minister for 
Commerce, My anmar   
 Anir Chowdhury,  Policy Advisor, Access 
to Information Programme, Bangladesh   
 Sonia Jorge, Executive Director, Alliance 
for Affordable Internet   
 Wenche Agerup,  Executive Vice 
President, Head of Group corporate 
Affairs, Telenor Group  
 
Closing remarks:  Ratnakar Adhikari,  Executive 
Secretary, Enhanced Integrated Framework  
 Overview  
 
The full potential of the Internet remains 
untapped, especially in lower -income countries. 
Globally, 3.9 billion people, constituting more 
than half the world 's total populat ion, are still 
offline – many of whom live in least developed 
countries. While mobile -cellular penetration has 
reached over 70% in LDCs, mobile -broadband 
penetration stands at just below 20%, 
compared to close to 50% globally and 90% in 
developed countries . 
 
The digital divide is also a market access divide, 
as people who are offline are excluded from the 
global market that the world wide web 
represents. The divide is seen both between 
countries and within countries: between rural 
and urban populations, wom en and men, and 
small and large firms.  Failure to address these 
divides risks reinforcing existing inequalities.  
 
The Internet 's potential as an instrument for 
more inclusive trade is yet to be fully explored. 
A key objective of the UN 2030 agenda is to 
"significantly increase access to information and 
communications technology and strive to 
provide universal and affordable access to the 
Internet in least developed countries by 2020". 
This session discussed the gaps that exist for 
LDCs – in terms of infra structure, connectivity 
and quality of service.   
 
Short summary  
 
348.  With the rapid growth and widespread use of e -commerce, it is important that LDCs are able 
to seize this opportunity and use it to improve their economic growth. E -commerce is a platform 
that will help domestic producers and buyers connect to markets across the globe, promoting 
better connectivity and trade. Nevertheless, this opportunity comes with its own challenges and 
obstacles. Lack of basic infrastructure, outdated government policies, absence of trust in cyber 
security are a few of the many such hurdles faced by LDCs.  
349.  The session brought together high level representatives from the G overnments of 
Bangladesh  Costa Rica, Myanmar, Uganda and Vanuatu to provide insights on their policies a nd 
advancement in internet penetration. Furthermore, companies from the private sector such as 
Telenor discussed their models and success stories in increasing and promoting connectivity in 
countries like Myanmar. This session highlighted that Public -Private Partnerships are essential in 
building and promoting connectivity in LDCs, amongst the many other reforms that are required to 
promote connectivity .  
Summary  
 
350.  In the opening remarks the moderator Yinka Adegoke, Africa Editor, Quartz , presented 
statics a bout LDC connectivity and internet penetration. Those who have access were well -off and 
the poor were left behind. This divide needed to be bridged for development to be inclusive. He 
reasoned that access to the internet and mobile services provided a plat form for LDCs to improve 
their economies as their producers and buyers would secure access to global markets. With this in WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  mind, he asked, how could LDCs meet the demand and supply of internet services along with 
improving infrastructure and effective trad e policies that were essential for further development.  
351.  Wenche Agerup, Executive Vice President, Head of Group Corporate Affairs, 
Telenor Group, showcased how the model developed in Myanmar was a success in terms of 
dealing with the challenges of infrastr ucture and policy. To begin with she insisted on the fact that 
connectivity was important and with the rapid integration of the internet in day to day life, it was 
crucial that it was accessible. The model that had been developed in Myanmar was a small sca le 
one. They had received an overwhelming response which encouraged them to expand on this 
model and develop supply capacity on a bigger scale. This case study indicated that the private 
sector could play a huge role in promoting connectivity by taking ini tiatives and risks. Nevertheless 
this could only be facilitated with the government's responsiveness and policies that supported the 
private sector and promoted connectivity.  
352.  U Aung Htoo, Deputy Minister for Commerce, Myanmar  emphasized the need for 
privat e and public partnership in promoting connectivity in LDCs. He acknowledged the work done 
by Telenor and its success in the telecommunication industry as it was the largest service provider 
in Myanmar. The risk that Telenor took by investing in Myanmar hel ped changed attitudes. 
Facebook was widely used by small entrepreneurs to promote and sell their products. This would 
not have been possible without accessible services. The telecommunications sector now 
contributed 5% to Myanmar's GDP. Furthermore, it had  created new jobs and expanded the 
economy. With all these developments, th e Government of Myanmar recogniz ed the need to 
support and promote connectivity and e -commerce.  
353.  Joe Natuman,  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Trade, Commerce, 
Vanuatu  gave credit to the public - private relationships which were crucial in promoting 
connectivity. A better working relationship between government and the private sector helped to 
establish ICT policies encouraging companies to expand and invest in LDCs. Ho wever, these 
policies had to be strengthen ed to deal with cyber -crime and maintain trust.  
354.  Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign Trade, Costa Rica  mentioned that Costa Rica faced 
similar challenges despite not being a n LDC. Most of the urban areas had high mo bile penetration 
in Costa Rica but the more remote coastal areas faced challenges similar to LDCs. Reallocation of 
resources, development of stronger policies and removal of monopolies in the telecommunication 
industry had helped expand internet access fro m 47% to 70% of the population.  
355.  Amelia Kyambadde, Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives , Uganda  
emphasized the G overnment 's initiatives to promote connectivity and address the questions of 
affordability and accessibility to the internet. For e -comm erce she supported the need for a 
non-tariff programme to facilitate trade in LDCs. She also urged other African states to work 
towards increasing connectivity for further development and economic prosperity.  
356.  Sonia Jorge, Executive Director, Alliance for Affordable Internet  stated that economic 
prosperity was deeply associated with widespread connectivity. Low penetration rates could hinder 
LDCs from enjoying the economic benefits of internet usage. There were several factors that led to 
this situation , such as outdated policies , which further led to a lack of attraction of FDI. 
Furthermore, the reality was much worse than the figures presented. There was vast inequality 
between the rural and urban areas. An attempt needed to be made to improve existing reg ulations 
promptly as policy change meant long term results and was essential to attract investment and 
support from the private sector to promote connectivity.  
357.  Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor , Access to Information Programme, Bangladesh  
highlighted the importance of government initiatives. The community internet centres started 
through this programme showed how small initiatives could bring about big improvements. They 
had started with 2 centres in 2007, and 10 years later in 2017 had 5, 000 across the country. 
Active public -private partnerships had helped promote connectivity through this programme. 
Furthermore, regional entrepreneurs played a crucial role in running these centres. The 
government ensured the service was provided and the p rivate sector provided efficiency and 
quality. He highlighted the need to aim for inclusive bottom -up development in rural areas.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  358.  In his closing remarks , Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Secretary , Enhanced Integrated 
Framework , WTO  summariz ed the ways in whic h LDCs could move forward in promoting 
connectivity. First came regulation, which gave incentives for investment and e -commerce. These 
involve trade -related liberalization such as reduction in border or consumption taxes. Other 
regulations related to cyber -security helped to develop a sense of trust amongst producers and 
buyers. The next step was implementation. This was one of the major challenges for LDCs. It 
required a transparent and corruption -free system in place. The last was political will. Without the 
following political will in place , deriving benefits of connectivity was difficult.  
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  Session 16: Development Hub: "Trade, Refugees and Migrants: Unlocking the Potential 
of Displaced People Through Trade and Strengthening Humanitarian Relief " – 
Organi zers: Mission of Sweden to the W orld Trade Organization , International Trade 
Centre  
Moderator:   Heba Aly,  Director, IRIN 
Humanitarian News and Analysis  
 
Discussants:  
 
 Ann Linde,  Minister for European Union 
Affairs and Trade, Sweden   
 Arancha  González,  Executive Director, 
International Trade Centre  
 Annemieke Tsike -Sossah de Jong,  Head 
of Portfolio, Ikea Foundation  
 Benedict M. Nganga, Country Director, 
Heshima Kenya & Representative, 
Maisha Collective  
 Rania Kinge, Founder of Damascus 
Concepts  
 Overview  
 
We are currently witnessing the highest levels 
of displacement ever, as an unprecedented 
65.3 million people of refugees, displaced 
persons and migrants are unable to return to 
their previous lives. Due to their condition, 
access to economic activities is often limited. 
There is an increasingly urgent need to address 
how these communities can upgrade their skills, 
access dignified livelihood opportunities, 
become active economic actors and contribute 
to their host country as well as to their country 
of orig in. 
Trade plays a pivotal role in creating business 
opportunities and employment. Refugees, 
displaced people and migrants possess 
education, skills and experience which 
represent a great economic potential. As 
entrepreneurship is growing in many refugee 
camps, new ideas and partnerships are required 
to promote empowerment and create market 
opportunities both in -camp and outside.  
Trade policy can foster economic initiatives by 
enabling refugees and migrants to generate 
income and improve their daily existenc e to 
build a new economic future. Strengthening the 
economic resilience of these populations 
requires sound policies to support refugee 
livelihoods. Within this context, the session 
explored concrete initiatives from different 
actors, including governments , private sector 
and international organizations.  
 
Short summary  
 
359.  On average, 20 people are displaced per minute around the world. Refugees and migrants 
are agents of economic change, and sustainable trade initiatives can foster their social and 
economic inclusion. Nevertheless, there is a gap between trade and migration policies worldwide. 
The traditional humanitarian toolkit needs to be complemented by initiatives that drive the 
economic potential of refugees. Women in particular need to be given due con sideration. The 
session provided practical examples of how connectivity through partnerships and cooperation, 
including private sector engagement, has improved the social and economic well -being of 
displaced persons in Kenya and Syria. More importantly, th ese examples emphasize how trade and 
migration can work together to increase the income and opportunities available to displaced 
populations.  
Summary  
 
360.  Heba Aly, Director, IRIN , Humanitarian  News  and Analysis , in her introductory 
remarks, explained that on average around 20 people were displaced per minute around the world. 
Refugees and migrants could be agents of change, and trade could help generate income and 
opportunities for refugees and their communities . Supporting displaced people, she added, 
resulted in the economic development of society as a whole, as refugees had skills and talents that WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  were in demand and could benefit everyone. Against this background, she asked, what does the 
trade -migration nexus  look like?  
361.  Ann Linde, Minister for European Union Affairs and Trade , Sweden  acknowledged 
that there was a gap between trade and migration policies. However, she highlighted that 
welcoming refugees was an economic opportunity and referred to the Jordan Com pact as one 
policy example of how trade can benefit refugees. As such, in addition to the traditional 
humanitarian toolkit, she noted the need to determine how refugees would become economic 
actors, and mentioned the promotion of women in particular which needs to be given due 
consideration. She said that development aid and private sector commitments needed to be 
adequately channeled  towards building resilience and trade links around the world. ICTs, she 
stated, also had the potential to reduce some barrie rs to financial inclusion, through for example, 
remittance flows.  
362.  Arancha González , Executive Director, International Trade Centre emphasized the 
importance of connecting refugees to markets by tapping into their range of skills and capacities. 
She listed  three lessons learned from ITC's work: (i) partnerships were important, for example ITC 
works with UNHCR and the Norwegian Refugee Council, to help people at the base of the pyramid 
to access markets; (ii) interventions needed to be designed to match indi vidual skills to market 
demand; and (iii) host country - centered  approaches were important as the integration of refugees 
would work more effectively if they complement the economic fabric of the host country. Finally, 
she underlined the importance of buil ding economic resilience and highlighted how this 
corresponded to the objective of the Aid-for-Trade Initiative.  
363.  Annemieke Tsike -Sossah de Jong , Head of Portfolio, Ikea Foundation  explained that 
IKEA's work with the humanitarian community echoed with the vision of the company - to make 
everyone's life easier. The Foundation was expanding its humanitarian initiative from shelters to 
other initiatives particularly geared towards the s ocial integration of women. They were also 
working to ensure that efforts to support refugees went beyond IKEA to other companies, as it was 
necessary to develop meaningful business partnerships in this area. She also noted that there 
were opportunities fo r refugees when market -based demand was considered, and mentioned the 
Jordan Compact  as a case in point.  
364.  Benedict M. Nganga , Country Director, Heshima Kenya & Representative, Maisha 
Collective  provided a practical example of how Heshima was supporting ref ugees and 
empowering young women and girls in Kenya to live sustainably. For example, refugees were 
enrolled in basic education classes, courses in Swahili and English, and courses in financial literacy 
and management. Heshima also sourced internships for the women and encouraged them to build 
their own businesses. He referred to two cases of women who had started successful food and 
scarves businesses. In terms of the interaction between refugees and the domestic labour force, 
Benedict noted that Heshima h ad a system of spokespersons who shared the positive work done 
by the refugees in local communities. In addition, Heshima also encouraged the refugees to work 
and to partner with Kenyan businesses to help bridge social divides.  
365.  Another  practical example c ame from Rania Kinge, Founder of Damascus Concepts , 
which is a Syrian social enterprise helping displaced women to earn income through training, social 
education and the textile trade. Rania listed a range of obstacles she encountered on a daily basis 
such as: cultural and religious indoctrination of internally displaced women ; low levels of trust 
making women apprehensive about being exploited ; international sanctions on Syria resulting in 
trade barriers ; financial barriers including restrictions on bank a ccess ; and the ongoing threat of 
terrorism. She noted that more people were in poverty since the war, and with climate change, 
land fertility was also low , leaving peasants with no form of income. Rania was grateful to ITC's 
Ethical Fashion Initiative as i t supported Damascus Concepts' participation in an ITC exhibition. 
Their simple donation, she mentioned, increased the number of women in the enterprise from 
20 to 108.  
366.  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees  made a short 
intervent ion to share how they were working with ILO to make value chains more compatible with 
the refugee situation. UNHCR was working downstream and upstream with partners on the ground 
and international retailors. They were also working with the UN Capital Devel opment Fund to 
facilitate financial inclusion, and also cooperating with several partners to promote climate -smart 
agricultural production and achieve food security in poor areas.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  367.  The International Organization for Migration , in their intervention, noted that the SDGs 
recognized the valuable contribution migrants made to the development of their host countries and 
countries of origin. IOM emphasized that migrant entrepreneurs were innovative and diaspora 
communities had a con nection to people who may be affected or displaced. All dots needed to be 
connected to provide opportunities for refugees and migrants.  
368.  In her closing remarks, Arancha González , reiterated the importance of trade and how it was 
working to help displaced p eople. She stated that these were examples of why trade mattered. 
Ann Linde, in her closing remarks, mentioned that Sweden h ad welcomed around 
163,000  refugees in 2015. The Swedish Government was now making it easier for refugees to 
learn Swedish, facilita ting "fast track" apprenticeships, and the Ministry of Labour was now the 
Ministry of Labour and Establishment. She stated that determination and political will were 
necessary from governments to support the integration of refugees and migrants.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session  17: Side Event: "Opening Opportunities – Aid for Trade Donors' Strategies 
Towards SDGs 2030 " - Organizer: Mission of Germany  to the W orld Trade Organization  
 
 Dominik Ziller, Director -General 
International Development Policy, 
Federal Ministry of Economic 
Cooperation and Development, 
Germany and G20 Chair Development 
Working Group  
 
 Gerald Guskovsky, German Ministry of 
Economic Cooperation and Development  
 
 Hans Docter, Ministry for Foreign Trade 
and Development Cooperation, 
Netherlands  
 
 Axel Pougin de l a Maisonneuve , Deputy 
Head of Unit, Private Sector and Trade, 
European Commission Directorate 
General for International Cooperation 
and Development  
 
 Patric Shirzadi, KfW Development Bank  
 
 Kolawole Sofola, Principal Programme  
Officer  Trade, Economic Community of 
West African States  
 
 Cezary Sowiński, International Trade 
Facilitation and Compliance Europe, 
DHL Express  
 
 Plenary Discussion & Live Exchange via 
mobile app  Overview  
 
New framework agreements, first of all the 
Sustainable Development Goals, ushered in a 
new paradigm for international development 
cooperation and trade. The ambition to 'leave 
no one behind ' is at the heart of the SDGs and 
trade inclusiveness becomes more important 
than ever.   
Germany presented its new Aid -for-Trade 
strategy which highlighted trade facilitation, 
quality infrastructure and promoting investment 
and competition and provided insights into the 
role of financial and technical cooperation for its 
implementation. Participants were invited to 
discuss the six fields of action defined in the 
strategy, the links to specific SDGs, as well as 
the future of Aid for Trade.  
How the business community can contribute to 
the SDGs and A id for Trade was illustra ted 
through a project on Trade Facilitation that was 
implemented in cooperation with the private 
sector. Key issues from the European 
Commission Staff Working Document on A id for 
Trade gave additional context and input to the 
discussion. Recipient countries presented 
lessons learned and showed what had been 
successful in the past and how to learn from 
practical cases and empirical experience for the 
future.  
 
Short summary  
 
369.  The German G overnment presented its new Aid -for-Trade strategy and then focused on how 
the business community could contribute to Aid for Trade and the UN's Sustainable Development 
Goals. The focus was on trade facilitation, building quality infrastructure and promoti ng investment 
and competition reform.  
Summary  
 
370.  The German Government launched its new Aid -for-Trade strategy during this session and 
focused on how the private sector can help developing country governments make better use of 
Aid for Trade so that it suppo rts the UN's SDGs and its Agenda 2030.  
371.  Dominik Ziller, Director -General of International Development Policy, German 
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development , and G20 Chair Development 
Working Group , launched the strategy and explained that  Aid for Trade was an important subject 
during Germany's G -20 presidency and that a compact with Africa was a clear result of recent 
activity. The focus of the compact was on securing more private sector investment for Africa and 
continuing with economic reforms. The co mpact included a focus on rural development and 
agriculture and placed emphasis on girls and connectivity and, more generally, on women and 
their engagement with modern communications technology.  
372.  The German Government wanted to use its A id-for-Trade strate gy and sustainable 
development to eradicate poverty. The strategy tried to integrate free trade and fair trade in the WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  pan-African free trade zone and emphasized pro -poor measures which included human rights and 
social standards. There was also a focus on t he deeper integration of LDCs and MSMEs into 
international trade. There were six main areas of the A id-for-Trade strategy: regional integration; 
economic infrastructure; increasing trade facilitation capabilities and enhancing export 
competitiveness; build ing global alliances to overcome trade facilitation barriers; building 
productive capacity; and sustainable production models and local and international investment.  
373.  Hans Docter, Ministry  for Foreign Trade  and Development Cooperation, 
Netherlands  said that  official development assistance (ODA) had limits and that any development 
aid must be bolstered with financing from  the private sector. The Dutch G overnment had begun its 
new aid and trade policy four years ago. It had sought a policy where aid went along side with 
trade. The policy has been praised at a recent OECD Development Assistance Committee review 
and had a strong focus on private sector development and generating more investment. A central 
objective was increasing job creation and tax revenue in de veloping countries.  
374.  Axel Poug in de la Maisonneuve , Deputy Head of Unit, Private Sector and Trade, 
European Commission Directorate General for International Cooperation and 
Development  said that trade played an important role in the EU's global strategy and  new 
development policy. Trade facilitation was at the core, alongside the EU's efforts to further build on 
its Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). The policy looked at innovative ways of supporting 
trade, and of using Aid for T rade as a way to encourage investment, leveraging loans and building 
trade opportunities. Creating more and better jobs in a sustainable and inclusive manner was 
another goal. Human rights, labour rights and gender rights were all factors that need also to  be 
taken into account.  
375.  Kolawole Sofola, Principal Programme Officer for Trade, Economic Community of 
West African States , stated that ECOWAS was currently focusing on building human and 
institutional capacity, including trade negotiation capacity, and co ordinating larger infrastructure 
projects. He said there was a need to ensure that regional initiatives were coherent with broader 
international goals such as the SDGs. At the same time there needed to be a focus on 
demand - driven projects and on addressin g national specificities.  
376.  During the first discussion, Mr Ziller said that more efforts needed to be placed on building 
better taxation systems so as to ensure that wealth was properly shared. With regard to gender, 
he said more attention was now being paid to the role of women as entrepreneurs.  
377.  The second part of the session focused on how the private sector could assist with building 
trade capacity and with the SDGs.  
378.  Gerald Guskovsky , German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development 
(GIZ)  explained that there were a broad  range of projects taking place in more than 40 African 
countries. He welcomed  the government's new Aid -for-Trade strategy and its focus on making 
trade work for development. He said his agency was supporting the ECOWAS commission with a 
focus on organizat ional development, peace and security, trade including customs and common 
external tariffs and harmonizing customs procedures. Tangible results had been achieved insofar 
as 13 out of the 15 ECOWAS members had now implemented the common external tariff 
structure. More than 2,600 customs officials and members of the private sector from all 15 states 
had been trained.  
379.  Patric Shirzadi , German KfW Development Bank , explained how his bank tried to work 
with finance ministries to provide micro finance, as well as  to find financing for building economic 
infrastructure such as the recent bridge project between Namibia and Zambia. The Bank also 
supported companies with their export activities. He said there was a great need for more private 
investment in Africa, espe cially to build trade capacity.  
380.  Cezary Sowiński, International Trade Facilitation and Compliance Europe, DHL 
Express  explained how his company was working with the GIZ to establish trade development 
projects in south eastern Europe, such as the one for Mo ntenegro involving a goods clearance 
project. The country had recognized the need for an early warning system to detect risk for the 
passage of goods and was interested in developing faster clearance procedures. A detailed plan for 
pre-arrival processing ( in line with the Trade Facilitation Agreement) and a subsequent workshop WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  resulted in an increase from 25 to 65% in the number of consignments cleared in one hour. The 
project received ground level support and, as part of its implementation, bylaws needed t o be 
changed. It was of interest to note that the project was open and did not favour any single 
company and focused on a data -driven approach. He said that GIZ's participation was critical to 
the success of the project. He added that a key message coming from the project was that 
business expectations had to be managed and an appropriate balance found with regulators. Open 
communication channels with the government were critical in this regard.  
 
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  Session 18: Side Event: "Structural Transformation, Green Economy and Connectivity in 
the African Union"  - Organizer: A frican Union Commission  
Moderator:  Catherine Fiankan -Bokonga, 
Journalist, Correspondent of France 24, 
Vice-President of the Association of Accredited 
Correspondents at UN and of the Swiss Press 
Club 
 
Panel Discussion:   
 Marc Yombouno, Minister of 
Commerce, Guinea  
 Yonov Frederick Agah , Deputy 
Director -General, World Trade 
Organization  
 Albert M. Muchanga,   Commissioner 
for Trade and Industry, African 
Union Commission  
 Godfrey Nzamujo, Founder, Songhai 
Centre  
 David Luke, Coordinator of the 
African Trade Policy Centre, United 
Nations Economic Commission for 
Africa  Overview  
 
Structural transformation is the stated goal of 
the African Union 's Agenda 2063. Key elements 
towards that structural transfo rmation include 
the effective use of all of Africa 's natural 
resources, including its green economy, in a 
sustainable manner. At the same time, 
connectivity lies at the heart of the vision of the 
African Agenda 2063, with a vision of an 
interconnected Afri ca, united and integrated on 
its journey for sustainable economic 
development.  
The session featured a panel discussion 
examining the interlinkages between Africa 's 
structural transformation, the green economy 
and connectivity in the African U nion. Speakers  
explored the key  issues, challenges and policy 
recommendations for African Union countries in 
this regard.  
 
Short summary  
 
381.  This session discussed industrialization in Africa. Participants were of the view that Africa 
has a great opportunity to leapfrog old technology, undertake a faster industrialization process and 
adopt green technology. Energy remained the key component for  Africa's development. Whereas, 
water was considered a key enabler in driving economic growth – there was a need for greater 
harvesting and conservation efforts of this precious resource. In addition, integrated transport 
systems were critical for regional  integration and development on the continent. It was also noted 
that inclusiveness was required to ensure structural economic transformation. Currently, African 
internet penetration stood at 28% and broadband usage below 1%. Access to resources such as 
microfinancing and the availability of standard regulatory bodies and inadequate land registers 
remained a challenge.   
382.  The WTO was recognized as providing an overall framework which domestic policies need to 
lock into and this was seen to be essential so th at Africa was not left behind in its industrialization  
efforts. It was also pointed out that connectivity did not mean only digital connectivity, but it 
should also include physical connectivity, whereby importance should also be placed on building 
physica l infrastructure. The discussions stressed the need for political will in order to achieve 
structural transformation in Africa.  
Summary  
 
383.  Marc Yombouno, Minister of Commerce, Guinea stated that Africa should not to repeat 
the mistakes made by other countri es during their industrialization  processes.  He highlighted that 
in order to exploit Africa's significant resources, there needed to be a reliable supply of energy. 
Sustainable development was vital for development on the continent and there needed to be a  
strong political will. He urged for the development of the science and technology curriculum in the 
African education system, in order to achieve this structural transformation. He also stressed the 
need to promote growth in agriculture.  Lastly, he noted that the green economy can provide jobs, 
stating that by 2050, Africa will have the largest market in the world and this should provide 
enough incentive for Africa to promote intra -regional connectivity and trade.  
384.  Yonov Federick Agah, Deputy Director -Gener al, W orld Trade Organization  noted that 
the WTO provided an opportunity to Africa by creating a predictable external trade environment, WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  which could be used to develop the continent. However, trade alone was not enough; there was a 
need to have complementar y policies and most importantly there had to be a business -friendly 
environment. Without open markets, it was very difficult to access technology , and at the same, if 
there was technology but no market access, the production effort was futile and the products 
wasted. DDG  Agah noted that  an Agreement on Environmental Goods would greatly assist Africa in 
acquiring green technology. He recommended the harmonization  of policies on green technology at 
the continental level. Finally, DDG Agah underscored the importance of technical assistance , 
including initiatives such as the Standards and Trade Development Facility , which could assist in 
reducing costs a nd enable trade.  
385.  David Luke, Coordinator of the African Trade Policy Centre, United Nations 
Economic Commission for Africa  highlighted a number of initiatives set out in a 2016 report on 
"Greening Africa 's Economy". These included using green technology/pr actices such as solar and 
hydro power that could assist the African continent in achieving the UN SDGs by 2030 and the 
AU's Agenda 2063. He noted that Africa was a late industrializer, but that it had the opportunity to 
avoid the pitfalls of industrializin g with respect to environmental protection. Africa also had the 
ability to leapfrog old technology and adopt green technology in its industrialization process. He 
indicated the development of green technology was currently taking place at a regional level 
through regional integration under the Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). In addition, the 
CFTA provided an opportunity to enable technology transfer on the continent through the 
promotion of intra -regional trade. UNECA was currently advocating e -commerce negotiations in the 
second phase of CFTA negotiations. He reiterated that energy and water remained the key 
components for the development of Africa and therefore efforts need to be put in the harvesting 
and conservation of these  precious resources. An integrated transport system was critical for 
regional integration and development on the continent.  
386.  Albert M. Muchanga, Commissioner for Trade and Industry, African Union 
Commission stressed that the  first task of the AU was to strengthen Africa 's econo my. The 
Organization expect ed intra -Africa trade to double:  from 15%  (currently) to 30 % by 2021.  He 
noted a number of ongoing initiatives to promote connectivity including the Program Infrastructure 
Development for Africa (PIDA). PIDA promoted various conn ectivity initiatives such as rail, airports 
and seaports . An example was the hydropower interconnection plan between Ethiopia, Kenya and 
Uganda as well as between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There were also 
some solar energy power in terconnectivity initiatives. In terms of digital connectivity, 
Mr Muchanga noted plans to have African unified mobile phone sim cards, a cybersecurity initiative 
and the creation of an African domain name registry.  
387.  Godfrey Nzamujo, Founder, Songhai Centre  presented his organic farming project in 
Songhai, Benin. The farm had grown from 1 hectare to 65 hectares in 30 years, growing crops 
year-round with the help of fertilizers. The farm also served eco -tourism and provided jobs to the 
youth , increasing incomes and reducing rural -urban migration. With the help of the Government of 
Benin, the centre was replicating this project in various locations around Benin over 200 hectares. 
He added that in order for Africa to attain structural transforma tion, African businesses needed to 
trade amongst themselves before they traded externally.  
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  Session 19:  Thematic Focus : "Tourism and Travel Facilitation and Connectivity"  - 
Organizer: United Nations World Tourism Organization , International Trade Centre , 
World Trade Organization  
Keynote speakers:  
 Arancha González, Executive Director, 
International Trade Centre  
 
 Márcio Favilla Lucca de Paula, Executive 
Director, United Nations World Tourism 
Organization  
 
Moderator:  Shishir Priyadarshi, Director, 
Development Division, World Trade 
Organization  
Panel discussion:  
 Hamat Bah, Minister of Tourism  and 
Culture , The Gambia  
 
 Pierre Guislain, Vice -President for 
Private Sector, Infrastructure and 
Industrialization, African Development 
Bank 
 
 Viwanou Gnassounou,  Assistant 
Secretary General, African, Caribbean 
and Pacific Group of States  
 
 Alexandre de Juniac, Chief Executive 
Officer and Director General, 
International Air Transport Association  
 
 Dimitris Tsitsiragos, Vice President, New 
Business, International Fina nce 
Corporation   
 
 Monica Rubiolo, Head of Trade 
Promotion, State Secre tariat for 
Economic Affairs, Switzerland  
 
 Xiangchen Zhang, Ambassador and 
Permanent Representative of China to 
the WTO  Overview  
Tourism is one of the fastest -growing and most 
important economic sectors worldwide, 
contributing an estimated 10% to world GDP 
and generating one in ten jobs globally through 
its direct, indirect and induced impacts. 
Tourism 's capacity to drive sustainable 
development has been recognized with the 
inclusion of t he sector in three targets (in Goals 
8, 12 and 14) of the Sustainable Development 
Goals of the 2030 Agenda - a universal plan of 
action for people, planet and prosperity.   
 
As an export category, tourism ranks third after 
fuels and chemicals, accounting fo r 30% of the 
world 's exports in services and 7% of all 
exports in goods and services. The United 
Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 
forecasts international tourist arrivals to grow 
by 3.3% per year to 2030, with LDCs expected 
to grow even faster.   
 
Tourism and air transport are potential engines 
for growth and economic development. 
Accessing tourism destinations is of primary 
importance for tourism growth and 
development, therefore connectivity is a 
powerful enabler to boost transportation and 
tourism. UNWTO research shows a clear link 
between travel facilitation, economic growth 
and job creation in the economies of the G20 
and ASEAN.   
 
The Session discuss ed how to create the right 
environment for tourism to support resilient and 
sustainable economic  growth and the required 
investment in infrastructure, ICT and facilities; 
issues related to bridging air transport and 
tourism policies in facilitating travel; and 
innovative business models in line with the 
digitalization of the market.   
 
Short summary  
 
388.  In the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development (2017), tourism is already 
one of the fastest growing and most important economic sectors worldwide, contributing an 
estimated 10% to world GDP and generating on in ten jobs globally through  its direct, indirect and 
induced impacts. The United Nations World Tourism Organization forecasts international tourist 
arrivals to grow by 3.3% per year to 2030, with arrivals in LDCs expected to grow even faster. 
Tourism and air transport are engines fo r growth and economic development. Accessing tourism 
destinations is of primary importance for tourism growth and development, therefore connectivity 
is a powerful enabler to boost transportation and tourism. UNWTO research shows a clear link 
between trave l facilitation, economic growth and job creation in the economies of the G20 and 
ASEAN. The session discussed how to create the right environment for tourism to support 
sustainable economic growth via:  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  - investment in infrastructure and technology;  
- simpl ifying visa requirements and reducing transport costs;  
- the creation of a Global Code of Ethics for Tourism that should soon become a convention.  
 
Summary  
 
389.  Shishir Priyadarshi, Director, Development Division , WTO  opened the session by 
stating that tourism  plays an "extremely critical role" in the development of Least Developed 
Countries and accounts for around 7% of global trade, while only benefiti ng from around 1% of 
the total A id-for-Trade funding.  
390.  In his keynote  remarks , Márcio Favilla Lucca de Paula, Executive Director, United 
Nations World Tourism Organization  noted that the United Nations had designated 2017 as 
the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development to advance the 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable Development and the SDGs. He stated that tourism accounted for 1/10th of global 
jobs and was now the third largest "export" after chemicals and fuel. International arrivals rose 
from 930 million in 2010 to 1,235 billion in 2018, and were projected to rise by a further 3.5 to 
4% in 2017 and t o continue growing thereafter. He stated that tourism and air transport had a 
mutually dependent, "symbiotic", positive impact on Balance of Payments, national and local 
economies. Travel facilitation, particularly through the simplification of visa polici es, was vital for 
the development of tourism with, for example, South -East Asia, East Africa, the Caribbean and 
Oceania currently the most open areas, as opposed to Central Africa, North Africa and North 
America. The percentage of tourists needing visas to  enter a country decreased from 77% in 2008 
to 58% in 2016. In conclusion, he noted that travel facilitation helped economic growth and was in 
turn supported by the ongoing digital revolution that was leading to technological innovations, 
e.g. e-visas, and  offered new perspectives for the growing number of tech -savvy youth around the 
world , including in LDCs.  
391.  Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director, International Trade Centre  noted that tourism 
already outperformed many other sectors and would further benefit from connectivity among 
policy stakeholders and disadvantaged youth, women and communities. She emphasized that 
tourism was not just a national endeavour, nor simply a matter for ministers in charge of tourism, 
but rather that the sustainable development o f tourism required ongoing collaboration across 
ministries, as well as between countries to ensure increased opportunities and benefits. To this 
end, ITC and the UNWTO had collaborated on a publication aimed at helping craft tourism 
strategies. She added t hat tourism involved many small and micro -enterprises, often run by 
women , that can benefit from the increased connectivity afforded by recent technological 
advances. She stressed that while counting the number of tourists arriving can provide useful 
data, we also need to start looking at the impact on communities. ITC 's Inclusive Tourism project 
in Myanmar aiming to enhance trade competitiveness of the tourism sector in Kayah State was an 
example. The community had seen an increase in international tourist  arrivals of about 140% as 
well as increases in spending and jobs.  
392.  Hamat Bah, Minister of Tourism and Culture, The Gambia  underlined the importance of 
respecting the local culture and environment, as well as understanding the expectations of 
tourists , to ensure their needs and those of the local traders can be met. The importance of having 
decent infrastructure and policy was amply illustrated by the negative effects of eliminating 
infrastructure and introducing stricter visa requirements in The Gambia. Viwanou Gnassounou, 
Assistant Secretary General, African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States  talked of the 
importance of using local products and ensuring aviation safety.  
393.  Alexandre de Juniac, Chief Executive Officer and Director General, International Air  
Transport Association  noted the significant improvements in aviation safety in sub -Saharan 
Africa with zero incidents so far this year. When IATA planned conferences, it assessed visa 
requirements and costs in the candidate host country as a first step. N ew technologies were 
increasingly being used to mitigate such potential barriers and multinational structures had a 
major role in continuing this progress.  
394.  Pierre Guislain, Vice -President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and 
Industrialization, African De velopment Bank (AfDB)  indicated that the Africa Visa Openness 
Report 2016 showed that citizens of African countries required visas at departure for 55% of other 
African countries making it unlikely the goal of visa free or visa on arrival for all Africans will be WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  met by the 2018 target. Moreover the low connectivity of West Africa and the incomplete 
implementation of the Africa Open Skies agreement would require further hard work on 
infrastructure and visa liberalization policies.  
395.  Dimitris Tsitsiragos, Vice  President, New Business, International Finance 
Corporation (IFC)  noted that tourism is the second largest employer in the world with a higher 
percentage of women and young people than other comparable industries. High end hotels tended 
to employ 3 -5 times  more staff than smaller enterprises and tried to mitigate their environmental 
impact in ways that governments did not. Finally hotel building could be funded through the capital 
markets and could be considered as "business infrastructure". Monica Rubiolo,  Head of Trade 
Promotion, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Switzerland  noted that economic, social, 
environmental sustain ability and the involvement of small and medium -sized e nterprises were all 
essential for developing tourism.  
396.  In the discussion,  Minister Hamat Bah noted the need to protect against tourism that 
exploits people , especially children and young women.  
397.  In closing Xiangchen Zhang, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of China to 
the WTO  noted that the Global Code of Ethics for Touris m would hopefully be converted into a full 
blown convention at the 22nd Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, China in early 
September 2017.   WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 20: Side Event: "The Need for Ex -Ante Gender Assessment of Trade Reforms: 
The Trade and Gender  Toolbox"  - Organizers:  Mission of  Sweden  to the W orld Trade 
Organization , United Nations Conference on Trade and Development  
Introductory remarks:   
 
 Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary -General, 
United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development  
 
 Ann Linde, Minister for European Union 
Affairs and Trade, Sweden  
 
Presentation of the Toolbox:   
 
 Maria Masood, Economist, Trade, 
Gender and Development Programme, 
United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development  
 
Moderator:   
 
 Simonetta Zarrilli, Chief, Trade, Gender 
and Development Programme, United 
Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development  
 Mainstreaming gender in trade policy requires 
assessing to what extent trade policies affect 
men and women in a distinctive manner in 
order to make policies responsive to  gender 
considerations. The ex -ante assessment of the 
gender implications of trade policies is critical to 
design policies in a way that favors women's 
empowerment and well -being, and at the same 
time avoids increasing gender inequality and 
mitigates exist ing disparities.  
 
This initiative, sponsored by the Government of 
Sweden, helps ensure that trade strengthens 
economic empowerment of women   and thus 
contributes to inclusive development, in line 
with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development and the Add is Ababa Action 
Agenda.  
 
At the event, the United Nations Conference on 
Trade and Development presented the Trade 
and Gender toolbox, which is the first 
systematic framework to evaluate the impact of 
trade reforms on women's well -being and 
gender inequalit y prior to their implementation. 
The toolbox is intended for policymakers 
involved in trade negotiations, but also for 
development practitioners working on gender 
equality. It should equip the relevant 
stakeholders with the necessary tools to gauge 
the eff ect of trade policies on gender equality 
and therefore conceive relevant policies and 
accompanying measures if negative effects are 
expected.  
 
Short summary  
 
398.  The session presented an innovative tool to make an ex -ante gender impact assessment of 
trade measures, the Trade and Gender Toolbox. This instrument, developed by UNCTAD and 
sponsored by the Government of Sweden, helps answer the question: what could happ en to 
women if a given trade measure were implemented? The toolbox is compose d of four main 
components: (i) d escriptive analysis of gender inequalities and the economic context  of the 
country at stake; (ii) e conometric analysis of the expected consequences  of the trade reform on 
the economy and  on women in particular; (iii) a ccompanying measures and monitoring indicators ; 
and (iv) trade and gender index. The ex -ante gender assessment of trade policies is critical to 
design these policies in a way that favou rs women's empowerment and well -being. The 
methodology was applied to a specific trade agreement - the Economic Partnership Agreement 
(EPA) between the European Union and the East African Community (EAC), and was used to 
assess the likely impact of the EPA  on the well -being and gender equality of women in Kenya, one 
of EAC partner states, mainly through employment. The same methodology can be used to assess 
the gender impacts of any other trade reform in any other country.  
Summary  
 
399.  Introducing the session, Simonetta Zarrilli, Chief of the Trade, Gender and 
Development Programme , United Nations Conference on Trade and Development , 
highlighted that the main goal of the toolbox was to make trade policy more inclusive and WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  responsive to gender equality. The timin g of the launch of the toolbox was important, she 
emphasized, given the ongoing debate around trade policies and the concerns that trade has left 
many fragile segments, including women, behind. The toolbox helps ensure that trade policies take 
into account  gender equality before their implementation, in turn, creating the opportunity to 
make trade positive for gender equality. She then gave the floor to Minister Linde.  
400.  Ann Linde, Minister , European Union Affairs and Trade, Sweden , began her remarks 
by empha sizing that promoting women 's empowerment was part of the global fight against 
poverty and was a positive force for economic growth. There was strong empirical evidence 
showing a positive relationship between women 's labour force participation rate (LFPR) and 
economic growth; countries in which women 's LFPR was high were able to achieve high rates of 
economic growth. She pointed out the three major reforms that Sweden undertook to promote 
women 's empowerment and increase women 's LFPR: (i) abolition of joint  taxation; (ii) introduction 
of affordable child and elderly care; and (iii) availability of parental leave available to both parents. 
Sweden was the first country to declare a feminist government in 1994. She emphasized that 
eliminating all forms of discr imination against women and girls was a human right on its own; 
Sweden had an agenda to contribute to promote gender equality not only in Sweden, but also in 
the EU and around the world.  
401.  Trade and gender equality have a two -way relationship; trade and tra de liberalization can 
affect gender equality, but gender equality affects trade competitiveness and outcomes. Trade 
policy had different effects on men and women, even when the intention of trade policy was 
gender -neutral, because men and women had differe nt access to resources. Women tended to face 
barriers in having access to assets and education, and tended to have asymmetric access to power 
and decision -making processes. Women may also lack legal rights and face cultural barriers. It is 
necessary to rea ch the needs of poor women, who can also be small agricultural producers, 
cross-border traders and domestic workers. For example, women as informal cross -border traders 
faced barriers such as lack of cheap accommodation near borders, and insufficient trade  facilitation 
measures, among others.  
402.  Minister Linde highlighted that the analytical work on gender and trade done by international 
organizations , including UNCTAD, was very important. The insufficient availability of 
gender -disaggregated data was still a major issue; only one -third of countries around the world 
gather information disaggregated by gender. Hence, hundreds of millions of women and girls were 
still invisible. There was a need for a commitment towards gathering ge nder-disaggregated data 
and for an ex -ante gender impact assessment of trade agreements. They are both necessary steps 
for inclusive development.  
403.  Competition following trade liberalization may be harder for women due to their lower 
access to resources, ne tworks and credit. Minist er Linde indicated that the Aid -for-Trade 
capacity -building initiatives should help women upgrade their skills, increase women's access to 
productive assets, and expand production in exporting sectors. Aid for Trade should also pay  more 
attention to Information and Communication Technology. According to figures for 2004 -2013, 
4.4 billion were still offline. The majority of the offline population was  women. Trade liberalization  
policies promoted competition. This, in turn, helped red uce discrimination against women. In 
addition, trade liberalization  induced technological upgrading, which increased the relative 
productivity of women. Trade liberalization  policies affected the sectoral structure of production 
and the effects on women de pended on the female labour and capital intensity of the economic 
sectors. Minister Linde emphasized that there was a need for more analytical work to ensure that 
trade liberalization can help promote gender empowerment and well -being. In this regard, the 
toolbox developed by UNCTAD was very important, she said, to assess how trade affects men and 
women differently, and accordingly to develop policies to address the possible negative effects on 
gender inequality. This was also in line with the 2030 Sustaina ble Development Goals and the 
Addis Ababa Action Agenda.  
404.  Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary -General, U nited Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development , started his remarks by highlighting the need for walking the talk on gender. He 
provided two examples from his h ome country, Kenya, on how gender -neutral policies could have 
unintended positive or negative gender consequences. The first example referred to the use of M -
PESA, a mobile money transfer system that has been available in Kenya since 2007. Earlier, the 
proceeds of agricultural produce were appropriated through cooperatives and collection centres, in 
which individuals were required to have an account. Since the land was often owned by men, the WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  account was registered on a man 's name. After the introduction of  M-PESA, women could get the 
proceeds directly on their own name and had greater control over household income. This, in turn, 
had positive impacts on children 's health and family 's fortunes. The second example was about the 
trade negotiations on market ac cess in agriculture. Dr. Kituyi explained that there were men 's 
crops and women 's crops in Kenya. This means that the food crops necessary for the family 
livelihood (e.g. cassava, sweet potatoes, etc.) were often cultivated by women. In contrast, the 
cash crops for the market (e.g. cotton, coffee, tea, etc.) were mostly produced by men. Exporting 
cash crops to Europe eroded women 's economic role; in turn, women got poorer as men 's crops 
expanded at the expense of women 's crops. Dr. Kituyi highlighted that, through impact 
assessment using the diagnostic tool developed by UNCTAD, it would become possible to 
anticipate the gender effects of trade agreements, and to conceive accompanying measures that 
can help mitigate the possible detrimental consequences of tr ade reforms on women. This was a 
necessary component of the ongoing efforts towards women's empowerment and gender equality.  
405.  Maria Masood, Economist, Trade, Gender and Development Programme , United 
Nations Conference on Trade and Development , first introdu ced the outline of her 
presentation, which consisted of two sections. The first part provided an overview of the toolbox; 
the second part illustrated an application of the toolbox to the case of Kenya in the context of the 
EPA between EU and  EAC. Dr. Masoo d stated that the toolbox intended to answer the following 
question: what would happen to women if a given trade policy were implemented? The toolbox 
provided a systematic framework to evaluate the impact of trade reforms on women prior to their 
implementa tion, which allows for an ex -ante analysis. The toolbox consists of four steps: 
(i) identification: i t provides an analysis of the economic context and the extent of gender 
inequalities in a given country; (ii) evaluation: i t estimated the impact of trade reforms on 
different sectors of the economy through a Computational General Equilibrium (CGE) model. The 
sectors in which women's participation was the highest were linked to the findings of the CGE 
model. This allowed determining the impact of the trade r eform on the sectors that were i mportant 
for women's employment: m onitoring  - it allowed for an ex -post analysis, and tracking of gender 
equality before and after the trade reforms. A checklist also allowed for a gender -sensitive analysis 
of the accompanyi ng measures needed in case negative impacts are expected. Synthetizing 
indicator: Trade and Gender Index.  
406.  The toolbox had been applied to Kenya to examine the possible impact of the EPA on women 
in Kenya. Her results showed that the impact of the EPA was uneven across sectors. The only 
sector that was expected to be impacted positively was agriculture, but agr iculture had been 
excluded from the EPA. In all other sectors, the impact was found to be small in magnitude and, 
on average, negative. Research on the trade and gender index showed that since 2012 gender 
inequality had worsened – something that should be scrutinized further.  
407.  Simonetta Zarrilli  emphasized that the toolbox allowed for very context -specific results, as it 
enabled evaluating the sectors that are significant for women 's employment. She explained that it 
took many months for the toolbox to be c ompleted, but it was now a concrete tool for 
policymakers. After Simonetta Zarrilli 's comments, the Q&A section began.  
408.  In reply to questions, Dr. Masood stated that the use of the toolbox was constrained by the 
availability of good and representative data.  Some of the indicators were often not representative 
of the entire population. On policy recommendations, she pointed out that the purpose of the 
toolbox was not to identify specific policies; however, a checklist was presented to support 
policymakers in the assessment of accompanying policies that may be needed to reduce the risk of 
aggravating gender disparities. The analysis based on the toolbox was quantitative in nature and 
should be complemented with qualitative analyses based on field studies. With regard to the issue 
of women as consumers, data constraints prevented considering women in this role. The toolbox 
was labour -oriented because of data constraints. In the future development of the toolbox, other 
dimensions of gender inequality (besides labo ur) could be considered, too. With respect to the 
baseline scenario used by the toolbox, Dr. Masood stated that it is possible to select what to use as 
a term of comparison for the effect of trade reforms; the status quo was not the only option. For 
exampl e, in the case of Kenya, the EPA scenario could be compared with the status quo, which 
was the duty -free access temporarily granted to Kenya during the negotiations or the scenario in 
which no EPA was signed and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) came into effect 
(which would occur if the EPA were not implemented). Finally, Dr. Masood reiterated that the 
sectors that were considered by the toolbox were only the sectors that mattered for women's 
employment.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  409.  Dr. Kituyi took the floor to address the questions asked by the audience. He remarked that a 
diagnostic tool did not make policy decisions; the toolbox helped policymakers make decisions by 
allowing them to evaluate the expected impacts and to develop accompanying measures both to 
mitigate the ne gative effects and to scale up the positive impacts. He pointed out that gender and 
agriculture was a dynamic issue. In 2010, a constitutional change in Kenya permitted daughters to 
have the same inheritance rights as sons. This legal change affected women ’s access to crops and 
export sectors (e.g., coffee, horticulture, etc.).  
410.  Minister Ann Linde stated that, when thinking of " what's next? ", it was important to spread 
knowledge about the toolbox. Even if there was no full data availability, it was a first step to think 
about the issues addressed by the toolbox. It could also be used as a reference to open up 
questions on gender and trade in t he process of trade negotiations. She then provided the 
example of Sweden. Decades ago, Sweden had decided that all statistics should be gender 
disaggregated; following this decision, it was observed that no gender -disaggregated data existed 
on health issu es. When collected, it was found that expensive heart surgeries were performed to a 
greater number of men than women. This was something unknown before the decision to collect 
gender -disaggregated data. Finally, she supported the importance of looking at t he consumer 
perspective as well. Liberalization sharpened competition, which reduced prices; in turn, firms that 
are not competitive enough may have to lay off workers. In these cases, other measures could be 
introduced such as active labour market policie s and re -education of those who were laid off. She 
stated that competition in itself was not something to be feared. The society, and not the 
individuals, should take responsibility for the negative effects of trade reforms by introducing 
compensating meas ures. She finally presented the case of the EU -South Korea Agreement, which 
boosted the exports of Baby Bjorn carriers and children's clothes by Sweden to South Korea. These 
sectors employed many women in Sweden, who in turn made these products for women i n South 
Korea.  
411.  Dr. Kituyi concluded the session by stating that the toolbox needed to be used in practice, 
and the toolbox needed to be expanded. He made a commitment that any publication from 
UNCTAD needs to contain a gender evaluation; the toolbox helped  towards this commitment. In 
addition, it could help trigger interest in other initiatives to  develop other instruments.  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session  21: S ide Event: "New Trends in Digital Economy and Connectivity, Innovation 
and Assistance"  - Organizer: Mission of the United States  to the World Trade 
Organization  
Panel discussion : 
 Kati Suominen, Founder and Chief 
Executive Officer, Nextrade Group; 
Chairwoman of TradeUp Capital Fund 
and World SME Forum Board Member  
 
 Alex Wong, Head, Global Challenge 
Partnerships and Mem ber of the 
Executive Committee , World Economic  
Forum  
 
 Gabriela Montenegro, International 
Development Consultant and Managing 
Director, Prospera Consortium LLC  
 
 Anders Aeroe, Director, Division of 
Enterprises and Institutions, 
International Trade Center  
 
 Carlos Grau Tanner, Director General, 
Global Express Association  
 
 Alliance for Affordable Internet  Overview  
 
The proliferation of business transactions that 
depend on the internet and information 
communication technology highlights the 
importance of the digital economy as the driver 
of innovation, competitiveness, and growth. The 
impact of e -commerce is already evident in the 
developed world; USAID and its partners are 
working to assess and provide solutions to 
factors that are inhibiting the expansion of  
digitally -enabled trade in the developing world.  
Participants: Panelists included private sector 
representatives and USAID project pa rticipants 
facilitated by a US G overnment representative.  
 
Short summary  
 
412.  The proliferation of business transactions that  depend on the internet and information 
communication technology highlights the importance of the digital economy as a driver of 
innovation, competitiveness, and growth. E-commerce represents a huge opportunity for 
developing economies, as it allows them t o enter new markets, access information and get 
connected with customers around the world. However, some of the barriers that have hindered 
SMEs' development in the past continue to do so also in the digital economy. How to set  up a 
business, have access to credit and financial tools, enforce contracts, are key issues for traditional 
business and e -commerce alike. There were also unique elements to  digital transactions, such 
as: electronic signature; international acceptance of payments; online dispute res olutions; which 
required new solutions. It was important to map out what challenges SMEs are facing today and to 
see what was needed to better target development assistance. This could also help to reduce the 
digital divide and get the unconnected of the w orld connected. USAID and other development 
agencies were already working to assess and provide solutions to factors that were inhibiting the 
expansion of digitally -enabled trade in the developing world.  
Summary  
 
413.  The session focused on new trends in the di gital economy and how development assistance 
should adjust to help developing countries take advantage of the opportunities arising from 
connectivity and e -commerce. E -commerce represents a huge opportunity for developing 
economies: on -line sales have been  growing at double -digit rates. As an example, revenues from 
e-commerce in Africa will increase to US$20 billion by 2018. We are living through the "fourth 
industrial revolution", with new technologies impacting all sectors of the economy and our daily  
lives. New technologies were tools made by people to empower other people. However, some of 
the barriers that had hindered SME development in the past continued to do so also in the digital 
economy. How to set  up a business, have access to credit and financia l tools, enforce contracts, 
were all key issues for traditional business and e -commerce alike. There were also unique 
elements to digital transactions, which needed to be addressed, such as: electronic signature; 
international acceptance of payments; onlin e dispute resolutions; all of which required new 
solutions. It was therefore important to map out what issues SMEs were facing and what was 
needed to better target development assistance.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  414.  A global survey conducted by the  Nextrade Group  looked at the main elements of an 
"enabling environment" for companies engaging in e -commerce in developing countries. These 
included: physical and digital infrastructure; logistics; online payment systems; regulatory 
frameworks; education and skills; and access to finance. While all these areas were critical and 
needed to work together, each country, or company, may face specific challenges in one or more 
areas when seeking to leverage digitalization or participating in digital trade. For example, small 
companies ranked logi stics and access to finance as their main barriers. As regarded logistics, the 
real constraints identified by SMEs related to customs procedures and classic market access 
barriers, such as tariffs and other trade policy measures. On the other hand, the sur vey showed 
that companies participating in e -commerce (SMEs and big online platforms alike) tended to 
diversify their export markets and have faster -growing sales as compared to offline sellers. Their 
revenue gains could go over 30% if the top three barrie rs to the enabling environment were 
removed.  
415.  Despite the benefits deriving from digital trade, internet connectivity was still a challenge for 
many developing and least  developed countries. More than half of the world population (52%) was 
off line and the  digital divide was more pronounced in developing economies. To address the 
connectivity challenge, the World Economic Forum (WEF)  had launched the "Internet for All" 
initiative, which aimed to leverage private -public partnership for internet adoption. The WEF had 
identified four main barriers to i nternet access and adoption at global level: 1) infrastructure 
(e.g. fibre or high -speed connection, mobile connection); 2) affordability, of both the device 
connecting to the internet and the use of data; 3) skills, awareness and cultural acceptance ; 
literacy was important but also the digital skills that allowed the use of the connecting d evices; 
and 4) content, in the local language and in terms of interesting content for the users.  
416.  Similarly, the  Alliance for Affordable Internet  highlighted that despite progress in the 
ICT sector, for most low and middle income countries , such progress w as not fast enough and it 
had actually slowed, particularly with respect to broadband adoption, which was a necessary 
condition to improve connectivity and develop e -commerce. While connectivity could be a tool to 
address inequalities, like income or gende r inequalities, the internet penetration rate was as low as 
5% in some developing countries. Governments, and development agencies, needed to be creative 
and innovative in coming up with new policies, including trade policies, that changed this pattern. 
As an example, in Ghana, they had ma naged to work closely with the G overnment , who saw the 
benefit of eliminating the 20% tax on ICT devices, which was the entry point for internet. In some 
countries, taxes made up 70% of the cost of ICT devices.  
417.  Prospera C onsortium  noted that there was a window of opportunity for SMEs to adopt 
technology. In El Salvador, the number of Facebook users had  increased by 700% between 
2010 and 2017. Ninety per  cent of people had access to the internet through mobile phones. Small  
businesses provide Business to Consumer (B2C) services (e.g. transport, food delivery) in 
domestic market and Business to Business (B2B) and B2C services in the regional market 
(e.g. tourism, air transport) through online platforms. Some of the projects r an in cooperation with 
USAID allowed SMEs to integrate in value chains, by helping the m to access finance and formaliz e 
their business. However, some of the issues that SMEs still face include: security of transaction; 
infrastructure and distribution; fina ncial access; payment systems; customer protection and 
opaque customs procedures; etc.  
418.  Another initiative to help SMEs comply with the new requirements and remain competitive in 
digital trade was provided by the International Trade Centre (ITC) . Through the ITC's 
"sustainability toolkit",  SMEs could leverage new trade opportunities by means of e -commerce. The 
ITC initiative was about creating a "sustainability network" by linking communities committed to 
sustainable production and trade,  providing market data for more informed decisions,  and 
ensuring transparency on standards initiatives and improving performance. This online tool could 
help to reduce transaction costs and provide access to information for SMEs so that they can 
remain competitive and compl y with the new rules for sustainability and standards in digital trade.  
419.  Finally, the Global Express Association  looked at the  impact of e -commerce on trade 
facilitation and logistics. In the digital world, physical connectivity still mattered for companies  to 
measure their competitiveness. Goods have to arrive fast and safely to consumers. The main 
factors that can affect express delivery included: border procedures; customs administration; and 
foreign investment regulations. The WTO Trade Facilitation Agre ement has enormous potential to 
improve efficiency in border procedures, increase foreign trade transactions and allow companies WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  to remain competitive. Current rules do not distinguish between big consignments, which 
characterize traditional trade, and sma ll parcels, which are what SMEs start trading when entering 
e-commerce. It would be important for regulators to focus on low -value shipments, for instance by 
implementing the WCO Guidelines for the immediate release of low -value consignments by 
customs. Th is would help SMEs to trade more easily.  
420.  In conclusion, development agencies and donors should think of creative solutions, as the 
traditional way of providing assistance may not work in today's environment. When programming 
aid, all relevant stakeholders  should be involved and be ready to change as the digital world 
evolves.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 22: Side Event: "Structuring of Value Chains and Connectivity of the Cotton -
Textile -Clothing Actors from Africa, Europe and Asia "  - Organizer s: (Organis ation 
Internationale de la Francophonie ) International Organisation of La Francophonie in 
partnership with the International Trade Centre and the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework  
Panel discussion : 
Keynote address:  
 Kako Nubukpo, Direct eur International 
Organisation of La Francophonie  
 Armand Tazafy, Minister of Commerce, 
Madagascar  
 Chekou Oussouman, Programme 
Specialist, International Organisation of 
La Francophonie  
 Jeske Van Seters, Head of Programme, 
European Centre for Development Polic y 
Management  
 Axel Pougin de la Maisonneuve, Deputy 
Head of Unit, Private Sector and Trade -
Directorate General for International 
Cooperation and Development, 
European Commission  
 Matthias Knappe, Project Manager, 
International Trade Centre  
 Dong The Quang, Pr ogramme 
Specialist, International Organisation of 
La Francophonie  
 Said Elaarbaoui, Founding Member, 
Cluster Morocco Technical Textile 
Exportateurs  
 Nguyen Thi Chi, Vietnam Chamber of 
Commerce and Industry  
 Abdoulaye Nabole, President, 
Organisation Professio nnelle des 
Industries du Coton et Textiles d' Afrique 
de l'Ouest  
 Aliyoum Fadil, Member, National 
Assembly of Cameroon and Firms' 
Manager  
 Abdoul Karim Konaté, Minister, Trade 
and Industry, Mali  
 El Hadji Diouf, Consultant  Overview  
 
Placing the African cotton sector on a virtuous 
and irreversible trajectory, on the one hand is 
possible in the light of the recent economic and 
trade agreements involving Africa, Europe and 
Asia, and on the other hand, of the sustainable 
development objec tives. The work and 
programmes on productive preferences, 
developed in particular by the International 
Organisation of La Francophonie, in partnership 
with the International Trade Centre, and the 
Enhanced Integrated Framework, show 
interesting models of go od practice , in 
particular in terms of bilateral, trilateral or 
multilateral cooperation. Based on Aid for Trade 
and supported by free trade agreements, these 
experiences could be modelled and scaled up to 
shape regional and inter -regional connectivity 
strategies on one or several competitive value 
chains.  
 
This side event was organized in two sessions 
around the bi, tri and multi -stakeholder 
cooperation models in the 
cotton -textile -clothing sectors. Public and 
private Aid -for-Trade partners (including of 
specific programs), members of industry, 
national and regional policy -makers, officials 
and finance providers , exchange d their 
experiences on Cameroon, Morocco, Burkina 
Faso and Viet  Nam, as well as on models of 
cooperation facilitating the implementation o f 
multi-stakeholder win -win partnership projects 
in these sectors.  
 
Short summary  
421.  This session discussed how to make the cotton sector a pillar for sustainable development in 
African cotton -producing countries, including those in West Africa. Major proble ms – including 
technical, structural, institutional and organizational - faced by African countries, including 
francophone countries , were highlighted by the panelists . It was suggested that political will should 
be strong in transforming the cotton sector  in African producing countries, including in the context 
of structuring cotton value chains and regional and inter -regional partnerships. Another suggestion 
was that institutions involved in the cotton sector should adopt an approach that incorporated the  
"technique, training and investment"  issues in the cotton sector together.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Summary  
 
422.  The event was moderated by Kako Nubukpo, Director of Francophonie Economique at 
the Internationale Organization de L a Francophonie.  The session discussed how to make the 
cotton sector a pillar for sustainable development in African cotton -producing countries, including 
the West African ones.  
423.  Armand Tazafy, Minister of Commerce, Madagascar and President of Francophone 
Network of Trade Ministers  highlighted the importance of discussing both the development and 
trade aspects of cotton at the World Trade Organization . He emphasized how the multiple 
productive preferences being developed by the OIF in partnership with the International Trad e 
Centre could revive the cotton sector in African countries. He highlighted the technical, 
organizational, structural, and institutional problems, as well as the lack of long -term vision that 
had been plaguing the cotton sector in Madagascar.  
424.  Chekou Ouss ouman, Program me Specialist, International Organisation of La 
Francophonie  emphasized the importance of the structuring of value chains as well as the 
connectivity of the cotton -textile -clothing actors in different geographical spaces, including Africa, 
Europe and Asia. He recommended that the issue of developing value chains in the cotton sector 
should be addressed in a holistic way, including by considering cotton, textile and clothing 
together. In that respect, he highlighted the importance of mobilizing  different sectoral actors, 
including institutions, manufacturers, and local authorities, which had been very close to cotton 
producers. Finally, he underscored the role of an inter -regional approach in supporting the 
aforementioned structur e. 
425.  Matthias Kna ppe, Senior Program Officer, Cotton, Textile and Clothing, 
International Trade Centre  provided examples on the role of ITC in the cotton sector, including 
through ensuring the inter -regional connection between West and Central African, and Viet  Nam 
for inv estment in the cotton sector. He indicated that what mattered most – beyond the 
macroeconomic stability and the business -friendly legal environment – for investors in the cotton 
sector, in particular those in Asia that used Africa 's cotton, was trust and l oyalty. He also provided 
the example of ITC's training activities on the cotton sector, particularly on the quality of cotton.  
426.  Jeske Van Seters, Head of Programme, European Centre for Development Policy 
Management shared the lessons that the ECDPM had dra wn from its experience in developing 
public -private partnership to support intra -regional trade in some COMESA countries, including 
Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. She proposed that such partnership s should be based on the 
following principles: an agile and flexible approach by technical and financial partners; an 
approach that took into account political economy factors, including the interests of different actors 
when structuring cotton value chains ; a bottom -up approach that would not impose any 
cooperation framework for the partnership and hence, took into account all stakeholders' interests; 
and an inclusive framework that took into account the interests of the vulnerable, and that 
respected socia l and environmental standards.  
427.  Axel Pougin de la Maisonneuve, Deputy Head of  Unit, Private Sector and 
Trade -Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development, European 
Commission  noted that the EU's support for economic development was incr easingly centered  on 
investment, in particular on the agro -food sector, with a view to developing sustainable 
employment in this sector in EU's developing countries partners. He also emphasized that the EU 
was increasingly adopting a sectoral approach for its assistance to developing countries. He 
acknowledged that the cotton sector was strategic for many countries, but noted that one major 
problem that the EU had been confronted with was to know in which precise area to disburse its 
financial investment. H e informed the audience that the EU was envisaging investing €45 million, 
with a focus on women' s capacity, decent work and sustainability.  
428.  Dong The Q uang , Program me Specialist, Organisation International de la 
Francophonie  outlined the key features of the  OIF's program that aimed to identify the 
opportunities in the cotton sector through inter -regional partnerships. These included sustainability 
in the exchanges between the actors of this sector; the structur e of value chains in the cotton 
sector; the prom otion of an integrated approach for this structur e; the mobilization of financial 
resources; leveraging on South -South and tripartite cooperation; and a better connection between 
financial and technical partners.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  429.  Said Elaarbaoui, Founding Member, Cluster Morocco Technical Textile Exportateurs 
suggested that an integrated approach along with a firm political will, including in a regional 
context, were key to ensuring the promotion of the cotton sector as a vital development lever. He 
also proposed to depart  from the cotton -textile -clothing approach and to focus on 
cotton -textile -clothing and technical textile approach es. He urged the institutions involved in the 
cotton sector to a dopt a package approach, i.e., " technique, training and investment" . 
430.  Nguyen Thi  Chi, Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry  shared Viet Nam 's 
experience on the cotton sector and encouraged partnership in this sector. She also suggested the 
need for strengthening cooperation between Vietnamese and African Banks for investment in th e 
sector.  
431.  Abdoulaye Nabole, President, Organisation Professionnelle des Industries du Coton 
et Textiles d'Afrique de l'Ouest  noted the importance of cotton transformation for West African 
countries. He also informed the audience of the strategic objective s of his organization over the 
period 2016 -2020. These included : strengthening of the relationships between cotton 
manufacturers in Africa and, between Africa and the rest of the world; the need to transform the 
cotton product so as to create employment fo r youth and women; the support to craft activities 
relating to textile; and training in the area of textile, notably by relying on textile leaders in 
francophone African countries.  
432.  Aliyoum Fadil, Member, National Assembly of Cameroon and Firms' Manager 
emphasized the need to transform the cotton product in African -producing countries, including 
through cotton value chains, as the latter could be instrumental in addressing the employment 
problem in African countries, notably Cameroon.  
433.  Abdoul Karim Konaté, Mi nister Trade and Industry, Mali  took the audience through 
Mali's experience in the cotton sector, including the problems faced by this sector. He stressed the 
need to address the problem of power supply, so as to reduce the energy costs.  
434.  El Hadji Diouf, C onsultant,  indicated that a clear distinction should be made between the 
development and trade aspects of cotton. He recalled tha t he had always advised the 
C-4 countries that in light of the US subsidies to cotton, it should bring the cotton case to the 
WTO's Dispute Settlement – like Brazil did. He also observed the disconnection between the actors 
of the cotton sector in Africa, due to the existence of micro projects that lack internal coherence in 
that sector.  
435.  Mr Nubukpo highlighted a number of points in closing. In his view, cotton was, at the end of 
the day, a system of production, and not a sector; factor productivity was of key importance 
here:  the costs of factors such as transport and energy should be reduced; competitiveness should 
be viewed in t erms of both price and non -price, i.e., quality; and the " CFA Franc " could be a major 
impediment to the development of cotton industries in African countries that use this currency: the 
importance of good governance and a vision for the cotton sector, whic h could be national, 
regional, or continental. In closing, he said that he was convinced of the OIF 's capacity to help 
African countries, notably those in West Africa , to transform cotton product so as to enable the 
cotton sector to be instrumental in addressing some major development challenges, including the 
employment of youth and women.   WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 23: S ocial  Event: "United Nations  International Year of Sustainable To urism for 
Development"  – Organizers: Enhanced Integrated Framework, the World Tourism 
Organization, the Mission of China to the World Trade Organization, the International 
Trade Centre and the World Intellectual Property Organization  
This social event featured a performance by The 
Gambian artist, Sona Jobarteh.   
 
Sona Jobarteh is the first female Kora virtuoso 
to come from a prestigious West African Griot 
family. She is a pioneer in an ancient, male -
dominated hereditary tradition that has been 
exclusively handed down from father to son for 
the past s even centuries. She's also an 
e-commerce pioneer, selling both her music and 
also traditional Gambian instruments online.  The United Nations designated 2017 as the 
International Year of Sust ainable Tourism for 
Development.  
 
In the context of the 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable Development and the Sustainable 
Development Goals, the International Year aims 
to support a change in policies, business 
practices and consumer behaviour towards a 
more sus tainable tourism sector that can 
contribute to all the 17 SDGs.  
 
Tourism can make a particular cont ribution to 
attain the SDGs in least developed c ountries. 
Many LDCs are major exporters of tourism 
services. A case in point is The Gambia where 
close to 16 % of the GDP is generated by the 
tourism sector.  
 
Summary  
 
436.  The first day of the Global Review concluded with a social event held to celebrate the 
International Year of Tourism for Sustainable Development, co -financed by UNWTO, ITC, WIPO, 
the Chinese Mission to the WTO and the Enhanced Integrated Framework. In open ing, 
Sainabou  Taal, Trade Policy Analyst, Development Division, WTO,  recalled WIPO's 
programme for the protection of indigenous peoples' and local communities' intellectual property 
and talked about the role that trade, and in particular tourism, played in  economically supporting 
fragile populations, such as women, by creating business opportunities for them.  
437.  The event featured a live performance by Gambian singer Sona Jobarteh. During her 
performance, Sona presented traditional music from her country and called for the protection of 
intellectual rights in traditional cultural expressions.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  DAY 2 – 12 JULY 2017  
Session 24: Plenary session: "Promoting Inclusive Trade Through Gender 
Empowerment"  – Organizer: World Trade Organization  
Keynote speaker:  Roberto Azevêdo, Director -
General, World Trade Organization  
 
Moderator:  Vanessa Erogbogbo, Head of 
Women and Trade Programme, International 
Trade Centre  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Ann Linde, Minister for European Union 
Affairs and Trade, Sweden  
 
 Armand Tazafy, M inister of Commerce, 
Madagascar  
 
 Isatou Touray, Minister of Trade, The 
Gambia  
 
 Hiroshi Kuniyoshi, Deputy to the 
Director General, United Nations 
Industrial Development Organization  
 
 Anabel Gonzalez, Senior Director, Trade 
and Competitiveness Global Practice, 
World Bank Group  
 
 Candace Nkoth Bisseck, Founder, Digital 
for Development, and Consultant, 
Stanford Seed West Africa  
 
 Phyllis Mwangi, Director, Tandao 
Commerce  
 Gender features strongly as a cross -cutting 
theme in the "Aid for Trade at a Glance 2017" 
report. It highlights that developing countries 
and their development partners increasingly 
recognize the economic growth potential that 
can be tapped through women's economic 
empowerment. Among the 40 donors surveyed, 
87% indicated that they now int egrate women's 
economic empowerment into their Aid -for-Trade 
programming. And with good reason. The 
report also underscores a series of divides that 
hamper women and women -owned firms from 
fully reaping the benefits of international trade.  
 
Divides in ter ms of access to information and 
skills needed to export; access and use of 
technology that helps integrate into global and 
regional value chains; and ownership or 
management of firms still exist. Research shows 
that the productivity premium that firms deri ve 
from exporting is actually lower for 
women -owned firms. When women -owned 
firms face the same barriers to trade as 
men-owned firms, they find them more costly 
to overcome. As firm size increases, obstacles 
grow, keeping the exporting firms owned or 
managed by women small. New techno logy, 
online platforms and e -commerce can help, but 
women entrepreneurs still run up against 
gender -based barriers that reduce their 
productivity and often their commercial 
viability.   
 
Progress has been made in integrati ng gender 
into Aid -for-Trade programming. But there is 
still much room for improvement. Only 38% of 
developing countries felt that Aid for Trade 
could contribute to the gender equality target 
found in SDG 5 of the 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable Development – as compared to 
50% of donor respondents.  
 
Short summary  
 
438.  Speakers underlined the importance of giving an equal chance to women. This was not only 
economically important but beneficial for society as a whole. Speakers also discussed how women 
needed to be  trained on how to use trade as a tool for development, to be informed about trade 
rules and market opportunities. They insisted on the importance of bridging the digital divide for 
women. Other issues were raised too such as the need for data on how trade  impacts women and 
how to boost sectors in developing countries where women are mostly involved (agriculture, textile 
and tourism).  
Summary  
 
439.  In his keynote speech,  World Trade Organization Director -General Roberto Azevêdo  
said that trade plays an important role in gender empowerment as it helps to create job WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  opportunities and provide better salaries. It encourages education and skills development. And it 
also helps to increase financial independence.  
440.  He added that tradeabl e sectors are large sources of female employment, and that in 
developing countries, companies that export employ more women than those that do not.  He gave 
a few figures. In Rwanda, for example, 74% of those engaged in cross -border trade were women, 
and 90 % of them rely on cross -border tra de as their sole income source.  In China, 55% of digital 
entrepreneurs were women.  
441.  While this was positive, big imbalances remain. Overall, women are under -represented in 
international trade, with only one in five exportin g firms led by a female entrepreneur. Various 
barriers hampered women entrepreneurs in accessing international markets . Legal and regulatory 
barriers were often higher for women. They lacked access to capital. Gender biases could 
sometimes result in greate r risks and unfavorable working conditions for women. At 
border -crossings women were disproportionately harassed and asked for bribes.  Knowledge and 
skills were also important for women and low levels of literacy were more prevalent among female 
than male traders.  
442.  Director -General Azevêdo advocated lowering and, wherever possible, eliminating barriers. 
Doing so would contribute not only to the economic empowerment of women, but also to overall 
economic growth and social development. Small and medium -size e nterprises were a major sour ce 
of employment for women. Aid -for-Trade support for SME development had risen by around 50% 
between 2005 and 2013. This initiative could also make a big difference to women by helping 
bridge the digital divide. The internet pr ovided women entrepreneurs with easier and less 
expensive ways to access foreign markets. Fully realizing this opportunity required better 
connectivity infrastructure, paired with the necessary skills and training.  
443.  Director -General Azevêdo also announced that the WTO had appointed its first gender focal 
point, Anoush der Boghossian, who would help coordinate the WTO's work on these issues.  
444.  Armand Tazafy, Minister of Commerce , Madagascar remarked that empowering women 
was a way to eliminate discrimination between the sexes, eradicate poverty and promote inclusive 
economic growth. This was a matter of urgency. Women constituted 51% of Madagascar's 
population and they have developed a great entrepreneurial spirit. They managed shops, 
restaurants, sold various types of products and worked a lot in the agricu lture sector. But they had 
not had enough acknowledgement and their potential was under -utilized. Madagascar had put 
policies in place to promote women's empowerment, including those in a vulnerable situation. 
Women's empowerment had been included in COMES A's Final De claration as a goal at the 
2016 Summit. Many different bodies such as women's associations and chambers of commerce 
also promoted women's entrepreneurship. Women needed to be trained on how to use trade as a 
tool for development, to be informed  about trade rules and market opportunities.   
445.  The textile sector employs a vast majority of women and their know -how made them a 
reference in Sub -Saharan Africa. Through the African Development Bank's  PAPI project ("projet 
d'appui à  la promotion des inves tissements"), networks of women -owned enterprises were 
strengthened and assisted in supplying larger textile companies. Madagascar was putting similar 
policies and programmes in the agriculture sector to develop women's entrepreneurship in rural 
areas. Iss ues such as legal rights, cultural bias, access to information and finance, maternity and 
work life balance should also be considered while developing policies geared towards women.   
446.  Isatou Touray, Minister of Trade, The Gambia,  highlighted the importance  of women to 
The Gambian economy, particularly in sectors such as tourism and fisheries. Nevertheless, when it  
came to financing, women were " completely in the background ", even though women 
entrepreneurs had a 98% repayment rate for loans. High priority w as given by The Gambia to the 
development of tourism, fisheries and agriculture sectors because they impacted women's 
empowerment. Combined, those sectors contributed nearly half of The Gambia's GDP and 
employed more than 75% of the work force. Tourism was  a top activity. The sector included ma ny 
actors,  local taxis and transport providers, local crafts market, excursion providers, horticulture 
and vegetal growers, livestock growers and suppliers to hotels and their employees.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  447.  Challenges for inclusive tour ism in The Gambia included developing ecotourism and cultural 
tourism. Linking agricultural production where many women worked on vegetable production, 
horticulture, fisheries and poultry to the hotels was a priority. She was of the view that if we 
wanted to help women, we had to help them in the traditional sectors where they were 
economically active. There was a general lack of capacity of the crafts, agricultural and the 
services sectors in profiting from the tourism flows. To diversify tourism, business  development 
and other trainings were needed. Agriculture contributes to 25% of The Gambia's GDP and 
provides employment to over 75% of the labor force.  
448.  The fisheries sector in The Gambia was also a priority sector for the country not only 
because of the f oreign exchange revenues it brought to the country but also because it was a 
sector that provided employment for women who were involved in fish processing and marketing. 
The sector represented an important source of income and livelihood support. About 80 % of fish 
processors and 50% of fish traders were women.  
449.  All the studies undertaken had validated the critical role that women play. When women get 
a loan, they had 90% payment rates in most of African countries. Women needed the opportunity 
by taking an approach that was gender responsive. Women had always had a place in the 
economy and they are the architects of trade. If we wanted inclusive trade, we need to consider 
trade policy responses that are gender specific, gender responsive and redistributive.  
450.  Candace Nkoth Bisseck, Founder, Digital for Development, and Consultant, 
Stanford Seed West Africa spoke about technology and the digital economy. Women, whether 
as buyers or as traders, were less involved in e -commerce than men. Buyers on Jumia (an 
e-commerce website in Cameroon) were mainly men. Among the sellers, the gap was even wider, 
only 20% of traders on Jumia were women. When trying to convince women to use the 
e-commerce platform to sell their goods, they responded that they wanted to wait for  the 
permission of men in their entourage or that they were simply intimidated by the technology. We 
need to improve the participation of women in trade through ICT and e -commerce training and to 
break the mental barrier they built between them and the sca ling up of their businesses. It went 
beyond technology in her opinion. Stanford Seed West Africa  was focusing on helping small 
entrepreneurs, women and men, to scale up their business and embrace all the innovative tools 
that could help them take their bus iness to the next level. Beyond technology and hardware, there 
was a real need for women in particular to be supported and reassured in the use of technology for 
their economic development.  
451.  Ann Linde, Minister for European Union Affairs and Trade, Sweden  stated that gender 
equality was not only a fundamental human right, but was also fundamental to economic 
development. It was also about environmental protection and social stability. Sweden had a 
feminist government and this came with obligations. Sweden h ad taken a commitment to promote 
gender equality into all policies, including trade. This impacted policy choices and allocation of 
resources. Women's economic participation as entrepreneurs, employers and leaders was a 
measure of the country's economic vi ability and dynamism . Countries with a high degree of 
participation in the labor market enjoyed greater economic growth compared with countries with 
low participation. Trade liberalization could affect men and women differently.  
452.  There was a need to includ e a gender perspective in the work of all the organizations that 
are dealing with trade: WTO, OECD, UNCTAD and World Bank. Some of them were already quite 
advanced but others must step up their efforts. There was also a need to integrate the gender 
perspec tive in trade agreements and Aid for Trade, and track the impact of trade on women. This 
meant that the impact of trade on gender had to be analyzed and there had to be more 
transparent data. This would help generate an accurate picture and formulate adequ ate responses. 
This information could be used in the trade negotiations and in the implementation of trade 
agreements. For these purposes, the EU had developed the sustainability impact assessment to 
analyze all its trade agreements and UNCTAD had created,  with Sweden's support, a gender 
toolbox assessing the impact of trade measures on women (see session 20).  
453.  Regarding the digital economy, women's capacity in developing countries must be enabled 
to reap the benefits of the rapidly evolving digital economy . About 1.8 billion people went online 
between 2004 and 2013 (McKinsey). But still, 4.4 billion remain offline and a high percentage of 
them were women. Women were left behind in the digital world, especially in developing countries, WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  where 31% fewer women were online than men. Doubling the number of women online would 
generate between US$13 and 18 billion across developing countries.  
454.  Women invested a higher portion of their earnings in their families than men, mostly on 
health and education. E -commerce rep resented new opportunities to grow and prosper. Sweden 
supports and contributes to programmes aiming at gender equality and digitalization, such as 
UNCTAD's ICT and women entrepreneurship programme as well as the World Wide Web 
Foundation programmes specif ically focusing on women. A focus on women and trade would help 
to broaden and deepen the understanding on the link between trade and gender; and what needed 
to be done in the near future to contribute to inclusive development.  This was in line with the 
2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Gender equality 
did not only improve women's lives , it was also fundamental for economic development and 
growth, especially in the least developed countries.  
455.  Anabel Gonzalez, Senior Director for Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice at 
the World Bank Group , stated that gender equality was key to the achievement of the World 
Bank Group 's twin goals: ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity in a sustainable 
manner. The Bank has stepped up its commitment in this area with the adoption of the new 
gender strategy to guide the WBG's interventions in this area. The strategy focused on four key 
objectives: (i) improving health, education and social protection; (ii) removing constraints for 
more and better jobs; removing barriers to women 's ownership of, and control over, assets; and 
enhancing women 's voices in participation and decision -making.  
456.  The WBG had created a new gender tag to identify its operations that aim at closi ng the 
gender gap using gender sensitive analysis, gender informed policy reforms and gender -targeted 
interventions; with the objectives of improving the business environment for women, expanding 
trade and market opportunities, strengthening the productivi ty and competitiveness of female 
workers and women led enterprises and enhancing women's economic voice. The WBG created a 
gender community practice bringing together all of the Bank's gender champions. They came 
together to foster internal knowledge excha nges, to enhance mainstreaming of gender into the 
WBG's interventions, and track its own trade and competitiveness contributions to the 
achievement of the new strategy.  
457.  Female labor force participation remained low: at about 50% over the past 2 decades. 
Working conditions for women were difficult. Women were half as likely as men to have a full time 
job and more likely to be in an informal unpaid or seasonal employment. Occupational segregation 
and gender salary gaps persisted , with women earning up to one -third less than men and often 
clustered in lesser paid, lower productivity sectors. Women traders faced disproportionately higher 
trade barriers such as greater difficulties in complying with regulatory and procedural 
requirements, poor access to informat ion and markets, exclusion from male -dominated distribution 
networks, time and mobility constraints and higher risk of abuse, including corruption and 
harassment. Female entrepreneurs were less likely than men to register businesses; these were 
usually sma ller with fewer employees facing growth constrains and being less productive. Access 
to inputs, assets and training remained more limited for women. Female led SMEs currently faced 
a credit gap of about US$300 billion. Gender -biased social and cultural nor ms persisted. Women's 
ability to inherit or owning a bank account or register a business was restricted by discriminatory 
laws and practices.  
458.  WBG responses to these challenges included: gender -informed policy advice with the aim of 
differentiating policy outcomes for women and men, so ensuring that the former were not 
negatively impacted by proposed reforms; trade and competitiveness analytical tools with the aim 
to identify constraints and opportunities for women, and to generate new data; gender -sensitiv e 
trade facilitation projects (example of the Africa Great Lake Region focusing on small cross -border 
traders); women entrepreneurship programmes with the aim of improving the business 
environment of women (example: support reform of family code in DRC so that women no longer 
need the permission of their husbands to register a business); gender -sensitive sector and value 
chains mapping, looking at the participation of women in value chains. During the past four years, 
69% of lending operations and an averag e of 25% of total advisory services had been gender 
related. Trade facilitation was also key for women. Support was given for simplifying cross -border 
and custom procedures and doing so with a gender focus so that women traders could actually 
participate i n trade.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  459.  Hiroshi Kuniyoshi, Deputy Director -General of the United Nations Industrial 
Development Organization,  stated that women’s empowerment was necessary to achieve Goal 
9 of the UN 's Sustainable Development. Goal 9, which connected to SDG 5, emphasized inclusive 
and sustainable industrial development as the primary source of income generation and for rapid 
and sustained increases in living standards. Without engagement of women, industrial 
development was not sustainable. All UNIDO actions too k into consideration women's 
empowerment as industrialization provided a lot of opportunities for women. In most cases, 
industrial jobs were geared towards women. UNIDO had developed the Programme for Country 
Partnership (PCP) which aimed at accelerating i nclusive and sustainable industrial development. 
UNIDO's role was to bring the various actors together and coordinate partnership activities , 
including gender mainstreaming of the various programmes and projects. The PCP usually included 
a gender action pl an with specific targets and activities. In Ethiopia, UNIDO supported the 
development of women's business management and technical skills to increase revenues and job 
opportunities for women in the leather sector.  
460.  Manufacturing provided decent work for wo men. In developing countries, manufactured 
goods were for trade. E -commerce was also key because women could be involved and run their 
business more easily. But for them to reap the benefits of new technologies and opportunities, the 
old economy and societ y needed to be transformed. Women's empowerment is not only 
fundamental for human rights but also for economic development.  
461.  Phyllis Mwangi, Director , Tandao Commerce, created a platform designed to empower 
e-commerce business in Kenya. She was also an e -commerce entrepreneur and as such 
encountered  various challenges since she created her business. On payment gateways, she had 
had to travel to the US in the past to open an account to access US -based payment solutions. 
Today, mobile money was a game changer . On delivery, she noted that in rural parts of the 
country, it had been difficult to track whether a product had reached the consumer. But now, 
people were using services that allowed tuck -tuck or motorbike services to penetrate rural parts of 
Africa. On internet access in Africa, she stated that with mobile phones, problems of connectivity 
were now almost history. With regard to trust, she noted that people still distrusted that the goods 
they bought online would be effectively delivered. In Kenya, SMEs w ere surveyed about their 
willingness to bring their business online. Most of them declared that they would want to go online 
but only 20% were currently on the web as it was too expensive to set up a business online – on 
average €3,000. It took six months for the website to go online and €200 per month for 
maintenance. Tandao Commerce was created to help entrepreneurs overcome these challenges.  
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  Session 25: Side Event: "Live from the Busia One -Stop Border Post!"  - Organizer: Trade 
Mark East Africa  
Moderator:  Vanessa Erogbogbo, Head of 
Women and Trade Programme, International 
Trade Centre  
 Frank Matsaert, Chief Executive Officer, 
Trade Mark East Africa  
 
 Amelia Kyambadde, Minister of Trade, 
Industry and Cooperatives, Uganda  The video/livestream link co nnected, in real 
time, the Aid for Trade Global Review to the 
Busia one -stop border post operations and 
enabled them to follow clearance of goods at 
that borde r. It demonstrated how Aid for T rade 
has enabled two neighbouring countries to : 
a) break down geo graphical barriers – physical 
borders and connect markets by agreeing to 
collaborate and coordinate in facilitating flow of 
goods; b) fast track clearance of goods for 
compliant traders under the Authorized 
Economic Operators; and c) prioritize clearance 
of perishable goods to minimize loss.  
 
Furthermore, the event demonstrated how 
integrating gender equality considerations in 
delivering Aid for Trade, especially when 
integrated into trade laws, could be harnessed 
to increase female economic participation . 
 
Short summary  
 
462.  This session featured a live connection to the Busia One Stop Border Post between Uganda 
and Kenya. The live link showcased how digital connectivity is intertwined with other elements, 
such as power, network, telecommunications, finance and skills. The session featured a discussion 
between Amelia Kyambadde, Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives of Uganda and Frank 
Matsaert, Chief Executive Officer of Trade Mark East  Africa  who gave a very practical view on trade 
facilitation reform  – and the need for external financing to support it.   
Summary  
 
463.  The session featured a live connection linking the Global Review audience with Richard 
Kamajugo, Senior Director, Trade Mark East Africa with the Busia border post One -Stop Border 
Post between Uganda and Kenya.  
464.  Amelia Kyambadde, Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives of Uganda  and 
Frank Matsaert, Chief Executive Officer of Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA)  participated from 
Geneva in the session and gave policy perspe ctives on the images presented by TMEA of the 
One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) at Busia. A video supplemented the show, shedding light on the 
streamlined border processes, showcasing the One -Stop Border Post, the A uthoriz ed Economic 
Operator (AEO) Scheme and th e Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System. During the half -hour 
session, the session presented efforts that had been undertaken to facilitate trade across the 
border. The session revealed the extent to which, Uganda, with the support of TMEA and its 
donors, had undertaken deliberate and strategic moves to ease the cost of doing business.  
465.  Frank Matsaert, Chief Executive Officer, Trade Mark East Africa  highlighted that 
organizing  the session had itself been a technical exercise in connectivity. The session  was a 
follow -up to  a session that TMEA had organiz ed at the 5th Global Review of Aid for Trade on the 
port of Mombasa. In 2015, TMEA has shown how the Kenyan port was a key gateway to East 
Africa – a region with a population of 200 million people. By trav elling through Kenya and along 
the Northern Corridor, TMEA was taking the Global Review audience across the Ugandan border. In 
the past, the border had been what economists termed "thick", i.e. subject to delays and traffic 
jams. Work with partners like Ug anda and Kenya had allowed TMEA to develop seven One -Stop 
Border Posts (OSBP) in the region with investment reaching US$100 million. With 500 trucks 
crossing it daily, the Busia border OSBP was one of the busiest it the region.  
466.  Richard Kamajugo, Senior Dir ector, Trade Mark East Africa  explained that a OSBP was 
a trade facilitation initiative aimed at reducing bottlenecks at the border. Truck s only stopped WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  once, instead of twice. In a OSBP, customs functions were coordinated and streamlined between 
two count ries (Kenya and Uganda). There were also private sector facilities such as insurance 
firms to facilitate business. Busia had taken the model even further by permitting traders to have 
offices at the border. As Richard Kamajugo was talking, the audience cou ld see onscreen, joint 
customs agencies stopping trucks for verification purposes.  
467.  Amelia Kyambadde, Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Uganda  outlined 
how the OSBP operated, the challenges faced before it was put into place, the gains in terms of 
cost and, cargo movement and goods clearance. She recalled how prior implementation of the 
OSBP trucks were subject to seven  kilometre -long queues tha t lasted for days; procedures were 
very complex, in part due to officials who could illegally charge traders extra payments with 
impunity; informal trade at the time was rife with revenue loss for the government; many products 
were not tested for their san itary and phytosanitary compliance; there had been no possibility to 
generate trade statistics; smuggling had been on the rise because of the porousness of the border; 
and congestion was immense. Custom procedures that would previously take up to 18 days w ere 
now completed in a matter of hours. She then listed some of the bureaus which worked together 
inside the building of the OSBP (phytosanitary, immigration, customs, etc.). Having all these 
functions regrouped in this type of drive -in model had drastical ly reduced the cost of doing 
business.  
468.  Minister Kyambadde  stated that the OSBP had helped bring traders into the formal sector 
through a simplified trade regime for transactions of less than US$2,000. She also added the 
application of ICT systems to differ ent aspects of trade such as customs management systems, 
electronic cargo tracking systems and the Electronic Single window to the list of improvements 
that had been made. These systems had also permitted Uganda to identify what commodities were 
traded acr oss its borders. All of these innovations had helped reduce the time and cost of clearing 
goods both entering or transiting through Uganda.  
469.  Mr Kamajugo discussed how the OSBP had had an impact on the lives of the people who 
crossed it. The removal of dupl ication in procedures, agency cooperation and private sector 
presence had substantially reduced the time necessary to cross the border. This had been made 
possible by two types of connectivity: the first one was technological and consisted in the 
interoper ability of systems across borders; the second one was related to cooperation between 
agencies who, benefitting from private sector feedback, had been able to improve their practices.  
470.  A three -minute video was shown to shed further light on the streamlined b order processes, 
showcasing the OSBP, the Authorised Economic Operator Scheme and the Regional Electronic 
Cargo Tracking System.  
471.  Minister Kyambadde then commented on the impediments women traders and SMEs faced 
at the border. The minister express ed her gr atefulness to TMEA and to other donors for their 
support which had delivered down to the grassroots, benefitting the smallest of enterprises, 
transforming lives and empowering people. MSMEs in question could now do business cheaply, 
efficiently, transparen tly and without fear of harassment. The common border strategy had played 
a big role in permitting this and, since most traders crossing the borders were women, the 
emphasis had been put on them, and had paid off. Of the some 5000 traders crossing the bord er, 
around 3500 were women. Education had also played a big role to foster transparency, but also to 
teach traders the type, the standard and quantity of commodities in demand across the border. 
More transparent procedures meant that instead of carrying go ods on their heads women had 
been able to transport their goods by truck. This had resulted in more revenue for Uganda and 
lifted more people out of poverty.  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 26: Focus Session Trade Facilitation: "Trade Facilitation in Action"  - Organizer: 
World Trade Organization  
Panel discussion : 
Moderator: Daniel Blockert, Ambassador, 
Permanent Representative to the WTO, Sweden 
and Chair, WTO Trade Facilitation Committee  
Panel:  
 Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary -General, World 
Customs Organization  
 Lord Bates, MP, Minister of State for 
International Development, United Kingdom  
 Mahamat Hamit Koua, Minister of Industry, 
Trade Development, and Promotion of the 
Private Sector, Chad  
 Jemilah Mahmood, Under Secretary 
General, International Federation of R ed 
Cross and Red Crescent Societies  
 Carlos Grau Tanner, Director General, 
Global Express Association  
 Yao Weiqun, Research Professor, Shanghai 
WTO Affairs Consultation Centre and 
Executive Director, Shanghai Institute for 
Strategy of International Trade Ce nter 
 Gordon Wright, Head, Cargo Border 
Management, International Air Transport 
Association  
 Overview  
 
The analysis in the 2017 edition of the Aid for 
Trade at Glance publication extends 
consideration of trade costs into the area of 
e-commerce. Research by OECD and UNCTAD 
highlights how digital connectivity and data 
flows support the physical delivery of traded 
goods and services. However, while digital 
connectivity can provide new opportunities for 
developing countries to participate in 
international trade,  traditional trade costs 
related to physical connectivity can still 
represent a significant barrier to the physical 
delivery of goods. E -commerce is changing 
what is traded, with customs authorities facing 
an influx of small parcels and low value 
shipments , requiring different handling than 
large and bulk shipments. It can also challenge 
the capacity of customs authorities to monitor 
the compliance of traded goods with revenue, 
standards and intellectual property regulations.  
 
Another challenge faced by cus toms and other 
border agencies worldwide is the burden of 
natural disasters. In 2015, nearly 100 million 
people were affected by disasters. Surveys 
conducted by the International Federation of 
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) 
have identified tra de-related issues that 
impinge on the ability of humanitarian 
responders to respond in a timely and effective 
manner to natural disasters. These include 
customs and other border agency requirements 
that affect the flow of relief consignments.  
 
Against this  background, the session examined:  
 
 Experience in implementation of the 
Trade Facilitation Agreement future 
needs and priorities in the area of 
Aid-for-Trade facilitation;  
 
 The impact of digital connectivity and 
e-commerce on customs and logistics 
systems , in particular the opportunities 
created for micro, small and 
medium -sized enterprise trade growth 
and the challenges that small parcel 
trade pose for border clearance ; and 
 
 Measures, within the context of the 
Trade Facilitation Agreement, that  could 
be taken to speed the flow of 
humanitarian relief . 
 WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Short summary  
 
472.  The first part of Session 26 examined implementation of trade facilitation reforms and how 
the new WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement could help countries reduce their trade costs to 
promote trade, employment and development. Speakers advocated full and effective 
implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, noting that only implementation of actual 
reforms would translate into a reduction of trade costs and thus trade and develo pment benefits. 
Speakers also noted that information technology and e -commerce could bring additional benefits in 
the simplification of procedures and better trade integration of firms. Speakers also emphasized 
the centrality of investing in the upgrading of physical infrastructure in order to achieve broader 
trade facilitation and developmental objectives.  
473.  The second part of Session 26 concerned the necessity of adopting trade facilitation 
measures for the smooth and timely delivery of goods for humanitari an relief following natural 
disasters. There was broad agreement that it was crucial to ensure the prompt distribution of such 
goods, particularly in the case of perishable items (food) and items necessitating a cold chain 
(pharmaceutical products, such as  vaccines). Some of the measures which were considered 
important included: greater collaboration and effective partnership among donor and recipient 
countries, greater standardization of goods and customs procedures, and a more predictable legal 
framework covering the importation of these goods . 
Summary  
 
474.  Daniel Blockert, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the WTO, Sweden  
opened the session by highlighting the economic efficiency gains from implementation of the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement, noting howe ver that the Agreement had to be implemented for these gains 
to actually occur. Many developing countries were prioriti zing trade facilitation in their policy 
documents and extensive reforms were being undertaken as detailed in the 2017 edition of "Aid 
for Trade at a Glance". Ambassador Blockert divided the session into two themes. The first theme 
discussed was the Trade Facilitation Agreement and the connection between e -commerce and 
trade, including its repercussions for customs and traders. The second th eme was trade facilitation 
and natural disasters. He noted that the economic cost of natural disasters was US$250 -300 billion 
a year. Customs and other border delays added to these costs.  
475.  Mahamat Hamit Koua, Minister of Industry, Trade Development, and Promotion of 
the Private Sector, Chad  discussed the geographical situation of his country which was 
landlocked by nine other countries, and with the closest sea port some 1700 kilometres away from 
Chad's borders. This situation explained why Chad attached such importance to the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement. To access seaports it was necessary to cross a minimum of two countries. 
Under these conditions, Chad was well aware that development would not be possible in isolation, 
and that poverty reduction and in clusive growth, would be the result of work on value chains. 
Landlocked countries did have comparative advantages and could produce goods locally at 
cost-effective prices. However, marketing these products necessitated markets, and access to 
markets needed  trade facilitation. On trade costs he explained that a third of the cost of good on 
sale in Chad came from transport, customs procedures and transit costs. The Trade Facilitation 
Agreement required border cooperation and would reduce the cost of goods. Th e current high 
prices were not only due to a lack of infrastructure, but also resulted from poor customs operation 
and cooperation, particularly at seaports. Chad was using the Trade Facilitation Agreement to start 
discussions with other signatories. Beyon d implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, the 
high cost of building infrastructure represented an immense challenge. Lack of infrastructure 
combined with thick borders caused problems for traders who, alternatively, would have benefitted 
from b etter access to the sea (through Port Soudan or th rough Libyan ports). Chad had created 
dry ports, Free Zones and identified areas of cooperation with its neighbours. As the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement would have its "teething problems", orienting more de velopment assistance 
towards Aid -for-Trade facilitation would make sense. Current flows were tiny in comparison to the 
need.  
476.  Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary -General, World Customs Organization  described how rapid 
advances in ICT and digital customs was revolutio nising customs. What customs did, preferably 
before the arrival or departure of goods, was to receive necessary data, then analyse it: for risk 
management purposes to facilitate legitimate trade; to protect societies from illicit trade; to ensure 
safety an d security; and to secure revenue collection. From this standpoint, access to information WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  was critical as it informed interconnected international customs ICT systems to permit the smooth 
circulation of goods. In terms of transit, the WCO had just launched  new guidelines. The Single 
Window was important as it permitted customs to operate on behalf of other administrations 
(ensuring compliance of phytosanitary and health requirements for example). The WCO employed 
standardized datasets responding to all regu latory requirements. The difficult part was not the 
technology, but the coordination needed between many government agencies to realize 
coordinated border management. For this reason, the WCO supported the establishment of 
national committees on trade faci litation.  
477.  E-commerce generated large volumes of small parcels transi ting through borders and 
created a real challenge for customs. The WCO had established a Working Group on e -commerce 
and sought to engage new suppliers (e -payment providers, internet plat forms, etc.) who were 
outside their usual partnerships. The WCO was seeking to facilitate e -commerce – a game changer 
for MSMEs and consumers. However, e -commerce created some risks from a customs perspective, 
including an increased incidence of smuggling and customs revenue leakage. WCO had been 
developing guidelines to support customs, postal services and new supply chain actors. And, it was 
leveraging technology to support customs (by providing enhanced access to data or by developing 
enhanced methods fo r inspection of small packages). The traditional container -based model in 
which one business shipped to another was easier to control than the e -commerce one, in which 
many of the players were single consumers and micro -enterprises. Containers were also ea sier to 
check as the scanning technology had had time to develop.  
478.  Lord Bates, MP, Minister of State for International Development, United Kingdom  
provided an overview of the UK's approach to Aid -for-Trade facilitation. Lord Bates recalled the 
Sustainable Development Goals and the ambition of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. Trade 
would necessarily be a key mechanism through which the SDGs would  be attained. Extreme 
poverty had been halved between 1990 -2010. Secretary of State, Priti Patel, had launched a new 
DFID Economic Development Strategy. A key pa rt of this strategy was recogniz ing women's 
education, rights and their involvement in trade. L ords Bates recalled that the UK had earmarked 
£180 million to support the Trade Facilitation Agreement including through such mechanisms as 
Trade Mark East Africa. As a result of TMEA's work, the cost of delivering a 20 -foot container 
between Mombasa and K ampala had fallen from US$3400 in 2010 to US$2170 in 2016. This was 
proof that Aid for Trade worked. Similarly the average waiting time at the Busia OSBP had fallen 
from 14 to 3 hours. He referenced the live link which had preceded the session. In it, oper ators 
had said that they were crossing the border in less than an hour. Partnerships with the private 
sector were a major factor in delivering these results. Here he cited the UK's support to the Global 
Alliance for Trade Facilitation.  
479.  Carlos Grau Tanner, Director General, Global Express Association (GEA)  described 
his association as the conveyor belt of global value chains. GEA worked with large corporations 
and with MSMEs. The Association specialized in carrying goods, door to door, across the planet, 
normally in less than 72 hours. The express industry had invested heavily and ran a fleet of 
aircraft, some 200,000 ground vehicles and had invested massively in ICT. One element that 
escaped GEA's control was borders. They presented a variety of challenges i n an environment 
where clients sought certainty, especially with the rise in global value chains. In some countries, it 
was possible to get customs clearance ahead of the shipment being sent, in other places GEA 
member companies were in the dark. This was why the Trade Facilitation Agreement was so 
crucial. GEA had witnessed a doubling in volumes in those countries where trade facilitation 
reforms had been enacted. A key point was ICT systems. The barcode visible on parcels contained 
information essential f or the fast shipping of articles, however sometimes in 50% of cases it could 
not be processed by customs and border agencies. For some of the most important measures of 
the Trade Facilitation Agreement, such as electronic advance information, countries had  expressed 
their willingness to make an effort but not necessarily made any commitment to that effect. He 
urged Members to take the best endeavour clauses as an opportunity to upgrade systems. 
Implementing the Trade Facilitation Agreement in full would red uce uncertainty, reduce costs and 
be a positive step for trade and development. He concluded his statement by saying that 
public -private partnerships were essential and ought to be replicated in national trade facilitation 
committees and even at the WTO.  
480.  Gordon Wright, Head, Cargo Border Management, International Air Transport 
Association (IATA)  explained that the airline business model had remained static for 30 years. 
Airlines operated like container ships, they went to destinations, picked up passengers and WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  dropped them in other places. Airplanes would spend about 90% of their time on the ground filling 
border formalities, sometimes duplicating efforts. Delays resulted from States not implementing 
some of the commitments they had taken at the internationa l level, or not aligning on the 
standards developed by the WCO and others. The WCO datasets were not applied in all countries 
and, sometimes, were made unpredictable by national standards added on top of international 
ones. E -commerce was driving a differe nt approach and demanded more predictability in terms of 
delivery and arrival times. This had led States and the industry to look more closely at how 
borders were organized and work with border agencies to maximize their efficiency by introducing 
smart bor ders. This meant ensuring data met international standards, but another big part was 
looking into the application of Single Windows. Global value chains were having a really positive 
impact on the industry and on air cargo. Those countries that had embrace d this trend were 
increasing their trade. Security was extremely important for airlines and went hand in hand with 
trade facilitation. He encouraged further trade facilitation reforms and describing how many 
studies had shown that such schemes generated an  increase in revenue and enhanced trade.  
481.  Yao Weiqun, Research Professor, Shanghai WTO Affairs Consultation Centre and 
Executive Director, Shanghai Institute for Strategy of International Trade Center  shared 
his experience of how trade facilitation had been  implemented in Shanghai (the largest seaport 
cargo and airport cargo hub in the world) and how e -commerce across borders had been advanced 
through the Shanghai e -port initiative. The initiative had been formed in 2015 by 18 stakeholders 
including customs,  port operators, local government, and others. The e-port provided a single 
point of entry for regulators, manufacturers, traders, logistics providers, bankers, companies and 
various other agents and was used by more than 300,000 companies in relation to 2 80 types of 
documents. In 2016, 203 million transactions had been processed that had generated US$190 
billion in revenue. It was China's first Single Window and responded to the requirements of the 
Trade Facilitation Agreement. In 2016, on the base of e -port, a pu blic service platform for 
cross-border e -commerce had also been established. China's ambition was to extend the system to 
other Asian countries where chokepoints in the value chains had been clearly identified, thus 
advancing trade facilitation in the context of the Belt and Road initiative.  
482.  The Universal Postal Union made a comment from the floor during the discussion to recall 
the importance of strengthening the capacity of national postal services. They played a central role 
in logistical servic es and the delivery of goods purchased online. The Exporta Facil and EcomAfrica 
programmes were cited as examples of UPU capacity -building programmes for e -commerce.  
483.  Jemilah Mahmood, Under Secretary General, International Federation of Red Cross 
and Red C rescent Societies (IFRC)  began discussion of the second theme on the nexus 
between trade facilitation measures and the smooth and the timely delivery of humanitarian relief 
following natural disasters. She cited six crucial elements (her 6 Cs) that were ne cessary for the 
efficient operation of  humanitarian aid: Cross Border:  which had been illustrated by the Busia live 
link in which the audience had seen not only goods crossing the  border, but also people; 
Cost:  customs clearance procedures ranked among the  top three concerns faced by IFRC when 
trying to facilitate a disaster response; Cooperation: an international cooperation law had been 
developed in 2007; Cross cutting issues: gender was important as the disasters impacted women 
more severely than men; "C ruciality" of assistance: any delay of medicine or shelter impacted 
people who drastically needed it; and Cyber -security: this last point had been added at the last 
minute, as the IFRC had encountered problems in sending a display to the Global Review as a  
result of a computer hack of the express delivery company's ICT systems.  
484.  Gordon Wright, Head, Cargo Border Management, International Air Transport 
Association (IATA)  highlighted that that in delivering humanitarian aid, airlines were often the 
first mode  of transport on the scene of a disaster. Further, although airlines moved small volumes 
as compared to the shipping industry, by value, these goods were a much higher total – about 
35% of total value. Perishables, food stuffs and pharmaceuticals (includin g vaccines) were among 
the commodities moved. When it came to food stuffs, he noted that up to 20% of any given cargo 
could be lost because of clearance delays. This also applied to vaccines, which were subject to 
even more stringent standards than other g oods. After convincing an airline to fly to a disaster 
zone, seeing potentially life -saving goods go to waste was very frustrating. As socially responsible 
operators, many of today's airlines transported humanitarian goods either free of charge or at no 
cost. More needed to be done in this area. Indeed, it had been the subject of a discussion held in 
early July 2017 at the World Customs Organization council meeting aiming to improve coordination 
and raise awareness within the industry.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  485.  Carlos Grau Tanner, D irector -General, Global Express Association (GEA)  declared 
that, as  specialists in logistics, GEA m embers were committed to providing air lift, customs 
brokerage and fast deliveries to locations where relief was needed. H owever he added that since 
GEA m embers often enco untered snags, better standardiz ation, as existed in general trade , was 
desirable. Typicall y, many relief -providing organiz ations worked with unstandardized kits (some of 
them containing items customs might not temporarily release as relie f aid). Having standardized 
WCO lists of kit contents for disaster response could help customs to admit them temporarily as 
relief aid. In addition, to avoid unsolicited goods, countries could provide lists of needed items 
(with harmonized codes) for admit tance (as was the case for advance ruling for general goods). 
One of the worst examples he had witnessed concerned a water treatment plant that was urgently 
needed after an earthquake. GEA m embers had transported the plant, only to find it stuck in the 
customs of a country neighbouring the affected one. As the plant never managed to clear customs, 
it was eventually delivered to another location where it was needed.  
486.  Jemilah Mahmood, Under Secretary General, IFRC  concurred o n the need for 
standardiz ation. The  IFRC was applying these very principles in its practices. She added that, in 
the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the government has set up a one -stop centre 
to facilitate the entry of relief goods. Such an example could be replicated elsew here. In addition, 
dialogue between the humanitarian sector and the private sector had really improved (as with the 
Connecting Business Initiative, etc.). For example, since telecommunication towers had very large 
generators, they were being used to shelte r a refrigeration unit and preserve the cold chain 
required to preserve drugs and foods. Such innovations ought to be considered more and more. 
She added that the humanitarian sector should change the way it worked to empower people and 
small traders and b uild resilience. This was critical to reducing their vulnerability. At this nexus 
business, aid and trade really helped.  
487.  Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary -General, World Customs Organization  said that his 
organiz ation had developed several instruments to deal with  disaster relief. The WCO had worked 
very closely with IFRC and the UN Office for Coordination for Humanitarian Aid (UNOCHA). It 
supported the IFRC's model law and UNOCHA's model agreement for customs facilitation. The 
WCO had undertaken training and aware ness-raising with its m embers. What was required though 
was a clear legal framework and effective border procedures, not necessarily solely targeting 
customs. Sometimes problems did not necessarily stem at borders. They were the result of 
damaged infrastru cture. As in many trade issues, it was important to involve other government 
agencies since, sometimes, customs acted on their behalf. The WCO provided training and drills 
but also put emphasis on involving other government agencies. The WCO also provided 
awareness -raising: after Haiti's earthquake, it had renewed its Memorandum of Understanding 
(MoU) with IFRC and UNOCHA. Also in 2011, the WCO had adopted a resolution on the role of 
customs to ensure disaster preparedness, but also to ensure that this prep aredness was shared 
with other agencies. Whenever there was a delay in clearance, there was often "something behind 
the curtains". Thanks to donors, such as the Netherlands, the WCO had been able to hold this type 
of activities, not only in response to nat ural disasters, but also epidemics and pandemics. It 
trained staff to deal with situations, provided basic equipment, and engaged in capacity -building 
exercises. The WCO would continue such collaboration efforts.  
488.  Mahamat Hamit Koua, Minister of Industry, T rade Development, and Promotion of 
the Private Sector, Chad  recalled that Chad had welcomed some 400,000 refugees. This 
situation called for support to supply much -needed goods. In this particular context, Aid -for-Trade 
facilitation and aid to infrastructu re was de facto  humanitarian aid. However, he cautioned that 
difficulties encountered at country customs had to be distinguished from difficulties met at ports 
and in the case of goods in transit. With humanitarian goods, there was a difference between 
those goods reaching their final destination and those transiting at a seaport. More had to be done 
at customs level to highlight this transit issue, at the international level, and across borders. 
Although, in the case of a humanitarian crisis, countries wer e eager to facilitate clearance of 
goods, delays could be caused by the slow physical treatment of goods, for instance at ports when 
ships were moving into place. Minister Koua also recalled that in the case of LDCs, customs 
generated considerable revenues . They were also entrusted with screening clandestine passengers 
while facilitating the transit of goods. Planning was important, advance ruling helped accelerate 
matters, so did the smart treatment of urgent situations by governments. However, difficultie s 
could and did arise: governments often had to ensure that the Geneva Conventions, as well as 
other international agreements, were respected. There was an important security dimension. 
Generally, Chad had noticed that problems often occurred at transit an d at ports.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  489.  Lord Bates, MP, Minister of State for International Development, United Kingdom  
recalled that DFID was a large humanitarian donor. This year, the UN had launched its largest ever 
appeal for a humanitarian crisis, with over 98 million people liv ing in acute food insecurity (in 
Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and also in Yemen). There was a large amount of bureaucracy 
required to send aid to places, whether it was visas, international travel permits, registrations, 
MoUs, clearances, specific legisla tion on particular NGOs, taxes and other red tape. This could lead 
to frustration as vitally needed medical and food supplies were lost due to delays. In this regard, 
Lord Bates concurred with Minister Koua's assessment on the importance of preparation. He  
recalled that one of the best examples of humanitarian responses he had seen or had been 
involved in was in Somalia. Here the donor community, internati onal agencies and the Somalian 
Government had planned many months ahead to ensure that aid arrived. The  cooperation had 
looked into the best way to offer a response, facilitate entry and movement of goods, cross check 
points, etc. This had prevented the highly frustrating situation where foods and medical supplies 
were perishing alongside the people they we re destined to help. Besides preparation, another 
aspect was understanding the deliberate obstructions of humanitarian access. It was also 
important to take into account legitimate concerns of recipient countries about the protection of 
their borders. He s ummarized the key points as: preparation and coordin ation, collaboration, 
standardiz ation, appropriate laws, and involving people before the occurrence of a crisis to 
facilitate movement when it occurred.  
490.  Referring to the UK's departure from the European U nion (EU), Lord Bates made an 
announcement on developing countries ' post-exit access to UK market. He recalled that the UK 
was very supportive of existing Economic Partnership Agreements and recalled the trade 
preferences offered to some of the least  devel oped countries. These were very important and 
made a real di fference. On 21 June 2017, the G overnment had stated that it would continue to 
offer duty -free access to the UK market for LDCs. This commitment meant that 48 of the least  
developed countries acro ss the globe would continue to benefit from preferential access on all 
goods other than arms and ammunitions. The UK would also explore options to expand its 
relationship with other developing countries that currently benefitted from a mixture of reduced o r 
zero tariffs under goods exported to the UK. The UK believed that trade brought economic growth 
to developing countries and that it benefited UK p roducers and consumers. The UK G overnment 
provided support through its aid budget to enable this to happen. This was achieved through 
cooperation with European colleagues with whom, building up on the global free trade movement, 
the UK would maintain strong relationships.  
491.  In the question and answer section, questions were asked: about free zones for e -commerce 
facilitation, lifting red tape during humanitarian crises, and mutual trust in facilitating the transit of 
goods across borders.  
492.  Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary -General, World Customs Organization  stated that the 
Revised Kyoto convention had been ratif ied by 111 Members – a number quite close to Trade 
Facilitation Agreement ratification numbers at the time of the Review. He recommended 
implementing the Trade Facilitation Agreement in a uniform manner, as well as parallel ratification 
of both the Trade F acilitation Agreement and the Kyoto convention. Regarding Free Zones, the 
Revised Kyoto convention had a double structure. One was the General Overall Annex, which 
formed the basis for the Trade Facilitation Agreement and contained provisions that Members 
needed to adhere to. The second, had optional provisions which included Free Zones. He noted 
that Free Zones were limited in number and could not be found in all countries. The WCO was 
going to work on them as they were an important regime for competitiven ess, but at the same 
time necessarily had to protect society. The same was done with regards to transit. On 
e-commerce, there were many platform regulations. But there were many different approaches to 
customs regulation because of the rapid evolution of e -commerce. As the first step, the WCO had 
published best practices. This included what had been done in terms of practice in facilitation but 
also control and revenue. The next step, which the WCO aimed at within a year's time, was setting 
minimum standard s for platforms.  
493.  Jemilah Mahmood, Under Secretary General, IFRC  concluded that a business case had 
to be made to governments to put in place regulatory frameworks that facilitated the movement of 
goods. She said that, although the International Disaster Re sponse Law was in its tenth  year, it 
still had a lot of progress to make. Partnering with those who were already in dialogues with 
governments on trade was very important for the humanitarian sector. Trust was essential as it 
made the movement of goods swi fter. It was important to build trust for countries to understand WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  that laws and actors were there to support, facilitate and accompany them. This was a long -term 
process.  
494.  Lord Bates, MP, Minister of State for International Development, United Kingdom  
recalled that humanitarian crises were multifaceted and required more than just medical aid or 
food. They often caused a political meltdown in a country, with no authority left. Sometimes 
customs officials or policemen had not been paid. Situations were dysfunc tional and this needed to 
be remembered. His second point was that the motives behind international response had to be 
clear. Lord Bates suggested the idea of having special humanitarian zones. They would need to be 
solutions outside, and before the crisis , so responses could move in a proper way.  
495.  Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary -General, World Customs Organization  said that for 
humanitarian aid, legal frameworks were needed because customs were part of government. This 
was why support was given to IFRC's efforts  to make their model law. He then wondered how it 
would be possible to protect public health in a situation of political melt down. Again, 
preparedness, especially in collaboration with health authorities , was important. In terms of trust, 
the OSBP had the  control to ensure compliance of economic operators. Trust between customs and 
operators had to be developed. In the WCO context this was done through Authorised Economic 
Operators. A conference would take place in Uganda in March 2018 to ensure customs an d 
businesses worked together to improve their functioning and compliance to ensure there was trust 
and collaboration.  
496.  Gordon Wright, Head, Cargo Border Management, IATA  stated that belief was that 
there were adequate instruments already in place. What was needed now was their effective 
implementation, taking necessary corrective steps as and when necessary. This was a final idea 
upon which Daniel Blockert, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the WTO, Sweden 
and Chair, WTO Trade Facilitation Committee  concluded the session.  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 27: Development Hub: "Hack the Pacific: Bringing the Hackathon to Aid for 
Trade"  – Organizer: Mission of Australia to the W orld Trade Organization  
 Dmitry Grozoubinski, Permanent 
Mission to the World Trade 
Organization, Australia  
 Raimund Moser, International Trade 
Centre  
 Daniel Dobos, THE Port  
 Robyn Ekstrom, Pacific Island Forum 
Secretariat  
 Hackathon Team - Marie -Laure 
Burgener, Adam Jones, Daniel 
Kachelreiss, Katarzyna Lechka, Sophie 
Schmidt, Felix Stähli, Laura Groebel  
(International Trade Centre)  
 What happens when you unleash the creativity 
of a diverse, multi -disciplinary team on a 
previously intractable trade challenge? The 
Australian Permanent Mission to the World 
Trade Organization, in partnership with Global 
Goals Innovation Day (G3iD), Pacific Trade and 
Investment (PT&I), Impact Hub Geneva, the 
Port and the International Trade Centre 's (ITC) 
Innovation Lab decided to find out.  
Exporters in the Pacific Island countries face 
significant and often unique barriers at  every 
step of their journey from concept to the 
shelves of retailers in potentially lucrative 
export markets. Small populations, unique 
environments and large distances mean 
traditional solutions just aren 't good enough. 
Innovation is needed.  
Since March,  a volunteer Hackathon team has 
been working with PT&I and mentors from THE 
Port, ITC 's Innovation Lab and Impact Hub 
Geneva to co -create solutions to the trade 
challenges of the Pacific, and in doing so, 
pioneer  a new approach to tackling 
Aid-for-Trade ch allenges. The interactive 
session showcased an accelerated co -creation 
approach and the Hackathon team's solution.  
 
Short summary  
 
497.  Technology volunteers have been exploring ways to address trade challenges in the Pacific 
region and have designed a prototype which, if further developed, could become an easy -to-use 
web platform to help small business owners deliver their products to markets. The prototype 
adopts an innovative approach in that it takes the complexities of the trade system and applies i t 
to technology.  
Summary  
 
498.  The ITC, Australia and the Pacific Island Forum showcased a joint project prototype, 
developed to find a practical technical solution for small business owners based in the Pacific 
region, and to demonstrate the potential that ne w disruptive technologies would have on future 
global trade. What began as a hackathon, or a three -day intensive brainstorming drive by a group 
of eight people, developed into an easily accessible application for selling and exporting. The 
project was low cost (some US$30,000) and was supported in part by the Australian government.  
499.  The project prototype responded to a specific need that exporters in the Pacific Island 
Countries face at every step of the journey from product concept to sales on the shelves of 
retailers in potentially lucrative export markets. Small populations, unique environments and large 
distances mean traditional supply chain and market access solutions just aren 't good enough. 
Innovation is needed.  
500.  Since March, a volunteer Hackathon tea m has been working with PT&I and mentors from 
THE Port, ITC 's Innovation Lab and Impact Hub Geneva to co -create a prototype to address 
solutions to the trade challenges of the Pacific, and in doing so , pioneer showcase a potential new 
approach to tackling Aid-for-Trade challenges.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  501.  Raimund Moser, Internation Trade Centre,  identified the main goal of the project as to 
focus on results and effectiveness. He explained that engineers, entrepreneurs and trade 
specialists had each contributed and that the project  prototype enjoyed a strong level of 
partnership. International trade experts, programmers, and entrepreneurs all came together to 
innovate and test the solutions. Even when things didn 't work out, the team "failed forward" or 
learned from their experience  and moved on.  
502.  Robyn Ekstrom from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat  office works with 16  Pacific 
Island Forum countries. She explained that past efforts to assist the region had worked in part, but 
that the region needed a more "tech savvy" solution to  address its key challenge, the huge 
distances which exist between production centres and export markets. Small businesses were 
numerous in the region and were very connected to specific bran ds and products. As many as 
75% of exporters employed less than 2 0 people and about 33% employed only one to four people. 
Given the small volumes, it was difficult for the SMEs to expand without a focus on exports. In 
turn, products were very expensive to ship and many lacked commercial coordination 
mechanisms. There wa s, therefore, a strong need for sales and ordering and logistics aspects to be 
coordinated in the region. This would help reduce costs.  
503.  The project prototype was designed around several principles such as ease of use, high 
accessibility through an easy to implement platform, and a focus on helping small businesses to 
export. The idea was for people to engage in a simple conversation where they realized sales and 
shipping opportunities in an easy step -by-step process. Also, they used the simplest of 
communic ation tools such as SMS messages. The application was designed to track stock, 
inventory and record data related to quality controls and inspection procedures. It also provides 
shippers with a tracking mechanism. It was based on natural language processing  and used 
artificial intelligence so that the system actually learns from past use. It used block chain 
transactions and a cloud hosted server. All that is needed is a telecom company to provide SMS 
messaging services.   
504.  Presenters explained that the appli cation prototype could have uses beyond the Pacific and 
could be ideal to assist rural communities with their development. It was designed to be a 
one-stop shop, makes far better use of existing resources and could help to disrupt existing and 
highly costly transport systems. Since the project prototype had not officially been tested, there 
remained further issues that would need to be addressed if development was to continue, such as 
several questions were raised concerning overhead costs for running the system, its security 
measures and who or which organization(s) might eventually partner together in a joint venture or 
take full responsibility for its day -to-day operation. In response, the presenters suggested that the 
Pacific Island Forum in conjunc tion with Pacific Trade and Invest might be ideally suited to take 
over the project.  
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  Session 28: Side Event: "Enhancing Connectivity to Enable Graduation with Momentum 
in LDCs"  - Organizers: Commonwealth Secretariat, United Nations Conference on Trade 
and Development  
Panel discussion:  
 Rolf Traeger, Chief of the LDC Section 
of United Nation s Conference on Trade 
and Development  
 Sumbue Antas, Director, Department of 
External Trade, Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and External Trade, Vanuatu  
 Debapriya Bhattacharya, Chair, LDC IV 
Monitor   
 Frans Lammersen , Development 
Co-operation Directorate, Organisation 
of Economic Co -operation and 
Development   
 Tuifa'Asisina Misa Lisati Leleisiuao 
Palemene, Associate Minister of 
Commerce, Industry and Labour, 
Samoa  
 Paulo Kautoke, Director, Trade Division 
of the Commonwealth Secretariat  
 Graduation with momentum was necessary to 
enable the development trajectory of the LDCs 
to be maintained and pitfalls avoided beyond 
graduation. The very limited number of LDC 
graduat ion cases to date was, in part, indicative 
of major shifts which had arisen in the 
international economic environment in recent 
decades, as international trade and investment 
flows had assumed a major role within a more 
interconnected global economy. The s uccess of 
developing countries has become increasingly 
dependent on fruitful engagement with export 
markets, particularly in higher value segments 
of global value chains. In turn, the 
intensification of global competition had given 
rise to a growing need t o compete, which 
intensified the challenges posed by the 
widening gap in productive capacities between 
developing countries and the LDCs. These 
countries faced major challenges in upgrading 
away from primary commodities and 
low-value -added products. Althou gh new forms 
of connectivity may influence participation 
within GVCs, other more conventional forms - 
such as energy, transportation and storage - 
still exerted a major influence on all types of 
upgrading processes. Hence, enhanced 
connectivity within LDCs  was necessary to 
facilitate structural transformation and develop 
the productive capacities necessary to enable 
the achievement of graduation with 
momentum.  
 
This panel session explore d these thematic 
issues in relation to LDC trade -related concerns 
and the trade -related objectives included in the 
Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA) for 
achievement by 2020 and the Sustainable 
Development Goals by 2030.  
 
Short summary  
 
505.  The Istanbul Programme of Action for the LDCs 2011 -2020 (IPoA) set the target to enable 
half of LDCs to meet the graduation criteria by 2020. The panel discussed a number of challenges 
faced by the LDCs in the context of graduation from LDC status. The att itude of LDCs towards 
graduation has become more positive, many of whom had included graduation as part of their 
national development strategies. It was highlighted that connectivity alone was not enough to 
maintain momentum, but needed to be in coherence with sustainable development and progress in 
other areas such as human resources or regulation. LDCs were concerned about the loss of 
international support measures (ISMs), particularly preferential market access, which came with 
graduation. The need for a  smooth transition was highlighted  
506.  Graduated countries continue to benefit from GSP schemes and Aid for Trade. They gained 
access to more financing for development, i.e. other official flows and access to international 
capital markets. Graduation was not only about the loss of ISMs - countries needed to look inward 
to create domestic capacities. Samoa (graduated in 2014) and Vanuatu (expected to graduate in 
2020), as small island developing states (SIDS), faced external challenges that required support WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  also after graduation. Debt sustainability of LDCs had deteriorated and would be a major challenge 
in the near future.  It was highlighted that LDCs needed to engage in all WTO negotiations because 
after graduation they will lose a part of their special and di fferential treatment.  
Summary  
 
507.  Rolf Traeger, Chief of the LDC Section of United Nation s Conference on Trade and 
Development moderated the session. He recalled that the Istanbul Programme of Action for the 
LDCs for the period 2011 -2020 had set the target to  enable half of LDCs to meet the graduation 
criteria by 2020. The attitude of LDCs towards graduation had become more positive, many of 
whom have included graduation as target in their national development strategies. Graduation was 
a long term process. A smooth transition which prevented the sudden stop of international support 
measures was important. It was a challenge for graduating LDCs to negotiate the extension of 
trade preferences and to continue to benefit from Enhanced Integrated Framework support.  
Graduated countries could still benefit from GSP  preferences and Aid for Trade. Small island 
developing states continued to face external challenges after graduation and it was an important 
question what type of support the international community was rea dy to give.  
508.  Paulo Kautoke, Director, Trade Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat noted that  
Aid for Trade to LDCs has grown rapidly in recent years, with Aid for Trade going towards 
economic infrastructure being particularly important. The IPoA aims to build productive capacity 
and enable LDCs to meet the criteria for graduation. Ten LDCs are likely to meet graduation 
criteria by 2020. The Commonwealth Secretariat was engaging in collaborativ e research with 
UNCTAD on how Aid for Trade helped LDCs with gr aduation. Research on the structural 
transformation in LDCs has been conducted as part of the LDC IV Monitor partnership, which 
monitors the implementation of the IPoA. More disaggregated analyses were needed regarding the 
enabling of graduation and the se ctoral allocation of A id for Trade. 
509.  Tuifa'Asisina Misa Lisati Leleisiuao Palemene, Associate Minister of Commerce, 
Industry and Labour, Samoa stated that his country sought the support of development 
partners to implement priorities in the areas of development and e -commerce. Samoa had 
graduated from LDC status in 2014. Liberalization of the telecomm unications sector in 2005 and 
Aid for Trade has contributed to strong growth of the information and communication technology 
sector. An undersea cable project, which would be launched in December 2017, would address 
bottlenecks in terms of internet connectivity and co sts. Furthermore, significant Aid for Trade had 
been committed to other infrastructure projects (e.g. airport). A id for Trade to the energy sector 
aimed to help Samoa move towards energy self -sufficiency through the use of renewable energy 
resources, particula rly solar energy. A number of Aid-for-Trade projects supported by Australia 
and New Zealand aim at improving connectivity, integration into supply chains and enhancement 
of competitiveness of lives tock and agriculture sectors. Aid for Trade would help Samoa with the 
implementation of t he Trade Facilitation Agreement – a recent Trade Facility training had been 
held by ITC in Samoa. Even though graduated, Samoa, as a small island economy, was still in 
need of Aid for Trade and public -private partnerships.  
510.  Debapriya Bhattacharya, Chair, LD C IV Monitor cited recent literature on connectivity 
and LDCs covering difficulties to create domestic capacity and value added, the importance of 
building the capacity of SMEs to supply to international value chains, of quality of institutions and 
of dome stic connectivity in addition to international connectivity. The Agenda 2030 and the SDGs 
had changed the connectivity debate: coherence of connectivity with the SDGs in order to achieve 
transformative restructuring. Connectivity alone was not enough, but also required inter -sectoral 
(with other policy areas such as financial regulation, trade policies) and intra -sectoral (e.g. human 
resources for logistics, regulation) coherence. Debt sustainability of LDCs had deteriorated, also 
due to financing of infras tructure projects, and would be a major challenge in the near future. 
There was a need for a connectivity index that integrated sustainability issues and coherence. 
LDCs should rethink graduation. Graduation was not only about the loss of ISM. Graduating w ith 
momentum means that LDCs needed to look inward and create domestic capacity.  
511.  Frans Lammersen, Development Co -operation Directorate, Organization of 
Economic Co -operation and Development  highlighted the importance of  mobile connectivity, 
even for the s mallest economic actors such as fishermen, to connect to markets. A sound policy 
environment was crucial for attracting investment. Support from th e donor community was finite. 
Aid for Trade for telecommunications regulation helped attract private investme nt. LDCs, in WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  contrast to middle income countries, did not have access to other official flows (OOF). Leveraging 
Aid for Trade to attract investment was more difficult for LDCs as compared to other developing 
countries. A id for Trade to LDCs was 25% of tota l Aid for Trade; most of which went to 
infrastructure. Whi le there were calls that more Aid for Trade should be given to LDCs, LDCs 
actually received twice as much A id for Trade relative to other developing countries on a per capita 
basis. Absorption capac ity was an issue. There was a ri sk of re -introducing tying of Aid for Trade to 
trade and investments of donor country firms, distorting economic behaviour. While LDCs might 
lose some ISM following graduation, they gained access to more financing for development, i.e. 
OOF and access to international capital markets.  
512.  Sumbue Antas, Director, Department of External Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
and External Trade, Vanuatu stated Vanuatu's expectation to graduate in 2020. Connectivity 
meant more than just telecommunications for Vanuatu - economic infrastructure and human 
capacity were required to make connectivity work. In order to achieve sustainable growth, 
Vanuatu would need not only connectivity but also to close gaps in other areas such as laws 
regarding consumer protection and cybercrime. He asked whether connectivity would p romote 
inclusive trade (women, MSMEs) and if it would help Vanuatu to benefit from the LDC Services 
waiver and fisheries. Vanuatu would learn from the graduation experience of Samoa. Vanuatu 
would continue to face the same external risks and vulnerabilitie s following graduation. Graduating 
countries should not be punished for graduating. It was important that the international 
community recognized and supports the SIDS.  
513.  During the discussion, the ACP Secretariat commented that LDCs received preferential 
market access to the EU under its Everything -but-Arms scheme and were exempted from 
reciprocating in Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). After graduation, they would need to 
reciprocate in the EPAs even though they have not been involved in negotiations.  Longer transition 
periods for preferential market access were needed. The Ambassador of Lesotho stated that LDCs 
needed to be part of WTO negotiations because after graduation they would not be exempted 
anymore. He urged his LDC colleagues to engage in ne gotiations . This comment was echoed by 
Mr Bhattacharya who stated that LDCs had a stake in the entire negotiations, not only LDC issues 
and special and differential treatment . 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 29: Side Event: "E -Commerce + Connectivity = Development "  - Organizer : 
Permanent Mission of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and 
Matsu to the W orld Trade Organization   
Moderator: Hernán Estrada Román, 
Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the 
World Trade Organization, Nicaragua  
Speaker: Cyrus Chu,  Permanent 
Representative, Separate Customs Territory of 
Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu to the WTO  Connectivity to the world of digital trade is 
absolutely essential for Developing Countries 
and LDCs if they are to benefit from the 
fast-growing sustainab le development 
opportunities that e -commerce can bring. 
However, many consumers and businesses in 
developing countries and LDCs currently lack 
even the basic requirements of electricity, 
infrastructure and mobile devices needed to be 
able to participate in  the e-commerce world.  
This side event elaborated on the key concepts 
and elements of e -commerce, and expl ored 
possible solutions to the " Digital Divide " 
problems in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific 
(ACP) countries. Through presentation and 
dialogue base d on shared experience and 
analysis, the side event organizers hoped to 
find ways together of closing the gap and 
making connectivity happen for developing 
countries, LDCs and the ACP countries alike. By 
also encouraging the involvement of the private 
sector in the form of technical assistance, the 
hope was to make greater progress  on solving 
the problem of the " Digital Divide ".  
Another important objective was to ensure the 
establishment of  a fair and accessible global 
e-commerce trading environment, which  would 
benefit SMEs and MSMEs in the developing 
countries and LDCs in particular.  
 
Short summary  
 
514.  Connectivity to the modern world of digital trade was essential for developing countries and 
LDCs if they were to benefit from the fast -growing sustainable development opportunities that 
e-commerce can bring. However, many consumers and businesses of sever al developing countries 
and LDCs currently lack even the basic requirements of electricity, infrastructure and mobile 
devices needed to be able to participate in the e- commerce world.  
515.  This session examines the issue of e -commerce, connectivity and develo pment by 
elaborating on th e key concepts and elements of e -commerce and explo ring possible solutions to 
the " Digital Divide " problems in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries. Based on shared 
experience and analysis, this session hopes to find ways o f closing the gap and making 
connectivity happen for developing countries, LDCs and the ACP countries alike. By also 
encouraging the involvement of the private sector in the form of technical assistance, this session 
hoped to make greater progress on solvi ng the problem of the "Digital Divide ". The session also 
called for the establishment of a fair and accessible global e -commerce trading environment, which 
would benefit SMEs and MSMEs in the developing countries and LDCs in particular.  
Summary  
 
516.  Hernán Es trada Román, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the World 
Trade Organization, Nicaragua , introduced the session by highlighting how connectivity and 
accessibility in the digital world could create better trading opportunities and strengthen 
infrastruc ture for developing countries, LDCs and ACP countries, and reach the SDGs. He also WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  asked how different sets of approaches might help identify the needs and constraints countries 
faced, particularly the MSMEs, as well as how to address the issue of digital divide.  
517.  Cyrus Chu, Permanent Representative, Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, 
Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu to the WTO , divid ed his keynote remark s into three 
parts:  (i) clarifying concepts; (ii) introducing cyberspace trade barriers (CTBs); and (iii) giving 
suggestions as to how to remove the digital divide. He started his presentation by explaining his 
views on why WTO's work on e-commerce was advancing slowly. He pointe d out that previous 
approaches on e-commerce were inductive and mainly focused on surveying large businesses. This 
created difficulty and bias for further discussion. In order to narrow the focus, he suggested a 
deductive approach, by identifying qualitati ve differences between digital trade and traditional 
trade. Specifically, he suggested that the qualitative difference in e -commerce as compared to 
traditional trade must have a digital -related background and discussion should not be misled by 
large busine ss surveys . In this context, he drew attention to a book written by Nicholas 
Negroponte titled "Being Digital ", wherein two transformations where predicted: (i) from shipping 
of Atoms to transmission of Bits (Atoms/Bits Transformation); and (ii) from stati c to mobile 
transformation in terms of devices, and from air to static transformation in terms of transmission 
tools (Static/Mobile Transformation). The implications of these two transformations were further 
highlighted. The implication of Atoms/Bits trans formation was that atoms have physical borders 
and bits d o not , while GATT was mostly about physical borders. As for static/mobile 
transformation, it was important for WTO to remove trade barriers for bits, and understand better 
new trade features. Moving on to MSMEs ' opportunities in the  digital world, he noted that 
e-commerce might be the only opportunity for MSMEs to reach international markets, and 
emphasized the importance of information flow for MSMEs. Specifically, access to internet and 
access to in formation were more urgent issues for MSMEs than data localization ; without the 
former, business would not happen. He also drew attention to the importance of MSMEs as they 
contributed a major part of employment. Mr Chu observed that new digital business m odels 
changed the trade environment and regulation effectiveness, and formed an important lever for 
developing countries and LDCs to be integrated into the multilateral trading system. MSMEs could 
be the main beneficiaries, in the sense that digital trade could help MSMEs enter new markets, 
enhance trading opportunities and contribute to employment and innovation. He concluded that 
potential obstacles obstructing the matching of MSMEs demand and suppl y included CTBs and the 
digital divide.  
518.  Regarding cybersp ace trade barriers, Mr Chu began by comparing traditional trade barriers 
with CBTs. Traditional  barriers occurred  during later stages of transactions (shipping, customs and 
local marketing), while most CTBs occurred  during the early stages of transactions 
(acknowledging, comparing and placing order). As CTBs prevented the possible match of seller and 
buyer during the earlier stages of a transaction, there were three issues essential for this 
discussion: (i) accessibility; (ii) connectivity; and (iii) regula tory barriers. With regard to 
(i) accessibility, it referred to access to potential (foreign) buyers for MSMEs. Accessibility was 
premised upon three conditions, namely equal opportunity to appear on online platforms, free flow 
of information on the intern et and the necessary information being transmitted efficiently. It was 
also important to note that connectivity did not equal accessibility. In answering the question 
regarding why CTBs were serious, Mr Chu quoted the WTO website that ''the WTO […] was a 
system of rules dedicated to open, fair and undistorted competition.'' On the other hand, CTBs 
often destroyed reciprocally equal access, in a sense that it resulted in unequal access and led to 
unfair trade, especially for MSMEs who had fewer channels of a ccess to potential foreign buyers. 
Mr Chu asserted that unfair trade should not be facilitated. He then moved on to discuss why WTO 
did not address CTBs and identified that being misled by large businesses was one of the reasons. 
Regarding connectivity (ii ), connectivity, he stated that reaching a global market was premised  on 
bridging the digital divide. In doing so, he advised to increase access to ICT infrastructure and 
services, and to enhance e-commerce readiness. A s for regulatory barriers (iii)  he noted that in 
addition to the lack of transparency, regulatory fragmentation led to requirements to comply with 
different regulations and standards, resulting in significant costs for MSMEs. The way forward 
would be to improve the legal and regulatory environment. To summarize, equality had to be 
applied at all stages of a transaction, because without reciprocally equal access, there would be a 
wipe out of competition of foreign MSMEs, resulting in unfair trade. Therefore, it was essential to 
remove acc essibility blocks to ensure fairness, to remove the digital divide through better 
infrastructure and to make regulations transparent to ensure readiness.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  519.  On bridging the  digital divide, Mr Chu first mentioned challenges facing the developing world 
such as lack of electricity, infrastructure, electronic device s, as well as the need for technical 
assistance, skills and personnel. Many international organizations, development banks, developed 
countries and some developing countries had offered assistance in th ese areas. To fill the gap, 
Chinese Taipei has provided technical assistance in countries such as Guatemala and the 
Dominican Republic, helping set up e -commerce online platfor m for various industries 
(e.g.,  tourism, bamboo, metal processing industry) and assisted 15 MSMEs in Guatemala in 
participating in electronic transactions with a total amount of US$1.02 million.  
520.  Mr Chu  then outlined  an action plan consisting of two aspects: (i) technical cooperation and 
capacity building; and (ii) public -private part nership. The first aspect was mostly sponsored by 
governments and international organizations, but could also be launched by the private sector. The 
second aspect was based on the fact that the private sector had the knowledge, resources  and 
capabilities o f potential e -commerce opportunities, while the public sector could adapt them into 
policymaking. He also mentioned a forthcoming HTC Mobile Project, which aimed at tackling the 
problem of lack of electronic devices in developing countries by giving free m obile phones 
manufactured by HTC, a local mobile phone brand in Chinese Taipei. Mr Chu went on to address 
the link between e -commerce and  the SDGs. He identified that e -commerce related to at least five 
SDGs, namely ending poverty in all its forms everywhe re (SDG 1), enhancing the use of enabling 
technology, in particular information and communication technology, to promote the 
empowerment of women (SDG 5b), promoting development -oriented policies that supported 
productive activities, decent job creation, e ntrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and 
encourage the formalization and growth of MSMEs (SDG 8.3), increasing the access of MSMEs to 
financial services and their integration into value chains and markets (SDG 9.3) and increasing the 
exports of deve loping countries, with a view to doubling the LDCs share of global exports by 
2020 (SDG 17.11).  
521.  In conclusion, Mr Chu observed that new technology was changing the landscape of 
e-commerce, and removal of the barriers of connectivity and accessibility was crucial to MSMEs, 
employment and market -driven innovation. The WTO was relevant in this discussion as it was ''a 
system of rules dedicated to open, fair and undistorted competition''. He called for more 
capacity -building initiatives, as well as utilizing a vailable resources from private sectors.  
522.  In the discussion, a particip ant asked how to address fairness issue in light of a significant 
gap between developed countries and developing countries, and if it made sense for developing 
countries to discuss e -commerce , given their lack of infrastructure. He also asked for further 
clarification on the impact of digital trade on WTO rules. Mr Chu responded that he would not 
encourage developing countries to stop discussing e -commerce because of lack of infrastructur e. 
Instead, he suggested an approach of ''learning by doing'', and ''improving by participating''. As it 
was impossible to start talking after everything was done, and the gap would be even bigger as 
other countries moved on, participating, to some extent,  was also part of fairness. On the second 
question regarding impact of digital trade and implications for WTO, Mr Chu used Uber and Airbnb 
as examples to illustrate the necessity of taking a detailed look at the business model and service 
type in order to create new rules that fit into these new models. Technology neutrality did not 
mean that all old rules were good enough. That was why Uber discussion was still trading. 
Understanding new business models was essential.  
523.  Another question was raised regarding the examples of technical assistance and what were 
the challenges facing online platforms. Mr Chu answered this question by giving an example of 
establishing a platform in tourism. He mentioned different perceptions of  tourism due to culture 
gaps, and the importance of learning by doing , due to the absence of one business model 
applicable to every country. Most MSMEs shared the feature of local cultural affiliation, such as 
local tourism, local sculpture, local artists and local music.  
524.  Subsequent questions from the floor also covered consumer protection, national security and 
e-commerce, as well as the possibility and necessity to discuss e -commerce at the WTO, including 
in the upcoming MC11. Mr Chu suggested that we sh ould at least discuss this issue, with a parallel 
program to remove digital divide. Ambassador Román concluded this session by mentioning that 
connectivity had to be achieved with an open mind, and that he looked forward to continuing this 
discussion in th e future.  
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  Session 30: Side Event: "Africa's Industrial Transformation: The Role of Digital 
Connectivity and the Need for Innovative Financing "  - Organizers: I nternational 
Telecommunications Union, Japan, Rwanda, U nited Nations Industrial Development 
Organization , World Bank Group 
Moderator:  Uzo Madu, Founder, What's in it for 
Africa?  
 
Panel discussion:  
• François Xavier Ngarambe, 
Ambassador, Permanent 
Representative to the United Nations 
and other International Organizations 
in Geneva, Rwanda  
• Tomochika Uyama, Deputy 
Director -General, Economic Affairs 
Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
Japan  
• Hiroshi Kuniyoshi, Deputy to the 
Director General, United Nations 
Industrial Development Organization  
• Reinhard Scholl, Deputy Director, 
Telecommunication Standardiz ation 
Bureau, International 
Telecommunication Union  
• Paul Brenton, Trade Practice Leader, 
Africa Region, Trade and 
Competitiveness, World Bank  
• Stephen Karingi, Director, Capacity 
Development Division, United Nations 
Economic Commission for Africa  Africa's industrial transformation ambitions are 
well known. The AU's Agenda 2063 places 
industrial transformation as a top priority - as 
do the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and several 
national development plans.  
 
Trade has potential to induce rapid 
industri alization. The context in which Africa will 
have to industrialize is, however, changing 
rapidly. The rise of the new industrial 
revolution, defined by automation, 
digitalization, and connectivity, is abruptly 
changing the way goods are designed, 
produced, marketed and traded. In turn, these 
technological developments have led to 
concerns about the extent to which Africa' s 
current digital divide will affect the industrial 
transformation prospects of sub -Saharan 
African countries.  
 
Connectivity and accessibil ity remain 
underdeveloped in many African countries. In 
addition to low Internet penetration levels and 
high prices, availability of high -speed 
fixed-broadband infrastructure and services 
remains a main challenge, constraining the 
utilization of advanced m anufacturing 
processes. Infrastructure investment is a top 
priority for the continent – and the role of 
innovative finance in this regard is well 
acknowledged.   
 
This session explored how the Aid -for-Trade 
Initiative could better contribute to Africa' s 
industrial transformation ambitions, in light of 
the new production revolution, connectivity 
requirements and financing needs. It touched 
upon critical matters such as high -speed 
fixed-broadband infrastructure requirements for 
industrial transformation, regu latory 
frameworks, innovative financing and 
public -private partnerships.  
 
Short summary  
 
525.  Take away messages from the side event session included:  
• The importance of manufacturing and manufacturing -related services for economic 
growth and trade;  
• Digital connectivity was essential in light of the 4th industrial revolution;  
• Ensuring that Africa was the driver and shaper of its own industrialization; and  
• Complementarity of public and private sectors and availability of financing instruments 
to provide a fram ework for digital and physical connectivity . 
 WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  526.  Aid for Trade could serve as a catalyst to contribute to Africa 's structural transformation, to 
address the root causes of trade imbalances and to further support productive capacity 
development and industriali zation.  
Summary  
 
527.  Hiroshi Kuniyoshi, Deputy to the Director General, United Nations Industrial 
Development Organization (UNIDO)  highlighted the importance of digital connectivity for 
Africa's industrialization. ICT provided opportunities for countries to join global value chains. He 
stressed that manufacturing industry was crucial for economic growth and trade - especially in 
countries at lower income levels. Looking ahead, towards the 4th industrial revolution, he noted 
that it was presently unclear what the actual implications would be and how fast new technologies 
would diffuse throughout the world economy. He stressed the need to ensure that 
ICT-infrastructure and broadband connectivity were developed as ICT -enabled business processes 
were central to participating in value chains.  
528.  Stephen Karingi, Director, Capacity Development Division, United Nations 
Economic Commission for A frica (UNECA)  noted several continental frameworks that sought 
to guide Africa's industrialization. These include the Accelerated Industrial Development for Africa 
(AIDA), 3ADI, African Mining Vision, the CFTA, and the continental framework for standardiza tion. 
The Action Plan to Boost Intra -African Trade (BIAT) sought to tie all these frameworks together. 
The pillars include productive capacity, trade policy, and infrastructure, financing, and sharing of 
information.  
529.  Reinhard Scholl, Deputy Director, Telec ommunication Standardization Bureau, 
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)  discussed the digital divide. According to the 
ITU ICT Development Index, the global average was 5 and Africa's average fel l behind at 2.5. 
Further, 2G had  reached 85% of Afri ca, while 3G had reached 50% and 4G was expected to reach 
only 25%. Africa's digital gap was due to affordability. He noted that consumers in developing 
countries should not pay more than 5% average of their monthly salary to connect. In some LDCs, 
the cos t was almost 30%. It is important for countries to create an enabling environment , 
liberalize their markets and introduce competition. In addition to infrastructure, ICT skills should 
be enhanced. He provided examples where African countries were leading t he world through 
creating the right regulatory environment. Kenya's MPESA was in the forefront of digital financial 
services.  
530.  Paul Brenton, Trade Practice Leader, Africa Region, Trade and Competitiveness, 
World Bank noted that improving Africa's infrastru cture was essential to end ext reme poverty. 
The World Bank had  developed a cascade approach to help address needs through blended 
finance. Infrastructure development was financed through  commercial, concessional and private 
sector financing. To support pri vate sector financial flows, the World Bank provided risk guarantees 
and risk instruments. The World Bank could also help by creating the enabling environment to 
attract private sector investments. He emphasized that ending poverty in Africa required 
addre ssing the needs of fragile states. Further, the success of industrial parks depended on digital 
and physical connectivity. Regional value chains also offered a real opportunity in Africa. 
Mr Brenton presented the successful case of industrial parks in Ethi opia in attracting GVCs.   
531.  Hiroshi Kuniyoshi  emphasiz ed UNIDO's support to the concept of industrial parks. The 
geographic concentration of industries in one area provided easier  roll out of infrastructure 
capacity to support industrial development. The industrial zones were a key feature of UNIDO 's 
Programme for Country Partnership – a new partnership framework conceived to better assist 
countries in achieving SDG 9. Through these PCPs, three streams of resources were coordinated 
for larger development i mpact, i.e. grants for technical assistance, public finance for infrastructure 
investment, and private investment. He noted that progress in mobilizing finance for infrastructure 
investment was very encouraging.  
532.  Tomochika Uyama, Deputy Director -General, Ec onomic Affairs Bureau, Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, Japan  provided insights on Asia's experience with connectivity as an enabler of 
regional value chains. Today, more than two -thirds of trade in Asia was in parts and components. 
He emphasized the need to i mprove the business environment and to increase the dialogue 
between government and the private sector, on bottlenecks, to enhance FDI.   WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  533.  François Xavier Ngarambe,  Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the 
United  Nations and other International Organizat ions in Geneva, Rwanda  highlighted 
President Kagame's leadership in promoting connectivity in Africa through his co -chairmanship of 
the Broadband Commission. President Kagame had committed to developing broadband as a tool 
to transform Africa into a knowle dge-based economy. This was done through (i) advocacy and 
exchange , (ii) the developme nt of IT in Africa through the T ransform Africa Summit (and its Smart 
Africa Initiative); and (iii) the Youth Connect Forum.  
534.  Stephen Karingi  reemphasized that Official D evelopment Assistance ( ODA) and Aid for 
Trade could be catalysts to mobilize other resources. There was a need to ensure that A id for 
Trade was inclusive, well -prioritized and was fit for purpose. UNECA's recent study showed that 
while many gaps remained, Aid for Trade has been channeled towards Africa's priorities. He also 
noted the large amount of untapped domestic resources in Africa which could be leveraged to 
meet the continent's development and infrastructure needs. Private sector was hesitant to invest, 
particula rly in regional projects due to risks related to trans -boundary projects.  
535.  François Xavier Ngarambe  emphasized that while billions in O fficial Development 
Assistance  disbursed to Africa, the share of Africa in the global trade remained around 2%. There 
had been no correlation between ODA and economic development in Africa. Even more finance 
was leaving the continent due to illicit activities – thus nullifying development assistance. Further, 
he noted that ODA and Aid for Trade was meaningless if distorting d omestic subsidies were not 
addressed. Eliminating subsidies was an obligation under the WTO, not a favour – and should 
come before aid. He emphasized that Africa would not realize the benefits of aid if these 
imbalances continued to exists. Aid for Trade c ould stimulate the nexus between trade and 
development if certain conditions were met, including efforts to address productive capacity and 
productivity issues, technological divide and regional integration. Ambassador Ngarambe, 
concluded th e event by emph asizing that Aid -for-Trade efforts in support of Africa 's 
industrialization should be conducted in a holistic way, with the full participation of all concerned 
actors, including governments, private sector, civil society, and international development 
partners. 
536.  During the discussion, questions were asked how proposed rules at the WTO could help 
bridge the digital divide and how countries could ensure that their policy space was not squeezed 
by the multilateral trading system . Would  one-size fits all work fo r or against African countries?  
Stephen Karingi noted that one size never fitted all. On policy space, the CFTA would ensure 
harmonization in Africa so that when negotiating at multilateral level, Africa already knew where it 
stood, with one voice. Franco is Xavier Ngarambe stated that it was important to do it "the way 
they did it, not the way they tell you to do it ". He stated that no country had ever developed 
without the policy space or regulations that protected its producers. Developing countries must  
stand firm to protect their policy space.  
537.  One participant also asked how the issue of connectivity (particularly through the ITU) was 
being addressed for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs ). The ITU noted that 95% of internet  
traffic went through subm arine cables. Paul Brenton noted that similar issues for LLDCs still 
existed for physical connectivity. There was a need to increase competition by providing 
alternative routes/corridors - also for digital connectivity. Regional integration is therefore 
essential.  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 31: Development Hub: "Closing the Digital Gender Divide"  – Organizer: World 
Trade Organization  
Moderator : Yinka Adegoke , Africa Editor, 
Quartz  
 
Keynote speaker:  Arancha González , 
Executive Director, International Trade Centre  
 
Discussants:  
 Mireya Almazan , Head of Mobile Money, 
GSMA  
 Simon Lacey , Senior Expert, Trade 
Facilitation and Market Access, Huawei  
 Phyllis Mwangi , Director, Tandao 
Commerce, Kenya  
 Andrew Dunnett , Director, Vodafone 
Group Foundation  
 Susan Schorr , Digital Incl usion Division, 
Telecommunication Development 
Bureau, International 
Telecommunication Union  
 Shana Fatina , ORA Dive Komodo, 
Indonesia  
 Advances in information communication 
technology (ICT) create opportunities for 
employment, education and increased income. 
ICT has led to the expansion of markets for 
both goo ds and services. Revenue from 
e-commerce markets in Africa and the 
Middle -East amounted to US $16.7 billion in 
2017, and is estimated to increase to 
US$26.6 billion in 2021. In Asia the estimated 
market volume for e -commerce will be over 
US$1 trillion by 2021.  
 
ICT can help enable women to increase their 
participation in the economy. Unfortunately, the 
digital gender divide persists in many countries, 
preventing women from reaping these benefits . 
 
Despite progress in increasing internet 
penetration and getting more people connected, 
200 million fewer women than men own mobile 
phones in low - and middle income countries. 
The global internet user gender gap grew from 
11% in 2013 to 12% in 2016. This gap  remains 
large in the world 's Least Developed 
Countries  - at 31%. The digital gender divide 
exists in all regions, but is largest in Africa at 
23%.  
 
The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda set 
a goal to enhance the use of enabling 
technology, in particular  ICT, to promote the 
empowerment of women. To meet this goal the 
international community, both in the public and 
private sectors are collaborating and designing 
"winning formulas" to plug more women into 
the digital economy.  
 
This session explored the divi de and the 
initiatives being designed to close the digital 
gender gap.  
 
Summary  
 
538.  Keynote speaker:  Arancha González, Executive Director, International Trade 
Centre. New technologies are part of our lives but many are excluded from having access to 
digital products and services. The digital gap persists today: 47% of women -owned firms say that 
they are not familiar or conformable using the new technologies for their business. 
Women - managed firm s were 12% less likely to use email than male -managed companies.  In 
developing countries , women are 8% less likely to have access to the internet than men. The gap 
is running counter to trade policies strategies and programmes. It means less competitiveness and 
being tied to lower values activities, and to the informal  sector. SMEs that invest in digital 
technologies see productivity grow by 10%. It is essential to connect women to skills, with public 
and private markets. It is important to invest in training women on digital literacy. The sooner it is 
done in their car eer the better.   
539.  The p ublic procurement market was the big untapped potential market for women. Only 
1% of this market was served by women -owned firms globally. Training women in digital skills 
would enable them to connect to this market. This was what Ch ile has done. Public procurement in WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Chile is done online. The country invested in connecting women owned business to this online 
market and in one year, 21,000 of these firms ha d become providers to the state. Connecting 
women to private markets through na tional, regional and international GVCs is also essential to 
integrate women into the global economy. M ore and more, GVCs are specializ ing in technology and 
the services sector.  
540.  Susan Schorr, Digital Inclusion Division, Telecommunication Development Burea u, 
ITU stated that when we think about the Digital Gender Divide , we mostly think in terms of access 
to ICTs and internet. Globally the share of women using the internet was 12% lower than for men. 
The US had the lowest gender gap at 2%, while the African continent had the largest at 23%. 
Least developing countries were the income group with the largest gender gap at 31%.  
541.  There was also another type of digital gender gap. The number of girls and women who 
were studying ICT and digital skills or who were wo rking in jobs requiring advanced digital skills. 
Globally, there were far fewer women working or studying in ICT than men. In the US, women 
accounted for 57% of degrees undergraduate degrees, b ut among them only 18% specializ ed in 
ICT. In the EU, on averag e, the tech nical workforce was 16.1% women, although this figure rose 
in Bulgaria and Romania to over 27%. To change this under -representation, we need to change 
attitudes among st girls but also educators and parents who need to know about opportunities of  
working in the ICT field.   
542.  Women also had to know that they could excel in digital skills and be creative, but also that 
this was where the jobs were. There were 10 million jobs that employers cannot fill today , and 
those jobs are better paid than those that do not require digital skills. In OECD countries, on 
average, people that work with mid to advanced digital skills were earning 27% more than their 
counterparts with no digital skills. In Africa, in countries l ike Zambia, jobs requiring digital skills 
were in the formal sector and were paying six times more than those in the informal sector. This is 
important in light of the global youth employment crisis. About 7 million young people are 
unemployed today, but 1 0 million jobs exist. But young women were touched more by 
unemployment than young men. They had 37.3% labour participation rates as opposed to nearly 
54% for men. In this context, the ITU and ILO had launched the "Digital Skills for Decent Jobs for 
Youth"  campaign. The goal was to train 5 million young people  with ICT skills. Individual countries 
(Argentina, Bangladesh or Tanzania for instance) had also developed their national ICT training 
programmes targeting their youth.  
543.  Mireya Almazan, Head of Mobile M oney, GSMA : Every minute 30 ,000 mobile money 
transactions took place in the developing world. Digital financial inclusion was critical for women. 
Ten years ago , after the launch of M -PESA, about half a billion mobile money accounts had been 
opened in 92 co untries worldwide. Mobile money was available in two-thirds of low and middle 
income countries. It was a simple technology. It does not require internet or having a smart 
phone. It was driving financial inclusion for underserved communities and enabling pe ople to 
participate in the formal economy mostly for the first time. Beyond payment and financial services, 
mobile money empowered people and provides resilience. In Kenya, 2% of households had been 
able to escape extreme poverty. Gains were even more impo rtant for women who were able to 
expand their occupational choices from subsistence farming to retail and business.  
544.  However, 2 billion people remained unbanked and women who had most to gain from these 
services continued to be under -represented. In low and  middle income countries, women were 
36% less likely than men to use mobile money services. This was not surprising because 1.7 billion 
women in these countries still did not have a basic mobile phone. This gender gap in mobile phone 
ownership was driven b y a complex set of social and economic and culture barriers. Once women 
have a mobile and are able to register for a mobile money account, they were just as likely as men 
to become regular users and even power users of these services.  
545.  To overcome this gen der gap, GSMA had launched a Commitment campaign to raise 
awareness and pri oritize this issue among the mobile community. So far, 30 operators had made 
commitments across Asia, Africa and Latin America to reduce the gender digital divide. It was also 
impor tant to increase the availability of gender disaggregated data to inform policies. Today, the 
data available was not reliable.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  546.  GSMA has partnered with the Broadband Commission and a coalition of stakeholders to 
produce a framework for action on the gender  digital divide. It includes the integration of gender 
perspectives in strategies, plans and budgets including gender equality targets. It was a shift f rom 
the way things were previously done. Everyone benefits from an economy that is inclusive. These 
interconnected digital economies can have the most impact on global development goals if they 
are truly inclusive.  
547.  Responding to a question on e -commerce, Ms Almazan stated that about 75 to 90% of all 
e-commerce activity in emerging markets was cash on deliver y because people did not possess a 
credit or debit card - or when they did, they didn't trust the system. Also, a lot of companies did 
not want to set up an e -commerce site without having guaranteed payment. Mobile money was 
simplifying that process and al lowing people that previously did not have a bank account or /and 
could not shop online to use e -commerce.  
548.  Andrew Dunnett, Director, Vodafone Group Foundation.  Vodafone had set the target 
bringing the benefits of mobile telephony to 50 million women in the  markets within which it 
operated by 2025. Once a woman had access to connectivity and a mobile device, all sorts of 
benefits follow. It enabled women to save, to get education and to set up a business. Vodafone 
was also supporting women entrepreneurship. There are three  ways in which connectivity and 
mobile devices  could benefit women: it monetiz ed their work, connected them to importers and 
helped them access end markets.  
549.  There was a need to start educating girls as well if we wanted to make a contributi on to 
women entrepreneurship. By looking at long term perspectives to realiz e their full potential and 
educating their children, women could disrupt the cycle of poverty. Vodafone had taken on a 
commitment that by 2020 it would educate 3 million people liv ing in refugee camps, and in 
countries within which Vodafone operated enabling them to have access to a connected education.  
550.  Simon Lacey, Senior Expert, Trade Facilitation and Market Access, Huawei stated 
that women were already making their mark in the i nternet economy. Influential women headed 
nine major tech companies (including Yahoo, Oracle, YouTube and Huawei). But gender 
imbalances still persisted. The tech nology  industry was male dominated at all levels. Only 21% of 
women were managers and 32% were  directors. The internet gender gap was very real. The 
private sector had admittedly been slow to tackle this issue. Huawei was no exception and its 
clients had made its policies change because requests had been made for the company to adopt 
sustainable de velopment models, as well as promoting and supporting women internally. For 
publicly listed companies , this issue would move up the priority list only by means of shareholder 
activism. For private companies, it was a little more difficult, but there were w ays to get them to 
come to engage on this issue. Intra -supply chain peer -group pressure was clearly the best way to 
proceed here, but the onus was again on large publicly -listed companies and their shareholders.   
551.  Phyllis Mwangi, Director, Tandao Commerce,  Kenya  created a platform designed to 
empower e -commerce business in Africa. She was an e -commerce entrepreneur , and as such , 
encountered various challenges since she had created her business. On payment gateways, she 
had had to travel to the US to open an  account to access US -based payment solutions. Today 
mobile money was a gamer changer. On delivery, in rural parts of the country, it was difficult to 
track whether the product had reached the consumer. But now in Africa, people are using tu k-tuk 
or motorb ike services that could penetrate rural areas . With mobile phones, internet access 
problems could be consigned to history. On trust, people still distrusted that the goods they 
bought online would be effectively delivered. A lot of education was still need ed on this point. In 
Kenya, SMEs had been surveyed about their willingness to bring their business online. Most of 
them declared that they would want to go online but only 20% had made the step. It was too 
expensive to set up a business online – on average  €3,000. It took six months for a website to go 
online and €200 per month for maintenance. Tandao Commerce had been created to help 
entrepreneurs overcome these challenges. New technologies and e -commerce were women 
friendly and scalable.  
552.  Shana Fatina, ORA  Dive Komodo, Indonesia remarked that the tourism market in 
Indonesia was big, on average each tourist spends U S$150 per day which made total revenue of 
US$90 million in the Komodo area. Only 1% of tour guides were women. But tourists demand for 
women tour  guides was high. Some were more comfortable with women. Also the souvenir and 
craft sector was led by women. Through ICT, her company made marketing and engagement but WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  also taught women to be tour guides and leaders. It had appointed women to manage the f ront 
office dealing with tourists who were asking a lot and detailed questions over the internet. As a 
consequence, bookings were up. Shana had also engaged women in leadership and 
entrepreneurship programmes.    WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 32: Side Event: " Connecting Trade and Agricultural Development in the LDCs " - 
Organizers:  Food and Agriculture Organi zation of the United Nations,  Enhanced 
Integrated Framework  
Moderator:  Sean Woolfrey, The European 
Centre for Development Policy Management  
 
Opening address:  
 
 José Graziano  da Silva, Director -
General, Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations  
 François Kanimba, Minister of Trade, 
Industry and Economic Affairs, Rwanda  
 Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Director, 
Enhanced Integrated Framework 
Secretariat  
 
Panel discussi on: 
 
 Komla Bissi, The Comprehensive Africa 
Agriculture Development Programme, 
African Union Commission  
 Patterson Brown, USAID, Chair of the 
CAADP Donor Partners Coordination 
Group (DPCG)  
 Kayula Siame, Permanent Secretary, 
Ministry of Commerce, Trade and 
Industry, Zambia  
 Jean Louis Uwitonze, Director General, 
Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, 
Ministry of Trade, Industry  and EAC 
Affairs, Rwanda  Agriculture is a critical component of Aid for 
Trade and the largest contributor within 
productive capacity, contributing on average 
between 15% and 20% of all Aid -for-Trade 
flows. This should not be surprising given the 
importance of agriculture to trade in LDCs, a 
sector providing 69% of total employment, with 
half being women (UNCTAD).  
  
Despite the synergic linkages between trade 
and agriculture in development, clear 
opportunities existed to better link agriculture 
and trade policy, processes and progr ammes in 
LDCs. For instance, the Comprehensive Africa 
Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) 
of the African Union and the Enhanced 
Integrated Framework (EIF) provided 
institutional, policy and programming 
mechanisms for both agriculture and trade in 
African LDCs.  
 
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 
had recently started a project in conjunction 
with the EIF and the European Centre for 
Development Policy Management (ECDPM) to 
pilot an approach to better connect the CAADP 
and EIF processes and impr ove the 
cross-sectoral linkages in four countries: 
Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia.  
 
This Side Event on "Connecting trade and 
agricultural development in LDCs" therefore 
aimed to share the initial results of the project, 
and opened the discussion t o participants to 
explore the connections between agriculture 
and trade in development.  
 
Short summary  
 
553.  The session focused on facilitating increased connections between trade and agriculture 
development through connecting mechanisms such as the EIF and the Comprehensive African 
Agriculture Development Programme of the African Union. Country examples from an  ongoing 
project with FAO facilitating these linkages in Rwanda, Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania 
provided a practical dimension to a broader initiative, with additional innovative mechanisms to 
close the gap shared by Mali and Sierra Leone. Strong interest  in closer development linkages 
between agriculture and trade at the national level were expressed by a number of least developed 
countries.  
Summary  
 
554.  José Graziano da Silva, Director -General, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)  
opened the side event with a video address. He highlighted the central role that agricultural trade 
plays in generating economic growth and poverty reduction, as well as being a key enabler of the 
SDGs. This was evident in the commitment of Presidents acr oss Africa in the Malabo Declaration to 
trade helping accelerate agricultural growth. He noted the gaps in the policy development process 
and highlighting  a new FAO project that emphasiz ed the need for closer linkages between trade 
and agriculture structur es, including national stakeholders, donors and the development WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  community. He concluded his remarks noting the collaboration with the EIF and hope for 
strengthened institutional dialogue and collaboration in the LDCs to enable them to better capture 
the be nefits of agricultural trade.  
555.  Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Director of the Executive Secretariat for the EIF  noted 
that agriculture as a sector, provided almost 70% of employment for people in the least developed 
countries. Furthermore, for many in these c ountries, agriculture also formed the backbone of 
industrial development and export revenue. However, when it came to policies and investments 
from development partners in trade and agriculture, the connections were yet to be strengthened. 
This included co nnecting trade policies and agriculture policies; connecting trade -related 
investment plans and agriculture investment plans; as well as improved connection of trade and 
value chain perspectives into agriculture projects and programme designs.  
556.  Mainstreamin g trade in agriculture was a priority for the EIF. Going forward, he 
recommended ensuring stronger processes at the country level, where trade and agriculture 
stakeholders were able to share views more readily, and include the priorities of the EIF analyti cal 
studies in the planning cycle in agriculture for governments and donors. Mr Adhikari announced a 
recent initiative to strengthen the cooperation between the EIF and the FAO through a letter of 
intent. He also highlighted the engagement of the EIF in th e Global Donor Platform for Rural 
Development as well as ongoing co operation with the Standards and Trade Development Facility. 
At the regional level, the EIF had begun collaboration with the Comprehensive African Agriculture 
Development Programme (CAADP) of the African Union and Donor Partners Coordination Group 
within the CAADP to better understand and link to donor programming in Africa's agriculture 
sector.  
557.  At the country level, Mr Adhikari mentioned that the EIF invested directly into priority, 
cataly tic and trade -related agribusiness initiatives. In fact, around two -thirds of all EIF projects 
were dedicated to building productive capacity in the agriculture or agro -industry sector. Through 
the EIF's support, Zambia, one of Africa's largest exporters o f honey to Europe, had stimulated 
increased honey production and sustainable connections between private sector honey processors 
and empowered smallholder farmers.  
558.  The panel discussion began with remarks from Eleonora Canigiani, FAO , who highlighted 
FAO's  new integrated approach to agriculture which aims to increase its impact at country level. 
The FAO Food System Strategic Programme (one of the five pillars of the FAO Strategic 
Framework) included work on trade, standards, market analysis and information,  value chains, 
agribusiness, finance and inv estment. Working on the entire "food system"  required moving 
beyond production issues, and shifting attention towards the complex interactions that link 
production to consumption (through aggregation, processing,  and distribution) and the synergies 
that could be created to develop food -systems able to contribute to poverty reduction and food 
security, whilst promoting both the economic growth and structural transformation of countries.  
559.  She noted that the FAO and the EIF had b een increasing interactions on trade, agricultural 
development and food s ecurity since 2015, notably FAO including consultations with the EIF in the  
development of the FAO Flagship Report The State of Agricul tural Commodity Markets 
2015-16 (that focused on Trade and Food Security) as well as working with the EIF in a workshop 
in Harare, Zimbabwe (May 2015) whereby the FAO brought together Agriculture and Trade 
Ministries of countries in eastern and southern Africa to raise awareness of the need  to better 
engage trade institutions in agriculture planning processes.  
560.  Following the Harare meeting, four countries had been identified (Mozambique, Rwanda, 
Tanzania and Zambia) to carry out the piloting of a project aiming to use existing national 
struct ures in improving the coherence of agriculture and trade policies and strategies, thus, 
aligning the related policy -making processes focusing on  CAADP  and the EIF.  
561.  Komla Bissi, The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, 
African Union Comm ission  pointed out that, for the countries of the African Union, agriculture 
accounted for one third of GDP and 50% of employment. Referring to the policy response to the 
question, he reminded the audience that African leaders had adopted the Maputo Commitments.  
The Heads of State have committed to giving at least 10% of national resources in order to 
achieve a growth rate of 6% in the sector, with regional trade playing a central ro le including an WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  objective to triple intra -African trade in agriculture  by 2025. Linked to the Malabo D eclaration, 
progress is being made towards the creation of a continental free -trade area. He was clear that the 
key to growth in the agricultural sector l ay in building sophisticated interconnectivity, which would 
enable support supply chains to meet demand. Part of this process includes the development of 
National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIPs) as well as similar initiatives at the sub -regional 
level. 
562.  Patterson Brown, USAID, Chair of the CAADP Donor Partners Coordination Group 
(DPCG)  shared his views on enhancing connection with trade within the CAADP structure and 
what could be done to support better coordination amongst donor programming supporting trade 
and agriculture. The DPCG includes more than 30 members, including donors, research 
organizations, and the private sector. There are four strategic priorities: provide support for 
strengthened mutual accountability and biennial reviews; increase DPCG  country level engagement 
and support for National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIP); engagement and support for 
Technical Networks; and to align Development Partners to support the AUC and NPCA Business 
Plan supporting CAADP activities. The NAIPs laid t he framework for development interventions in 
the agriculture sector. A new wave of NAIPs was being updated to incorporate commitments from 
the Malabo Declaration providing a good opportunity for including trade issues within agriculture 
sector support. Th ey would also link to new partnerships with the private sector, stimulating new 
investment in priority value chains through a Country Agr ibusiness Partnership Framework . He 
further highlighted the role of the Technical Network on trade that would be coordi nated by 
ACTESA and noted that the network would be looking to expand membership significantly. An 
inter-regional learning event was being planned through the TN for the third quarter of 2017. 
Further information was available at http://www.caadp -tn.org/ . 
563.  Making the case for CAADP, Mr Brown referred to evidence in the impact of those countries 
who had been early adopters of the CAADP Malabo Declaration versus those who did not generate 
CAADP Compacts. From a similar baseline level early adopters had on average increased the 
contribution of government budget shares to agriculture to 5.55% comparing to only 1.39% for 
those without compacts. Likewise, early adopters had also doubled the value of Agriculture Value 
Added, increased agricultural productivity to 5.9 -6.6% (v ersus 2.0-2.1%), GDP per Capita growth 
rates of 4.3% (v ersus 2.2%) and achieved a 3.3% decrease in the r ate of malnutrition (versus 
1.2% decline in non -CAADP countries).  
564.  Kayula Siame, Permanent Secretary, M inistry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, 
Zambia provide d an overview of national experience from Zambia of the challenges and good 
practices in linking trade and agriculture at the country level. She noted the key policy and related 
frameworks for agricult ure and trade including the NAIP and the DTIS. Within trade and within 
agriculture , the respective diagnostic and planning frameworks were very much aligned with 
national policy, and both policies included aspects of relevance to each other. In general, th e trade 
focused committees included those related to the EIF and Trade Facilitation included some 
agriculture related stakeholders . There was not adequate representation from the different and 
specific areas related to agriculture. The CAADP Committee did not include any trade 
representatives. The DTIS in Zambia had identified a number of priority sectors under agriculture 
trade and had been a key reference document for the development of the revised trade policy. It 
had also been useful in linking agricult ure to trade through the formulation of the 7th National 
Development plan where there was a strong correlation of priority agriculture sub -sectors, such as 
maize, tobacco, cashew, fruits, cotton etc.  
565.  Looking forward , the new 7th National Development Plan p roposed the establishment of 
Cluster Advisory Groups. In contrast with historical precedent , these groups aimed to transcend 
line ministry mandates and allow stakeholders to assess progress and contribute to economic 
sector growth at national, provincial a nd district level. A number of new projects specifically 
focused on agriculture and trade had recently been developed in Zambia, predominantly through 
the World Bank.  
566.  Mr Jean Louis Uwitonze, Director General - Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, 
Ministry of Trade, Industry and EAC Affairs, Rwanda (MINEACOM)  noted the close 
connection between agriculture and trade in Rwanda with imports of agriculture goods accounting 
for 21% of total imports and 35% of exports in the last year. For cross -border trade this figure 
rose to 80%. Policies related to trade and agriculture in R wanda are developed through an 
economic c luster group which assist in ensuring synergies. Likewise, in annual planning and WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  budgeting cycles , both the Ministries and Trade and Agriculture dis cuss the relevant annual plans 
and budgets of the related Ministry through the Sector Working Group (also including donors, the 
private sector and civil society) as well as through the Industrial Development and Export Council 
(IDEC). Finally, the Minister s of Trade and of Agriculture both sign a joint performance contract on 
export to which both are accountable and subject to an annual independent evaluation. Going 
forward, Rwanda was planning to address constraints using an integrated value -chain approach  
including trade facilitation as well as involving the private sector. In addition , he highlighted that 
there was further scope for alignment of donor priorities in agriculture and in trade.  
567.  During the discussion following the presentations, Mali, Mozambi que, Sierra Leone and 
Tanzania shared their experiences in using the EIF analytical work in addressing agricultural 
priorities and called for greater coordination between trade and agriculture.  
 
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 33: Side Event: "WTO Chairs Programme"  - Organizer : World Trade Organization  
Moderator:  Prof. Dr. Désirée M. van Gorp LLM, 
Chair International Business, Nyenrode 
Business Universiteit  
 
Presentation of Selected Papers :  
 
 Barbados, University of the West Indies 
– Mr Keith Nurse: "The Digital Creative 
Economy, Global Value Chains and 
Developing Countries: The Role of Aid 
for Trade in Building Connectivity and 
Facilitating Market Entry for Developing 
Countries"  
 
 Benin, Université d'Abomey Calavi - 
Professor Amoussouga Gero, Mr 
Alastaire Alinsato, Professor Oloukoi, 
Professor Babatoundé:" Aid for Trade 
and connection to global value chains. 
What are the lessons to be learnt for 
the Economic Community of West 
African States counties?"  
 
 Brazil, Getulio Vargas Foundation – 
Professor Vera Thorstensen, P rofessor 
Lucas Ferraz, Professor André Diniz: 
"How the Reduction of Regulatory 
Barriers for Trade in Services may affect 
the Architecture of Global value Chains: 
the Case of TISA"  
 
 Tunisia, Tunis Business School – 
Professor Leila Baghdadi, Prof 
Inmaculada Martínez Zarzozo: "Effects 
of trade facilitation on developing 
countries sectoral trade"  
 
 Yuca Waarts, Senior researcher 
sustainable value chain development, 
Wageningen University & Research  Since its inception in 2007, the Global Review of 
Aid for Trade h as established itself as the 
preeminent multilateral forum exploring trade 
and development issues. With a view to 
enhancing the linkages between the academic 
partners of the WTO and policy makers, this 
side event featured findings from research 
conducted b y WTO Chairs.  
 
The first contribution showed that Aid for Trade 
can play a critical role in coordination and 
up-scaling the creative industries. The second 
contribution mainly showed that for ECOWAS 
countries, Aid for Trade strengthened 
connectivity to gl obal value chains, but the 
integration effect varied from country to 
country. The study also revealed that the 
countries most integrated into global value 
chains are the countries with the strongest 
economic growth.  
 
In the third contribution, the authors  
investigated how the reduction in regulatory 
barriers for trade in services changed the 
architecture of global/regional value chains 
through indirect effects on the exports of 
industrial goods.  
 
The final contribution focused on the analysis of 
the relat ionship between trade facilitation and 
international trade in developing countries. The 
main findings showed that time delays and 
institutional trade barriers, were important 
factors influencing bilateral trade. Developing 
countries will greatly benefit fr om improving 
port connectivity and trade facilitation.  
 
Short summary  
 
568.  The main purpose of this side event was to provide a platform for the four research papers 
produced by WTO Academic Chairs, to familiar ize the WTO Chairs with the Aid -for-Trade Initiative 
and to facilitate interaction between the policy makers and academics.  
569.  The first contribution presented by Mustapha Sadni Jallab, ITTC, WTO, on behalf of the WTO 
Chair of Benin, indicated that for ECOWAS countries, Aid for Trade strengthened conn ectivity to 
global value chains, but the integration effect varied from country to country. The study also 
revealed that the countries most integrated into GVCs were the countries with the strongest 
economic growth.  
570.  The second paper presented by Keith Nur se, WCP Chair, University of West Indies, showed 
that Aid for Trade can play a critical role in coordination and up -scaling the creative industries. 
Professor Lucas Ferraz,  presented a paper that investigated how the reduction in regulatory 
barriers for tr ade in services may change the architecture of global/regional value chains through 
its indirect effect on the exports of industrial goods.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  571.  The third contribution was presented by Leila Baghdadi, WCP Chair Tunis Business School. 
The paper focused on the a nalysis of the relationship between trade facilitation and international 
trade in developing countries. The main findings highlighted that time delays and institutional 
trade barriers, are important factors influencing bilateral trade. Developing countries  would greatly 
benefit from improving port connectivity and trade facilitation. The last contribution by 
Dr. Yuca Waarts was about presenting a methodology to support developing country SMEs on their 
business practices, exports and profits.  
Summary  
 
572.  Mustapha Jallab Sadni ITTC, WTO, on behalf of the WTO Chair of Benin . This 
research was in line with the work which considered foreign demand as a determining factor in 
economic growth. The main lesson learned from this research was that Aid for Trade coul d help 
facilitate international trade as it contributed to remove various constraints in terms of productive 
capacity and trade infrastructure. Trade facilitation allowed developing countries to insert into 
global value chains. Integrating the GVCs require s, according to the authors, proactive measures 
compared to the traditional approach, namely Special and Differential Treatment  (S&D). This 
contribution analys ed the  existing relationship between A id for Trade, connectivity to GVCs and 
economic growth in E COWAS countries. In order to test this assumption, the authors estimated an 
econometric model. The results showed that Aid for Trade had positive implications on connectivity 
to GVCs, but the integration effect varied from country to country. The study als o revealed that 
the countries most integrated into GVCs were the countries with the strongest economic growth. 
Finally, the impact of Aid for Trade on inclusive growth in developing countries remained 
dependent on the implementation of complementary sector al policies.  
573.  Keith Nurse, University of the West Indies, Barbados  noted the rise of the digital 
economy was one of the defining features of the contemporary global economy. It was also one of 
the fastest rising components of global trade. The creative econ omy was a critical aspect of these 
trends given that creative content accounted for a significant share of e -commerce and the content 
on the i nternet. The issue at hand was that developing countries had some comparative advantage 
in the production of creat ive content but that their capabilities in the marketing, distribution and 
retail of content – the key value -added segments of the global value chains – was relatively weak 
and these countries were unable to maximize on the burgeoning digital creative econ omy. From 
this perspective, this contribution showed that Aid for Trade could play a critical role in 
coordination and up -scaling the creative industries. Trade financing such as market development 
grants and financing for participation in trade fairs, out bound and inbound trade missions, 
business -to-business meetings and other forms of market entry programmes should match these 
measures. New mechanisms for financing intangible assets such as intellectual property needed to 
be pioneered so that creative bus inesses could grow sustainably and benefit from increased access 
to different sources of finance (seed financing, cluster financing, export financing, debt, private 
equity or venture capital)  
574.  Lucas Ferraz, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Brazil  noted significan t reductions in tariff 
and non -tariff barriers , as well as advances in information technology over the last decades had 
allowed countries to expand their production processes beyond national borders, reflecting the 
increasing relevance of trade in intermed iates. Nowadays, over two -thirds of global exports 
corresponded to trade in intermediate goods and services, allowing firms to specialize in stages of 
production and reap the benefits of extra gains in productivity through connection into 
global/regional v alue chains (Baldwin and Lopez -Gonzales 2013, Baldwin 2016). A main feature of 
current global/regional value chains was the strategic role played by the services sector. According 
to OECD (2016), services contributed to global exports in their own right, b ut also as inputs into 
the production process of commodities and manufacturing exporters in particular. Measuring trade 
in value -added terms revealed the underlying importance of competitive services for exports of 
extractive and manufacturing products, tw o key sectors in global/regional value chains.  
575.  In Brazil, for instance, services contributed only to about a quarter of total exports when 
measured in gross terms. However, taking into account the indirect contribution of services inputs 
to industrial val ue addition painted a different picture. In 2011, the total service content of gross 
exports was just under a half (49%), above the same figure recorded in most of the larger Latin 
American countries and most of the BRICS, but slightly below the OECD avera ge (54%). 
Therefore, more than ever, a country 's availability of competitive services was a key factor for the WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  well-functioning of the international supply chains it belonged to as well as to boost national 
exports and GDP growth in general.  
576.  In this contribution, the authors investigated how the reduction in regulatory barriers for 
trade in services may change the architecture of global/regional value chains through its indirect 
effect on the exports of industrial goods. As a case study, they chose TI SA (Trade in Services 
Agreement), a mega -regional agreement in services under negotiation by 50 economies (including 
EU-28, USA and Japan) and comprising over 70% of global trade in services. Given the 
extraordinary volume of trade in services represented by the countries involved in the negotiations 
as well as their significant participation in international supply chains, the authors believe TISA can 
potentially impact the current unbundling of production, not only for member countries but also for 
outsid ers. 
577.  Leila Baghdadi, Tunis Business School  focused on the analysis of the relationship 
between trade facilitation and international trade in developing countries. A gravity model was 
estimated using aggregate and sectoral exports for a sample of 182 countr ies over the period 
2004-2013. The model was augmented with maritime transport infrastructure and trade facilitation 
variables. In particular, port container throughput, bilateral port connectivity, time needed to 
export and number of bureaucratic procedur es were used to proxy for maritime transport 
infrastructure and trade facilitation variables, respectively. The main findings showed that time 
delays and institutional trade barriers (trade facilitation factors), were important factors influencing 
bilatera l trade. Developing countries will greatly benefit from improving port connectivity and trade 
facilitation. In this research, the authors estimated the gains in terms of higher exports that would 
result from achieving the median value of the connectivity r anking or of the trade facilitation 
proxies and compared the benefits with other trade policies such as free trade agreements.  
578.  Yuca Waarts, Wageningen University & Research  presented a methodology to measure 
the contribution of SME support to business prac tices, exports and profits in developing countries. 
More particularly, the presentation highlighted the performance of the Centre for the Promotion of 
Imports from developing countries (CBI). CBI aims to contribute to sustainable economic 
development in de veloping countries through the expansion of exports from these countries. To do 
so, CBI provides advice, counselling and market information to SMEs in order to facilitate exports 
and sector growth. This CBI support was expected to improve business practice s and export 
performance of these SMEs. The main findings were that CBI contributes to improvements in 
business practices by the SMEs they support. And that there were positive associations between 
increased exports and increased SME profits, confirming ex pectations on CBI 's contributions to 
impact.  
579.  CBI's monitoring and evaluation data was used for quantitative impact analyses on SME 
performance. Furthermore, a survey was sent out to SMEs to assess the contribution of CBI to 
changes in business practices. For this purpose, they had developed contribution scores based on 
two questions to SME managers: " Have y our business practices changed?" and " Was this 
influenced by CBI sup port?"  This contribution score permitted comparisons of the effectiveness of 
support to different types of business management practic es, test assumptions in the theory of 
change and enables accountability to external stakeholders. Time -series datasets with data on key 
indicators of supported SMEs between 2015 and 2017 were used for the quantitative impact 
analyses, with information from  265 survey respondents in 2017. The study concluded that CBI 
contributed to improvements in business practices, with high est effectiveness in the areas 
"marketi ng techniques to increase sales" and " quality requi rements of international buyers" .  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session  34: Focus Session: "New Gambia, New Opportunities"  - Organizers: Government 
of The Gambia, International Trade Centre, Enhanced Integrated Framework and World 
Trade Organization  
Keynote speaker:  Aja Fatoumatta Jallow 
Tambajang,  Vice President and Minister of 
Women's Affairs, The Gambia  
 
Moderator:  Vanessa Erogbogbo,  Head of 
Women and Trade Programme, International 
Trade Centre  
 
Panel discussion:  
 Isatou Touray,  Minister of Trade, The 
Gambia  
 Hamat Bah,  Minister of Tourism, The 
Gambia  
 Arancha González,  Executive Director, 
International Trade Centre  
 Yonov Frederick Agah, Deputy Director -
General, World Trade Organization  
 Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Director, 
Enhanced Integrated Framework 
Secretariat  
 Marc Vanheukelen,  Ambassador, 
Permanent Representative to the World 
Trade Organization, European Union  
 Muhammed Jagana, P resident, Gambia 
Chamber of Commerce and Industry  The high -level event brought the Government 
of The Gambia and the trade and development 
community together to discuss new trade, 
investment and development cooperation 
opportunities. The objective was to engage on 
priority trade capacity development areas in 
light of the new government's priority 
programmes for increased inclusive economic 
growth, youth and women employment creation 
and poverty reduction.  
 
Short summary  
 
580.  This session gave an overview of The Gambia's new development objectives, particularly 
where trade is concerned. It was a unique platform for high -level government officials, donor 
partners, and members of the private sector. Discussions covered Gambia's Aid-for-Trade 
priorities, domestic challenges and how to overcome them in order to better integrate into global 
and regional value chains. Speakers underlined the importance of: giving centre stage to women 
and youth empowerment in development planning; mainstreaming trade in national development 
plans; internal restructuring to ensure that relevant implementing institutions coordinate and 
cooperate i n executing their programs and projects; and building the productive capacity of the 
private sector - particularly in standards and skill development. Partners welcomed the ongoing 
reforms and committed to support the government in its efforts towards econo mic growth.  
Summary  
 
581.  Aja Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang, Vice President and Minister of Women's Affairs, 
The Gambia  in her keynote address thanked the international community for their support to the 
new G overnment. She noted the prioritization of trade and i nvestment in enhancing  economic 
development. The new G overnment recognized the importance of rule of law and good governance 
by taking the necessary steps to enhance democratic processes and liberal reforms. This had 
already resulted in increased private s ector investment and trade. She emphasized the importance 
of development of the productive sector and entrepreneurship as tools to mitigate the current 
migration crisis.  
582.  Isatou Touray, Minister of Trade, Industry and Regional Integration , The Gambia  
noted  that women played an essential role in ensuring economic refo rm in The Gambia since the 
new G overnment had taken office. She highlighted the Aid -for-Trade projects prioritized and 
contained in the booklet. These include : (i) growth and competitiveness , (ii) value chains and 
export development , sustainable fisheries landing sites, ( iii) inclusive tourism , (iv) trade 
facilitation , (v) quality and food safety,  (vi) women's economic empowerment; and (vii) rural WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  enterprise development. Further projects develop ed through a needs assessment included youth 
economic empowerment, access to finance and SME policy. She emphasized that job creation was 
essential to respond to the current migration crisis. She announced the deposit of the Gambia's 
instrument of ratifica tion of the Trade Facilitation Agreement to the WTO.  
583.  Hamat Bah, Minister of Tourism and Culture, The Gambia  thanked ECOWAS Members 
and the African Union for their support towards transition. He noted the pressure the new 
Government faced to show immediate results. Addressing over -taxation in the tourism industry, 
training of personnel and creating backward linkages to agriculture would be essential to the 
revival of the tourism sector. He also noted the importance to supporting the creative industries.  
584.  Muhammed Jagana, President, Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI)  
noted the main challenge of the private sector (which were mainly SMEs) was access to, and the 
cost of, finance. The GCCI was developing a national capital fund. GCCI was working with the 
government to assist young entrepreneurs and Gambian returnees.  
585.  Arancha González, Executive Director, International Trade Centre  stated that the 
donor community wanted to support The Gambia and see it succeed. ITC found three main 
challenges for MSMEs  in The Gambia:  (i) quality standards and certification to be able to trade 
with markets , (ii) limited connectivity and utilization of the Internet ; and (iii) large skills gap 
against market demand. The ITC was currently implementing the Youth Empowerment Project in 
The Gambia. ITC was committed to supporting women's economic empowerment in the near 
future.  
586.  Marc Vanheukelen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade 
Organization, European Union  stated that the EU was the first to respond t o The Gambia's 
transition by providing much needed short -term financial support to the Government's budget. In 
the medium term, the EU will be upgrading infrastructure and finance as well as support to ensure 
that The Gambia can deliver its goods and servi ces to the European market and to the ECOWAS 
region. Current programmes included on agriculture, road rehabilitation and the EU trust fund 
(which was currently funding ITC's Youth Empowerment Programme). In the long term there 
would be a human development programme worth €70 million. He emphasized that beyond 
market access, it would be essential for The Gambia to meet quality and technical standards. 
Finally, he stated that it would be of essence for the Gambia to integrate regionally through 
ECOWAS and the  EPAs.    
587.  Yonov Frederick Agah, Deputy Director -General, World Trade Organization noted 
that The Gambia had already taken a good step by participating in the Global Review and 
organizing the side event to present its needs. The Global Review provided an op portunity to learn 
about what was being done and by whom. The Gambia would therefore be equipped to approach 
donors f or their needs. He advised the G overnment to perform an A id-for-Trade diagnostic through 
the EIF DTIS process and to ensure that the new Ai d-for-Trade strategy was well mainstreamed 
into the national development plan. He stressed the importance of managing the expectations of 
the Gambian people , as well as donors in meeting development objectives. Finally, he highlighted 
the importance of the  Trade Policy Review Mechanism for both The Gambia and WTO Members in 
exercisi ng transparency. He noted that T he Gambia's upcoming Trade Policy Review was an ideal 
opportunity to clearly share its vision a nd trade strategy with WTO M embers. He suggested a 
follow -up TPR workshop to ensure government coordination.  
588.  Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Director, Enhanced Integrated Framework 
Secretariat  highlighted the Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects worth US $7 million in The Gambia. He put a 
spotlig ht on EIF support to trade facilitation (through the airport cargo facility) and trade 
mainstreaming. The EIF recently approved a 300,000 sustainability support.  
589.  From the floor, Hani Sonbol, CEO, ITFC announced increased support to The Gambia through 
a new strategy to build the capacity of MSMEs; agriculture, quality and certification; trade 
facilitation and connectivity. Sona Jobarteh, a Gambian musician, emphasized the importance of 
support to infrastructure (particularly electricity), education and inst itutional capacity building. She 
announced her work in developing a cultural academy in The Gambia as a vehicle to education and 
economic development.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 35: Side Event: "Aid for Digital Trade: Needs and Responses"  - Organizers: 
Permanent Mission of Kenya to the World Trade Organization /International Centre for 
Trade and Sustainable Development  
Moderator:  Stephen Karau, Ambassador, 
Permanent Representative to the World Trade 
Organization, Kenya  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Arnold Jorge, Department of Foreign 
Affairs and Trade, Australia  
 
 Andrew Crosby, Managing Director, 
International Centre for Trade and 
Sustainable Development  
 
 Kati Suominen, CEO, Nextrade Group  
 
 Wilma Viviers, North -West University  The digital revolution has not only transformed 
the ways in  which businesses operate, 
production is structured, and international trade 
is conducted but is also tightly linked to 
increases in productivity growth for companies, 
enhancements in consumer welfare, and 
opportunities for new sources of employment. 
These  dynamics have important implications for 
developing countries, especially least developed 
countries and low income count ries.   
 
This session built on a series of reports and 
papers, commissioned by the International 
Centre for Trade and Sustainable Devel opment, 
which examined the enabling environment for 
the digital economy in Southern Africa, 
East Africa, and Southeast Asia, and explored 
the ways in which developing countries could 
harness the digital revolution in order to drive 
trade, economic growth, and sustainable 
development. Specifically, the session examined 
the current and future business dynamics 
around digital trade and e -commerce in three 
regions, discussed the policy environment 
(including various national, regional, and 
multilateral efforts and approaches), and laid  
out policy and regulatory recommendations to 
enhance digital trade.  
 
Short summary  
 
590.  The discussion focused on how digital trade and e -commerce had transformed the economy 
and the way firms conducted their business. The session looked at how developing countries could 
benefit from e -commerce and what were the different challenges they faced. It was stressed that 
the digital economy had a role to play in poverty alleviation through better education and more 
employment. This was es pecially the case for women. Three top barriers faced by companies 
preventing them to use e -commerce were identified during the session: logistics, finance and 
digital regulations. Also, speakers highlighted that in order to become fully digital, an econom y 
required adequate regulatory frameworks. Three case stories of how e -commerce could be used as 
a tool for development were presented on Kenya, South Africa and the Asia Pacific region.  
Summary  
 
591.  Stephen Ndung 'u Karau, Ambassador, Permanent Representative  to the World 
Trade Organization, Kenya   said his country is very interested in e -commerce and in the digital 
economy in general, as it can transform lives and businesses. We are all living in the digital 
revolution. For Kenya,  e-commerce has been an enabl er for social and economic development 
mainly through reduced transaction costs and enhanced connectivity. Mobile money innovation has 
radically changed the sector since its development ten years ago. It has also increased the banked 
population in the coun try and the amount of fund s transacted (over US$ 15 billion in 2016). 
Kenya's remarkable embrace of digital innovations has resulted in major benefits such as financial 
inclusion, increased efficiency in government services, among others.  
592.  The discussion th en moved to examine how developing countries can harness the digital 
revolution in order to drive trade, economic growth and therefore contribute to the universal 
sustainable development goals. It looked at the role of the digital economy in supporting WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  sustainable development, outline supply side constraints,  and explored potential for Aid -for-Trade 
interventions to support digital economy in LDCs and low -income countries.  
593.  Kati Suominen, CEO, Nextrade Group , gave an ove rview about e -commerce/digitaliz ation 
and its power to drive trade. E -commerce was growing almost 30% annually and cross border 
trade was growing as a share of e -commerce. Business to Consumer (B2C) e -commerce was worth 
US$1 trillion, representing about 25% of the total of e -commerce flows. B usiness to Business 
(B2B) e -commerce was also changing fast but there was no data on it. E -commerce was becoming 
a major driver of world trade. To assess e -commerce flows, one should look at parcel flows. 
Universal Postal Union (UPU) data was helpful here.  In the last five years, exports and imports of 
parcels from different regions , as well as the inter -regional parcels trade had grown exponentially. 
This trend could be seen in almost all regions in the world. Overall, parcel tra ffic was growing 
20% annual ly. McKinsey predicted that there was no other region where e -commerce was growing 
as fast as Africa. E -commerce was pre dicted to grow from US$1 billion  in 2016 to a potential 
US$75 billion in 2025. This included B2C retail, and much more B2B in the future .  
594.  She profiled a survey for US Agency for International Development and private sector 
partners of 3,500 companies across 100 developing countries to understand how they were using 
e-commerce and what the challenges were they faced. Among companies that d o not sell online, 
only 20% participated in trade and export. Among online companies, some 60% were exporters.  
There was a systematic pattern: the more companies used the internet and were online the more 
they tended to pa rticipate in export. This echoed  the results the private sector results published by 
eBay and others.   
595.  Businesses still had to adopt e -commerce. This was especially true in lower -income 
countries, where only about 10% of companies reported online sales. They needed an enabling 
environmen t to expand through e -commerce such as logistics, e -payments, digital regulations and 
e-skills. The top three  barriers faced by companies were: logistics, finance and digital regulations. 
However, each country had its own idiosyncratic challenges such as b asic connectivity in countries 
like Bangladesh. This means  that policy recommendations and interventions needed to take into 
account these specific challenges. For small companies, regulators need to focus on custom 
procedures, total cost of delivery, and market access. For e -commerce and payment platforms, 
logistics companies, regulators needed to focus on support infrastructure that served e -commerce, 
IP protection rules, and digital regulations. Bringing solutions to these hurdles and enabling their 
business environment worked, and would allow companies to in crease their revenues by 
30-33% annually. SMEs would especially gain from these reforms as they are the most hampered 
by these obstacles.  
596.  Andrew Crosby, Managing Director, International Centre for Tr ade and Sustainable 
Development  stressed the importance of e -commerce as a tool for inclusiveness in developing 
countries. Yet, for e -commerce to achieve its full potential there was a need to create an enabling 
environment. In order to become fully digita l, an economy required adequate regulatory 
frameworks. Moreover, it is necessary to build good telecommunication infrastructure and financial 
systems. Moving forward, regulatory cooperation on digital trade had to be deepened and 
expanded. In addition, pub lic-private partnerships needed to be promoted. There are gaps 
between countries that could be addressed through Aid for Trade and through negotiations.  
597.  Deborah Vorhies , ICTSD , said that it is important to understand the relationship between 
the digital revolution and export -led economic growth. There were three ways e -commerce can 
significantly change the way firms can engage in exports. First, there was a direct relationship 
between the level of connectivity and the amount of exports  in ICT -enabled serv ices. A 
10% increase in internet access led to a 20% increase in the exports of ICT services. This was 
relevant in Africa where the potential for services led inclusive economic growth was tremendous. 
Second, it instantly enables firms to access markets an d supported export diversification.    
598.  The digital economy could help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and alleviate 
poverty. There might be job losses in some sectors such as financial services where automatization 
will take place , but in many se ctors such as tourism, energy and others, employment would grow. 
The digital economy also enabled better education with a link to quality of employment and decent 
work. There was also a direct link with good health. For instance, in East Africa, innovative  
platforms were providing health care services online and through mobile technology. Having 
access to insurance was important for small businesses. It was also a way to end poverty by WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  eliminating the dangers and risks related to failings. The digital econo my positively impacted 
women who suffered more from poverty and allowed more flexible engagement with work. 
E-commerce allowed women to overcome this time/poverty problem.   
599.  The transformative power of mobile money ( "banking the unbankables") and e -learnin g 
platforms could provide greater inclusion. If the rate at which women became frequent users of 
digital technology could be doubled, then gender equity in the work place could be reached by 
2040 in developed countries, and 2060 in developing countries. Th is was a dimension that n eeded 
to be included in the Aid -for-Trade agenda. SMEs accounted for 80% of employment in Africa. The 
internet provided SMEs instant international presence, access to markets and productivity 
enhancing services (education, trade fa cilitation processes, micro -insurance and other financial 
services, legal services) which could be provided more cheaply and made more accessible through 
digital technology. In the future, countries had to focus more on digital trade facilitation, 
developi ng digital infrastructures, and gaining access to markets. All these issues require 
partnerships. PPPs had never been in greater need.  
600.  Wilma Viviers, P rofessor at the North -West University in South Africa,  offered a case 
study on the position of South Afri ca in the digital arena. She explained how advanced South Africa 
was in the digital arena, how South Africa could benefit from the digital revolution and what were 
the main barriers faced by the country. South Africa lagged behind other countries in t erms of 
e-commerce advancement. The mobile penetration rate in South Africa was very high, while the 
internet penetration was low. High costs limited the penetration. There was a big divide between 
rural and urban areas. Polices and regulations were out of date  and poorly implemented. Reliable 
internet access was key. South Africa was also facing financial a nd education hurdles. About 
60% of South Africans did not have a bank account and could not access loans. There were also 
skills shortages on ICT. South Afri ca's political leaders had to learn from other countries, so that 
they could develop a functioning digital economy strategy.   
601.  Arnold Jorge, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia  addressed the topic 
of e-commerce and digital economy: challenges and needs in Asia. The Asia Pacific region was the 
biggest B2C e -commerce market accounting for 46.5% of global e -commerce turn over, about 
US$700 billion. In 2016, global e -commerce spending reached US$1.9 trillion. This was relatively 
small in  terms of global retail spending, which was expected t o grow up to 4 trillion in 
2020 globally and US $2.7 trillion for the Asia Pacific region. The rate of growth in the Asia Pacific 
region was about 30%, which is mainly due to China. Consequently, a lot m ore growth could be 
expected from other Asian countries. Most of e -commerce was domestic. Eighty per  cent of online 
transactions were domestic. Broadband penetration was relatively low and few businesses were 
online. Only 37.6% of companies owned a website  in the region. Although there was massive 
growth of e -commerce in the Asia -Pacific region, some challenges remained: the regulatory 
environment had to become more transparent and predictable. It should not hinder innovation and 
it needed to be as inclusiv e as possible. Relevant infrastructure also needed to be set up. It was 
worth finding out what were the new technologies currently being developed that could be 
cheaper. Lastly, private sector capacity must be enhanced to use the internet. Companies needed  
to understand international business and how to use e -commerce, what platforms to utiliz e and to 
reach out to their consumers, should they use social media and why. Businesses had to become 
more sophisticated when it comes to reaching customers online and  understand social marketing 
strategies as well as trade finance.    
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  Session 36: Side Event: "ePing: Helping SMEs Keep Track of Product Requirements in 
their Export Markets"  - Organizer: Mission of Australia to the W orld Trade Organization  
Moderator:  Aik Hoe Lim, Director, Trade and 
Environment Division, World Trade Organization  
 
Panellists:  
 
 Roland Mollerus, Secretary, Secretariat 
of the Committee of Development 
Policy, United Nations Department of 
Economic and Social Affairs  
 
 Serra Ayral, Counsellor, Trade and 
Environment Division, World Trade 
Organization  
 
 Mondher Mimouni, Chief, Trade and 
Market Intelligence, Division of Market 
and Development, International Trade 
Centre  
 
 George Opiyo, TBT National Enquiry 
Point, Uganda Bureau of Standards  
 
 Jose Maci el, DAI Inc., representative 
responsible for Trade Policy and 
Regulatory Reform at the East African 
Trade and Investment Hub  
 
 Ashleigh Light, Office of Trade 
Negotiations, Department of Foreign 
Affairs and Trade, Australia  Staying abreast of import require ments in 
foreign markets and addressing potential trade 
issues at an early stage was vital for 
businesses. Market requirements evolved 
swiftly and SMEs could sometimes be left 
behind, especially those in developing and least  
developed countries. To address  this challenge, 
UNDESA, WTO and ITC developed ePing, an 
online alert system that helps business and 
government agencies keep track of evolving 
regulatory requirements in their export 
markets. The system, which was based on WTO 
Members' SPS and TBT notific ations, was 
globally available and user friendly. Once 
registered, users received email alerts 
regarding products and markets of interest to 
them and could also use the system to discuss 
the requirements through fora, and share 
documents such as summaries and translations. 
This session provided an opportunity to find out 
what this new system offered and what 
feedback it had received at national and 
regional levels. It would also identify challenges 
and opportunities for scaling -up this innovative 
online too l to promote connectivity between 
SMEs and their export markets.  
 
Short summary  
 
602.  Roland Mollerus, Secretary of the Committee of Development Policy (UNDESA) , 
explained the role of UNDESA in the birth of E -Ping and the joint cooperation with the WTO in pilot 
projects. He said that E -Ping was an important component of SDG 8 and 17.  
603.  Serra Ayral, Counsellor at the Trade and Environment Division (WTO) , noted that 
discussions on a global alert system started in the TBT Committee with a proposal submitted by 
Canada. Currently, E -Ping had an increasing number of users from 164 countries covering 
governments, the private sector, universities and research centres. E -Ping offered customizable 
access to information, the possibility to discuss in forums and links to TBT Enquiry Points, among 
others.  
604.  Mondher Mimouni, Chief Trade and Market Intelligence in ITC , said that an ITC 
survey on how to improve E -Ping suggested: to have additional languages; additional text to make 
notifications more understandable to the busine ss sector; and linking notifications to the HS codes.  
605.  George Opiyo, Uganda's TBT Enquiry Point in the Bureau of Standards , described his 
country experience in the pilot phase. In order to enhance the uptake of E -Ping he suggested: 
trainings of trainers pr ogrammes and the private sector; and introducing E -ping in national and 
regional TBT and SPS workshops.  
606.  Jose Maciel, DAI Inc. , addressed its company's role in supporting the implementation of 
E-Ping in East Africa.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  607.  Ashleigh Light, from the Australian Depar tment of Foreign Affairs , presented on 
Australia's experience during the E -Ping pilot phase.  
Summary  
 
608.  The Chair of the side event, Hoe Lim, Director, Trade and Environment Division , WTO  
said that lack of information could be a barrier to trade and overcoming this obstacle could be very 
costly. There were more than 3,800 notifications annually to the WTO and this number was 
increasing. Canada had submitted a proposal for a global alert syst em and ITC, the WTO and 
UNDESA cooperated to make it possible.  
609.  Roland Mollerus, Secretary of the Committee of Development Policy (UNDESA) , 
stated that SMEs faced challenges accessing information. According to an International Trade 
Centre (ITC) survey 50%  of NTMs reported related to TBT and SPS requirements. E -ping focused 
on TBT and SPS measures which WTO Members were required to notify indicating the products and 
the type of requirements for importers. After notification, the Member had to provide a peri od for 
comments. He said that SPS and TBT notifications were growing and numbered some 
4,000  currently. E -Ping had been born with the objective of easing information flows and 
increasing communication between notifying members and agencies. UNDESA piloted initial 
projects with assistance of the WTO and pilot countries. He recalled that E -Ping was part of the 
SDG process, in particular SDG 8 on increasing Aid for Trade and SDG 17 on promoting a 
multilateral trading system and increasing the exports of develo ping countries.  
610.  Serra Ayral, Counsellor , Trade and Environment Division, WTO , noted that Canada 
with the support of other Members had submitted a proposal in the TBT Committee to develop an 
alert system at the global level. At that time, such alert system s existed only at the national level. 
Afterwards, the WTO joined forces with ITC which had user friendly databases that complemented 
WTO trade information and experience providing assistance to developing countries. The objective 
was to develop a global an d sustainable system, which allowed for customization at the national 
level by the Enquiry Point. E -ping offered: access to regulatory information; the possibility to 
customize information with markets of interest; the possibility to reach out to producers  and to 
governments; facilitation of cooperation between private and public stakeholders; the possibility to 
discuss and share documents; and links to TBT Enquiry Points. E -Ping could both complement 
cooperation mechanisms already in place and also provide  an initial step for countries that just 
started developing their mechanisms. E -ping web -page was user -friendly and alerts could be set 
every day or week. E -Ping has an increasing number of users from 164 countries, mainly due to 
newsletters of UNDESA, ITC  and the WTO. To conclude, she said that E -ping facilitates reacting to 
notifications, by bringing STCs to the TBT and SPS Committees or requesting technical assistance.  
611.  Mondher Mimouni, Chief , Trade and Market Intelligence, Market and Development 
Division , International Trade Cent re (ITC), stated that ITC conducted a survey in February on 
how to improve E -Ping. They received answers from 178 countries with extremely positive 
feedback. The survey reported that stakeholders took action immediately after rece iving the 
notification. The main issues highlighted were: the need for more training, especially in countries 
with no internet connection; additional languages; additional text to make notifications more 
understandable to the business sector; and linking n otifications to the Harmonized System codes. 
ITC was analysing this feedback and was working on developing compatibility with smart phones 
to ease its use for the busy user with little time to access E -Ping on a computer. There was a need 
to link E -Ping to  national help desks and to continue work expanding data on other WTO 
notifications and STCs.  
612.  ITC was working with the WTO, World Bank Group, UNCTAD and other organizations to 
develop a one -stop shop for trade information. The E -Ping notification would be  part of this 
broader notification system. He noted that further promotion of this tool and training was still 
needed. A good example of this promotion was Japan who had translated the E -Ping flyer to 
Japanese. ITC also translated its survey in more than 3 0 languages in order to address the 
business sector in their own language. Also, e -learning and training for trainers were key tools for 
promotion. A trust fund between ITC, the WTO and UNDESA had been established.  
613.  At this point, Canada expressed appreciation from the floor to the three organizations for 
making E -ping a reality. Canada proposed in the TBT Committee meeting in June 2014 the idea of 
creating a single global alert system for stakeholders and Members. Ca nada appreciated that WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  e-Ping enabled interactions between stakeholders and to search notifications by commodity and 
country. She noted that early engagement was leading to quality feedback and the identification of 
best practices. E -Ping minimizes the impa ct on trade of regulations by minimizing the lack of 
awareness on product requirements and how to meet them.  
614.  Jose Maciel, DAI Inc ., said that DAI Inc. was supporting the implementation of E -Ping in 
East Africa. The project is being supported by USAID and w orked in East Africa in addition to 
Ethiopia, Madagascar and Mauritius. DAI worked in the implementation of the EAC Common 
Market Protocol and the EAC -US Cooperation Agreement on TBT aspects. DAI Inc. partnered with 
the WTO following the implementation of the pilot programme by this Organization in Uganda. 
After this, DAI Inc. started supporting the implementation in other states in the region (Kenya, 
Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda). Information management tools relating to these agreements in 
Africa already existed (e.g. "NotifyKenya" in Kenya and supported by USAID). E -Ping brought 
value to these systems by adding to it a sustainability component. ITC bore the cost of hosting the 
system. E -Ping is an important Aid-for-Trade element and feedback received so f ar highlighted the 
need for SMS notifications and the translation to other languages.  
615.  George Opiyo, TBT Enquiry Point, Bureau of Standards, Uganda noted that E -Ping was 
piloted first in Uganda. The pilot phase required training and registration of stakeho lders in 
different sectors. The TBT Enquiry Point participated in the 2016 High -Level Sustainable 
Cooperation Forum with the focus of raising awareness on E -Ping. He noted that the number of 
enquiries started to significantly reduce and Uganda's TBT Enquir y Point conducted a partnership 
with the Trade and Investment Hub. Best practices to enhance the u ptake of E -ping 
included:  trainer of trainers programmes, trainings for national and regional stakeholders; 
trainings for the private sector; and introduce se ssions on E -ping in national and regional 
workshops.  
616.  Ashleigh Light, Office of Trade Negotiations , Department of Foreign Affairs  and 
Trade , Australia  mentioned that E -ping helped addressing NTMs by improving transparency and 
leading to consultations between business and governments. In turn, this led to trade facilitation. 
Australia was transitioning from business mailing lists to E -Ping. To ease this process, Australia 
developed a user guide of E -Ping and actively monitored stakeholder registrations. Industry groups 
such as the Export Council were promoting E -ping, which contributed to its uptake and lessened 
the burden for the government. The governme nt was targeting business groups that had 
particularly highly regulated products. She noted that notifications and the interest in notifications 
information was increasing. E -Ping took away the burden on the government of communicating 
notifications throug h email lists and exporters are having direct access to information. E -Ping also 
contributed to the regulatory development process nationally and internationally and to the access 
of information.  
617.  At the end of the presentations, Cameroon asked whether E -ping changed the notification 
process to the WTO. Serra Ayral replied that E -Ping did not change the notification procedure 
between the Member and the WTO and noted that more complete information in notifications will 
improve the functioning of E -Ping. The Chair, Mr Hoe Lim, concluded that E -Ping added value by 
timely providing information to stakeholders. More work is ahead for enhancing a system that will 
require more resources.   
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 37: Side Event: "Implementing Trade Facilitation and Paperless Tra de for 
Sustainable Growth"  - Organizers: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe , 
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , United Nations Economic Commission 
for Latin America and the Caribbean , United Nations Economic and Social Commission 
for Asia and the Pacific , United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western 
Asia 
Moderator:  Andrey Vasilyev, Deputy Executive 
Secretary, United Nations Economic 
Commission for Europe  
 
Panellists:  
 
 Yann Duval, Chief of Trade Facilitation 
Unit, United Nations Economic and 
Social Commission for Asia and the 
Pacific  
 
 David Luke, Coordinator of the African 
Trade Policy Centre, United Nations 
Economic Commission for Africa  
 
 Maria Rosaria Ceccarelli, Chief of Trade 
Facilitation Section, Economic 
Commission f or Europe   
 
 José Duran, Chief, Regional Integration 
Unit, United Nations Economic 
Commission for Latin America and the 
Caribbean  
 
 Adel Al -Ghaberi, First Economic Affairs 
Officer, United Nations Economic and 
Social Commission for Western Asia  How can trade  facilitation best support 
sustainable growth in developing countries? 
Taking into account the results of the second 
Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and 
Paperless Trade Implementation, 
representatives from the five UN Regional 
Commissions (UNRCs) prese nted approaches, 
success stories, challenges and lessons learned.  
 
The event illustrated the development impact of 
trade facilitation interventions by the UNRCs in 
areas such as streamlining border clearance 
procedures; creating synergies between trade 
facilitation and quality control; reducing 
transaction costs; implementing international 
standards for paperless trade and other 
innovative trade facilitation approaches.  
 
Short Summary  
 
618.  The event was co -organized by United Nations Regional Commissions (U NRC) to present the 
preliminary findings of the Second Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade 
Implementation. The first survey was conducted in 2015. This year, the survey was carried out in 
120 countries in the following regions – Africa,  Asia-Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin 
American and Caribbean, Middle East and Western Asia and North America. The objective of the 
survey was to enable countries  to better understand and monitor progress on implementation of 
the Trade Facilitation Agreement , including paperless trade measures; to support evidence -based 
policy making, and highlight capacity building an d technical assistance needs .  
619.  The overall results from the survey showed that progress had been made towards 
implementing trade facil itation and paperless trade measures, with a 7% increase in 
implementation between 2015 and 2017 at the global level. As expected, implementation rates of 
"paperless trade " and "cross border paperless trade " measures were much lower than those of 
general t rade facilitation measures (formalities, transparency and institutional arrangement). 
However, significant gaps remain to achieve full implementation across all types of measures.  
620.  Regional analysis from each of the UNRCs revealed that intra -regional perfo rmance varied  
significantly across the countries. Generally, high -income countries tended to perform better as 
compared to low -income countries with a few exceptions. Regional connectivity initiatives often 
produced better results than national initiatives . Application of information communication 
technology could often enhance the results of such initiatives. The global as well as the five 
regional reports would be available in September 2017.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Summary  
 
621.  Andrey Vasilyev, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic 
Commission for Europe (ECE)  opened the event and welcomed the participants on behalf of all 
the UNRCs. He noted that the purpose of the event was to share the preliminary results of the 
Second Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperl ess Trade Implementation 2017. He was 
confident that the results of our survey would be used to review progress and implement trade 
facilitation measures that were yet to be implemented according to the survey results.  
622.  The overall result confirms that man y of the transparency measures were well on their way 
to be fully implemented in most countries. A lot of work remained to be done on cross border 
paperless trade. He highlighted that the regional and global initiatives were more successful than 
national o nes. In this respect, he commended the joint effort by the UNRCs. The political will was 
very strong in the area. He encouraged member S tates to use the tools developed by the UN RCs. 
For example, UNECE recommendations and standards supporting cross border paperless trade and 
the ESCAP Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross -Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the 
Pacific are excellent tools to move forward in this area. Finally, he reaffirmed that the UNRCs was 
committed to support the UN member States in implementation of the World Trade Organization 's 
Trade Facilitation Agreement .  
623.  Yann Duval, Chief of Trade Facilitation Unit, United Nations Economic and Social 
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)  began by noting that the global survey on trade 
facilitation and paperless trade implementation has been initiated to support evidence -based 
policy -making and highlight capacity building and technical assistance needs. Data had been 
collected from 120 countries and the preliminary results were being pre sented during this event. 
The survey not only covers the general WTO TFA provisions or measures but also included 
paperless trade and cross border trade measures. For example, "publication of existing import -
export regulations " and "establishment of nation al trade facilitation committee " were examples of 
general TF measures. There was a group of measures on "Transit Facilitation ". In addition, there 
was a strong emphasis on automation and cross border paperless trade. Simple examples of these 
measures were "electronic Customs system " or "exchange of electronic certificate of origin ".  
624.  Three new measures had been included for this year 's survey, namely Trade facilitation for 
SMEs,  Agricultural trade facilitation , and  Women in trade facilitation . He clarified that it was still 
possible for the governments or other experts to send any changes to the responses. According to 
the survey, the WTO TFA measures had been generally well implemented by the countries 
surveyed, with an average implementation rate ranging from 63 % to 74 %. Substantial work was 
required to further implement cross -border paperless trade, which reached an implementation rate 
of only 34%. 
625.  In terms of t he cumulative trade facilitation implementation levels , Latin America and the 
Caribbean and East Asia have performed well above the global average . Overall, trade facilitation 
measures in Transparency, Formalities and Institutional Arrangement have general good 
implementation rates. But the paperless trade and  cross border paperless trade measures have 
much lower levels of implementation. T he survey results show ed that trade facilitation  measures  
for the agricultural sector had been well implemented. However, more work was required to 
customize trade facilitati on for SMEs and women. The implementation rate s for these two 
measures were 50% and 27 % respectively.  
626.  Countries could adopt a step -by-step approach for implementing the measures starting with 
"Institutional Arrangement " and ending with "cross border paperless trade ". All measures are 
interlinked, however, so countries should keep abreast of developments especially in cross -border 
paperless trade so that they can integrate relevant practices and standards into their national 
systems. The survey for the  Asia-Pacific region covered 44 countries. Australia and New Zealand 
have the highest sub -regional implementation level (86%), followed by East and North -east Asia 
(73%) and South -east Asia (60%). Pacific Island Developing countries are lagging much behind  
the other sub regions.  
627.  The ESCAP member States concluded a Framework Agreement on Facilitation of 
Cross -Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific. This enabling UN treaty would help not only 
support the implementation of the WTO TFA but also of bila teral and sub -regional agreements. 
Yann Duval concluded by inviting the delegates to the Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum, WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  scheduled on 5 -8 September, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, which would focus on trade facilitation 
innovations for sustainable developme nt. 
628.  David Luke, Coordinator of the African Trade Policy Centre, United Nations 
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)  started by presenting the overall results for the African 
region, which covered 21 countries. The average implementation rate was around 49%  of the 
countries surveyed. No specific pattern was found in the region for income and trade facilitation 
implementation. For example, Benin being a n LDC, had the highest implementation rate , whereas 
Cote d 'Ivoire, although being a lower middle -income coun try, had a low score. In the African 
region too, paperless trade measures and cross border paperless trade measures lagged behind 
general trade facilitation measures. For Africa, gender issues and SME integration were very much 
at the early stage of implem entation. The extension of the Survey to cover these themes would 
allow for the monitoring of progress in this regard. T he conclusion of the Continental Free Trade 
Area (CFTA) Agreement by the end of the year should boost implementation efforts , since trad e 
facilitation was " very much part " of the CFTA with specific provisions and legal text very 
compatible with the TFA.  ECA estimations had shown that the benefits from the CFTA in terms of 
increase in intra -African trade could be doubled when combined with TF measures. Trade 
facilitation could also contribute towards more inclusive gains from trade, which was reflected in 
the ECA ex -ante study on inclusive outcomes from the CFTA.  
629.  Maria Ceccarelli, Chief, Trade Facilitation Section, Economic Cooperation and Trade 
Division, UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)  started by mentioning that the trade 
facilitation implementation was very heterogeneous across the ECE region. Based on the survey 
results from 36 countries in the ECE region, she further explained that advanced economies from 
the North American and European sub -regions reached more than 80% implementation, while 
Central Asian countries barely achieved 40% implementation. It was also observed that higher 
income countries had higher trade facilitation  implementation rates. The Former Yugoslav Republic 
of Macedonia was mentioned as an exception with an implementation rate of more than 80%. This 
showed that lower income countries can have higher implement ation if the country has a 
well-structured roadmap  and is s upported in its TF efforts. Sub -regional analysis of ECE region 
revealed that trade facilitation performance was quite varied. Among the advanced European 
countries there were a coupl e of countries scoring below 67 %. Landlocked developing countrie s 
had an average implementation of 41%.  
630.  In the UNECE region, "Transparency " was most implemented while "Cross border paperless 
trade " was the least implemented measure. There were differences among the paperless trade 
measures. For example Electronic Sing le Window was implemented by only about 40% of the 
countries surveyed. It exemplifies that it was sometimes much easier to implement paperless 
trade measures in developing countries than advanced countries. This was possible mainly 
because developing count ries could start developing their systems from the beginning , whereas it 
is not the case for many advanced economies. Enhancing international cooperation was necessary 
to support countries with implementation of cross border paperless trade. Some countries  in the 
UNECE region were starting to integrate women's participation and access to trade facilitation 
services for SMEs. In general, countries in this region are on the right path, and many of them are 
doing much more than what Trade Facilitation Agreemen t asked for. Finally, over 440 standards 
and over 40 recommendations developed by the UN Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic 
Business (UN/CEFACT) were freely available for adoption and advancement of the trade facilitation 
agenda.  
631.  José Duran, Chi ef Regional Integration Unit, United Nations Economic Commission 
for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)  began by mentioning that the ECLAC re gion had 
achieved on average 69 % implementation, which was a slight improvement over the 67 % in the 
2015 surve y. Twenty -one countries participated in the 2017 s urvey. It is worth noting that four  
countries participated in 2015, but not in 2017 (Barbados, Bolivia, Guatemala and Suriname) and 
six new countries participated in 2017 but not in 2015 (Antigua and Barbud a, Argentina, Cuba, 
Bolivia, Saint Kit ts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) . 
632.  Good progress was being made in the ECLAC region. Mexico and Columbia were the highest 
scoring countries. Six countries showed the lowest implementation rates: Honduras,  Saint Vincent 
and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda. From this group of 
six, five were from the Caribbean region. A comparative analysis of the ECLAC sub regions showed 
that performance varied across the sub regions. All  the South American countries scored above the WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Latin American countries. Central American countries scored near the Latin American regional 
average. The Caribbean scored significantly lower than the regional average except for the 
Dominican Republic - which scored much higher than the regional average.  
633.  In general, on trade facilitation measures, the Latin American and Caribbean region scored 
the highest on "Formalities" and "Transparency" , whereas the weakest performance is seen in 
"Cross -border paperless trade ". That cross -border paperless trade had the lowest rates of 
implementation was not surprising , since the measures included in this category (for example, the 
digital cross -border exchange of Sanitary and Phytosanitary or certificates of origin) requi red the 
support of a sophisticated Information Technology (IT) infrastructure and close cooperation 
between the relevant agencies in order to exchange information. Other factors could also help 
explain low performance rates in cross border paperless trade such as unique challenges faced by 
island states or landlocked countries.  
634.  On the other hand, higher performance rates were explained, in some cases, as a result of 
free trade agreements or economic integration schemes that include extensive commitments on  
trade facilitation. This is the case, for example, of countries that have FTAs with United States or 
with the European Union. Overall, the 2017 survey results reassured the authors that good 
progress was in being made at the regional level. Each region ha d something that was worth 
highlighting.  
635.  Central American countries had made progress in establishing a common customs document 
and Certificate of origin (FAUCA) and a single transit document. Both documents were transmitted 
electronically and at the end o f the day this meant a smaller transaction cost for firms. Central 
America was certainly a leader in cross -border electronic exchange. The Pacific Alliance (Columbia, 
Peru, Mexico and  Chile) were at the forefront of electronic exchange of SPS certificate as they had 
electronic exchange of SPS certificate and Certificate of Origin. Mutual recognition of the national 
authorized operator scheme was also underway in the Pacific Alliance gr oup. The Pacific Alliance 
and MERCOSUR had agreed on a roadmap on trade facilitation.  
636.  In South America, Argentina and Brazil also exchanged digital certificates of origin with each 
other since May of this year in the context of the Latin American Integrat ion Association' s ongoing 
initiative. More LAIA countries were expected to implement digital certificates of origin in the 
future. Like in the other regions, progress remained uneven across the ECLAC region. In a number 
of areas, efforts were still needed to advance in the implementation of many measures: National 
Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFC) were still not fully functional in most countries. Institutional 
arrangements and cooperation, measures to support the inclusion on Small and Medium 
Enterprise s and women also are still needed. Technical and financial cooperation was still required 
ideally on a regional rather than strictly national basis. Overcoming physical infrastructure was 
also very important.  
637.  Adel Al -Ghaberi, First Economic Affairs Officer , United Nations Economic and Social 
Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)  began his presentation by providing a general 
overview of trade in the ESCWA region. The share of global trad e of the region was 4.3%. 
Intra-regional trade was about 10 -11%, which was  much below its potential. Even if oil and labour 
were cheap, trade costs remain ed very high across the region. Unlike the rest of the world, 
transport costs were low compared to the logistics cost mainly due to inefficiency.  
638.  The average implementation ra te for the ESCWA region was 57 %, better than the 48 % 
average rate registered in 2015. However, much of this improvement was driven by a handful of 
the region 's countries, notably Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates with a 95% and 89 % 
implementation rate , respectively. The implementation rate of the general trade facilitation 
measures, which are part of th e Trade Facilitation Agreement , was about 73%. Paperless trade 
measures had an  implementation rate of 44%.  
639.  In terms of the most and least -implemented measures, institutional arrangements had a 
79% implementation rate, which was mainly due to an agreement of ESCWA on trade and 
transport facilitation. It was followed by Transparency and Formalities and Paperless Trade and 
then Cross border Pap erless Trade. The measures most widely implemented were those related to 
transparency, border formalities, an d institutional arrangements/co operation, while the lowest WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  implementation rates concern measures related to paperless trade and cross -border paperl ess 
trade.  
640.  Good progress has been made since the last survey, but there were still big differences 
among the countries. The rich countries were implementing more measures than the poorer and 
an 80% correlation has been found in this regard.  
641.  Responding to a question if the survey captured the use of paper and electronic documents, 
presenters explained that many government agencies still required paper documents eve n when 
the electronic versions were available. This was mainly due to the national legal frame works, which 
required paper documents to be submitted. The survey did not address it directly. However, if 
scores on paperless trade and cross border paperless trade were high, it was likely that the 
country has less of this problem.  
642.  Answering to a questi on if the survey captured economic impact (changes in price and 
volume) of trade facilitation implementation , the panellists confirmed that the economic impact 
was not measured, but the impact on trade cost was measured. Therefore, it was emphasized that 
the full implementation of TFA + (including paperless trade measures) would reduce trade cost by 
approximately 13.6% as opposed to a minimum implementation of TFA, which would reduce trade 
cost by 6%  only.  
643.  Impact assessments had not been conducted for all Latin America, but for some specific 
trade facilitation initiatives. In June 2017, the Presidents of Honduras and Guatemala started the 
process to deepen their bi -national customs union through the opening of three integrated border 
crossings (trade facili tation borders). In the next 90 days they would open the way for fully 
integrated border crossings. In this way, the customs territories of Guatemala and Honduras would 
converge, creating a common territory of more than 221,000 square kilometres, which was  
equivalent to 52% of the Central American territory. ECLAC made the ex-ante impact assessment 
of this trade facilitation initiative between Honduras and Guatemala and Honduras, and concluded 
that GDP would grow by 0.4% and 0.7%, respectively. Among the ma in advantages are that this 
initiative will serve also to boost trade, generate increased fiscal revenue, job creation, reduce 
poverty and indigence, and generally improve the business climate for economic agents.  
644.  With regard to another question on increa sing technical assistance for low -income countries, 
the panellists suggested that the countries should invest on trade facilitation reform and not wait 
for assistance, as it is a worthwhile investment. Governments could engage the private sector and 
use va rious innovative ways to finance trade facilitation reform.   
645.  While responding to the question of particular trade facilitation measures that benefitted 
women, the presenters suggested the following measures or actions as typically addressing some 
of the n eeds of women: the representation of women in the National Trade Facilitation Committees 
and other TF agencies, gender sensitive facilities which makes border crossing easier for women, 
simplified formalities and documentation for low value goods and acces s to capacity building and 
training opportunities. It was pointed out that paperless trade could help avoid the problems of 
women harassment at the border crossing.  
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  Session 38: Thematic Focus: "Trade and Food Standards: Joint FAO -WTO Publication 
Launch"  – Organizer s: Food and Agriculture Organization  of the United Nations , World 
Trade Organization  
Keynote addresses:  
 Roberto Azevêdo, Director -General, 
World Trade Organization  
 
 José Graziano da Silva,  Director -
General, Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations  
 
Moderator : Edwini Kessie , Director, Agriculture 
and Commodities Division, World Trade 
Organization  Trade in food is difficult to imagine without 
standards. Food standards give conf idence to 
consumers about the safety, quality and 
authenticity of what they eat. By setting out a 
common understanding on different aspects of 
food for consumers, producers and 
governments, harmonization on the basis of 
international standards makes trade less costly 
and more inclusive. Food standards and trade 
go hand in hand in ensuring safe, nutritious and 
sufficient food for a growing world population.  
 
Together, FAO and the WTO provide 
governments with the means to establish a 
framework to facilitate t rade on the basis of 
internationally agreed food standards. Through 
the joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius 
Commission, governments establish global 
science -based food standards that provide the 
foundation for achieving public health objectives 
such as food s afety and nutrition. Since 
standards are essential for smooth trade, the 
WTO SPS and TBT Agreements strongly 
encourage governments to harmonize their 
requirements on the basis of international 
standards.  
 
This publication emphasizes the importance of 
participation and engagement of governments 
in standards development in Codex and in 
resolving trade concerns in the WTO SPS and 
TBT Committees, as well as the importance of 
capacity development, which together 
contribute to the dynamism and robustness of 
the global system of food standards and trade.  
 
Short Summary  
 
646.  The institutional frameworks of FAO and WTO establish an inclusive system for international 
food standards and trade. Through the joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, 
governments establish global science -based food standards that provide the founda tion for 
achieving public health objectives for food safety, quality and nutrition. As standards are essential 
for safe trade, the WTO SPS and TBT Agreements strongly encourage governments to harmonize 
their requirements on the basis of internationally rec ognized standards.  
647.  This publication explains how international food safety standards are set through the 
FAO/WHO joint food standard setting programme, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, and how 
these standards are applied in the context of the WTO SPS an d TBT Agreements . It also looks at 
opportunities and challenges on the horizon, including how food standards will need to evolve and 
adapt to changing conditions, diseases, and health burdens as a result of growing 
interconnectedness and climate change.  
Summary  
 
648.  In his introductory remarks, Edwini Kessie, Director, Agriculture and Commodities 
Division, World Trade Organization noted that food standards play a central role in the WTO 
SPS Agreement, and they are also gaining importance in the work of the TBT Committee. He WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  acknowledged the work of the WTO Agriculture and Commodities Division and Trade and 
Environment Division in this publication and also thanked the STDF for its contributions. The 
collaboration of the WTO and FAO on this joint publication was a n example of the strong and 
productive partnership between both Organizations in the area of food standards.  
649.  Roberto Azevêdo, Director -General, World Trade Organization  noted that beyond this 
publication, Trade and Food Standards,  the FAO and WTO had esta blished a close working 
partnership to ensure that food was both safe and nutritious for consumers. He highlighted three 
key points from the publication. The first was that international standards were vital for food trade 
because in a world without common  standards for food, producers would have to comply with 
hundreds of different requirements in each market and this could be very burdensome, especially 
for smaller producers. Secondly, WTO Members play a crucial role in making international 
standards func tion effectively through their work in the SPS and TBT Committees, their 
engagement in standards setting, and in capacity building in collaboration with the STDF and EIF, 
as well as their investment in building capacities at the national level. Finally, ne w challenges were 
emerging due to growing interconnectedness, technological innovation, and evolving health 
concerns. Members , as well as the FAO and WTO framework , would need to be vigilant and adapt 
to address the challenges these issues might imply for food safety and trade.  
650.  José Graziano da Silva, Director -General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the 
United Nations  stated that this publication was one of the ma ny positive outcomes of the 
FAO-WTO partnership. He reiterated that FAO's core mandate was to end hunger and malnutrition 
in the world, as well as to promote sustainable agricultural development. Trade, he added, would 
play an increasing role in meeting food demand, especially due to the  impacts of climate change 
which could lead to food shortages worldwide, particularly in African countries. He noted that while 
this FAO -WTO joint publication targeted a wide audience, it was particularly relevant for national 
decision -makers who work on t rade and food safety. He also emphasized that all stakeholders 
played essential roles in developing sound and credible systems of food safety management. 
Finally, he referred to the recently launched OECD -FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017 -2026 which 
found that  agricultural prices were projected to remain weak, negatively affecting producers. As 
such, significant efforts had to be made to maintain market openness and to help governments 
resist the urge to implement measures that could distort trade. Otherwise, h e said, global food 
security could be badly affected.  
 
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  Session 39: Side Event: "Transitioning from Paper -Based to Automated SPS Systems"  - 
Organizer: Standards and Trade Development Facility (World Trade Organization ) 
Keynote addresses:  
 Roberto Azevêdo, Director -General, 
World Trade Organization  
 José Graziano da Silva, Director -
General, Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations  
 
Moderator:  Edwini Kessie, Director, Agriculture 
and Commodities Division, World Trade 
Organization  
 
Panel  discussion:  
 Barbara Cooper, Ministry of Agriculture, 
Australia  
 Bill Gain, Global Program Manager, 
Trade Facilitation & Border 
Management, World Bank Group  
 Mark Reader, Group Category Director, 
Rentokil  
 Diane Taillard, Director, Consumer 
Safety & Traceabil ity, GS1  
 
Closing remarks:  Melvin Spreij, Secretary, 
Standards and Trade Development Facility  The world population would reach 9.1 billion in 
2050 and agricultural production would have to 
increase by approximately 60% to feed the 
planet (FAO, 2015). New t echnologies in 
farming are expected to bring a number of 
benefits, such as increased productivity, 
improved traceability, reduced food wastage, 
and strengthened food safety. Technology was 
also central to the use of automated 
certification processes, helpi ng to lower the 
time and cost to export from developing 
countries.  
 
Against this background, the side event session 
looked at the current state of play on electronic 
SPS certification and its role in facilitating safe 
trade, as well as the potential of the  Internet of 
Things to transform how sanitary and 
phytosanitary (SPS) risks were managed within 
supply chains. It explored how developing 
countries can access and adopt new 
technologies to promote trade and benefit their 
domestic populations. Attention was  given to 
how to strengthen SPS import/export controls 
on the journey from paper to digital -based 
systems.  
 
The objective was to have an informed dialogue 
on the use of new technologies in the context of 
SPS compliance and trade, identify best 
practices, a nd consider challenges and 
opportunities for future action to support 
developing countries, to benefit from new 
technologies.  
 
Short Summary  
 
651.  Foodborne pathogens result in about 500,000 deaths each year. With climate change, pest 
populations and plant and  animal diseases were expected to increase. Paperless SPS systems 
could improve traceability throughout supply chains, reduce food wastage, reduce trade times and 
costs, reduce fraudulent certificates, and build trust among trading partners. Electronic sys tems 
could reduce certification times from 15 days to 4 hours. Codex, IPPC and OIE were creating 
guidelines, platforms, and capacity building tools to facilitate electronic certification for safe food 
trade. More broadly, transitioning to automated SPS sys tems complemented the moderni zing 
reforms encouraged by the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. Nevertheless, enabling conditions 
had to be  in place to enable full digitiz ation across all agencies. The public and private sectors had 
to leverage existing solu tions to improve data transfer and information exchange. Financing 
models also needed to be made available to developing countries to support their effective 
transition to automated SPS systems.  
Summary  
 
652.  In his keynote address, Roberto Azevêdo , Director -General , World Trade 
Organization  noted that the STDF was an example of Aid for Trade in action. STDF had carried 
out some 150 projects helping developing countries comply with SPS requirements in importing 
markets. Paperless SPS systems could improve traceability, reduce food wastage, reduce trade 
times and costs, and build trust among trading partners. Moreover, having a discussion on 
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  reforms encouraged by the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. He acknowledged that existing 
connectivity gaps could impinge on developing countries' ability to rapidly tra nsition to automated 
systems and encouraged cooperation and discussion in this area.  
653.  Barbara Cooper, Ministry of Agriculture, Australia  explained that  e-Cert stemmed out 
of a need to reduce fraud in trade. In addition, as technology was becoming more stre amlined, 
certification systems must complement innovations across industries. E -cert replicated the way in 
which information was traditionally shared, albeit with faster transaction times. For example, paper 
certification processes could take up to 15 days  while e -Cert p rocesses required a maximum of 
four hours. She listed five reasons which make transitioning to paperless systems important: to 
ensure the authenticity of products; to allow for the exchange of Government to Government 
(G2G) information; to e nable the use of electronic information to manage import clearance, 
particularly in countries where there are several ports of entry; to support trade and industry; and 
finally, paper -based systems could lack consistency, and were not environmentally frien dly. Codex, 
IPPC, and OIE were currently creating guidelines, platforms, and capacity building tools to facilitate 
electronic certification .  
654.  Bill Gain, Global Program Manager, Trade Facilitation & Border Management, World 
Bank Group  focused his presentati on on regulatory single windows. He noted that new initiatives 
were driven by technology, but remained constrained by tradition. The  WBG is a key provider of 
trade -related assistance with a portfolio of US $7 billion, and the WBG was currently assisting 
countries implement reforms in accordance with the TFA. UN/CEFACT recommendation #33 guides 
the development of automated systems, and WCO's data model had a number of SPS fields. He 
explained that building a national single window was a long, complex process.  For single windows 
to be most effective, systems need to be automated across agencies and all stakeholders need to 
work together to achieve that. Several key steps also needed to be considered during the 
implementation phase including legal frameworks, da ta sharing, and operational, governance and 
financial models. Private sector engagement was necessary and should be present at an early 
stage.  
655.  Mark Reader, Group Category Director, Rentokil  stated that foodborne pathogens result 
in about 500,000 deaths ea ch year. With climate change, pest populations and plant and animal 
diseases were expected to increase. Furthermore, approximately 22% of facilities across the food 
chain globally had some record of pest activity at any one time. The Internet of things (Io T) will be 
pervasive, but studies had found that theoretical and working knowledge of IoT was very low. In 
addition, for IoT to be functional in the context of food safety, platforms were needed to collect 
and aggregate data so that the latter may be used to provide insight. In that regard, he 
emphasized a three -pillared approach to leveraging technology for food safety: people needed to 
understand the tools they are working with; data collected needed to be insightful to provide 
guidance; and innovation wa s important so that pest interventions could continue to be as 
targeted and effective as possible.  
656.  Diane Taillard,  Director, Consumer Safety & Traceability, GS1  explained that there 
were around 5 billion barcode "beeps" daily. GS1 standards were in line with ISO standards, and 
GS1 collaborated with UN Organizations. Today, managing the physical flow in parallel with a data 
flow was important for traceability and GS1 barcodes created a link between physical and digital 
information. She reiterated that manu al data entry was time consuming, prone to mistakes, and 
may not be globally informative. The benefits of barcodes included not only traceability but also 
reduced fraud and increased consumer trust and transparency. GS1 was collaborating with ITC on 
develo ping a global farm registry, with WCO on product security, and with APEC on supply chain 
visibility. Nevertheless, she noted that enabling conditions must be in place to enable full 
digitization, and the public and private sectors must leverage existing so lutions for data transfer 
and information exchange.  
657.  During the discussion,  there was concern about how automated systems might affect 
employment. The panellists noted that in their experiences, jobs were not being replaced by 
automated systems, as skills w ere being used to service the use of new technologies. Another key 
challenge identified was shaping public perspectives and confidence in automated systems more 
generally. Data collection, privacy and security laws were also recognized as a challenge in th at 
regard, however the panellists highlighted that laws were being adapted to accommodate these 
concerns. Finally, automated and traceability systems could be costly and panellists agreed that WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  financing models had to be available to help developing countri es, some of which did not have 
adequate technology or internet coverage to effectively transition to automated systems.  
658.  In his closing remarks,  Melvin Spreij , Secretary of the STDF , thanked all participants and 
presenters and expressed interest in continu ing discussion on automated SPS systems with STDF 
members.  
 
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  Session 40: Side Event: "Sustainable Supply Chains: Ensuring the Benefits of Trade are 
Shared"  - Organizers: Missions of Australia and the  Netherlands to the W orld Trade 
Organization , International Trade Centre  
Moderator:  Robert Skidmore, Chief, 
Sustainable and Inclusive Value Chains, 
International Trade Centre  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Molly Harriss Olson, Chief Executive 
Officer, Fairtrade Australia -New Zealand  
 
 Dan Rees, Better Work Branch Chief, 
International Labour Organization  
 
 Alyson Slater, Director, Knowledge, 
Global Reporting Initiative  
 
 Sara Yirga, General Manager, Y A Coffee  Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals 
will require a move to sustainable practices in 
supply chains on a global scale, with a focus on 
engaging and activating women, youth and 
small and medium enterprises. Initiatives 
represented at this panel are beginning to reach 
these groups at scale with FairTrade worldwide 
assisting 1.7 million farmers, Bett er Work 
reaching nearly 2 million workers, Shetrades 
connecting 1 million women to markets and GRI 
supporting sustainability reporting across 1000s 
of reporting organizations in 90 countries.  
 
At a time of rising protectionist sentiment, 
examples of how tr ade can directly benefit 
disadvantaged groups are crucial. Reformist 
governments can point to these examples. The 
private sector stands to benefit by being able to 
respond to ethical demands from consumers, 
driving business growth. Aid for trade has a 
crucial role in achieving these win -win 
outcomes, which this session expertly 
demonstrated.  
 
Short Summary  
 
659.  The objective of this session was two -fold: the first was to discuss firms' practices that could 
make supply chains sustainable, including by making trade inclusive; the second objective was to 
examine the role of Aid for Trade in this endeavour. Points that emerged from the discussion 
included: (i) engaging in inclusive trade represented benefits for  both firms and producers; 
(ii) Through its "Better Work" Initiative, ILO had contributed to improving the conditions of 
workers involved in value chains and had enhanced business productivity and profitability; (iii) the 
Global Reporting Initiative had helped improve transparency in the working conditions prevailing in 
firms that operated in value chains. As a result, these initiatives supported firms adopt/improve 
their sustainable practices. Greater cooperation among institutions involved on that matter could 
help collect much information on firms' practi ces and i mprove workers' conditions. Aid -for-Trade 
Initiative could play a key role.  
Summary  
 
660.  Molly Harriss Olson, Chief Executive Officer, Fairtrade Australia -New Zealand  kicked 
off the discussion by saying that it was important to deeply examine how tra ditional trade, 
including commodity trade had affected poverty, in order to better understand what inclusive trade 
meant in practice. She indicated that inclusive trade meant ensuring producers could access 
sustainable income. She went on to argue that cha ritable interventions were not the best way to 
ensure trade inclusivenes s. She gave the example of how " Fairtrade Australia -New Zealand " had 
contributed to helping many communities access inclusive fair trade. She noted that 30 years ago, 
her organization put in place a "development dividend"  for several communities around the world, 
with a view to ensuring stable prices, decent working conditions and the empowerment of farmers 
and workers around the world. This amounted to the distribution  of €100 million to more than 
1 million producers in the world. The producers that received this premium were responsible for 
using it, but they had to use it efficiently, otherwise they lost the label of fair traders. This practice 
was open, transparent and based on clear  rules such as respect of the environment sustainability, 
gender quality, and decent work. She then turned to the impact of this initiative, and indicated 
that it considerably improved producers/farmers' income. In the fair trade system, the income of 
an agricultural producer was 19% higher than that of an agricultural producer of traditional trade . 
Partnerships were crucial in the fair trade system. She concluded that the fair trade system had WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  the highest standards in the world and firms that had invested in this system had reaped high 
benefits. The system is voluntary for all participants.  
661.  Dan Rees, Better Work Branch Chief, International Labour Organization took the 
audience through how decent work contributed to improving workers' lives. He presented th e 
"Better Work" Initiative of ILO, which was a unique partnership between the International Labour 
Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). It had been launched in 
August 2006 in order to improve labour standards and competitiven ess in global supply chains. He 
went on to say that this initiative  focused on labour intensive industries with large numbers of 
vulnerable workers in developing countries, such as, apparel, and textile manufacturing. Hence, 
through this Initiative, ILO ha d worked with several thousands of firms connected in global value 
chains. He turned to the impact of this initiative on the ground and noted that according to a 
report published by Tufts University that had evaluated the Initiative, the ILO's strategy of working 
with firms within value chains as well government authorities to implement labour standards and 
national labour law, had yielded strong development outcomes. Indeed, this initiative had 
contributed, inter alia , to a rise in workers' wages, the impl ementation of labour standards, and 
the reduction of the gender wage gap. He also underscored that this Initiative had empowered 
women. Most crucially, these results had increased business productivity and profitability, thereby 
expanding trade and investm ent, representing a unique "win-win".  
662.  Alyson Slater, Director, Knowledge, Global Reporting Initiative explained how the 
Global Reporting Initiative had helped improved firms' sustainable practices. She said that 
sustainable reports provided an assessment of the consequences of firms' practices. These reports 
provided an insight into the practices of all firms within value chains, by revealing areas for 
improvement (e.g., gender related problems, wages problems; other working conditions , etc.) 
experienced w ithin the firms across the value chain. Hence, the objective of sustainable reports 
was to ensure transparency by shedding light on problems encountered within firms, with a view 
to addressing them, but also to help firms choose where to invest. Firms were  embracing the 
opportunity to participate in this initiative.  
663.  Sara Yirga , General Manager, YA  Coffee  shared her experience on engaging in inclusive 
trade, in particular in the coffee sector. She emphasized the role played by trade institutions, in 
particular ITC in helping her obtain the requisite information to facilitate the development of her 
business.  She cited a number of barriers that she faced when developing her business, and which 
were overcome thanks to institutions such as the ITC. These barriers included the existence of a 
multitude of standards, the lack of information on existing opportunitie s overseas, and the 
difficulties in trading digitally in Ethiopia. She particularly stressed that while her company was at 
the top of the coffee value chain in Ethiopia, the 80% other participants of the value chain – which 
were mainly women – did not reap  the full benefit of their contribution to the functioning of the 
value chain.  
664.  Her presentation led the moderator  to pose a series of questions: h ow could standards be 
set correctly? How could tra nsparency be further promoted? h ow co uld digital trade be p romoted? 
how to furth er empower economically women? a nd what could be the role of Aid for Trade? The 
ensuing discussion responded to these questions as well as to other questions such as the role of 
the private sector in implementing the SDGs.  
665.  Some points that emerged from this discussion: SDGs were important ways to unlock 
businesses' engagement, as they helped businesses better understand the issues; the Global 
Reporting Initiative had helped improve transparency in the conditions under which businesses 
were conducted, and helped firms improve their business practices; the benefits of trade had not 
reached as many people as it could. Organizations/International institutions involved on this 
matter should work together to promote decent work; the responsibi lity of making firms adopt 
sustainable practices lay with both governments and firms themselves. In particular, governments 
should provide firms with an enabling environment, notably by adopting appropriate rules of law  
and by removing trade barriers that hinder SMEs', so as to help them operate in a sustainable way 
GRI had been working to ensure that the development of the requisite enabling environment that 
would help improve their sustainable practices; firm's reports provided many information, 
including  indication on their working conditions; however, such reports paid less attention to the 
sustainability of the environment in which they were operating; hence the importance of the Global 
Reporting Initiative; to ensure that SMEs would better understand t he Global Reporting Initiative, WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  institutions should join their effort in the collection of information on working conditions. The 
Aid-for-Trade Initiative could be useful in that respect.   
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  Session 41: Side event: "How can Asia seize the Opportunity of Foreign Direct 
Investment to Achieve I nclusive Growth?"  - Organizer: Asian Development Bank  
Moderator : Cyn-Young Park, Director of 
Regional Cooperation and Integration, Asian 
Development Bank  
 
Keynote address:   
Bambang Susantono, Vice-President, 
Knowledge Management and Sustainable 
Development, Asian Development Bank  
 
Panel discussion:  
 Jun Fu, Executive Dean and Professor, 
School of Government, Peking 
University  
 Pranav Kumar, Head, International 
Trade Policy, Confederation of India n 
Industry  
 Amita Misra, Director, Department of 
Regional Programmes and Field 
Representation, United Nations 
Industrial Development Organization  
 Richard Bolwijn, Chief of Business 
Facilitation Section, Investment and 
Enterprise Division, United Nations 
Conference on Trade and Development  
 Tauqir Ali Shah, Ambassador to the 
World Trade Organization, Pakistan  Overview  
Asia and the Pacific attracts almost a third of 
total global foreign direct investment (FDI), 
among which more than half is now 
intraregional, driven by the expansion of global 
and regional value chains. The trade and FDI 
nexus has been a powerful source of growth in 
the region. However, in the context of the 
global trade slowdown and increasingly inward 
oriented trade policies in advanced econom ies, 
the region faces greater challenges to continue 
attracting FDI and more importantly to seize 
the opportunities it brings for sustained and 
inclusive growth.  
 
This session discussed how to unlock the 
potential of FDI to achieve sustained and 
inclusive growth, focusing on the drivers of 
Global Value Chain -linked FDI. Analysis 
suggests that GVC -FDI leads to greater 
participation of small and medium -sized 
enterprises in global value chains and 
international trade, and gender equality through 
job creation a nd women entrepreneurs, 
especially in the labor -intensive sectors of the 
economy. Untapped potential is large, 
considering the possible effects of international 
linkages, competition, and technology spillovers 
on sustained productivity and job growth. Poli cy 
recommendations can be drawn from the 
discussion to seize the opportunities of open 
trade and investment regimes for more 
prosperous future for all.  
 
Short summary  
 
666.  This session was a focused discussion on the key drivers of FDI, particularly global va lue 
chain -linked FDI, and its potential in achieving sustained and inclusive growth in Asia and the 
Pacific. Along with factors such as comparative advantage, institutions, integration, and other 
policy factors, the role of Aid for Trade in encouraging tra de-oriented FDI were also highlighted. 
Cyn-Young Park, Director of ADB 's Regional Cooperation and Integration Division, delivered the 
keynote presentation. Policy recommendations to seize the opportunities of open trade and 
investment regimes were drawn fr om the panel discussion chaired by Bambang Susantono, ADB 's 
Vice President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, and joined by 
representatives from Peking University, Confederation of Indian Industry, United Nations Industrial 
Development O rganization, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the 
Government of Pakistan.    
Summary  
 
667.  Cyn Young Park, Director of Regional Cooperation and Integration, Asian 
Development Bank , presented the key findings of the special themed chapter of ADB 's Asian 
Economic Integration Report 2016, " What Drives Foreign Direct Investment in Asia and the Pacific " 
(aric.adb.org/aeir) . Asia continues to be the world 's top destination of FDI. Asia's intraregional FDI 
has increased over time. The pattern of intraregional FDI inflows suggests that the region is 
becoming more marginally integrated with itself than with non -Asian regions. Asia is among the WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  largest recipients of Aid for Trade; almost 60% of Aid for Trade to the region targets building 
economic in frastructure.  
668.  Greenfield investments are more common for global value chain -linked FDI. Mergers and 
acquisitions (M&As) are increasingly selected for market -seeking FDI. Governance was the most 
important factor for both greenfield FDI and cross -border M&A , but more so for M&A. Governance 
also mattered most for North -South FDI. Ease of Doing Business had a positive effect on greenfield 
FDI; economies could focus on improving Ease of Doing Business where governance reforms take 
time to implement. Export down streamness, labour abundance, low trade barriers, and access to 
credit fostered GVC -linked FDI in the context of Asia. Labour abundance could also be leveraged 
by developing economies to attract multinationals. Third -party Aid for Trade increased greenfiel d 
FDI in all industries — primary, manufacturing and services industries — and M&As in 
manufacturing and services industries. Aid to infrastructure promoted greenfield FDI most 
significantly, while other components of A id for Trade also positively impacted  FDI. Aid -for-Trade 
policies and regulations promoted M&A investment inflows most significantly. A id for Trade was an 
important tool for donors to help developing economies build  the infrastructure and productive 
capacity to attract FDI. Aid to infrastructure had the largest impact on GVC -linked, greenfield FDI 
compared to other components.  
669.  A panel discussion followed , joined by representatives from the Government of Pakistan, 
Peking University, Confederation of Indian Industry, UNIDO, and UNCTAD.  
670.  Tauqir Ali Shah, Ambassador of Pakistan to the WTO recalled that global value chains 
and the digital economy (and interconnectivity) were significant factors driving investments in 
Asia. In this regard, the development of infrastructure had to be complemented by institutional 
reforms. Further, political stability, transparent and clean governance system, and skilled 
workforce were key factors for attracting investments in developing count ries. In the case of 
Pakistan, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor had been a game -changer for the country 's 
economy and its integration in the region. Private sector participation (i.e., through increased 
investments) had been vital in this endeavour, al ong with the country 's improved governance 
system. As a result, the digital infrastructure and connectivity had improved in the country.  
671.  Richard Bolwijn, Chief of Business Facilitation Section, Investment and Enterprise 
Division, UNCTAD suggested that mak ing administrative procedures for investors more 
transparent, streamlining these procedures and producing online single windows were key 
elements of investment facilitation. Much remained to be done in the case of Asia and the Pacific. 
Engaging the private  sector had a significant role to play in encouraging investments. Overcoming 
administrative barriers especially for smaller companies/investors was also important to facilitate 
progress in investment facilitation and make progress more inclusive. In relat ion to encouraging 
investments through digital connectivity, efforts should go beyond developing digital infrastructure 
and the dynamics of the digital economy (i.e., that is and will fundamentally change over time) 
should be taken into account across indu stries. Policies should also be examined to ensure that 
they were not obsolete and obstructive with regard to investment facilitation and the development 
of the digital economy.   
672.  Amita Misra, Director, Department of Regional Programmes and Field 
Representa tion, UNIDO opined that industrialization has been an integral factor in the global 
development agenda. Fundamental factors for encouraging FDI and for promoting inclusive and 
sustainable industrialization included sound industrial policies, effective nati onal institutions for 
ensuring compliance with international standards and quality assurance, public -private 
partnerships, continuous entrepreneurship, and skills development, backed by infrastructure 
development. Developing productive competitive supply c apacities, strengthening internationally 
recognized conformity infrastructure and services, and ensuring ef ficient connectivity to 
markets -which comprised UNIDO 's trade capacity building approach to trade development 
challenges —were also relevant in this regard.  
673.  Pranav Kumar, Head, International Trade Policy, Confederation of Indian Industry 
stated that opening up investment doors had been a successful way of driving the economy of 
India. The Make in India  campaign presented a successful initiative that ha d been transforming the 
country into a global design and manufacturing hub on the one hand, and had significantly 
encouraged FDI flows on the other hand. Through this initiative, several sectors had also been 
opened up for investments. Enabling factors ide ntified for facilitating FDI flows included relaxing WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  regulatory policies (which also facilitated ease of doing business), creating industrial corridors, and 
institutional development and capacity building, among others.    
674.  Professor  Jun Fu, Executive  Dean,  School of Government, Peking University was of 
the view that to promote trade growth and facilitate investment, A id for Trade needed to focus on 
the following dimensions: physical dimension (i.e., development of physical infrastructure), 
institutions (i.e ., building rule -based and market -oriented institutions), and ideas. Citing the case 
of the PRC, he suggested that the following were success/enabling factors: physical 
interconnection with the rest of the world (e.g., the One Belt One Road Initiative), bu ilding 
innovative institutions (both economic and political institutions, e.g., the Asian Infrastructure 
Investment Bank), and an educated and skilled workforce, along with frameworks for collaboration 
and exchange of ideas/knowledge/technology/resources w ith o ther countries (e.g., the 
South -South Cooperation). The following were areas for furth er development: building a 
rule-based system, allowing the market to have a decisive role in resource allocation, and 
promoting an inclusive approach to globalizatio n through human -based approaches.   
675.  The speakers also voiced the following points as to how to seize the opportunity of FDI to 
achieve inclusive growth and channelize gains particularly to SMEs: supporting SMEs in terms of 
digital connectivity, lifting administrative barriers, industrial modernization and clustering of SMEs, 
capacity building through risk management, strengthening compliance to standards, targeted 
development of sectors with growth potential, fostering corporate social responsibility, an d 
creating market -oriented public enterprises as models for enterprise development (e.g., township 
and village enterprises). Building better and smarter infrastructure, fostering more coherent 
policies and regulatory reforms, and developing stronger instit utions were also echoed as 
fundamental factors to promote trade growth and facilitate FDI.  
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  Session 42: S ide Event: "Leveraging Trade and Facilitation and E -commerce: How can 
International Rules and Standards Ensure Trade Inclusiveness and Connectivity"  - 
Organizer: World Customs Organization, Mission of Finland to the W orld Trade 
Organization  
Moderator:  Ernani Checcucc, Director, 
Capacity Building, World Customs Organization  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Antti Piispanen, Commercial Counselor, 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland  
 Kateshumbwa Dicksons, Commissioner 
of Customs, Uganda Revenue Service  
 Hanne Melin, Director and Head of 
Europe, eBay  
 Matome Mathole, WCO Mercator 
Programme Advisor and Customs 
Attach é, Embassy of South Africa in 
Brussels  
 Anja Gomm, Sector Project 
Development -Oriented Trade Policy, 
GIZ Overview  
 
Efficient cross -border trading can reduce costs 
and enhance the economic competitiveness of 
nations worldwide. International rules and 
standards are the pillars of a vital trading 
environment that allows businesses, especially 
micro small and medium sized Enterprises, to 
connect to global value chains and contribute to 
economic development.  
 
In the digital world of today, IT infrastructure 
and capabilities based on international 
standards are provid ing un -paralleled 
opportunities which were especially visible in 
the e-commerce domain. Further simplification 
and harmonization of cross -border procedures 
based on advance electronic data and risk 
management operations could also contribute 
to improved re venue collection.  
 
This session explored ways in which the WTO 
Trade Facilitation Agreement on one hand, and 
the opportunities arising from the tremendous 
growth of e-commerce on the other, could 
contribute to economic development; what 
were the links betw een the two and how the full 
potential could be reaped.  
 
Short summary  
 
676.  This session stressed the importance of trade facilitation in promoting international trade. 
With steady growth in e -commerce the use of international standards was key  in enhancing 
competitiveness. Through e -commerce, more SMEs benefitted from participating in global value 
chains. Simplification of procedures and harmonization of standards could boost revenue 
collection, and improve safety and security.  
677.  The session als o recogni zed the need for customs administrations and border agencies to 
collaborate to address the challenges of implementation. These were namely poor quality of data 
and lack of digital infrastructure. To tackle these issues the WCO had established a wo rking group 
on e-commerce which included all relevant stakeholders. WCO was working on structure and 
procedure simplification for trade facilitation in cross -border trade a nd to allow further growth of 
e-commerce. The question and answer discussion focused  on information on capacity building 
projects and outlined key elements that supported trade facilitation in e -commerce.  
Summary  
 
678.  Ernani Checcucc, Director, Capacity Building, World Customs Organization , opened 
the session with a statement on the importanc e of trade facilitation in promoting international 
trade. With steady yearly growth in e -commerce the use of international standards was key in 
enhancing competitiveness. Through e -commerce, more SMEs benefitted from participating in 
global value chains. S implification of procedures and harmonization of standards could boost 
revenue collection, and improve safety and security. He recognized the need for customs 
administrations and border agencies to collaborate to address the challenges of implementation 
such as poor quality of data and lack of digital infrastructure. To address these issues the WCO 
had established a working group on e -commerce which included all relevant stakeholders. WCO WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  was working on structure and procedure simplification for trade facil itation in cross -border trade 
and to allow further growth of e -commerce. Discussions of his presentation focused on the 
information on capacity building projects and key elements that sup ported trade facilitation and 
e-commerce.  
679.  Antti Piispanen, Commercial  Counsellor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland , 
presented the project of customs modernization in Eastern and Southern Africa financed by the 
Finnish government in collaboration with the WCO. The project provided capacity building to 
customs and was pro moting "trade facilitation" rather than "control". Within this project a steering 
committee had been created to identify specific needs. To address these issues the committee 
used tools such as the Mercator Programme and the expertise of WCO member countri es. Full 
implementation of the TFA would lead to a decrease of 15% or more in trade costs by improving 
transparency and predictability that benefit MSMEs and women traders in particular, who sought to 
participate in international trade. More benefits would  stem from countries joining the TFA for both 
developing and developed countries. The Finnish government was collaborating with different 
international organizations to support ICT development policies, start -ups, bilateral and 
multilateral projects.  
680.  Anja Gomm, Sector Project Development -Oriented Trade Policy, GIZ , stated that GIZ 
had a particular focus on capacity building, and that trade facilitation was one of its main topics. 
Issues such as corruption in customs could be addressed with faster and more transparent border 
procedures, institutional framework and public -private collaboration. Electronic documents and 
signatures were an important part of the digital single wind ow and had a direct impact on 
e-commerce offering more security. GIZ work involved  capacity training programs to governments 
and private sector on harmonizing procedures, common external tariffs, digitalization and relevant 
legislation. Some of the challenges still remaining were the need for enhanced infrastructure and 
support for regu latory framework.  
681.  Kateshumbwa Dicksons , Commissioner of Customs, Uganda Revenue Service  said 
that regulatory reforms introduced by Ugandan authorities were in line with the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement in the interest of modernization, simplicity and in re sponse to a fast -growing economy. 
Reforms such as One -Stop Border Posts and the electronic Single Window enabled traders to fill -in 
declarations, make fee payments, receive licensing and certification online for all requirements. 
E-commerce could link the lowest end of production to global and regional supply chains and 
provide opportunities for capacity -building and empowerment. Some of the challenges included the 
risk of infringement of restrictions and issues with compliance, customs valuation, and issue s of 
online trust.   
682.  Hanne Melin,  Director and Head of Communications, eBay  explained how e -commerce 
was acting as a trade facilitation tools, significantly reducing trade costs by enabling easier 
communication and the building of trust. E -commerce was par t of the global empowerment 
program and was based on 4 building blocks: connectivity to the internet, global -based market 
place, availability of global payment services and efficient cross -border delivery services. eBay 
facilitated MSMEs, even from remote areas, to participate in international trade and served as an 
export platform enabling direct service to customers.  
683.  Matome Mathole , WCO Mercator Programme Advisor and Customs Attaché, 
Embassy of South Africa, Brussels  said that the Mercator Program Advisor s project acted on 
behalf of the WCO to deliver capacity -building interventions. In Sierra Leone, the project ran on a 
long-term basis, ensuring that the country's customs were in line with TFA measures through the 
National Tra de Facilitation Committee. The C ommittee includes all the stakeholders involved in the 
whole chain of trade facilitation. Issues covered within the programme such as risk management, 
pre-arrival processing and valuation were directly related to e -commerce. As a result Sierra Leone 
had worked towards simplification of its customs procedures to reflect the TFA and help the 
country participate in the global value chains.  
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  Session 43: Side E vent: "Promoting Inclusive Economic Transformation through GVC 
Participation: The role of Aid for Trade and Private Sustainability Standards"  - 
Organizers: Mission of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the W orld Trade Organization , 
International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development  
Moderator:  Moshe Neo Kao, Ambassador,  
Permanent Representative of t he Kingdom of 
Lesotho  to the WTO  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Andreas Schaumayer, Federal Ministry 
for Economic Co -operation and 
Development, Germany  
 
 Frank Matsaert, Chief Executive Officer, 
Trade Mark East Africa  
 
 Kiranne Guddoy, Programme Officer, 
Development and Competitiveness, 
International Centre for Trade and 
Sustainable Development  
 
 Jim Redden, University of Adelaide  
 
 José Guilherme Reis, Practice Manager, 
Trade and Competitiveness, World Bank  
 Overview  
 
This session discussed how participation in 
global value chains can help developing 
countries achieve inclusive economic 
transformation. Building on a series of case 
study analy sing promising value chains in 
various LDCs and LICs around the world, this 
session contributed to fill important gaps in 
understa nding new approaches to structural 
transformation and growth and how they apply 
to LDCs and LICs, by identifying concrete, new 
evidence on LDCs ' participation in value chains; 
and analy sing critical success factors; and 
assessing whether such participation  
contributes to inclusive growth (e.g. through 
jobs for men and women) and economic 
transformation (e.g. through the development 
of processing activities; learning and 
investment). Ultimately, the role of Aid for 
Trade was stressed , looking at how the 
initiative could be leveraged to help developing 
countries participate more effectively in GVCs 
and link them to Sustainable Development 
Goals outcomes, notably by facilitating 
compliance with the growing number of private 
sustainability standards in value cha ins. In this 
regard, the discussions reviewed the extent to 
which regulations and standards can affect 
sustainable development outcomes for 
developing countries in the context of value 
chains.  
 
Short summary  
 
684.  Participation in global value chains can promote sustainable development and help countries 
achieve the SDGs. GVCs offer new opportunities for market access and economic diversification 
that were not available for countries in the past. GVCs also serve as important channels for 
knowledge and tech nology flows. But the positive impacts of GVCs are neither automatic nor 
guaranteed. Many barriers to GVC participation remain, and they disproportionately affect SMEs in 
developing countries.  
685.  GVCs are standards -intensive, and standards have a big impact o n the potential economic, 
social and environmental impacts – both positive and negative – of GVCs. Aid for Trade can help 
companies from developing countries to comply with standards and promote grea ter GVC 
participation. Many Aid -for-Trade programmes alre ady target standards compliance issues and 
have delivered concrete benefits for sustainable development.  
686.  Nonetheless, Aid for Trade can and should do more to strengthen the engagement of 
developing countries with GVCs. This would amplify the impact of Aid for Trade on the SDGs. To 
this end, and based on past expe rience, the focus of future Aid -for-Trade interventions should be 
on: 
 Improving quality infrastructure to reduce trade costs, including the costs of certification. 
There is significant scope for an appropriate division of labour on quality infrastructure 
among regional partners.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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   Strengthening the capacity of SMEs, women entrepreneurs, and the workforce to meet 
regional and global standards.  
 Leveraging the role of FTAs, which increasingly contain prov isions on sustainable 
development, cooperation, regulatory convergence and services. Both North -South and 
South -South trade offer opportunities for GVC participation.  
 Enhancing coordination and the flow of information among relevant stakeholders, including  
multilateral bodies and standards organizations. Embrace the role of the private sector in 
bringing about sustainable development.  
 
Summary  
 
687.  Moshe Neo Kao, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of 
Lesotho to the WTO , moderated the session an d stressed that GVCs have influenced upgrading 
from a social, economic and environmental perspective. They have also influenced policy 
interventions in areas such as skill development, technology transfer and diffusion. The panel then 
discussed how Aid-for-Trade Initiatives can be leveraged to help developing countries participate 
more effectively GVCs linking their participation in advancing SDGs.  
688.  Andreas Schaumayer, Federal Ministry for Economic Co -operation and 
Development, Germany noted the positive ou tcome for trade of the recent G20 Hamburg 
summit. An additional positive outcome had been the launch of the G20 Africa Partnership, since 
Africa's prospect of achieving sustainable development depended in large measure on stimulating 
private investment. GV Cs allowed countries in different stages of development to access markets 
in ways that had not been possible before. It was not necessary to be competitive in products or 
chains of products anymore. Countries could be competitive by mastering a process or a 
component. GVCs multiplied the opportunities for countries to use trade for development. Aid for 
Trade needed to make sure that  these opportunities were utiliz ed by developing and least 
developed countries. Increasing participation of developing countrie s in GVCs served to promote 
social inclusion, decent employment and environment protection.  
689.  Germany had l aunched a new comprehensive Aid -for-Trade strategy, which sought to better 
align its trade -related cooperation with the SDGs. Areas of focus included quality infrastructure 
and trade facilitation. Germany had joined the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation and believed 
that reducing trade costs and simplifying customs procedures would boost regional and global 
trade for the benefit of developing countries. Building trust between governments and the private 
sector was essential to move forward.  
690.  Regarding quality infrastructure, Germany had a long tradition in this area and could help 
recipient countries build the necessary institutional support for standardization, metrology, testing, 
certification, and other elements of quality infrastructure (strengthening standards bodies). 
Consumers need ed more clarity about standards, while producers, especially SMEs, would 
welcome greater convergence among standards. Germany was well placed to contribute on both 
fronts.  
691.  Kiranne Guddoy, Programme Officer, Development and Competitiveness, ICTSD  
said that  the gains from participating in GVCs were not automatic. The benefits of participating in a 
GVC were likely to differ depending on the geography, the sector and the characteristics of the 
chain. Countries faced different challenges and opportunities regar ding GVCs depending on their 
level of industrialization and other attributes. There were many types of standards. The 
implementation of sustainability standards along value chains reflected efforts by lead firms to 
improve their "triple bottom line" and av oid reputational damage. Those standards had often had a 
positive impact on sustainable development, although there was no predetermined outcome. In 
assessing the impacts of standards, it was important to pay greater attention to the potential links 
and tr ade-offs between the economic, social and environmental aspects of the SDG s. There were 
many examples of positive interaction between value chain participation and sustainable 
development in low and middle income countries, for example in the areas of health and safety, 
worker rights, and environmental outcomes, including in the mining and apparel sectors.  
692.  Nonetheless, there was evidence of negative impacts too, which could be caused by the high 
costs of certification or a lack of skills that resulted in the exclusion of lower skilled workers from 
formal employment. Lead firms, c ivil society and other actors had to work together to tilt the 
balance in the direction of achieving the SDGs. Sharing of information, monitoring implementation, WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  improving market access, reducing certification costs, and increasing skills were important fa ctors 
in this regard.  
693.  Jim Redden, University of Adelaide  noted that SMEs were benefiting from sustainability 
standards by being part of value chains. Technology and the advance of trade in services for SMEs 
helped link them into niche markets. However, the re was a long way to go to ensure that Aid for 
Trade could fully support more inclusive development, especially with regard to women and SMEs. 
Surveys had revealed several challenges faced by SMEs, including a lack of awareness and 
information about sustai nability standards, complex documentation and customs requirements, 
high costs of conformity assessment, gender discrimination, and insufficient skills of the workforce. 
Aid for Trade should intervene in areas where no support existed from standards organi zations, 
lead firms, or government entities. Those falling through the gaps were SMEs. Although 
Aid-for-Trade programmes were already focusing on inclusive and sustainable growth, trade 
facilitation and private sector development, it was necessary to pay g reater attention to the 
problems faced by MSMEs, especially from LDCs, in meeting the standards to participate in GVCs. 
Based on case studies, several cross -cutting policy implications for Aid for Trade could be 
identified, including: the importance of tar geted training and capacity building programmes for 
SMEs; the vital role of quality infrastructure and related servicing requirements; a strong emphasis 
on gender and poverty analysis of value chains; and leveraging free trade agreements. Greater 
collabora tion between donors, recipients, multilateral bodies such as EIF and STDF, standards 
organizations (ISO, ISIL, and Fair Trade Association), industry associations working with SMEs and 
other relevant stakeholders was very important.  
694.  Frank Matsaert, Chief Ex ecutive Officer, Trade Mark East Africa said that his 
organization had invested US$560 million in Aid for Trade in East Africa. The target areas were 
physical access to markets and infrastructure, enhancing the trade environment (a lot of work is 
being don e on trade automation), and business competitiveness. Key problems in the region 
included the high cost of fulfilling and testing standards, variable product quality, lack of standards 
harmonization, and limited understanding by private actors of the impac t of standards on their 
businesses. TradeMark East Africa's work in the region had delivered positive results, for example 
the regional harmonization (170 standards in total) and mutual recognition of standards, a 
reduction in the costs and time for testin g, and the automation of some import and export 
procedures. Looking ahead, the priorities were to link up with some of East Africa's "export priority 
sectors", help businesses incorporate standards into their competitive strategies, and boost women 
entrepr eneurship through the Women and Trade programme. The lessons learned from the work 
on standards in East Africa included: when addressing quality infrastructure, consider both the 
national and regional dimensions; engage with relevant partners and stakehold ers; involve the 
private sector in the reform process; and prioritize the standards that have the greatest impact on 
trade. The situation with respect to standards in East Africa had improved significantly, but many 
challenges remained, especially in the a reas of pre -shipment inspection.  
695.  José Guilherme Reis, Practice Manager, Trade and Competitiveness, World Bank  
said that while GVCs could be a driver of sustainable development, there was no guarantee that 
they would bring about sustainable development. GVC s offered developing countries an 
opportunity to participate in cross -border production networks and to diversify their economies. 
Moreover, they could enable the flow of knowledge and technology from high income countries. 
The key issue was the way that d eveloping countries engaged with GVCs. Several barriers had to 
be overcome. An important message was to start with the basics, including quality infrastructure, 
engagement with relevant partners, prioritization, and ways to leverage existing trade 
agreemen ts. Embracing the role of the private sector was another critical factor to ensure a 
positive role for Aid for Trade. It was also important to pay more attention to services and 
regulatory convergence, as well as to rapid technological change. There was an  urgent need for 
more coordination among development partners.  
696.  The representative from the International Standardization Organization (ISO)  
indicated that participation in GVCs was limited to the most competitive SMEs, and that GVCs were 
highly dynamic. Th ey could relocate processes and production from one area to another. 
Dependence on GVCs of SMEs in developing countries could also be a trap. It was therefore 
important to build resilience among SMEs to ensure that they were able to upgrade and respond to 
sudden changes. It was important to pay attention not only to voluntary sustainability standards, 
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  broadly. ISO had developed many such standards, for example on circul ar economy in the 
automotive sector.  
697.  During the question -and-answer session, it was noted that the East African experience had 
shown that regional standards often served as a stepping stone to greater participation of SMEs in 
GVCs. Regional value chains co uld also help improve the flow of knowledge to firms. Regarding 
quality infrastructure, Aid for Trade should consider the possibility for an appropriate division of 
labour among regional partners. Aid for Trade should also help companies seize the opportun ities 
of South -South trade. Regulatory cooperation was a key means to increase the impact of Aid for 
Trade.  
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  Session 44: Side E vent: "Promoting Exports through Connectivity"  - Organizer: 
International Growth Centre  
Chair:  Richard Newfarmer, Country Director, 
International Growth Centre  
 
Speakers:  
 Ritwika Sen, Country Economist, 
International Growth Centre – 
“Connecting through Value Chains”  
 
 Victor Steenbergen, Country Economist, 
International Growth Centre – “SEZs: 
Calculating Costs and Analyzing 
Benefits”  
 
 Alexander Himbert, PhD candid ate, 
University of Lausanne, - "Border 
Lights: Trade -led Regional 
Development " 
 
 Commentator: Paul Brenton, Lead 
Economist, International Trade, World 
Bank Overview  
"Promoti ng Exports T hrough Connectivity"  – on 
the themes of promoting domestic and regional 
value chains, reducing trade costs in developing 
countries, and the role of Special Economic 
Zones (SEZs).  
 
Many African countries have struggled to 
increase their participation in int ernational 
trade, despite important reductions in trade 
tariffs in the last decades. Trade costs across 
Africa remain high and the lack of connectivity 
both within and between countries severely 
limits the potential for expanding exports. This 
panel featu red new research using VAT 
firm-level data and satellite light maps to look 
at connectivity in East Africa, and ways Africa 
could increase its exports by reducing trade 
costs. The panel analyzed connectivity widely to 
ask how reduced transport costs, value addition 
in supply chains, and the establishment of 
special economic zones could promote African 
exports.  
 
Summary  
 
698.  Ritwika Sen, Country Economist, International Growth Centre  prese nted on 
"Connectivity, Exports and the Supply Chain " and drew upon evidence from research 
commissioned by the International Growth Centre in Uganda. The presenter observed that a 
substantial reduction in transport costs along the Northern Corridor (due to concerted Government 
efforts and Aid-for-Trade facil itation), has enabled Ugandan firms to produce for export – thereby 
connecting to international markets. Recent research findings by John Spray (University of 
Cambridge) using firm -level ASYCUDA and VAT data were further presented to highlight that 
connect ivity to international markets contributed to improved firm performance, both for exporters 
and their supply chains. The presenter concluded that exporting was key for the Ugandan 
economy, and that policy efforts for export development should: prioritize t rade facilitation and 
transport cost reduction; efficient importation of intermediate inputs for export growth; and, the 
development of local supply chains that are competitive in terms of both quality and cost.  
699.  Victor Steenbergen, Country Economist, Rwand a, International Growth Centre  
discussed the impact of the Kigali Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) on firm outcome s. This offered 
the first study that offered robust analysis of SEZs on firm -level behaviour in Sub -Saharan Africa, 
which had been made possible b y using firm -level tax data, combined with advanced econometric 
methods such as propensity score matching. The study was conducted together with Beata 
Javorcik (University of Oxford). It found that while Rwanda' s SEZ was only established recently 
establish ed (2013), it had had an economically important effect on Rwanda. Moreover, moving into 
the Kigali SEZ was also associated with large increases in sales, value -added and employment. 
This was expected to be driven through better trade facilitation and inten sive government support. 
The KSEZ also offers an alternative to the dominant "Economic Processing Zone " model, and offers 
a way for governments to catalyse priority domestic industries in a way that is more integrated to 
the domestic economy.  
700.  Alexander Hi mbert, PhD candidate, University of Lausanne , focused on " Border 
Lights:  Trade -led Regional Development"  in his presentation. It explored how the facilitation of 
cross-country overland trade (through regional integration) can help contribute to the 
develop ment of border areas. To do so, this project used annual night -light data for 1995 -2010 
along all major cross -border road corridors in the East African Community to identify an average WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  border -shadow effect whereby light intensity progressively decreases, a s one gets closer to the 
border. Following this approach, it found that cross -border trade benefits all areas, but has a 
stronger impact on areas closer to the border. This suggests that cross -border trade (and trade 
facilitation) can help reduce national inequalities by ensuring benefits also accrue outside of capital 
cities.  
701.  Paul Brenton, Lead Economist, International Trade, World Bank  stressed that all 
three presentations were at the frontier of trade research, both through their use of new data 
sources and innovative research methods. He noted that these presentations helped address 
critical questions on the impact and channels throug h which transport cost and connectivity can 
improve firm productivity, and on the general distribution of such trade benefits across firms and 
geographical locations.   
702.  Richard Newfarmer, Country Director, International Growth Centre , called for better 
understanding of firm -behaviour, especially so for exporters. He noted that industrial policy 
through SEZs may not only be confined to international trade but can also importantly drive 
domestic industries. Finally, he noted that understanding who benefits fr om trade would further 
assist in future endeavours to ut ilize trade for growth and poverty reduction.  
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  Session 45: Side E vent: "From Commodity Dependence to Value Addition: Novel 
Approaches to Inclusive Trade"  - Organizers: A frican, Caribbean and Pacific  Group of 
States , International Trade Centre  
Opening remarks:  
 
 Viwanou Gnassounou, Assistant 
Secretary General, African, Caribbean 
and Pacific Group of States  
 Arancha González, Executive Director, 
International Trade Centre  
 
Moderator:  Catherine Fiankan -Bokonga, 
Journalist, Correspondent of France 24, Vice -
President of the Association of Accredited 
Correspondents at UN and of the Swiss Press 
Club 
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Darío Soto Abril, Global Chief Executive 
Officer, Fairtrade International  
 Patricia R. Francis, Chairman, Jamaica 
Trade Facilitation Task Force  
 Marie Laetitia Kayitesire, Managing 
Director, Sake Farm Ltd.  
 Edmund Poku, Chief Executive Officer, 
Niche Cocoa Industry Limited  
 Sara Yirga, General Manager, YA  Coffee  Overvi ew 
 
Developing countries who rely on primary 
commodities as a large share of their export 
base, risk being exposed to price volatility, 
increased competition from more efficient 
producers and limited export diversification. 
This can have real impact on job  creation 
beyond the primary agriculture sector, in 
moving up the value chain and in attracting 
investment. The African, Caribbean, and Pacific 
Group of States (ACP Group), together with its 
development partners, is exploring new 
business models to help ov ercome this 
challenge. A combination of new and more 
affordable techn ology solutions, a move to 
agri-processing, a focus on quality 
enhanceme nt and meeting standards, 
niche -market identification and innovative 
business models, will help countries transform  
their economies, address unemployment, 
especially for youth and women, and increase 
their footprint in the global tra de landscape. 
These initiatives,  among others, will enhance 
the capacity of the ACP Group to implement 
sustainable development goals.  
 
Short summary  
 
703.  For ma ny small -scale farmers and family owned farms in Africa and the Pacific agriculture 
remains the only path ou t of poverty. In ACP countries one  out of two people are employed in the 
agricultural sector, yet they remain highly vulnerable  to market fluctuations and climate risks. 
Thinking seriously about sustainable agriculture processing in the region is the future. This session 
emphasized the importance of partnerships that support farmers along the value chain. These 
partnerships are ne eded to address the challenges faced by farmers in ACP countries.  
Summary  
 
704.  Agriculture still matters; this was the resounding message emanating from the session. The 
question was how to better support farmers from the risks relating to price fluctuations, climate 
change and loss of preferences. More than meeting standards, speakers highlighted the 
importance of value addition, particularly, value addition through applying market intelligence on 
consumer tastes. Speakers also highlighted the importance of pa rtnerships and diversification of 
produce.   
705.  The session benefited from the experience of small, medium, and large businesses from 
Africa and the Pacific . These were: Sara Yirga from YA  Coffee Roasters, Ethiopia; Edmund 
Poku-Niche Cocoa Industry Ltd, Ghana ; and Patricia Francis, Jamaica Producers Group, Jamaica,  
as well as the recently appointed chief executive officer of FairTrade -Dario Soto Abril, Viwanou 
Gnassounou (Assistant Secretary -General ACP) and Arancha González (Executive Director , ITC). 
706.  Viwanou Gnassounou, Assistant Secretary General, African, Caribbean and Pacific 
Group of States highlighted some of the areas the ACP is focusing on to support the agriculture 
value chain for small producers, specifically fam ily run companies. He emphasiz ed the im portance 
of capacity building through trainings on how to access finance, insurance to cover risks, and 
meeting commodity standards in target markets. Particularly noting  is its work with the African WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Development Bank to make agro -processing projects bankab le by running programmes with 
commercial banks to cover loans between €5,000-500,000.  
707.  Arancha Gonz ález, Executive Director, International Trade Centre  emphasiz ed that to 
move from commodity products to agro processed products, it was important to: (a) focus on 
access to finance and investment opportunities (i.e. finance literacy for farmers); (b) enhance 
value chain actors -specifically small holder producers to enable them to produce quality that meets 
public and private standards; (c) foster an alli ance between the farmer, buyers and supporting 
institutions; and (d) leverage technology. Ms Gonz ález emphasized partnerships that supported 
farmers along the value chain were what wa s needed to address the challenges faced by farmers.  
708.  Patricia Francis, Ch airman, Jamaica Trade Facilitation Task Force  shared her story on 
how Jamaica had evolved from a banana exporting to an agro -processing country. How it 
diversified its risk through value addition, market information, consumer tastes, and exploring new 
markets.  
709.  Dario Soto Abril, Global Chief Executive Officer, Fairtrade International  highlighted 
how FairTrade partners was working with farmers to innovate new ways to reduce commodity 
dependence and have farmers diversify by introducing new commodities.   
710.  Edmund Poku, Chief Executive Officer, Niche Cocoa Industry Limited  underlined the 
role of partnerships with other farmers along the value chain.  
711.  Sara Yirga, General Manager at Y A Coffee  highlighted some of the obstacles she had 
had to address to start export ing coffee from Ethiopia. Some of these challenges included, 
domestic regulatory barriers and standards -private and public, and financing the missing middle. 
Only through partnering with other regional coffee producers and through a corporative of c offee 
farmers in Ethiopia had YA  Coffee Roasters been able to find its footing.  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 46: Side Event: "No LDC Left Behind: The EIF Investing in Country and People"  - 
Organizer: Enhanced Integrated Framework   
Moderator:   
 
Daniel Blockert, Chair of the EIF Steering 
Committee and Ambassador, Permanent 
Representative to the WTO, Sweden  
 
Panel discussion:  
 Khemmani Pholsena, Minister of 
Industry and Commerce, Lao People's  
Democratic Republic  
 Axel M. Addy, Minister of Commerce 
and Industry, Liberia  
 Marc Yombouno , Minister of Commerce, 
Guinea  
 Isabelle Durant, Deputy, Secretary -
General, United Nations Conference for 
Trade and Development  
 Grete Faremo, Under -Secretary -General 
and Executive Director, United Nations 
Office for Project Services  
 Dorothy Tembo, Deputy Executive 
Director, International Trade Centre  
 Overview  
Agriculture is a critical component of Aid for 
Trade and the largest contributor within 
productive capacity, contributing on average 
between 15% and 20% of all Aid -for-Trade 
flows. This should not be surprising given the 
importance of agriculture to trade in LDCs, a 
sector providing 69% of total employment, with 
half being women (UNCTAD).  
Despite the synergic linkages between trade 
and agriculture in development, clear 
opportunities exist to better link agriculture and 
trade policy, processes and programme s in 
LDCs. For instance, the Comprehensive Africa 
Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) 
of the African Union and the Enhanced 
Integrated Framework (EIF) provide 
institutional, policy and programming 
mechanisms for both agriculture and trade in 
African LDCs.  
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 
has recently started a project in conjunction 
with the EIF and the European Centre for 
Development Policy Management (ECDPM) to 
pilot an approach to better connect the CAADP 
and EIF processes and improve th e 
cross-sectoral linkages in four 
countries : Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and 
Zambia.  
This workshop on "Connecting trade and 
agricultural development in LDCs" therefore 
aims to share the initial results of the project, 
and open the discussion to participan ts to 
explore the connections between agriculture 
and trade in development. The key themes will 
focus on collaboration, connecting siloes in 
agriculture and trade.  
 
Short summary  
 
712.  The Session launched the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) Annual Report,  and 
explained how the EIF operates and what it has achieved on the ground. Examples included:  
 EIF has helped strengthen institutional capacity on national and local level in the Lao 
People's Democratic Republic, with a highlighted project providing the ve hicle for medium 
term private sector trade mapping and enhanced country ownership through the 
Diagnostic Trade Integration Study.  
 
 Liberia has, until now, focused on reintegrating into the WTO multilateral trading system, 
diversifying its export basket, an d driving inclusive growth among SMEs. The country is 
now working on post -WTO accession implementation and EIF is helping with its rubber 
wood strategy implementation and tourism strategy implementation.  
 
 Through EIF projects, Guinea has experienced po verty alleviation. Ninety per cent  of the 
Guinean trade sector is informal and comprises mostly women and young people. EIF WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  support of the mango sector has repurposed plantations from wood charcoal to mango 
production and re -converted 1 ,000 h ectares to operational plantations and increased 
productivity. As a result, the country is experiencing increased revenue and return of 
citizens, especially after the Ebola crisis.  
 
713.  Key takeaways from the session included:  
• Gender equality and recognizing the di fferential impacts of trade on men and women (and 
through women) was central to all work in LDCs , 
 
• Work in LDCs must recognize the regional dimension and value chains across countries , 
 
• EIF is special because domestic trade ministries and institutions are typically underfunded. 
Studies are essential for how best to support local entrepreneurship, but this is only possible 
with such funding.  
 
Summary  
 
714.  Daniel Blockert, Chair of the EIF Steering Committee and Ambassador, Permanent 
Representative to the WTO , Sweden noted that the objective of this event was to highlight 
recent advances under the EIF partnership in supporting LDCs to achieve inclusive, sustainable 
development and poverty reduction. The session also launched the Annual Report of the EIF. He 
recalled that the EIF supported 47 LDCs, and 4 recently graduated countries. In terms of mandate, 
the EIF was following the principle of "Leaving no LDC behind". He briefly highlighted some results 
achieved: 35 countries had integrated trade into their natio nal development plans; 33 had 
effective trade coordination mechanism to enable LDCs and development partners to monitor 
trade -related activities; 29 LDCs had undertaken or updated DTISs; 35 projects funded by donors 
in 2016 related to Diagnostic Trade Inte gration Study (DTIS) matrices; 21 countries had 
developed quality trade strategies; the EIF had created jobs for women and promoted female 
entrepreneurship with approximately 20% of beneficiaries being women in 2016, though this 
would increase; 189 MSMEs r eceived support in 2016 and on average, 125 private sector officials 
had been trained per country in 2016.   
715.  Khemmani Pholsena, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Lao People's Democratic 
Republic  noted that over the past few years, Lao PDR had been able to strengthen its institutional 
capacity and national expertise thank s to the EIF. The Lao PDR DTIS u pdate had guided all 
Aid-for-Trade funding including: US$16.5 million Trade Development Facility multi -donor trust 
fund; US$20 million SME access to finance p roject; €60.5 million for regional integration and 
entrepreneurship development and US$0.9 million to support implementation of WTO 
commitments and Lao PDR/US Bilateral agreement. Results included a well -functioning trade 
portal (the Lao Services Trade Por tal would be launched in the summer), start of TFA 
implementation, enhanced effectiveness of dialogue between government and private sector, 
establishment of a credit facility for SME financing. Lao PDR recently leveraged support to prepare 
its medium -to-long term trade and private sector development roadmap. EIF projects are used as 
the primary vehicle to design the roadmap, as a result, strengthening country ownership.  
716.  Axel M. Addy, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Liberia recalled that their National 
Implementation Unit had been brought into the Ministry of Trade four years ago. Since then, 
Liberia had been able to conclude its trade policy with the key deliverable to reintegrate Liberia 
into the multilateral trading system. The priority to accede to t he WTO was supported by the EIF 
and donors such as Sweden. Liberia also began to look at diversifying its export basket through 
EIF's support to develop a national export strategy. The export strategy focuses on agriculture, 
fisheries, rubber, cocoa, coffe e and cassava. Finally, Liberia developed a Trade Store (now Liberia 
Marketplace) to help create market linkages for SMEs. Liberia is now working on post -accession 
implementation. With the help of the EIF, Liberia had been able to develop a post accessions  plan 
which called for a number of actions including: improving the business climate, enhancing trade 
facilitation and reducing trade costs. The EIF and ITC had assisted in the development of 
sector -specific strategies on rubber wood and tourism. The EIF h ave been a catalyst by linking 
what is done at the higher level to transfer impact on lives at the lower level.  
717.  Marc Yombouno, Minister of Trade, Guinea  thanked donors for trusting the Enhanced 
Integrated Framework (EIF) in supporting least  developed coun tries and in helping them achieve WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  their trade -related development objectives. Thanks to these efforts, Guinea had now reached 
Category 2 and was building on the results gained when the country was still in Category 1. The 
EIF had supported the public secto r, the private sector, as well as NGOs, and so improved the 
trade knowledge of some 5,000 economic operators – and so contributing to mainstreaming and to 
meeting poverty reduction objectives among vulnerable populations. In Guinea,  approximately 
90% of tr ade was informal and conducted by women and the young.   
718.  He illustrated this point with a case drawn from the mango industry. Before EIF's 
intervention, the fruit had lost much of its value in Guinea. Farmers had started cutting down trees 
to produce charcoal. In 2014, however, the project had been launched by the Ministry of Trade 
and created a synergy with several administrations (Ministries of Agriculture, Land planning, 
Industry…). Actions taken upstream to facilitate development of the industry ha d trickled down to 
farmer level, helping to transform 1000 hectares into operati onal plantations, involving 
150 cooperatives, and giving work to young farmers from remote parts. The project had been 
rolled out in l ower and to coastal Guinea (a gold -mining region bordering Côte d'Ivoire and Mali). 
There , small -scale gold mining was a strenuous activity performed by women. More and more of 
them, and young people, were now migrating from the mines to the mangos.  
719.  Guinea had not exported mango by air freight wi th the 1,200 -1,500 tonnes produced 
exported by ship. With Aid -for-Trade support, some 6 tonnes had been flown by plane to Europe 
and India in 2017. Consumers of the newly traceable Guinean mango had sent very positive 
feedback and meeting the new demand ha d become a challenge. Guinea hoped that it would be 
possible to continue along those tracks and to reach 3 ,000 tonnes per year. The calibration and 
transport mechanism that the EIF had built in Kankan, 700 kilometres away from the capital city, 
would help Guinea reach 5 ,000 tonnes.  
720.  One aspect of the project was the creation of a platform that mobilized buyers, and 
therefore, generated additional funding. The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) had committed 
US$50 million to the sector. The African Development B ank (AfDB) offered similar financing and 
the European Union (EU) had revitalized Guinean exports by providing finance aimed at increasing 
competitiv eness. The Guinean G overnment was very committed to partnerships that would allow 
these initiatives to succe ed, including in other areas such as the cashew nut, oil palm and cocoa 
sectors  
721.  In 2014 -2015, the Ebola virus had resulted in loss of human life and heavy economic losses 
(some US$200 million). Ebola had had a significant impact on the development of the E IF project 
and forced Guinea to find innovative ways to adapt. In response, EIF officials had sent experts and 
reoriented the project to address the disaster. Overall, EIF projects had contributed to attainment 
of poverty reduction objectives, integration of vulnerable populations (women and youth) and 
increase in revenue. In conclusion , Marc Yombouno, Minister of Trade, Guinea thanked the EIF and 
its donors for a project that had been inclusive, multidimensional and empowering for women.  
722.  Grete Faremo, Und er-Secretary -General and Executive Director, United Nations 
Office for Project Services (UNOPS) stated that her organization was  proud to be the EIF's  
Trust Fund Manager. The O rganization had exercised these functions since 2008, taking full 
fiduciary resp onsibility for the fund, being accountable for it and reporting to the Board and its 
donors. In light of this UNOPS was committed to ensure value for money but was also seeking to 
go beyond the existing terms of reference of the service it provided. UNOPS had very strong 
ground presence in over 80 countries (including the most fragile, vulnerable and conflicting ones, 
this represented 60% of its activities). As the operati onal arm of the United Nations , its work was 
about implementation and value for money. Since UNOPS received no core funding, it worked like 
a private entity, seeking to exceed client expectations. The Organiz ation was strong in 
infrastructure, procurement and project management. Its co re values were closely aligned with the 
EIF: solid partnerships, accountability and transparency, national capacity building and drive for 
excellence.  
723.  Looking at accountability, UNOPS wished to be held accountable by partners , who 
themselves wished to be held accountable for results on programme and value addition. In terms 
of excellence, UNOPS drove its activities according to international standards. Delivering 3 million 
local work days in 2016 (up from 2.2 million in 2015),  work by the Organiz ation spo ke to how 
development efforts had to focus on delivering jobs, growth and development in national private 
sectors.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  724.  Because of the importance of sustainable development, UNOPS would be seeking to place 
capacity building into the procurement system. They we re also opportunities for cross -fertilization 
that UNOPS was eager to engage in, both a t national level, at board level , and in the advisory 
entities.  
725.  Isabelle Durant, Deputy, Secretary -General, United Nations Conference for Trade 
and Development (UNCTAD) outlined UNCTAD's  involvement in EIF's activities, notably the 
Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS) in which UNCTAD had specialized. Seven DTIS s had 
been updated so far (Senegal, T he Gambia, Mozambique, Djibouti, Mali, Niger and Ethiopia). 
Experienc e suggested that the DTIS was a useful tool to identify and assess the country's trade 
capacities (constrains, difficulties and specificities). The DTIS also played a crucial role in 
identifying the real challenges of capacity building. In short, it enhanc ed policy -making. UNCTAD 
also fostered local ownership. While LDC governments drove the process, the private sector and 
civil society were increasingly involved. L ocal ownership would need to further include the 
legislative branch as a means of increasing the number of elected people integrated in the process. 
UNCTAD also built sustainability, locally and internationally, by enhancing the capacity of locals to 
take over the role currently played by international experts to substitute support programmes. 
UNCTAD worked on gender equality by urging governments to take the different impacts of trade 
on men and women into account. UNCTAD continued to work to leverage knowledge and additional 
funds for better delivery. The focus of the proposal was how to enforce coordination in the 
implementation of DTIS action (on transit, transport, trade facilitation). DTISs provided ample 
scope for funds, given their innovative approach as far as reported LDC government s were 
concerned. UNCTAD had published a report on tourism  the week prior saying that it had brought 
capacity to many African and least developed countries, but also, had benefitted women.  
726.  Dorothy Tembo, Deputy Executive Director, International Trade Centre outlined the 
reasons why ITC considered EIF to be a natu ral and strategic partner. Both institutions shared the 
common goal of using trade as a vehicle of attainment of the SDGs. ITC had set key objectives of 
sustainability, on the one hand, but also of inclusiveness. In that light, ITC, just as EIF, gave a 
large focus to the bottom of pyramid. The EIF process of ownership and mainstreaming trade in 
national policie s was reaffirmed by both organiz ations – ITC was specifically looking at entrenching 
sustainability in countries. Both organizations shared the colle ctive objective of enhancing LDC 
participation in international trade (with ICT playing the supplementary role of enhancing private 
sector competitiveness and making transactions happen). LDCs were also part of the ITC priority 
countries (70% of ITC's work  was happening there). The EIF and ITC were also investing in a 
participatory approach, needs assessment, and institutions that were of great value, facilitating 
conversations with people who understood the issue and could link supply and demand . Finally, 
the ITC felt that the EIF was an effective framework that allowed coordination with other agencies, 
and leveraging of resources at the country, regional and multilateral levels (using the EIF, the ITC 
was currently active in 15 countries). Ms Tembo used ex amples from Liberia, The Gambia and 
Togo and projects focusing on mango and honey to evidence joint work with the EIF. She also 
emphasized that no strategy would work if the gender dimension was not taken into account.  
727.  The Q&A session focused on implementi ng priority actions in the DTIS, gender 
mainstreaming and EIF's value addition over and above bilateral approaches. A comment was also 
made by the EIF coordinator in relation to the mango project noting that the EIF teams in Mal i, 
Senegal and Guinea had ag reed to take advantage of mango seasonality by sourcing from each 
other. He further noted that the EIF generated significant value for money. In Mali, 3 million 
people earned their livelihoods through the mango industry. Thanks to the EIF, a mango 
processi ng industry that benefitted women had been created, 280 kilometres from Bamako, on the 
Guinean border. Mali had exported 20 tonnes of ISO22000 certified dried mangos to Philadelphia. 
In the case of gum arabic, present in every bott le of Coca -Cola, it suppo rted 3. 5 million people. It 
grew in poor areas – where 90% of migrant Malians came from. Since the work had started, the 
number of people who returned home had increased because people could now earn a living in 
their home country where they wished to live . 
728.  Minister  Yombouno  further elaborated on the mango project, noting that previously 
segmented orchards, decimated by charcoal production, had been replanted with new trees and 
this had prompted new actors to join the industry. The restoration of orchards c reated jobs 
(mostly for women who earned more in mango cultivation that in mining), attracted investment 
and brought increased tax revenue to the State. The DTIS, which was presented in Guinea in WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  2016, had involved all partners (public, private and NGOs) a nd had had transformational value for 
all sectors. It was not imposed but participatory.  
729.  Axel Addy, Minister of Trade and Industry, Liberia,  said that the  EIF was special 
because of a number of things that came out of its framework and that were typically  not funded 
or supported in countries like Liberia. In Liberia, although the Ministry of Commerce and Industry 
had a broad mandate to build the private sector, it only received 0.03% of the national budget. 
Often time this was used to cover salaries. Studi es that revealed the constraints to private sector 
growth would not be available without EIF support. As trade became ever more important, the role 
of trade institutions was now even more pronounced.   
730.  DTISs served to map the blueprint and identify constra ints that got in the way of private 
sector growth and innovation. Liberia did not have the resources to implement all the measures 
highlighted in the DTISs, but benefitted from a framework it could operate. National export 
strategies clearly stated where c apacity lied and where demand could be built according to 
industry. For instance, the Malagueta pepper, treasured by Portuguese cuisine, was one of the 
country's niche products, now finding its way into restaurants of New York.   
731.  Sometimes P arliaments woul d not see the  value added in investing into Ministries of 
Commerce, or certain types of trade -related infrastructure. This was a hard case to make. A 
political shift was necessary in terms to explain what trade could do for a country. The EIF helped 
Ministries of Commerce make that case by doing simple interventions (or studies) that translated 
into direct impacts into the lives of people, demonstrating thereby that trade does matter.  
 
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  Session 47: Side Event: "Trade Facilitation for a More  Inclusive and Connected 
Asia-Pacific Region: Progress and Way Forward"  - Organizers: Asian Development Bank , 
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific  
Moderator:  Cyn-Young Park, Director of 
Regional Cooperation and Integration, Asian 
Development Bank  
 
Keynote address:  Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary -
General, World Customs Organization  
 
Presentation:  Yann Duval, Chief, Trade 
Facilitation Unit, Trade, Investment and 
Innovation Division, United Nations Economic 
and Social Com mission for Asia and the Pacific  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikamanu, Under 
Secretary -General and High 
Representative, United Nations Office of 
the High Representative for the Least 
Developed Countries, Landlocked 
Developing Countries and Small Island 
Developing States  
 Pich Rithi, Ambassador , Permanent 
Representative to the World Trade 
Organization, Cambodia  
 Naindra Prasad Upadhaya, Secretary, 
Ministry of Commerce, Nepal  
 Arzybek Kozhoshev, Minister of 
Economy, Kyrgyz Republic  
 Maria Ceccarel li, Secretary, United 
Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and 
Electronic Business, United Nations 
Economic Commission for Europe  
 Young -ki Hong, Director General for, 
International Affairs Economic Bureau, 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korea  Overview  
 
Everyone stands to gain from making the 
process of tr ade easier. Trade facilitation  is 
essential to enhancing overall trade 
inclusiveness and connectivity. It is also critical 
in achieving one of the SDGs Target 17.1 
aiming to " Significantly increase the e xports of 
developing countries, in particular with a view 
to doubling the least developed countries ' share 
of global exports by 2020. " Even modest 
reductions in trade transaction costs, such as 
lengthy border procedures, translate into 
significant increase  in trade. Developing 
countries show higher relative trade gains from 
trade facilitation given the relative inefficiency 
of their current systems and because agro -food 
and small and medium -sized enterprises (SMEs) 
trade, which are most severely affected by  
inefficient procedures, are central for the 
economy of these countries.  
 
This session was co -organized by the Asian 
Development Bank and the United Nations 
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and 
the Pacific and featured a discussion on 
progress and c hallenges in the regional and 
sub-regional efforts being made to streamline 
trade procedures. The benefits of trade 
facilitation including on SMEs participation in 
international trade and paperless/digital trade 
were also discussed since SMEs, which compri se 
a majority of businesses and the labour force, 
are an untapped but critical element for 
inclusive growth. Policy recommendations to 
accelerate progress and tap opportunities 
associated with the digital economy were drawn 
from the discussion.  
 
Short sum mary  
 
732.  This event was co -organized by the ADB and UNESCAP. The keynote address on the trade 
facilitation efforts of the World Customs Organization (WCO) was given by the Secretary -General 
of the WCO. ADB and UNESCAP presented a joint publication on the trade faci litation in Asia and 
the Pacific (link: https://www.adb.org/publications/trade -facilitation -inclusive -connected -asia-
pacific -way-forward)  and discussed the progress and challenges in the regional and sub -regional 
trade facilitation efforts, highlighting the implementation status of the WTO 's Trade Facilitation 
Agreement. A policy roundtable discussion of trade facilitation followed, joined by the 
representatives from Nepal, Kyrgyz Republic, Cambodia, Republic of Korea, UN -OHRLLS, and 
UNECE.  
Summary  
 
733.  Kunio  Mikuriya, Secretary -General, World Customs Organization  gave a keynote 
speech on " The WCO Mercator Programme approach for Trade Facilitation and how it su pports the 
Asia/Pacific region."  Mr Mikuriya highlighted the WCO 's efforts to ensure uniform implemen tation WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, using the WCO instruments and tools as most of the TFA 
provisions relate to Customs.  
734.  Yann Duval, Chief, Trade Facilitation Unit, Trade, Investment and Innovation 
Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific  
presented the main findings from the AD B-UNESCAP joint publication on " Trade Facilitation for a 
more Inclusive and Connected Asia -Pacific R egion: Progress and Way Forward" . These findings 
included that r educing trade cos ts was essential for economies to join regional and global value 
chains. It allowed trade to continue as a major engine of growth and sustainable development. 
Trade facilitation also had a direct impact on trade costs and an indirect impact on the price of  
traded goods; it increases trade flows and ultimately leads to higher growth. A global survey had 
been conducted first in 2015 to assess the implementation status of trade facilitation worldwide. 
The second global survey in 2017 drew on the final list of provisions under the World Trade 
Organization 's Trade Facilitation Agreement and the text of the regional UN treaty on cross -border 
paperless trade facilitation. It also included additional questions on trade facilitation in the context 
of Sustainable Deve lopment Goals.   
735.  The survey covers 47 trade facilitation measures organized into seven groups: (i) General 
trade facilitation measures, (ii) Paperless trade, (iii) Cross -border paperless trade, (iv) Transit 
facilitation, (v) Trade facilitation for SMEs, (v i) Agricultural trade facilitation ; and (vii) Women in 
trade facilitation. Overall, the survey showed that the Asia and Pacific region had a 50% average 
implementation rate for trade facilitation and paperless trade measures. However, the level of 
trade fa cilitation implementation varied widely within each sub -regional group. Apart from 
Australia and New Zealand, the highest average WTO FTA implementation was 73.7% for East and 
North -East Asia, followed by Southeast Asia (60.1%), North and Central Asia (52. 4%) and South 
and Southwest Asia (45.8%). Pacific Island Developing Econ omies lags far behind other 
sub-regions (28.2%). On (i) General trade facilitation measures ; and (iv) Transit 
facilitation  - mostly covered by WTO TFA, the region 's implementation rates were generally high at 
50-70%. However, areas such as cross -border paperless trade remained at an early stage. Very 
few countries in Asia and the Pacific had customized trade facilitation measures to support SMEs 
and women, as reflec ted by the low average implementation rates in (v) Trade facilitation for SMEs 
at 34% and (vii) Women in trade facilitation at 16%, respectively. Institutional coordination was 
key to successful trade facilitation. The Framework Agreement on Facilitation o f Cross -Border 
Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific, as a UN treaty, pro vided a unique opportunity for m ember 
States to boost their trade and investment competitiveness and actively support the growth of 
their digital economy. Moving forward, further st udy is needed on how trade facilitation helps meet 
the Sustainable Development Goals.  
736.  A policy roundtable discussion of trade facilitation was joined by the Ministers of Trade from 
Nepal and Kyrgyz Republic, Cambodia' s Ambassador to the WTO, the Director -General for Global 
Economic Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of Korea, the High Representative for the Least Developed 
Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States of the 
United  Nations (UN -OHRLLS), and the Chief of Trade Fac ilitation Section, the United Nations 
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The participants shared their trade facilitation 
experiences in their respective nations/regions regarding progress, challenges, and opportunities 
going forward. All participants  unanimously voiced support for further trade facilitation activities - 
with a particular focus on single window, SME finance, and gender empowerment.  
737.  Arzybek Kozhoshev, Minister of Economy, Kyrgyz Republic , highlighted the 
importance of trade facilitation  to reduce non -tariff barriers and obstacles to trade. Stating further 
that developing countries and least develop ed countries still face domestic challenges and urged 
donor countries to help overcome these barriers providing support in areas such as accre dited 
laboratories, adoption of information technologies, automated state services, and others. He noted 
that the ADB had contributed to the implementation of the single window in the Kyrgyz Republic 
and it had helped reduce heavy red tape in the country.  
738.  Naindra Prasad Upadhaya , Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Nepal  noted that trade 
facilitation was a major tool for promoting trade and enhancing integration. He pointed out that 
Nepal still faced domestic constraints and had many issues to be resolved. Ho wever the country 
had put in place many reforms, including a plan to introduce a single window, the launch of a trade 
information portal and the establishment of a national committee on trade facilitation. He 
emphasized that SMEs should be integrated into international markets. Noting that being an LDC WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  with high transport costs, Nepal placed a high priority on implementing all TFA measures. Nepal 
also aimed to find a balance between physical and electronic trade.  
739.  Young -ki Hong, Director General for, Interna tional Affairs Economic Bureau, 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korea  stated that trade facilitation was important for development 
and there was a long way to go fo r its full implementation. The G overnment of Korea had been 
active in supporting projects in th e area by capacity building and sharing expertise on paperless 
trade and one stop border posts. In addition, he stated that Korea had assisted more than 
20 developing countries in establishing master plans for customs moderni zation, and Tanzania was 
a success story in  that regard. Furthermore, the G overnment of Korea had contributed funds to 
enable women to overcome the gender divide.  
740.  Pich Rithi, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the WTO , Cambodia  stated 
that Cambodia considered trade integration  as a pillar for economic development. Cambodia has 
received funding from many developed countries and international organizations which have 
helped in the simplification of customs procedures and the establishment of a risk -based 
management system at all points in all border check points. He stated that because of Aid for 
Trade, Cambodia had been able to conduct two DTISs  which had resulte d in the generation of a 
medium -term plan for 2014 -2018 covering ten  clusters. Trade facilitation was among the cluster s 
identified and he expressed Cambodia' s need for support from its partners, especially to 
implement the ASEAN single window and the computerization of key certification documents in 
rules of origin and on SPS related measures.  
741.  Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikam anu, Under Secretary -General and High 
Representative, United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least 
Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing 
States , highlighted the high costs and constraints faced b y landlocked and small islands in the 
Asia and Pacific region. There was a huge diversity in the implementation rate of the TFA among 
the countries of the region. She underscored the important role that Aid for Trade could play to 
build capacity and boost productivity for the least developed, landlocked and small islands. She 
also stressed that the ADB and UN agencies had an important role to strengthen trade facilitation 
in the region and recalled Articles 13 and 21 of the TFA which stated that assistance and support 
for capacity building should be provided.  
742.  Maria Ceccarelli, Secretary, United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and 
Electronic Business, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe  stated that the 
business sector needed transparent, simpl e and integrated procedures to trade. UNECE had 
worked in these areas with the purpose of supporting SMEs. Various projects had been launched, 
for example the establishment of single windows, single submission portals and lately UNECE had 
been working on b lockchain technology. She also called for more work in the area of women and 
trade.  
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  Session 48: Side E vent: "Trade Facilitation Case Story Competition Finalists"  - 
Organizers:  World Bank Group , World Trade Organization  
Presenters:  
 
 Sheri Rosenow, Counsellor, Market 
Access Division, World Trade 
Organization  
 
 William Gain, Global Product Specialist 
for Trade Facilitation & Border 
Management, Trade & Competitiveness, 
World Bank Group  Overview  
 
The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility 
conducted a case study competition in 
collaboration with the World Bank Group under 
their Smart Lessons programme. The goal of 
the competition was to showcase the lessons 
learned in implementing trade facilitation 
reforms that help countries align with the WTO 
Trade F acilitation Agreement. The winner of the 
competition was announced and following 
presentations made about trade facilitation 
reforms.  
 
Short summary  
 
743.  This session was jointly hosted and organized by Sheri Rosenow (WTO) and William Gain 
(WBG). Case stor ies presented were part of the " Smart Lessons Case Story Competition " in the 
framework of " World Bank's Trade Faci litation Support Program (TFSP)" . The program aims to help 
countries reform their trade facilitation practices to comply with WTO's Trade Facilitation 
Agreement. Of 13 case stories submitted, six were selected for presentation. The case stories from 
Jamaica and Zambia won the competition.  
Summary  
 
Botswana  
 
744.  The first case story was presented by Botswana. With the help of technical assistance  from 
the World Bank Group , the Botswana Trade Portal was implemented. The Trade Portal was an 
advanced web -based system that was used to store documents and relevant up -to-date 
information on existing trade regulations and procedures, making it easier for  the traders to seek 
advice on export, import and transit of goods in and out of Botswana. The trade was expected to 
be the basis of the future National Single Window.  
Jamaica  
 
745.  The Jamaican task force was fulfilling the mandate of the National Trade Facili tation 
Committee and had put forward a Roadmap and Project Plan that was aimed at reducing time and 
cost and increasing transparency of cross -border operations, strengthening business compliance 
with international standards and fulfilling Trade Facilitatio n Agreement obligations. The task force 
was constituted of different agencies and stakeholders, both public and private institutions 
involved in trade. One of the results of the work of the task force was faster clearance times 
thanks to electronic licence s and permits using UNCTAD's automated customs data system.  
Malawi  
 
746.  With the support of the W orld Bank Group, Malawi established a Trade Portal that contains 
easily accessible information on laws, regulations, all licence and permit requirements, 
prohibitions, restrictions, technical standards, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, commodity 
classification, proce dures, forms and instructions related to cross -border trade. It aims to increase 
transparency and accountability and is expected to help traders reduce transaction costs and 
consequently improve country's competitiveness. One of the positive externalities has been the 
improved public -private dialogue due to increased transparency.  
Montenegro  
 
747.  With the support of the International Finance Corporation to design and implement 
regulatory and legal policy, identify gaps and TFA implementation capacity, Montenegr o had WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  established a National Trade Facilitation Committee in May 2015. One of the goals was to provide 
a forum for all stakeholders, including the private sector establishing an institutional framework to 
improve the effective movement of goods across bord ers, and streamline the documentation 
formalities to enhance the country's overall competitiveness. Another goal was to establish a 
sustainable structure with clear mandate, operational rules and guidelines. Establishing an 
environment of mutual trust impr oved the flow of information among public agencies and private 
sector.  
Rwanda  
 
748.  To address the challenge of having multiple regulatory agencies that had overlapping roles 
and inefficient procedures, Rwanda had conceptualized an electronic single window to the 
international trading system. The implementation was based on three pillars: enhanced 
collaboration between government agencies involved in the regulation of international trade, 
strengthened government -business relationships and the use of Information  and Communication 
Technology (ICT) to improve service delivery, communication and transparency. The results 
included in faster clearance of goods, increase cooperation among the agencies involved in 
customs and shipments and improved efficiency in the for m of expedited and more transparent 
transactions and communications between government and private sector.  
Zambia  
 
749.  The Zambia Revenue Authority has implemented a system of risk management to address 
high trade costs due to burdensome documentation require ments and low use of risk management 
protocols and automation by border agencies. The system is based on ASYCUDA World which is 
used to determine whether consignments are processed through the red (physical inspection), 
yellow (review documents), blue (pos t-release audit) or green (minimal interventions) channels. 
With use of this system , only 18% of cargo was subject to physical inspection. The implementation 
of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Zambian Revenue Authority and Zambian 
Bureau of Sta ndards will automate the processing of import declarations, ensure that health and 
safety measures are in place, and reduce costs to all parties involved.  
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  Session 49: Side E vent: "Small States, Big Challenges – Enhancing Trade Capacity of the 
ACP through  a Network of Trade Advisors"  - Organizer: A frican, Caribbean and Pacific  
Group  
Opening remarks:  
Armand Tazafy, Minister of Commerce, 
Madagascar  
 
Moderator:  
Viwanou Gnassounou, Assistant Secretary -
General, African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group 
of States  
 
 Teddy Soobramanien, Head of Hub and 
Spokes Programme, The 
Commonwealth  
 
 Mere Falemaka, Ambassador, 
Permanent Representative of the Pacific 
Islands Forum to the World Trade 
Organization  
 
 Hillary Kumwenda, National Trade 
Adviser, Ministry of Industry, Trad e and 
Tourism, Fiji 
 
 Serigne Bassirou Diene, Regional Trade 
Adviser, Economic Community of 
Central African States  
 
 Axel Pougin de la Maisonneuve, Deputy 
Head of Unit, EC DEVCO Private Sector 
and Trade Unit,  European Commission  Overview  
 
The small size, level of development and 
remoteness from main markets of many 
countries in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific 
(ACP) regions often mean they cannot compete 
on the same level as larger economic players. 
Given their unique situation and particular 
vulnerabilit ies, there is a growing need to 
enhance connectivity and regional integration of 
these countries to ensure a more inclusive form 
of trade in world markets and enable these 
countries achieve the Sustainable Development 
Goals.  
 
The H ub and Spokes programme, an 
Aid-for-Trade Initiative of the EU, ACP 
Secretariat, the Commonwealth and the 
International Organisation of La Francophone, 
provides trade experts to ACP countries to help 
them develop their trade strategies in a way 
that reflects their national priorit ies and enables 
them to integrate into regional, inter -regional 
and the global economy. Through this network 
of trade advisers, the ACP countries share 
knowledge and experiences on a multitude of 
trade issues of interest to the ACP, providing a 
platform fo r continuous engagement between 
beneficiaries, partners and more widely the 
trade and development community. During the 
Aid for Trade Global Review, the programme 
will convene a panel to discuss the trade 
challenges facing some of the world 's most 
remote a nd least developed states and their 
lack of capacity to overcome them. The 
discussions explored innovative solutions to 
these challenges with a particular focus on the 
ACP group of states and the role that the 
programme is playing to enhance trade 
capaciti es in the region. Speakers included the 
main partners and stakeholders of the 
programme, beneficiaries, the trade and 
development community as well as experts who 
work closely with the programme.  
 
Short summary  
 
750.  The discussions focused on the issues affecting the development of small states in the 
African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) region. The panellists brought to the attention of the 
participants that the small size, level of development and remoteness from the main markets of 
many ACP States, red uces their ability to compete on the same level as larger economic players. 
In this regard, there is a growing need to enhance connectivity and regional integration of these 
countries to ensure that they derive maximum benefit from the global trading syste m and enable 
them to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030.  
751.  Around 70 participants were also informed of the H ub and Spokes Programme, an 
Aid-for-Trade programme supported by the EU, ACP Secretariat, the Commonwealth Secretariat WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  and the Organisation internationale d e la Francophonie (OIF). The programme provides trade 
advisors to ACP beneficiary countries to help them develop their trade strategies in a way that 
reflects their national priorities and enable them to integrate regionally and globally. The 
programme als o serves as a platform through its network of trade advisers to exchange knowledge 
and experience that are of particular trade or economic interest to ACP countries.  
Summary  
 
752.  Teddy Soobramanien, Head of Hub and Spokes Programme, The Commonwealth 
and Kako Nubukpo, Director of Economics and Digital Economy, Organisation 
International de la Francophonie  briefly outlined the Hub and Spokes Programme. They 
explained that it consisted of a network of trade advisors that are attached to regional bodies or 
nationa l governments in the ACP regions; their primary aim was to build institutional capacity in 
trade. The Programme was supported by the EU, Commonwealth Secretariat, OIF and the ACP 
Secretariat.  
753.  Ambassador Mere Falemaka, Permanent Representative of the Pacific Islands 
Forum (PIFs)  to the WTO highlighted the current difficulties facing Pacific island states in 
integrating their economies in the global economy including : high transportation costs due to their 
remoteness; reliance on a small number of produ cts for export; the vulnerability of open 
economies to external shocks and climate change. She noted that e -commerce in the Pacific 
islands was both as an opportunity and a threat. It enabled people to sell their products through 
platforms such as Facebook . However, this form of economic activity is taking place without the 
proper legal frameworks which catered for consumer rights protection and data protection. The 
lack of infrastructure, internet access, financial incentives for innovation were major cons traints in 
deriving maximum benefits from e -commerce. Nevertheless, the Pacific islands region was 
cognisant of the fact that e -commerce could provide a number of opportunities in the areas of 
health, education and finance. She expressed the Region's conce rn on the rise of protectionism in 
the global trading system. She explained that despite the measures not being directed at the 
smaller economies, they inadvertently became victims of protectionist measures because they 
relied heavily on these larger marke ts for their exports. With respect to the assistance provided by 
the Hubs and Spokes Programme, she stated that it had been very useful for both the PIFS and 
the national governments. Advisors had assisted national governments in drafting and 
implementing their national development plans and programmes such as the Deep Sea Mining 
Policy in Kiribati.   
754.  Axel Pougin de la Maisonneuve, Deputy Head of Unit, EC DEVCO Private Sector and 
Trade Unit, European Commission  underlined the EU's support to the Hubs and Sp okes 
Programme. He added that it provided a great opportunity for ACP regions to exchange ideas and 
experiences with respect to trade and development. Since its creation in 2004, the programme 
had directly benefited 35,000 people. He added that the EU woul d also be supporting other 
capacity -building initiatives in trade and would also include i nvestment, infrastructure and 
e-commerce as areas of assistance to the ACP. He conceded that the nature of trade between the 
ACP and the EU was changing; there was a stronger focus on global value chain integration. 
Finally, he noted that for island states , the EU was currently working on creating a specific 
technical assistance model.  
755.  Hillary Kumwende, National Trade Advisor, Ministry of Industry, Trade and 
Tourism, F iji informed that he was a Zambian national and part of the Hubs and Spokes 
Programme currently working as a national trade advisor to the Ministry responsible for Trade in 
Fiji. He stated that the Programme was particularly useful in the Pacific due to th e small size of 
trade divisions – on average they consisted of one to three people. He has also realiz ed, while 
working in the region, that Pacific islands faced far greater constraints to trade than landlocked 
states due to their remoteness. The Programme  had created a regional consultative network 
building the capacity of trade officials in the Pacific islands region. The capacity building efforts had 
resulted in increased engagement by more Pacific island countries in the Regional Free Trade 
Agreements ( FTAs) negotiations such as the PACER -plus with Australia and New Zealand and the 
Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU.  
756.  Serigne Bassirou Diene, Regional Trade Advisor, Economic Community of Central 
African States (ECCAS)  provided a background on  the ECCAS headquartered in Libreville, 
Gabon. He noted extreme economic difficulties face d in the region , due to the sudden drop in WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  global oil prices – in some cases national budgets for some its member States have been reduced 
by 50 %. The only countries which are showing resilience are Cameroon and Rwanda – which 
recently re -joined the Organization. He stated that Gabon and Cameroon do not qualify for ODA 
because their GDP per capita is considered to be too high, with the exception of the Hub and 
Spokes P rogramme. However, both countries require considerable technical assistance in terms of 
capacity building. He mentioned that the problem in Gabon is much more acute, as an example he 
stated that prior to the technical assistance provided by under the Progr amme, the country's tariffs 
were above its WTO bound rates. He added that the regional technical assistance on the 
implementation of Trade Facilitation Agreement - provided under the Programme, has been the 
most effective in ECCAS. This enabled the launch of the Trade Facilitation Facility for Central Africa 
on the 7th of July 2017.     
757.  The quadripartite cooperation EU -ACP-Comsec-OIF to deliver  long term Aid -for-Trade 
assistance for more than 40 ACP countries and 11 RECs is  very relevant and consider ed as an 
innovative model of best practices.  
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  Session 50: Side E vent: "The CFTA: Ensuring Inclusive Outcomes Through Boosting 
Intra -African Trade and Connectivity"  - Organizer: U nited Nations Economic Commission 
for Africa, Office of the High Commissioner f or Human Rights , Friedrich -Ebert -Stiftung  
Welcome remarks:   
 
Hubert René Schillinger, Director, FES Geneva 
office  
 
Moderator:    
 
Rajesh Aggarwal, Chief, Trade Facilitation and 
Policy for Business, International Trade Centre  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 David Luke,  Coordinator, Africa Trade 
Policy Centre, United Nations Economic 
Commission for Africa  
 James Thuo Gathii, Professor, Loyola 
University Chicago, USA and HRIA 
Project Lead  
 Simonetta Zarrilli, Chief of Trade, 
Gender and Development, UNCTAD  
 Deborah Vorhies, M anaging Director, 
ICTSD  Overview  
 
The African Union is negotiating a Continental 
Free Trade Area (CFTA) which is expected to 
significantly boost intra -African trade and 
enhance connectivity on the continent. To 
ensure inclusive outcomes, it will be importa nt 
for these gains to be equitably distributed, 
consistent with the continent 's commitments to 
equity, justice and fairness under the Agenda 
2063 and Global Agenda 2030. In this context, 
the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the 
Office of the High Comm issioner for Human 
Rights (OHCHR) and Friedrich -Ebert -Stiftung 
(FES), have undertaken joint research to 
answer how the CFTA can be used to achieve 
food security, support the connectivity of 
informal cross -border traders , and enhance the 
livelihoods of vul nerable groups such as 
women, the youth and smallholder farmers. The 
event presented the main findings of this 
research, including a list of priority policy 
recommendations for African policymakers and 
development partners.  
 
Short summary  
 
758.  UNECA, OHCHR and the FES Geneva office have completed an ex -ante human rights -based 
assessment of the CFTA. The Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) considers, inter alia , food 
security, employment, and women 's rights , as well as looking at detail on the CFTA's possible 
impact on farmers, those engaged in agro -manufacturing and on informal cross -border traders; an 
important economic but mostly neglected part of African livelihoods. At this event, the results of 
the HRIA as well as concrete recommendations for African governments and other stakeholders 
were presented.  
759.  The nine key recommendations of the HRIA project were : (1) to ensure broad consultation 
and participation in the CFTA negotiations and implementation, (2) to collect data, (3) to integrate 
and address disaggregated effects of trade and investment mea sures, (4) to explicitly recogniz e 
women, (5) to fully estimate potential revenue gains and losses, (6) to engage in paced, layered 
and targeted liberalization, (7) to maintain policy space,  (8) to e nsure adjustment mechanisms, 
and (9) to monitor and evaluate CFTA impacts.  
Summary  
 
760.  In his opening remarks,  Hubert René Schillinger, Director, FES Geneva reiterated that 
trade is not an end in itself. Trade and human rights belong together in the 21st century since they 
are both preconditions to an inclusive economy delivering benefits for all.  He presented the study 
and indicated that its objective was to trigger further thinking into the possible impact of the CFTA 
in terms of human rights. In this r egard, the study provided recommendations to policy makers 
and possible solutions. The assessment also aimed to provide pra ctical steps and to help maximiz e 
opportunities especially for cross border traders. He referred to the recent G20 meeting where G20 
Members pledged to protect human rights for more sustainable development.  
761.  David Luke, Coordinator, Africa Trade Policy Centre, UNECA noted that  the CFTA 
confirmed commitments enshrined in the Africa 2063 agenda as well as in the Sustainable 
Development Go als. However, the challenges were enormous given poverty rates of up to 70% on 
the continent. Changing the structure of African economies towards more diversification and WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  higher trade rates within the continent was not an easy task. The HRIA project was on e tool on 
how to make the CFTA a win -win agreement between and within African countries. So far, six 
rounds of negotiations of the CFTA 's first phase have taken place, with a seventh expected in 
October 2017.  
762.  James Thuo Gathii, Professor, Loyola Universit y Chicago, USA and HRIA Project 
Lead  noted that there was more willingness to engage in the context of human rights and trade. 
He said that the HRIA helped to identify the losers of trade, therefore strengthening the 
accoun tability of states to realiz e, fulfil and protect human rights. The methodology of the study 
was an ex ante  approach since the agreement was at its negotiating state; therefore the study 
relied on the experience of other regional trade agreements, interviews, consultations with 
stakeholde rs, and inputs from experts. He emphasized that the HRIA presented an opportunity for 
those negotiating the agreement by presenting policy recommendations for modifying proposals or 
abandoning proposals that might be harmful. He considered the human rights  approach critical to 
help illustrate the true gains of trade, and that trade liberalization in itself would not be enough for 
struct ural transformation. He summariz ed the nine recommendation points including: (i) ensuring 
broad consultation and participat ion in the CFTA negotiations and implementation, (ii) collecting 
data with a range of economic and social indicators, (iii) integrating and addressing disaggregated 
effects of trade and investment measures, (iv) explicitly recogni zing women, (v) fully esti mating 
potential revenue gains and losses, (vi) engaging in phased, layered and targeted liberalization, 
(vii) maintaining policy space – therefore resisting that CFTA provisions that undermine the ability 
of the government to implement future measures to ensure that human rights are respected, 
protected and fulfilled, (viii) ensuring adjustment mechanisms, and (ix) monitoring and evaluating 
CFTA impacts.  
763.  Simonetta Zarrilli, Chief of Trade, Gender and Development, UNCTAD noted the 
evolution in discussing t he correlations between trade and human rights. She also appreciated the 
emphasis on trade and gender during the Global Review. She referred to complimentary initiatives 
in UNCTAD. First, the Trade and Gender Toolbox, launched during the Review, performed ex ante 
assessments of trade measures. She emphasized that trade measures were usually put in place 
without knowing the impact to specific groups in society with some shocks being painful for the 
losers. Referring to the strong concerns against trade and g lobalization, she was of the view that 
the HRIA study was going in the right direction to help make trade more inclusive and sustainable. 
She referred to recommendations 3, 4 and 5 of the study and appreciated the shift to identify the 
impact of specific s egments of society. She also noted the importance of services, particularly for 
informal cross border traders such as toilet facilities for women at border points.  
764.  Deborah Vorhies, Managing Director, ICTSD  reiterated that trade liberalization alone 
does n ot create equal gains for everyone. She emphasized that gender equality was key for 
stepping up the pace of economic growth but it was not automatic. She referred to the rise of 
different trade and production structures. For instance, 60% of trade takes pl ace through global or 
regional value chains. She emphasized that intra -African trade could help to engage in these value 
chains. She also drew note to the rise of services trade and their role in African economies and 
emerging digital economy effects. Howe ver, she emphasized that the gains were not automatic 
and on occasions the inequality gap could grow and not narrow. Therefore it was important to look 
at the process and how human rights lead to sustainable development. She recommended the 
need to shape o bjectives in the broader context of the SDGs and to reflect the needs of civil 
society. She considered the report to be ambitious and comprehensive from an SDG perspective 
and suggested that the report could be studied further by identifying the gaps from a sustainability 
point of view. Lastly, she said the monitoring and evaluation aspect of the CFTA was critical.  
765.  During the discussion, questions and comments by a representative of the World Bank 
regarding women in informal cross border were addressed. Th e Simplified Trade Regime 
mentioned in the HRIA report would not be perfect and the need for capacity building for traders 
and border officials should be highlighted in a more prominen t way. The Ambassador of 
Sierra  Leone welcomed the report by underlining  the difficulties of discussing trade and human 
rights at the WTO. SDGs and human rights would need to get the attention they deserve; 
however, the challenge remains on how to achieve this end.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  766.  In closing, James Thuo Gathii highlighted that the HRIA report was not the end, but rather 
the beginning of looking at various areas in trade from a different and human rights based 
perspective.   WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 51: Side Event: "Fostering Trade, Inclusivity, and Connectivity Through PTAs"  - 
Organizers: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific , 
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , United Nations Economic Commission 
for Latin America and the  Caribbean, and United Nations Conference on Trade and 
Development  
Moderator : Ben Shepherd,  Principal, 
Developing Trade Consultants  
 
Summary on regional experiences and 
lessons:  
 
 Asia and the Pacific: Mia Mikic, Chief, Trade 
Policy and Analysis Section, Trade, 
Investment and Innovation Division, ESCAP  
 Latin America and the Caribbean: Jose 
Duran,  Chief, Regional Integration Unit, 
Division of International Trade and 
Integration, ECLAC  
 Africa: Heini Suominen, Economic Affairs 
Officer, Regional Integration and Trade 
Division, ECA  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Mina Mashayekhi, Head, Head of Trade 
Negotiations and Commercial Diplomacy 
Branch, United Nations Conference on Trade 
and Development  
 
 Deborah Elms, Executive Director, Asian 
Trade Centre  
 
 Francisco Rivadeneira, Permanent 
Representative of Ecuador to the 
International Monetary Fund  
 
 Fousseni Kone, Chamber  of Commerce and 
Industry, Burkina Faso  
 
 Assad Bhuglah, Director, Trade Advocacy 
for Africa and former Director, International 
Trade Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
Mauritius  Overview  
 
Preferential trade agreements (PTAs) have a 
very important role to play in fostering trade 
and inclusivity. In recent times the increasing 
thrust on digitization  in the elements of the 
PTAs has the added benefit of helping to 
facilitate connectivity. It is  this perspective on 
the contribution of PTAs to the theme of the 
Global Review that was brought out in this side 
event.  
 
PTAs are a very active area of trade 
policymaking today. While Asia -Pacific leads in 
terms of number of physical PTAs (169 in 
2016), A frica (30) and Latin America (75) are 
becoming more active at an increasing rate. 
PTAs which include specific e -commerce 
chapters can be seen as an innovation with 
respect to the cross -border promotion of 
e-commerce. As part of a broader digital 
economy, c ross-border e -commerce is a strong 
driver of inclusive trade and of connectivity. 
While as many as one -fifth of PTAs notified to 
the WTO include some provisions on 
e-commerce (WTO, 2017), these are not always 
sufficient, and more can be done to effectively  
address other inclusivity issues, such as 
consumer protection, privacy, internet 
neutrality, competition and data access, small 
value trade, etc. Proper formulation of the 
provisions could help PTAs deliver more 
inclusive trade and facilitate connectivity  even 
more effectively.  
 
This side event was co -organized by UNESCAP, 
UNECA, UNECLAC and UNCTAD and will draw on 
findings in their joint project on " Enhancing 
contribution of preferential trade agreements to 
inclusive trade ". It will discuss experiences, 
lessons and recommendations on the 
formulation of relevant provisions and 
adjustment mechanisms in PTAs to promote 
greater inclusivity.  
 
Short summary  
 
767.  The objective of the session was to investigate the linkages between trade liberalization and 
trade inclusivity through PTAs. At the outset, the representatives of UNESCAP, UNECLAC and 
UNECA presented the results of their studies on trade agreements and th eir impacts on trade, 
connectivity and inclusivity in their respective regions. Presenters highlighted the importance of 
accurate pre - and post -impact assessment of trade agreements to ensure that nobody was left 
behind while conducting such assessments. I n doing so, tailor -made complementarity policies and 
trade adjustment assistance should be put in place. Following presentations, the panel discussion WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  generated a constructive dialogue on comparison of public expectations and actual outcomes of 
trade agree ments.   
768.  Main point raised by Presenters:  
 Pursuing social policy objectives and achieving trade inclusivity and connectivity th rough PTAs 
is a demanding task.  
 Close attention should be paid to closing the gap between the legal texts of agreements and 
their actual implementation . 
 Social and economic impact assessment of trade agreements should be conducted beyond 
macroeconomic policy considerations and should include other social elements, such as, 
poverty reduction, gender equality, etc.   
 Appropriate complem entarity policies and trade adjustment assistance, such as, human capital 
and labour mobility policy, access to credits, mitigation policy, etc., should be put in place 
based on accurate impact assessment of trade agreements.  
 Intra-continental (in Africa)  trade agreements generated more gains from trade and promoted 
inclusivity, and thus diversification and industrialization.  
 Raising awareness among private sector on details and opportunities of trade agreements is 
crucial.  
 
Summary  
 
769.  Panel Discussion: How much should we expect from trade agreements? Do we risk 
overloading public expectations when we are not accurate and precise about our forecasts on 
impacts of trade agreements?    
770.  Mina Mashayekhi, Head of Trade Negotiations and Commercial Diplomacy Branch, 
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development stated that t rade negotiations should 
be based on developmental needs. In her view, social policies, such as environmental, labo ur 
policy, etc. should not be dealt within the context of trade ag reements. Instead, careful 
post-implementation mechanism should be put in place. She argued that artificial transition 
periods did not necessarily meet development needs. She also opined tha t trade agreements 
should allow for reversibility in cases of negative outcomes that cannot be dealt with by any 
instruments.  
771.  Deborah Elms, Executive Director, Asian Trade Centre remarked that political 
economy dimension of trade agreements should be take n into account in setting "expectations". 
The needs of those who lose from trade agreements should be addressed through domestic 
policies. She agreed that post -implementation political will was crucial. She was of the opinion that 
social and economic outco mes of trade agreements should be compared with actual textual 
content of such agreements to draw an accurate picture of the results.  
772.  Francisco Rivadeneira, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the International 
Monetary Fund suggested that it was  impor tant to distinguish between different types of trade 
agreements (FTAs, Economic Partnership Agreements, etc.) when assessing their impact. He 
suggested that inclusivity through PTAs should be fostered through special and differential 
treatment provisions ( as was the case of in the EU -Ecuador agreement).  
773.  Fousseni Kone, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Burkina Faso was of the view 
that tailor -made capacity building technical assistance for the private sector is vital for the success 
of trade agreements. Such  technical assistance should address the needs of private sector in 
developing countries to meet SPS standards, technical regulations and other NTBs in developed 
countries.  
774.  Assad Bhuglah, Director, Trade Advocacy for Africa and former Director, 
Internation al Trade Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mauritius stated that c apacity 
constraints among developing countries during and after negotiations of trade agreements were a 
major hurdle for inclusiveness. He also suggested that the physical (land, air, a nd sea) and digital 
connectivity needs of developing countries should be addressed in during the negotiation phase.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  775.  During the discussion, examples were requested of provisions in PTAs that could foster 
inclusivity. In reply, the representative of UNESCAP  noted provisions on rules of origin, trade 
adjustment assistance combined with capacity building, and "graduation" provisions across 
different chapters in PTAs.   WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Session 52: Social Event: "Trade Facilitation"  - Organizer: Global Express Association  
 Carlos Grau Tanner, Director General, 
Global Express Association  Overview  
 
E-commerce is making it possible for micro, 
small and medium -sized companies to go 
global. The three members of the Global 
Express Association (DHL Express, FedEx 
Express and UPS) provide worldwide logistics 
services that can help MSMEs reach clients all 
over the planet.  
 
Summary  
 
776.  A reception was held by the Global Express Association (GEA) at the end of day 2. Opening 
the side event, Carlos Grau Tanner, Director General, Global Express Association  
emphasized the role played by transport companies, courier services in particular, in shipping 
goods across the globe. With the e -commerce boom, shipping and transport activity was on the 
increase. Micro, sm all and medium -sized companie s were now able to trade globally and reach 
clients all over the planet. This was made possible by transport and logistic services such as the 
ones provided by the GEA and its members.  
 
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  DAY 3 – 13 JULY 2017  
Session 53: Plenary : "Enhancing Connectivity And Advancing The Sustainable 
Development Goals"  – Organizer: World Trade Organization  
Moderator : Shishir Priyadarshi, Director, 
Development Division, World Trade 
Organization  
 
Panel discussion:  
 
 Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikamanu, Under 
Secretary -General and  High Representative 
for the Least Developed Countries, 
Landlocked Developing Countries and Small 
Island Developing States, United Nations 
Office of the High Representative for the 
Least Developed Countries, Landlocked 
Developing Countries and Small Island  
Developing States  
 
 J S Deepak, Ambassador, Permanent 
Representative to the World Trade 
Organization, India  
 
 Tomochika Uyama, Deputy Director -
General, Economic Affairs Bureau, Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs, Japan  
 
 Paulo Salesi Kautoke, Head of Trade, 
Commonwealth Secretariat  
 
 Matthias Helble, Senior Economist, Asian 
Development Bank Institute  
 
 Frans Lammersen, Principal Administrator, 
Development Co -operation Directorate, 
Organisation for Economic Co -operation and 
Development  Overview  
 
The penultimate plenary session looked at the 
different themes and perspectives that had 
emerged from the sessions held on the previous 
days of the Global Review. The discussion 
considered these insights in the context of the 
contribution t hat Aid for Trade makes to 
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and 
the 17 Goals contained therein. Enhanced 
connectivity, supported by e -commerce and ICT 
adoption, offers significant opportunities for 
growth, development and job creation, 
particularly in sectors, countries and segmen ts 
of the population that need the most support to 
participate in international trade. In particular 
LDCs and Small Economies, SMEs and women 
stood to benefit greatly from the trade cost 
reductions brought about by enhanced 
connectivity therefore helping m ake trade more 
inclusive and perhaps accelerating progress to 
achieving the SDGs. However, a lot of 
assumptions underpinned this "theory of 
change" – assumptions that the panel were 
invited to critically discuss.  
The monitoring and evaluation exercise for the 
2017 Global Review highlighted how developing 
countries, donors and south -south partners 
view Aid for Trade as supporting the 
implementation of the 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable Development. The 2005 Hong Kong 
Ministerial Declaration and subsequent 
Ministerial Decisions tasked the WTO to 
promote the mobilization of resources for 
developing countries and LDCs to build their 
supply capacity, strengthen trade -related 
infrastructure and stimulate their trade 
performance, notably with regards to their 
penetrat ion of export markets. In order to 
maximize its benefits, Aid for Trade needed to 
be targeted, focused and predictable, going to 
where it w as needed the most. In this way,  
capacity building for trade would help in 
accelerating achievement of the SDG target s 
that focus on sustainable economic growth; 
fostering industrialization, innovation and 
infrastructure; gender equality; reducing 
inequalities among countries; and increasing 
participation in world trade.  
 
Summary  
 
777.  Shishir Priyadarshi, Director, Development Division, World Trade Organization  
introduced the session and speakers.   In his remarks, he recalled discussions over the last two 
days of the Global Review ranging from the importance of Aid for Trade for the Sustainable WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  Development Goals, imp lementation of the Trade Facilitation Agenda, gender, MSMEs and digital 
connectivity. He noted that the objective of the session was for the panellists to provide their 
views on the way forward for the Aid -for-Trade Initiative. He noted that the topics for  Global 
Reviews tended to emanate from key messages harvested from the preceding Review.   
778.  Fekit amoeloa Katoa ' Utoikamanu, Under Secretary -General and High 
Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and 
Small Island D eveloping States, United Nations Office of the High Representative for the 
Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island 
Developing States (UNOHRLLS)  noted that Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island 
Developing State s (SIDs) faced major geographical challenges that greatly impeded their access to 
markets and ability to integrate into global value chains. Landlocked developing countries and 
SIDs also had very limited broadband and internet connectivity that constrained  their ability to 
benefit from e -commerce. The UNOHRLLS undertook comprehensive advocacy and outreach 
activities in support of the most vulnerable countries in the world. The UN office was also tasked to 
coordinate to follow -up implementation and monitorin g of the three programmes of Action for 
LLDCs, LDCs and SIDs while also promoting coherence with the SDGs in these countries in an 
integrated manner. UNOHRLLS also undertook analytical work to address structural and 
geographical challenges and ensured that  infrastructure, connectivity and digitalization were 
systematically mainstreamed into outcome documents. She recalled that SDG 8 called to increase 
Aid for Trade, in particular to LDCs as laid out in the Vienna and Istanbul Programmes of Action. 
She calle d upon development partners to increase A id-for-Trade support to LLDCs and SIDs.  
779.  J S Deepak, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the WTO, India stated that 
digital connectivity had been a game changer for India and a tool for economic empowerment. The  
mobile phone had transformed from merely a tool for communication to a tool of empowerment. 
The Digital India programme, led by the Prime Minister, intended to take high -speed broadband to 
every village in India over the next three years. On trade, e -comm erce was growing by more than 
35% per year, online trading platforms were offering services, manufacturing had grown due to 
the demand for smartphones, e -education, telemedicine and efficiency due to connectivity that 
reduced costs and meant that various S DGs came within grasp. However, he emphasized that 
connectivity was not enough; affordability and accessibility remained a problem. It was important 
to develop local content in local languages and to increase computer literacy. India was also 
working on tw o South -South cooperation projects. First, the pan -African e -network project worth 
US$15 million which connected 143 African countries and 5 Universities to five partner Universities 
and 10 medical centres in India through an optical fibre network. This ha d resulted in an 
improvement in e -education and telemedicine services in Africa. Second, the South Asian Satellite 
provided satellite connectivity to the seven  South Asian countries. Finally, he noted that while 
India believed in the role of e -Commerce for  development, it also considered that rule -making on 
e-Commerce at the WTO was premature. Rulemaking would constrain policy space for developing 
countries.  
780.  Commenting on the presentation, Mr Priyadarshi  reiterated the importance of digital 
connectivity as a tool for empowerment and suggested that the next work programme could focus 
on Aid for Trade as a tool for Eco nomic Empowerment. He also noted the importance of 
highlighting the needs of LDCs, LLDCs and SIDs and requested that UNOHRLLS continue to 
commun icate to the WTO the specific needs of this constituency.  
781.  Tomochika Uyama, Deputy Director -General, Economic Affairs Bureau, Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, Japan noted that Aid for Trade was very important and was an important means 
to achieve sustainable d evelopment. Since trade was crucial for economic growth, Aid for Trade 
therefore could contribute to achieving all the SDGs. The emergence of GVCs in Asia had altered 
the way of making things and the mea ning of trade and development. The connectivity revol ution 
through ICT technology had played a fundamental role. In the l ast few decades, manufacturing 
production had surpassed borders through the creation of regional value chains. Today, more than 
two-thirds of trade within Asia are in parts and components,  commonly known as "Factory Asia". 
FDI is also a major contributor to the transfer of technology to developing countries. In this 
regard, developing countries should focus on improving the business environment to attract FDI. 
More specifically, governments should engage in dialogue with the business community. In 
Viet Nam for example, the "Joint Initiative" had allowed the Government to listen to the 
bottlenecks faced by Japanese businessmen. By addressing these  issues, Viet Nam was now one of 
the major manufacturing giants. He emphasized the importance of ownership by developing WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  country governments of their needs to ensure Aid for Trade was meaningful. Finally, he referenced 
initiatives around the world working to create valu e chains and trade -led growth, including the 
Mercosur, the Pacific Alliance and African Union Agenda 2063. Japan was looking forward to work 
with Africa in line with its industrialization objectives.  
782.  Paulo Salesi Kautoke, Head of Trade, Commonwealth Secret ariat stated that trade 
costs were 50% higher for small states and 100% higher of African LLDCs than the developing 
country average. Small states in Africa also had limited economic activity resulting in a bias in 
global shipping connectivity. Entry into f orce of the Trade Facilitation Agreement was an important 
step to help the small economies in tackling the issue of high trade costs. However, the TFA did 
not address some of the inherent disadvantages of small economies and Sub -Saharan African 
LLDCs inclu ding infrastructure to connect to por ts. It was essential to use Aid-for-Trade support to 
develop trade infrastructure, implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and to increase 
services trade capacity. However, support to TFA implementation shoul d not substitute support to 
other trade -related needs.  
783.  Matthias Helble, Senior Economist, Asian Development Bank Institute highlighted 
the key messages from ADBI's recent book on the importance of trade in contributing to the SDGs. 
He noted that trade can  contribute to improving access to medicines, education and clean water. 
Further, complementary polices were needed to ensure that trade was inclusive.  
784.  Frans Lammersen, Principal Administrator, Development Co -operation Directorate, 
OECD reflected on the p ast, present and the future of the A id-for-Trade Initiative. The WTO had 
succeeded in establishing an inclusive policy dialogue between various stakeholders within the 
trade and development community based on transparency and accountability. The ini tiative  had 
been flexible and covered  nume rous themes. The initiative had also succeeded in mainstreaming 
trade into developing cou ntries' development strategies and donors were aligning their support 
around these priorities. Donor support had doubled since the s tart of the Initiative. There were 
now various empirical A id-for-Trade case stories that showed how A id for Trade worked to increase 
trade, export diversification and made a difference in the lives of men and women in developing 
countries. He reiterated ho w the SDGs called for more and better delivery of A id for Trade. He 
emphasized that building trade capacity was a long term effort and the benefits of trade also took 
time to materialize – typically 10 -20 years. It was important to look more closely at wha t was 
working, including the benefits of South -South Cooperation, engage the private sector as an actor, 
regional programs, financing modalities, binding constraints in different country contexts and to 
examine trade as a tool for transforming economies. T here needed to be a renewed effort to 
convince the donor community that this was a worthwhile initiative and to remain engaged. To 
stay relevant, A id for Trade needed to link to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs. Further, 
he recommende d that Aid for  Trade focus on: geographically isolated countries as well as isolation 
within countries , access to finance , non-tariff barriers , and trade costs. Aid for Trade needed to 
scope in on issues relating to climate change and adaptation; services and mainstreaming gender. 
He concurred with Mr Priyadarshi's recommendation that the next work programme focus on Aid 
for Trade for Economic Em powerment.  
785.  In reply to a question from the moderator, Mr Priyadars hi, on the way forward, participants 
made the following remarks:  
 Tomochika Uyama, Deputy Director -General, Economic Affairs Bureau, Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, Japan  recommended that Aid f or Trade should also look at the issue of 
digitalization particularly on how it could increase SME's and women's participation in 
international trade, as well as, its linkages with investment liberalization to achieve 
industrialization.  
 
 Fekitamoeloa Katoa  'Utoikamanu, Under Secretary -General and High 
Representative, UNOHRLLS  noted that it was also important to coordinate the efforts of 
development agencies and the donor community in order use available resources in the 
most efficient manner.  
 
 J S Deepak, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the WTO, India 
emphasized that  there was a need to increase A id-for-Trade support to digital connectivity 
and services needs particularly in providing broadband infrastructure to the unconnected. 
Without focusing on these basic connectivity needs, many more would be left behind.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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 Paulo Salesi Kautoke, Head of Trade, Commonwealth Secretariat  stated that focus 
should be on inclusiveness particularly rural and urban areas, of small economies and 
LLDCs, and o f women and SMEs. Aid for Trade to trade -related adjustment support should 
also be considered.  
 
 Matthias Helble, Senior Economist, Asian Development Bank Institute  also 
reiterated the need to focus on trade -related adjustment support.  
 
786.  In closing, Mr Priy adarshi noted the unanimity amongst the panel for the future work of Aid 
for Trade to focus on tools for holistic economic empowerment, poverty alleviation and inclusivity. 
In addition, the initiative should address geographical isolation (both internation al and national) 
and gender discrimination. Finally, he emphasized the importance of being innovative in forging 
partnerships and in demonstrating results.  
 
 
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  Session 5 4: Side Event : "Book Launch: Trade and the Sustainable Development Goals: 
Achieving Wi n-Wins"  - Organizer: Asian Development Bank Institute  
Panel:  
 
 Matthias Helble, Senior Economist, Asian 
Development Bank Institute  
 
 Frans Lammersen, Principal Administrator, 
Development and Co -operation Directorate, 
Organisation of Economic Co -operation and 
Development  
 
 Aik Hoe Lim, Director, Trade and 
Environment Division, World Trade 
Organization  
 
 Ben Shepherd, Principal, Developing  Trade 
Consultants  Overview  
 
The recently agreed Sustainable Development 
Goals are expected to guide development 
through the 2030 time horizon. The 17 SDGs 
cover many areas, such as poverty, health, 
sustainable development, and the environment; 
however, th ere is no specific SDG trade goal. 
The objective of this book is to demonstrate to 
the international development community, 
including policymakers in developing countries, 
the contribution that international trade can 
make to achieve the SDGs. This book ma ps out 
a triple -win scenario: when good trade policy 
spurs international trade, contributes to 
development -friendly outcomes, and supports 
achieving the SDGs.  
 
Short Summary  
 
787.  The recently agreed Sustainable Development Goals are expected to guide development 
through the 2030 time horizon. The 17 SDGs cover many areas, such as poverty, health, 
sustainable development, and the environment; however, there is no specific SDG trade goal. The 
book "Trade and the Sustainable Development Goals: Achieving W in-Wins"  was presented by its 
authors to demonstrate to the international development community, including policymakers in 
developing countries, the contribution that international trade could make to achieving the SDGs.  
Summary  
 
788.  Matthias Helble, Senior Ec onomist, Asian Development Bank Institute  introduced the 
panel and presented the publication about how trade can help achieve the SDGs. He emphasized 
that the focus of the book was to understand trade as a means of implementation and to look 
beyond the inc ome channel. He indicated that the first part of the book looked at the links 
between trade, poverty, hunger and inclusive growth. Part two was on sustainable growth and 
covered topics including climate change, sustainable fisheries, water and sanitation a nd food 
labelling. Part three covered the links between education, health and trade. Lastly, the book 
looked at other linkages such as urbanisation and infrastructure.  
789.  Aik Hoe Lim, Director, Trade and Environment Division, World Trade Organization  
discuss ed how the book was timely. Firstly, he indicated that the world economy had benefited 
from the momentum of freer trade, which had also worked as a vehicle for lifting millions out of 
poverty. However, that engine was slowing down and affecting growth. Sec ondly, there had been a 
certain backlash against trade and globali zation with many people being left excluded from the 
gains from trade. Therefore, despite having lifted many people out of poverty, he wondered how 
trade could be more inclusive. He noted that such concerns were inter -related and one could not 
be addressed without the other. He mentioned that trade was not specifically cited as a goal in the 
2030 Agenda but it was recognized as an important means of implementation. He emphasized that 
the book was useful since it gave expert evidence insights into how trade c ould support the SDGs 
and in some cases where trade could be a target – for instance elimination of fisheries subsidies 
and illegal and unregulated unreported fishing was a target and was under negotiations in the 
WTO under the rules negotiations.  
790.  He indi cated that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were often referred to in 
relation to the SDGs. He said the MDGs were launched during a period of rapid globalization; and 
trade had grown at twice the rate of economic output, which was no longer the case . He 
emphasized that up to US$7 trillion would be needed to finance the SDG s through to 2030. In this 
regard, he believed that trade could play an important role in financing the achievement of the 
SDGs.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  791.  He referred to education being one of the goals in the SDGs, which he indicated as another 
overarching cross -cutting goal. He emphasized that people would need to have the tools, 
knowledge and skills to compete in the global economy. In this regard, he raised the question as 
to whether trade could do more to boost education services – an integral backdrop to his chapter. 
He noted that trade agreements and services could often be used to try to attract FDI, reduce 
barriers to entry, drive efficiency, enlarge choices, and improve infrastructure. He stated tha t 
education was also a public good and was needed to attain social objectives. Therefore, it would be 
important to look at a balance between using trade agreements to improve education services. He 
suggested looking at the modalities by which education ser vices could be traded. He recognized 
that there were more commitments particularly in preferential trade arrangements (PTAs) on 
services. He suggested looking more deeply at the regulatory framework that would be needed to 
accompany the opening of educatio n services and the commitments taken in education services 
agreements.  
792.  Ben Shepherd, Principal, Developing Trade Consultants mentioned that he felt there 
was an opportunity to make good trade policies that promoted economic efficiency and reduced 
distorti on, but it could also be a win -win for sustainable development, thus promoting inclusivity, 
environmental sustainability, and gender inclusion, all of which had prominence in the SDGs. He 
noted that trade was not a goal in the SDGs, and that trade was neve r and would never be an end 
in itself. Therefore, it would always be a means of implementation and a means of doing 
something. He raised the issue on the number of ways to produce different results and analyses, 
which could understate the true level of imp act of trade on consumers and producers. For 
instance, focusing solely on tariffs would not necessarily indicate the binding constraint on exports. 
Furthermore, there was no such tracking of non -tariff measures in the SDG process.  
793.  His other motivation to collaborate with the authors for the book was related to non -income 
linkages. He believed that trade could help produce income growth, which could subsequently help 
produce sustainable and inclusive development. However, he recognized that the development 
discourse would not necessarily support the view that trade could lead to income growth. In this 
regard, he expressed the importance of illustrating that good trade policies could help promote 
development in many ways. He gave the example of the trade poli cies in health, which he 
considered to be restrictive, including import bans on pharmaceutical products thus resulting in 
difficult access for important health products for many countries.  
794.  Frans Lammersen, Principal Administrator, Development and Co -opera tion 
Directorate, Organisation of Economic Co -operation and Development expressed the 
importance of the book for many reasons, including the timely publication of the book in light of 
the current backlash against trade. He referred to the Addis Ababa Actio n Agenda, as well as the 
previous Financing for Development Agendas in which trade was integral for development. He 
indicated that the importance of trade as the largest source of foreign cu rrency for developing and 
least developed countries. He invited th e authors to also present the book at the OECD, since he 
felt that it was an important basis for knowledge. He also suggested translating it into something 
more accessible for civil servants, including infograms.  
795.  A comment was raised from the floor to inc lude tourism in a revised version. A participant 
expanded on a point raised by the panel about the effects of trade barriers on products such as 
health and referred to a study that indicated additional deaths caused by trade barriers on goods 
like mosquito  nets. Therefore by simply reducing tariffs on goods such as mosquito nets could save 
a number of lives.   
796.  A question was raised on what recommendations could be made to WTO Members on 
moving the trade and gender agenda forwards. Moreover, a further commen t was mentioned to 
the panel for a further understanding on the focus of the book. A final question questioned how 
trade could help resolve issues such as fishing subsidies.  
797.  Ben Shepherd referred back to the point raised on mosquito nets and said that it w ould be 
hard to identify in trade data what could be a mosquito net and what could be a related type of 
netting. In terms of women and trade, he mentioned that many organi zations had become very 
focused on the link between women and trade. He referred to t he Chapter that focused on 
women's roles in the trading economy as producers, workers, consumers' cross -border traders and 
also as business owners. He noted that the UNCTAD Toolbox was a great step forward, and future 
advancements could be made in relation  to the labour market, consumption and ownership. He WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  mentioned that many countries did not collect statistics on production and consumption 
disaggregated by gender. Therefore data should be a number one priority.  
798.  Aik Loe Him referred to the WTO negotiations related to eliminating and prohibiting fishery 
subsidies and over fishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. He noted that there were 
also discussions about waste in general – a problem for fish and more broadly for resources. He 
said that it was important to look at the effects of trade in an evidence -based way and in terms of 
what makes good policy. He expressed that when seeking to promote use of a certain good or 
service, it would not make sense to impose high punitive tariffs.  
799.  Matthias Helble agreed that a certain degree of openness could help growth and add more 
productivity. He recognized that some people had been left behind and that there had been a 
backlash to globalization in the developed world. He emphasized the importanc e of coming 
together with public health experts.  
800.  A final question was raised from the floor on why the trade community was not more 
involved in the practical process of formulating the SDGs. Ben Shepherd noted that there had been 
an issue of communication as well as what he termed  "bureaucratic history ". He mentioned that 
the climate was different when formulating the SDGs and this had been more of a political 
negotiation in comparison to the MDGs, which had been more of a technical exercise .  
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  Session 5 5: Closing plenary  – Organizer: W orld Trade Organization  
Overview  
The plenary session provided an opportunity for Members and Observers to make formal 
statements on the theme of "Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and Connectivity for Sustainable 
Development" and to offer views on the future direction of the Aid -for-Trade Initiative.  
 
This session was presided by the Chair of the World Trade Organization Committee on Trade and 
Development, Taonga Mushayavanhu, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Zimbabwe to  the 
World Trade Organization.  
 
Director -General Roberto Azevêdo  offered concluded remarks after the interventions by 
Members and closed the Aid for Trade Global Review 2017.  
 
Summary  
801.  Taonga Mushayavanhu, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the WTO,  
Zimbabwe and Chair of the WTO Committee on Trade and Development , noted that the Aid 
for Trade Global Review 2017 had brought together a diverse group of Ministers, Heads of 
Organizations, and trade and development professionals. He referred to the enrich ing discussions 
that had taken place over the three days on the theme of "Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and 
Connectivity for Sustainable Development". He highlighted some key messages. First, he 
mentioned that enhanced connectivity could offer significant  opportunities for growth, 
development and job creation, particularly in sectors, countries and segments of the population 
that needed the most assistance to participate in international trade. It could make trade more 
inclusive and could accelerate progre ss in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Second, 
digital connectivity intertwined with physical connectivity. He urged Members to start considering 
digital connectivity as a trade cost and to discuss how Aid for Trade could help meet the 
infrastr ucture needs in developing countries, particularly for landlocked developing countries. 
Third, he emphasized how connectivity and trade could contribute to women's economic 
empowerment and that it was important to consider the gender dimension, particularl y in trade 
policy formulation. Lastly, he drew attention to the need to boost capacity to produce tradeable 
goods and services, the need to industrialize, the need for technology transfer, the need to train 
and the need for equitable trading terms.  
802.  China, speaking on behalf of the Friends of Investment Facilitation for 
Development (FIFD) , mentioned that 12 years had passed since the launch of the Aid -for-Trade 
Initiative in 2005, which had proven to be very successful in terms of providing support and 
building trade capacities  to the developing Members and least d eveloped countries in the WTO. 
The representative stated the task of achieving the SDGs would require more comprehensive and 
multidimensional coordination among WTO Members. He referred to the works hop on investment 
facilitation for development that had taken place immediately prior to the Global Review, during 
which there was a consistent message that trade, investment and development were closely 
interlinked and were mutually reinforcing. He indica ted that in the process of globaliz ation, the 
essence of FDI had changed from the flow of capital to the flow of information and knowledge; and 
that FDI was a catalyst for urbanization, industrialization and inclusion into global value chains. In 
this regard, he suggested that aid for investment could become equall y important to ensure 
inclusive development. He informed participants that FIFD was a group with an open mandate and 
that promoted informal dialogues on investment facilitation for development in the WTO. FIFD 
Members shared the conviction that investment itself meant development and that the multilateral 
coordination on investment facilitation could create a win -win for both the investor and recipients. 
He referred to the categories of investment identified by UNCTAD: investment liberalization, 
promotion, protection and facilitation. He noted that investment facilitation could be discussed 
multilaterally, as it would not impact governments' right to regulate. He mentioned that ongoing 
open-ended dialogues were taking place with a focus on exploring the poss ible role of the WTO in 
facilitating investment and providing aid to those Members in need. He encouraged all WTO 
Members, in particular developing country Members and LDCs, to be open minded to this dialogue, 
which provided an opportunity to share ideas o n investment.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  803.  The representative of Cameroon  expressed appreciation for the Global Review. It had 
given his delegation renewed insights on connectivity. Cameroon's wish was that more should be 
done to allow developing countries to find their place in inte rnational trade. He then recalled a few 
elements that had been brought up by his delegation during the Global R eview preparations. 
Industrializ ation needed to remain at the core of w ork. It was through industrializ ation that 
developing countries' efforts w ould gain value. In an April 2017 press release, the WTO Secretariat 
had raised the fact that exports from developing countries had increased in volume, but not in 
value. The  equation formed by industrializ ation, product valuation and value cha ins made the  
whole difference. Cameroon had shared the idea for a review to take place before the launch of the 
7th Global Review of Aid for Trade. This review would consist in a holistic approach on monitoring 
and evaluation, by the Committee on Trade and Development  and by the General Council, to 
examine the perspective of the Aid-for-Trade's Initiative's objectives as initially elaborated in the 
task force. The review would necessarily include the whole preparation process, as well as its 
periodicity. These points t hat Cameroon had raised, he wished to reiterate so that they could be 
duly taken into account, prior to launching preparations for the 7th Global Review of Aid for Trade.  
804.  The representative of India  noted that the Global Review had highlighted some importa nt 
elements. He referred to the At a Glance Report and mentioned key take away messages: (i) the 
importance of addressing traditional physical connectivity constraints in order to unlock the 
opportunities created by digitalization and digital trade;  and (i i) the digital divide  meant that 
3.9 billion people did not have access to the internet, many of whom lived in LDCs. He said that 
the digital divide could also be viewed as a market access divide with digital connections as a trade 
cost. He mentioned that India attached importance to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development and the overarching objective of poverty eradication. He was encouraged by the 
growth of South -South Cooperation and informed participants that India had provided 
development assistan ce to partner countries through lines of credit, grant assistance projects and 
capacity building programmes. Since 2005, 243 lines of credits on concessional terms had been 
extended to LDCs and developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America in vari ous sectors, of 
which US$9.32 billion had been allocated for African countries and US$14. 88 billion for non -African 
countries. Moreover, he informed participants that under the Indian Technical and Economic 
Cooperation and other schemes, 12,900 training sl ots had been offered to 161 developing 
countries from 2017 to 2018.  
805.  Initiatives to strengthen cross -border connectivity with India' s neighbours were making 
progress. For example, in order to enhance connectivity with Myanmar, as well as the ASEAN 
region, physical connectivity from India to Thailand was being established through a 
1,360 kilometre trilateral highway starting from Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand and 
through Mandalay in Myanmar. An example of India -Africa Cooperation was the Pan -Africa n 
e-Network project launched in February 2009, which provided tele -education and telemedicine 
services by linking educational and medical centres in India with their counterparts in 54 African 
countries. South -South Cooperation could complement North -South  Cooperation but could not 
substitute it. Unlike South -South Cooperation, which was voluntary, North -South Cooperation was 
an obligation and essential to enable developing countries to reach internationally -agreed 
development goals within their agreed time lines; this included the long -standing commitment to 
bring developed country's ODA levels to 0.7% of their GNI.  
806.  The Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration had clearly stated that Aid for Trade could not be a 
substitute for the development benefits that would r esult from a successful conclusion to the D oha 
Development Agenda , particularly on market access. He said that successful conclusion of the 
Doha Round was a shared responsibility of all WTO mem bers. He mentioned that the Aid -for-Trade 
Task Force in its 200 6 report emphasized that additional, predictable, sustainable and effective 
financing was fundamental for fulfilling the Aid -for-Trade mandate, in particular to enable 
developing countries, particularly LDCs, to use trade more effectively to promote growth , 
development and poverty eradication and to achieve their development objectives. He also noted 
that the Task Force had mandated the Director -General to consult on appropriate mechanisms to 
secure additional financial resources for Aid for Trade so that t he joint mandate in Paragraph 57 of 
the Hong Kong Declaration could be implemented in a holistic manner. He stated that the donors 
had also made pledges at the Hong Kong Ministerial and the Gleneagles Summit in 2005 and that 
aid flows would increase to US$ 50 billion per annum by 2010. However, he said that according to 
the Aid for Trade at a Glance 2017, only US$333.1 billion had been disbursed for financing 
Aid-for-Trade programmes and projects s ince the launch of the Aid -for-Trade Initiative, which was 
quite less in comparison to pledges of US$50 billion per annum made in Gleneagles.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  807.  He considered that holding biennial Global Reviews of Aid for Trade without strong evidence 
of additional, predictable, sustainable and effective financing could reduce their  meaningfulness. In 
his concluding remarks, he supported the statement by Cameroon on the way forward and 
reiterated India's position as indicated in the Dedicated Session of the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD) on the Aid for Trade in February 201 7. Before the launch of the next Global 
Review, India hoped to have a holistic review of the entire Monitoring and Evaluation exercise by 
the CTD and the General Council in light of the objectives of Aid for Trade, including the 
preparatory process and the  frequency of the Global Review.  
808.  The representative of the Republic of Korea  expressed his appreciation to the WTO 
Secretariat for the excellent preparations of the Global Review and that it had provided a valuable 
opportunity to take stock of Aid for Trad e, how Aid for Trade could help promote trade, 
inclusiveness and connectivity more effectively and how it could c ontribute to achieving the 
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He informed participants that Korea had hosted a 
regional workshop on promo ting connectivity through trade facilitation and Aid for Trade in 
Incheon, Korea from 27 to 28 March 2017, during which there were discussions on Aid -for-Trade 
efforts at regional and sub -regional levels. Moreover, he said that Korea had been providing Aid  for 
Trade to assist developing countries with customs modernization and trade facilitation. He stated 
that from 2000 to 2015, Korea was ranked the seventh biggest donor of Aid for Trade, and it 
accounted for around 45% of Korea' s total ODA. He informed pa rticipants that Korea' s 
Aid-for-Trade programme was mainly focused on building trade -related infrastructure, modernizing 
customs administration, and supporting the implementation of the Trade  Facilitation Agreement . In 
addition, he mentioned that Korea had  contributed US$1 million to the second phase of the 
Enhanced Integrated Framework. In his concluding remarks, he emphasized that Korea was 
committed to continuing its efforts to help build trade capacities of developing countries and that 
Korea would also  ensure that positive outcomes of Aid for Trade would lead to a greater 
participation of small and medium -sized enterprises (SMEs) in international trade and to promote 
women 's economic empowerment, thereby contributing to achieving the SDGs.  
809.  The represent ative of Japan  congratulated the Secretariat for the success of the Global 
Review, which he believed was held at a critical juncture and noted the timely theme of 
"connectivity". He indicated that the Global Review was held for the first time since the ado ption of 
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He stated that the SDGs were common goals for 
the international community at which Aid for Trade was directed. He said that economic growth 
expanded the resources of the country, ultimately becoming the  necessary foundation for the 
enhancement of human security and the eradication of poverty and hunger. Second, he stated that 
it was held at a time of the growth in protectionism and increased global scepticism about trade. 
He said that in order to ensure inclusive trade, Aid for Trade should continue to play an important 
role.  
810.  He noted that promoting trade facilitation and digital trade would contribute to improving 
connectivity was widely discussed during the Global Review. Moreover, he reaffirmed the 
importance of combining various elements such as hard infrastructure, human resource 
development, regulatory framework and gender empowerment. He stated that Japan was a top 
donor country of Aid for Trade and had provided assistance amounting to more than US $45 billion 
between 2006 and 2015. For instance, Japan was providing comprehensive assistance, including in 
the areas of productive capacity building, as well as trade policy and regulations in order to meet 
the needs of the recipient countries. He informe d participants that Japan had recently made an 
additional contribution to the WTO Global Trust Fund for the second time this year amounting to 
approximately CHF450,000. He mentioned that Japan would continue providing Aid for Trade to 
developing countries,  including LDCs, though various initiatives such as High Quality 
Infrastructure, One -Stop Border Posts and the One Village, One Product movement.  
811.  He informed participants that Japan would be implementing the pledge, announced by 
Prime  Minister Abe at TICA D VI last year, to provide support of US$30 billion, including private 
investment to Africa. He hoped this would help African countries to pursue their strategic visions 
envisaged in the Agenda 2063. He also reiterated that mobilization of private resource s, including 
FDI, played important roles in areas such as trade facilitation and digital trade, and that a good 
investment environment including policy consistency and transparency was critical. He hoped that 
the ownership by developing countries and the c atalyst effect of Aid for Trade would create good 
synergies and lead to sustainable economic growth.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  812.  The representative of Zambia congratulated the Chairman for successfully convening the 
Global Review. She commended and thanked the Director -General for his continued commitment 
and leadership in ensuring that issues of interest to LDCs remained relevant to the regular work of 
the WTO , and the Agenda for MC11. She stated that the Global Review provided an important 
platform for Members and development partners to deliberate on ways and means of addressing 
supply -side capacity and trade -related infrastructure constraints affecting many developing 
countries, in particular the LDCs. She referred to the 2017 At a Glance Report, which highlighted a 
number of challenges faced by many developing countries. She noted that most LDCs had a long 
way to go to graduate due to the uneven progress in the levels of development and that current 
efforts were being hampered due to climate change, poor trade relations, poor connectivity, high 
cost of doing business, poor infrastructure and low productivity. She expressed that on the 
resourcing front, the no ticeable decline in both multilateral and bilateral donor commitments was a 
concern for many LDCs. Real impact could only be attained if Aid -for-Trade initiatives were 
adequately resourced, sequenced and implemented according to national and/or regional pr iority 
needs. She said that there was a need for concerted effort at a national and global level. For 
example, Zambia being both landlocked and an LDC had a greater need for huge resources outside 
of the national budget to finance large scale infrastructur e projects. She indicated that effective 
implementation of Aid -for-Trade resources could bring about a lasting impact on the beneficiary 
countries, especially LDCs and LLDCs which had greater resource needs.  
813.  Going forward, she mentioned that effective and  successfu l implementation of the 
Aid-for-Trade Initiative would require a well -coordinated approach among development partners 
and aid recipient countries. She expressed that there was a need for an integrated, systematic and 
coherent process that could provide a more reliable platform for discus sions aimed at addressing 
any specific gaps which may occur in the course of implementing the Aid -for-Trade Initiative. She 
suggested that development partners could base their support on priority needs, projects and 
programmes identified by developing cou ntries and LDCs, as well as by their potential merit in 
relation to the objectives of the Aid -for-Trade Initiative.  
814.  She called for increased efforts to improve infrastructure, services, technology and 
innovation to support genuine and pro -poor growth. She  noted that true structural transformation 
would only occur when these concerns were adequately addressed. Therefore, she urged concrete 
commitments to increase financial and technical assistance to LDCs. Furthermore, she mentioned 
that there was a need to  continue to support efforts directed at integrating and mainstreaming 
Aid-for-Trade initiatives into national planning frameworks.  
815.  She informed participants that Zambia had moved from sectoral based planning to an 
integrated development approach through the National Development Planning Process and referred 
to the recently launched 7th National Development Plan 2017, which recognized the multi -faceted 
and inter -linked nature of sustainable development and called for interventions to be tackled 
simultaneou sly through a coordinated approach to implementing development programmes.  
816.  In addition, she s aid that the Government recogniz ed the need to put in place a unified 
trade policy review framework for assessing progress not only fo r the implementation of the 
Aid-for-Trade Initiative, but also for other global development initiatives that had been recently 
adopted and were all closely linked. In conclusion, she reiterated that Zambia remained resolute 
and committed to the cause of ensuring that LDCs could move out of this category.  
817.  The representative of Mali , on behalf of the Cotton -4 countries, thanked the WTO and its 
collaborators for the success of the Global Review. He thanked the development partners for 
having contributed to the financing of development p rogrammes since the last Global Review in 
2015. He noted that progress had been made, but a lot still remained to be done. He referred to 
the 2015 Ministerial Declarations in which Members underlined the important link between Aid for 
Trade and the questio n of cotton, as well as financing programmes and projects linked to cotton. 
He informed participants about the "Route Programme on Cotton", which emphasized the 
importance of value chains and connectivity. It had been initiated by the C -4 and officially 
launched on 20 April 2017 in Cotonou, Benin. He welcomed the contribution of Members to 
implement the programme through Aid for Trade and the EIF. He informed participants that the 
final documents would be circulated to partners in the near future.  
818.  The repr esentative of Chinese Taipei expressed his appreciation to the WTO Secretariat 
for organizing the Global Review. He informed participants that Chinese Taipei had disbursed a WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  total of US$303 million on ODA in 2016, and that more than 25% of this was devoted  to improving 
the economic infrastructure and production systems in recipient countries. In 2015 and 2017, he 
noted that Chinese Taipei had made additional voluntary contributions totalling US$200,000 to the 
Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL), which was als o an expression of their appreciation of the 
high quality of legal advice and training courses provided by the ACWL to developing country 
Members and LDCs.   
819.  He referred to the Aid -for-Trade side event hosted by Chinese Taipei, which was designed  to 
commun icate and to discuss " E-Commerce, Connectivity and Development ". He said that 
participants had considered the general problem of the "digital divide" and raised the specific 
problem of cyberspace trade barriers (CTBs), which tended to be a pplied in the ear ly stages of 
e-trade transactions. Moreover, he shared some experiences from their own e -commerce projects 
in Latin America. In Guatemala, for example, their technical a ssistance team had set up an 
"e-commerce online platform" for the Association of MSMEs in the Tourism Industry. This had 
enabled travel agencies to advertise their tour packages on their websites and to attract new 
foreign tourists through the internet. Moreover, Chinese Taipei had also helped a further 15 MSMEs 
in other industries to design  their own websites, and provided them with special training 
programmes. As a result, they had made new e -commerce transactions worth US$1 million from 
2011 and 2012. In the Dominican Republic, Chinese Taipei had also provided expertise and 
capacity to bui ld e-commerce online platforms for the Bamboo Marketing Association and the Metal 
Processing Industry. These projects enabled both industries to promote their businesses online and 
helped local MSMEs in these two industries to expand their markets.   
820.  He me ntioned that connectivity to the world of e-commerce was the most important 
challenge to be overcome. He suggested that the elimination of CTBs at all stages of e -trade 
transactions, as well as the establishment of reciprocal and equal access to the Intern et for every 
WTO Member would be the only way to ensure that developing and LDC Members could have the 
chance to enjoy the future benefits of e -commerce, and to participate in global value chains.  
821.  In his concluding remarks, he reaffirmed Chinese Taipei's commitment to the Aid -for-Trade 
Initiative and that they stood ready to work with development partners to help facilitate 
connectivity to e -commerce, to help establish a trading environment of reciprocal and equal 
internet access for all, and to advance th e integration of developing country Members and LDCs 
into the multilateral trading system, which he considered key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable Development.  
822.  The representative of Norway  emphasized that the themes had been well chosen and 
that the discussions during the Global Review had been extremely interesting and enlightening. He 
posed the question as to how to promote trade inclusiveness and connectivity for sustainable 
development. He indicated that the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs were th e roadmap to the future, 
also in terms of managing globalization and trade. However, he said that this roadmap would show 
the right direction but would not take us there. In this regard, collective efforts would help 
Members to achieve the SDGs.  
823.  The Norwe gian G overnment had published a paper on the SDGs and the Norwegian 
Development Policy, which elaborated how Norway would contribute to these goals. He indicated 
that Aid for Trade was an important part of Norway's response. He emphasized that digital 
connectivity could provide opportunities for inclusive trade and job creation in developing countries 
and he reiterated the importance to work on regulations and predictable frameworks, as well as 
private investment. He said that enhancing developing countries  and LDCs capacity on digital trade 
should be key when discussing connectivity, as well as ensuring access for all to digital 
infrastructure and low cost ICT products. He referred to the recent Information Technology 
Agreement (ITA) Symposium, which had il lustrated how entrepreneurs in developing countries 
could enter GVCs as they have access to duty -free ICT products through their government's 
participation in the ITA. He noted that the majority of these entrepreneurs were MSMEs.  
824.  Member s' work towards ass isting developing countries and LDCs to climb the value chain 
should include a particular focus on ensuring equal access for both men and women to reap the 
benefits of digital connectivity. He said that inclusive trade meant paying special attention to 
ensure that women could take part in and benefit from digital trade at the same level as men. 
Moreover, he stated that expanding trade and promoting the multilateral trading system under the 
WTO were important parts of the 2030 Agenda. He stated that trade an d foreign investment were WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  drivers in the global economy and that transparent and predictable policies were key to achieving 
more trade and more foreign investment, which could lead to economic growth and sustainable 
development. He emphasized the continued  support for the multilateral trading system, as well as 
demonstrating the will to stand up against protectionism was more important than ever.  
825.  The representative of Zimbabwe thanked the Secretariat for organising a successful 
Global Review. He took the o pportunity to thank development partners for giving Zimbabwe 
assistance in the area for Aid for Trade within the various fram eworks of South -South, 
North -South and Triangular cooperation. He said that for most developing countries, the focus 
should now shi ft towards value chain support so that producers in developing countries could link 
to national, regional and international value chains, which would have a positive impact on small 
producers, as well as SMEs, in domestic, regional and international trade participation. He believed 
that value chain support was an important stepping stone towards inclusive and sustainable 
industrialisation, as well as poverty eradication. In his concluding remarks, he mentioned that the 
Global Review  had also highlighted the  challenges faced by landlocked developing countries, such 
as the high cost of ICT connectivity. In this regard, it was important to develop initiatives that 
addressed the vulnerabilities of LLDCs so that they were not left out from the benefits of trade.  
826.  Axel Addy, Minister of Trade, Liberia , mentioned that he had participated in sessions 
during the Global Review that showcased how Aid for Trade could help advance the 2030 Agenda 
for Sustainable Development with much emphasis placed on women's empowerment.  He said that 
he was honoured to be back in Geneva to speak at the G lobal Review  albeit this time as the 163rd 
Member of the WTO. He noted that Liberia valued its Membership to the WTO and the process of 
accession had served as a blueprint, roadmap and a f oundation to build on the full transformation 
of Liberia's economy. He indicated that Liberia would ensure full integration into the multilateral 
trading system by implementing a reform agenda that would improve the business climate and by 
ensuring that tr ansparency and predictability in the way business is conducted. He emphasized 
that the process to accession had taken over eight years and he hoped that in 25 years' time the 
future Minister of Commerce from Liberia would be standing in the same room stati ng that Liberia 
was one of the largest exporter of oil palm products, rubber products and a destination for 
tourism.  
827.  Trade mattered more than ever in the history of our world. Healthy competition, predictable 
and transparent trade could showcase innovation , particularly since he felt that too many 
innovators were operating in an invisible economy with no desire to come from the shadows of 
informality and tap into the many opportunities that could take their production to scale. However, 
he mentioned that Ai d-for-Trade initiatives had brought to light some of the many innovations 
often traded in the informal sector. He emphasized how innovation could facilitate sustainable 
livelihoods for vulnerable populations, particularly for women and youth.  
828.  Some of the biggest champions of trade were rethinking their positions in the world, 
whether to look within for strength or to continue to look outward. Fundamentally, with the 
advancement of technology and with so many innovations, policy makers were questioning the 
value of trade and the protection of jobs. He believed that integration across our borders was 
necessary for growth and survival. He emphasized that trade should foster the transformation of 
the people and that the quality of trade mattered more now than e ver, as it could be a vehicle to 
ensure that no person would be left behind. He said that Aid for Trade should ensure that 
countries, in particular  the least developed, could catch up in their readiness to compete globally. 
He stated that the world was div ided only by borders, as technology had brought us closer than 
ever. In this regard, connectivity had allowed innovators to leap -frog their operations into 
multinational corporations such as Google, Apple, Samsung and Alibaba. He took the opportunity 
to ap plaud the innovators present at the Global Review that were driving hope. He gave the 
example of young entrepreneurs, including an entrepreneur selling waste palm coconut shell as a 
product for biofuel companies in Portugal and another entrepreneur who was  beginning to process 
spices to export to markets in New York.  
829.  In his concluding remarks, he took the opportunity to extend his gratitude to the 
Director -General, who stayed true to his words during the Bali Ministerial when he assured 
President Ellen John son Sirleaf that Liberia would become a Member at the Nairobi Ministerial 
Conference in 2015. He said that Liberia remained committed to the organization.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  830.  The representative of United States said that his delegation had learnt a lot and had 
benefited from the interactions during the Global Review. He noted that this year's Global Review 
focused on trade, inclusiveness and connectivity for sustainable development and built on the 
theme of reducing trade costs in the 5th Global Review. He stated that the Glob al Review helped to 
expand his delegation 's understanding on trade costs in the digital domain and allowed 
participants to reflect on the changing nature of trade. He recognized the importance of 
mainstreaming gender and women's empowerment as a cross -cutting theme during the Global 
Review.  
831.  He referred to the At a Glance Publication, in which it noted that digital networks could be 
another avenue for developing countries to connect to global trade. He said that digital 
connectivity was pertinent to other m odes of physical connectivity such as air, sea, road and rail.  
832.  The U nited States had hosted a side event on new trends in the digital economy, 
connectivity innovation and assistance. He said that during the session, participants had reflected 
on how busine ss transactions, including cross -border transactions would increasingly depend on 
the internet and access to information communication technology (ICT). Companies that could sell 
their products and services online were more likely to export, which undersco red the importance of 
the digital economy as a driver of innovation, competitiveness, growth and trade. It also 
highlighted the challenges related to connectivity, affordability of ICT goods and services, 
establishing a digital presence, trade facilitation , and the enduring challenge of logistics. The panel 
discussed how the work of USAID and its partners were adapting to the ever -changing digital 
landscape to help expand digitally -enabled trade in the developing world.  
833.  He was pleased that the Global Revie w continued to focus on implementing th e Trade 
Facilitation Agreement , which had entered into force earlier this year. He noted that the thematic 
session and related side events during the Global Review reinforced the importance of the TFA to 
advance devel opment outcomes in the trade sphere. He said that since the TFA had been 
concluded in 2013, US Aid agencies had been magnifying their focus on trade facilitation and in 
particular helping developing countries to implement their commitments, particularly th rough the 
Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation. The Alliance illustrated that private sector voices were critical 
to trade facilitation reforms and that it utilized their insights for country selection, problem 
identification, technical solution and moni toring the impact of assistance activities through the real 
experience of traders at the border. He noted that presently the Alliance was working in Colombia, 
Ghana, Kenya and Viet N am, and there were several more countries in the pipeline. In his 
concludi ng remarks, he thanked the Director -General and the Secretariat for putting together a 
successful programme. He looked forward to engaging with other to build on the work showcased 
during the Global Review and to work towards the next review in 2019.  
834.  The r epresentative of European Union thanked the Director -General, the Secretariat and 
the Development Division for their efforts in organizing the Global Review, as well as the 
monitoring and evaluation exercise. She refer red to the statement made by  Neven Mimica , 
Commissioner of International Cooperation and Development, European Commission during the 
Global Review, who highlighted the EU's strong commitment to the mu ltilateral trading system and 
to Agenda 2030, and also presented elements of the EU's new consensus for development and 
external investment plan.  
835.  Aid for Trade had an important role in ensuring the benefits of participation, growth and 
prosperity from tra de were distributed in an inclusive and sustainable manner. It was extremely 
important that Aid for Trade contributed to a positive narrative for trade in general. She also 
emphasized the importance to monitor and evaluate the successes and to tell the pos itive stories 
in a visible and meaningful way through case stories and quantitative reporting. This would allow 
Members to look forward, to take stock and to ensure that the Initiative would stay relevant. She 
highlighted three areas of discussion during t he Global Review: (i) the need to connect the 
excluded, (ii) the need to support SMEs, and (iii) to address the issue of economic empowerment 
of women and young people. She reiterated that it had been recognized by most speakers that 
digitalisation and e -commerce had potential to contribute across the board to all these aims.  
836.  In her concluding remarks, she congratulated the WTO Secretariat and the OECD for 
selecting a very relevant theme that had borne fruit in terms of other themes. She looked forward 
to future discussions and Aid -for-Trade work to ensure that it would continue to contribute to 
inclusive, sustainable, economic empowerment and trade.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  837.  Aja Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang, Vice President, The Gambia thanked the 
Secretariat for providing The Gambia  with the opportunity to reposition itself from a difficult 
situation. She thanked donors for their support and emphasized that The Gambia was ready to 
embrace Aid for Trade in a transparent way and to improve their human development index, which 
had been stagnant for the past ten years. She said that The Gambia was committed and was 
putting people at the centre of its development. She said that 52% of the population was 
composed of women and 60% were youth, most of whom had left for the diaspora due to the  
economic situation and lack of employment. However, 6 ,000 young people had come back in light 
of the enabling environment that was recognized for its democratic values.  
838.  She indicated that women had been left behind for too long. In this regard, she empha sized 
the importance of women empowerment, as well as those marginalized including farmers and 
entrepreneurs. She highlighted specific challenges for The Gambia including infrastructure and 
capacity building. She said that The Gambia was a small country wi th talent and ingenuity, which 
needed to be supported and strengthened so that the people could have ownership of 
development. She emphasized that for a long time, The Gambia had been dependent and she 
hoped to transform that dependence syndrome. She recal led that the side events during the G lobal 
Review  had helped strengthen The Gambia's position and political commitment. She emphasized 
that women were now being put at the forefront and the President attached high importance to 
women's empowerment. She said that transparency and good governance was The G ambia's 
hallmark, and the next hallmark would be competence. She hoped that the international 
community and regional bodies would accompany her country towards development through 
capacity building in a transparent and people -oriented manner and respond to  the needs and 
reality of The Gambia and the world as a whole. In her concluding remarks, she noted that she 
would ensure that her delegation would follow up on their commitments made during the Global 
Review. Moreover, she hoped to have a platform to inte ract with WTO Members and exchange 
ideas moving ahead. Lastly, she emphasized that The Gambia was ready with strategic plans to 
put her country back on the map.  
839.  The representative of Pakistan noted that Aid for Trade was a good reminder of the 
commitment t o development and provided guidance for future course of action. He stated that 
with more than 75% of Members being developing and LDCs, development was an integral part of 
the WTO's work and that Aid for Trade was a key way for operationali zing this commi tment. He 
indicated that Pakistan greatly appreciated the Secretariat and partner institutions for their 
excellent knowledge management and logistic coordination. His delegation had experienced 
valuable experience -sharing and a clear articulation of expect ations of LDCs and developing 
Members that they had from de velopment institutions and the multilateral trading system . He 
noted that, in total, there were 55 session s on trade, inclusiveness, connectivity and sustainable 
development, an estimated 40% of wh ich had digital connectivity and e -commerce as a key 
component. A majority of the sessions culminated in highlighting the key linkage of Aid for Trade 
with e -commerce, investment facilitation, MSMEs, inclusive trade and SDGs. In his concluding 
remarks, he mentioned that with the WTO being a Member of the Geneva Gender Champions, he 
hoped to ensure that in the future Aid -for-Trade planning, there should be no gender blind panel.  
840.  The representative of Rwanda noted that  the Global Review offered an opportunity to 
Members and regions to share experience both on physical and digital connectivity, as well as the 
impact on reducing trade costs and competitiveness. He summarized key take away messages 
from the G lobal Review  including on the digital divide , the importance of bearing in mind the 
benefits of connectivity, the need to continue developing digital infrastructure and to ensure that 
the private sector was connected.  
841.  He remarked on the definition of digital industrial development and he said that empirical 
evidence showed that the digital market was highly concentrated and that only a few companies 
worldwide were dominati ng the digital market, specializ ing in management and development of 
data centres and exploiting big data. He noted that only a f ew developing countries were able to 
catch up. Moreover, he mentioned that Members did not know what kind of digital industrial 
policies could be adopted to catch up. He believed that the digital economy was evolving 
dramatically but unevenly, and that the  disruptions th at would be associated with the fourth  
industrial revolution were not yet known. In this regard, he indicated that defining roles in this 
area appeared to be premature. He said that there was no priority as to whether some suggested 
rules wo uld be able to catc h up or would further marginaliz e new comers. He suggested focusing WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  on the development of e -commerce at an international level and regional level so that the private 
sector could catch up and continue discussion in the e -commerce work pr ogramme.  
842.  He mentioned that many countries shared experience on actually how they were trying to 
catch up on past r evolutions, notably industrializ ation. Physical connectivity and electricity 
remained a challenge in many countries. He posed the question as  to whether Aid for Trade could 
help indust rialization in Africa. Aid for T rade would matter if it was oriented to the root causes of 
marginalization such as technological divide, differences in productivity, and if it was allocated to 
energy transport inf rastructure, and technology transfer. He emphasized to partners to work 
together without duplication of efforts, government and private sector, and the need to support 
the industrial development. In his concluding remarks he emphasized the importance to co rrect 
MTS unbalances and distorting subsidies.  
843.  The representative of Germany  thanked the WTO for organizing the G lobal Review , which 
allowed for in -depth discussion on how trade, inclusiveness and connectivity could be promoted in 
order to foster sustaina ble development. He associated his remarks with those delivered by the 
EU. He welcomed the strong focus on MSMEs, gender equality and the LDCs in the different 
sessions. He stated that the area of quality infrastructure was important to allow countries to fully 
utilize their trading potential under preferential market access and he looked forward to an 
increased focus on this area in the future. He noted that the High -level Political Forum was 
meeting in New York to take stock of the implementation of the 2 030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development.  
844.  He commended on the strong focus throughout the sessions on the potential of trade 
towards poverty reduction and sustainable development. He mentioned that Germany was in the 
process of realigning its policies and st rategies in the light of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development, and the G lobal Review  provided an opportunity to launch Germany's revised 
Aid-for-Trade Strategy. Looking forward, he mentioned that the Aid -for-Trade Agenda needed to 
be anchored more s trongly in the SDGs. He recalled that the 2030 Agenda called for new types of 
partnerships, bringing together governments, civil society, international organizations and private 
sector. In this regard, he provided the example of the partnership of the Glob al Alliance for Trade 
Facilitation between government and private companies.  
845.  He said that the German G20 presidency launched a new partnership with Africa to focus on 
facilitating additional private sector investment to leverage sustainable economic devel opment. He 
noted that the G20 had also agreed on the need to specifically focus on supporting youth 
employment in rural areas. Jobs, public and private investment were the highest priorities for 
German Chancellor Merkel.  
846.  In his concluding remarks, he said  that Germany was the s econd biggest bilateral 
Aid-for-Trade donor in 2015 providing more than US$5 billion and that Germany would continue to 
be a leading donor on the area of Aid for Trade. Lastly, he emphasized that his delegation would 
also continue to  support the Geneva -based international organizations in their important work in 
the area of Aid for Trade.  
847.  The representative of Benin  thanked development partners for the efforts towards 
poverty reduction by helping to transform the rural environment and  economy, including the 
integration of women, youth and MSMEs. He informed participants of the recent 2016 -2021 Action 
Plan to promote the digital economy in Benin, with e -commerce at its centre. He referred to the 
digital service platform in West Africa f or e-commerce, which would be a universal market place 
for consumers and businesses. He referred to the implementation of a national electronic mobile 
platform, an ecosystem to help digital start -ups and the promotion of MSMEs, and implementation 
of a post al system. He said the programmes would allow the deployment of the internet in Benin 
thus facilitating digital connectivity to all producers and integration into international trade. The 
programme was financed by an international budget of US$80 million. He indicated that this was a 
sign that LDCs were making great efforts to adapt to the digital revolution. In his concluding 
remarks, he suggested to make Aid for Trade more specific in terms of the 2007 recommendations 
made to the Task Force and to promote  successful experience -sharing and expertise in 
connectivity and inclusive trade.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  848.  The representative of Nepal , speaking on behalf of the LDC Group, shared his 
appreciation to the WTO Secretariat for successfully organizi ng the Global Review with 
multi-stakeholder participation. He recalled that the Aid -for-Trade Initiative, which had been 
introduced at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference of the WTO, should concentrate on creating 
positive impacts on social, economic and environmental arena, as well as maki ng Aid for Trade 
more predictable, additional, result oriented, need based/demand driven, country owned to have a 
positive impact on structural transformation of the economy, export promotion, job creation, 
poverty reduction and value chains development.  
849.  Reinforcing physical connectivity with digital connectivity was fundamental for inclusiveness, 
sustainable growth, poverty reduction, and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development, Istanbul Plan of Action for LDCs and Vienna Programme of Action for LDCs.  
850.  He expressed his appreciation for the continuous support extended by development partners 
to LDCs, including Nepal, through Aid for Trade, in areas such as trade policy and regulation, 
trade -related infrastructure, building productive capacity, trade -related adjustment and other 
trade related needs. He requested development partners to pay more attention to trade -related 
infrastructure, construction and productive capacity building. He noted that Aid for Trade should 
also support the process of r egional integration for which enhancing regional connectivity was the 
essential first step. He believed that regional integration constituted the building blocks for global 
integration. He recalled that the Nairobi Ministerial Dec laration mentioned that th e Aid -for-Trade 
Initiative should support developing country Members to build their supply -side capacity and 
trade -related infrastructure.  
851.  He emphasized the importance of systematic implementation of the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement. He informed participa nts that Nepal had already notified its category A trade 
facilitation measures to the WTO and was in the process of notification of category B and C 
measures. He suggested that the TFA should not only be confined to address border level issues 
such as stan dardization, simplification and harmonization of customs procedures but to equally 
focus on the hardware part such as developing physical infrastructure that could connect 
development with trade and establishing facilities to enhance the supply side capaci ty of trade.  
852.  He mentioned that it was important to make all international support mechanisms, including 
Aid for Trade and the Enhanced Integrated Framework more results oriented. Effective 
coordination between development partners and LDCs governments, in stitutionalizing the 
ownership and results for sustainable impacts, strengthening institutional and policy mechanism, 
leveraging the resources, addressing supply -side constraints, gender dimension of trade and 
mains treaming of trade into the LDCs'  developm ent strategy for better integration of the LDCs into 
the global trad ing system bared great importance . 
853.  He noted that the focus should be given on quality infrastructure such as storage, testing, 
warehousing, packing houses, cold storage and multifunctional  testing labs. He said that SPS and 
TBT have become challenges for food and agriculture exporters from LDCs.  
854.  In his concluding remarks he said that trade deficit posed a serious challenge to Nepal. He 
said that the TFA should also support export promotion  by way of implementing measures that 
helps in structural transformation and diversification of economies. He emphasized that the share 
of Aid for Trade to the LDCs should be commensurate with their development needs and 
challenges, as well as their struct ural constraints and multiple vulnerabilities. He urged 
development partners to ensure that at least one third of total Aid for Trade was disbursed to 
LDCs.  
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  Closing remarks by Roberto Azevêdo, Director -General, World Trade Organization  
 
855.  I want to thank a ll those who have intervened in this session. I have met with many of you, 
in one format or another, over the course of the week. I have heard your views directly. And I 
have been kept well -briefed on your contributions in those sessions that I was not abl e to attend.  
856.  There has been a great sense of energy around the Global Review – and this is reflected in 
the numbers. Over these three  days we have seen over 1,500 attendees, 55 sessions and 
hundreds of pages of analysis. We have had a lively and informed debate, looking at the 
importance of Aid for Trade, and the direction of the initiative in the coming years.  
857.  This high level of interest underlines the significance of this work.  
858.  And let's recall again the scale of what we are discussing…  
 Almost US$300 billion has been disbursed in Aid -for-Trade support since 2006.  
 The latest data available is for 2015, when disbursements reached US$39.8 billion – the 
highest amount for a single year so far.  
 146 developing countries have benefitted from this support to date – mainly in Africa and 
Asia, with 27% of the total going to LDCs.  
 
859.  Building supply side capacity and trade -related infrastructure is hugely important. It is a 
necessary complement to more open markets. And, together, this is a proven recipe for greater 
growth, development, poverty reduction and job creation.  
860.  I have heard  this message loud and clear during the course of the Global Review. But what 
else have we learned? I want to highlight some of the key messages which have struck me this 
week – and which I think may be helpful in guiding our future work.  
861.  First, I see a c lose synergy and correlation between Aid for Trade and the Sustainable 
Development Goals. Achieving economic growth is a key objective for both initiatives. In fact, the 
SDGs call for an "increase in Aid -for-Trade support for developing countries, particul arly LDCs". So 
we must ensure that Aid for Trade continues to deliver more and better – and that we improve our 
coordination across the international community.  
862.  Secondly, the Global Review has put an important spotlight on LDCs. There have been a 
number o f sessions focusing on LDCs this week. The message I take away here is that we need to 
be more innovative. We need to look more closely at the range of specific needs that these 
countries have and ensure that they are being met. For example, we may need to  look at directing 
help in different sectors.  
863.  More tha n three -quarters of overall Aid -for-Trade di sbursements go to four 
sectors:  transport and storage, energy generation and supply, agriculture, and banking and 
financial services. Of course these sectors are essential, but there may be other areas which need 
focus. Tourism has been a hot topic this week. Only 1% of Aid -for-Trade support goes directly to 
this sector. But, for many LDCs, tourism represents over 10% of G DP. So that's my second 
point - we need  to maintain our focus on LDCs, but with a greater readin ess to innovate and to 
prioritiz e support on the basis of the specific needs expressed.  
864.  My third point relates to the Trade Facilitation Agreement. With the entry into force of the 
TFA, implementati on is becoming a greater priority for both developing countries and donors. 
Infrastructure and associated services play a fundamental role in connecting developing countries 
to international markets. So this must remain an important focus – and one that ca n be viewed in 
the broader context of the sustainable development challenges that Members face.  
865.  My fourth point is about connectivity. It is clear that promoting inclusive trade for 
sustainable development requires us to improve connectivity – both physica l and digital. Without 
connectivity, trade does not take place, and we are all poorer. High trade costs have the potential 
to price many firms out of markets and reinforce economic isolation. This is also evident in the 
digital networks that intertwine wit h physical trade infrastructure, and which are integral to trade.  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74  
 
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  866.  Indeed, one thing that has struck me this week is the recognition that digital connectivity is 
essential for growth, irrespective of the sector. From tourism to agriculture, being connected  is 
becoming fundamental. But of course, without an affordable connection, individuals and firms 
cannot access the marketplace of the world -wide web. And without the necessary skills and 
regulatory environment in place, micro, small - and medium -sized enter prises cannot thrive. So we 
must act to bridge these gaps in connectivity – both digital and physical. Failure to do so would be 
to reinforce existing inequalities between developed and developing economies, and within 
countries between women and men, rura l and urban, and large and small firms. I think that Aid for 
Trade must be mobilized to address this challenge.  
867.  And this brings me to my final point. I have been hearing calls from many to mainstream 
gender issues into our Aid for Trade work. I agree, and I think we should ensure that future work 
goes further in taking gender perspectives into account. We need to keep up our momentum in 
this area. So those are the key messages that I have taken away from the week. And I think that 
they can inform this work as we look to the future.  
868.  Before I close, I would like to note here that, of course, the Global Review comes just a few 
months before the 11th Ministerial Conference.  
869.  Over the coming months I would ask you to reflect on what has been achieved and where 
we should take this work next. With any initiative of this kind, we need to keep analysing our 
progress. We need to keep debating the way forward. This is how we will ensure that the work 
remains fresh and relevant to members' needs. This evolution is essen tial – and it must be driven 
by you.  
870.  This week has provided a lot of food for thoug ht. Enough for a feast!  So let' s work together 
to ensure that the Aid -for-Trade Initiative continues to go from strength to strength. It has been a 
great pleasure to host the Global Review. Thank you all for your engagement, and for the 
knowledge, passion and commitment that you have shown. Let me also thank the WTO 
Secretariat, particularly the Development Division, for their excellent work in putting all of this 
together.  I know that it has been a lot of work.  
871.  So congratulations to you all. Thank you for listening.  
872.  I hereby close the Sixth Global Review of Aid for Trade.  
 
 
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