RESTRICTED  
  
WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
30 January 2019  
(19-0526) Page: 1/11 
Committee on Trade and Development  
Forty -Forth Session on Aid for Trade  
  
    
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 6 NOVEMBER 2018  
Chairperson : H.E.  Mr Diego Aulestia (Ecuador ) 
 
Contents  
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA ................................ ................................ .......................  1 
B. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2018 -2019 AID -FOR-TRADE WORK PROGRAMME  ............  1 
I. Resource Mobilization and Implementation Activities  ................................ ..........................  1 
II. Mainstreaming  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  2 
III. Regional Dimension  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 4 
IV. Private Sector  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  5 
V. Monitoring and Evaluation of Implementation and Development Effectiveness  ......................  6 
C. OTHER BUSINESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 11 
  
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Agenda, as circulated in WTO/AIR/COMTD/AFT/ 12, was adopted  witho ut amendment s. 
B. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2018 -2019 AID -FOR-TRADE WORK PROGRAMME  
I. Resource Mobilization and Implementation Activities  
2. The representative of the United States  announced that , in October  2018, the Better Utilization 
of Investments Leading to Development (BUILD)  Act had been signed into law merging  two entities , 
the Development Cred it Authority and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation into the US 
International Development Finance Corporation (USIDFC) . This change w as a means  to better align 
development finance tools with broader development goals, leverage greater opportunity for 
co-investment with the private sector , and reduce inefficient and duplicative efforts . The creation  of 
USIFDC would allow a significant expansion of financial tools for development , and the employment 
of a broader range of private sector expertise, to support and re -orient on -going programmes 
towards enterprise -led development.  
3. The representative of the Secretariat  read a statement on behalf of the World Bank  Group 
(WBG) . Since the last C ommittee meeting several major reports had been pursued . The World 
Development Report 2019 explored the changing nature of work . The Human Capital Project  
advanced ways of measuring welfare and placed individuals (and the need to invest in their health, 
education and skills ), at the very centre  of development str ategies . The Macroeconomics Trade and 
Investment  Global Practice pursued policy advisory work on the development promise, regulatory WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
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  needs and associated policy challenges arising from new technologies . Also in the planning was  the 
World Development Report  2020 which, for the first time since 1984 , would focus on trade . 
4. In collaboration  with the WTO , the WBG  was deepening understanding of trade and gender 
linkages . Early findings in this work would be shared at an outreach event organized on  
6 to 7 December  2018 in Geneva , also i n partnership with the Government of the Netherlands.  The 
WBG was also follow ing discussions on the development dimensions of ongoing structured 
discussions on e -commerce, investment facilitation and micro, small and medium enterprises 
(MSMEs ) as well as the dialogue on WTO reforms . In the context of the Bank's global engagement 
within the G20 Trade and Investment Working Group, it continued to closely monitor and  measure 
the impacts of ongoing and latest developments in trade  policy.  
5. Furtherm ore, the Bank was in discussion  with the WTO Secretariat regarding its contribution 
to the Aid -for-Trade Global Review publi cation on trade facilitation, on the impact of trade policy on 
economic diversification , and on women and youth emp owerment through the develo pment of 
targeted monitoring and  evaluation frameworks . Finally, the representative  drew attention to  a 
latest , improved and expanded set of World Development Indicators available on the Bank's  website.  
II. Mainstreaming  
6. The representative of China  recalled the conclusion of its seventh Trade Policy Review (TPR) 
which  had taken place in July 2018. China recalled its endeavour to provide other developing 
countries, and especially the least developed among them , with assista nce within the framework of 
South -South cooperation . China had accorded zero tariff treatment on 97 % of all tariff lines to 36 
least developed c ountries (LDCs)  and source  a quarter of its imports  from them. Since 2011, China 
had donated US$3.2  million  to the China Programme, and contributed US$1  million  to the WTO 
Trade Facilitation  Agreement Fund . Roundtable s on LDCs accession to the WTO had successfully 
been held in Cambodia, Argentina and Kazakhstan.  
7. On 2 to 4 September  2018, the Beijing Summit and the 7th Ministerial Conference of the 
China -Africa Cooperation Forum had been held in Beijing  and led to a number of agreements  on 
trade facilitation, connectivi ty and capacity -building . On trade f acilitation, China had increased 
imports from Africa, and encour aged and supported countries o f the continent to participate in the 
China International Import Expo .  In total , 50 trade facilitation programmes for Africa  had been  
supported , including  exchanges and cooperation on market regulation and custom s authorities . She 
added that China also supported the Continental Free Trade Area . China has also concluded a Free 
Trade Agreement with  Mauritius  - its first with an African state. China would further  support  the 
development of e -commerce in Africa.  
8. The China Internat ional Import E xpo had opened in Shanghai on 5 November  2018. 
One hundred  and seventy -two countries, regions and international organizations  had participated 
representing over 3,600 companies, and 400 ,000 Chinese and foreign buyers .  China supported  the 
WTO-led Aid -for-Trade Initiative to improve trade -related infrastructure, increase production 
capacity, promote exports to China and support the participation of LDCs in the multilateral trading 
system . She reaffirmed China's commitment to the Initiative saying that it positive ly contribute d to 
South -South cooperation and progress  towards the  2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development . 
9. The representative of Vanuatu  provided an update of  Vanuatu's first  TPR held on 
23 and 25 October  2018. Vanuatu, as an LDC, was b enefitting from support from the Enhanced 
Integrated Framework ( EIF) which  had positively contributed to trade mainstreaming since 2007  
devising  an initial Diagnostic Trade Integration Study  (DTIS) , support ing the cooperative 
entrepreneurship training , and review ing the country's  Customs Duties Act.  
10. He referred to the successful -completion of the  Vanuatu Tourism Infrastructur e Project  worth 
US$18. 8 million, for which  US$15. 6 million  had been provided by New Zealand, US$3. 2 million  by 
the EIF Trust Fund and US$62,000 by Vanuatu . He also announced  that a Single Window project 
would be  launched in January  2019. Then, with support from the United Nations Conference on 
Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Vanuatu would establish  its own Trade Por tal. In 2015, Vanuatu 
had also benefitted from a World Bank project in consultation with the Pacific Islands Forum 
Secretariat to finalize its  needs assessment and A, B, C categorization under  the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement  (TFA) . Vanuatu ha d finished no tifying  its categories in December  2017 and undertak en 
nationa l consultations to ratify the Agreement . WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
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  11. The representative of Chinese Taipei  provided an update of its fourth TPR held from 
12 to 14 September  2018. In 2017, Official Development Assistance (ODA)  provided stood at a total 
of US $321 million. O f this  amount , 30% was devoted to economic infrastructure and sector 
production . Projects had been carried out and  monitored in close cooperation with partner countries, 
international organizations and non-governmental o rganizations . Cooperation projects included for  
e-commerce projects , support for the economic empowerment of  MSMEs, youth  and women , trade 
facilitation  capacity building and , environmental sustainability . Since  2016, Chinese Taipei had been 
implementing the "New Southbound Policy " with the aim to create  a robust model of social and 
economic development through strengthen ed cooperation and linkage s with Members in the region.  
12. She added that Chinese Taipei was fully committed to the Aid -for-Trade I nitiative, the Global 
Review and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) exercise . Chinese Taipe i offered duty-free quota -free 
market access to LDCs, covering 90 % of their imports . Chinese Taipei would further contribute to 
Aid for Trade and other assistance initiatives, either financially or with trade -related te chnical 
assistance, to partner m embers and agencies such as the Advisory Centre on WTO Law ( ACWL ), the 
Standards and Trade Development Facility ( STDF) and the International Trade Centre ( ITC). 
Chinese  Taipei reaffirmed its belief in the  open, rules -based multilateral trading system as an 
essential means to the achiev ing of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . 
13. The representative of Egypt  said that his country considered trade as an engine for economic 
development . Egypt' s long -term trade policy objectives were focused on further integrating into the 
global economy, enhancing market access at the national, bilateral, regional and international levels . 
On the occasion o f the country's  fourth TPR in February  2018, Members had commended Egypt for 
its commitment to the multilateral trading system and sustained economic growth . In 2005-2011, 
Egypt  had experienced relatively fast -paced economic growth  which had  amounted to an average 
5-7% GDP annual  growth driven by progressive econom ic policies and phased reforms . In 2011, due 
to political circumstances , the Egyptian economy had been  severely affected , resulting in an overall 
decline in economic activity  and massive capital flight . 
14. In 201 5, the Government of Egypt had embarked on  an ec onomic reform program me that 
stemmed  from a comprehensive overall National Sustainable Development Strategy (Egypt 2030) 
putting the economic aspect at the very core of its scope and  focusing on three main pillars : 
(1) realizing and sustaining macroeconomic s tability ; (2) advancing structural reforms to sustain a 
solid recovery ; and (3) enhancing social protection and human development . Egypt highly value d 
Aid for Trade in helping dev eloping and least developing countries face the challenges of integration 
in the multilateral trading system, and in mobilizing resources to address their trade -related 
constraints which reduce their ability to engage in international trade.  
15. The representa tive of Australia  said that Aid for Trade remained a key focus of Australia 's 
overall overseas aid policy and budget . In 2015 , Australia had set a target for Aid for T rade to reach 
20% of its total aid budget by 2020 . The target had been  exceeded with Aid for Trade reach ing 
23.3% of Australia's total aid budget  (or $A941 million ) for the 2016 -2017 financial year . In the 
2018-2019 financia l year, Australia expected the assistance  it provide d to further increase, up to 
24.5% of its total aid budget . A joint standing committee of the Australian Parliament was currently 
conducting a strategic review of the country's aid program me, including  re-examin ing the 
Aid-for-Trade (AfT) target.  
16. He further listed some  areas of focus of Australian Aid for Trade name ly: (1) trade-related 
infrastructure ; (2) trade facilitation, including implementation of the TFA; (3) regulatory and policy 
reform ; (4) private sector capability ; (5) digital trade ; (6) women 's economic empowerment ; 
(7) MSME; and (8) supporting developing countries'  participation in the multilateral trading system 
and WTO processes.  
17. The representative of the United States shared information about work done in Central 
America by the US Department of C ommerce's I nternational Trade A dministration and the  
Commercial Law Development P rogramme  (CLDP) . Over the course of the next two years these 
programmes would conduct technical exchanges and tailored workshops on public consultation , 
interagency coordination and publication of informati on of import, export and transit procedures in 
El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras . In October  2018,  the US CLDP had launched a two-year 
initiative to provide trade facilitation and  food safety technical assistance  to Egypt . Finally, the CLDP 
was working to facilitate expert level wor king groups on customs issues, standards and sanitary and 
phytosanitary (SPS) measures  for central Asian countries . That same month , it had also launched WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
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  two additional working groups focussing on intellectual property rights and on women's economic 
empowerment.  
18. The Chair announced tha t, at the next CTD AfT meeting an opportunity would be provided for 
Armenia; Hong Kong, China; Nepal ; and the United States to update the Committee on their recently 
completed TPR . 
19. The representative of the Enhanced Integrated Framework  (EIF) stated that the EIF  had 
committed over US$ 8 million  with 15 new institutional,  analytical  and productive capacity -building 
projects . First, on institutional work , the EIF was working on strength ening trade institutions in 
Equatorial Guinea  - the most recent LDC graduate . Second, on analytical work, the most recent 
e-trade readiness assessments for Kiribati and Tuvalu had been completed with all the e-trade 
readiness analysis for EIF countries in the Pacific . The EIF had funded the UNCTAD -led e-trade 
readiness assessments in Pacific  LDCs, and Samoa . Third, on productive capacity, new E IF 
investments in building LDC productive capacity ranged from boosting  the shea butter value cha in 
in Benin , the cashew and shea butter sectors in Togo, to strengthening metrology and SPS measures  
capacity in Senegal and Zambia,  and to bolstering the quality of honey in Ethiopia.  
20. The EIF had also started new regional investments that w ould help mainstream SPS 
capacity -building elements into the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme with 
the Common Market for Eastern Africa  and facilitate paperless trade with United Nations  Economic 
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pac ific (ESCAP) . She suggested  that the International Trade 
Centre ( ITC)-led She Trades initiative could be a game changer for  women 's economic empowerment 
in The Gambia and in Zambia . The impact of longstanding invest ments in productive capacity had  
already r esulted in greater market access to the European and Asian markets , thereby delivering  in 
tangible benefits for soybean farmers in Togo, mango farmers in Mali and leather craftsmen in Niger . 
Moving forward, the EIFs immediate priorities included updates to the DTISs of Bangladesh and 
Bhutan.  
21. A newly  adopted approach on working in fragile and conflict -affected countries would help the 
program me to design, develo p and implement more targeted support to those countries most  in 
need. Jointly organized  by WTO, E IF, the United Nations Development Programme , and G7 Plus 
during the WTO Public Forum , the high-level p anel "Trade for P eace in 2030 " had served as a unique 
platform to discuss the developmental challenges that these countries face d in reaping greater 
benefits from global trade.  
22. The EIF Strategic Plan 2019 -2022 "Inclusive Trade for Better Lives"  focused on improving the 
trade environment in LDCs , and increasing their exports and market access . This would be done 
through improving the policy and regulatory framework for trade and investment, strengthening 
institutional coordination and enhancing capacity for policy formulation and implementation . It would 
also improve  LDCs' participation in strategic value chains.  In closing,  she annou nced that the EIF 
Steering Committee would  be held  on 18 December  2018. 
III. Regional Dimension  
23. The representative of the United States provided a short update on activities  by the US 
Departm ent of Commerce , Agency for International D evelopment and the US Department of State 
together with the CLDP to offer trade -related technical assistance globally . In September  2018, in 
collaboration with  the World Customs Organization  (WCO)  the U nited States had conducted a 
customs project management training workshop an d facilitated a n exchange between the customs 
of Afghanistan and the Georgia revenue service . In October  2018, the CLDP had collaborated with 
the Korea customs service to offer consultations to a Pakistan delegation on Single Window 
initiatives.  
24. The repres entative of the Asian Development Bank  (AsDB) provided an update on the Bank's 
activities.  Approve d in late July, A sDB's new long -term corporate strategy  (Strategy 2030 ) was 
setting the course for AsDB's  efforts to respond effectively and strategically to the evolving needs of 
Asia and the Pacific . AsDB's suppor t focused on : (1) addressing remaining poverty and reducing 
inequalities ; (2) accelerating progress in gender equality ; (3) tackling climate chang e, building 
climate and disaster resilience, and enhancing environmental sustainability ; (4) making cities more 
liveable ; (5) promoting rural development and food security ; (6) strengthening governance and , 
institutional capacity ; and (7) fostering regional cooperation and integration.  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
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  25. The landmark merger of  the Asian Development Fun d lending operations and the Ordinary 
Capital R esources balance sheet had significantly  enhanced AsDB's capacity to deliver higher levels 
of assistance to its developing countr y Members . ln AsDB's new performance measure of 
commitments, loans, grants, and investments signed by finance recipient countries and entities had 
reached US$20.1  billion  in 2017 . This represented  a significant  increase from the US$13.3  billion  of 
the previous year.  The AsDB's total commitments for 2017 had amounted to US$32  billion , marking  
an increase of a 26% compared to 2016.  
26. Gender equity was on e of the fiv e driver s of chang e in AsDB's corporate strategy.  lt was further 
complemente d by the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Operational Plan 2013 -2020 
under which AsDB would intensify its efforts to ensure that gender equality remained  at the core  of 
the Bank's development efforts . The AsDB's support focuse d on the areas of women's economic 
empowerment, gender equality in human development, gender equality in decision -making and 
leadership, reduced poverty of women, and women's resilience to external shocks . Nearly half  of all 
AsDB projects supported gender mainstreaming  and the share of A sDB projects successfully 
delivering gender equality results had increased to 77 %.  
27. AsDB's Strategy 2030 would  place an even stronger emphasis on women's economic 
empowerment . Infrastructure projects would  maximize their access to markets and opportunities 
for skilled jobs . Through enhanced technical and vocational education and training program mes, the 
AsDB would  also enable them to access quality jobs in non -traditional and  higher -paying sectors . 
AsDB would  also expand integrated support for women entrepreneurs through better access to 
finance , adoptio n of new technologies, capacity building throug h business development advisory or 
training services, and policy and institutional reforms.  
28. ln 2016, A sDB's AfT  commitments  had reached US$1.7 billion, accounting for about 69 % of 
the US$2.4 billion  envelope . AsDB ha d also  contribut ed to the Global Review of Aid for Trade through 
research collaboration and knowledge -sharing . At the Global Review  2017, the Bank had launched 
a report  which offered policy recommendations to identify sectors that had the greates t potential to 
create jobs and reduce poverty.  The repor t pointe d out that the increasing tradability of services, as 
well as the rapid digitalization and growth of e -commerce offer ed opportunities for developing  and 
geographically -challenged  economies to increase trade and promote inclusive growth . AsDB  Digital 
Agenda 2030  provide d the vision an d roadmap for the Bank  digital transformation.  
29. An upcoming AsDB AfT report would  investigate how international trade could  promote 
inclusiv e growt h and empowerment through the active pursuit  of women and youth participation  in 
trade -related activities ; facilitating MSMEs' integratio n into regiona l value chains and global trade ; 
and promoting inclusive industrial development by broadening trade for the services and the rural 
economy . The report also explored how  aid and other targeted interventions could  help to address  
supply -side capacity, trade -related infrastructur e and financi al constraints for MSMEs and 
women -led enterprises , policies and measures that foster a dynamic, tradable service sector, and 
enhance the productivity of the agriculture sector . Related areas of discussion include d digita l 
connectivity, the role of technol ogy and innovation to widen opportunities, access to finance, and 
skills development.  These theme s would be further developed at the  2019 Australasia Aid Conference 
in Canberra  and in  AsDB's Annual Meeting in Nadi  (Fiji) with stakeholders from the donor co mmunity, 
governments, private sector and academia.  
IV. Private Sector  
30. The representative of the International Trade Centre  (ITC) reported  on the World Export 
Development Forum (WEDF)  that had taken  place  in Lusaka, Zambia, during  the week of 
10 September  2018. The conference  had put a strong accent on youth, jobs and the African 
Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) . Together with  the AU Trade Commissioner a Business Guide 
AfCFTA  had been launched . WEDF had also facilitated business -to-business meetings in a gribusiness . 
In partnership with the EIF, ITC had launched the Zambia c hapter of SheTrades Initiative , and hosted 
the Partnership for Investment and Growth in Africa meeting with Chinese investors.  
31. On 2 0 September  2018, ITC had launched the SME Competitiveness Outlook : Business 
Ecosystems for the Digital Age . In October  2018, in partnership with Business France, ITC had held 
the 12th World Trade Promotion Organization (WTPO) conference in Paris  (France ). WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
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  32. On women 's economic empowerment, ITC was developing SheTrades Outlook , with support 
from the U nited Kingdom . It was  an innovative tool to assess the extent to which a country 's trade 
policy and business environment we re supporting women in trade.  And, on the collec tion of 
gender -disaggregated data, ITC was piloting an EU -supported survey on women -owned businesses ' 
operating in the E uropean Union, but with  trade links outside the U nion. 
33. On services trade, ITC continued  to support developing countries to explore globa l services 
markets, particularly in e -commerce and tourism . ITC had been at the first China International 
Import Expo, where 100 companies from Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa, had 
been attend ing. To coincide with the Expo, ITC had launched a report to promote trade and 
investment links between China and Africa using ITC 's Export Potential Map and ITC 's SME 
Competitiveness Surveys.  
34. ITC continued to support partner countries in their efforts to boost exports through Trade 
Development Strategies . Afghanistan 's National Export Strategy was being implemented and ITC 
was assisting the Government of Mongolia in the design of it s Trade and Investment Roadmap. ITC 
continue d to be engaged with The Gambia, Guinea, Senegal and Ukrain e on the dev elopment and 
finaliz ation of their strategies.  
35. The representative of ITC  then provided a snapshot of other  technical -assistance projects : the 
Global Trade Helpdesk;  the EU-ITC Youth Empowerment Project in The Gambia ; the INTEGRA  
programme which a imed at creating  income -generating activities and sustainable jobs for young 
Guineans ; and the Netherlands Trust Fund IV project which was launch ed in Myanmar.  
36. The representative of Nigeria  acknowledged the support provided by ITC on building conducive 
business environments, strengthening trade and investment institutions and in regional economic 
integration . He praised ITC for the quality of its publications and encouraged the sharing of  impact 
stories on a more regular basis.  
37. The representative of Vanuatu  enqui red whether, business people from the Pacific region had 
been supported by  ITC to attend the China Import Export activities . Additionally, he a sked about the 
ITC Youth Empowerment Programme and whether it would be extended to the Pacific.  
38. The representativ e of International Trade Centre  responded that 100 companies  had been 
supported to  attend the Expo . He added that ITC would be happy to extend the  EU-ITC Youth 
Empowerment Programme to other region s in line with  financing.  
39. The representative of Burkina Faso shared a joint project conducted  with ITC and support ed 
by Denmark.  Three landlocked  African  countries  were at the centre of its focus: Burkina Faso, Mali  
and Niger . The project aimed at supporting national committees to define  trade facilitation priorities .  
40. The representative of Afghanistan  praised Members and the Secretariat on the organi zation 
of the Workshops on Economic Diversification and Economic E mpowerment . As the newest WTO 
Member and an LDC, Afghanistan appreciated the role that Aid for  Trade played in supporting LDCs 
in alleviating these difficulties . He praised the U nited States and the European Union for support 
such as that targeted at  developing a  national export strategy (as with  the CLDP project ), and also 
in the  "Rule of Law and Development of the Legal F ramework " project for  Afghanistan . He also 
praised donor s to the EIF and urged them to address existing  financial shortages.  
V. Monitoring and Evaluation of Implementation and Development Effectiveness  
41. The Chair  recalled that , as part of the Aid -for-Trade M&E exercise, a background note had 
been circulated (WT/COMTD/AFT/W/55/Rev.1) . It had been accompanied by monitoring formats 
addressed t o: 
• Partner countries ( WT/COMTD/AFT/W/55/Add.1/Re v.1); 
• Regional Economic Communities and Tr ansport Corridors 
(WT/COMTD/AFT/W/55/Add.2/Rev.1);  
• Donors (WT/COMTD/AFT/W/55/Add.3/Rev.1); and  
• South -South partners (WT/COMTD/AFT/W/55/Add.4/Rev.1) .  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
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  The Chair recalled that , at an earlier informal meeting , Members had reached agreement  over the 
M&E exerci se. Subsequently , he had instructed the Secretariat to issue the formats together with a 
communication inviting Members to send their replies by 3 1 December  2018. The Aid-for-Trade 
Global R eview was planned on 3  to 5 July 2019 themed  "Supporting Economic Diversification and 
Economic Empowerment for Inclusive, Sustainable Development through Aid for Trade" . He invited 
Members to submit  Side Event form s before 3 1 March  2019. 
42. The representative of Nigeria  requested for the date to be extended to ensure respon ses rate. 
The Chair underlined the importance of Members  to submit  their questionnaire . The representative 
of the Secretaria t added that  early responses , before 3 1 December  2018, would be  highly desirable . 
He also recalled that in the past the exe rcise had not been closed straight  after the  deadline had 
passed . 
43. The Chair  then recalled how  parameters on the  Review of Aid -for-Trade Achievements had 
been presented at the informal CTD AfT meeting of 1 8 September  2018 in which  an outline  had been 
propos ed. Subsequently , a draft outline had been issued as JOB/DEV/56 . This document was 
organized around five sections that discuss ed strengthening demand and strengthening response by 
bridging demand and response.  In respons e, the representative of the United States asked  for more 
time to review the document . The Chair announced  that the subject would be revisited at a future  
formal  meeting.  
44. The r epresentative of the Secretariat  provided a statement on the Workshop held on 
5 November  2018, on  "Industrialization , Structural Transformation and Economic Diversification " 
which discussed trends in economic diversification and industrialization and highlighted some policy 
and practice perspectives . The workshop had been the first of the thematic events planned as part  
of the 2018 -2019 AfT Work Programme . In his opening remarks, the Chairperson  had noted that 
industrialization was a key dimension to structural transformation and economic diversification.  
45. The representative of the  Secretariat  had set the scene by presenting  trends in export 
diversification for merchandise goods  between 1994 and 2014 . His presentation  showed a clear trend 
towards diversification which was closely and positively linked to GDP . He noted that while the export 
products  of most countries had  been more diversified, the degree of diversification had declined 
together with trade volume during the economic downturn . Asia and Eastern Europe  had been 
preforming better than Sub -Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean for in stance . Among 
LDCs, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Myanmar had seen important progress in diversification and 
structural transformation . For the most part, other LDCs' exports were still less diversified . Product 
groups where economic diversification had been re gistered included in agriculture, leather, clothing 
and footwear products . A group of countries for which export diversification had not been recorded 
was the group of small economies.  
46. In a first session, focusing on  policy perspectives , the representative  of the United Nations 
Industrial Development Organization  (UNIDO ) noted that structural change was a central feature of 
economic development  as economies evolved, manufacturing industry played a key role . 
Manufacturing offered the possibility for higher l evels of productivity, faster  growth in productivity 
and greater te chnical change than agriculture  and many parts of services . Manufacturing industry  
had strong linkages with other sectors, which enhanced its pivotal role in economic development . 
Diversity  in industrial production and exports mattered . Industrial diversification and upgrading were 
essentially about building technological capabilities at firm and industry level capabilities in design, 
production, procurement and quality management . Such capa bilities served as the main vehicle for 
productivity change in manufacturing , and indeed , in the economy as a whole . There were different 
ways to support industry and the precise choice of instrument perhaps mattered less than the way  
in which they were ap plied. Current research highlighted the need to focus on key constraints to 
new investment.  
47. The representative of  the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development  suggested 
that in the previous  two decades international trade had not triggered struct ural transformation and 
diversification in most developing economies . While trade volumes had increased by over 300 % 
during this period, the index of export diversification displayed an increase of only around 10 %. 
Furthermore, many developing counties rem ained locked in to low value -added activities . Most 
African and Latin American economies , had experienced stagnation in growth of industrial capacity, 
and some  had even experienced  de-industrialization . He also noted that concentration had increased 
dramatically in most markets and that this increase was associated with rising functional inequality . WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
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  In this respect , he highlighted how FTAs were shifting their focus from reducing barriers at the border 
to reducing domestic regulation and non-tariff barriers and to promoting investment transparency . 
He advocated the need for policy space and industrial policy to foster economic diversification and 
expansionary macroeconomic framework to support global demand.  
48. The representative of the Organisation for Ec onomic Co -operation and Development  (OECD)  
Development Centre , highlighted how the high speed of change had been characteriz ed by 
alterations  in patterns of demand, globa l geopolitical shifts, digitaliz ation and new technologies . Most 
changes had been focused on China and few countries ha d been able to climb the value ladder . She 
highlighted the common challenges for developing countries as t hey diversified their economies : 
closing the productivity gap and increasing benefits from trade and  foreign  direct investment  (FDI) . 
She also cautioned that traditional industrial policies would not work in the Industry 4.0 era. Finally, 
she highlighted the importance of resource mobilization for implementing industrial policies.  
49. Comments on the presentations focuse d on the importance of capturing s ervices in 
diversification data  and on considering the impact of LDC graduation for industrialization efforts . 
There were also calls to support the private sector, promote value addition on natural resources and 
foster reg ional integration . Participants also wished to see more discussion and examples of how Aid 
for Trade was contributing to structural transformation.  
50. The second session of the workshop had offered some national and regional practice 
perspectives . A represent ative from Guatemala  demonstrated how her country  had been able to 
enter and move up through the four phases of the textile and apparel value chain and become a 
full-service provider . Textiles and apparel accounted for 8.9 % of Guatemala's GDP and were valu ed 
at over US$1  billion  in 2017 with 79 % destined to the U nited States and 14 % to Central America . 
In addition to regional and bilateral trade agreements, she emphasized the importance of building 
busine ss trust and relationship s over time. Furthermore, building Guatemala's textiles and apparel 
industrial capacity involved fostering an innovation culture, qualified workforce, an integrated and 
complete service,  and infrastructure and regional integration of the Central American market . 
Guatema la also enforced strict labour and environmental protection policies.  
51. The representative of the  LDC Group  noted that the world trade share of LDCs remained below 
1% and highly concentrated in certain products, exporting LDCs and markets . Export baskets wer e 
largely characteriz ed by commodities, ten LDCs account ed for 77 % of LDCs' trade and ten export 
markets receive d 96% of LDC exports . There wa s therefore a need to diversify products, markets 
and balance the trade share amongst LDCs . Notable amongst their needs was access to finance . He 
emphasized the need to enhance institu tional infrastructure (through Public, Private P artnerships  
(PPPs) ), improve customs procedures, physical infrastructure and investment . He also reiterated  on 
the importance of the WTO as a rule s-based framework in which to achieve development.  
52. The representative of South Africa , on behalf of the  African Group  provided  a historical 
overview of industrial policy in Africa .  She noted that African countries had witnessed three industrial 
policy eras . Import substitution industrialization had been pursued in the 1960s and 1970s . Then, 
structural adjustment programmes had been pursued in the 1980s and 1990s which prescribed a 
one-size-fits-all approach  and had le d to the de -industrialization of the continent . In the 2000s more 
focus had been placed on social issues and not industrialization and building productive capacity . 
This had only changed with the launch of the 2030  Agenda for  Sustainable Development .  She noted 
that the SDGs coincided with "Agenda 2063, the Africa We Want" ; the African Union agenda 
underpinned by "industrialization as an engine for economic diversification and structural 
transformation" . The overriding imperative of the Af rican Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)  was 
to boost intra -African trade, promote market integration and industrialization in Africa . In closing, 
she suggested that the African Grou p was of the view that Aid  for Trade was not meeting its objective 
of building supply -side capacity . Hence , the Group  had called for its improv ement  and had requested 
that the WTO Secretariat  review its achievements.  
53. The representative  from Ethiopia  presented how his country's industrial policy focused on 
providing infrastructure and targeted l ight manufacturing through state intervention as a first step 
to a long-term goal of becoming  a heavy manufacturing hub for Africa . Active and defined state 
interventions , include d building a reliable industrial workforce, infrastructure, logistics and tra de 
facilitation , and facilitating domestic industrial linkages . The Hawassa industrial park had been 
named  "Africa's Best Model Park" . It had  quadrupl ed the FDI (received  from US$1.1  billion  in 
2011-2012 to US $4.2 billion in 2016 -2017). WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
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  54. The representative of China  commended Members and the Secretariat on the information 
provided in the Workshop . It had not only given policy and practical perspectives on the matter 
which  it had enlightened  through  interesting analyses from multilateral int ernational organization , 
but also  inspired her through  vivid practical cases from Members . She opined that it had been  an 
appropriate  way to mobilize and share information.  
55. The representative of Nigeria  highlighted the need for policy coherence, monitoring  and 
evaluation and periodic assessment of the A id-for-Trade Initiative to ensure its relevance . This also 
linked to a previous point he had made  about  partner countries ' success stories . 
56. The representative of Burkina Faso  suggested the creation of a  joint venture by ITC, UNIDO, 
WTO, UNCTAD to meet the SD Gs, particularly through the use of technical assistance  geared  towards  
achieving  industrial diversification an d structural transformation.  
57. The representative of Nepal  said that the workshop had permit ted the sharing of  objectives, 
perspectives and assessment on Aid for Trade as well as their situation on economic diversification 
and structural transformation.  
58. The representative of South Africa , on behalf of the African Group, said that the issue of 
industrialization and structural transformation was a very important one in  Africa's development 
agenda.  This type of dialogue on issues of strategic importance to the African Group ought to  
continue within  the CTD AfT and in other bodies  of the  WTO. With thi s point, the statement on the 
Workshop held on 5  November  2018 concluded.  
59. The representative of the Secretariat  then proceeded to read a statement on the Workshop  of 
"Economic Diversification and Empowerment of Women and Y outh"  held on 5 November 2018 which 
explored the links between trade, youth and women's economic empowerment.  In his opening 
remarks, the Chair  of the CTD AfT  had recalled that women's economic empowerment had  been an 
objective of the A id-for-Trade Initiative s ince its inception . Reference could be found in the A fT Task 
Force recommendations of 2006. Focus on the issue had grown, as visible  in recent Global Reviews 
and in M&E results . A new dimension to the Initiative,  was the focus on youth  albeit one that was 
well established in national polic ies. 
60. The International Labour Organization  (ILO)  had given  two presentations to set the scene for 
the workshop . The first had examined youth unemployment rates and trends globally . 
Unemployment rates varied considerably at  the regional level and the proportion of young people 
that was not  in employment or education (or training ) had reached 22 % worldwide . Worryingly, 
three -quarters of this population which was not in employment or education were young women . 
The rest of the  presentation had focused on ILO's Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth . 
Launched in 2015, it involved 22  agencies and 40  partners  and focused  on 8 pillars : green jobs; 
digital skills; apprenticeship;  youth in fragile situations ; youth  transitioning to the formal economy; 
rural economy;  entrepreneurship ; and youth in hazardous occupations . The ILO had launched the 
Taqeem  Initiative to strengthen gender monitoring and evaluation in rural employment in the Middle 
East and North Africa region . Through ri gorous impact research, this capacity development  and 
learning grant project aimed  to understand "what works " in the promotion of gender mainstreaming, 
with the goal of reaching gender equality in rural employment outcomes across the region.  
61. The second pre sentation had focused on ILO's Skills for Trade and Economic Diversification  
(STED ) programme . The programme provided  strategic guidance on integrating skills development 
into policies to strengthen traded sectors . It combine d strategic analysis and social  dialogue  in 
Malawi . The STED programme had proven successful at building female farmers ' skills, helping them 
to link with business and access markets . Women had been economically  empowered in a short 
period of time, leading to the construction of houses,  the purchase of dairy cows, the payment of 
school fees and the access to health care.  
62. The next session of the workshop had discussed national experiences . The Ambassadors to 
the WTO of Jamaica and t he Philippines had  presented their experiences.  Gender equality and 
women's economic empowerment were high on Jamaica's development agenda . These issues were 
cross-cutting themes in key strategies such as Jamaic a's National Development Plan -Vision  2030 the 
new Foreign Trade Policy and Action Plan (2018) , and the National Export Plan . The new Foreign 
Trade Policy adopted in October 2018 had dedicated a chapter to Trade and Gender with the 
objective of facilitating women's integration in trade and global value chain s. The national Policy on WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
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  Gender Equality  acted as the main focus for these actions . Jamaica's AfT strategy identified gender 
as a cross -cutting issue and called for gender -sensitive approaches to technical assistance . Jamaica 
had received support on six AfT projec ts for women's empowerment focu sing on rural development, 
private sector development, and with a s pecial focus on MSMEs, training  and exports . In addition, 
Jamaica planned  to increase MSMEs participation in international trade by 10 % by 2019 , and for this 
purpose , had developed numerous projects and programmes.  
63. As one of the 121 Signatories to the Trade and Women's Empowerment Declaration, the 
Philippines had recognised the significant contribution of women to its economy and had developed 
various programmes focusing  on entrepreneurship and women 's integration in the labour market, 
two of which were  the Philippines Development Plan 2017 -2022 and the Pinay Leading Economic 
Advancement Toward Development and Sustainability.  The country  had focu ssed its policies at 
improvi ng access of women to entrepreneurship opportunities and developed the "7 Ms" for MSMEs 
providing women entrepreneurs with access to information, export capacity enhancement, training, 
mentoring, access to market information, finance and innovative technol ogies. The Philippine s was 
also focussing on harmoniz ing its rules and regulations on MSMEs.  
64. The second part of the workshop highlighted various empowerment programmes, initiatives 
and policies implemented at the international and regional level by UNCTAD,  AsDB and the FAO. 
Understanding how trade policies and agreements impact ed women 's work before and after 
implementation was key to designing policies targeting women 's empowerment . UNCTAD had  
developed a toolbox that help ed countries make such assessment s. The toolbox had  been applied in 
the framework of the Economic Partnership Agreements  (EPA)  between the E ast African Community  
(EAC)  and the European  Union . Including gender considerations in bilateral FTA could also foster 
women 's integration in internat ional trade . UNCTAD gave examples of various agreements signed 
by Chile, Canada and the European  Union  and highlighted some critical analysis of the real impact 
of such provisions.  
65. The AsDB  presented a regional perspective of women 's empowerment . Progress had been 
made on gender equality in Asia especially on health, education, and employment . Focussing on 
women 's participation in the economy, the AsDB  presented key figures in the region : on average, 
women 's labour force participation had decreased between 1990 and 2016, but the region had 
witnessed sector shifts, as services had become one of the more important employment sectors for 
women (around 82 % in 2016) . Also, female employment was rising in wholesale and retail trade, 
education, health and tourism.  
66. Although w omen were strongly represented in MSMEs , their ownership of businesses  remained 
low. While female representation was higher in trading firms, they also faced higher trade obstacles 
especially in accessing trade finance . The AsDB wa s implementing a Gender Equality and Women 's 
Empowerment Operational Plan for 2013–2020. A target of 48 % of projects sup porting gender 
mainstreaming had  been set, with the objectives of removing barriers, empowering MSMEs and 
creating market incentives, implementing regu latory reforms, providing capacity building and 
investing in digitalisation . The AsDB also provided  support in education and skills development . In 
addition, the AsDB highlighted that investment in physical and digital infrastructure c ould have a 
positive impact on women 's social care roles.  
67. The last presentation focussed on rural women . The Food and Agriculture Organization  (FAO) 
presented the UN Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress towards the Economic Empowerment 
of Women . Involving  collaboration between FAO, International  Fund for Agricultural Development 
(IFAD), World Food Programme ( WFP) and UN Women since 2012, the initiative responded  to the 
many challenges faced by  rural women focused  on four outcomes : improving food and nutrit ion 
security ; increasing income to sustain livelihoods ; enhancing participation in community 
decision -making ; and creating more gender -responsive policy environments . Since 2014, over 
40,000 women had benefited from th e programme, which provided them with capacity development 
and access to productive resources . Results included a 69.5 % average increase in agricultural 
production and a more diversified diet , and access to markets.  
68. The Chair  had concluded that the positive results of trade were not automatic and depended 
on policies targeted at achiev ing inclusive outcomes .  
69. The representative of Nigeria  had underscored  the importance of national and regional 
experience sharing , the need for polic y coherence and the cross -cutting nature of issues just WT/COMTD/AFT/M/44  
 
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  discussed . He also recalled the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against 
Women (CEDAN) which many countries and WTO Members had ratified  and which recognized  the 
limitation  in opportunities and challenges  faced by women . A system of data collection on the issue 
and operating at the national level  would improve the ability to make  assessment s. This concluded 
the Secretariat  statement on the Workshop  of "Economic Diversificati on and Empowerment of 
Women and Youth" held on 5 November 2018 . 
C. OTHER BUSINESS  
70. No item was raised under "Other Business".  
71. The meeting was adjourned . 
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