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WT/COMTD/AFT/M/41  
 
13 December  2017 
(17-6851) Page: 1/10 
Committee on Trade and Development  
Forty -First Session on Aid for Trade    
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 7 NOVEMBER  2017  
Chairperson: H.E. Mr Taonga Mushayavanhu (Zimbabwe)  
Contents  
A. ADOPTIO N OF THE AGENDA  ................................ ................................ ....................  1 
B. IMPLEMENTATION OF TH E 2016 -2017 AID -FOR-TRADE WORK 
PROGRAMME  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  1 
I. Resource Mobilization and Implementation Activities  ................................ ......................  1 
II. Mainstreaming  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  4 
III. Regional Dimension  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 8 
IV. Private Sector  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  9 
V. Monitoring and Evaluation of Implementation and Development Effectiveness  ...................  9 
C. OTHER BUSINESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 10 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGEN DA 
1. The Agenda, as circulated in WTO/AIR/ COMTD/AFT/ 9, was adopted  witho ut amendment s.  
B. IMPLEMENTATION OF TH E 201 6-2017 AID-FOR-TRADE WORK PROGRAMME  
I. Resource Mobilization and Implementation Activities  
2. The representati ve of the African Development Bank (AfDB)  updated Members on its 
reorganiz ation around five operational priorities : Agriculture, Energy, Industrialization, Regi onal 
Integration and Human Development. Through  its recently adopted Industrialization Strategy,  
AfDB was working  to support the structural transformation of African economies. The Bank's  
industrialization -related projects benefit approximately 2.5  million people. Since 2016, AfDB had 
provided better access to transport services to 7  million people a nd upgraded 2,200  km of road. 
More than 540 MW of power capacity had been installed, with close to 10% of that amount going 
to renewables. This had provided 653,100 households with new or improved electricity connections 
and helped reduce carbon dioxide em issions by close to 69,000 tons per year.  The A fDB had also 
provided support to the cotton and textile sectors in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad and 
trained nearly 84,000  farmers. Expanding cotton pro duction provided reliable, high -quality inputs 
to Africa's textile industry and could lead to substant ial expansion and job creation.   
3. Public finance and development resources alone would not be  enough to meet funding 
needs . Steps had to be taken to  diversify available sources of funding by developing domes tic and 
regional cap ital markets and boosting public -private partnerships (PPPs). In 2017, AfDB had 
increased support to infrastructure project preparation facilities such as NEPAD and Africa50 to 
help structure high quality and bankable trade -related infr astructure investment projects. PPPs 
helped public sector entities shorten delivery times, share risks, achieve better value for their 
money and increase innovation in their infrastructure rollout and provision of services.  The Af DB's 
PPP focus ha d primari ly been on transport , particularly tol l roads, airports , Information and WT/COMTD/AFT/M/41  
 
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  Communications Technology ( ICTs) and e nergy. The B ank would also seek to  mitigate risks 
associated with investments that had strong development impact through a wider use of 
risk-mitigating instruments such as Partial Credit Guarantees and Partial Risk Guarantees. On the 
knowledge front, the African Financial Markets Initiative was helping to develop domestic bond 
markets, boost private sector financing and improve the availability and  transparency of bond 
market data.   
4. Digital connectivity had  the potential to empower Africans to learn, find work, import/export, 
showcase their talent and build regional and global enterprises. Bridging the digital divide would  
require policy reforms an d investments in infrastructure and education. The Bank was aware of the 
importance of digital connectivity and e -commerce and was working hard to tackle the se 
challenges. The AfDB's  work on digital connectivity had focused on three key areas  in 2017 : (i) the 
development of regional and national ICT infrastructure; (ii) the development of policy and 
regulatory reforms to widen access and reduce costs; a nd (iii) the development of ICT 
applications. Over the past four  years, the AfDB had also  invested over US$370 million in ICTs.   
5. In 2017, the AfDB has also scaled up investm ent in knowledge and analytics, notably  the 
Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI). This Index was at the heart of tracking progress and 
supporting freer movement of people  – one of the primary  objectiv es of the African Union. In 
May 2017, the second  edition of the AVOI had been launched . It indicated that while  progress was 
being made , Africa remain ed largely closed off to  other  African travelers. The Index raise d 
awareness on the importance of  freer visa policies and encouraged visa policy reforms thus 
unlocking numerous opportunities for intra -regional tourism, investments and trade.   
6. Through  the Africa Trade Fund, the Af DB had also intensified efforts to modernize African 
customs systems, pr omote information sharing and transparency and reduce the incidence of 
non-tariff barriers. The Africa Trade Fund was the Bank’s primary financing instrument for 
supporting the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation A greement. Between 2014 and 2017, 
more than 25 trade facilitation projects had been  approved across 18 African countries. A new Call 
for Proposals had been  launched in the third quarter of 2017 and close to US$3 million of new 
funding would  be allocated to four new projects by the end of N ovember  2017. More information is 
available at:  www.africatradefund.org .  
7. The representative of the Asian Development Bank (AsDB)  forecast  that economic growth in 
Asia would  remain robust at 5.7% in 2017 and 2018. If this trend continue d, developing Asia’s per 
capita income could rise six -fold by 2050. International trade had been a key driving force behind 
the remarkable economic growth that ha d lifted more than a billion people out  of poverty since 
1990. The Aid-for-Trade Initiative play ed an important role in ensuring this trend continue d - by 
maximizing opportunities for further trade growth and broadening the economic gains that result.  
Today however, developing Asia face d a challenging global environment. Despite an improved 
global economic outlook, uncertainty in the internatio nal policy environment continue d to weigh on 
global trade. Growth in world trade remain ed weaker than income growth following further 
deceleration in 2016. Global foreign direct inve stment ( FDI) inflows fell 1.6% in 2016 compared to 
the previous year, and Asia -bound FDI contracted even more sharply at 6.3%. This was a cause 
for concern since the trade and FDI nexus has been a powerful source of growth in the region.   
8. Further  work was needed to  lower trade costs. This was key to integrating developing  - and 
especially least developed - countries into the global economy. Lower costs also boost ed 
participation of small and medium -sized enterprises  (SMEs)  and marginalized communities into  
global and regional trade and value chains. To do this, the AsDB recommended accelerating  
ambitious trade facilitation reforms, build ing trade infrastructure to ex pand trade capacity, and 
improving  the business climate to attract more investment. Progress  on these fronts was 
important for Asia and the Pacific, as trade could  create the jobs needed to meet employment 
targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Aid directed at services  - which was 
increasingly tradable as digital technology trans formed business and logistics  - was particularly 
important. A sDB’s 2017 Aid -for-Trade (AfT) report, launched at the 6th Global Review, analyzes 
how A id for Trade can increase the services sector’s tradability  - though regulatory reforms and 
modern trade fa cilitation solutions, such as e -commerce. Lessons highlighted in the report could 
also help policy makers target sectors that have the greatest potential to create jobs and reduce 
poverty, and to identify key areas of policy a ctions under the Aid -for-Trade  Initiative.  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/41  
 
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  9. The rapid digitalization and the growth of e -commerce offered  opportunities for 
geographically -challenged economies to increase trade and promote inclusive growth. Backbone 
services could  have a major development impact in landlocked economie s, as could  services -based 
industries like tourism in island nations. Expanded internet access could  be transformative in 
providing opportunities fo r small firms - often women -owned .  
10. Increased economic participation of women was critical for development o utcomes and 
achieving the SD Gs. The Aid -for-Trade I nitiative could  support targeted policies that increase d 
opportunities for women  — including policies that foster ed labor market efficiency and flexibility, 
and penalize d discriminatory employment practice s. Empowerment of women would  continue to 
remain a focus of AsDB  research and operations. Gender equity was one of the five drivers of 
change in A sDB’s corporate strategy. It was further complemented by the Gender Equality and 
Women’s Empowerment Operation al Plan 2013 –2020, under which A sDB planned to intensify  its 
efforts to ensure that gender equality remain ed at the front and centre of its development efforts, 
and to accelerate progress in closing remaining gender gaps.  
11. Aid for Trade accounted  for about  40% of O fficial Development Assistance  (ODA)  in Asia and 
the Pacific, so its contribution to the region’s economic development was significant. It ha d helped 
build upon economic infrastructure and the productive capacity needed for developing economies 
to achieve sustained high and inclusive growth. Aid for Trade ha d been an important part of 
AsDB’s support for regional cooperation and integration, and sustainable development in Asia and 
the Pacific. More than 60% of Aid for Trade to th e region targetted  infrastructure . Asia’s 
infrastructure needs were large and would  only grow. An AsDB report on "Meeting Asia’s 
Infrastructure Needs " estimate d developing Asia would  need to invest US$26 trillion  - or 
US$1.7  trillion a year  until 2030  - to maintain the region ’s growth momentum, eradicate poverty , 
and respond to climate change.  
12. The AsDB had been actively involved in the Aid for Trade initiative since 2005. The Bank  
worked to complement efforts to further reduce trade barriers, facilitate trade, assist domestic  
regulatory reforms, and deepen regional cooperation and enhance trade linkages between 
economies. A sDB ha d also been a close partner with the WTO by contributing to the Global 
Review s through research collaboration and knowledge -sharing. A sDB has also dev eloped a 
productive partnership with the Australian Department of Fore ign Affairs and Trade, which 
co-financed AsDB’s previous two Aid -for-Trade Reports, as well as  with the Pacific Islands Forum 
Secretariat. In the coming months, along with thei r partners , the Bank  was planning  dissemination 
events in the Pacific and Central Asia  for the 2017 report submitted to the Global Review . In 
conclusion, the representative of the A sDB reaffirm ed the Bank's  continuing support fo r the 
Aid-for-Trade Initiative.  
13. The World Bank Group (WBG)  representative  updated Members on outcomes of the  
International Monetary Fund - World Bank Group ( IMF-WBG) Fall meetings. The WBG 's efforts to 
maximize finance for development, including through the "Cascade approach ", were intended to  
ensure that public and private investments were complementary. The WBG sought to  help 
countries maximize their development resources by drawing on private sector solutions to achieve 
the twin goals of eradicating poverty and promoting shared prosperity. T he WBG and IMF work ed 
with countries to strengthen domestic resource mobilization, reduce illicit financial flows, create 
instruments for crisis and disaster prevention and preparedness, and ensure economic and social 
resilience when crises and disasters o ccur. Officials attending the Annual Meetings recalled how 
trade policy, and the maintenance of open markets, could  make an essential contribution to 
strengthening the resilience of economies, firms and workers. The forthcoming  WTO Ministerial 
Conference ( MC11)  was an important moment to reaffirm a shared commitment to trade -anchored 
efforts at promoting economic diversification, enhanced resilience to shocks, as well as inclusive 
and sustainable development.  
14. Closing gender gaps for women in access to property finance and decent work was critical to 
achieving the SDGs. Member governments wer e encouraged by the WBG' s creation of the Women 
Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We -Fi). Launched at the G20 leaders ' summit held in Hamburg in 
July 2017, We -Fi would  work to leverage financing to support women and women -led SMEs in 
WBG client countries. The goal of the facility was to mobilize  donor g rant funding – currently over 
US$325 million – to unlock more than US$1 billion in public  and commercial financing by wor king 
with financial intermediaries, funds, and other market actors. The initiative had received strong 
support and r eached into new areas, supporting women -led businesses at earlier stages of growth, WT/COMTD/AFT/M/41  
 
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  and unlocking access to  equity and insurance services.  We-Fi represent ed a platform to align 
country -level reforms and private investment, build on and implement lessons learned about what 
works for starting and growing female owned/led firms, collect key data from the public and 
private sector on female entrep reneurs and their firms, and support innovation and learning for 
results at scale.   
15. The WBG was collaborat ing with WTO on policy research and advocacy actions, two of which  
were: (i) joint work on Trade and Poverty, on which the WBG and WTO  had been collab orating and 
for which a joint publication exploring the various channels that trade can contribute to poverty 
alleviation  would b e published in the first half of 2018;  and (ii) joint work on Trade and Gender, 
which aimed at generating much needed data at t he household and firm levels to inform the 
design of policies to empower women in trade, and to generate novel policy research and 
recommendations on how to scale up the contribution of women to cross -border trade and 
investment activity. Work in this area  would be complete d in time for the July 2019 Aid for Trade 
Global Review.  
16. The representative of the United States (US)  asked the AfDB  for more information on the 
type of ICT policies it support ed and whether analysis on the role of import tariffs  in keepi ng costs 
high for internet access has been undertaken.  
II. Mainstreaming  
17. The Chairperson  noted that since the last Committee on Trade and Development ( CTD) 
meeting, Nigeria, the European Union, Brazil, Jamaica, Paraguay, Iceland and the West African 
Economic a nd Monetary Union (WAEMU) had completed trade policy reviews  (TPRs) . He offered 
these  Members the opportunity to share with the Committee any AfT elements related  to their 
TPR. 
18. The representative of Nigeria  noted that Nigeria's 5th Trade Policy Review had been held on 
13-15 June 2017. President Buhari had recently launched the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 
(ERGP), for 2017 -2020. The Plan set out the foundation for structural transformation of the 
economy  and was a clear basis for development partners an d investors to align their efforts.  Trade 
was a central feature of the ERGP . A section of the plan, entitled "Diver sification and Growth", 
focussed  on the areas of industry, trade and investment, with emphasis on establishing policy 
coherence across areas such as monetary, fiscal and structural reform. It was important to note 
the philosophy behind these efforts, was to deliver sustained inclusive growth, through structural 
transformation and diversification of the  economy.  
19. Nigeria had taken note of the  comments made by Members during its TPR, and subsequent 
recommendations. Of particular interest, were those recommendations that strengthened  the 
process of structural reforms, aimed at improving the business environment, streamlining trade 
procedures, estab lishing a market -driven and fully floating foreign exchange rate regime, 
addressing governance weaknesses and regulatory uncertainties, combating insecurity, 
modernizing infrastructure, and ensuring access to affordable and reliable electricity. Nigeria had 
moved  up 24 places and was recognized  as one of the top 10  most improved Doing Business 
economies in the world  in 2017 .     
20. Nigeria ha d benefitted from substantial AfT support since the i nitiative had been  launched. 
Financing was also growing from South -South partners. Nigeria envisaged  Aid for Trade as acting 
as a catalyst for FDI. Nigeria was committed to attracting investment for diversification, and had 
been working with m embers of the Investment Facilitation for Development Group to see how 
more fina ncing could  be mobilized for structural transformation, industrialization and sustainable 
development.   
21. A high -level policy meeting on Facilitating Trade and Investment for Development had been  
held in Abuja on 2 -3 November  2017. Some key messages from thi s meeting  
included : (i) participants reiterated the need to attract over US$2.5 trillion investments yearly in 
order to achieve the 2030 SDGs;  (ii) they underscored the urgent necessity of creating a 
favourable business climate and of implementing sound ma rket-driven domestic policies;  (iii) they 
highlighted the importance of advancing regional and international cooperation to create a more 
transparent, efficient, and predictable environment for investment and trade, as well as to ensure WT/COMTD/AFT/M/41  
 
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  that their benefits  were widely shared;  and (iv) they adopted the Abuja Statement on "Deepening 
Africa' s Integration in the Global economy through Trade and Investment Facilitation for 
Development ". 
22. The Abuja Statement reaffirmed that trade and investment were inseparable an d remain ed 
indispensable " twin engines " for economic growth, modernization and development of Africa. It 
reiterated the need to scale up investments in connectivity -infrastructure -ports, transport corridors 
and telecommunications networks to enable Africa to participate and benefit from to day's 
integrated and digital global economy. The s tatement also called for a successful Eleventh WTO 
Ministerial Confere nce so as to strengthen the WTO.   
23. Nigeria had reiterate d its commitment to the multilateral trading sy stem, including its 
commitment to domestic stability based on rule of law, transparency, responsible and accountable 
government, and continued domestic policy reforms, for inclusive growth in a market economy. 
One direction that Nigeria was keen to explore  in the future, was using Aid for Trade to mobilize 
private investment resources needed to catalyse productive investment in support of structural 
transformation.  
24. The representative of the European Union  (EU) recalled that the  EU Trade Policy Review  had 
been held in July just before the Aid for Trade Global R eview. The 2017 edition of the EU's AfT 
monitoring report had highlighted that the  EU and its member States collectively remain ed the 
world's leading provider of A id for Trade, accounting for 29% of  total support . Since 2007, EU total 
AfT commitments had increased by 85%, reaching a total of EUR 13.2 billion in 2015 , an all -time 
high (and an increase of 5.5% compared to 2014). EU's AfT flows were a third of its total ODA . 
She highlighted t wo categories  of support that made up  more than 97% of EU total AfT 
commitments : "trade -related infrastructure " with EUR 6.6 billion of commitments in 2015; and 
"building productive capacity " with EUR 6.2 billion. The EU and its member S tates were the leading 
providers o f trade-related assistance accounting for 49% of total commitments from D evelopment 
Assistance Committee  (DAC) donors. Spending in this area had doubled between 2006 and 2015, 
reaching EUR 2.8 billion in 2015  (EUR 1.5 billion in 2006). This level exceed ed the annual target of 
EUR 2 billion that had been  established by the EU at the 2005 Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong  
and formalized in the EU's Aid -for-Trade Strategy of 2007. On geographical coverage , she noted 
that Africa continued to receive the large st share of EU Aid for Trade in 2015, with 36% of the EU 
and m ember States total AfT commitments; followed by Asia (26%), Europe (15%) and the 
America s (10%).  
25. A project in Benin to produce quality food products by installing hygiene control systems  was 
highlighted by the EU representative . The project had been  launched in 2012 for f ive years, with a 
budget of EUR 2.8 million. So far , 11 major food enterprises had  invested in a complete food 
safety and qu ality management system and had  been cert ified by int ernational audit. Ninety  
women’s groups or 439 individuals nationwide had been  trained on Best Hygienic Practices. 
Another project referenced  was the  EUR 15 million  Association of Southeast Asian Nations  (ASEAN)  
Regional Integration Support  project  that ran from 2012 to 2016. It supported the  ASEAN 
Secretariat in implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). An online complaint -
reporting mechanism to assist with cross -border trade dispute settlements for companies  had been 
established and the ASEAN Risk Assessment Centre for Food Safety  launched , together with an 
electronic portal for providing information on trade and customs laws and procedures. The success 
of the ARISE project has led to a follow -up project for 2017 -2020 (the ARISE Plus project).   
26. In 2015, EU Aid for Trade to least developed countries (LDCs) amounted to EUR 2.4 billion, 
represent ing 18% of total EU aid; and  aid commitments to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) 
countries totalled EUR 4,5 billion, i.e. 34% of total A id for Trade. These figures brough t EU AfT 
commitments to LDCs and ACP countries back in line with their historical average (2010 -2015) 
after a notable decrease in 2014, which had been  due to a shift in programming cycle for the EU.  
27. In line with priorities set by the pa rtner countries, trade facilitation , and in particular 
supporting the implementation of the WTO's TFA, had been one of the EU 's aid programming 
priorities for many years. In December 2013, the EU had set a target of up to EUR 400 million over 
five years to  support developing countries implement the TFA. The EU and its member S tates 
remain ed among the top donors of a id for Trade Facilitation , with on average EUR 120 million of 
commitments annually. She highlighted the EUR 2.7 million grant for the Zambia Reg ional 
Integration Capacity Building Project  and the Uganda Northern Corridor Road Improvement Project  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/41  
 
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  as examples of EU support. The latter project had resulted in reduction of travel time by 25%, 
direct vehicle operating costs by 17% and extended road lif etime by 20 years.  
28. She also mentioned EU trade policy tools in support of sustainable development. Aid for 
Trade alone could not  deliver on its potential to support inclusive growth and sustainable 
development without market access opportunities . She state d that  the EU was the most open 
market for developing countries' exports and is at the forefront of using trade policy to promote 
the social and environmental pillars of sustainable development. The EU's Everything But Arms  
(EBA) initiative, which provide d duty-free quota -free (DFQF) market access for LDC goods to the 
EU market, was effective . Studies  had shown that the EBA scheme increased the exports of 
products granted duty -free access by up to 10%. The WTO's 2017 market access report for L DC 
products (W T/COMTD/LDC/W/65) highlighted that  the EU remain ed the number one destination for 
LDC agricultural products (27% of their exports in 2016) and manufactured products (51%).  
Furthermore, the EU's  Generalised Scheme of Preferences plus ( GSP+ ) arrangement  was a 
flagship unilateral EU trade policy instrument to support sustainable development and good 
governance.1  
29. She noted that the EU was in process of updating its AfT Strategy . Economic and political 
realities had  evolved  significantly since the Strategy had been launched, in particular with the 
2030 Agen da for Sustainable Development, and , at the EU level , the adoption of the Trade for All 
Communication in October 2015  and the new European Consensus on Development in June 2017. 
The Commission was updating  the AfT Strategy to make the most of the wide range of EU policy 
tools available to better link the strategy  with EU trade agreements and schemes, including Trade 
and Sustainable Development  chapters of trade agreements, GSP+, support for fair and ethical 
trade and responsible management of value chains  and women's economic empowerment. 
Coordinating aid programmes better in these areas would  allow the EU to support its partners to 
meet SDG commitments.   
30. The EU had also launched an ambitious strategy to encour age investment in partner 
countries in Africa and the European Neighbourhood : the External Investment Plan (EIP). The EIP 
reflect ed the shifting focus towards using ODA more strate gically as a catalyst to mobiliz e other 
public and private financial flows.  The objective of the EIP is to contribute to achieving the SDG s, 
while tackling some root  causes of migration; to mobiliz e sustainable investment with the aim of 
improving economic and social development in the target regions; and to strengthen public and 
private partnership for development.  With a more systematic and strategic combination of 
financial, technical and policy support, the EIP aims to channel typical Aid for Trade, improve the 
overall business environment, and create the right conditions for g reater trade and investment 
opportuni ties. 
31. The representative of Brazil  noted that Brazil's South -South cooperation was not formally 
structured under a traditional "A id for Trade" format, but several initiatives, notably in agriculture, 
include d a clear tr ade-relate d dimension. Brazil’s technical -cooperation projects were horizontal, 
demand -driven and developed in accordance with recipients ' priorities. Brazil ha d been very active 
in providing technical cooperation in the cotton sector, with four different "cotton " initiatives 
currently being implemented. These projects aim ed at improving institutional and human 
resources capacity. The main goal was not only to guarantee better quality and higher yields of 
cotton farmed, but also to promote food security thr ough the promotion of sustainable practices 
such as crop rotation. Brazil was  ready to cooperate with other developing countries on 
implementing the TFA, in areas such as capacity -building and institutional strengthening of 
national committees on trade fac ilitation, modernization of systems and process reengineering.  
32. The representative of Senegal  updated on the first Joint Trade Policy Review of the eight 
member S tates of the W AEMU: Benin, Burkina Fas o, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau , Mali, Niger, 
Senegal and  Togo that was held on 25 and 27 October 2017. The Minister of Senegal in charge of 
Trade, as spokesperson for the Union, delivered the introductory and closing speeches, which 
presented in a comprehensive manner WAEMU's trade policy. Members had stated th at trade  
performance could be improved if economic infrastructure, including transport infrastructure, was 
strengthened. They had also recommended measures to  diversif y the economies, through  
transform ation of  commodities and minerals . Other recommendation s had been to reduce the  cost 
of transport  and energy.  
                                                
1 http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/html/153595.htm   WT/COMTD/AFT/M/41  
 
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  33. At the end of the joint TPR, an appeal had been  made to Members and the WTO Secretariat 
for technical and fi nancial assistance for capacity -building, through m echanisms such as Aid for 
Trade . He also cited examples of support from development partners, notably an EUR  11 million 
project to  support the Competitiveness of Trade and Regional Integration (PACCIR) from the EU. 
The representative encouraged other financing  partners to contribute to the mobili zation of funds 
to complete this project . He also mentioned the  support of the Enhanced Integrated Framework 
(EIF), through numerous  projects at the regional level . All WAEMU members wished to see the EIF 
provided with the financial resources  to continue p laying this important role.   
34. Various challenges remained in the sub-region  that Aid for Trade could help address , 
including : addressing poverty issues; support for economic diversification; and development of 
transport infrastructure, quality and road saf ety for business competitiveness.  Follow -up activities 
pursuant to the Joint Review of the Trade Policies were planned for 2018. He concluded by noting 
that the  review had been  highly appreciated, by the eight WAEMU member S tates. 
35. The representative  of the  Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF)  updated M embers on its 
activities . During the Global Review of Aid for Trade, the EIF had signed a Contribution Agreement 
with the E U for EUR 10 million. The EIF had also entered  into a strategic partnership with the 
Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) at the WTO Public F orum. The EIF Board approved a new 
Communications and Visibility Strategy and a revised Resource Mobilization Strategy.  
36. The EIF partnership has already seen results: two thirds of the LDCs now reco gnize trade as 
an engine for grow th and development and had  mainstreamed trade into their national 
development policies and plans. To ensure that trade mainstreaming delivers tangible returns, the 
EIF continue d to support the much -needed institutional supp ort to complement and consolidate 
gains for deeper returns on long -term sustainab ility and trade development. EIF's  focus on result s 
remained  steadfast, and since the  last meeting, the EIF  had implemented 90% of the reforms to 
deliver change and had become  more efficient and effective. Eleven  new projects had been 
launched, and these include a  new Diagnostic Trade Integration St udy (DTIS) in Equatorial Guinea . 
An update of the diagnostic study in Vanuatu  would ensure the availability of the most recent 
analysis of key priorities endorsed by the Government to be taken up by donors and partners. 
Other activities she mentioned were on  institutional support project in Haiti, mainstreaming 
projects  in South Sudan and on WTO Accession in Comoros, f ive e-trade read iness assessments in 
Liberia, Nepal, Sa moa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu and a sustainability project in The Gambia.   
37. The EIF representative also highlighted  some  seed investments made  for farmers and small 
businesses. The "Burkina Faso: Mango and cashew f armer " project had  helped increase mango 
production by 60%, generat ing 1,000 new jobs over the last three years.  Another 1,000 jobs were 
created in cashew processing units. The " Malawi: Soy and groundnut farmers " project promoted 
exports and domestic value  addition  that had trained  3,537 farmers (of which 58% are women)  on 
good agricultural practices and helped increase soya  yields by 30% and groundnuts by 42%. 
Another example was in  Vanuatu where the " Tourism operators and women -led SMEs " project had 
suppo rted transformation of the seafront in Port Vila damaged by  Cyclone Pam. Tourism wa s at 
the heart of Vanuatu's economy accountin g for over 60% of Vanuatu's GDP . With support from 
New Zealand and the EIF, Vanuatu had  finalized the transformation of the seaf ront in 
September  2017.  Estimates var ied, but the project wa s expected to boost  touris t arrivals by 36%.  
38. The representative of the United States  (US) updated on recent work within the Asia -Pacific 
Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) related to trade.  At the  third Senior Officials Meeting in 
August 2017, the U S had organized a workshop, " Enhancing Regulator Expertise on the WTO 
Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade ". This W orkshop examined a number of issues related to 
the Technical Barriers to Trade ( TBT) Agreement and regulation in detail, including the relevance 
of the TBT Agreement for regulators, dispute set tlement matters related to the A greement, 
conformity assessment, and regulatory cooperation.  The US had also worked with Viet  Nam, the 
APEC host ec onomy, as well as other partners (Australia, Canada, and New Zealand) to organize 
the tenth conference on good regulatory practices. This conference examined key issues related to 
good regulatory practice , including regulatory impact assessment, transparen cy in the 
development of regulations, effective public consultation, and rulemaking in responses to crises.  
Finally, the US  had held a workshop on electronic labeling for ICT products. In a rapidly evolving 
technological environment, regulators face challe nges in determining ICT product conformance 
using both user -friendly and cost -effective tools, which can contribute to the development of TBTs. 
As devices g ot smaller, there wa s less space on them to display any required markings or labels. WT/COMTD/AFT/M/41  
 
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  The workshop ex amined the different ways that economies have used electronic labeling to 
address this issue and dev eloped a set of best practices.  
39. The representative of China  noted that Aid for T rade was an important and efficient tool to 
help developing Members to enhan ce the ir trade potential and through which contribute to 
achieving development goals. She welcome d the efforts and contribution made by the  WTO 
Secretariat, M embers and international institutions. She co ngratulate d Nigeria and the Economic 
Community of Wes t African States (ECOWAS)  for th e recent success of  the Abuj a High Level 
Forum on Facilitating Trade and Investment for D evelopment.  As the bigge st developing country, 
China was  a strong supporter of the Aid-for-Trade Initiative, and committed to provide p ossible Aid 
for Trade in various fora in re cent years, including through Af T work program me implementation, 
Forum on China -Africa Cooperation, support for the Cotton -4 group, as well as through China's 
LDCs and Accessions Program (the China Program ). She u pdated on the Sixth China Round Table 
on WTO Access ions that would be held back -to-back with the MC11 in Buenos Aires.  
40. The representative of Cambodia , on behalf of the LDC Group , congratulated on the 
successful  EIF Board mee ting held  from 9 -13 October 2017 . He reiterated the Board's adoption of 
the new EIF Resource M obilization Strategy with more emphasis on coordination and strategic  
partnership and  the B oard's endorsement of the new EIF Communication and Outreach S trategy 
(2018 -2020).  
III. Regional Dimension  
41. The representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO ) 
updated on the  event UNIDO organized at the Global Review of Aid for Trade, together with the 
Africa n Group, Japan, the W orld Bank and I nternational Telecommunication Union (ITU) . The 
event, entitled "Africa's Industrial Transformation: The Role of Digital Connectivity and the Need 
for In novative Financing", had underscored t he importance of manufacturing and 
manufacturing -related services for economic growth and trade; the need for enhanced digita l 
connectivity in light of the four th industrial revolution;  the importance of country ownership; and 
the complementarity of public and private sectors and availability of financing instruments to 
provide a framework for digital and  physical connectivity.  He re called that 
Ambassador  Francois  Ngarambe had  stressed that Aid for Trade  should be re -oriented to 
sufficiently address the root causes of current trade imbalances on the continent and called 
therefore for stronger support to pr oductive capacity development and industrialization in Africa. 
He observed that despite the priority accorded to industrialization by African policy makers, only 
3% of total AfT disbursements have to date been allocated  to industry and manufacturing. He 
emphasized that efforts in support of Africa 's industrialization need to be conducted in a holistic 
way - referring to UNIDO 's Programmes for Country Partnerships as a promising framework for 
development cooperation.  
42. The United Nations  General Assembly had proclaimed 2016 -2025 as the Thir d Industrial 
Development Decade for Africa, and called upon the international community to support African 
countries in their industrial development efforts. This was the third such decade proclaimed by the 
United Nations ( UN). Whereas the two past decades did not result in any significant changes on 
the ground, this time around things might be different. Not only were the economic conditions far 
more conducive than in the past, there were encouraging signs of a greater commit ment from 
development partners and the international community to support industrial development. UNIDO 
had developed a com prehensive road map, which formed  the basis for discussions with 
development partners, including the WTO, to agree on a comprehensive  action plan in support of 
efforts at continental, regional and national levels. He would  report reg ularly at CTD meetings to 
keep M embers abreast of progress.  
43. The representative of the United States  updated  on recent activities  under the Standards 
Allian ce. The Standards Alliance was a funding facility designed to provide capacity -building 
assistance to developing countries, specifically related to implementation of the TBT Agreement. 
The main objectives of the program me, which will inform the activities to be conducted, 
include:  increased understanding of WTO TBT principles ; implementation of the Code of Good 
Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards ; improved transparency in the 
development and/or modification  of technical regul ations; and m ore robust and transparent 
engagement with the private sector in standards development and use . It was  a public -private 
partnership, led by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the U.S. Agency for WT/COMTD/AFT/M/41  
 
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  International Development. In  2016, the Standards Alliance program was expanded to include five 
new countries in Sub -Saharan Africa: Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mozambique, Senegal, and Zambia. 
Earlier this year, the US had organized a three -part workshop ser ies in West Africa on 
standards -related topics relevant to three key sectors: transportation infrastructure, water, and 
energy. The program included a series of workshops in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Senegal. In 
October, the US welcomed a delegation of officials from West Africa to the U S to participate in a 
week-long training activity. The program covered topics related to risk -based approaches to 
consumer protection. The group included delegates from four countries in West Africa. She invite d 
Members to download the most recent annual r eport on the Standards Alliance, available on the 
website of the American National Standards Institute.  
IV. Private Sector  
44. The representative of the International Trade Centre (ITC ) recalled th e third edition  of its 
flagship publication on  SME Competitiveness Outlook had been launched , which this  year 
highlighted the role of regional value chains in boosting the competitiveness of  micro, small and 
medium -sized enterprises  (MSMEs ). The World Export Development F orum (WEDF) had been held 
in Eastern Europe for the  first time.  He also highlighted the annual Trade for Sustainable 
Development ( T4SD ) forum in October at which the ne w Sustainability Map had been launched. 
The Map was  a freely available online platform, and offered  users access to wide -ranging 
informatio n related to sustainability initiatives and s tandards.  ITC had also launched the call for 
women entrepreneurs to register for SheTrades global which will take place 26 -28 June  in 
Liverpool as part of the International Business Festival. He noted that the SheTrades initiative had  
generated  commitments to connect 850 ,000 women to market. In terms of e -solutions , ITC had  
recently launched the outcomes of its first ever  e-commerce survey.  This ITC survey of 2,200 
MSMEs in 111 countries generated  some interestin g information including that the share of 
logistics costs over final price is nearly double in developing countries than in developed countries. 
ITC is  hoping to help countries address some of these issues and will be soon launching a project 
in Rwanda wit h GIZ and DHL to look at the interplay between e -commerce and logistics.   
45. On South -South  cooperation , ITC was working with a Department for International 
Development ( DFID)-funded programme that look ed to connect markets in Ethiopia, Kenya, 
Rwanda, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania with India . This project had generated some 
interesting results including  best practices in turmeric harvesting in Ethiopia to bringing Indian 
investors to African So urcing Fashion Week 2017. ITC was also in the process of launching a new 
work stream on impact investment  - understanding that this is a new and innovative source of 
financing for MSMEs.  He further mentioned events planned at MC11 . ITC was also  supporting the 
declara tion on Gender and Trade which wa s an initi ative that  had been born from  the Geneva 
Gender C hampions Group . ITC would also be working with the Cotton  4 to launch the Cotton 
Portal.  
46. The representative of the United States  updated on the activities of the Global Alliance for 
Trade Facilitation . In Viet Nam, the Alliance was working with the Government and the private 
sector on the implementation of a bond system.  In Colombia, the Alliance ha d been working with 
INVIMA, the National Food and Drug Surveillance Agency , and would  shortly launch an informat ion 
technology system that would  facilitate timelier border clearances.  In Sri Lanka, a logistics hub 
project was under development.  In Ghana and Kenya, the Alliance ha d been developing pre -arrival 
processing interventions to improve the efficiency of bord er agencies.   
V. Monitoring and Evaluation of Implementation and Development  Effectiveness  
47. The Chair person  provided a n outline of how he proposed  to take forward the development of 
the next work programme for the Aid -for-Trade Initiative. He noted his  intenti on to convene an 
informal open -ended meeting in January  2018 and invite  delegations to outline their thoughts on 
the topics that in their view should be included in the new work programme. He would then  
elaborate  these inputs together into a draft work pro gramme which would  be circulated to all 
Members. He would then convene a formal CTD AfT meeting at which the work programme  would 
be finalized . He noted that his  aim was to circulate the work programme, under his own 
responsibility, to the General Council before its first meeting of 2018.   WT/COMTD/AFT/M/41  
 
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  48. The Summary Report of the Aid for Trade Global Review 2017 had been issued as  document 
WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74. One theme that he noted  emerged strongly from the Summary  was that of  
economic empowerment. It had been highlighte d in a broad sense: in the context of women's 
economic empowerment; in how to help MSMEs  to connect to the global economy; and in the 
context of empowering youth.  Economic empowerment could therefore be one of the themes of 
the next work programme. He stat ed though that delegations would also have their own thoughts 
about possible areas of work.  He invited Members to  feed in ideas to the consultation process in 
January.   
49. He noted that some Members had requested that a review of the Aid -for-Trade monitoring  
and evaluation (M&E) exercise and Global Review s should be undertaken. He propose d that the 
analysis foreseen during the 2016-2017 biennium would be carried forward into the new work 
programme. Discussion of AfT achievements would  provide a useful basis o n which to discuss what 
had been achieved and to ensure that the AfT work remain ed fit for purpose. He further noted with 
encouragement the various statements referencing Aid for Trade in statements issued by Members  
in preparation for the MC11. He encoura ged Members to pursue these efforts as it would be helpful 
to maintain the political visibility of the initiative.  
50. The representative of India welcome d efforts by the Secretariat, Members and  partner 
organizations in this endeavor. He noted that he had bee n struck by the UNIDO  representative's  
intervention , and Aid -for-Trade Task Force re commendations  emphasizing  the need for additional, 
predictable, sustainable and effective financing. Donors had made pledges in 2005 that  aid flows 
would increas e to US$50 billion per annum by 2010. However, according to Aid for Trade at a 
Glance 2017, US$298 billion ha d been disbursed during the years 2006 -2015, which on an 
average was less than US$30 billion per annum.  
51. India consider ed th at holding biennial Global Reviews  without strong evidence of additional, 
predictable, sustainable and effective financing reduce d their meaningfulness.  Commenting on the  
63 Country Profile s included in "Aid for Trade at a Glance 2017"  report, he regretted that  29 of the 
63 countries surve yed had witnessed a decline in their trade to GDP ratio. Only 40% of the 
countries had registered  an increase. He suggested it called for greater study.  He thanked the 
Chair for setting the ball rolling on a holistic review of the M&E exercise.  
52. He further  requested to know if the  Secretariat followed  the criteria prescribed by the Task 
Force in  section D of its report under "Scope" in determining AfT  financing . He wanted to know  if 
and how the recipient country 's opinion was taken into consideration in det ermining AfT flows with 
regard to the activities falling outside the current Joint WTO/OECD Trade Capacity Bu ilding 
database definition, i.e., with regard to trade-related infrastructure,  building productive capacity, 
trade-related adjustment , etc., as man dated by the Task F orce report. He propose d that specific 
information on the projects in each country counted as AfT commitments and disbursements 
should  be included  in future editions of the Aid for Trade At a Glance  publication . This information 
would be  useful to the recipient countries. He requested  more emphasis on AfT disbursements and 
stated that  other official flows had been given undue importance, and could not  be counted as Aid 
for Trade.  
53. The Chair person  took note of India's statement.  
C. OTHER BUS INESS  
54. No item was raised under "Other Business".  
55. The meeting was adjourned . 
 
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