RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
4 August 2009 
 
 (09-3734) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Eleventh Session on Aid for Trade  
 
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 11 JUNE 2009 
 
Chairman:  H.E. Mr. Shree B.C. Servansing (Mauritius) 
 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA .........................................................................................................1  
B. UPDATE ON THE JOINT OECD -WTO PUBLICATION AID FO R TRADE AT A GLANCE 
2009 - STATEMENT BY THE CHAIR ...............................................................................................1  
C. REPORTS BY REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS ..........................................................................8  
D. UPDATE ON THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE SE COND GLOBAL REVIEW OF AID FOR TRADE ..........11  
E. REPORT BY UNIDO ON JOINT PILOT PROJEC TS AIMED AT DEVELOPING PRODUCTIVE 
AND TRADE CAPACITIES AND NEXT STEPS ................................................................................12  
F. UNDP – REPORT ON MAINSTREAMING TRADE IN POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES ................14  
G. OTHER BUSINESS .......................................................................................................................15  
 
 A. 
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The agenda as contained in Airgram WTO/AIR/3371 was adopted without any changes. 
2. The Chairman  opened the 11th Session of the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) 
on Aid for Trade and welcomed the Directo r-General and Deputy Director-General, 
Mrs. Valentine Rugwabiza, to the meeting.  He informed Members that the purpose of the meeting 
was to provide delegations with updates on the activities and ongoing preparations for the Second 
Global Review of Aid for Trade, in particular with  regard to the joint OECD/WTO Aid for Trade At a 
Glance 2009 publication, as well as on the recently held  National, Regional and Sub-regional Aid for 
Trade events.   
B. UPDATE ON THE JOINT OECD -WTO PUBLICATION AID FOR TRADE AT A GLANCE 
2009 - STATEMENT BY THE CHAIR  
3. The Chairman gave a brief update regarding the joint OECD/WTO Aid for Trade At a Glance 
2009 publication.  He informed Me mbers that, in addition to a general introduction on Aid for Trade, 
the publication would provide a comprehensive analys is of trade-related aid flows between 2006 and 
2007, and a summary of the results of the donor and partner country self-assessments.  The report 
would focus on partner strategies, policies and pr actices and donor questionnaire responses as well as 
on the regional dimension of Aid for Trade.  Adva nce copies of these sections in English would be 
distributed to Members as a WT/COMTD/AFT/W/- document.   WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
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  4. The report would also include individual country fact sheets which had been prepared with 
the help of OECD.  The fact sheets would provide data on trade flows, trade mainstreaming, trade 
policy indicators and trade-related indicators based on an analysis of the information given by partner 
countries in their replies to the sel f-assessment questionnaire.  He recalled that an example of a fact 
sheet for Peru had been distributed at the CTD m eeting on Aid for Trade held in April.  Individual 
fact sheets had been prepared for each of the 88 countries that had replied to the partner country 
questionnaire.  Information provided by partner c ountries that had been received too late to be 
included in the publication, would be made availa ble on a CD-rom.  The full Aid for Trade At a 
Glance Report as well as  replies to the self-assessment questi onnaires would also be available on the 
WTO and OECD Aid-for-Trade websites. 
5. The Director-General
 stated that since the last CTD S ession on Aid for Trade in February, a 
lot of progress had been made in terms of de fining the work on Aid for Trade and developing a 
framework that would allow to be tter coordinate efforts, mobili ze additional resources, enhance 
political ownership and better prepare the way forward.  He reiterated that the role of the CTD in that 
endeavour was critical to achieving success, particul arly at this juncture when Members were 
discussing Aid for Trade against the backdrop of a worsening global economic environment which 
had the potential to significantly affect the progr ess that had been made in mobilizing financial 
support for Aid for Trade.   
6. At the First Global Review, three clear priorities had been identified; (i) improving 
monitoring;  (ii) moving towards implementation;  and (iii) strengthening country ownership.  On 
improving monitoring and evaluation, a successful Symposium was held in September 2008 to 
identify indicators for monitoring Aid for Trade.  On the issue of moving the focus of work towards 
implementation of Aid for Trade, the Director-General  stated that the role of regional partners was 
indispensable.  Citing the example of the North-S outh Corridor, the Director-General stated that 
significant progress had been made on that front th rough the work of regi onal development banks, 
regional economic commissions a nd regional economic communities.  The North–South Corridor was 
a clear example of what could be achieved through a coordinated regional effort with the dedicated 
support of bilateral and institutional donors.  On strengthening developing country ownership of the 
initiative, the Director-General mentioned that as pa rt of the assessment of Aid-for-Trade needs, the 
WTO together with the OECD had circulated sel f-assessment questionnaires to partner countries.  
Nearly 90 countries had responded to those questionnaires, providing a better sense of what their Aid-for-Trade priorities were.  It was crucial to ensure that the initiative was consistent with the 
individual priorities of Members so as to ensure greater ownership on their part. 
7. On the way forward beyond the forthcom ing Global Review Session in July, the 
Director-General urged Members to share their vi ews and reactions so that the Secretariat could 
prepare the Aid for Trade Global Review with a reas onably clear idea of what would follow in terms 
of next steps.  In his view, Members and other stak eholders needed to build upon the progress that had 
been achieved in strengthening the regional dime nsion of Aid for Trade.  The initiative would 
continue to rely on regional partners including th e development banks and bilateral donors to take the 
lead in evolving clear and focused regional Aid-for-T rade projects.  In addition, regional trade policy 
reviews could be useful in providing input on th e evolution of regional programmes in partnership 
with regional partners.  More atte ntion would need to be paid to enhancing the role and contribution 
of the private sector and civil society.  He stated  that one way in which this could be done was 
through building partnerships with  private foundations to tap into their resources and capacities to 
deliver effective and adequate Aid for Trade. 
8. He also stated that work on evaluating the im pact of Aid for Trade should continue with a 
view to making a contribution to the ongoing global de bate on aid effectiveness.  Furthermore, active 
mobilization of additional resources, in particular  beyond 2010, must conti nue to receive utmost 
attention.  Although reasonably clear commitments by donors up to 2010 had been made, what was  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
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  important was to seek greater clarity in the post 2010 scenario – a task that was made more difficult in 
the wake of the current global economic crisis.  Mobilizing Aid-for-Trade resources was essential to 
help developing countries be prepared to better ex it the crises. Another aspect of the Aid-for-Trade 
equation that needed more encouragement w as South-South Aid-for-Trade partnerships. 
9. The representative of the United States  shared some preliminary ideas on the way forward. 
She noted that good progress had been made over the last two years, in terms of raising the 
importance of trade-related assistance to a higher level of prominence internationally as well as for domestic constituencies.  Considering that the WTO was not a development agency and whose 
Members predominantly represented trade and foreign ministries of their countries, it was a significant achievement.  With that in mind, the Me mbership needed to move forward with a view to 
exploit the WTO's strengths in realizing the objec tives of the Aid-for-Trade initiative.  However, 
while it was important for Members to keep track of  what was happening in the field, it was equally 
important to avoid pushing the organization into field-based development programming operations.   
10. In her delegation's view there were five  important elements in a forward looking 
Aid-for-Trade work plan.  First, over the next  two years or so until the Third Global Review, 
bunching together of meetings should be avoided.  Second, focus should shift from strictly classic, 
trade-related projects to projects that have signifi cant trade components, for example, agriculture and 
food security to name one.  Third, in order to make more predictable and effective use of the CTD, the 
meeting should enable information sharing on re lated activities and programmes being run in the 
field.  For example, it would be useful to have  the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa talk about 
infrastructure activities in the region at one of th e CTD Sessions.  In order for such information 
sharing Sessions to be useful, it would be necessary to decide on the topics well in advance of the 
scheduling of the CTD Aid for Trade Sessions.  Her last two ideas echoed those raised by the 
Director-General in terms of increasing the focu s on regional integration a nd participation of the 
private sector.   
11. The representative of Senegal
 appreciated the briefing provided by the Director-General and 
stated that his delegation shared the Director-General 's views on three aspects.  First, reinforcement of 
the regional dimension of Aid for Trade, particul arly, by targeting regional projects;  second, 
enhancing the role of the private sector;  and th ird, continuation of the process of assessment, 
particularly to measure the impact of Aid for Trade programmes.  He sought clarification from the Director-General on two points.  Firstly, how the Dir ector-General visualized the reinforcement of the 
role of the private sector and how he saw the role  of the private sector in the provision of Aid for 
Trade at a national, regional and global level?  S econdly, with regard to th e future work, he asked 
whether the WTO was planning to carry out case studies based on country profiles for example, looking at how on a national level, the provision of  Aid for Trade and its implementation should be 
organized?  He suggested having knowledge shari ng and exchange of good practices across countries 
to see how the programmes actually worked on a na tional level;  and what challenges countries 
encountered in their implementati on strategies.  The sharing of na tional experience and good practices 
could help decision makers at the national level to better implement the Aid-for-Trade programmes. 
12. The representative of India
 appreciated the Director-Gener al's informative presentation as 
well as the briefing that had been provided to the informal group of developing countries.  He emphasized the importance his delegation attached  to predictability, country ownership, the 
involvement of the private sector and South-South c ooperation.  In his delegation's view, the scope of 
Aid for Trade needed to be broadened in order to reform existing Aid-for-Trade systems.  New 
options for Aid for Trade needed to be developed within the context of the new aid framework which 
emphasized coordination between donors and na tional policies and priorities.  Although new 
structures would be required to deal with increased trade assistance, they needed to build upon the 
progress of existing programmes and leverage the capac ity of existing in stitutions rather than stand 
apart from them.  This was important in order to avoi d duplication.  With respect to the roadmap, as WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
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  his delegation had mentioned before , there was perhaps a need to carry out a review of the Global 
Review mechanism itself, including the policy and the c ontent in order to ensure that it would not be a 
mechanical exercise.  The roadmap needed to be put together after taking into account what would 
emerge from the Second Global Review.  First Memb ers needed to establish the road, the map was 
just an indication of where to begin and the final destination.  Currently, there was no clarity on the 
content of Aid for Trade itself and there needed to be additionality, more funds were needed.  With 
respect to funding and assistance, Members needed to ensure that they did not club together Aid for Trade with other forms of aid.  This could be misl eading.  He agreed with the representative of the US 
on the need to cluster meetings.  It was also impor tant to avoid mixing Aid for Trade together with 
other elements. 
13. The representative of th e European Communities
 stated that the Commission had contributed 
substantially to the regional and national reviews that had taken place over the past few months in 
preparation of the Global Review.  This was testim ony to the strong commitment that the EU had for 
Aid for Trade.  Aid for Trade was needed now more  than ever and it would help developing countries 
come out stronger once the global economy had recovere d.  The EU as a whole, was by far the largest 
contributor to Aid for Trade with overall commitm ents reaching €7.2 billion in 2007.  The EU's 
specific pledge to commit €2 billion annually for trade-related assistance had almost been met in 2007.  In the run up to the Global Review, the EU planned to hold a presentation on 23 June 2009 
explaining where things stood with respect to the EU  Aid-for-Trade strategy.  Particular attention 
would be given to assistance provided to the ACP countries.  Beyond the immediate target of the Global Review that would take place in July, Memb ers needed to reflect on Aid for Trade in the 
coming years.  The EU had already started reflecting on the future of Aid for Trade and overall, his 
delegation felt that the bulk of the work on Aid for Trade should take place in partner countries and 
regions.  The WTO needed to continue playing a ro le in ensuring political attention and highlighting 
the importance of Aid for Trade to both donors and be neficiaries.  Emphasis also needed to be put on 
ensuring that the right structures and processes be tween donors and beneficiaries were in place to 
permit a flow of adequate and good quality Aid for Tr ade.  The combination of formal and informal 
discussions would be helpful in this regard. 
14. The representative of Barbados
 made some points with respect to  the way forward.  The first 
was with respect to the role that  the private sector and civil soci ety could play which was a critical 
aspect for a successful Aid-for-Trade process.  This  could be approached by finding ways to fully 
involve the private sector and civil society in the regional and multilateral meetings.  The second was 
to enhance the interface of the private sector with  the WTO.  He asked how much leverage the WTO 
had to interact with the private sector and whether or  not there was a role to increase the interaction of 
the ITC in this area.  At the national level, there was also a need to work on enhancing the level of 
interaction with the private sector and the governme nt on trade issues and aid priorities.  Without an 
effective mechanism at the local level it was unlik ely that the right people from the private sector 
would feed into the process at the international level.   There was a need to pursue best practices in this 
area in order to develop possible mechanisms to guide  Members.  Third, his delegation agreed that the 
regional dimension approach of Aid for Trade was critical and there were a number of economic and 
logistical reasons why the regional dimension wa s a natural fit for the Aid-for-Trade debate.  
However, in the future there could be moves to wards developing thematic areas for discussion and 
looking at common issues and common priorities be tween countries with similar economic structures 
and trade profiles.  For example, there could be me rit in considering the area of trade facilitation or 
that of marketing and labelling as well as consider ing the interaction between countries such as the 
small and vulnerable economies which similar co mmon export and production bases.  As Members 
were aware, the small and vulnerable economies we re geographically dispersed, and it was perhaps 
not sufficient to focus on one region. 
15. The representative of Japan  said that Members could draw lessons from the successful 
regional review held in Siem Reap, Cambodia on 28 and 29 May 2009.  He agreed with a number of  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
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  the points that had been raised by the Director-G eneral.  First, was with respect to the regional 
dimension.  His delegation recognized the important role this played during the meeting of UNDP, the 
Asian Development Bank (ADB), and other regional institutions and hoped these institutions would 
play an active role in the Global Review and beyond .  With respect to resource mobilization, China's 
active role and participation in the ASEAN review  meeting was encouraging and his delegation could 
not emphasize enough the important role of the em erging donor and main player of South-South 
cooperation.  He stated that it had already been two years since the last Global Review had taken 
place and four years since the Hong Kong Minist erial Conference when Japan launched its own 
Aid-for-Trade initiatives.  The Government of Jap an was now considering what it could and should 
do as one of the two major donors in the area of Aid for Trade.  He underlined his delegation's 
readiness to cooperate with the WTO on a successful Global Review and beyond. 
16. The representative of Jamaica  supported many of the Director-General's ideas on the way 
forward, particularly with respect to building on th e progress that had so far been achieved;  the new 
focus on the regional dimension or regional integra tion aspects; continued evaluation of the impact 
and effectiveness of Aid for Trade and the issue of  additionality.  She provi ded additional ideas on the 
way forward.  These included th e desegregation of Aid for Trade funding from other development 
assistance;  continued pressure on donors and partner countries to honour their commitments to funds;  
better ways to increase participation of the priv ate sector as mentioned by the representative of 
Barbados, as well as increased participation of  planning agencies or agencies responsible for 
coordinating development assistance.  She stated th at her delegation also wished to build on the 
consultations held in the CTD, including focused assistance with national and regional consultation 
strategies on Aid for Trade.  Her delegation planne d to participate in the Second Global Review and 
looked forward to continued collaboration on Ai d for Trade and a successful Global Review and 
beyond. 
17. The representative of Sri Lanka  made a number of points related to further enhancing the 
Aid-for-Trade initiative after the Global Review.  First,  he said that Aid for Trade should not be at the 
expense of other development assistance programmes.  In this regard, he agreed with the idea that 
there should be a distinction between Aid for Tr ade and other development arrangements and the 
responsibilities lay not only with the donor partners, but also with the national partners in the field. 
Second, the Aid-for-Trade programme, even after the July review, needed to be integrated into the 
Doha Development Agenda (DDA) Work Programme.  Third, to ensure effective monitoring and 
review it was important to include, as recommended by the Task Force, a chapter in future trade 
policy reviews enumerating the way Aid for Trade was being implemented and its impact on the 
ground.  Fourth, he suggested the inclusion of Aid for Trade on the agenda of the Ministerial Meeting scheduled to be held in November/December 2009. 
18. The representative of China
 stated that he agreed that Aid for Trade was critical, particularly 
in the context of the current global financial and economic crisis and that, as mentioned by the 
representative of the EC, Aid for Trade was needed now  more than ever.  His delegation also agreed 
with the need to strengthen the regional dimension and find ways to enable the private and public 
sector to play a more active role in Aid for Trade.  With regard to the role of developing country 
Members, China, despite its own problems, had always  actively participated in Aid for Trade.  China 
had actively participated in all the regional revi ews that had taken place over the past few months, 
including the reviews held in Africa, Latin America and Asia.  It had also been bilaterally assisting 
developing country Members in th eir economic development efforts.  In addition, China had made 
donations to the WTO for technical assistance to developing and least-developed countries (LDCs).  
Aid for Trade, especially in the current financ ial crisis, needed to remain focused on the 
responsibilities of developed Members.  In this rega rd, his delegation supported the Director-General's 
proposal to look beyond 2010 and to obtain more clarity and certainty on the way forward.  In 
addition, he agreed with the representative of Indi a on the need to ensure principles of additionally WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
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  and predictability.  These principles needed to be borne in mind when considering the way forward 
beyond 2010. 
19. The representative of Brazil
 highlighted the importance that her delegation attached to the 
regional dimension.  However, it was also important not to forget the national dimension as agreed in 
Accra.  As regards the Second Global Review, m onitoring and evaluation would be addressed as one 
of the main topics and also as a response to the global ongoing debate on aid effectiveness. 
20. The representative of Cameroon  highlighted a couple of points that were particularly relevant 
to reinforce Aid for Trade.  The first related to the flows.  The economic crisis had not created the 
climate for an increase in aid flows, although develo ping country Members needed more aid.  In this 
context, efficient follow up and assessment were very  important.  His delegation agreed that a lot of 
thought needed to be put into the Second Global Re view.  It was perhaps an opportunity to consider 
how to effectively mainstream Aid for Trade into th e agenda of the Ministerial Conference, so that 
Ministers could address the issue and those on the ground could provide their experiences.  As the representative of Jamaica had said, Members should distinguish Aid for Trade from other aspects of development aid so there was greater visibility fo r it.  This, in his delegation's opinion, would 
reinforce follow up and assessment.  The à la carte  approach of thematic discussions and comparing 
country profiles would be very useful in allowi ng each country to benefit from the experience of 
similar countries.   
21. The representative of Ecuador
 stated that the Director-General had clarified the vision of the 
Aid for Trade initiative.  For Ecuador, Aid for Trad e was one of the pillars of the Doha Round and 
was therefore a fundamental mechanism for th e development dimension that Members were 
attempting to make a reality.  In this context, realization of the Second Global Review would allow 
Members to achieve and build on achievements al ready accomplished, ensuring stability for trade 
flows despite the current economic slow down.  Th is was very important in order to move from 
commitment to implementation.  For this reason, he agreed with the representative of India, on the 
need to assess future work on Ai d for Trade, following up on implementation of Aid for Trade 
particularly in line with national policies of each Member.  His delegation agreed with the 
Director-General that one of the objectives of the fu ture work on Aid for Trade should be to deepen 
its regional dimension. 
22. For Ecuador, trade was one of many instru ments to promote development and improve 
standards of living for its people.  For this reason,  his delegation suggested that Aid for Trade also 
focus on supporting prosperity and competitiveness,  particularly for small and medium-sized 
enterprises (SMEs).  With respect to future work, his delegation believed that between the Second and 
Third Global Reviews, Members should follow up on the implementation of projects with respect to 
developed countries further financing Aid for Trad e as pointed out by the Secretariat in various 
reports.  Funding was being greatly affected by th e current economic crisis.  He concluded by saying 
that commitments could not just be on paper, they n eeded to translate into c oncrete projects in order 
to benefit developing country Members.  
23. The representative of Viet Nam  echoed support for the priorities and the way forward 
presented by the Director-General.  There were three points that relied heavily on Aid for Trade contributing to the achievement of high growth rat es.  First, the regional dimension needed to be 
further strengthened, especially in Asia.  She r ecalled the recent figures of the OECD which showed 
that the regional programmes in Asia's Aid for Trade were very small compared to the total 
Aid-for-Trade figures as well as compared to other re gions like Europe and Latin America.  Second, 
there was a need to enhance the role  of the WTO Secretariat in Aid for Trade.  Its role was not only to 
keep track of the Aid-for-Trade flows but also to pa rticipate in trade-related project design and regular 
dialogue between donors and beneficiaries.  Third, sh e agreed with others th at there was a need to 
enhance ownership by the beneficiary.  In this re gard, her delegation believe d that efforts should be  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
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  made both from donors and the WTO.  It was important  to ensure that Aid-for-Trade resources were 
sustainable and predictable so that the beneficiarie s would be able to include Aid for Trade in the 
national planning exercise. 
24. The representative of Cambodia  said that his delegation fully supported the way forward 
outlined by the Director-General , namely building on the progress ma de so far, using trade policy 
tools to monitor Aid-for-Trade flows, evaluation on impacts for Aid for Trade, continued mobilization 
of additional resources on Aid for Trade and increased private and civil society participation.  As 
mentioned by the representative of Japan, Members could draw lessons from the successful regional review held in the held in Siem Reap. 
25. The representative of Canada
 said that Aid for Trade was an important complement to the 
Doha Development Round and his delegation att ached great importance to it and was actively 
involved with it.  He was pleased that Members were  talking about the period after the Second Global 
Review and his delegation believed th e ingredients to have a successful review in July were in place.  
He agreed that it would be useful to reflect on wh at the Review would contribute to Aid for Trade and 
the best way to take that forward.  In this regard , he agreed with the points made by the representative 
of the United States that Members needed to ensure that in the period following the Global Aid for 
Trade Review, there was an ordered and sequenced a pproach to meetings, in order for them to flow 
logically.  He believed that Members were consider ably closer to that objective and he hoped to see 
that further enhanced.  He noted the role that th e Director-General had played in the Aid for Trade 
discussion and had no doubt that this had elevated the level of attention paid to Aid for Trade both in 
developing countries, and certainly in the donor countries. 
26. The representative of Lesotho  expressed appreciation of the way in which WTO and other 
institutions were driving the process forward on Ai d for Trade.  Credit was also to be given to 
development partners that had ge nerously contributed resources to the initiative and his delegation 
hoped this would continue.  Aid for Trade was ev en more important during the current economic 
downturn, something which was now translating into social distress.  He emphasized that assistance to 
fragile economies needed to conti nue to support them during trade adjustments.  He said that the 
Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) was a launc h pad to access broader and more resourced Aid 
for Trade.  Lesotho was a trade-dependent econom y and without the multilateral trading system it 
could not go far in achieving its economic growth  and development goals.  Aid for Trade was of 
paramount importance for Lesotho. 
27. The Director-General  responded to Members' comments.  With regard to mission-creep on 
Aid for Trade, the Director-General assured that the WTO would adhere to its core business on Aid 
for Trade, which was, coordinating, mobilizing and monitoring.  He stated that the WTO had 
Aid-for-Trade operations in some very specific areas like trade-related technical assistance, the 
Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF)  and a few trade-related activities on the trade 
facilitation front.  Despite the utmost importance WT O attached to Aid for Trade, the overall head 
count of human resources devoted to Aid for Trade in  the WTO Secretariat was minimal.  This was a 
reflection of  the Secretariat's commitment to adhe re to its mandate on Aid for Trade and hence there 
was no risk that the organization could mission creep with so little resources. 
28. With regard to the comments made by Senegal firs tly, relating to the role of private sector, the 
Director-General stated that the i ssue had been the subject of debate for some time and no satisfactory 
formula had been found.  In his view this was a ma jor short-coming.  The Secretariat had considered 
different options, for instance, setting up a roundtable pertaining to Aid for Trade or setting up a 
network of contacts or a sort of an advisory system with organizations like the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and more generally th e International Chamber of Commerce which 
represented enterprises.  Another option could be  perhaps choosing a certain number of Chief 
Executive Officers (CEOs) or important companies that were involved in infrastructure or training WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
Page 8  
 
  systems in developing countries.  So far, it had not  been possible to get satisfactory results and that 
was why priority was being accorded to a third option, that is networking with private foundations which themselves carried out operations in the fi eld so as to benefit from the people who both had 
in-the-field experience and people who were sufficien tly representative at the global level.  The idea 
of field studies and country level coordination was another useful tool that organizations like UNDP 
could put to good use.  He also agreed simu ltaneous work on coordination among donors and 
coherence within recipients was important to ach ieve objectives.  Coordination with donors and 
between donors was intrinsically linked to c oherence among recipients.  The donors viewed 
coherence among recipients as an important element of their overall assistance plans.  In the absence 
of coherence, the donors would inevitably have thei r own ideas on what they should do, that usually 
led to a risk of discrepancy between the real needs of the recipient and what donors would do. 
29. With regard to the issue of tracking numbe rs and disaggregation flagged by India and 
Jamaica, the forthcoming Global Review would be an occasion for Members to look closely at these 
numbers.  The numbers would show which part of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) went 
to Aid for Trade, which regions got how much a nd the dynamics of the trends.  The Global Review 
would be an opportunity to comment, discuss or even question the numbers on the table.  It would 
also be a transparency exercise.  The numbers re vealed two things:  Aid for Trade had increased in 
line with commitments taken by donors in 2005, that had not happened to the detriment of other ODA segments, e.g. health or social expenditure.   
30. Responding to the comment by Cameroon, the Director-General recalled that at a recent 
meeting of the African Finance Ministers held in Egypt, finance ministers had a focused discussion on 
Aid for Trade.  At the London G20 meeting, emphasi s was placed on the need to ensure continued 
Aid-for-Trade flows.  It was important to contin ue with the necessary political visibility on Aid for 
Trade with a view to securing better results. 
C. 
REPORTS BY REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS  
31. The representative of the  African Development Bank  (AfDB) stated that a high-level 
Aid-for-Trade review and conference on the North- South Corridor had been held in Lusaka, Zambia 
on 6 and 7 April 2009.  The meeting was or ganized by COMESA, EAC and SADC regional 
communities with the assistance of the Re gional Trade Facilitation Programme and the UK 
Department of International Develo pment.  The objective of the North-South Corridor was to improve 
both the state of physical and transport infrastructure along the North-South Corridor and the regulatory environment for trade and transport.  The high-level conference ge nerated strong financial 
and technical support for the North-South Co rridor, and over US$1.2 billion of funding was 
committed by development partners for upgrading both rail, ports and implementation of trade 
facilitation instruments.  Following the high-level m eeting, a dedicated review of Aid for Trade was 
undertaken for the eight countries involved in the Corridor.  The review considered the supply and 
demand of Aid for Trade and highlighted the need to accompany hard infrastructure investment with 
soft infrastructure projects.  The key role played  by the private sector was also underlined, both as 
project implementation partners, as  well as generators of trade, em ployment and poverty reduction.  A 
way-forward document prepared by the Secretariat of COMESA at the end of the conference set out 
how the three Regional Economic Committees (RECs)  intended to implement the pilot project.  
Commitment to institutionalize the Tripartite pro cess of the three RECs wa s key to underpin the 
process.  It was agreed that a Secretariat and Programme Management unit would be established 
within COMESA.  The unit would be responsible for implementing projects and programmes that had 
been identified as part of the North-South Corridor Pilot Aid for Trade Programme. 
32. For the 2008-2010 period, the AfDB had earmarked  investment on the North-South Corridor 
amounting to US$380 million, comprising five key pr ojects, namely the Zomba-Planta Road, the 
Lilongwe by-pass also in Malawi (Lusaka-Malawi  border);  a project involving the Kazungula low  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
 Page 9 
 
 
  bridge; and the Irringa-Dodoma road project in Tan zania.  The AfDB intended to finance these roads 
along the corridor as more of a preparatory study.  She also stated that on 22 May 2009, the Board of Directors of the AfDB approved financing for th e rehabilitation of the Zo mba-Planta Road which 
formed part of the North-South Corridor. 
33. In relation to the event that was held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, he recalled that South-South 
cooperation was one of the key issues discussed at th e event with Brazil, Argentina, Chile, China and 
Peru presenting work being done in this area.  He noted that an excellent presentation had been given 
by Minister Araoz on Peru's efforts in mainstre aming trade into national development strategies, 
through their trade policy and trade agreements ever  since the creation of the Ministry of Foreign 
Trade and Tourism back in 2001.  The Montego Ba y activity also gave some very good examples of 
implementation initiatives under way in the Americas , notably the Meso-American Highway and the 
Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA). 
34. The representative informed Me mbers that some of the value chain analysis done by the 
Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) highlight ed existing opportunities, an example being 
medical services in the Caribbean.  A request for fu rther detailed work on the value chain analysis 
issue was also made in the conc luding remarks.  Other examples of opportunities were those offered 
by the recently signed Economic Partnership Agre ement (EPA) between the European Communities 
and the Caribbean.  However, due recognition was al so given to the challenges that the Caribbean 
faces in deriving maximum benefit from the EPA, especially in tackling implementation in a coordinated regional approach.  
35. The representative of the Secretariat
 also made reference to a national event in Honduras, 
facilitated by the IADB, in which an excellent di alogue had taken place with a number of donors and 
focused specifically on private sector  needs in a number of value chains, specifically meat, clothing 
and textiles. 
36. Turning to the event which took place in Siem  Reap, Cambodia, the representative of the 
Secretariat made reference to the global financial crisis and the cha llenge it presented to the export-led 
growth model in the ASEAN region.  He mentione d the ADB's study on the impact of the financial 
crisis on poverty which estimated that 60 million pe ople would remain in poverty this year who would 
otherwise have seen their incomes grow if previous  growth rate continued in 2009.  The crisis was 
affecting certain groups disproportionately.  One su ch example was the predominantly female labour 
force in the clothing factories in Cambodia and the impact that the crisis was having on their 
employment.  He went on to say that the Director-General, in this regard, made specific comments 
about Aid-for-Trade cushioning the downturn and pointed to the potentially counter-cyclical role 
which Aid for Trade could play in this regard. 
37. The Secretariat noted ADB President Kuroda's call for a new development paradigm which 
looked at stimulating domestic a nd regional demand within Asia a nd which did not rely exclusively 
on exports to generate demand moving ahead.  Referen ce was also made to the financial crisis of the 
late 1990s and how those countries which invested the most heavily in infrastructure were the first to 
emerge from the crisis.  This chimed well with the initiatives being taken by the ADB, specifically in 
regard to their "Seamless Asia infrastructure pr oject".  A strong message which came out of the 
Siem Reap conference was that Aid for Trade can work in tandem with other policy instruments, 
specifically non-concessional aspects.  The representa tive from the Secretariat stressed that these 
issues need to be reflected upon in  deliberations on the way forward, including increasing the range of 
Aid-for-Trade mechanisms which are available, S outh-South cooperation, increased private sector 
involvement and the need to focus on the soft in frastructure elements of trade facilitation which are 
needed to reinforce the private sector's role and competitiveness.  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
Page 10  
 
  38. He commended Cambodia on their interesting presentation on the issue of coherence at a 
national level in which they elaborated on the stru cture of their aid management system, through their 
trade-swap programme.  This programme was desi gned by the national authorities and led by the 
Cambodian Government as a mechanism to manage donor  interventions and to ensure that there is 
coherence, coordination and maximum benefit derived.  
39. The representative of Jamaica
 thanked the IADB for its sustained assistance and support to 
the various national and regional reviews, includi ng that which took place in Montego Bay.  She 
agreed that the meeting had been a successful one, enriched by the participation of the Jamaican 
Prime Minister and Ministers from other Caribbean and Latin American countries, heads and officials from various trade and trade-rela ted organizations and the privat e sector.  Substantive discussions 
took place on specific Aid-for-Trade initiatives, challe nges faced by countries in the area of trade 
development, translating trade agreements in a tang ible way into market access and penetration, trade 
liberalization adjustment issues, export/import stra tegies, issues arising from trade facilitation and 
infrastructure, the constraints faced by the private sec tor.  She indicated that a decision had been taken 
for the CARICOM region to accelerate its drafting of  a Caribbean Aid-for-Trade strategy with the 
objective of arriving at a holistic and comprehens ive approach towards competitiveness, adjustment 
and trade development.  The region would also be improving its monitoring agenda, including 
through new mechanisms to more effectively mon itor Aid-for-Trade flows and the effectiveness of 
Aid-for-Trade programmes.  She added that natio nal and regional consu ltations had received new 
impetus in preparation for the Second Global Revi ew in July, including exchanging views and ideas 
on the way forward.  She concluded by quoting the remarks of the Jamaican Prime Minister at the 
Regional Review in Montego Bay that there was still a disproportionate emphasis within Aid for 
Trade on capacity to administer trade, rather than on capacity to enhance and benefit from trade.  It 
should not be all who may come but rather all must be enabled to come. 
40. The representative of the European Communities
 said that the EC had attended all the 
Regional Reviews.  She praised the IADB and the WT O for the excellent preparation of the event that 
took place in Montego Bay.  The EC also participat ed in the national reviews that took place in the 
Latin American region in Peru and Honduras.  Si milarly, the event in Lusaka had been highly 
successful, not only in terms of raising funds fo r the North-South Corridor, but also in terms of 
profiling a very concrete regional Aid-for-Trade activ ity, that could serve as a source of inspiration 
for others.  The EC would continue to work clo sely with the regional economic communities, as well 
as with the AfDB.  She pointed out that although they participated in the regional review that took 
place in Siem Reap, they were not provided an appropriate slot and missed the opportunity to 
contribute actively at the Review.  However, the EC  looked forward to contributing and participating 
in future activities and better understand how all the se events tied together.  Overall, she expressed 
congratulations to the WTO Secretariat for its  active involvement and excellent cooperation. 
41. The representative of Japan  said that his delegation appreciated the coordination among the 
WTO, the ADB, and Cambodia for having hosted th e Conference, as well as other international 
organizations for the successful outcome of the Asian- Pacific regional meeting.  He stated that the 
preparation had difficulties at the beginning, but appreciated the efforts made.  He commended the 
presentation made by the Secretariat, on the outcome of the Asian Pacific Review meeting.  Japan supported the Asian economy which had been heavily hit by the financial crisis.  His delegation 
projected, as the ADB had at the Asian Pacific Review meeting, that the Asian economy would 
recover in 2010.  Japan acknowledge d that that there was still potential for export-led dynamic growth 
within the Asian economy and hoped that the Asia n region would experience both national and global 
economic growth.  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
 Page 11 
 
 
  D. UPDATE ON THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE SE COND GLOBAL REVIEW OF AID FOR TRADE  
42. The Director of the Development Division  briefed Members on the agenda for the Global 
Review, the level of participation ho ped for and the logistics for the conference.  He explained that it 
had been a difficult and time-consuming process tr ying to fit together both the large number of 
speakers and WTO's objective of ensuring that par ticipation was geographically distributed across 
thematic sectors.  At the same time, it was important that three broad objectives be achieved, namely:  
(a) to see how commitments were translating into action;  (b) the quantum of aid flows;  and (c) specific case studies of good practices that could be  shared.  The most recent agenda now included 
a specific session on South-South cooperation.   
43. He went on to say that the joint OECD/WTO pub lication would be made available prior to the 
Second Global Review and that written reports of th e outcomes from the regional reviews would also 
be circulated at the meeting by the AfDB, the IADB, the ADB and UNECA.  He concluded with reference to conference logistics.  He stated that  the invitations had already been sent out as a fax 
from the Director-General.  These had been sen t to Members, Observers and other partner 
organizations.  He requested Memb ers to inform the Secretariat of any high-level participation, 
particularly at the Ministerial level.  The Secretaria t also needed to be alerted of the nature of each 
delegation so that adequate steps could be taken to provide security and VIP parking.  Details of the 
delegation were also needed so that the registrati on procedure and paperwork for delegates could start 
and be processed in conjunction with the security section of the WTO.  The WTO Secretariat would remain open to any other suggestions from Members. 
44. Referring to the draft agenda, the representative of  India
 noted  that on page one, there was a 
mention of "South-South donors".  His delegation's preference was to change that to "South-South 
partners".  The second suggestion which his delegati on communicated earlier, was with regard to 
Session 8, and in particular the second bullet point.  He believed it would be more appropriate if it 
read as:  "How can existing traditional and regi onal development institutions, support further 
South-South cooperation notabl y at regional level through Aid for Trade activities?". 
45. A presentation was made by the representativ e of the UN Economic Commission for Europe  
(UNECE ) on their Aid for Trade work in Central Asia.  The representative explained that UNECE had 
initiated contact with WTO, UNDP, governments and potential donors to find a way forward in addressing the enormous capacity constraints faced by the region.  It was agreed to start a first project for transition economies in the UN Special Programme  for Central Asia, Afgha nistan and Azerbaijan 
(SPECA) region.  Members appreciated the fact that UNECE was becoming increasingly involved in 
the Aid-for-Trade initiative. 
46. The representative of Barbados
 said that he had some questions concerning the securing of 
funds from donors.  In particular, he wanted to  know who had been the main traditional donors for 
those group of countries, and whether the UNECE was focusing on non-traditional donor funding. 
47. The representative of UNECE  stated that traditional donors comprised a good number of 
UNECE's member states and their organizations.  He cited the example of Germany, in particular, but 
more generally the European Union.  In terms of other donors, he mentioned the strong role of 
Turkey.  He stated that Turkey was very much  engaged in supporting UNECE's activities in the 
region of the Caspian Sea.  He also expressed satisf action in the engagement of a number of financial 
institutions, and noted that UNECE was in the proc ess of consulting with some of them.  He hoped 
that some foundations, as well as institutions and en terprises in recipient countries would help with 
the mobilization of additional funds. WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
Page 12  
 
  E. 
REPORT BY UNIDO ON JOINT PILOT PROJECTS AIMED AT DEVELOPING PRODUCTIVE AND TRADE 
CAPACITIES AND NEXT STEPS  
48. The representative of UNIDO  made a presentation on the pilot project for developing 
productive and trade capacities.  He focused on curre nt work on addressing the supply-side needs of 
eight LDCs, namely Benin, Cambodia, Lao PDR,  Lesotho, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal and 
Yemen.  Most of the projects focused on improving  productive capacity in the food and agriculture 
sector or in garments and wood products.  Many LDCs took the floor to express appreciation for the 
work of UNIDO with several welcoming the fact that UNIDO had recently been accepted as one of the EIF implementing agencies.  
49. The representative of Mozambique
 expressed appreciation to UNIDO for the programme 
proposal to strengthen productive and trade purpos es.  His delegation wanted the programme to 
contribute to solutions to the supply-side constrai nts in Mozambique.  The programme proposal could 
be made consistent with the needs and priorities at th e national level.  In this regard, there was a need 
to coordinate with the commerce, agriculture and industry sectors at the national level.  The main 
areas where weaknesses were being faced related to manufacturing or processing especially in the 
agro-food industry, and packaging agricultural a nd processed products.  His delegation wanted the 
programme to cover those issues.  While Mozambique had a national institute to promote exports, he 
highlighted the importance of promoting and stre ngthening supply-side capacity to respond to the 
needs for local market and export.  He thanke d UNIDO and other specialized agencies of the UN 
system like ITC, UNCTAD, as well as donors, for providing technical assistance to his country on strengthening productivity and trade capacities, pr omoting technology transfer, employment creation 
and export promotion. 
50. The representative of Tanzania,
 on behalf of the LDC Group, ag reed that ther e was lack of 
productive capacities in LDCs, which was a daunting challenge hindering LDCs' potential to integrate 
into the global trading system.  Developing productive capacities was key to achieving sustained 
economic growth in LDCs.  It was through deve loping their productive capacities that the LDCs 
would be able to adapt and participate in global tr ade, and hence reduce their poverty levels.  It was 
also through developing their productive capacities that the LDCs would be able to compete in 
international markets in goods and services wh ich went beyond primary commodities, which 
characterized most LDCs.  It was therefore more urgent than ever before, to enhance LDCs' participation in the value chain and promote divers ification of both product and market base.  It was 
also well recognized that LDCs  lacked the capacity to comply with importer-mandated product 
standards, to protect health and environment as  well as to ensure quality.  That was why Trade 
Ministers at Hong Kong had urged all donors and relevant international institutions to provide 
additional financial and technical assistance through  appropriate delivery mechanisms to meet the 
implementation obligations with regard to duty-fr ee quota-free (DFQF) market access.  This was an 
area where Aid for Trade could play an important part.  It was through this important area that 
UNIDO could assist LDCs. 
51. On the relationship between the EIF and Aid fo r Trade, he said that Aid for Trade should 
cover some trade capacity needs, and particularly  identify the DTIS/Action matrixes that were not 
covered under the EIF.  He agreed with UNIDO in  its qualitative findings from its mission to eight 
countries, that EIF matrixes should be the basi s on which trade-related technical assistance was 
identified and organized.  Supply-side capacity -building should cover, among other things, 
productivity improvements and diversif ication, value additions and marketing.  Finally, he expressed 
appreciation for the Siem Reap Ministerial Conference that took place in Cambodia in 
November 2008.  He hoped that what was achieved in  terms of the Declaration would be faithfully 
implemented by all stakeholders involved.  Ind eed, the conference had provided an opportunity for 
eight country proposals to be presented to a wide r audience of LDCs as a practical and operational  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
 Page 13 
 
 
  way forward towards tackling the supply-side constr aints that prevented them from participating in 
the global market. 
52. The representative of Cambodia  endorsed the statement made by Tanzania on behalf of LDCs 
and supported the statement made by Mozambique .  He thanked UNIDO for the comprehensive 
presentation on the Joint Pilot Project concerning the supply-side needs and the development of 
productive and  trade capacity in LDCs, for whic h Cambodia had been selected as one of the eight 
pilot countries.  UNIDO had been identified by the LDC Ministers to help develop industrial 
productive capacity, to use Aid for Trade to develo p and expand the concept of South-South trade 
cooperation, including the establishment of the trust fund to finance and develop the support 
programme in LDCs.  His delegation was pleased to hear that actions had been taken by UNIDO in 
collaboration with other relevant agencies, in cluding WTO, UNCTAD and ITC to implement the 
outcome of the Siem Reap Declaration.  UNIDO ha d been actively engaged with a number of LDCs 
including Cambodia in the formulation of progr amme proposal to strengthen productive and trade 
capacities.  It was a very important step for long-term and sustained cooperation on industrial 
development between UNIDO and LDCs. Cambodia  fully supported the good cooperation with 
UNIDO in achieving these goals.  His delegation appreciat ed the effort and critical roles that had been 
made and played by UNIDO, not only for the formul ation of the programme proposal but also for the 
mobilization of Aid for Trade and to help implement the budget in LDCs.  In this regard, he also 
thanked UNCTAD and ITC and the donors for thei r collaboration and support as well as their 
financial contribution in this regard. 
53. The representative of Senegal  supported the statement made by Tanzania on behalf of the 
LDC group.  Senegal greatly appreciated the coopera tion with UNIDO, which had gone on for the last 
decade on a national and regional level.  An im portant quality assessment programme was currently 
ongoing with UNIDO.  It was a very important programme which endeavoured to settle quality 
control issues and normalization issues to allo w enhanced competitiveness.  His delegation was 
pleased to see that it had been chosen as part of the pilot project.  UNIDO had carried out excellent 
work thus far. He believed that it would be a good id ea to increase efforts, so  that the pilot project 
could find the necessary funds, allowing it to be  properly implemented as soon as possible.  He 
believed that the EIF would not be sufficient to ta ke on this type of project, which was why he was 
calling on all multilateral and bilatera l partners to fully support the pilot project which, if properly 
implemented, could well be a rich source of experience and best practice for the EIF. 
54. The representative of Rwanda  welcomed the efforts of UNIDO, UNCTAD and ITC 
addressing supply-side constraints.  He welcomed  UNIDO as an EIF implementing agency.  He 
believed that the "3 C" approach – compete,  c onform and connect – was very important in this 
regard.  The value chain analysis on cotton that was presented was a good example.  He supported the 
way forward proposed by UNIDO for more fund mobili zation, in order to effectively support these 
projects.  He said that it had been mentioned that  the DTIS/Section matrices had been analyzed, and 
the study had concluded that there was a need for more certainty on details to the Section matrices, 
particularly the need to identify supply-enhanc ing projects within UNIDO's mandate.  He inquired 
whether this implied that the supply-enhancing pr ojects in the DTIS were not fully reflected, or 
whether the percentage was perhaps less. 
55. The representative of the European Communities  said that his delegation was carefully 
considering the joint pilot projects that were being developed by UNIDO and it s partners.  He recalled 
the importance of ensuring that any new projects were well adapted to the specific circumstances of 
the beneficiary countries and took into account all ongoing initiatives and activities including existing 
multi-donor trust funds such as the one that existed in Cambodia. 
56. The representative of India  noted that, on the criteria for the selection of aid, the UNIDO 
presentation mentioned that it was not feasible to ex amine the DTIS/Action Matrix for the 30 LDCs.  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
Page 14  
 
  He asked what were the problems or the factors wh ich prevented examination.  Second, in the first 
bullet point following the criteria for selection, there was a mention of "geographical balance".  In this 
regard, he noted that there was geographic imbala nce, as there did not appear to be any LDC from 
South Asia included.  In addition, the only LDC in the Americas – Haiti – had not found a place.  
Finally, he said that India had extended DFQF market  access to all the LDCs since April last year, and 
encouraged LDCs to avail themselves of this pr ogramme and benefit from the market access offered 
in the Indian market.  
57. The representative of Switzerland
 said that his delegation suppor ted the pilot project and other 
UNIDO projects.  UNIDO was an important agency for the implementation of projects in the framework of Aid for Trade.  He welcomed UNIDO as an implementing agency and as an Observer.  
58. The representative of Lesotho
 associated his delegation with the intervention made by the 
representative of Tanzania on behalf of the LDCs, as well as other LDCs that had spoken.  He saw 
UNIDO as being alert, proactive, and having a clear sense of direction.  In the last two years a credible vision and strategy had emerged.  He a ppreciated the mantra of "competitiveness, conformity 
and connectivity", and hoped that UNIDO would stick to it.  He also appreciated the partnership 
between UNIDO, WTO, ITC and UNCTAD. He noted that it had been a long road from 
Ouagadougou to Vienna then Kigali and then to Si em Reap, but was pleased that the process was 
LDC-owned.  Lesotho's economic growth was ex port driven, manufacturing which accounted for 
about 40 per cent of GDP played an important role in the economy.  Lesotho faced the same 
challenges that other LDCs faced, including growth  and infrastructure – physical, institutional, 
financial and social.  Diversification in Lesotho was the wise move to follow, and it was imperative 
and urgent in order to allow exposure of the count ry to international markets.  He urged donors to 
support the efforts of the implementation agencies, w ithin the framework of the pilot project and the 
EIF. 
59. As Chairman at the Interim Board of the EIF,  he said that UNIDO had been welcomed as one 
of the EIF implementing agencies.  This deve lopment would enhance complementarity among the 
agencies within the EIF, while maintaining the princi ples of the EIF.  He also expressed hope that the 
STDF and the FAO could come much closer to the EIF process and join forces to move forward.  
60. The representative of Nepal
 associated his delegation with the statement made by the 
representative of Tanzania.  He welcomed UNIDO to the EIF group.  He also supported the concerns 
raised by India regarding the geographical imbala nce.  Nepal had conducted a DTIS in 2004, and was 
in the process of updating it this year.  Nepal had se rious supply-side constraints, due to the lack of 
sufficient infrastructure, particular ly energy and roads.  There was,  however, high potential to develop 
hydro-electric products of different kinds and indus trial products for sustained renewal energy.  He 
hoped UNIDO would support a pilot project in  Nepal to address supply-side issues. 
61. The representative of Canada  welcomed UNIDO to the EIF family, and noted that the 
organization would bring much added benefits to the process.  He said that the supply side had a long 
history in conversations about the EIF over the last several years.  Resources to deal with supply-side 
issues were limited relative to the de mand that was out there.  In this regard, he underscored the role 
that the EIF had to play which was to act as a catalys t and to facilitate action in this area.  EIF funds 
could be used to start the process and to attract other donors, including from the private sector and from financial institutions.  The EIF would also be  judged on the degree to which real results were 
delivered in the real world. 
F. 
UNDP – REPORT ON MAINSTREAMING TRADE IN POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES  
62. The representative of UNDP  presented a recent report conduc ted by her organization on 
Mainstreaming Trade in Poverty Reduction Strategi es which analyzed the trade content of 72 poverty  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/11 
 Page 15 
 
 
  reduction strategy papers (PRSPs) co mpleted as of April 2008.  Some of the main conclusions of the 
report were that the PRSPs do integrate trade:  PR SPs show an understanding that trade contributes to 
economic growth and through it to poverty reduction.   There is however, less understanding of the 
linkages between trade and non-income dimensions of poverty such as risk , access to services and 
empowerment and participation.  The study concluded that more re cent PRSPs are more likely to 
integrate trade than previous ones and showed a mo re thorough analysis of the linkages between trade 
and poverty.  Other findings were that PRSPs are still not fully exploiting the poverty-reducing 
possibilities of trade.  Major challenges continued to  be faced, including how to spread the benefits 
from trade more widely. 
63. The representative of Nigeria  stated that the presentation was extremely useful.  His 
Government was grateful for having been included in the pilot exercise.  He commended UNDP for 
its contribution and for hi ghlighting the role of trade policy a nd PRSPs.  He believed that the UNDP 
contribution should be perceived as complimentary to the initiative of mainstreaming trade into 
national development programmes.  Furthermore, th e publication served as a wake up call to national 
governments.  He was encouraged that, in several respects, the conclusion emerging from the exercise 
was optimistic about the increasing role that trad e was playing in poverty reduction strategies. 
G. OTHER BUSINESS  
64. There were no items raised under "Other Business". 
65. The meeting was adjourned . 
__________