RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
30 April 2010 
 (10-2372) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Fourteenth Session on Aid for Trade  
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 17 MARCH 2010 
 
Chairman:  H.E. Mr. Darlington Mwape (Zambia)1 
  
A.
 ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA ........................................................................................................1  
B. PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2010-2011  AID-FOR-TRADE WORK 
PROGRAMME ............................................................................................................................... 1 
1. Resource Mobilization.......................................................................................................... ....2 
2. Mainstreaming .................................................................................................................. ........3  
3. Implementation ................................................................................................................. ......12  
4. Monitoring and Evaluation....................................................................................................16  
5. Private Sector ................................................................................................................. .........17  
C. OTHER BUSINESS ......................................................................................................................17  
 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairman  informed Members that the agenda for the meeting was contained in document 
WTO/AIR/3506 issued on 23 February 2010 and noted that the purpose of the meeting was to take stock of the implementation of the 2010-2011 Aid-for-Trade Work Programme (document 
WT/COMTD/AFT/W/16).  He also informed that  the United Nations Development Programme 
(UNDP) had requested that the sub-item on its knowle dge network be postponed to the next meeting 
of the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD). 
2. The agenda, as amended, was adopted
. 
B. PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2010-2011  AID-FOR-TRADE WORK PROGRAMME  
3. The Chairman  recalled that the 2010-2011 Aid-fo r-Trade Work Programme had been 
submitted to the General Council under the Chair' s responsibility in November 2009 and that the 
General Council had taken note of it at its meeting in December 2009.  He noted that the Secretariat 
had prepared a background Note which had been circulated in document WT/COMTD/AFT/W/18.   
4. The representative of Cameroon , on behalf of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) 
Group , said that the ACP Group welcomed the update on implementation of the 2010-2011 
Aid-for-Trade Work Programme since it provided a useful orientation for Members to assess 
implementation thus far and to guide Memb ers' deliberations on the way forward. 
                                                      
1 H.E. Mr. Darlington Mwape chaired the m eeting at the request of the CTD Chair, 
H.E. Mr. Shree B.C. Se rvansing (Mauritius). WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
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  1. Resource Mobilization 
5. The representative of the World Bank
 provided an overview of its new multi-donor trust fund, 
the Trade Facilitation Facility (TFF).  He reporte d that the TFF was now up and running and fully 
staffed.  Nine projects had been approved, amountin g to a total of approximately US$6 million, and 
several others were in the process of being revi ewed and further developed.  Country specific 
projects – many of which focused on trade logistics and/or customs-related interventions – had also 
been approved, or were close to approval, includi ng in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, 
Nigeria, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, and Cambodia.  Th ere were also a number of regional projects, 
including, for example, in Central America and in Central Asia.  The TFF team were actively engaged 
in discussions with both governments and regional economic community (REC) secretariats to 
identify specific projects.  Given that the initial focus of the Fund was in Africa, he said that most of 
the resources had been allocated in that region.  Recent efforts, for example, had primarily focused on 
West Africa where proposals had been received from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), as well as from a number of West African governments.  Also in the pipeline were a number of projects in Central 
Africa.  The idea was to gradually extend the focus to other parts of Africa and to identify projects in 
South Asia.  The aim was to identify high quality pr oject proposals that were a priority for the 
government or for the REC.  With this in mind, the Fund was working within the frameworks that had 
also been put in place in the context of the Enhan ced Integrated Framework (EIF) to ensure not only 
that there was no duplication but also that the F und was indeed picking up on priority projects. 
6. In the broader context of overall World Bank Ai d-for-Trade operations, he noted that since 
July 2008, the World Bank had lent approxima tely US$94 billion to developing countries, 
US$54 billion of which had gone to middle-inco me countries, US$18 billion – in the form of 
accelerated International Development Associatio n (IDA) funds – to low-income countries, and 
US$15 billion invested through the International Fina nce Corporation (IFC).  Much of these funds had 
gone into emergency budget support as a result of the fi nancial crisis, but a lot had also gone to much 
needed infrastructure investments (such as, for exam ple, electric power, transport, and ports) that 
directly fed into the Aid-for-Trade objectives.  IFC investments in trade finance had gone into 
productive capacity building in individual countries.  In conclusion, he said the Bank hoped that by Spring 2010 total disbursements w ould have reached US$100 billion. 
7. The representative of Bangladesh
 requested clarification as to why South Asia had not been 
included in the TFF's initial list of projects and asked whether this was because of a lack of interest 
from that region or because it did not have access to the Fund. 
8. In response, the representative of the World Bank  said that this was more a reflection of the 
fact that the TFF had only recently been established a nd that the initial focus ha d been on Africa.  He 
said the Bank would be actively liaising with its counterparts in South Asia and suggested that 
Bangladesh contact the Bank directly about specific projects that could be focused on in this area. 
9. The representative of Kenya  asked whether objective criteria were used to determine the 
disbursement of funds to the various categories of countries. 
10. In reply, the representative of the World Bank  underlined the fact that the funds were 
demand-driven and that disbursement was depende nt on requests for assistance being identified in 
country strategies in terms of, for example, electric power, transport, and budget support.  The requests were then put together in the form of a country partnership agreement in discussion with the 
government concerned. 
11. The representative of the Central African Republic
, speaking on behalf of the Chair of the 
African Group , noted that efforts towards mobilizing resources had reached a certain degree of  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
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  success and that, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 
(OECD), since 2005 Aid-for-Trade resources had gr own annually by approximately 10 per cent.  
Furthermore, several new commitments had been ma de at the Second Global Review of Aid for Trade 
which were additional to the 2005 pledges.  Despite  these commitments and the efforts that had been 
made thus far in promoting Aid for Trade, the African Group wished nevertheless to stress the 
importance of maintaining the momentum and continuing working towards the mobilization of 
additional, sustainable, and effective resources, partic ularly in light of the effects that various crises 
had had on countries in the African region over the l ast few years.  The African Group also welcomed 
the additional Aid-for-Trade resources resulting fro m the engagement of emerging economies.  He 
said it would be useful to have updated statistics on the mobilization of resources so as to closely 
follow the results, outcomes and real impact that Ai d for Trade was having on beneficiary countries.  
In conclusion, he referred to the expert level meeting that the African countries were organizing 
together with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to see how trade could help in carrying out regional integration and how  such activities should be assessed.  The African 
Group also expressed appreciation to the WTO for its  support in respect to the mobilization of Aid-
for-Trade resources which would ensure better coordi nation and the development of mechanisms that 
would be useful to Members in carrying out follow-up actions. 
12. The representative of Cameroon
, on behalf of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)  
Group , noted that the World Bank's Trade Facilitatio n Facility and the Inter-American Development 
Bank's Aid-for-Trade Strategic Fund made Aid for Tr ade a reality that was felt on the ground.  The 
initiatives were prime examples of what could ma ke a significant contribution to developing and 
Least-Developed Countries' (LDCs) efforts to redu ce trading costs and increase competitiveness.  He 
stressed the importance of taking a holistic appro ach with regard to the implementation of these and 
other such initiatives and said that in order to a llow for an optimal return on the resources they 
invested, donors, beneficiaries, and institutions n eeded to constantly and pro-actively invest in 
cooperation.  The ACP Group called on donors and coope ration partners to fulfil their current pledges 
and stressed the need to secure additional resources  so that ACP states could carry out sustainable 
economic development plans, implement trade ad justment programmes to mitigate the negative 
impact of preference erosion, and enhance regional integration. 
13. The representative of Dominica , on behalf of the Small and Vulnerable Economies (SVEs),  
expressed appreciation to the development partners that had remained committed to Aid for Trade as 
demonstrated by the resources that had already been made available.  SVEs wished to reiterate the 
importance of maintaining and honouring the curr ent levels of commitments as reflected in the 
pledges and also wished to call on development pa rtners for additional pledges and commitments for 
trade development.  This was particularly important  in light of the signs that a recovery from the 
current global economic crisis was underway.  This r ecovery, however, would take time to reach most 
of the developing world and continued Aid for Tr ade was therefore crucial to build the necessary 
productive and supply-side capacity for trade. 
14. In response to the question concerning statistics that the Central African Republic had raised 
on behalf of the African Group, the representative of the OECD  confirmed that a detailed analysis of 
2008 Aid-for-Trade flows would be presented at the CTD Aid-for-Trade Session in May 2010.  
Preliminary indications suggested that flows had increased significantly in 2008 and that 2009 flows 
would also hold up relatively well. 
2. Mainstreaming 
15. The Chairman  stated that the Secretariat had organized a workshop on mainstreaming Aid for 
Trade at a thematic level – Aid for Trade and Agri culture – on 17 March which had been chaired by 
Deputy Director-General Rugwabiza.   The workshop was one of four thematic sessions that would be 
organized in 2010 to encourage the sharing of information and best practices on Aid for Trade. WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
Page 4  
 
  16. The objective of the Workshop had been to examin e the role that Aid for Trade could play in 
addressing the supply-side and trade-related infrastructure constraints of the agriculture sector.  It had provided an opportunity for Members to relate thei r experiences of mainstreaming trade into national 
and regional agricultural strategies, as well as  showcasing how agriculture priorities were being 
integrated into development aid.  The impact and effectiveness of Aid for Trade to the agriculture 
sector had been a key discussion point.   
17. The workshop reaffirmed the key role that th e agriculture sector plays in economic growth 
and poverty reduction and provided a greater understanding of how Aid fo r Trade worked in practice.  
The important contribution that Aid for Trade co uld make to agriculture development had been 
underscored as was the key role of the Foreign Direct  Investment (FDI) and do mestic investment in 
ensuring the sustainability of growth in the sector.  
18. Key elements in conformity with the Aid -for-Trade Work Programme had been discussed 
including:  the important role of South-Sout h and triangular cooperation; the importance of 
mainstreaming agriculture as a priority and the c onsequent alignment of donor strategies for the 
provision of aid;  and the importance of more  effective Aid for Trad e based on evidenced-based 
results and impact assessments.  
19. The workshop had been organized around two sessions:  (1) Presentations by the Food and 
Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the OECD;  and (2) Members' discussion of national and regional 
experiences. 
20. The presentation by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) had provided a global 
picture of historical underinvestment in the agricu lture sector which left many developing countries 
vulnerable to the recent food and economic crises.  The importance of increasing investment to the 
sector, hence supporting the concomitant decrease in poverty levels, had been highlighted in the 
outcome of the World Food Summit in 2009 and w ould be supported by a mo re consistent global 
approach to food security. 
21. The World Bank had focused on addressing the le gacy of underinvestment in the sector and 
had reflected on the relationship between climate change adaptation and agriculture as well as the 
limited private investment flows and FDI going to pr imary agriculture.  The Bank had concluded that 
investment to the agriculture sector was a key el ement in promoting rural growth and alleviating 
poverty.  There were moves by the donor communit y and the international organizations to take 
advantage of the recent interest shown by the de veloping countries to further develop the sector. 
22. IFAD had focused on the opportunities for grea ter market integration for smallholder 
producers but had recognized the importance of prom oting this in conjunction with a value chain 
analysis to effectively identify constraints and opportunities for improving efficiency.  The critical 
need to support and strengthen producer organiza tions and to move to more innovative financial 
instruments for investment had been reaffirmed.  Country case studies in Sao Tome and Principe and 
in Macedonia had been presented by IFAD as examples of the role of private investment and the 
importance of connecting the supply a nd demand streams of the industry. 
23. OECD had focused on Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Aid-for-Trade trends, 
recognizing the increase in Aid-for-Trade funds a nd the importance of monitoring the delivery and 
impact of that assistance.  The OECD had recalled the change in focus in the debate from the food 
crisis to the notion of food security which had also  led to increased attention being placed on the need 
to mobilize greater assistance for the agriculture sector.  In addition, it had been noted that although 
there was a clear role for agriculture in pro-poor growth and that good investment in agriculture had 
led to concrete results, the evidence that it led to poverty reduction depended on the existence of  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
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  national structures with policies supporting effectiv e distribution of the benefits and outcomes of 
growth.  
24. The workshop had benefited from active particip ation by Members.  A number of developed 
countries had provided information on their agricu ltural support strategies to developing country 
members.  Many of them had positioned agriculture as an engine for development and key component 
in solving food security challenges.  The importanc e of partner countries prioritizing agriculture had 
been reinforced as had the multi-faceted and multi-tiere d nature of aid to the agriculture sector which 
ranged from infrastructure, private sector develo pment and social protection to budget support, 
sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues and water and energy. 
25. A number of developing countries had provided information on their agricultural strategies 
including ongoing projects with development partners .  It was clear that many developing countries 
were taking the initiative to prioritize agriculture and positioning it as a central element in the quest 
for increased food security, economic growth and poverty reduction.  A number of developing 
countries provided concrete information on thei r South-South cooperation ventures with other 
developing countries.  
26. The Chairman noted that the workshop had resulted in a number of specific conclusions 
which included: 
• The legacy of underinvestment had damaged the long-term prospects of the 
agriculture sector in developing countries and there was a need for greater and more sustained investment to ensure that it realized its potential as an engine of growth and an effective tool for poverty a lleviation.  The role of Aid for Trade 
as a critical vessel to achieve this had been recognized. 
 
• Agriculture was an essential component for economic growth and could also 
be critical to poverty reduction when there was a domestic enabling environment that supported pro-poor grow th and effective distribution to the 
poor. 
 
• The importance of investment in the ag riculture sector in removing supply-side 
constraints and the need for this invest ment to be targeted based on country 
identification and prioritization had been recognized.  In this respect the importance of mainstreaming trade in de velopment strategies, in particular 
prioritizing agriculture in national and re gional strategies, had been reaffirmed. 
 
• The importance of ensuring a role for FDI, and domestic public and private 
sector investment had been reiterated as had the role of public/private 
investment in the field of agriculture. 
 
• The crucial element of building a lib rary of evidence and impact-based 
assessments of assistance to the agri culture sector had been reinforced. 
 
• There had been recognition that a balan ced outcome to the Doha Development 
Agenda negotiations would lead to an improvement in the long-term prospects 
of agriculture in developing countries. 
 27. The representative of Dominica
, on behalf of the SVEs , welcomed the thematic workshop and 
noted that the agriculture sector played a significan t role in SVEs.  The presentations and national 
perspectives given during the work shop therefore provided useful lessons.  He said it would have WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
Page 6  
 
  been useful, however, if capital-based officials wo rking in the agriculture sector could also have 
participated.  In this respect, SVEs encouraged de velopment partners to consider the provision of 
resources to finance capital-based officials in th e upcoming thematic workshops that were being 
organized. 
28. The representative of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
 provided a brief overview of its 
activities on agricultural development which in cluded a five-year US$1.5 billion Food Crisis 
Response Program under the Jeddah Declaration In itiative.  The Program had been launched in 
June 2008 to support IsDB member countries and was based on four priorities:  developing supportive 
rural infrastructure;  enhancing agricultural prod uctivity;  enhancing produc tivity and value addition 
in rural non-farming economies;  and improving market access for inputs, outputs and related 
services.  The Program comprised ordinary capital resources from IsDB (US$1.05 billion), the ITFC 
(International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation)  (US$250 million), and ICD (Islamic Corporation 
for the Development of the Private Sector) (US$200 million), as well as support from the ICIEC 
(Islamic Corporation for Insurance of Investments and Export Credits) in the form of insurance and 
promotion of investments.  While priority was given to the least-developed IsDB member countries, 
other member countries affected by the financial cr isis were also benefiting from the Program which 
covered both short- and medium- to long-term measures.  Short-term measures included, for example, assistance to the least-developed IsDB member countri es to acquire agricultural inputs to boost local 
production and, in exceptional cases, for replenishm ent of food stocks.  Medium- to long- term 
assistance aimed at re-vitalizing the agricultural sector to increase overall productivity and rural 
incomes in IsDB member countries through enha nced access to agricultural inputs and services, 
improved agricultural infrastructure, and strengthened agricultural institutions.   
29. An integral part of the IsDB 2020 vision was to enhance development impact and increase 
effectiveness by developing partnerships and le veraging additional resour ces.  In this regard, 
co-financing agreements had been signed with IF AD in February 2010 (US$1.5 billion to finance 
priority projects in IsDB member countries), with the FAO in November 2009 (US$1 billion over 
three years to fund priority agricultural development projects in 25 least-developed IsDB member 
countries), and with the World Bank in December 2009 to finance new projects over the next two years.  Work was also on-going with the Foru m for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) in 
respect to the identification of programmes and pr ojects for collaboration and co-financing, and with 
the Alliance for a Green Revolution in  Africa (AGRA) on the preparation of a portfolio analysis of the 
agricultural sector and the finalization of a partnership strategy.   
30. The representative of the International Trade Centre (ITC)
 provided a brief report on the 
issues discussed at the joint ITC-WTO seminar on "Connecting W est African Farmers to the Market" 
that had been held that same day.  He began by thanking the WTO Secretariat for giving ITC the opportunity to co-host this important session on Co nnecting West African Farmers to the Market.  
The session had been moderated by Ms. Patricia Fr ancis, ITC Executive Director and the Panel was 
composed of Mr. André Soumah, Executive Chairman  of Audit Control and Expertise Global (ACE); 
Mr. Moussa Seck, President, Agrina Senegal a nd Chairman of the Pan African Agribusiness 
Consortium;  Ms. Cecilia Bellora, Adjunct to th e Director, Foundation for World Agriculture and 
Rural Life (FARM);  and Ms. Elena Bryan, Assi stant United States Trade Representative for Trade 
and Development. 
31. The aim of the session had been to address the issues of how to connect West African farmers 
to the market, to look at why th at was necessary, how it could be done and what support was needed 
to achieve this.  He noted that the agricultura l sector in ECOWAS accounted for 35 per cent of the 
region's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), agricu ltural exports generate d around US$6 billion or 
16 per cent of products and services exported from th e region, and that agriculture was the biggest 
employer in the region, with over 60 per cent of the active population engaged in it.  These facts had  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
 Page 7 
 
 
  to be seen in light of the fact that FDI flows in  agriculture production tripled to US$3 billion annually 
between 1990 and 2007. 
32. A point emphasized was that trans-national cor poration participation in agriculture in the 
form of FDI and contract farming could result in th e transfer of technology, upgraded standards and 
skills, as well as better access to credit and markets.  It had been noted however, that it was incumbent 
upon governments to formulate relevant strategi es and frameworks around to promote inclusive 
growth of the sector. 
33. The session had begun on an optimistic note that yields had been increasing in the region and 
had the potential for further increase, but it was felt that could only happen with support to farmers' 
organizations, notably in the form of supply and mark eting tools.  A point had been made on the great 
potential for increases in intra-regional trade – up to US$20 billion a year, with staple crops 
presenting the biggest potential for growth.  It had been noted that work along the entire value chain 
was important – input, finance, marketing, processing – for increasing agricultural productivity.  Panellists had also spoken about th e need for assistance to regional farmers so that they could get 
organized to be able to access services needed for increasing agriculture productivity.  Rising food 
prices internationally in 2008 had generally not been passed on to ECOWAS farmers.  A major lesson 
learned from this was for the farmers to first act  at a local and regional level, for example, 
warehousing the product with a view to reaping the benefits of favourable developments in 
international markets.  An important point had been  made by a representative from the private sector 
in the region who had stated that the market was completely disorganized without a connection 
between the physical and financial side in terms of flow, and that there was a lack of management and 
a lack of good governance. 
34. The representative of ITC recalled the following conclusions from the session: 
• West Africa had made tremendous pr ogress in getting agreement from all 
stakeholders on what the issues were a nd the impediments that needed to be 
addressed in order to connect Africa pr oducers to the market in a sustainable 
manner. 
 
• A better understanding had emerged of the major impediments to enhancing 
local farmers' income, diversification a nd local value addition in the agriculture 
sector in West Africa.  The need to iden tify the most efficient ways to address 
those impediments including by encouraging effective public/private coalitions had been underscored.  The critical responsibility of the governments to 
formulate appropriate regulatory framewo rk for ensuring transparency and a 
mutually beneficial arrangement betwee n trans-national corporations and local 
stakeholders had been underlined.  
 
• New thinking on restructuring the agri cultural sector had been proposed in 
order to ensure greater returns on inv estment in a sector that supported the 
majority of the population that contributed minimally to the GDP.  The role of 
partnerships through intergovernment al organizations and multilateral 
organizations had been emphasized, for example, programmes implemented by 
ITC such as the Programme for buildi ng African Capacity for Trade (PACT) 
and the All ACP Agricultural Commodities Programme.  Developing agribusiness strategies in identified pro ducts by rationalizing regional supply 
chains would be facilitated through facilita ting regional trade by working with 
the private sector on removing barriers at the border, strengthening institutions 
at the regional level for market anal ysis and other information, facilitating 
public/private dialogue on strengthening  coherence of regional policies, and WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
Page 8  
 
  enhancing access to trade finance by br inging together the players and lending 
institutions along the value chain and generating trust amongst them, which 
was critical for energizing the agricu lture credit system in the region. 
 
35. The representative of the EIF
 gave an overview of the EIF's current activities.  He reported 
that since the beginning of EIF operations in 2009, the administrative instruments and necessary 
operational mechanisms for its proper functioning had been implemented which had allowed for the 
funding of pre-Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS) activities, DTIS and Tier 1 projects. In addition, the Interim Board had recently adopted Ti er 2 guidelines which had been transmitted to all 
EIF focal points and it was foreseen that Tier 2 projects for funding would be received over the 
coming months.  As regards legal instruments, he said that an agreement would soon be finalized 
between the UNDP and UNOPS.  Operationally, the Board had adopted Tier 1 and Tier 2 guidelines, 
pre-DTIS guidelines, the model for preparing th e DTIS, and the template and framework for 
follow-up and evaluation.  An expert mission ha d begun in January 2010 to visit 14 beneficiary 
countries in order to identify capacity building need s in follow-up and evaluation of projects.   
36. The first regional workshop for the Pacific c ountries was due to take place from 16-18 March 
2010 in Port Villa, Vanuatu and this  would be followed by similar events in Asia and Africa, the aim 
being to obtain information that would allow the EIF to develop a relationship with focal points taking 
into account the particular circumstances of the coun try.  In respect to the EIF's awareness-raising 
activities, the Executive Secretary had organized multip le meetings both in Geneva and abroad.  In 
Geneva, for example, events had been organized in parallel to the regional reviews of Aid for Trade, 
the Second Global Review of Aid for Trade, and in the margins of the 7
th Ministerial Conference in 
December 2009.  In addition, an annual work shop had been held in March 2010 and regional 
workshops for Asia and Africa were scheduled for 2010. 
37. Twenty EIF projects amounting to more than US$13 million had already been approved 
which included Tier 1 projects (for Yemen, Si erra Leone, Uganda, Rwa nda, Cambodia, Malawi, 
Liberia, Gambia, Lesotho, Lao PDR, Zambia, Burundi and Nepal), pre-DTIS projects (for Togo, 
Democratic Republic of Congo, Timor Leste, and Bhutan), and three DTIS projects (for Togo, 
Democratic Republic of Congo, and Afghanistan).  Tier  1 projects were currently under review by the 
Executive Secretariat and the Trust Fund for Burkina Faso, Comoros, Djibouti, 
Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Mali, Solo mon Islands, and Sudan.  Many other projects 
were also being finalized in the LDCs which woul d soon be submitted to the Executive Secretariat.  
Furthermore, with the adoption of Tier 2 guidelines, a number of countries had already prepared 
proposals which would probably be submitted over the coming weeks.   
38. With regard to the financial contributions received by the EIF, as of 28 February 2010, 
US$93 million had been received by the Trust Fund manager, UNOPS.  This amount included donor 
contributions and also the carry-over of amounts fro m the former Integrated Framework managed by 
UNDP.  At the EIF working breakfast held during the 7th Ministerial Conference, donors who had not 
yet done so had been invited to implement the fi nancial commitments they had undertaken at the 2007 
Stockholm Conference and to begin to support financially the foreseen Tier 2 projects. 
39. Turning to specific administra tive issues, he informed that  the Interim Board would be 
replaced by a new Board with the same composition (i.e. agencies, LDCs, and donors) but with senior 
capital-based as opposed to Geneva-based donor and LD C representation.  The Board would focus on 
strategic issues and the Executive Secretariat w ould ensure implementation issues based on the 
guidance of the Board and the manager of the Trus t Fund.  A number of pending issues would have to 
be dealt with by the Board including the finalizati on of the compendium of EIF documents (to be used 
by focal points and national implementation authorit ies to facilitate the understanding of the EIF and 
implementation of programmes and projects), LDC graduation (i.e. whether a country that was no  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
 Page 9 
 
 
  longer in the LDC group could continue to benefit from EIF funding), the regional approach of the 
EIF, and the finalization of the framework for follow-up and evaluation of projects.   
40. In relation to mainstreaming, he said that although many LDCs had already mainstreamed 
trade in their DTISs or Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), some catching up needed to be 
done.  It had therefore been proposed to update the DTISs and PRSPs under Tier 1 projects, as 
necessary. 
41. The representative of Haiti  asked what the state of play was with regard to projects that had 
been approved for Haiti.  In respon se, the representative of the EIF  confirmed that Haiti was already a 
member of the EIF and would therefore benefit fro m EIF programming.  He said that a DTIS project 
was currently under preparation and suggested that Haiti contact the EIF directly for more detailed 
information. 
42. The representative of the World Bank  provided a detailed overview of the Group-wide Trade 
Strategy that it was currently developing.  He pr esented the reasoning behind the Strategy and how it 
would attempt to focus the Bank's operations in areas  of its comparative advantage.  The public and 
private sector arms of the World Bank Group were i nvolved in the Strategy (i.e. the International 
Bank for Reconstructi on and Development (IBRD), the IDA, and also the IFC).  The need to develop 
a comprehensive and coherent integrated Strate gy for the World Bank Group as a whole had resulted 
from the Bank's increasing work in the area of tr ade (e.g., investment projects supporting trade, and 
financial assistance to governments to promote co mpetitiveness of their economies).  It was also a 
reflection of the current economic situation and the fact that the world economy over the last decade had changed dramatically – cha nges which were reflected in the type of support the Bank was 
providing to countries.  The Strategy was therefore an  opportunity to revisit particular areas in which 
it had a comparative advantage and to see how th at matched up with the demand from governments, 
and also RECs, and how to make s upport more effective.  Over the last decade, the Bank's focus had 
moved more towards trade in services, improveme nts in supply chain logistics, trade-related 
infrastructure, border management processes, and trade finance. 
43. The Strategy identified five pillars of activiti es which included:  (i) trade competitiveness 
(activities surrounding the incentive regime that pr evailed in countries in terms of exports and 
imports, but that also included export promotion, sp ecial economic zones, clusters, and sector specific 
types of interventions);  (ii) trade finance (which largely reflected the IFC por tfolio but also included 
the Bank's work vis-à-vis  the public sector in terms of helping to promote and support export/imports, 
and helping agencies provide working capital for sma ll- and medium-sized enterprises;  (iii) trade 
facilitation and logistics (where the emphasis was on activities aimed at reducing trade costs, such as 
border or customs logistics related types of fac ilitation measures, and improving the effectiveness and 
efficiency of corridors that linked landlocked countries to coastal countries and ports);  (iv) trade cooperation (encompassing issues related to the im plementation and design of trade agreements, 
regulatory types of provisions in trade agreements , and the Bank's global analysis and assessment 
work);  and (v) data and indicators (to define objectives and indicators for what the Bank would be 
monitoring in order to assess effectiveness and impact ).  A results framework would be put together 
so as to identify a set of variables and indicators to allow for an assessment of progress in relation to 
trade more generally.   
44. In order to improve the efficiency of its s upport, the Bank would be improving internal 
coordination and communication within the World Bank Group ensuring also that other sectors of the 
Bank (e.g., agriculture, finance, the private sector, and transport-related infrastructure) were better 
informed and engaged.  Another area for deliveri ng in terms of increasing effectiveness was to focus 
on external partnerships and collaboration with other specialized institutions such as, for example, the 
World Customs Organization.  A further area concerned the results framework and how to monitor and evaluate the support the Bank was providing.  Key questions that arose in this respect included:  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
Page 10  
 
  the sector-specific versus country-wide approach;  how the Bank should support regional integration;  
the balance between middle- and low-income countri es;  and how cross-cutting areas such as climate 
change, distributional impacts of trade and trade-re lated reforms, and the ge nder dimension should be 
handled.  The Bank also wanted to put the work th at went into the collection and management of 
global databases on a firmer financial footing sin ce these tended to be under resourced because of 
their characteristics as public goods.  In this regard , the Bank had been investing in global databases 
(e.g., the Doing Business Data base) and also had a nu mber of specific databases in the trade area that 
were frequently compiled and derive d from other organizations.   
45. The representative of Nigeria
 expressed appreciation to the Bank for the comprehensive 
information and asked whether – given that request s were to be country- or demand-driven – it was 
foreseen that RECs or countries themselves could id entify regional integration projects for appropriate 
intervention by the Bank.   
46. The representative of Guinea  thanked the speakers for their presentations and said that the 
information provided by the EIF was of par ticular interest to her delegation.   
47. The representative of Mali  welcomed the opportunity provided by the CTD sessions to have 
regular updates on the state of play of the various initiatives that were being undertaken in favour of 
trade development and said that the informati on provided by the EIF and World Bank was of 
particular interest to Mali.  Referring more specifi cally to the World Bank's Trade Strategy, he noted 
that the Bank's work in this respect  was fully in line with what was being doing by the ITC.  Similar 
approaches were being followed and, although there were some differences between the two 
structures, there also seemed to be some overlap .  His delegation therefore queried whether it was 
necessary for both institutions to be carrying out th e same work.  His delegation also wished to 
request further information on the studies and how stra tegies were defined.  In conclusion, he asked 
whether the Bank could provide figures on comple ted programmes as well as on those that were 
envisaged in the future. 
48. The representative of Dominica , on behalf of the SVEs , said that the SVEs recognized the 
importance of the need to mainstream trade into their national development strategies.  Although trade 
was the key vehicle through which economic deve lopment could occur, mainstreaming could pose 
significant challenges for SVEs.  Setting trade priori ties, ensuring that these priorities represented a 
broad spectrum of all stakeholders, and then havi ng these priorities embedded into national plans and 
strategies could be hindered by capacity constraint s at a national level.  The mainstreaming process 
required functioning and effective national framework s and mechanisms through which dialogue took 
place between the government and its stakeholders  to identify and assess needs and priorities.  For 
many SVEs these national frameworks were sometimes absent or in need of strengthening and there 
was therefore a need for support to develop the capac ity for undertaking this mainstreaming process.  
One way in which support could be provided w as through the sharing of experiences and best 
practices, through national or regional workshop s and seminars which brought together all 
stakeholders, including developed and developing countries, developm ent partners, organizations and 
agencies.  Another way was through assistance in  conducting DTISs and needs assessments at a 
national level which could be factored into the prep aration of strategies for trade capacity building and 
integration into the global economy.  The EIF a nd the DTIS process were good examples of how 
mainstreaming could be promoted and applied, and SVEs believed that the lessons learnt from that 
process could be applied to other small deve loping economies which faced similar capacity 
constraints in mainstreaming. 
49. The representative of Cameroon , on behalf of the ACP Group , acknowledged the importance 
of mainstreaming trade into national development plan s which it considered to be another facet of the 
holistic approach needed to make Aid for Trade deliver results.  However, many LDCs, including 
ACP countries, needed assistance to  carry out such mainstreaming processes.  Such assistance should  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
 Page 11 
 
 
  be given not only to LDCs but also to other c ountries, in particular low- or middle- income 
developing countries.  The ACP Group believed that the private sector could – and should – play an important role in mainstreaming trade in national de velopment plans and strategies, but noted that the 
private sector in many ACP countries lacked organization and did not always play a defining role in influencing trade policies and shaping trade prioriti es.  Since the private sector was the sector that 
actually traded, it was essential to enhance their i nvolvement in dialogue with government bodies so 
that trade policy strategies could be formulated to refl ect their interests.  This, again, was part of the 
holistic approach that the ACP Group wished to stress. 
50. Referring specifically to the EIF, the representative of Canada
 said that Canada had devoted 
significant resources to Aid for Trade and remain ed committed to advancing the Aid-for-Trade 
agenda, including the EIF.  He informed that in  December 2009, Canada had disbursed the sum of 
CAN$3.84 million to the EIF which was the first tr anche of its pledged CAN$19.2 million.  Another 
disbursement – of CAN$3.84 million – was anticipated for the fiscal year 2010-2011.  He said that Canada remained convinced that the structure of the EIF promoted strong country ownership and harmonization of donor efforts on the ground, in cluding through National Implementation Units and 
donor coordinators.  His delegation looked forwar d to the convening of the full EIF Board, the 
continuing expansion of, and effec tive results from, the EIF's activities, and to a strong monitoring 
and evaluation of projects and programmes. 
51. The representative of the United States
 welcomed the World Bank initiative to work on a 
sectoral trade strategy which the US considered to  be very worthwhile a nd probably long  overdue.  
Her delegation believed that a good cross-sectoral stra tegy could help improve the effectiveness of the 
Bank's programmes and looked forward to further di scussions with the Bank about the content of the 
Strategy. 
52. The representative of Barbados  said she wished to associate her delegation with the 
statements by Dominica on behalf of the SVEs, and Cameroon on behalf of the ACP Group, on the 
importance and challenges of mainstreaming trade in to national development plans and strategies.  
Barbados was particularly supportive of the idea of having appropriate assistance for carrying out 
needs assessments and DTISs at the national level wh ich would form the basis for the development of 
trade capacity building strategies as related to the EIF.   Several elements of the EIF could be relevant 
and usefully applied to a number of developi ng non-LDC countries that faced similar capacity 
limitations.  Her delegation welcomed the informati on provided in the Secretariat background Note on 
the formal integration of Aid-for-Trade analysis in to the Trade Policy Review process and considered 
that this could provide a valuable  added dimension on the effects of Aid-for-Trade strategies at the 
macro policy level from the perspectiv es of both recipients and donors. 
53. The representative of Kenya  expressed appreciation for the comprehensive report given by 
the World Bank on its new Trade Strategy and his dele gation had noted the various elements that were 
being focused on, including sector specific strategi es, competitiveness, and border administration and 
management.  Kenya wondered whether the elements of the Strategy could be extended to include, 
inter alia , market entry challenges that related in par ticular to infrastructure issues such as (SPS), 
which would make the competitiveness component more complete. 
54. Addressing some of the specific issues that ha d been raised, the representative of the 
World Bank  said that one of the constraints in te rms of promoting large - particularly 
infrastructure-related – projects that had a regi onal dimension was that the World Bank lent to 
governments which meant that loans or credits ha d to go through those governments.  When it came 
to grant-based funding, such as the TFF, the Bank could work directly with RECs in terms of 
addressing specific requests.  A discussion paper would be distributed at the presentation the following day which would provide the Bank's thinking in this area as well as information on figures regarding completed and envisaged programmes.  He noted that the report "Unlocking Global WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
Page 12  
 
  Opportunities" issued in 2009 also gave a good d escription of all the activities that the World Bank 
was supporting in the trade area.   
55. On the point made by Kenya, he agreed that ma rket entry challenges that related in particular 
to infrastructure issues were an important part of the competitiveness agenda.  Also to be taken into 
consideration were issues such as conformity asse ssment, SPS measures, technical barriers to trade, 
and, in the current economic environment, elements  that were linked to climate change and carbon 
labelling.  This was an area in which the Bank's Research Department was actively engaged in terms 
of identifying key barriers.  The issues not only re lated to specific challenges in terms of getting into 
specific markets but also spanned, for example, an alysis of the effects of subsidy programmes that 
were being maintained by countries in terms of impa cts on world market prices and, subsequently, on 
developing-country farmers.  This was something th at was very much a core part of what the Bank 
was doing and would continue to do.   In conclusion, he noted as well that the TFF also spanned 
projects that related to conformity assessment, certification, etc.  In terms of overlap between the Bank and the ITC, he said that this was exactly th e type of issue that the Bank was going to try and 
confront more centrally with a view to identif ying specific areas where there was clearly already 
expertise in other organizations.  The whole issu e of collaboration in areas of specialization was 
something that the Bank would therefore be actively pursuing. 
3. Implementation 
56. The representative of Japan
, on behalf of the co-Chairs (Japan and Cambodia) of the Regional 
Technical Group (RTG) on Aid for Trade for Asia and the Pacific , reported on the 2nd RTG meeting 
that was held in Bangkok, Thailand on 12 and 13  November 2009 and provided an update on the 
future work of the Group.   It had been agreed that the RTG report would be a co-Chairs' report and 
that RTG members would endorse the final report af ter validation by their respective governments.  
Key messages to be conveyed in the report include d the following:  while developing Asia was set for 
a V-shaped recovery, Asia's LDCs and small states we re most at risk of being marginalized and left 
behind;  Aid for Trade was a strategy that could he lp narrow the gap in the trading capacity of LDCs 
and small states with the region's high performers;  Aid for Trade should also be tailored to address 
marginalized countries within the sub-regions (e .g., Greater Mekong Sub-delta (GMS), the Central 
Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Pr ogram, South Asia, and the Pacific);  and 
coordination among institutional part ners was important for a balanced and effective Aid-for-Trade 
system.  It was also proposed that the focus shou ld be on five key areas, namely:  (i) continued 
resource mobilization;  (ii) further mainstreami ng of trade into national development programmes by 
developing countries;  (iii) highlighting the regional di mension of Aid for Trade;  (iv) further refining 
of the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms;  and (v) promoting the voice of the private sector.  It was agreed that the RTG would work in line with these broad objectives.   It was also noted that trade 
was essentially a private sector activity and that it w as therefore important practically, and useful, to 
involve the private sector through dialogues with government agencies in overall development 
strategies and project management.   
57. He informed that the 3
rd RTG meeting, to be co-hosted by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and the Asian Development Bank (AsDB), was expected to take place in Tokyo, Japan on 10 
and 11 May 2010.  The meeting would consider th e draft RTG report, RTG activities for 2010-2011 
(including possible presentation of the RTG repor t at the WTO), and building new Aid-for-Trade 
partnership programmes and projects.  He conc luded by recalling that the AsDB served as the 
Secretariat to the RTG and maintained a website which contained information on resources, projects, 
and events on the Aid-for-Trade initiative in the region.   WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
 Page 13 
 
 
  58. The representative of UNDP  provided information on the first consultative meeting to 
identify the main elements of an Aid-for-Trade roadmap for the ESCWA2 region that had been held in 
Beirut on 11 and 12 January 2010.  The meeting ha d been organized at the initiative of, and with 
funding from, the ITFC.  The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), the United Nations Economic Commi ssion for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations 
Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the ITC, the OECD and UNDP were represented at 
the meeting, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) had provided a background paper.  The 
meeting agreed to develop an Ai d-for-Trade roadmap for the ESCWA region to identify national and 
regional needs, assist member countries to establis h national and regional priorities, support member 
countries to mainstream these priorities in their development strategies, and to support the 
mobilization of resources to address these priority needs.  The main actors and stakeholders involved 
included inter-governmental regi onal cooperation bodies, such as the Gulf Cooperation Council 
(GCC) and the Greater Arab Free-Trade Area Initia tive, as well as governments, private sector and 
civil society, the United Nations, WTO, and in ternational and regional development banks.   
59. Various phases had been foreseen in the ESCWA  Aid-for-Trade roadmap.  The sensitization 
and analytical phase, which was currently underway and for which the UNDP had prepared a project 
document, was expected to last until the fourth quarter of 2010 and compri sed awareness raising, 
stocktaking, review of current and ongoing activ ities, establishment of framework and coordination 
modalities at regional and national level, a regiona l review, national Aid-for-Trade needs assessments 
and the prioritization of these needs.  An Expert  Meeting was expected to take place in the 
first/second quarter of 2011 which would review findings of the national studies and prepare 
recommendations to be considered for adoption an d validation at the Ministerial Regional Meeting 
scheduled for the third/fourth quarter of 2011.  No official commitment had yet been made for the funding of the Aid-for-Trade roadmap but it was expected that the Ministerial Regional Meeting 
would provide political commitment for national a nd regional Aid-for-Trade strategies and a policy 
declaration outcome which would further engage deve lopment partners with regard to implementation 
and resource mobilization issues.  She added that th e meeting in Beirut had also reached agreement on 
the roles and responsibilities of the different agencies involved. 
60. The representative of the African Development Bank (AfDB)
 reported on the Aid-for-Trade 
Review meeting organized by the ECOWAS Secretar iat, with the support of the AfDB, the WTO and 
UNECA, which had been held in Abuja, Nigeria on 27 and 28 January 2010.  He informed that the 
objective of the meeting had been to review and highlight Aid-for-Trade needs for the region and 
initiate a process that would lead to the finalization of an Aid-for-Trade strategy for West Africa.  The 
meeting had been attended by representatives of 10 of the 15 ECOWAS states, with several members represented at ministerial level.  The meeting had mainly focused on ECOWAS programmes and the 
way forward on how to prepare a comprehensive Ai d-for-Trade review for ECOWAS.  Discussions 
were currently underway with ECOWAS on how to move the process forward with regard to an 
Aid-for-Trade roadmap and implementation of their Aid-for-Trade programme.  This would lead to 
the development of bankable projects which would be put forward at an Aid-for-Trade review 
meeting before the end of 2010 at which it was expected that donors a nd key partners would pledge to 
support the process in the region.  The meeting in  Abuja had highlighted the importance of Aid for 
Trade and, through the ECOWAS Secretariat, th e commitment that the region had to the Aid-for-
Trade process.  He informed, also, that the Bank was planning a preparatory meeting for an Aid-for-
Trade review for Central Africa which would be he ld in Cameroon in the second quarter of 2010.  
Given that the Bank wanted ownership of the review to be in the hands of the RECs, discussions were 
ongoing with the CEMAC (Monetary and Economic Community of Central Africa) and UNECA Secretariats as well as other collaborating part ners, including the WTO and the World Bank.   
                                                     
 
2 The 14 countries of the ESCWA region are:  Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, 
Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Sy ria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
Page 14  
 
  61. In conclusion, the representative reported that a consultation process had been started within 
the AfDB on the preparation of its regional inte gration strategy papers  with respect to the 
implementation of regional programmes in Africa fo r the period 2010-2014.  So as to obtain feedback 
and draw lessons from previous regional integrati on strategy papers, the c onsultation process covered 
all regions in Africa as well as member states of the Bank. 
62. The representative of Nigeria
 thanked the AfDB for its repor t on the ECOWAS meeting and, 
referring to the discussions with the ECOWAS Secretariat on the development of an Aid-for-Trade strategy for West Africa and bankable projects, he asked what the role and input of the individual ECOWAS member states would be.  He stressed the importance of having a clear programme as to the sequence of events in order for the sub-region  to sustain momentum as far as this particular 
initiative was concerned, and asked what kind of ac tivities had been envisaged that would enable the 
ECOWAS member states to participate, even if it was not at Geneva-level. 
63. Responding to the questions that had been raised, the represen tative of the AfDB
 said that, in 
respect to both ECOWAS and the review envisaged  for Central Africa, the Bank was working with 
the RECs on the assumption that they were inform ing their respective member states.  The Bank 
acknowledged the concern that there might be some ga ps with respect to the flow of information and 
said it would encourage the RECs to keep all member  states informed about the process.  In addition, 
he referred to the strategy that was being ca rried out in West Africa under the EU's Economic 
Partnership Agreement (EPA) nego tiations and said that the Bank was working towards having a 
comprehensive strategy that would bring on board non-EU members. 
64. In reply, the representative of Nigeria  said his delegation appreciat ed that the role of the 
AfDB was as facilitator, but reiterated the importance of keeping ECOWAS member states 
sufficiently informed, including with regard to th e role of the ECOWAS Secretariat and institutions 
vis-à-vis  the member states' expectations in the organiza tion of such events.  He recalled that the EPA 
process was different in that it was driven by EC OWAS as an institution but that it was nevertheless 
about integration projects in the sub -region.  The representative of Cameroon , on behalf of the ACP 
Group , echoed the statement by Nigeria, and added th at West and Central Africa were two regions 
where progress had thus far been limited.  This ma de it all the more important for the AfDB, the 
ECOWAS Secretariat, and the Commission managing th e regional structure, to better coordinate the 
preparation of what was underway so  as to achieve satisfactory results. 
65. The representative of the UNDP  gave a short overview on the Aid-for-Trade roadmap that 
was being prepared for the United Nations Special  Programme for the Economies of Central Asia 
(SPECA).3  The SPECA initiative was designed to identif y trade development needs through national 
assessments and regional consultations, and aimed at trying to start the political process to support the 
national and regional Aid-for-Trade agenda in th e SPECA countries which so far had only received a 
modest share of Aid-for-Trade resources, w ith the exception of Afghanistan.  The SPECA 
Aid-for-Trade roadmap had been presented at the October 2009 SPECA project working group 
meeting organized by the UNECE.  He also referre d to the UNDP project "Wider Europe:  Aid for 
Trade for Central Asia, South Caucuses and Wester n CIS" launched in Augus t 2009 with additional 
resources provided by ITFC and the Government of Finland.   
66. Under this project, national assessments and cons ultations were being carried out and draft 
documents – which had already been shared with  the SPECA group – had been prepared for the 
six participating countries of Central Asia, whic h also included the SPECA countries (but excluding 
Afghanistan).  National roundtable meetings and validation workshops had either already been 
undertaken or would soon be done in the respectiv e countries.  He explained that for Afghanistan, 
which was an LDC and a beneficiary of the EIF, a DTIS was being undertaken under the leadership of 
                                                      
3 Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.   WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
 Page 15 
 
 
  the World Bank.  The national needs assessment s were discussed and comments provided at the 
regional Expert Meeting held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz  Republic on 10 and 11 March and all the findings 
would be consolidated in a regi onal report which would be submitted for review at the Ministerial 
meeting scheduled to take place in Azerbaijan in la te 2010.  The agenda of the Expert meeting also 
included discussion on arrangements for the Minister ial meeting (e.g., practical and logistical 
arrangements, concept notes and Ministerial declar ation), the trade and development challenges in 
Central Asia, the Aid-for-Trade agenda in the regi on, resource mobilization to address priority needs 
in the SPECA countries, and national needs versus regi onal interests.  A consultative meeting had also 
taken place to prepare for the Ministerial meeting and the Steering Group which had been set up – consisting of ITFC, UNDP, UNECE, WTO, and the G overnment of Azerbaijan – had agreed on the 
division of labour for the coordination and techni cal preparation of the Ministerial meeting. 
67. The representative of the European Union
 expressed appreciation to the Secretariat for the 
background Note.  The EU considered it a useful complement to the more thorough reporting and 
review exercise carried out annually by the OECD to  which the EU contributed Aid-for-Trade data.  
She suggested that the CTD should continue to be  the forum to share and discuss more widely the 
findings of the OECD work, including in the ar ea of evaluations, which the EU also actively 
supported.  
68. The EU and its member States were continui ng day-to-day work to deliver on their 
Aid-for-Trade commitments, both at national and regional level, via their network of offices in developing countries and regions, as well as through contributions to multilateral organizations.  In 
parallel, the EU was in the process of finalizing its  annual Aid-for-Trade review of EU and member 
States which it hoped to be able to share with Memb ers in the near future.  Preliminary indicative 
results pointed to further increases in 2008 of Aid- for-Trade resources committed by the EU and its 
member States and also confirmed that the target of reaching trade-related assistance of €2 billion 
annually had been met.  She reported that a surv ey of EU delegations had also produced some 
interesting feedback on Aid-for-Trade commitmen ts and spending as well as qualitative information 
about how resources were spent, and on progress that had been made in mainstreaming.   
69. The recently-conducted survey of EU delegations  had also indicated that there had been 
increased mainstreaming of Aid for Trade and more  in-country processes for trade and Aid-for-Trade 
strategies.  It had also demonstrated that it was important to work more closely with partners and other donors.  Responses to an EU internal ques tionnaire which had been completed as part of the 
survey suggested that there was still only a lim ited knowledge and unders tanding as to how the 
EIF - in which the EU and member States were ac tive and substantive contributors – was working and 
functioning.  This was due, in part, to pract ical issues regarding country-level roles and 
responsibilities, as well as the fact that in some count ries the process was still at an early stage.  In 
general, there was a need for greater integration of the EIF in existing structures and activities being 
carried out with donor support.  It was essential th at donors took better advantage of the EIF to engage 
in coordination and joint policy dialogue on Aid for Trade.  
70. The EU welcomed the initiative of holding th ematic workshops which allowed Members to 
see how Aid for Trade interplayed with other policy areas – such as agriculture – and dealt also with 
specific aspects of the Aid-for-Trade agenda.  Howe ver, some thought should be given as to the best 
type of follow-up action to be  taken after the workshops.   
71. In conclusion, she said that her delegation, t oo, looked forward to discussing the content of 
the World Bank Group-wide Trade Strategy in more detail with the Bank. WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
Page 16  
 
  4. Monitoring and Evaluation 
72. The representative of the UNECA
 informed that an Expert Group Meeting and Workshop was 
scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 31 May to 2 June to discuss Aid for Trade and 
Africa's trading capacity in respect to supply, dema nd and performance.  He said that the eight RECs 
recognized by the African Union (AU), the 53 member states of the AU, a number of African and 
non-African based experts working on assessing the eff ectiveness of Aid for Trade, as well as donors 
and multilateral agencies would be invited to the mee ting.  Details of the meeting would be confirmed 
in due course. 
73. The representative of the OECD  reported on the November 2009 Joint Meeting of the 
Development Assistance and the Working Party of  the Trade Committee on Aid for Trade.  He 
explained that the monitoring of Aid for Trade had thus far focused on flows and process from which 
it could be seen that partner countries had mainstream ed trade in their development strategies and that 
donors had responded and flows were increasing.  However, as noted by many delegations, the 
success of Aid for Trade required the assessment of Aid-for-Trade outcomes and impacts in terms of 
trade capacity, poverty reduction and environmental sustainability.  In this regard, the OECD was 
preparing inputs, in cooperation with the WTO, for the next Aid for Trade at a Glance report.  The 
aim was to have, by 2012, a body of research gene rated by the OECD as well as others from which 
conclusions could be drawn on the effectiveness and impact of Aid for Trade.  The idea was to look in 
a more holistic manner at the impact of Aid for Tr ade in general to show that impact went beyond 
merely examining outputs from individual projects.  As part of the process, the OECD was producing 
papers on how to evaluate Aid for Trade and on good practice.   
74. With regard to developing guidance on good practice, it was clear from discussions with 
OECD members that there was no need for new frame works or specific guidelines for Aid for Trade;  
what was needed was a discussion of  the conceptual issues, the resu lts chain, and the problem of 
attribution and linkages.  To this end, the OECD had commissioned a meta-evaluation – to be 
undertaken by Professor Patrick Messerlin of Sc iences Po University – which would focus on 
evaluations of support to the transport and storage sector and of support to Ghana and Viet Nam.  A 
terms of reference had been prepared for the me ta-evaluation study which was available from the 
OECD on request.  The work the OECD was developing on good practices in managing for development results was aimed to contribute towa rds strengthening performance-based monitoring of 
Aid for Trade in order to track and assess what resu lts were being achieved and whether intermediate 
targets were being met.  Effectiveness or impact was often measured against specific indicators and 
the OECD hoped to work with the World Bank on re viewing and developing programme indicators.   
75. The representative of the OECD
 referred to the recently-published document "Binding 
Constraints to Trade Expansion:  Aid for Trad e Objectives and Diagnostics", which was the first 
paper prepared by the OECD in relation to its Work Programme on Binding Constraints, the goal of 
which was to maximize Aid-for-Tra de impact not only on trade flows but also on growth which was 
sometimes overlooked.  The paper focused on the prio ritization issue and was divided into two parts.  
The first part dealt with the trade and growth lite rature which provided useful insights concerning the 
most common trade objectives – trade expansion, export diversification, increased adjustment capacities – that Aid for Trade sought to achieve.  It  also highlighted the importance of Aid for Trade 
for, and the numerous needs of, those countries th at faced difficulties in achieving these broad 
objectives.  This had also been reflected in the needs assessments carried out by UNDP and in DTISs 
and it was clear there was a need to prioritize.  It was proposed that this could be done by reviewing 
all of the available diagnostic tools to see what area would have the biggest impact on trade or on growth, depending on what the objective was for th e specific country.  Future areas of work included 
on good practices and, with fina ncial support from the EU, analytical work to identify the most 
binding constraints for certain groups of countries (e .g., landlocked, and SVEs).  The work would be 
finalized by the end of 2010 and a workshop would be held in 2011 to discuss implementation.  WT/COMTD/AFT/M/14 
 Page 17 
 
 
  5. Private Sector 
76. The representative of the World Bank  informed that the World Bank Group had a variety of 
ongoing projects which involved working with the private sector.  One that was directly relevant to trade was the TFF which was a public-private partne rship.  The Bank was working with some large 
express carrier firms to identify specific areas wher e they had knowledge, ex pertise, and resources 
that could actually help deal with some of the partic ular trade facilitation constraints that prevailed in 
specific countries.  The idea was to  identify solutions to specific problems.  A number of these pilot 
projects were in the process of being develope d including several, for example, with the Global 
Express Association which was focussing on trad e facilitation, and a number supported by an 
association of information technology firms that we re focussing on automation in the area of customs 
clearance using information technology.  The World Bank would continue to increase efforts to attract 
more firms to participate in these projects which were a valuable contribution to Aid for Trade actually making a difference on the ground. 
77. The representative of Dominica
, on behalf of the SVEs , noted that the private sector had an 
important role to play in the mainstreaming pr ocess as they were key stakeholders with which 
governments had to engage in dialogue to identi fy needs and priorities and to prepare national 
development plans and strategies.  The private sect or, however, often lacked the capacity to engage 
governments in an advocacy and lobbying role and SVEs therefore called for support to be provided 
to private-sector institutions and organizations to en able them to increase their capacity for identifying 
their own needs, interests and concerns and to articulate these in dialogue with their governments. 
78. The Committee took note  of all the statements made. 
79. The Chairman  informed that the next meeting of th e CTD was tentatively scheduled for the 
last week of May.  He said that a regular CTD session on Aid for Trade and the second dedicated thematic workshop – on Aid for Trade and Developmen t Finance – would be he ld.  Details about the 
meetings would be announced at a later stage. 
C. O
THER BUSINESS  
80. There were no items raised under "Other Business". 
81. The meeting was adjourned . 
 
__________