WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/AFT/W/6 
27 April 2006 
 (06-1996) 
Aid for Trade Task Force Original:   English 
  
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK 
  
 The following communication, dated 24 April 2006, is being circulated to the Aid for Trade 
Task Force at the request of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). 
 
 
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RESPONSES TO WTO TASK FORCE ON AID FOR TRADE 
  
I. THE CONTENT AND SCOPE OF ADB'S "AID FOR TRADE" PROGRAMMES, 
AND LESSONS LEARNED 
1. Between 1987 and 2005, ADB has provided loans amounting to $730.2 million for projects 
that were classified as "Trade". Since 1988, ADB has also provided technical assistance of around 
$14.6 million (from all grant sources) for trade projects.  The scope of this assistance is wide. A list of 
projects and technical assistance is attached (see Annex). 
II. ADB'S VIEWS ON OUTSTANDING IMPORTANT TRADE-RELATED NEEDS 
2. ADB, together with the Japanese Bank for Inte rnational Construction and the World Bank, 
have pointed to serious infrastructure gaps in the Asia and Pacific region, including those linked to 
trade. The most recent issue of the Asian Development Outlook 2006
1 (ADO) examines "behind the 
border" barriers to trade. 
III. IS TRADE "ADEQUATELY" REFLECTED IN PRSPS? 
3. The answer to this question would require an in -depth evaluation. ADB is not in a position to 
judge whether trade issues are "adequately" reflected in country PRSPs. 
IV. ARE DELIVERY MECHANISMS ADEQUATE, AND HOW CAN GAPS BE FILLED? 
4. ADB has not examined this issue in the specific context of Aid for Trade, but ADB is looking 
to more flexible delivery mechanisms for its own assistance under its Innovation and Efficiency 
Initiative. 
V. IS THERE A NEED TO STRENGTHEN MONITORING AND EVALUATION?   
5. Monitoring and evaluation is an area that ADB  is very much concerned about but in the 
context of all programmes, not just trade rela ted programmes. ADB now has a fully independent 
                                                      
1 See Asian Development Bank website:  http://www.adb.org.  WT/AFT/W/6 
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  evaluation department that reports directly to its Board. ADB has also taken steps to greatly improve 
project implementation and monitoring. 
VI. WHAT ROLE SHOULD THE PRIVATE SECTOR PLAY? 
6. Private sector investments and effective public-private partnerships, especially for 
infrastructure provision, are likely to be important in the provision of trade-related  infrastructure and 
possibly for the delivery of "softer" services too. 
VII. HOW CAN "AID FOR TRADE" REINFORCE THE PRINCIPLES OF AID 
EFFECTIVENESS AND COHERENCE?   
7. All assistance efforts, includi ng Aid for Trade, should be country led and donor support has to 
be located within broadly accepted principl es of relevance, responsiveness and results. 
VIII.  ARE THERE IMPORTANT GAPS IN AID FOR TRADE? 
8. Gaps in infrastructure needs are noted above and in ADO publications. 
 
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   WT/AFT/W/6 
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  ANNEX 
 
List of Technical Assistance Projects Classified as "Trade"  
 1. 4699-AFG: Building the Capacity of the Mi nistry of Commerce for Trade and Transit 
Facilitation 
2. 1223-BHU: Study on Promotion of Export Oriented Industries 3. 4131-CAM: Preventing Poverty and Empoweri ng Female Garment Workers Affected by 
the Changing International Trade Environment 
4. 991-FIJ:  Tourism Master Plan 
5. 1178-INO: Study on the Development of Supplier's And Buyer's Credit 
6. 1530-INO: Human Resources Development in the Trade Sector 7.  1755-INO: Review of the Manufacturing Export Sector 8. 2007-INO: Intermediate Services: Key to Accelerated Export Development 9. 3950-KGZ: Customs Modernization and Infrastructure Development 
10. 4450-KGZ: Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening for Customs Modernization 
and Infrastructure Development 
11. 1353-LAO: Industrial Sector Study and Strengthening of the Ministry of Industry 
and Handicrafts 
12. 4481-LAO: Integrating the Poor in Regional Trade Through Industrial Standard 
Development -Phase II 
13. 3496-MLD: Capacity Building for the Maldives Customs Service 
14. 1585-MON: Institutional Support fo r Procurement and Disbursements 
15. 1586-MON: Restructuring and Development of the Industrial Sector 16. 3934-MON: Trade Policy Review 17. 2459-NEP: Efficiency Enhancement of Customs Operations 
18. 1201-PAK: Institutional Development of the National Tariff Commission 
19. 3183-PAK: Monitoring the Socioeconomic Impact of the Trade, Export Promotion 
and Industry Program Loan 
20. 3558-PAK: Institutional Strengthening of  Export Promotion Bureau (TA Cruster)  
21. 3345-PHI: Strengthen Export Competitiveness 22. 1493-PRC: Institutional Support to Internati onal Trade Research and Training Center for 
Asia and Pacific Region 
23. 2186-PRC: Strengthening the Legal Framework for Customs Administration 24.  3672-PRC: WTO Membership and Foreign Trade Law Reform 25. 1346-SRI: Koggala Export Processing Zone 26. 3951-TAJ: Customs Modernization and Infrastructure Development 
27. 4451-TAJ: Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening for Customs Modernization 
and Infrastructure Development 
28. 4084-THA: Institutional Support for the Intern ational Institute for Trade and Development 
29. 2468-TON: Institutional Strengthening of Tonga Trade 30. 4291-VIE: Capacity Building for Ministry of Finance to Support Tariff, Industry and 
Subsidy Analysis for the Purpose of WTO Accession 
31. 5190-REG: Study of Foreign Trade Barriers to DMC Exports 
32. 5204-REG: ADB Round Table on Trade Liberalization and Development 33. 5219-REG: 16th Pacific Trade and Development (PAFTAD) Conference 34. 5269-REG: Seventeenth Pacific Trade and Development (PAFTAD) Conference on the 
Challenge of Technological Change to Pacific Trade and Development  
35. 5295-REG: Study of Export Financing in Selected DMCs 
36. 5333-REG: Study on the Impact of the People's Republic of China's Expansion of Exports 
of Labor Intensive Manufactures on Other Asian Exporters WT/AFT/W/6 
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  37. 5334-REG: Symposium on Economic and Trade Cooperation Between China and the 
Asian and Pacific Region 
38. 5503-REG: Growth Triangles in Asia  39. 5531-REG: ADB Development Round Table on Trade and Economic Development in the 
Asian and Pacific Region 
40. 5545-REG: Preparatory Work for the Study on the Indonesia-Malaysia- Thailand Growth 
Triangle Development 
41. 5550-REG: Study on Indonesia-Malaysia - Thailand Growth Triangle Development 
Project 
42. 5551-REG: Study on Emerging Trading Environment: Economic Implications For 
Developing Member Countries 
43. 5569-REG: Technical Assistance to Support the 21st Pacific Trade and Development 
Conference 
44. 5570-REG: Technical Assistance to Support A Conference on Regional Trade in 
the Far East 
45. 5607-REG: Joint ADB/GATT Training Work shops on Anti-Dumping and Countervailing 
Measures Emerging from the Uruguay R ound Agreement for Selected DMCS 
46. 5628-REG: Joint ADB-OECD Conference on Re gional Cooperation and Integration in 
Asia 
47. 5687-REG: Joint ADB/WTO Second Training Workshop on Anti-Dumping and 
Countervailing Measures Emerging from the Uruguay Round Agreement for 
Selected DMCs 
48. 5742-REG: A Study on Asian Exports: Past Trends and Future Prospects 49. 5759-REG: Investment Promotion in the Pacific Developing Member Countries 50. 5769-REG: Joint ADB/ESCAP/UNCT AD Workshop on the Implications of the New 
Trade Policy Initiatives and Their Impact on the DMCs  
51. 5780-REG: Joint ADB-WTO Seminar on As ia and the Challenge of Globalization 
52. 5804-REG: Trans-Pacific Business Network 53. 5814-REG: ASEM Seminar on Simplificati on and Harmonization of Customs Procedures 
54. 5818-REG: Regional Economic Coope ration in Central Asia (Phase II) 
55. 5850-REG: Facilitating the Cross-Border Move ment of Goods and People in the Greater 
Mekong Subregion 
56. 5977-REG: Second Asia-Europe Meeting Se minar on Simplification and Harmonization 
of Customs Procedures  
57. 5994-REG: A Study on Regional Integration and Trade: Emerging Policy Issues for 
Selected DMCs 
58. 6027 -REG: Fourth Asian Development Forum 
59. 6035-REG: Capacity Building for Developing Member Countries on the World Trade 
Organization Trading System 
60. 6058-REG: Trade Facilitation and Customs Cooperation 61. 6103-REG: Third Asia-Europe Meeting Semi nar on Simplification and Harmonization of 
Customs Procedures 
62. 6142-REG: Capacity Building on Selected WTO Issues 
63. 6203-REG:  Regional Trade Facilitation and Customs Cooperation Program (Phase II) 
64. 6205-REG: Long-Term Scenarios for Asian Growth and Trade, 2005-2020 65. 6220-REG: Capacity Building on Selected WTO and Doha Development Agenda Issues 
66. 6228-REG: Facilitating Cross-Border Trade and Investment on the Greater Mekong 
Subregion 
67. 6231-REG: Support Development of the Action Plan on Trade and Investment Facilitation 
in GMS 
68. 6282-REG: A Study on Economic Cooperation between East Asia and South 
Asia 
  WT/AFT/W/6 
 Page 5 
 
 
   
List of Loan Projects Classified as "Trade"  
 
1. 876-INO: Non-Oil Export Promotion Program 2. 877-INO: Non-Oil Export Promotion Program 
3. 1109-MON: Special Assistance 
4. 1612-THA: Export Financing Facility 5. 1680-PAK: Trade, Export Promotion and Industry Program 6. 1681-PAK: Modernization of Customs Administration 7. 1682-PAK: Institutional Support for the Trade Regime 
8. 1683-PAK: Institutional Strengthening of the Board Of Investment 
9. 1796-PAK: Small- and Medium-Size Enterprise Trade Enhancement Finance 
10. 1926-REG: Regional Trade Facilitation and Customs Cooperation Program 
(Kyrgyz) 
11. 1927 -REG: Regional Trade Facilita tion and Customs Cooperation Program 
(Tajikistan) 
12. 2113-REG: Regional Customs Moderni zation and Infrastructure Development 
(Kyrgyz) 
13. 2114-REG: Regional Customs Moderni zation and Infrastructure Development 
(Tajikistan) 
 
 
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