RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
3 January 2001
(01-0008)
Sub-Committee on Least Developed Countries
INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK (IF) SEMINAR:
THE POLICY RELEVANCE OF MAINSTREAMING TRADE INTO COUNTRY
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES: PERSPECTIVES OF LDCS
WTO, Geneva, 29-30 January 2001
Organized by the six core IF agencies:  IMF, ITC, UNCTAD,
UNDP, WORLD BANK and WTO
1. Pursuant to the decision taken by the six core Agencies1 at the 21st Meeting of the Inter
Agency Working Group (IAWG), at the World Ba nk, Washington D.C., 14-15 September 2000, the
Agencies will co-host a joint seminar on The Policy-Relevance of Mainstreaming Trade Into
Country Development Strategies – Persp ectives of Least-Developed Countries , 29-30 January 2001.
2. Mainstreaming trade involves the process and methods of identifying and integrating trade
priority areas of action into the overall framework of country development plans and poverty
reduction strategies.  Trade is an engine for growth and makes a significant contribution to
development.  To be able to contribute to development, trade priority areas of action need to bereflected in poverty reduction and national development plans and strategies.   Furthermore, the
benefits of trade reform and liberalization are only fully realized in the presence of mutually
supportive companion policies.
3. This seminar is designed to be the first in a series on mainstreaming trade . Following this
expert seminar, with LDCs' involvement, the seminar series will be initiated, in some cases as a joint
exercise by Agencies and at other times by individua l Agencies.  It is hoped that the outcome of this
initial seminar and subsequent seminars will improve insights to the concept and process, and alsoprovide useful tools for mainstreaming trade .  Strong interests have been expressed that the outcome
of this seminar series should be extended to all developing countries. To this end, this seminar and
subsequent ones will aim at identifying policy-relevant and usable good practices in the approaches,
methods and operational aspects of mainstreaming  (integrating) trade priorities into country
development strategies.
4. The necessity for this seminar has arisen because, frequently, trade priorities including the
implementation of WTO obligations and commitments are neither integral to the overall development
priorities and strategies of countries nor their Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) process.
Although openness to trade is strongly associated with economic growth and poverty reduction, trade
as a growth strategy is yet to be mainstreamed  into development plans and poverty reduction
strategies of many LDCs.  Apart from the inherent challenge of mainstreaming , core trade priorities of
trade ministries/departments are sometimes not taken into account by finance and planning ministries.
The challenge of mainstreaming is urgent because it is a necessary and vital precondition for the
implementation of policies that are required for economic growth and poverty alleviation.
                                                     
1 International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Trade Center (ITC), United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Bank forReconstruction and Development (World Bank) , and the World Trade Organization (WTO).WT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
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5. Furthermore, the some Members of the international community have taken the position that
multilateral agencies as well as bilateral donors need to improve coordination in the delivery of
technical assistance in the areas of trade, finance and development, and to this end mainstream  their
policies, programmes and projects.
6. Having regard to the foregoing, the objectives of the seminar are to:
(a) review the concept, methods and process of mainstreaming  trade priorities into
overall development plans and poverty reduction strategies;
(b) identify core issues critical to mainstreaming, at both the domestic and global levels;
(c) focus on some case studies with a view to  identifying good practices of policy-
relevance for mainstreaming trade into overall development plans and poverty
reduction strategies;
(d) consider the contributions of IF trade-related technical assistance to the
mainstreaming of trade priorities into development and poverty reduction strategies;
and,
(e) enhance coordination and improve the interface between multilateral and bilateral
donors in the delivery of trade-related technical assistance to LDCs within the
framework of development vehicles such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers(PRSPs).
7. This expert-based seminar is focused on representatives and participants from the trade,
finance and the development communities.
8. The results from this Joint six Agency Seminar will:
- serve as an input to the "Okinawa Workshop on Trade-Related Capacity-
Building" , Okinawa, Japan, 2-4 March 2001, which will focus, inter alia , on
mainstreaming  and the strengthening of trade-related capacity-building;
- be announced and circulated at the Third United Nations Conference for
Least-Developed Countries , Brussels, 14-20 May 2001 (LDC-III), at the
thematic session on trade; and,
- also serve as an input to the "Business Sector Round Table"  (BSRT), 17
May 2001, being organized on the margins of LDC-III, by the International
Trade Centre (ITC), with the support and participation of the other 5 core
Agencies (IMF, UNCTAD, UNDP, World Bank, and the WTO).WT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
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Monday, 29 January 2001 :
Moderator: H.E. Mr. Iflekhar Ahmed C howdhury, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of
Bangladesh, Geneva (LDCs' Coordinator)
OPENING SESSION
08.30:  Welcoming remarks  by Mr. Mike Moore , Director-General WTO
08.50:  Introductory remarks : Integrating LDCs into the Global Economy: Trade,
Finance and Development Perspectives
H.E. Mr. MD Abdul Jalil , Minister of Commerce, Bangladesh (LDCs'
Coordinator)
09.10:  Introductory remarks : Importance of Integrating Trade, Finance, and
Development Perspectives
Canada ,
09.30:  Introductory remarks : The Necessity of Coordinated Approaches by
Multilateral Agencies and Bilateral Donors to Technical Assistance and to
Development, Finance and Trade Policies, Programmes and Projects
Hon. Kweronda Ruhemba , Minister for Economic Monitoring, Office of
The President, Uganda.
10.00: Coffee breakWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
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PANEL A: TRADE, MACROECONOMIC AND REGULATORY POLICIES
10.30 : The economics of trade policy, trade reform and liberalization as part of
a wider package of domestic economic reform
Trade reform and liberalization are necessary components of comprehensive
policies for poverty alleviation and development.  Trade liberalization while
vital to development, does not stand alone.  Companion policies are also
required, as part of a wider package of economic reform, without which the
dividends from an open multilateral trading system are minimal, and
integration into the global economy will be retarded.  This panel will examineessential and required companion policies that constitute part of the wider
package of economic reforms, and which intervene in the complex
relationship between trade liberalization, poverty alleviation and
development.
Richard Eglin , Director Trade and Finance Division, WTO
Professor Frederic Jenny , Chairman, WTO Working Group on Trade and
Competition Policy & Conseil de la Concurrence, France
11.00:  Panelists
Panelists : Professor Deepak Nayyar, Vice Chancell or, University of Delhi, New Delhi
Philippe Brusick, Chief, Competition, Law and Policy and Consumer
Protection Section, UNCTADClem Boonekamp, Director, Trade Policies Review Division, WTO
Karl Sauvant, UNCTAD
Grant Taplin, Director, IMF Office in Geneva
Discussions
13.00 : Lunch breakWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
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PANEL B: MAINSTREAMING: CONCEPT, APPROACHES,
IMPLEMENTATION AND FUNDING
14.00 : Mainstreaming trade into country development plans and poverty
reduction strategies: how do you mainstream? concept, approaches and
implementation
Panel B will focus on clarifying the concept and value of mainstreaming , and
setting-out the mechanics of how a trade agenda and trade priority areas of
action are actually integrated into development plans and poverty reductionstrategies. How do you mainstream?  The different approaches and options to
mainstreaming will be discussed. How do key economic domestic ministries
and departments coordinate and seek an integrated approach that includes
complementary market reforms, supporting policies and institutions?  Who
arbitrates domestic discussions to establish a national economic consensusthat is integrated and balanced, and to which trade priority areas of action are
integral?  What are the main approaches, and which are the best practices?  Is
external policy support (intervention) by multilateral Agencies necessary to
achieve the mainstreaming of a trade integration agenda, as a vital public
good, into development plans and poverty reduction strategies?  Is there acost to mainstreaming, how is the cost calculated, and who pays for costs of
mainstreaming?
Ataman Aksoy , Economic Advisor, Economic Policy, Development
Prospects Group, World BankGraham Chipande , Senior Economist, UNDP in the Gambia
14.30:  Panelists
Panelists : John Cuddy, Director, International Trade Division, UNCTAD
IMF, TBA
Hervé Jounjean, European Commission, BrusselsDorothy Dwoskin, USTR, Washington
Bahle Sibisi, Deputy Direct or General, Department of Trade and Industry,
South Africa
DiscussionsWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
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PANEL C: DOMESTIC CONSTITUENCY FOR MAINSTREAMING:
EXCHANGE AND REVIEW OF COUNTRY EXPERIENCES
16.30 : Building a domestic constituency to sustain mainstreaming: Exchange of
views on country experiences
Eimi Watanabe , Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of
Development Policy, UNDP
ESCAP Representative
A major challenge in the implementation of policy, particularly for public
goods is how to build a viable domestic constituency, necessary for advocacy
and policy sustainability.  Public goods involve adjustment costs, and the
benefits while certain and meaningful may not be immediate, but medium to
long-term.  Furthermore, there are competing national economic choices
involving decisions on national expenditure from the immediate and urgent toavert disasters to the medium and long-term for sustained growth and
development.  Panel C will focus on building domestic constituency for
mainstreaming and ensuring that a trade integration agenda is part of
development plans and poverty reduction strategies.  Several developing
countries, particularly in Asia, have been successful in establishing tradepriority areas of action as part of national development plans.  The
presentation and the contributions by Panelists in this Panel will focus on
country experiences both from a governmental point of view, as well as from
the perspective of consultants who have assisted some governments in their
efforts to build a domestic constituency.
17.00: Panelists
Panelists : World Bank Country Director
Ms. Dominique Aitouyahia-Mcadams, UNDP Resident Rep., Cambodia
Mr. de la Taille, UNDP Resident Rep. Mauritania
Bertin Teby, Directeur Général du Commerce, Ministère du Commerce, de
l'Industrie et de l'Artisanat, Burkina Faso (IF Focal Point)
James Fox, USAID Consultant for Zambia Trade Sector Round Table
H.E. Mr. Srinivasan Narayanan, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of
India to the WTO, Geneva
 
 Discussions
19.30: Cocktail   WT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
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Tuesday, 30 January 2001
Moderator: H.E. Mr. Ali Said Mchumo, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Tanzania, Geneva
PANEL D: COORDINATION OF THE DELIVERY OF TRADE -RELATED TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE AMONGST BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL DONORS
08.30 : How do the different frameworks for the delivery of trade-related
technical assistance, by bilateral donors and multilateral agencies, fit
together into various development vehicles? Mainstreaming theIntegrated Framework (IF) for trade-related Technical Assistance into a
policy-framework for development and poverty reduction.
Panel D will consider the various initiatives for the delivery of trade-related
technical assistance, the development vehicles within which they operate, and
the urgent need for improved coordination.  There will be particular focus on
the new arrangements for the enhanced implementation of the Integrated
Framework within the development vehicle of the Poverty Reduction
Strategy Papers (PRSPs).
LDCs' beneficiaries of trade-related technical assistance delivered by both
bilateral donors and multilateral agencies have observed and expressed
frustration at the multiplicity of vertical initiatives with little horizontal
coordination.  Improved coordination is needed amongst bilateral donors andmultilateral Agencies.  Efforts at correction have begun, but need to be
expanded and accelerated.  The Integrated Framework, in the past three years,
has emerged as a valuable platform for inter-agency coordination for the
delivery of trade-related technical assistance.  The IF has become a reliable
channel of communication amongst the six core Agencies and has
significantly enhanced coordination and trust amongst the agencies.  The six
core Agencies recognize that the successful implementation of the IF wouldbe a win-win situation for LDCs, donors and the Agencies.  The potential of
the IF is enormous, and is yet to be fully realized.  Involvement of the
bilateral donors in the efforts of the core Agencies is a goal of on-going
efforts for the more effective implementation of the IF.  In this regard, the
DAC/OECD Secretariat has been invited to a meeting of the Inter AgencyWorking Group (IAWG), responsible for managing the IF.  There is a strong
desire that the DAC should continue to participate in the IAWG in order to
improve coordination between bilateral donors and multilateral agencies.
The Development Assistance Committee (DAC)  is also strongly committed
to improving coordination with multilateral agencies. As a forum for bilateral
aid agencies to share experiences and good practices, the DAC increasingly
recognises the importance of trade for development and poverty reduction,
and the need to participate actively in international efforts to help build the
human and institutional capacities of developing countries to trade.  TheDAC is currently in the process of preparing a set of guidelines in this area.
The guidance aims to foster effective partnerships between developed and
developing countries. It also aims to promote synergies between the aid and
trade communities, on the one hand, and between the bilateral and
multilateral donor communities on the other hand, particularly with regard toWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
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implementing the Integrated Framework effectively.  The DAC guidelines
under preparation will include: a) the importance of mainstreaming trade into
country-specific poverty reduction strategies (PRSPs); b) facilitating the
emergence of a strong country-level trade policy process; and, c) providing a
roadmap for effective donor policies and instruments.
Richard Carey , Director, DAC/OECD Secretariat
Chiedu Osakwe , Head, Secretariat Working Group for LDCs/IF, WTO
9.00: Panelists
Panelists : Martin Dagata, Director, Technical Assistance, ITC,
Rénald Clerismé, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Haiti to the WTO 
Marcel Namfua, Interregional Adviser, Office of the Special Coordinator for
the LDCs, Landlocked and Island Developing Countries, UNCTAD
Peter Tulloch, Diector, Trade and Development Division
Georges Chapelier, Director, Governance and Management Division UNDPJean-Maurice Léger, Director, Technical Cooperation Division, WTO
DiscussionsWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
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PANEL E: GLOBAL DIMENSIONS AND CORE ISSUES IN MAINSTREAMING
14.00 : What are the global dimensions and core domestic issues in
mainstreaming ?2
Panel E will seek to identify the issues that are core to meaningful integration
of trade priority areas of action within national development plans and
poverty reduction strategies.  There is a global as well as domestic dimension
to the core issues in mainstreaming.  The issues and their importance may
also vary from country to country.  The results of this panel will assist in
improving understanding of those critical issues that require reflection in atrade integration agenda for development and poverty reduction.
Uri Dadush , Director, Economic Policy and Development Prospects Group,
World Bank
Susan Prowse , Senior Economic Adviser, Department for International
Development (DFID), UK
14.30 : Panelists
Panelists : Anne McGuirk, Assistant Director, Trade Policy Division, Policy
Development and Review Department, IMF
Sarath Rajapatirana, American Enterprise Institute, Washington D.C.
Mike Samuels, President, Samuels Inter. Associates, Washington D.C.
Gretchen Stanton, Snr. Counsellor, Ag riculture and Commodities Div, WTO
Charles Gore, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, Office of the SpecialCoordinator for the LDCs, Landlocked and Island Developing
Countries, UNCTAD
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Steve Hadley, Director, Office of Emerging Markets, USAID 
Discussions
PANEL F: WRAP UP
17.30:  General exchange of views.
                                                     
2 An illustrative list of core mainstreaming issues  include the trade policy regime: trade and growth,
pace and sequence of domestic reform, cost of domestic protection; pace and sequence of WTO rules;
development-relevance of WTO rules; market access and import liberalization;  WTO accessions; internationalstandards and exports; rules of origin; uniform tariffs and tax structures;  exchange rates and exports; exportprocessing zones; external debt and investments; balance of payment; fiscal policy; inflation and growth; and,regional trading arrangements.WT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
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Invited Participants
Least-Developed Countries
1. Bangladesh
2. Cambodia
3. Haiti
4. Lesotho
5. Madagascar
6. Mali
7. Tanzania
8. The Gambia
9. Uganda
10. Zambia
11. QUAD Representatives (Canada, European Commission, Japan, United States) .
Development Agencies
12. Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
13. Department for International Development (DFID)
14. Development Assistance Committee (DAC/OECD)
15. German Development Foundation (DSE)
16. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
17. United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
18. Norwegian Development Agency
Regional Economic Commissions
19. Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
20. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
21. Forum SecretariatWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9
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Development Banks
22. African Development Bank
23. Asian Development Bank
24. Islamic Development Bank
25. Inter-American Development Bank
Rapporteur: Chiedu Osakwe
editor:           Maika Oshikawa
editor:            Sajal Mathur
editor:            Zainab Mchumo
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