International Trade Policy By conducting analysis of unfolding global trade dynamics and developments, including multilateral and regional trade negotiations, and undertaking advocacy activities this project aims to promote the effective participation of members, particularly the most capacity-constrained ones, namely small states, LDCs and Sub-Saharan African countries, in global trade and to enhance intra-Commonwealth trade and investment flows.

As demonstrated in our past policy research, e.g. the Commonwealth Trade Reviews 2015 and 2018, global trade is undergoing profound structural shifts. All governments are looking for options to enhance their trade performance and through it expand employment opportunities. This was also clearly expressed in the 2017 Commonwealth Trade Ministers’ Meeting. 

The global trading system is clearly facing challenging times: COVID-19 has caused a dramatic collapse in world growth, trade and investment; multilateral trade negotiations are virtually stalled with the Doha Round incomplete; there is a growing pervasiveness of protectionist measures, mostly recently in COVID-19-related medical supplies, with widespread discontent about globalisation and trade liberalisation; trade policy reversals of the USA and post-Brexit developments in Europe are causing heightened policy uncertainty. This is happening at a time when the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for more concerted action to use trade to help trigger greater growth, development and poverty reduction in the world’s poorest countries.

For many members, the emerging trade landscape is a challenging one where the certainties of previous decades are being eroded. This may imply that developing productive capacity to exploit trading opportunities will be severely constrained. Also, there remains much untapped potential to further leverage the ‘Commonwealth effect’ to grow trade flows and investment linkages between our members. 

As world trade is confronted with unprecedented challenges, the global support architecture available to small states, LDCs and other vulnerable developing countries has to adapt to the new realities. Under these circumstances, the Commonwealth’s role in providing thought-leadership on global trade issues and advocating for the trade-related development concerns of the smallest, poorest and most vulnerable countries cannot be overemphasised. The Commonwealth has always been a great force for global good in promoting a free, fair and inclusive global trading system and it is the moment for the Commonwealth - that has 31 small states, 13 LDCs and 19 sub-Saharan African countries as members - to gear up to play a catalytic role for making international trade an effective means of achieving development goals.    

Given the above, analytical, policy and advocacy work emanating from this project will contribute to:
(1) expanding the Commonwealth trade advantage and deepening intra-Commonwealth trade and investment cooperation; 
(2) improving multilateral and regional trade governance to assist members achieve meaningful trade deals;
(3) strengthening the role of trade in delivering SDGs; and
(4) securing development-friendly outcomes while addressing emerging trade issues.

The project has a strong focus on small states, LDCs and Sub-Saharan African members in promoting, among others, international consensus-building on trade and development issues, while protecting and promoting these countries’ interests. The modus operandi for the project activities will be a combination of research, policy and analytical work and  impactful advocacy exercises.