2018 – part1 – 1 – 4

Launch of news portal to raise awareness of trade development in least-developed countries

A new portal has been launched by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) to provide a platform for the exchange of news, information and experiences on trade and development in least-developed countries (LDCs).

Officially launched by the EIF at the WTO’s Committee on Trade and Development’s Aid for Trade meeting on 19 February, the Trade for Development News platform serves as a forum for LDC governments and stakeholders to share their successes, challenges and strategies for enhancing LDC participation in global trade.

“The Trade and Development News platform is another great contribution by the EIF to the Aid for Trade initiative,” said Sainabou Taal, Trade Policy Analyst in the WTO Development Division. “Serving as a one-stop-shop for LDC-specific trade and development news is a great way to allow LDCs and their partners to share experiences. This is an important milestone in enhancing the Aid for Trade initiative’s objectives on knowledge creation and sharing, and illustrating impact on the ground.”

The 47 countries classified as LDCs – 36 of whom are WTO members – are home to 13 per cent of the global population, but account for only 1 per cent of global trade.  WTO agreements include provisions aimed at increasing LDCs’ trade opportunities and allowing LDCs flexibility in implementing WTO rules. The WTO Ministerial Conferences held in Bali in 2013 and in Nairobi in 2015 adopted several decisions in favour of LDCs to assist their better integration into the multilateral trading system.

The new EIF portal already features stories on trade and development news in WTO members such as Samoa, Vanuatu, Cambodia, Zambia, Senegal, the Gambia and Burkina Faso.

“We have an expansive agenda of partnership and we don’t want to confine ourselves but to engage in new and different ways,” added Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Director at the Executive Secretariat of the EIF. “That includes launching the Trade for Development News site to serve as a hub for information on LDCs, aid for trade and trade for development around the world in partnership with several organizations within the organic EIF structure as well as outside.”

About the Enhanced Integrated Framework

The Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) brings together partners and resources to support the least-developed countries (LDCs) in using trade for poverty reduction, inclusive growth and sustainable development. The EIF is a global partnership between LDCs, donors and international agencies, underpinned by a multi-donor trust fund, which provides financial and technical support to build trade capacity in 47 LDCs and four recently graduated countries. The EIF is the only global Aid for Trade programme exclusively designed for LDCs and therefore is uniquely placed to assist countries to develop sustainable trade strategies. Through a multilateral approach, the EIF ensures a coordinated, transparent and efficient delivery of Aid for Trade. The EIF is recognized under Goal 8a of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Source: wto.org