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PRESS RELEASES – MARCH 2008
Press
Releases Archive...
UNCTAD should
ensure better policy coherence between trade
and development
Nairobi, Kenya, March 14, 2008
At the end of a two day event entitled
“Pre-UNCTAD XII Civil Society Forum in
Africa” the participants have made several
recommendations to the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development to
consider them at its quadrennial conference
(UNCTAD XII) to be held in Accra, Ghana on
20-25 April 2008.
Multilateral institutions have to ensure
better policy coherence between trade and
development, and the global agenda for trade
and development must orient towards
benefiting the poor most. UNCTAD is to carry
out capacity building, monitoring,
evaluation and implementation of national,
global and international policies on
international trade to ensure such
coherence.
UNCTAD should critically evaluate the
paradigms of the World Trade organisation (WTO)
and WTO negotiations with a view to propose
paradigms suited for fair trade and
development by ensuring the effective
participation of developing countries.
Furthermore, UNCTAD should analyse the
developments of EPA (Economic Partnership
Agreements between the European Union and
the Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific
countries) negotiations, outcomes and
implementation-related issues, discussion
and exchanges so that appropriate policy
interventions can be undertaken and
corrected in the interest of ACP countries.
UNCTAD should concentrate more on
supply-side capacities of developing
countries by taking into consideration
institutional capacity, trade negotiation
capacity, policy coherence, utilisation of
development aid and aid for trade, with a
view to championing the interest of
developing countries so that effective
participation of these countries in global
trade can be enhanced.
UNCTAD should develop and adopt a clear and
comprehensive dissemination and
implementation strategy at the national,
regional and international levels, with full
participation from civil society and the
private sector.
UNCTAD’s NGO Liaison Office should be
strengthened as a Civil Society Liaison
Service and be provided with adequate
resources for building closer relationships
with civil society at the national, regional
and international levels, with a view to
increasing their participation.
More than 50 participants from 20 countries
participated at this forum. It was organised
by CUTS Centre for International Trade,
Economics & Environment (CUTS CITEE) as a
part of its project on
trade-development-poverty linkages, which is
being implemented with the support from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINBUZA), the
Netherlands and the Department for
International Development (DFID), UK.
For further information, please contact:
Clement V. Onyango,
cvo@cuts.org
and Sonja Blasig,
sb4@cuts.org
Civil society to be
involved closely for the “bottom-billion” to
benefit from globalisation
Nairobi, March 13, 2008
The Pre-UNCTAD XII
African Civil Society Forum organised by
CUTS Centre for International Trade,
Economics & Environment (CUTS CITEE), Jaipur
on 13-14 March 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya
provided room for discussion on the future
role of United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development (UNCTAD). It was organised
as a part of its project on
trade-development-poverty linkages, which is
being implemented with the support from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINBUZA), the
Netherlands and the Department for
International Development (DFID), UK.
Stressing the critical
role of civil society in the trade policy
making process and in promoting inclusive
globalisation, David S. Nalo, Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry,
Kenya, encouraged the participants to
disseminate far and wide the findings of
their discussions. Speaking while
inaugurating the event he further spoke
about success stories of economic
liberalisation in the aviation and
telecommunications sectors in Kenya. Nalo
also dwelled upon key challenges that face
developing countries from globalisation,
including opening up markets for trade in
goods and services, enhancing
competitiveness, mobilising investment
capital and modernising through accessing
the latest technologies.
He emphasized the
important role Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs)
can play in poverty reduction, pointing out
that 40 percent of Kenyan exports currently
go to countries in the region. At the level
of multilateral trade negotiations, the
Permanent Secretary criticised the
persistence of unfair and unbalanced trade
rules and of anticompetitive practices and
advocated the need for coherence in global
policy making.
A statement to the
meeting from the Secretary-General of UNCTAD,
Dr. Supachai Panitchpadki, delivered by Anna
Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-Habitat
Kenya, highlighted the goal of the UN system
to make 2008 the year of renewed focus on
development especially for the
“bottom-billion”. UNCTAD’s goal of making a
renewed effort to ensure that globalisation
does not leave the extreme poor behind,
especially in Africa, and to find new
approaches to achieving the Millennium
Development Goals was emphasised. Dr.
Supachai appreciated the efforts of CUTS in
supporting civil society organisations to
play a role in the discussions on how UNCTAD
can more effectively promote trade and
development.
Participants from 20
countries across Africa took the opportunity
to engage in a vibrant exchange on the
complex trade dynamics of developing
countries. Discussions covered coherence in
global policy making, key trade and
development issues and harnessing knowledge
for development to enhance productive
capacity, trade and investment. Based on the
work of CUTS and its partners Mohammad A.
Razzaque, Economic Adviser in the Economic
Affairs Division of the Commonwealth
Secretariat made a detailed presentation on
trade-development-poverty linkages.
The seminar will
conclude by formulating recommendations to
be submitted to the UNCTAD XII Conference to
be held in Accra, Ghana from 20-25 April
2008.
For further information, please contact:
Clement V. Onyango,
cvo@cuts.org
and Sonja Blasig,
sb4@cuts.org
UNCTAD and the
Civil Society should Work together for
Inclusive Development
Hanoi, Vietnam, March 07, 2008
The Pre-UNCTAD XII Asian Civil Society Forum
organised by CUTS Centre for International
Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS CITEE),
Jaipur on 6-7 March 2008 in Hanoi, Vietnam
provided room for discussion on the future
role of United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD). It was organised as a
part of its project on
trade-development-poverty linkages, which is
being implemented with the support from the
Department for International Development (DFID),
UK and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINBUZA),
the Netherlands.
In
view of the upcoming UNCTAD XII Conference on
April 20-25, 2008 in Accra, Ghana, the issue
of how to redefine the organisation’s
developmental role and strengthen its
institutional effectiveness received special
attention. While the significance of UNCTAD
was widely agreed upon as the most relevant
forum of South-South cooperation, it became
clear that its effectiveness will vitally
depend on the political willingness of the
participating countries. With regards to the
increased complexity of international
relations in a globalised world, the
revitalisation of UNCTAD’s role as an
organisation representing developing
countries’ views in international negotiations
is a must.
Key points that emerged in the discussion
included a closer cooperation of civil society
organisations (CSOs) in the framework of
UNCTAD. The conference addressed the vital
aspects of aid effectiveness and food
security, a closer cooperation of other UN
agencies with UNCTAD and a rationalisation of
funds, a deeper integration in accordance with
developing countries’ needs and a budgetary
contribution of developing countries to the UN
bodies to stop the dependence on donors from
developed countries.
Keeping in mind the high divergence of
interests of developing countries, the most
difficult task will be to define policy
implications that are acceptable for all. The
constraints to development faced by developing
countries will not be solved under the
framework of trade liberalisation, but under
the development aspect. Possible strategies to
revitalise the role of UNCTAD and restore the
organisational balance (vis-à-vis other UN
organisations and Bretton Woods institutions)
were seen in the extension of its research
capabilities.
Considering the currently highly imbalanced
international trade system, it is vital for
developing countries to face the upcoming
challenges. A reformation of UNCTAD will
vitally depend on the successful coordination
of G-77 and further informal groupings. UNCTAD
has to convince developing countries that it
is willing and able to deliver the resources
and expertise needed to transform the existing
world economic order and ensure fair and
equitable development for all.
For further information, please contact:
Alice Pham,
ap@cuts.org and Sonja Blasig,
sb4@cuts.org
Pre-UNCTAD Civil
Society Forum in Hanoi on
Trade-Development-Poverty Linkages
Hanoi, Vietnam, March 06, 2008
In
view of the forthcoming quadrennial meeting of
the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) XII to be held in Accra,
Ghana on April 20-25, 2008, CUTS Centre for
International Trade, Economics and Environment
(CUTS CITEE), Jaipur has been holding a Civil
Society Forum on the linkages between trade,
development and poverty reduction at Hanoi.
The event at Hanoi provided Civil Society
Organisations (CSOs) from across Asia with a
discussion forum on the effects of
globalisation and addressed key questions of
policy coherence, trade and development,
productive capacity and the role of UNCTAD.
Despite the obvious benefits from trade
liberalisation, vast income differences have
emerged in the course of globalisation
process, raising the question how a
sustainable path to development incorporating
all sections of societies can be ensured.
With the support from the Department for
International Development (DFID), UK and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINBUZA), the
Netherlands, the CUTS Centre for International
Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS CITEE),
has been implementing a project on the
linkages between Trade, Development and
Poverty Reduction (TDP) since 2005. The
project covers research, advocacy and
networking activities with several partner
organisations in Asia, Africa and Europe,
examining the specific national development
paths in relation to trade liberalisation.
This event kicked off with the book launch of
the Volume-I of the TDP project:
Trade-Development-Poverty Linkages –
Reflections from Selected Asian and Sub
Saharan African Countries – Country Case
Studies.
Addressing the meeting Atiur Rahman, Executive
Director of Unnayan Shamannay, Bangladesh,
pointed out the importance of redistributing
the benefits of economic growth from
international trade to ensure social peace and
sustainable development. M. A. Razzaque,
Economic Advisor to the Commonwealth
Secretariat and Editor of the TDP Volume-I,
provided an overview of the research conducted
in the Asian and African countries. He
outlined the lessons learnt, which include the
importance of policy regime ownership, the
significance of the agricultural sector
especially for the least developed countries (LDCs)
and the development of domestic productive
capacity.
In
the first thematic session on “Coherence in
Global Policy Making for Sustainable Economic
Development and Poverty Reduction”, the
question why trade does not lead to
all-pervasive growth and poverty reduction was
raised. Sharad Joshi, Member of Parliament of
India, opined that while trade has generally
led to growth, it has been observed that trade
alone is not the solution to sustainable
development. Veena Jha, Visiting Professor of
Warwick University, UK argued that governments
and civil society in both developed and
developing countries and international
institutions need to be included to achieve
sustainable development. She explained that a
transfer of public resources as well as the
establishment of fairer and more transparent
rules to support national actions is
necessary. Coalition-forming can serve as a
mechanism to secure a better implementation of
fairer rules, and at the same time, flanking
policies are necessary to redistribute the
benefits of economic growth from trade and to
build supply capacities, she added.
For further information, please contact:
Alice Pham,
ap@cuts.org and Sonja Blasig,
sb4@cuts.org
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