Discussion Forum: Why Trade Matters in Development Strategies

The UNCTAD secretariat would like to invite interested delegates to participate in the above-mentioned discussion forum.

This Forum is intended to foster dialogue between trade experts based in Geneva and national officials in charge of development planning, focusing on linkages between trade and development policies and on technical assistance needed to address these linkages and to ensure positive impact of trade on development processes.

Issues to be addressed:

• How trade issues are taken into account in development and assistance strategies?

• Who decides what on the links between trade and development plans?

• How can the connections between trade and poverty, environment, productive capacity, gender and employment be included in development and assistance plans?

Please note that for this purpose a number of government officials from capitals have been invited to take part in the Forum. These government officials are generally in charge of, or involved in, the development planning processes and are not necessarily trade experts.

The officials have been selected from among those who have followed one of UNCTAD's regional and national workshops on "Integrating the Trade Dimension in United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks" that have been held in Guatemala, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mali and Nepal over the last two years.

To foster dialogue between trade experts in Geneva and national officials in charge of development planning, focusing on:

1. Linkages between trade and development policies at:

• The macro level
• The sectoral level
• The micro level
 

2. Technical assistance needed to address these linkages and to ensure positive impact of trade on development processes

Share experiences on:

1. How trade issues and policies are actually taken into account and connected to:

   • Development strategies
   • Poverty-reduction strategies
   • Assistance plans and requests
 

2. What changes were introduced in the development strategies and assistance plans in order to take into account the implications of trade policy?

3. At the national level, who does what and who decides what on the links between development plans, assistance plans and trade issues?

   • What are the connections between the Ministry of Planning (or its equivalent) and the Ministry of Trade?
   • How is the business sector involved in trade operations included in decisions concerning trade and development plans?
   • Are there other mechanisms of consultations?
   • Are donors informed or consulted?

• Selected participants (in general not trade experts) from capitals of developing countries
• Geneva missions
• Geneva-based agencies and NGOs
• Donors

• A report summarizing the debate
• Individual papers on national cases
• Establishment of a network among the participants who attended the workshop, the Geneva final event, and the online courses

Wednesday, 27 Nov. 2013

1. Introduction
2. How is trade and productive capacity being introduced in development and assistance plans?
3. Trade policy issues in dealing with food security

Thursday, 28 Nov. 2013

4. Can trade policies contribute to poverty reduction? One country case
5. Using trade to empower women
6. The interface between trade and sustainable development
7. Job creation and trade policies

Friday, 29 Nov. 2013

8. Trade, environment, climate change
9. Wrap-up debate: what has to be done at the ODA/AfT levels to maximize the development impacts of trade?

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