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DTSTART:20220728T131500Z
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TRANSP:OPAQUE
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LOCATION:Online\, 
SUMMARY:Side event at 8th Global Review of Aid for Trade: Pan African trade
  as an engine for local economic growth and prosperity (AfCFTA)
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:How the African Continental Free Trade Area can enhance competi
 tiveness and trade within regional value chains\n\n\n\nThe African Contine
 ntal Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) creates a market of 1.2 billion people with 
 a combined GDP of 3.4 trillion US dollars. It has the potential to boost e
 conomic development and prosperity through accelerated intra-Africa trade.
 \n\nThe development of regional value chains with increased value addition
 \, higher productivity\, and competitiveness depends on many factors\, tho
 ugh. These include a common public/private sector vision\, harmonized trad
 e rules\, breaking down non-tariff barriers and increasing regulatory tran
 sparency\, efficient business support services including quality infrastru
 cture and conformity assessment to create trust between trading partners\,
  a good understanding of market opportunities and facilitation of business
  match-making\, growing infrastructure and trade logistics\, and effective
  banking services.   \n\nThe all-female panel will bring together stake
 holders from the private sector and national\, regional and continental in
 stitutions. It will discuss a common vision of the AfCFTA\, dig deeper int
 o concrete trading challenges and how to address them.\n\n\n\n\n \n\nMore
  on this event\n\n \n\n\n\nThe United Nations Inter-Agency Cluster on Tra
 de and Productive Capacity is organizing this session jointly with the Ara
 b Republic of Egypt and Madagascar in the framework of the WTO Global Aid 
 for Trade Review 2022. For the UN Cluster\, UNCTAD and UNIDO jointly led t
 he organization.  \n\nUNIDO supports the implementation of the AfCFTA thr
 ough various projects including by supporting building quality infrastruct
 ure and trade capacity building. UNCTAD supports the AfCFTA in various are
 as\, including supporting building the AfCFTA Non-Tariff Barriers mechanis
 m\, transparency in non-tariff measures\, services trade\, gender and comp
 etition policy. Other Cluster members that are active in Africa include FA
 O\, ITC and the UN Economic Commission for Africa. The UN Cluster provides
  an established well-functioning umbrella to coordinate technical cooperat
 ion projects of UN agencies in Africa.\n\nProgramme\n\nOpening remarks\n\n
 \nTeresa Moreira\, Officer in Charge (alternate)\, Division on Internation
 al Trade and Commodities\, UNCTAD\n\n\nModerator\n\n\nHabiba Ben Barka\, C
 hief\, Africa Section\, Division for Africa\, Least Developed Countries an
 d Special Programmes\, UNCTAD\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\nSoha Gendi\, Ambassador a
 nd Assistant Foreign Minister for African Organizations\, Egypt\,\nChilesh
 e Mpundu Kapwepwe\, Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and
  Southern Africa\, (COMESA)\nTreasure Maphanga\, COO of AE Trade Group and
  former Director of Trade at the African Union Commission\nBirame Sock\, F
 ounder and CEO of Kewly \, Senegal\n\nhttps://www.unido.org/our-focus/adva
 ncing-economic-competitiveness/competitive-trade-capacities-and-corporate-
 responsibility/trade-capacity-building\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nhttp
 s://unctad.org/meeting/side-event-8th-global-review-aid-trade-pan-african-
 trade-engine-local-economic-growth-and
DTSTAMP:20260711T002710Z
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