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News back to top
Ministerial Decision on Aid for Trade
At the Ninth Ministerial Conference in December 2013, a Ministerial Decision on Aid for Trade was taken (WT/L/909). The decision reaffirmed WTO members' commitment to the initiative, recognizing the continuing need for Aid for Trade in developing countries, and in particular least-developed countries (LDCs).
> Ministerial Decision
Global Review of Aid for Trade
The purpose of the Global Review is to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of Aid for Trade to provide a strong incentive to both donors and recipients for advancing the Aid for Trade agenda.
> Fifth Global Review 2015
> Fourth Global Review 2013
> Third Global Review 2011
> Second Global
Review 2009
> First Global
Review 2007
Aid for Trade work programme back to top
Activities under the Aid for Trade initiative are carried out on the basis of a biennial work programme. These work programmes promote deeper coherence and an on-going focus on Aid for Trade among the trade and development community, notably with regard to showing results. Work programmes have generated impetus to the Aid for Trade implementation activities on the ground.
In line with the decision adopted by Ministers at the Ninth Ministerial Conference held in Bali in 2013 (WT/L/909), a Aid for Trade work programme has been developed which provides a framework for activities over the period 2014-2015.
The Aid for Trade Work Programme 2014-2015, issued on 7 May 2014, is based on the theme “reducing trade costs for inclusive, sustainable growth”. In support of implementation of the Bali Package (together with existing WTO Agreements), the ongoing work to connect developing countries and LDCs to value chains, and in the context of the emerging post-2015 development agenda and associated goals, the Work Programme's key areas of focus include: value chains, monitoring and evaluation, private sector development, infrastructure development, and regional trade integration. Work Programme activities will culminate in a Fifth Global Review of Aid for Trade tentatively programmed for mid-2015.
Role of the WTO back to top
The role of the WTO is to:
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encourage additional flows of Aid for Trade from bilateral, regional and
multilateral donors to
support requests for trade-related capacity building from
beneficiary countries
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support improved ways of monitoring and evaluating the initiative
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encourage mainstreaming of trade into national development
strategies by partner countries.
The Enhanced Integrated Framework is
the main mechanism through which least-developed countries access
Aid for Trade.
The
Standards and Trade Development Facility maintains close
contacts with the Aid for Trade initiative. It complements this
global scheme through projects and monitoring of aid flows at an
operational, issue-specific level.
> Fact sheet on Aid for Trade
>
Presentation — Aid for Trade: why, what and how?
Background
The Aid for Trade initiative was launched at the
Hong Kong
Ministerial Conference in December 2005. In February 2006 the WTO
established a
Task Force, with the aim of
“operationalizing” Aid for
Trade.
The Task Force recommended in July 2006 that Aid for Trade should
focus on identifying the needs within recipient countries,
responding to donors and acting as a bridge between donors and
developing countries. It also recommended the establishment of a
monitoring body in the WTO, which would undertake a periodic global
review based on reports from a variety of stakeholders.
Working in cooperation back to top
The WTO works in cooperation with, and encourages coordination among, a number of key players in the Aid for Trade initiative to take forward the Task Force recommendations. Key players include: the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Inter-American Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, International Trade Centre (ITC), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Bank, World Customs Organization, the Enhanced Integrated Framework, and the Standards and Trade Development Facility.
Implementation/monitoring back to top
In 2007 the WTO's Aid for Trade initiative moved into its first
stage of implementing the 2006 recommendations of the Aid for Trade
Task Force.
The WTO started by establishing a system of monitoring Aid for Trade
at three levels:
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global monitoring of overall Aid for Trade flows, based on work
carried out by the OECD
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monitoring the commitment of individual donors to provide
additional Aid for Trade
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monitoring how the needs of developing countries for additional
Aid for Trade are being presented to, and met by, the international
donor community, including the development banks.
A
Symposium Identifying
Indicators for Monitoring Aid for Trade was held
on 15-16 September 2008.
Since the inception of the Aid for Trade initiative, four monitoring exercises have been undertaken, each with greater complexity and depth. Global Review events have also been held under the themes of “Maintaining Momentum” in 2009, “Showing Results” in 2011, and “Connecting to Value Chains” in 2013. At each event, the WTO and OECD issue a joint flagship report on “Aid for Trade at a Glance”.
Regional reviews back to top
Working with its partner agencies, the WTO also encourages the holding of national and sub-regional Aid-for-Trade reviews to “road-test” Aid-for-Trade plans, identify priorities, and agree on how these plans and priorities should be implemented. These review events provide a platform to raise awareness of Aid for Trade, showcase “real-world” examples of Aid-for-Trade strategies in progress, and create incentives for other countries and sub-regions to follow. The results of these regional reviews are profiled in the Global Reviews of Aid for Trade.
> Regional Reviews 2009
> Regional Reviews 2007
Events back to top
Official documents on Aid for Trade back to top
Links to documents series: (WT/AFT/*)
and (WT/COMTD/AFT/*)
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