Transcript Slide 1

Aid for Trade (A4T):
Interrogating CSO silences in
Southern Africa
Brendan Vickers
Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD)
Email: [email protected]
15 March 2007
Outline of presentation
1. Background
2. IGD survey: CSO concerns about A4T
3. Role for CSOs in A4T debate
1. Background
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Trade policy reform and its benefits are a technical problem –
augmented Washington Consensus?
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Major challenges: market access; infrastructural and technical
capacities to trade:
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Uganda and clothing exports (transport = 80% tax)
Farmers and post-harvest storage
Durban vs. Dubai
Mozal investment in Mozambique: exports up, GDP + 7%
World Bank estimates that 1% rise in the stock of infrastructure
could add 1% to GDP.
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A4T: provision of development assistance aimed at increasing the
participation of developing countries in the MTS.
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Not new concept – ideas such as trade-related financial and
technical assistance, and capacity-building.
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Debate driven by G8-OECD donors, WB, IMF, WTO TF on A4T.
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Africa not shy (AG, LDCs, ACP) – but global aid industry powerful,
political and self-serving.
2. IGD survey: CSO concerns about A4T
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Conditional aid has notorious history in Africa – will rich countries
help poorer nations compete with them in world markets?
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Easy promises of A4T used to pressure developing countries into
further binding liberalisation (adjustment costs, policy space?).
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A4T diverts attention from negotiating real developmental outcome
to the Doha Round: fairer, more equitable rules; implementation …
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A4T must complement reformed multilateral trading system, not
substitute for its existing inequalities.
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No new resources, but repackage existing aid geared to social
development – ODA commitments made to 2010.
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New concessional loans that will sink developing countries further
into debt?
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A4T focused exclusively on technical assistance and capacitybuilding exacerbates the negative effects of existing trade rules.
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Aid to support implementation is contrary to the mandate of A4T
and the broader Doha Development Agenda.
3. What role for CSOs in A4T debate?
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Disjuncture: policy-oriented NGOs and social movements in trade
and development debates in Southern Africa ( SADC vs. SAPSN ).
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Under-represented groups: rural micro entrepreneurs, farming
cooperatives, SMMEs.
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Critically interrogate assumptions underlying A4T and redefine its
parameters from pro-poor developmental perspective:
– Assist to enhance and diversify the productive capacity of
agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors;
– Construct roads to link local, regional and international markets;
– Support SMME development.
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Draw lessons from problems, failures of existing trade-related aid
initiatives: Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical
Assistance and the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance
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Strengthen country ownership of A4T programmes: identify and
formulate country’s unique trade-related needs and priorities.
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Mainstream A4T into national development policies: link A4T to
poverty reduction, etc.
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Sensitize A4T to local gender, cultural, environmental and social
realities.
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Regional/continental levels: coordinate A4T with AU/NEPAD Short
Term Action Plan (energy, transport, ICT, water and sanitation).
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Build synergies with social movements and empower them for
advocacy.
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Deliver A4T in form of training, SMME development, etc.
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Monitor A4T disbursements (Paris Declaration) and evaluate aid
efficacy in local economic development.
Thank you!