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Formulating an Aid for Trade Strategy for Trinidad and Tobago

Formulating an Aid for Trade Strategy for Trinidad and Tobago. First High-Level Working Group on Aid for Trade, Normandie Hotel, Port of Spain Elizabeth Parsan, Ph.D. Inter-American Development Bank Consultant Thursday 4 th August, 2011. Aid for Trade (AFT). Brief background on AFT

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Formulating an Aid for Trade Strategy for Trinidad and Tobago

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  1. Formulating an Aid for Trade Strategy for Trinidad and Tobago First High-Level Working Group on Aid for Trade, Normandie Hotel, Port of Spain Elizabeth Parsan, Ph.D. Inter-American Development Bank Consultant Thursday 4th August, 2011

  2. Aid for Trade (AFT) • Brief background on AFT • The AFT Strategy: what, why and when • Benefits of an AFT Strategy for T&T

  3. AFT – Initial statement WTO Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong in Dec. 2005 “AFT should help developing countries, particularly LDCs, to build the supply-side capacity and trade-related infrastructure that they need to assist them to implement and benefit from WTO agreements and more broadly expand their trade.”

  4. AFT – early reactions Developing countries: Largely sceptical How much? Is it ‘new money’? Will a specific fund be set up? who will be eligible? Is it just grants? Multilateral agencies: Had been giving “aid for trade” for decades.

  5. WTO AFT Task Force (2006) • Projects and programmes should be considered as AFT: if these activities have been identified as trade-related development priorities in the recipient country's national development strategies. • Clear enough to distinguish between aid for trade and aid for development

  6. Other Task Force Recommendations • Each country should devise a National AFT Strategy • WTO assume a monitoring role • Biennial AFT reviews • IDB focal point for Caribbean countries

  7. Where are we now? • IDB visit to T&T in January 2011 - OECD questionnaire • How much? • Your AFT priorities? • Trade mainstreamed in development strategy? • Access to dedicated AFT funds (e.g. CARTFund) but most AFT come from existing funds • Recording of AFT includes all types of donor support, including loans, grants, technical assistance

  8. The AFT Framework DemandResponse Impact Outcome Demand in many sectors, trade enabling environment Development Strategy in progress National Export Strategy not yet started

  9. The AFT Framework DemandResponse Impact Outcome Access to funding limited ? (high income status) Bureaucratic delays in disbursements Aid procedures cumbersome

  10. Step #1 – Trade diagnostics • How much AFT is T&T currently receiving? • What are T&T’s main trade challenges? • Views of exporters • Results of quick survey

  11. Step #2: Identify 3-4 pillars

  12. 1st High-Level Working Group Meeting • Agree the pillars/broad areas of need/ stakeholders

  13. Step #4: In-depth consultations with s/holders (15th – 30th August) • Nature of programmes/ projects (Action Matrix) ------------------------------------------------------ • How effective has aid been? • Monitoring systems in place • Suggestions on improving AFT

  14. Development Impacts Trade  Growth  Development • Impact on development (cross-cutting issues): • Environmental sustainability • Decent Work (employment/ social protection) • Poverty Alleviation • Gender Equality

  15. Step #5: Validate priorities • Circulate full Draft of Action Matrix to ALL stakeholders – 12th September • Host two-day validation workshop • IDB officials (Washington) • Stakeholders, including civil society • All in-country donors

  16. 2nd Working Group Meeting on AFT Address implementation issues: • Difficulties in accessing aid • Challenges in implementing projects • Data collection, monitoring • A mechanism for co-ordination (AFT co-ordinating group?)

  17. Step #6: Draft AFT Strategy and Project Proposals • Draft AFT Strategy • Select two (2) projects for further development • Timeline for 1st Draft: 17th October

  18. Launch of AFT Strategy • Communicate to wider public the nature of the Strategy • Invite donors to fund programmes/projects

  19. Benefits of the AFT Strategy • Strategic rather than piecemeal approach • Explore wider sources of funding e.g. South -South AFT • More efficient use of resources - eliminate duplication in requests and funding • Clarify issues such as access to funding, burdensome procedures • Monitor overall achievements of AFT programme • Enhance donor co-ordination and hence, aid delivery

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