Aid for Trade: Understanding its Past to Determine its Future

15th – 16th June 2008 • Co-organised with Organization of American States, OAS

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Symposium on Aid for Trade for the Caribbean- Making it a Reality

Aid for Trade (AfT) is a potentially vital programme that can help support developing countries’ efforts to bolster trade, foster growth and actively engage in global trading systems and markets. However, effectively designing and implementing such programmes necessitates a clear understanding of the concept, its impacts, successes, challenges, and future. In effort to address these issues from the Caribbean regional perspective, ICTSD and the Organization of American States have organized a unique and much-needed dialogue event on the subject to be held in Kingston, Jamaica from 16-17 June 2008.

Aid for Trade (AfT) packages can help poor countries participate fully in trading systems, meet adjustment needs and build the capacity to produce and trade competitively in global markets. However, in order to do this effectively, developing countries need to fully understand the concept and how it can best be applied. In an effort to help developing nations address this issue, ICTSD and the Organization of American States have partnered to create a unique dialogue event on Aid for Trade, particularly as it relates to the Caribbean region.

The upcoming dialogue, entitled “Symposium on Aid for Trade for the Caribbean: Making it a Reality,” will first examine the aims of AfT, its implications and its context within the Doha Round. The role of institutional actors, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, in facilitating AfT through their respective programmes will also be examined. Likewise, the dialogue will consider the type of government assistance offered by developed countries in AfT programmes.

Once a clear and comprehensive understanding of these programmes has been established, an examination of their successes, failures, strengths and obstacles will enable participants to assess how AfT can improve in the years ahead. This sort of analysis goes hand-in-hand with the global review of AfT recently released by the WTO. Participants to the event will look at this review in conjunction with their own conclusions as to the lessons learned on AfT over recent years, in an effort to lay a strong and effective future framework for the Caribbean region. Through this exercise, the Caribbean’s own strengths and challenges will be analysed with solutions offered in light of the experience of other countries’ and regions’. It is hoped that these exercises and discussions will help the Caribbean to establish a powerful roadmap for future AfT programmes, facilitation and implementation.

The upcoming dialogue is scheduled for 16-17 June 2008 in Kingston, Jamaica. All interested participants should contact event organisers for details.