LATEST PUBLICATIONS
Analysis on trade, economic regulation, environment and more

Services (WTO) | Note

Domestic Regulations and Trade in Services Negotiations: Considerations for South & South-East Asian countries 

This note analyses through literature review, the GATS provision on domestic regulations and ongoing negotiations in this respect, domestic regulations related to trade in services in South & South East Asian countries (state of play and challenges), as well as alternative approaches being discussed and utilized elsewhere. Ultimately some recommendations and suggestions on the way forward are provided. Read more...

Climate Change | Note

Effective implementation of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs): critical role of the Ad-hoc working group on the Paris Agreement (APA) and relevant actions to be taken by members 

This note will focus on the effective implementation of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). It will provide answers on the critical role of the Ad-hoc working group on the Paris Agreement (APA) and relevant actions to be taken by members. Read more...

Trade Facilitation | Note

The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement Negotiations, Developments and LDCs & Developing Countries" Concerns 

The World Trade Organization (WTO) with its member states came up with an agreement whose main purpose was to reduce total trade costs for all members in trading at their various boarders. Its primary concern was to speed up processes and allow the free flow of trade across the various boarders. Therefore, the inception of Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). This report will focus on issues of Trade Facilitation in the context of the World Trade Organization with references on the five participating that is Pakistan, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. It will try and define trade facilitation, its history and current status with respect to the five countries mentioned above. It will touch upon how the countries can take advantage of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and give some recommendation to the negotiators of the five South & South East Asian countries concerned. Read more...

Value Chains | Note

Cotton, Textile and Apparel Sector in the EAC: Value Chain Analysis and Trade Concerns 

Cotton, textile and apparel (CTA) subsectors are globally important and represent one of the main issues for negotiations at the WTO. The CTA sector has potential to improve social, economic and environmental issues which, is an opportunity for the East African Community (EAC) economies. Linking the EAC CTA sector to Global Value Chain (GVC) can be a good opportunity for poverty alleviation especially as EAC partner states have market access preferences on some of the major markets i.e. in the European Union (EU) and in the United States of America (USA). This note presents (1) an overview of the EAC and trade facilitation; (2) a focus on the EAC CTA value chain and (3) the regional SWOT analysis which provides some recommendations. Read more...

Climate Talks | Briefing Paper

What the Paris Climate Agreement Means to EAC Stakeholders: Reactions 

This paper examines the views and reactions of the East African Community (EAC) stakeholders about the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement; whether the outcomes of the agreement met their expectations or not. A brief account of the Paris agreement and the EAC region places the issue into context. It introduces the issue with a sum up on major outcomes of the Paris agreement that are relevant to the EAC region, developing countries, and LDCs before collecting reactions and recommendations from EAC stakeholders. Read more...

Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures | Note

Sanitary & PhytoSanitary Issues in the WTO : Negotiations, Developments and LDCs & Developing Countries" Concerns 

The note will focus on Sanitary & PhytoSanitary (SPS) issues in the context of the World Trade Agreement. SPS measures concern the application of food safety and animal and plant health regulations. It will inform on the previous WTO negotiations, the agreement content, and bodies dealing with SPS issues and more importantly who are (should be) the beneficiaries of the SPS agreement.The SPS Agreement aims to achieve a balance between the right of WTO members to implement legitimate health protection policies and the goal of allowing the smooth flow of goods across international borders without unnecessary restrictions. Read more...

Women | Briefing Paper

Gendering Agro-Processing in the EAC Region 

This briefing paper discusses the level of involvement and unique challenges women face in agro-processing sub-sector in the EAC region. In spite of high absorption of the female task force, agro-processing industries often engage women in low-paid tasks that demand low skills and training. The paper presents the status of self-employed female taskforce in the EAC and level of engagement as well as the unique barriers they face including limitations in decision making power, access to land, credit, and training; and household responsibilities that usurp them of time and energy. The paper forwards gender-sensitive policy actions to improve the involvement of women in production, processing and marketing of agro-based products. Read more...

COUNTRY UPDATES
National perspectives on hot international negotiation topics

VALUE CHAINS
Integrating the EAC Cotton, Textile and Apparel Sector in Global Value Chains
The cotton, textile and apparel (CTA) sector has been prioritised in East Africa for its promising development potential. Yet, only 15% of the cotton produced is processed within the region and the rest is exported to other developing and developed countries for processing into textile and apparels. What are the trade challenges faced by CTA value chains in the region?
BURUNDI • KENYA • RWANDA• TANZANIA• UGANDA

CLIMATE TALKS
Dealing with Agricultural issues after the Paris Agreement
Even if there is no explicit mention of agriculture in the Paris Agreement, a number of issues related to and affecting agriculture, such as food security and food production, have been consistently mentioned in the document. On the ground, What do people think about the agreement?
BURUNDI • KENYA • RWANDA• TANZANIA• UGANDA

SPS MEASURES
Agricultural products’ exports: What are the Sanitary & PhytoSanitary barriers faced by exporters in South & South-East Asian countries?
In Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, and Vietnam, agriculture amounts to a significant proportion of GDP, ranging from 21-51%. However, sanitary and phytosanitary standards are a significant barrier to exporting these agricultural products, particularly for markets outside of South and Southeast Asia. Loss of potential income in these countries is likely to amount to tens of millions of US dollars annually. So, what are the main SPS barriers reported by major exporters in these countries?
LAO PDR • NEPAL • PAKISTAN• SRI LANKA• VIETNAM

TRADE FACILITATION
The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement: What are the Main Issues Faced by SMEs in S&SE Asian Countries?
The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) represents a good opportunity for SME development in South and Southeast Asia, especially for the sectors depending heavily on trade such as apparel, tea and garments among others. However, an enabling policy landscape will be required for these countries to fully take advantage of the agreement. Compiling feedback from SMEs in each country, these updates identify some of their trade facitation challenges and suggests possible priorities for governments to seek the technical assistance granted under the TFA agreement.
LAO PDR • NEPAL • PAKISTAN• SRI LANKA• VIETNAM

SERVICES (WTO)
Domestic Regulations and Trade in Services Negotiations
The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) was one of the landmark achievements of the Uruguay Round. For developing countries, several provisions aim to facilitate their increased participation in trade in services, strengthen their domestic services capacity, improve their access to distribution channels and information networks, open markets of interest to them, and secure special and differential treatment. Twenty years down the road, what are the challenges still faced by SME services exporters in South and Southeast Asia?
LAO PDR • NEPAL • PAKISTAN• SRI LANKA• VIETNAM

EVENTS & ADVOCACY
Dialogues and campaigns for holistic, development-oriented policies

ONGOING PROJECTS
Supporting developing countries, from the Global South to Geneva