Pillar 3: Mainstreaming Cross-Cutting Items

Trade policymaking in Africa will benefit from taking cross-cutting issues into account especially as they can boost the achievement of the other two pillars. Of particular importance in this regard are issues related to gender, environment and HIV/AIDs. For instance, factoring in gender considerations will bring the concerns of over fifty percent of the African population into trade policy making while environmental aspects will help to ensure that trade contributes to rather than detracts from sustainable development. Keeping HIV/AIDS considerations in mind is also important because access to treatment depends to trade in medications produced outside the continent.

Gender

Gender inequality remains one of the main challenges facing African countries. These inequalities manifest themselves in various forms, ranging from women's limited access to ownership, and control of factors of production and social services, and socio-economic opportunities, to low representation in decision-making spheres. Such marginalization is even more evident in areas of trade policy and trade practices. Trade can have different impacts on women and men at country and continental levels and as a result of the multilateral trading system at global levels. ATPC II will pay more attention to gender issues in trade.

Environment

Environmental and natural resource degradation are common features in many African countries with potential disastrous consequences on their development prospects including in the area of trade. Indeed, environmental concerns have the potential to significantly affect trade flows. For instance, African countries are increasingly faced with the challenge of meeting environmental standards for exports to industrialized countries and therefore must build capacity to comply with such requirements. Moreover, given the heavy reliance of Africa's economies on natural resources, expanded trade including trade on second hand and polluting goods, could reduce poverty but have negative impacts on the environment. For example, substantial trade in timber, some agricultural products and fossil fuels have led to pollution of ecosystems, significant deforestation and increases in greenhouse gas emissions.

ATPC II will therefore continue to highlight issues of trade and environment in its capacity building activities for RECs and their member States as well as other pan-African trade constituencies. It will act as an advocate for helping Africa meet environmental standards in trade, promote trade in environmentally sustainable goods and create awareness about the complex linkages between trade and environment. ATPC II will also address gaps in information and knowledge and build a critical mass of African resources and networks on trade and environment with the purpose of enhancing the pro-active formulation of coherent trade and environment policies for poverty reduction and sustainable development.

HIV/AIDS

If Africa could gain an additional 1 percent of the global trade, it would earn $70 billion more in exports, an amount that surpasses Africa's current total foreign aid, and dwarfs the $15.4 billion projected for universal response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2010 and the $22.5 billion projected for 2015. Increased trade could provide the resources needed to scale-up the regional response to the pandemic, especially with regards to the procurement of essential commodities, including preventive tools, and anti retroviral drugs which are needed by African countries to stop HIV and AIDS.

The pandemic has reversed much of the progress made in Africa's fight to reduce poverty and get on track towards achieving the MDGs. More than 30 million Africans are living with the virus. Of this number, over 5 million are children under 15. The pandemic has killed millions of professionals (teachers, health workers, etc) and devastated Africa's work force. Therefore, any strategy which would be effective in strengthening trade with Africa, must also overcome HIV and AIDS. Increased trade will create new resources, jobs, and encourage innovation, research and development that address the negative impact of HIV and AIDS. It will also promote many of the strategies proposed by the AU, such as the regional procurement of pharmaceuticals and other commodities, especially where access is inhibited by licensing, patents and other intellectual property issues.

ATPC II will use its location in ECA to bring issues relating to HIV/AIDs to the fore in trade-related capacity building. The Centre will use its visibility to communicate and raise awareness of its stakeholders on issues related to HIV/AIDS. It will also work within the ambit of UN policy on HIV/AIDS including the sensitization of its staff.