Statement

by Ms. Hanna Gutema, OIC, UNDP/RAULOE, representing UNDP at the African Trade Policy Centre Partnership Roundtable (13 April, 2006)

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished participants of the Roundtable,

On behalf of Mr. Lamin Manneh, Senior Regional Programme Advisor, UNDP Africa, Member of the ATCD board, who had asked me to convey to you his regrets for not being here, I would like to thank ECA for inviting UNDP to this important Partnership Roundtable for the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC). I also wish to commend Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary of ECA and his able staff on the valuable outcomes being produced by this very important Centre.

As we are all aware African Countries are facing the challenges of capacity constraints to negotiate multilateral trade agreements although they have recognized the importance of trade in the economic development of the region and are making strenuous efforts to increase their involvement in the on-going trade negotiations under the Doha Round Table and the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). Capacity constraints and lack of information on trade issues, in particular on trade policy issues and developments has hampered their involvement in this important area.

The establishment of the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) has indeed assisted in meeting the needs of African countries as it has provided them with valuable research work, training and advisory services in order to strengthen the capacity of governments to formulate, analyze and implement sound trade policies and programmes and effectively participate in bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations. The results achieved so far are quite commendable especially in the areas of adoption of consensus-based positions by African negotiators, fruitful results of technical advisory services, training of African government officials, increased awareness on trade issues in Africa and the research works related to WTO, EPAs within the European Union and others.

In response to the need to assist African countries enhance their participation in the global economy and in line with one of its focus areas in the Second Regional Cooperation Framework (2002-2006) which is "making globalization work for Africa", UNDP has elaborated and is currently funding a programme on "Trade Capacity Development for Sub-Saharan Africa" with the objective of contributing to building and strengthening human, institutional and policy capacity in sub-Saharan African countries for an effective participation in multilateral and other international trade negotiations, and for formulating and implementing trade and related policies in order to achieve poverty reduction and higher levels of human development and the Millennium Development Goals. The project started in earnest during the last quarter of 2004 with support from DFID and the Belgian government and a good partnership from implementing partners notably the ECA, African Union, UNCTAD, AERC, SATRN, SEATINI and TWIN-Africa. The activities undertaken so far include amongst others, the meeting in Tunis which enabled the African Trade Negotiators and policy makers to map out a strategy for negotiations following the WTO July, 2004 Package, the AU/RECs workshop on EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements) negotiations which aimed at discussing and finalizing the mechanisms of coordination between the AU Commission and the RECs on the EPAs negotiations and creating a common position of the African sub-regional economic groupings as inputs for the formulation of an overall African common position. Research studies notably on market access negotiating issues of relevance to sub-Saharan African countries and on non-tariff measures issues, were carried out. The latter was for wide dissemination to the governments in general and trade ministries in particular as training instrument for younger and less experienced trade analysts and negotiators. Four studies prepared and published by ECA were also supported by the project and are to be used by African trade negotiators and official policy makers who will also be able to increase their awareness and negotiating capacities.

As for enhancing regional integration efforts of SSA countries, the project has supported four joint UNDP/ECA/AU/RECs organized ad-hoc expert group meetings for sub-Saharan African regional groupings on trade issues related to EPAS negotiations and WTO issues.

To strengthen capacities prior to the 6^th WTO Ministerial Conference held in Hong Kong in December, 2005, a series of training workshops were held for high level officials in Addis Ababa, Geneva, Brussels-based Ambassadors aimed at enhancing African trade negotiators' and trade policy makers' awareness on key issues and reinforcing their negotiating capacities and facilitating common African positions. UNDP's project also supported financially the participation of the Geneva-based sub-Saharan African Ambassadors in trade-related technical meetings and recently in the 4^th Session of the Conference of Ministers of Trade currently being held in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mr. Chairman,

Distinguished participants of the Roundtable,

UNDP is indeed committed to contributing to the work of the African Trade Policy Centre of ECA and values very much the partnership with it. The analytical work, the high quality research work undertaken by the Centre and the creation of increased awareness within Africa on trade issues and the involvement of the private sector and the civil society organizations in the trade negotiation process contributes to trade capacity building in Africa, evidence based trade and regional integration policies. The outcomes of the activities of the Centre mainly the improvement in the trade policy environment and increased knowledge of trade negotiators in international trade negotiations are encouraging and need to be further enhanced. To widen the knowledge of trade policy in Africa, ATPC's work will have to be disseminated widely at sub-regional level. ATPC's research work impacts should also be a subject of study by the Centre so that the visible and concrete results are quantified and noted. As more resources are required for these and other activities UNDP fully supports and reinforces ECA's request for more donor support and intends to continue collaborating with ECA over the coming years. Let us all support this Centre.

I thank you.