Aid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CIS
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Transcript of Aid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CIS
United Nations Development Programme
Wider Europe:Aid for Trade in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CIS
Border Management CoP19th July 2011
UNDP’s vision on trade
• Supporting the link between human development and trade
• UNDP’s focus:– To help developing countries build capacity to compete
internationally by overcoming supply side constraints;– To help developing countries build capacity to negotiate,
interpret and implement trade agreements (multilateral, regional and bilateral) in a manner that prioritizes poverty reduction and human development; and
– To help developing countries incorporate pro-poor, development-centered trade policies into national development strategies, including poverty reduction programmes.
Phase I: Implementation duration: 18 months (Aug 09’ - Jan 11’) Regional Scope: 11 countries Budget: € 1.6 million
Phase II Implementation duration: 3 years (Feb 11’ – Feb 14’) Regional Scope: 11 countries Budget: € 4.6 million
Target audience: private (SMEs, associations, agricultural sector) and public sector.
Fast Facts
Regional Coverage
Comp. I Comp. II Comp. III
Aid for Trade Needs Assessments under phase I
Development of Aid for Trade Needs Assessments in 11 countries in Central Asia, South Caucasus and Western CIS:
Objectives:
• Identification of capacity gaps (institutional, human, etc.) and technical assistance needs;
• Development of policy recommendations and action matrix for potential donor assistance;
• Development of concrete project proposals for AfT interventions.
The SPECA AfT Ministerial Meeting
• Border management can have a dramatic impact on trade;
• To have an impact, trade facilitation measures on one side of a border will have to be matched by corresponding measures on the other side – cooperation remains key;
• Despite large and long term projects creating trade corridors in Central Asia – the network is still hampered by slow processes at the borders;
Continued
• Although tariffs have become mostly insignificant as obstacles to trade between SPECA countries, several non-tariff barriers remain:
– Regulations of sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures;• Mutual recognition of inspection and testing results between countries in the region is poorly
developed/implemented.• Lack of coordination between inspection bodies;
– Technical barriers to trade;– Number of rules, procedures and documents needed for import and exports;– Variability and uncertainty in the implementation of the rules and regulations
(judgement calls);– Disproportionally high trade costs.
Some info from the CAREC institute
Source: CAREC CPMM 2009-2010
The harmonisation challenge
In order to facilitate cross-border trade :• Individuals need to be able to easily cross borders without having to
pay a bribe;• It is necessary to reduce trade costs through better and faster
procedures at the border for both customs and border agencies;• Private sector needs to be involved in the harmonisation and
improvement
Why is this important:• Cross border trade (including informal) is a vital part in Central
Asian economies and has a substantial impact on human development.
• Trade (not considering oil and gas) in Central Asia is below its potential > high trade costs discourage;
• Trade, especially if it benefits small producers, can have an important impact for human development.
The SPECA AfT Ministerial Declaration
On the basis of the Aid for Trade Needs Assessments undertaken in SPECA countries the following areas were considered as critical by member states and adopted as focus areas in the Ministerial Declaration:– Supply side/within-border measures; – Cross-border cooperation;– The multilateral trading system .
Cross- border cooperation:• Physical infrastructure;• Institutional trade infrastructure, with a focus on trade
facilitation;• Market access.
Focus of the Aid for Trade project
Trade CapacityBuilding
Access toinformation
Access to markets
Eco-Friendly Technologies
and Green commodity
To enhance private sector’s
trade-related capacity
More info …
• Fast Facts and CDs • Our website• Join our user space on Teamworks