WTO

EU Aid for Trade to Least Developed Countries: Critical Shortfalls, Missed Targets, and the Road to Reform

by

(tl:dr) EU aid for trade to least developed countries (LDCs) remains a critical aspect of the bloc’s development cooperation, aiming to address barriers to trade, foster economic growth, and contribute to poverty reduction. However, European Court of Auditors Special Report 17/2025 delivers a sobering assessment: needs are recognized and support is being delivered, but EU … Read more

Unlocking Investment through the WTO’s Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement

by

The recent “Time for Take-Off: The WTO and the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement” interactive workshop, held at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference on June 2, 2025, convened decision-makers and thought leaders to explore how the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA) can significantly benefit developing countries. Moderated by Axel Berger, Deputy Director of the German … Read more

Global Value Chains have spurred growth but momentum is flagging

by

Global value chains (GVCs) powered the surge of international trade after 1990 and now account for almost half of all trade. This shift enabled an unprecedented economic convergence: poor countries grew rapidly and began to catch up with richer countries. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, however, the growth of trade has been sluggish and … Read more

Africa’s Development Dynamics 2019 #AfricaDynamics2019

by

Competitive firms and committed governments are the catalysts of the continent’s economic transformation African firms are the key to the economic transformation of the continent, but they need governments to create better conditions for them to thrive, according to the second edition of the African Union Commission’s (AUC) economic report produced in collaboration with the … Read more

Evaluation of ISO Capacity Building on International Standards

by

Karsten Weitzenegger leads the Saana Consulting Team for external evaluation of the Sida-funded capacity-building activities of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). BACKGROUND The launching of the evaluation follows a considerable period of preparation and consultation, and a competitive international tendering process that concluded with the contracting of the selected team in February 2019. The … Read more

Mainstreaming Trade to Attain the Sustainable Development Goals

by
Trade SDGs

The WTO is central to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which set targets to be achieved by 2030 in areas such as poverty reduction, health, education and the environment. The SDGs put significant emphasis on the role that trade plays in promoting sustainable development and recognize the … Read more

UNCTAD 14: Policy coherence needed to turn trade into an engine for growth in Africa

by

Trade and investment can be drivers of inclusive growth for sustainable development in Africa, says the ILO’s Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships, Gilbert Houngbo, at UNCTAD 14 in Nairobi but calls for more integrated policies to realize that potential.By Gilbert Houngbo, Deputy Director for Field Operations and Partnerships, the International Labour Organization (ILO). … Read more

Germany to support developing countries in the World Trade Organization #WTO

by
Port of Praia

Germany is expanding its trade policy support for developing countries. The Federal Government has decided this today. Developing countries need support in particular when it comes to implementing the legal requirements of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This applies, for example, to dispute settlement procedures where two countries are divided on whether WTO law has … Read more

Evaluating the training on the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET)

by
ECOWAS

The ECOWAS Commission received support for the training in 2014 from the West African Trade Integration Promotion, (WATIP) which is implemented by GIZ. Part of the evaluation will provide suggestions for future training. The evaluation is being conducted by an expert team of Saana Consulting and African Trade and Sustainable Development (AFTSD). The GIZ Support … Read more

Evaluation of Finnish Aid for Trade – Free Webinar

by

Evaluation of Finnish Aid for Trade – Free Webinar Monday, June 13, 2016 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM CEST Register now: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2812033248815322370 Finland’s Action Plan for Aid for Trade 2012 – 2015 “Creating jobs through private sector and trade development” was evaluated. It was interesting, how the cross cutting objectives and human rights based approach … Read more

Evaluation of Finland’s Aid for Trade

by

Finland’s Aid for Trade (AFT) projects in the past years have produced results and contributed to impact in specific sectors, in which Finland has competitive advantages and can bring added value. These sectors are water, energy, environment, ICT and innovation, forestry and fisheries.  Evaluation Aid for Trade (PDF, 272 pages, 343 kb) Finnfund’s investment portfolio shows good … Read more

WTO and UNCTAD commit to further help poor countries integrate into the global economy

by

Geneva, 12 October 2015 (UNCTAD) – The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) have pledged to work together towards the integration of developing countries, especially the least-developed among them, into the world economy and the multilateral trading system. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo, and UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi … Read more