NCE Past President Sarada De Silva to address WTO – Aid-for-Trade Global Review 2019

National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) Past President, Management Committee Member and Council Member, and Spice Council of Sri Lanka, Ceylon Cinnamon Association, and Ceylon Cinnamon Geographical Association Founder Chairman Sarada De Silva has been invited for the third time to address the WTO – Aid-for-Trade Global Review 2019, to be held at the WTO Head Quarters in Geneva from 3-5 July, under the Theme ‘Supporting Economic Diversification and Empowerment for Inclusive, Sustainable Development through Aid-for-Trade’.

Underpinning the review is a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) exercise. The aim of the M&E exercise is to survey: Aid-for-Trade priorities, and how these have changed since the last monitoring exercise; Aid-for-Trade support for economic diversification; and Aid-for-Trade support for economic development.

The M&E exercise will seek to further develop analysis on how trade can contribute to economic diversification and empowerment, with a focus on eliminating extreme poverty, particularly through the effective participation of women and youth, and how Aid-for-Trade can contribute to that objective by addressing supply-side capacity and trade-related infrastructure constraints, including for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) notably for those MSMEs in rural areas.

To collect this information, self-assessment questionnaires have been circulated widely: to donors (bilateral and multilateral agencies), regional economic communities/transport corridors, South-South partners, and developing, and least-developed countries.

Responses to the questionnaires and information provided in the case stories will be analysed and conclusions drawn in a joint publication by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the World Trade Organization (WTO): “Aid-for-Trade at a Glance 2019: Supporting Economic Diversification and Empowerment for Inclusive, Sustainable Development Through Aid-for-Trade”, will also feature contributions from other international organisations. The publication will be launched and discussed at the 2019 Global Review of Aid-for-Trade. WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo states: “Over the last 12 years, our Aid-for-Trade initiative has been a powerful instrument for building trade capacity and trade-related infrastructure in developing and least-developed countries. It aims to make trade more inclusive and ensure that its benefits are spread further and wider. Our focus in 2019 will be how trade can do even more to contribute to economic diversification and empowerment. I encourage WTO members and our key Aid-for-Trade partners to actively participate in this work. I look forward to welcoming them to the WTO for the flagship Global Review event in July.” 

The WTO-led Aid-for-Trade initiative helps developing countries, and particularly least-developed countries, to trade by seeking to mobilise resources to address their trade-related constraints. Many developing countries face a range of supply-side and trade-related infrastructure obstacles which constrain their ability to engage in international trade.

Global Reviews are attended by ministers of trade and development, international financial institutions, private sector firms and associations, development research organisations, together with participants drawn from the broader trade, and development community.

The event typically attracts over 1,500 registered participants. Past editions of the Global Review have examined digital connectivity, reducing trade costs, and global value chains.