Bridges Africa

Analysis and news on African trade and sustainable development
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LDC stakes for Nairobi: Going all in?

Volume
4,
Number
9
-
11 November 2015
LDC package

LDC stakes for Nairobi: Going all in?

11 November 2015
Although WTO negotiators are concentrating on advancing what could stand as a “mini Nairobi package” despite the global deadlock, there is growing consensus on the fact that it will be difficult to hide behind a meagre harvest to be able to envisage a future era with serenity. “Whatever we deliver...
Interview

Bangladesh Ambassador Shameem Ahsan on LDC issues ahead of the MC10

11 November 2015
Shameem Ahsan
Shameem Ahsan is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Offices in Geneva, Switzerland and the current Coordinator of the LDC Consultative group at the WTO. Ambassador Shameem Ahsan is a career diplomat with nearly 30 years of service. Prior to his position...
Africa

Lesotho Ambassador Nkopane Raseeng Monyane talks African stakes in WTO negotiations

11 November 2015
Nkopane Raseeng Monyane
Ambassador Nkopane Raseeng Monyane was appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the United Nations Office, the World Trade Organization and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland on July 2013. He is currently the Coordinator of the African...
WTO

Shifting weights and balances within the WTO in a changing global trading landscape

11 November 2015
Xiankun Lu
Fundamental changes have occurred since Doha was launched including major evolution of the world market, substantial transformation of the multilateral trading system and a significant shift of trading power between traditional advanced countries and emerging economies. One important question now...
LDC package

What is at stake for LDCs in Nairobi?

11 November 2015
Nicolas Imboden
If the upcoming WTO 10 th Ministerial Conference should fail, the biggest losers would be those that have no responsibility for the current deadlock: the LDCs and Africa. They should take the lead in proposing solutions that cannot be refused in order to save Nairobi and the inclusive system. There...
WTO MC10 (NAIROBI 2015)

Prospects for LDCs in Nairobi and beyond

11 November 2015
Christophe Bellmann
As we move to the WTO 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, WTO members are discussing the contours of a possible outcome around export competition in agriculture, a small LDC package, probably focusing on duty-free quota-free market access, rules of origin, cotton, the services waiver and some...
Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT)

Rethinking Special and Differential Treatment: Towards an integration of S&D principles into the 21st century

11 November 2015
Wayne McCook
S&D provisions must effectively address the needs of developing and least developed countries. How can we rethink them for that purpose? Special and differential treatment (S&D) has been an integral feature of the multilateral trading system (MTS) as it has developed since the establishment...
Market Access

Carving out a DFQF deal in Nairobi

11 November 2015
Vinaye Ancharaz
The offer of a comprehensive DFQF scheme for all LDCs requires more than political will on the part of the US. African countries that have long resisted the move need to be assured that their interests will be safeguarded while the protagonists must be willing to settle for a less-than-perfect deal...
Rules of Origin

From non-binding elements to mandatory criteria on rules of origin

11 November 2015
Christian Pitschas
In order to facilitate market access for imports from LDCs, WTO members’ DFQF schemes for LDCs have to rely on simple and transparent preferential RoO . For this to be achieved across the board, preferential RoO have to be based on mandatory criteria. The latter ought to be derived from the...
Cotton

A conversation with the Cotton-4 Coordinator Aya Thiam Diallo

11 November 2015
Aya Thiam Diallo
Aya Thiam Diallo is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Mali to the UN in Geneva, Switzerland and current coordinator of the C-4 group at the WTO. [Bridges Africa] You have introduced a draft ministerial decision. What guided your thought process as you were writing it? Is your strategy...
Agriculture

How can LDCs best advance food security and rural development in Nairobi and beyond?

11 November 2015
Jonathan Hepburn
In least developed countries (LDCs), around one in four people are estimated to be undernourished — some 250 million people in total. LDC governments have a number of options to try and ensure that trade rules help improve food security and rural development, both on the road to Nairobi and beyond...
Fisheries

LDCs should support the global agenda on fisheries subsidies

11 November 2015
Stephen Fevrier
The year 2015 is a pivotal one in regards to trade and sustainability related issues, such as fisheries. LDCs should seek to harness this opportunity to advance an agenda that balances their developmental imperatives with preservation of the environment. The year 2015 is evolving into a pivotal...
Trade Facilitation

A look into the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement implementation status

11 November 2015
Edouard Bizumuremyi , Iva Drobnjak
How far have we come since the conclusion of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and what are the next steps towards its implementation? After nearly 10 years of negotiations, WTO members finally concluded talks on the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) at the ninth WTO ministerial conference in Bali...

LDCs' challenges in NAMA negotiations

11 November 2015
Magor Mbaye
Despite the fact that the central pillars of the negotiations have stalled, including for NAMA, it is essential that WTO members agree on the approach to take to continue discussions within the organisation. With the WTO 10th Ministerial Conference (MC10) only a few weeks away, negotiations do not...
Africa

What is Africa worth in the international trading system?

11 November 2015
Cheikh Tidiane Dieye
Despite popular opinion, Africa has been very active on the international trading stage, though results have been disappointing. At the ministerial conference in Bali, Indonesia in 2013, African countries failed to push for their needs. After progress and losses, what is the place of Africa in the...

Newsroom

11 November 2015
Complex draft sent to Paris from climate talks A week of multilateral talks in Bonn, Germany on a universal emissions-cutting regime saw familiar divisions between so-called “developed” and “developing” parties re-visited. Negotiators agreed to forward a ">51-page text” for consideration at an...

Publications and resources

11 November 2015
Synergising and Optimising Mineral Infrastructure in Regional Development Strategies – E15 – October 2015 The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of mineral infrastructures as “anchors” for economic development and cross-border cooperation. It proposes some policy recommendations to...