UNECE hosts briefing on Aid for Trade for SPECA countries
Geneva, 7 May 2009 --
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) hosted on 5 May in Geneva a briefing on an Aid for Trade initiative for the countries participating in the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA). UNECE informed its member States on plans that would enable the SPECA countries to benefit from the Aid for Trade programme of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The briefing was organized with support from other United Nations agencies (ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCAP and UNIDO) and multilateral organizations (EBRD, ITFC and WTO).
Aid for Trade seeks to strengthen the capacity of developing countries to participate in and benefit from international trade. Since its inception, Aid for Trade initiatives have developed in most of the world’s regions, but transition economies, including SPECA countries, have been notably absent from the discussions. However, SPECA countries share the same challenges as many developing countries from other regions. In addition, they are all landlocked, and many are mountainous, which results in additional trading costs and difficulties. For example, exporting one container from Tajikistan to the major global markets costs USD 3,000 on average, while it costs only USD 600 from Morocco.
In his opening remarks, Jàn Kubiš, UNECE Executive Secretary, said “we are pleased to see this initiative launched at a regional level. UNECE is prepared to continue playing the role of catalyst and coordinator for Aid-for-Trade processes within our region by working to bring together supporting “coalitions” of interested United Nations and regional organizations as well as country groupings and international financial institutions”.
The briefing allowed stakeholders from the region to discuss their needs and the organizations participating in the United Nations Chief Executives Board (CEB) Inter-Agency Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity as well as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to explain the way they can contribute to the SPECA Aid for Trade initiative.
Paolo Garonna, UNECE Deputy Executive Secretary, who chaired the briefing, emphasized “the importance of the day’s discussions which demonstrated that SPECA countries have built the foundation for a solid partnership with a variety of key development partners from within and outside the United Nations system”.
Building on the findings of the first planning and preparatory meeting which took place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in March 2009, the briefing profiled the “Aid for Trade Road Map for SPECA” initiative which will include national and regional needs assessments (based on the UNDP guidelines on How to Conduct Trade Needs Assessments in Transition Economies). Future steps will include the organization of the fourth meeting of the SPECA Project Working Group on Trade in Geneva on 26-27 October 2009, a regional expert’s workshop and a Ministerial Meeting to take place in 2010.
The briefing’s documents and presentations are available on the UNECE Internet site.
Background Information
The United Nations Special Programme for Central Asia (SPECA) was launched in 1998 by the two regional commissions having members in the region: UNECE and ESCAP. It covers seven countries: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The Aid for Trade Road Map for SPECA is supported by the Governments of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan and by WTO as part of the overall Aid for Trade Initiative.
The United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB) established an Inter-agency Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity in 2007. In 2008, it released an Inter-Agency Resource Guide, which provides a comprehensive description of the wide range of trade-related support services offered by organizations of the United Nations system.
The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), is providing the financial support for the Regional Experts Workshop and Ministerial meeting that are part of this initiative.
For further information, please contact:
Mario Apostolov
Regional Adviser
UNECE Trade and Timber Division
Email: [email protected]
Tel: (+41 22) 917 11 34
Ref: ECE/TRADE/09/P03