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Why the Geneva Trade and Development Forum?
Globalisation and international trade are considered to be powerful tools that can be harnessed to fight poverty. Yet, trade and development practitioners are increasingly realising that the current approach towards integrating poorer countries into the world economy works only partially. Despite the efforts of policy makers, negotiators and donors, poverty is increasing in some regions and the gap between North and South as well as between rich and poor is turning into a chasm in many places (see illustration). The current crisis has further revealed the shortcomings of the present system and has renewed the calls for more effective and representative forms of global governance. A world village in which a sizeable number of its inhabitants are left behind is simply not sustainable. If major upheavals are to be avoided in the future, the ongoing globalization process has to become much more inclusive, integrating both pro-poor and pro-development strategies.
From: World Development Report 2008
The Geneva Trade and Development Forum (GTDF) seeks to provide an enduring platform for reflection, innovation, debate and dialogue. It addresses the specific challenges and opportunities of developing countries trying to reap the benefits and heal the wounds from globalization and trade liberalization. The Forum offers a much needed neutral environment away from the negotiating table for all stakeholders, where the needs and interests of the poorer countries and the use of trade as a development tool will be at the centre of discussions. In doing so, the Forum expects to draw its participants toward a deeper understanding of how to make globalization more inclusive and new ways to take full advantage of integrating into the world economy.
What is the GTDF Way Forward?
The key question is not whether to bring about changes. It is what are the changes needed to make the multilateral trade system more inclusive, effective and coherent - thereby creating a more legitimate and representative mechanism. We have a historic opportunity to act comprehensively and collectively for the long term – rather than selectively and separately for the short run – to find a sustainable way out of this crisis.
The GTDF calls for a recalibration of the multilateral trade regime so that all countries can – equally – participate in negotiations and benefit from the results. In particular, the GTDF advocates for a better representation of developing countries needs and true priorities by:
v Improving the understanding of the nexus between trade and development countries by the developing countries themselves;
v Introducing development countries’ concerns in the multilateral decision-shaping rather than in the decision-making process.
To establish this change process, it is proposed to build groups of dedicated stakeholders (constituencies for change) active in trade and development, including actors from governments, international organizations, civil society and academia to bring about changes on different issues. An organization from the South will guide each initiative.
What are the current GTDF initiatives?
1. Fostering an inclusive international trade architecture
The objective is to establish a powerful and dedicated coalition of developing, emerging and OECD countries – the trade governance constituency for change – committed to identify solutions and strategies to maintain and foster an efficient, legitimate and inclusive international trade architecture. The work is based on existing recommendations – such as the ones developed by the Sutherland Report or the Warwick Commission – and on research and reflection elaborated by partner instutions from developed and developing countries. Work will be analyzed from a poorer countries perspective.
2. Climate measures – how to make them compatible with poorer countries’ trade interests?
This initiative aims at raising the awareness of poor developing countries about the risks associated with climate related measures by informing them about the various policy options in effect or under consideration in national legislation to offset competitiveness and leakage concerns. The initiative also seeks to encourage poorer countries' involvement in the climate change / trade debate and strengthen their capacity to defend their interests throughout the process.
3. Encouraging a more development-friendly WTO accession process
This initiative seeks at providing comprehensive and adequate response to the problems identified in the accessions. A group of developed, developing and emerging members form the "Friends of Accession" to reflect on this issue and prepare inputs for action. The proposals elaborated through this initiative are concrete and aim at ensuring both a process supportive of acceding countries' development and a system that adapts to acceding countries' needs instead of pushing them to agree on commitments they are unable to fulfil. Future members should not a priori be excluded from the opportunity to take part on an equal footing with other members.
The initiative seeks to identify specific and concrete small steps to allow the issue of accession to be addressed at the WTO. It also aims at encouraging acceding countries’ coordination to defend their concerns.
4. Capacity-building ("young wolves")
The GTDF has created a group of a dozen Geneva-based delegates from African countries who are dynamic, engaged in the trade negotiations and interested in pushing the interests of poorer countries in multilateral trade discussions. The group is dubbed the “young wolves” referring to the innovative and dynamic features as well as the engagement of the group members. Group members have been “self-elected” or recommended by initial group members.
The initiative aims at providing the young wolves with the information needed to raise their awareness, build their capacities and define their positions on systemic and new issues through regular and carefully prepared meetings. Selected topics depend on the interest of the young wolves, the context and the possibility to bring constructive inputs to the process. They can pertain to issues negotiated in different fora (WTO, regionally, etc.) or to emerging trends.
5. Industrial policies and latecomers
The industrial policies and latecomers initiative is composed of three distinct activities which address the issue at different levels and from various angles:
1. A country-based case-study: The definition of the instruments available to a latecomer for its industrial policy under the present WTO rules and their adequacy. This effort would examine the situation of Lao PDR, a country in the process of accession to the WTO that has to adapt its industrial policy to the rules of WTO.
2. A high-level brainstorming. This exercise would put together high level economists engaged on this issue, not necessarily with the same position, with trade and industrial policy makers from the South. Their mandate would be to elaborate practical rules that would take into account the new industrial development models and that would have the purpose to ensure that those countries do integrate into the world economy.
3. Creating a constituency for change: building long-term capacities and contributing to policy-shaping. The GTDF would gather interested Geneva-based delegates to brainstorm and deepen the understanding and ins and outs of the issue. The group would regularly reach out to capital-based representatives and would draw on the inputs of a think tank from the South and one from the North.
How to get more details?
For more information, browse through the pages of this website and/or write to info@ideascentre.ch
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