"Participation Builds Unity"
"MADE IN AFRICA - FOR AFRICA"
"Participation Builds Unity"
"MADE IN AFRICA - FOR AFRICA"
PRESENTS
LINKAGES BETWEEN TRADE, DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY
PROJECT LAUNCH MEETING
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The launch meeting for the project was organised on March 18-19 2005 at Jaipur, India. More than 60 participants representing over 20 countries participated in the deliberations, including representatives from 14 international project partners. Key issues and methodology were discussed for the implementation of activities and the operational strategy note was finalised at the meeting.
Key Recommendations from the Launch Meeting included:
18-19 MARCH 2005
JAIPUR - INDIA
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A case study approach would be adopted for the perception survey
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A select set of initiatives on trade development and poverty reduction would be studied such as initiatives under UNCTAD, UNDP, DFID, SAARC etc
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A media network strategy would be planned and adopted to maximise media participation and coverage in all project countries
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Linkages would be established between this project and similar initiatives at the national, regional and international levels. Such as the Millennium Campaign, Make Trade Fair Campaign (OXFAM) etc.
FOR A FULL REPORT ON THE LAUNCH MEETING
FULL REPORT
FOR A LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
PARTICIPANTS
PRESS RELEASE
CUTS NEWS
March 19, 2005, Jaipur, Press Release
While South-East Asian countries have done exceptionally well in terms of economic growth and poverty reduction, the Southern African countries have experienced their lowest ever economic growth rate in the recent times. In south Asia, the results are mixed. Countries have been able to achieve relatively higher economic growth but it proved insufficient to address the myriad of social problems they are facing. This is also evident from the low ranking of South Asian countries in UNDP’s Human Development Index. Except Sri Lanka other South Asian countries are topping from the bottom.
One of the major concerns, came very clearly was increasing marginalisation of majority of the poor African nations in the global trading landscape. Africa has been unable to take advantage of enormous trade expansion, which have taken place over the last two decades. The share of Africa in the global trade has in fact gone down drastically over this time period. At present what is happening that poor African countries are being forced to integrate without adequate domestic preparedness. Integration into the global economy should not be a prerequisite for achieving higher level of economic growth and development but their outcomes.
Some of the few recommendations that came out of the one and a half day deliberations over the complex and inconclusive issue of linkages between trade, development & poverty were emphases on rights based approach, importance of complementary domestic policies to realize the meaningful gains from trade and most importantly the need of a political will to achieve the ultimate goal of poverty reduction through trade liberalization.
March 18, 2005, Jaipur, Press Release
The meeting was organised by CUTS-CITEE to launch its project entitled “Linkages between Trade, Development and Poverty Reduction,” which is supported by the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands and will be implemented over the next four years. This project, which will be implemented in 16 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe aims to discover more about how trade policies affect the poor through consulting with them about its impact. In addition it aims to use these findings to advocate for pro-poor trade policies in these regions and at the international level.
Bipul Chaterjee the Director of CUTS-CITEE presented it as an opportunity to widen the debate on trade to include the voice of economically and politically marginalised groups. He stated that the media has an important role to play in widening this debate by providing greater coverage to grassroots concerns in relation to trade. He stated further that dialogues directed towards increasing the sensitivity of the media to grassroots trade concerns are one the activities that will be included in this project.
Initiating a discussion on the theoretical linkages between trade, development and poverty, Veena Jha from UNCTAD India Programme highlighted the need for trade liberalisation policies to be implemented together with a wide range of complementary policies that offer the poor an opportunity to gain access to the assets and resources required to benefit from the market opportunities that liberalisation can offer. She stated that “assets such as land and farming implements and access to secure electricity supplies, reliable infrastructure, credit and education are vital to the ability of the poor to gain significantly from a freer trading environment.”
Further discussions focused on the steps that need to be taken to ensure that the benefits of trade liberalisation are spread as widely as possible and work to support poverty reduction strategies.
Tamsyn Barton from DFID expressed her hopes that this project will help bring the developing economic debate on the linkages between trade, development and poverty further into the political realm so that the trade policies of governments reflect the complexities and sensitivities inherent in these linkages. She called on civil society to “spearhead these efforts and to bridge the gap between impoverished stakeholders at the grassroots level and policy-makers at the governmental level.”
Peter Metcalfe from the Foundation for the Development of Africa, based in South Africa, suggested that the poor need to be empowered, in order for them to be able to actively express their concerns related to trade policy. He stated that one way in which this can be done is to talk about development in terms of wealth creation rather than in terms of poverty alleviation, a term, which he believes disempowers the poor by defining them by their socio-economic status.
A common theme expressed in the sessions was that we are constantly learning more about the linkages between trade, development and poverty and that we have long way to go to understand the mystery that still characterise these linkages. Sheila Page from the London based think-tank Overseas Development Institute, stated the importance of this fact by warning policy-makers against taking dogmatic and simplified policy positions on trade. She said that this would ensure that “a dynamic and nuanced debate on the linkages between trade, development and poverty can continue, which will be for the benefit of the numerous people across the world who are still to experience significant benefits from trade liberalisation.”
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Trade liberalization provides opportunity but the regional experiences harping on it to bring growth and development to a larger section of society differs across the regions. This was the feelings expressed by the overwhelming majority of experts who assembled here to participate in the project launch meeting entitled “Linkages between Trade, Development & Poverty Reduction”, organised by CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment. The experts from South-East Asia, South Asia, Southern and Eastern Africa shared their country experiences of trade liberalization programmes, which have been implemented over the last one and a half decade or so.
More to learn on trade and poverty linkages
“We still have a huge amount to learn about the complex links between trade, development and poverty and involving grassroots civil society in a dialogue on the way trade affects their livelihoods is vital to efforts aimed at deepening our understanding of these linkages and therefore developing pro-poor trade policies.”
These comments were expressed by the participants at a meeting organised by CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS-CITEE).
Bipul CHATTERJEE - +98292 85921
Pranav KUMAR - +98292 85939
Purnima PUROHIT - +98292 85924
26 March 2005
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We need to recognise ‘working’ projects and initiatives, as mentioned by Tamsyn Barton from DFID in a closing statement at the Jaipur meeting. These “identified initiatives” need to be implemented or ‘rolled out’ in other deserving areas.
Identifying “current initiatives” contributing to the “creation of wealth or prosperity” may be a better solution than seeking “new solutions” for “poverty alleviation”
We need to allow for a “process of participation” for all our people – civil society may just be the “vehicle” for this process.
CUTS-CITEE need to be commended for initiating this project – with special thanks to the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands, for their support.
Peter METCALFE
FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFRICA
South Africa
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