김형래의 개구리운동장

Policy analysts take up posts

The Trade Policy Formulation, Negotiations and Implementation Project is a joint effort of the Commonwealth Secretariat and L'Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie (AIF), with funding from the European Commission. Known as the 'Hub and Spokes' initiative, the project is designed to improve the capacity to formulate and implement coherent trade policies.

The programme provides a framework for the Commonwealth Secretariat to assist ACP member countries to develop trade policies, negotiate effective trade positions in international fora and to implement multilateral trade commitments and obligations.

Under the 'Hub and Spokes' initiative, nine trade policy analysts (the 'hubs') will take up posts in member countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) in October 2004. In addition to improving capacity-building in those countries, they will also assist regional economic integration organisations in their negotiations with the European Union and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Forty-eight analysts (the spokes) will take up posts in government ministries in the Commonwealth small states of Fiji Islands, Guyana, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu, as well as in Mozambique and the Republic of Tanzania, and at the Pacific Forum Secretariat in Fiji.

The analysts, together with the regional trade advisers, will assist host countries with trade negotiations, trade policy formulation and implementation of trade agreements. Over the next four years, they will conduct research and analysis of WTO issues such as those under consideration in ongoing ACP-EU Economic Partnership Agreeement negotiations.

The Commonwealth Secretariat will implement the project in the Caribbean Community, the Pacific Islands Forum, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the Southern African Development Community regions and the African Union.

AIF will implement the project in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa member states.

A briefing meeting for the analysts on regional and multilateral trade negotiations was held at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London from 6 to 7 September 2004. Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General, Mrs Florence Mugasha, urged the trade policy analysts from the Commonwealth and the European Union who attended the briefing to identify trade-related constraints, capacity gaps and development goals.

Euro 20 million partnership
The 'Hub and Spokes' project is one of the three components of the Trade.Com Facility of the European Commission's capacity-building initiative for ACP countries. It aims to enhance the capacity of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states in trade policy formulation, mainstreaming trade in their poverty reduction strategies and to participate in international trade negotiations.

The new €20 million partnership, funded by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the European Commission together with La Francophonie, with further support from the ACP Secretariat, has been announced in Brussels by the European Commission. More than 50 trade experts will be posted to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to advise governments on trade policy and negotiations.

This project is a huge vote of confidence in the Commonwealth by governments and other international organisations and demonstrates belief in it to develop trade capacity in developing countries.

"Every euro invested by the Commonwealth has generated four euros more for developing states. The Commonwealth has contributed €4 million and unlocked €16 million from other partners in the project. We have the funding and expertise to add some practical value," the Secretary-General said.

The Commonwealth Secretariat will manage and implement the project in 55 of the 78 ACP member states. The Secretariat has already recruited and deployed three regional advisers in Lusaka, Zambia, at the headquarters of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); in Suva, Fiji, at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat, and in Gaborone, Botswana, at the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Secretariat. Twelve trade policy analysts have also been posted to the Governments of Fiji Islands, Guyana, Malawi, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Rwanda, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu, Zambia and the PIF Secretariat.