RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9/Rev.2
30 January 2001
(01-0487)
Sub-Committee on Least Developed Countries
INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK (IF) SEMINAR:
THE POLICY RELEVANCE OF MAINSTREAMING TRADE INTO COUNTRY
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES: PERSPECTIVES OF LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
WTO, Geneva, 29-30 January 2001
Organized by the six core IF agencies:  IMF, ITC, UNCTAD,
UNDP, WORLD BANK and WTO
Revision
1. Pursuant to the decision taken by the six core Agencies1 at the 21st Meeting of the Inter
Agency Working Group (IAWG), at the World Ba nk, Washington D.C., 14-15 September 2000, the
Agencies will co-host a joint seminar on The Policy-Relevance of Mainstreaming Trade Into
Country Development Strategies – Persp ectives of Least-Developed Countries , 29-30 January 2001.
2. Mainstreaming trade involves the process and methods of identifying and integrating trade
priority areas of action into the overall framework of country development plans and poverty
reduction strategies.  Trade is an engine for growth and makes a significant contribution to
development.  To be able to contribute to development, trade priority areas of action need to be
reflected in poverty reduction and national development plans and strategies.   Furthermore, the
benefits of trade reform and liberalization are only fully realized in the presence of mutually
supportive companion policies.
3. This seminar is designed to be the first in a series on mainstreaming trade . Following this
expert seminar, with LDCs' participation, the seminar series will be initiated, in some cases as a joint
exercise by Agencies and at other times by individua l Agencies.  It is hoped that the outcome of this
initial seminar and subsequent seminars will improve insights to the concept and process, and also
provide useful tools for mainstreaming trade .  Strong interests have been expressed that the outcome
of this seminar series should be extended to all developing countries. To this end, this seminar and
subsequent ones will aim at identifying policy-relevant and usable good practices in the approaches,
methods and operational aspects of mainstreaming  (integrating) trade priorities into country
development strategies.
4. The necessity for this seminar has arisen because, frequently, trade priorities including the
implementation of WTO obligations and commitments are neither integral to the overall development
priorities and strategies of countries nor their Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) process.
Although openness to trade is strongly associated with economic growth and poverty reduction, trade
as a growth strategy is yet to be mainstreamed  into development plans and poverty reduction
strategies of many LDCs.  Apart from the inherent challenge of mainstreaming , core trade priorities of
                                                     
1 International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Trade Center (ITC), United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) , and the World Trade Organization (WTO).WT/LDC/SWG/IF/9/Rev.2
Page 2
trade ministries/departments are sometimes not taken into account by finance and planning ministries.
The challenge of mainstreaming is urgent because it is a necessary and vital precondition for the
implementation of policies that are required for economic growth and poverty alleviation.
5. Furthermore, some Members of the international community have taken the position that
multilateral agencies as well as bilateral donors need to improve coordination in the delivery oftechnical assistance in the areas of trade, finance and development, and to this end  mainstream  their
policies, programmes and projects.
6. Having regard to the foregoing, the objectives of the seminar are to:
(a) review the concept, methods and process of mainstreaming  trade priorities into
overall development plans and poverty reduction strategies;
(b) identify core issues critical to mainstreaming, at both the domestic and global levels;
(c) focus on some case studies with a view to  identifying good practices of policy-
relevance for mainstreaming trade into overall development plans and poverty
reduction strategies;
(d) consider the contributions of the IF trade-related technical assistance to the
mainstreaming of trade priorities into development and poverty reduction strategies;
and,
(e) enhance coordination and improve the interface between multilateral and bilateral
donors in the delivery of trade-related technical assistance to LDCs within the
framework of development vehicles such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
(PRSPs).
7. This expert-based seminar is focused on representatives and participants from the trade,
finance and the development communities.
8. The results from this Joint six Agency Seminar will:
- serve as an input to the "Okinawa Workshop on Trade-Related Capacity-
Building" , Okinawa, Japan, 2-4 March 2001, which will focus, inter alia , on
mainstreaming  and the strengthening of trade-related capacity-building;
- be announced and circulated at the Third United Nations Conference for
Least-Developed Countries , Brussels, 14-20 May 2001 (LDC-III), at the
thematic session on trade; and,
- also serve as an input to the "Business Sector Round Table"  (BSRT), 17
May 2001, being organized on the margins of LDC-III, by the International
Trade Centre (ITC), with the support and participation of the other 5 core
Agencies (IMF, UNCTAD, UNDP, World Bank, and the WTO).WT/LDC/SWG/IF/9/Rev.2
Page 3
Monday, 29 January 2001 :
Moderator: Mr Andy Stoler, Deputy Director General, WTO.
OPENING SESSION
08.30:  Welcoming remarks  by Mr. Mike Moore , Director-General WTO
08.50:  Introductory remarks : Integrating LDCs into the Global Economy: Trade,
Finance and Development Perspectives
H.E. Mr. MD Abdul Jalil , Minister of Commerce, Bangladesh (LDCs'
Coordinator)
09.10:  Introductory remarks : Importance of Integrating Trade, Finance, and
Development Perspectives
Jonathan Fried , Senior Assistant Deputy Mini ster, Department of Finance,
Canada, (G-7 Deputy for Canada).
09.30:  Introductory remarks : The Necessity of Coordinated Approaches by
Multilateral Agencies and Bilateral Donors to Technical Assistance and to
Development, Finance and Trade Policies, Programmes and Projects
Hon. Kweronda Ruhemba , Minister for Economic Monitoring, Office of
The President, Uganda.
10.00: Introductory remarks : How can we build Trade Priority Areas of Action
Into National Plans for Development and Poverty Reduction?
H.E. Dr. Nkosana Moyo, Minister of Industry and International Trade of
Zimbabwe.  (TBC)
10.20 : Introductory remarks :  A Policy Framework for Trade-Related Technical
Assistance: Okinawa Initiative.
H.E. Mr. Koichi Haraguchi, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of
Japan, Geneva.WT/LDC/SWG/IF/9/Rev.2
Page 4
PANEL A: TRADE, MACROECONOMIC AND REGULATORY POLICIES
10.30 : The economics of trade policy, trade reform and liberalization as part of
a wider package of domestic economic reform
Trade reform and liberalization are necessary components of comprehensive
policies for poverty alleviation and development.  Trade liberalization while
vital to development, does not stand alone.  Companion policies are also
required, as part of a wider package of economic reform, without which the
dividends from an open multilateral trading system are minimal, and
integration into the global economy will be retarded.  This panel will examineessential and required companion policies that constitute part of the wider
package of economic reforms, and which intervene in the complex
relationship between trade liberalization, poverty alleviation and
development.
Richard Eglin , Director Trade and Finance Division, WTO
Professor Frederic Jenny , Chairman, WTO Working Group on Trade and
Competition Policy & Conseil de la Concurrence, France
11.00:  Panelists
Panelists : H.E. Mr. Srinivasan Narayanan, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of
India to the WTO, Geneva
Philippe Brussick, Chief, Competition, Law and Policy and ConsumerProtection Section, UNCTAD
Clem Boonekamp, Director, Trade Policies Review Division, WTO
Anh-Nga Tran-Nguyen, Head, Investment  Issues Analysis Branch, Division
on Investment, Technology and Enterprise Development
Grant Taplin, Director, IMF Office in Geneva
Discussions
13.00 : Lunch breakWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9/Rev.2
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PANEL B: MAINSTREAMING: CONCEPT, APPROACHES,
IMPLEMENTATION AND FUNDING
14.00 : Mainstreaming trade into country development plans and poverty
reduction strategies: how do you mainstream? concept, approaches and
implementation
Panel B will focus on clarifying the concept and value of mainstreaming , and
setting-out the mechanics of how a trade agenda and trade priority areas of
action are actually integrated into development plans and poverty reductionstrategies. How do you mainstream?  The different approaches and options to
mainstreaming will be discussed. How do key economic domestic ministries
and departments coordinate and seek an integrated approach that includes
complementary market reforms, supporting policies and institutions?  Who
arbitrates domestic discussions to establish a national economic consensusthat is integrated and balanced, and to which trade priority areas of action are
integral?  What are the main approaches, and which are the best practices?  Is
external policy support (intervention) by multilateral Agencies necessary to
achieve the mainstreaming of a trade integration agenda, as a vital public
good, into development plans and poverty reduction strategies?  Is there acost to mainstreaming, how is the cost calculated, and who pays for costs of
mainstreaming?
Ataman Aksoy , Economic Advisor, Economic Policy, Development
Prospects Group, World BankGraham Chipande , Senior Economist, UNDP in the Gambia
H.E. Mr. Srinivasan Narayanan , Ambassador/Permanent Representative of
India to the WTO, Geneva
14.30:  Panelists
Panelists : John Cuddy, Director, International Trade Division, UNCTAD
Anne McGuirk, Assistant Director, Trade Policy Division, Policy
Development and Review Department, IMF
Ignacio Garcio Bercero, Trade Division, European Commission, Brussels
Bahle Sibisi, Deputy Dire ctor-General, Department of Trade and Industry,
South Africa
DiscussionsWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9/Rev.2
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PANEL C: DOMESTIC CONSTITUENCY FOR MAINSTREAMING:
EXCHANGE AND REVIEW OF COUNTRY EXPERIENCES
16.30 : Building a domestic constituency to sustain mainstreaming: Exchange of
views on country experiences
Michel de la Taille,  UNDP Resident Representative, Mauritania
Dr. Ravindra Ratnayake, Chief, Trade Policy Section, Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
A major challenge in the implementation of policy, particularly for public
goods, is how to build a viable domestic constituency, necessary for
advocacy and policy sustainability.  Public goods involve adjustment costs,
and the benefits while certain and meaningful, may not be immediate, but
medium to long-term.  Furthermore, there are competing national economic
choices, involving decisions on national expenditure, from the immediate andurgent to avert disasters, to the medium and long-term for sustained growth
and development.  Panel C will focus on building domestic constituency for
mainstreaming and ensuring that a trade integration agenda is part of
development plans and poverty reduction strategies.  Several developing
countries, particularly in Asia, have been successful in establishing tradepriority areas of action as part of national development plans.  The
presentation and the contributions by panelists will focus on country
experiences both from a governmental point of view, as well as from the
perspective of consultants who have assisted governments in their efforts to
build a domestic constituency.
17.00: Panelists
Panelists : Steve Hadley, Director, Office  of Emerging Markets, USAID 
Bertin Teby, Directeur Général du Commerce, Ministère du Commerce, de
l'Industrie et de l'Artisanat, Burkina Faso (IF Focal Point)
James Fox, USAID Consultant for Zambia Trade Sector Round TableProf. Situmbeko Musokotwane, PRSP Coordinator, Zambia
Maxwell Mkwezalamba, Principal Secretary, Economic Affairs, Ministry of
Finance and Economic Planning, Malawi
H.E. Mr. Srinivasan Narayanan, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of
India to the WTO, Geneva
 
 Discussions
18.00: Cocktail.  Hosted by Mr. Andy Stoler, WTO Deputy Director-GeneralWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9/Rev.2
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Tuesday, 30 January 2001
Moderator: H.E. Mr. Ali Said Mchumo, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Tanzania, GenevaPANEL D: GLOBAL DIMENSIONS AND CORE ISSUES IN MAINSTREAMING
09.00 : What are the global dimensions and core domestic issues in
mainstreaming ?2
Panel D will seek to identify the issues that are core to meaningful integration
of trade priority areas of action within national development plans and
poverty reduction strategies.  There is a global as well as domestic dimension
to the core issues in mainstreaming.  The issues and their importance may
also vary from country to country.  The results of this panel will assist in
improving understanding of those critical issues that require reflection in atrade integration agenda for development and poverty reduction.
Uri Dadush , Director, Economic Policy and Development Prospects Group,
World Bank
Susan Prowse , Senior Economic Adviser, Department for International
Development (DFID), UK
09.30 : Panelists
Panelists : Anne McGuirk, Assistant Director, Trade Policy Division, Policy
Development and Review Department, IMF
Sarath Rajapatirana, American Enterprise Institute, Washington D.C.
Michael A. Samuels, President, Samuels International Associates,
Washington D.C.
Gretchen Stanton, Snr. Counsellor, Ag riculture and Commodities Div, WTO
Charles Gore, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, Office of the Special
Coordinator for the LDCs, Landlocked and Island DevelopingCountries, UNCTAD
Masahiro Yamashita, Senior Advisor, Macro Economics, Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Abdessalem Ould Mohamed Saleh, High Commissioner (PRSP and
Integration Matters), Mauritania
Discussions
13.00 : Lunch break
                                                     
2 An illustrative list of core mainstreaming issues  include the trade policy regime: trade and growth,
pace and sequence of domestic reform, cost of domestic protection; pace and sequence of WTO rules;development-relevance of WTO rules; market access and import liberalization;  WTO accessions; internationalstandards and exports; rules of origin; uniform tariffs and tax structures;  exchange rates and exports; export
processing zones; external debt and investments; balance of payment; fiscal policy; inflation and growth; and,
regional trading arrangements.WT/LDC/SWG/IF/9/Rev.2
Page 8
PANEL E: COORDINATION OF THE DELIVERY OF TRADE-RELATED TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE AMONGST BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL DONORS
14.00 : How do the different frameworks for the delivery of trade-related
technical assistance, by bilateral donors and multilateral agencies, fit
together into various development vehicles? Mainstreaming the
Integrated Framework (IF) for trade-related Technical Assistance into a
policy-framework for development and poverty reduction.
Panel E will consider the various initiatives for the delivery of trade-related
technical assistance, the development vehicles within which they operate, and
the urgent need for improved coordination.  There will be particular focus on
the new arrangements for the enhanced implementation of the Integrated
Framework within the development vehicle of the Poverty Reduction
Strategy Papers (PRSPs).
LDCs' beneficiaries of trade-related technical assistance delivered by bilateral
donors and multilateral agencies have expressed frustration at the multiplicity
of vertical initiatives with little horizontal coordination.  Improved
coordination is needed amongst bilateral donors and multilateral Agencies.Efforts at correction have begun, but need to be expanded and accelerated.
The Integrated Framework, in the past three years, has emerged as a valuable
platform for inter-agency coordination for the delivery of trade-related
technical assistance.  The IF has become a reliable channel of communication
amongst the six core Agencies and has significantly enhanced coordinationand trust amongst the agencies.  The six core Agencies recognize that the
successful implementation of the IF would be a win-win situation for LDCs,
donors and the Agencies.  The potential of the IF is enormous, but is yet to be
fully realized.  Involvement of the bilateral donors in the efforts of the core
Agencies is an urgent objective to be attained for the more effective
implementation of the IF.  In this regard, the DAC/OECD Secretariat has
been invited to a meeting of the Inter Agency Working Group (IAWG),responsible for managing the IF.  There is a strong desire that the DAC
should continue to participate in the IAWG in order to improve coordination
between bilateral donors and multilateral agencies.
The Development Assistance Committee (DAC)  is also strongly committed
to improving coordination with multilateral agencies. As a forum for bilateral
aid agencies to share experiences and good practices, the DAC increasingly
recognises the importance of trade for development and poverty reduction,
and the need to participate actively in international efforts to help build the
human and institutional capacities of developing countries to trade.  TheDAC is currently in the process of preparing a set of guidelines in this area.
The guidelines aims to foster effective partnerships between developed and
developing countries. It also aims to promote synergies between the aid and
trade communities, on the one hand, and between the bilateral and
multilateral donor communities on the other hand, particularly with regard tothe effective implementation of the Integrated Framework.  The DAC
guidelines under preparation will include: a) the importance of
mainstreaming trade into country-specific poverty reduction strategies
(PRSPs); b) facilitating the emergence of a strong country-level trade policyWT/LDC/SWG/IF/9/Rev.2
Page 9
process; and, c) providing a roadmap for effective donor policies and
instruments.
Richard Carey , Director, DAC/OECD Secretariat
Chiedu Osakwe , Head, Secretariat Working Group for LDCs/IF, WTO
14.30: Panelists
Panelists : Martin Dagata, Director, Technical Assistance, ITC,
Rénald Clérismé, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Haiti to the
WTO 
Marcel Namfua, Interregional Adviser, Office of the Special Coordinator forthe LDCs, Landlocked and Island Developing Countries, UNCTAD
Peter Tulloch, Director, Development Division, WTO
Georges Chapelier, Director, Governance and Management Division UNDP
Jean-Maurice Léger, Director, Technical Cooperation Division, WTO
Discussions
PANEL F: WRAP UP
Moderator:  Jonathan Fried , Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Department
of Finance, Canada, (G-7 Deputy for Canada).
17.30:  General exchange of views.WT/LDC/SWG/IF/9/Rev.2
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LEAD PRESENTATIONS AND PAPERS
- Aksoy, Ataman and Dadush, Uri; "Mainstreaming: Tackling the Trade
Agenda in the Poorest Countries";
- Carey, Richard; "Coordinating Bilateral and Multilateral Efforts in the
Delivery of Trade-Related Technical Assistance to LDCs: DAC Good
Practices Perspectives";
- Chipande, Graham; "Ensuring the Integration of Trade Priority Areas of
Action into LDCs' Development and Poverty Reduction Strategies: Options
and Good Practices";
- Eglin, Richard; "The Interaction of Trade, Macroeconomic and Regulatory
Policies";
- Jenny, Frederic; "The Trade and Development Effects of Regulatory Policies:
A Competition Policy Perspective";
- Nayyar, Deepak; "The Process of Mainstreaming Trade Priority Areas of
Action into India's Development and Poverty Reduction Strategies";
- Osakwe, Chiedu, "The Challenges of Technical Assistance: A Policy
Framework, Funding, and the Moral Hazard";
- Prowse, Susan; "Core Issues in Mainstreaming Trade into Country
Development Strategies: A Donor's Perspective";
- Ratnayake, Ravindra: "Mainstreaming Trade Into Country Development and
Poverty Reduction Strategies: An Asia-Pacific Perspective";
- Watanabe, Eimi; "Building Domestic Constituencies on Mainstreaming Trade
into Country Development and Poverty Reduction Strategies: Agency
Insights";
- WTO Secretariat Working Group on LDCs/IF and Rajapatirana, Sarath,3
"Mainstreaming: Approaches, Core Issues, and Implementation".
__________
                                                     
3 Head of the Independent Team that reviewed the Integrated Framework (IF) for the Core Agencies.
See Report: WT/LDC/SWG/IF/1, 29 June 2000.