| |
Trade has been a powerful basis for poverty reduction and growth in Asia-Pacific. UNDP is committed to advocating and implementing human development-friendly trade policies to ensure that poverty reduction is pursued as an end in all national, regional and global development strategies.
The regional initiative on Trade and Investment provides policy and programme support on trade and investment issues to UNDP Country Offices and developing-country partners in the Asia-Pacific.
The first phase of the initiative (2002-2004) was mandated with the task of identifying and defining the substantive linkages between trade and human development. Comprehensive national and regional studies across Asia were carried out to build on knowledge and understanding of the unique development context of countries in the region.
The second phase (2005-2007) was oriented towards supporting achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This phase focused on poverty reduction through policy advice, training, and knowledge products to strengthen country capacities in the three areas of: Trade and Investment Policy (Mainstreaming human development-oriented trade and investment policies); Trade Competitiveness (Overcoming domestic capacity constraints of countries to engage beneficially and more effectively in the international economy); and Trade Agreements (Facilitating negotiation of trade agreements consistent with poverty reduction objectives).
Our Current Programme
APTII´s work programme for its third phase in 2008-2011 will strive towards strengthening country capacities to:
- enhance international trade competitiveness and to formulate employment- and gender-responsive trade policies; and
- promote pro-poor regional cooperation and integration strategies
By building on trade competitiveness and enhancing the beneficial participation of developing countries in the region, particularly, the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), APTII hopes to build the basis for inclusive and human development-oriented regional trade cooperation and integration in the region.
Themes such as export diversification in the wake of the new textiles and clothing regime, intellectual property rights and access to essential technologies, trade in services, and the promotion of South-South trade cooperation will form the core of the activities for 2008-2011. The strategic focus will be on facilitating the engagement of regional organizations for development-friendly regional integration processes and the promotion of regional public goods adapted to specific country contexts. Capacity building efforts will target countries with limited human, technical and financial resources to engage beneficially in international trade and investment agreements with an emphasis on the provision of trade-related policy advice through the Integrated Framework for Trade Related Technical Assistance (IF) and Aid for Trade processes.
|
|
