Implemented jointly by ICTSD and the World Economic Forum, the E15Initiative convenes world-class experts and institutions to generate strategic analysis and recommendations for government, business and civil society geared towards strengthening the global trade and investment system for sustainable development. The Task Force on Regulatory Systems Coherence is co-convened with the European University Institute (EUI) . Trade and development paradigms have shifted in recent years, one of the reasons being the emergence of global value chains (GVCs) as the main feature of global business strategies. However, this shift in the paradigms has not been followed by parallel shifts in trade policy and Aid for Trade (AfT) practice. To remedy this situation and better address the need for regulatory coherence and cooperation, this paper suggests a shift in focus of AfT from trade to “trade and competitiveness” and a shift in the methods of AfT delivery to increase the role of the private sector. Moving from trade to “trade and competitiveness” in the AfT approach would help developing countries join, remain part of, and move up value chains. Deeper cooperation with the private sector would help assess where regulatory reforms and/or coordination are needed, and what type of regulations would be...
Written by Olivier Cattaneo