• TRADE AND INVESTMENT PUBLICATIONS
• SELECTED WORLDWIDE WEBSITES

A Compilation of Negotiating Proposals on Trade Facilitation. July 2005. Available on-line (MS Word-Format, 35 pages, 467 Kb). South Centre, Geneva.
This compilation is intended to assist developing countries in trade facilitation negotiations by compiling the negotiating proposals submitted by WTO Members to the negotiating group on trade facilitation, and arranging these proposals according to the GATT legal texts along which they can be grouped. Proposals relating to the provision of special and differential treatment, to technical assistance and to capacity-building are specifically indicated. This compilation covers all negotiating proposals submitted by Members up to the end of July 2005.
Accessed on 16 August 2005 from:
< http://www.southcentre.org/tadp_webpage/research_papers/instigovernance_project/ >

Impact of trade liberalization and related reforms on India’s agricultural sector, rural food security, income and poverty. 2005. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 23 pages, 196 Kb). Global Development Network.
The paper presents an overview on Indian agricultural trade before and after significant changes and transformation during the last fifty years. Trade reforms, initiated in 1991 affected agricultural prices mainly in two ways. First, it gave steep hikes to domestic support prices particularly of rice and wheat to reduce the gap between domestic and international prices. Second, it accelerated the liberalization of trade. The author discusses the impact of these reforms on terms of trade and prices of agricultural production on household income and poverty and on food security.
Accessed on 25 August 2005 form: <http://www.gdnet.org/pdf2/gdn_library/annual_conferences/fifth_annual_conference/chand_paper.pdf>

Making trade work for development in 2005: what the EU should do. May 2005. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 22 pages). Oxfam.
The paper argues that real progress is to be made in 2005 on reducing poverty through trade, the EU must look towards its longer-term enlightened interests and rein in its search for short-term commercial advantage. To contribute to global prosperity and security, including Europe’s, it should start actively backing developing countries’ concerns at the G8, the WTO, and beyond. This paper sets out what Oxfam believes the EU should do in the run-up to the WTO Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong in December 2005.
Accessed on 25 August 2005 from:
<http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/issues/trade/downloads/bp75_eu_2005.pdf?m=234&url=>

Preferential Trade Agreements in the Asia-Pacific Region. Working Paper. July 2005. For Sale. Price: US$15. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 40 pages, 857 Kb). International Monetary Fund.
Preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in the Asia-Pacific region have proliferated rapidly over the past five years and are creating a complex web of intersecting bilateral and regional trade agreements. This paper describes the proliferation of these PTAs, discusses their characteristics and implementation, and assesses their potential effects.
Accessed on 16 August 2005 from: <http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2005/wp05149.pdf>,
<http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=18370.0>

The Canada-Viet Nam Remittance Corridor: Lessons on Shifting from Informal to Formal Transfer Systems. June 2005. 72 pages. For Sale. Price: US$15. World Bank.
This study examines the experience of the Canada-Viet Nam remittances corridor over the past several years. It serves as a first step towards identifying main features and pointing out some of the areas and issues that researchers and authorities should examine more closely. For purposes of discussion, it breaks the remittance process down into three stages: the first mile, when decisions are in the hands of the remittance sender; the intermediary stage, comprising the systems that facilitate the cross-border transfer of funds, and; the last mile, where the funds reach the hands of the remittance recipient. By analyzing the objectives, obstacles, incentives, and changes occurring at each of these stages in the Canada-Viet Nam corridor, lessons are drawn for other remittance sending and receiving countries that seek to encourage formalization of the flows.
Accessed on 10 August 2005 from: <http://publications.worldbank.org/ecommerce/catalog/product-detail?product_id=4633212&>

The WTO Negotiations on Industrial Tariffs: What is at Stake for Developing Countries? May 2005. Available on-line (MS Word- Format, 50 pages, 227 Kb). Third World Network.
This paper focuses on the implications of the WTO negotiations on industrial tariffs or NAMA (non agricultural market access) for developing countries. Current proposals might erode present policy flexibility to use tariffs for industrial development and also affect the possibility for long term industrialization in developing countries. It proposes a simple alternative formula that can reconcile policy flexibility with multilateral discipline. It explains how the negotiations can accommodate immediate needs and longer-term interests of developing countries.
Accessed on 16 August 2005 from: <http://www.twnside.org.sg/title2/akyuz_papers/NamaIndFin.doc>

TNCs and the removal of textiles and clothing quotas. 2005. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 81 pages, 774 Kb). UNCTAD.
For developing countries, the textiles and clothing industries have traditionally been an important gateway to industrialization and increased exports. With the expiration of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, the quota system originally set up through the Multifibre Arrangement was phased out. This has important implications for the allocation of export-oriented production and is likely to affect in various ways a large number of developing countries that rely heavily on such exports. This study shows that transnational corporations (TNCs) are likely to play a critical role in determining the future global production structure in these industries.
Accessed on 25 August 2005 from: <http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/iteiia20051_en.pdf>

Trade and Structural Adjustment Policies in Selected Developing Countries. June 2005. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 68 pages, 631 Kb). OECD.
This book provides useful insights about trade and structural adjustment policies from development perspectives. It deliberates the important role development co-operation can play in supporting the adjustment process in developing countries. It reflects good practices and draw lessons from a comparative analysis of different case studies that might be useful for other developing countries.
Accessed on 10 August 2005 from: <http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/50/27/35112784.pdf>

Trade, foreign firms, and economic policy in Indonesian and Thai manufacturing. May 2005. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 36 pages, 1111 Kb). East-West Center (WEC)
This paper examines the rapid growth and changing composition of manufactured exports in Indonesia and Thailand, and documents the importance of contributions of foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) to export growth in the machinery industries. It emphasises how low protection was a key facilitator of rapid export growth in the MNEs that dominated the electric, office, and computing machinery industry, while high protection reduced incentives to export among MNEs in the transportation machinery industry. The paper highlights that MNEs have played a significant role in structural changes observed in manufacturing exports from both Thailand and Indonesia.
Accessed on 25 August 2005 from: <http://www.eastwestcenter.org/stored/pdfs/ECONwp078.pdf>

Understanding the Codex Alimentarius. 2005. Available on-line (HTML-Format, 39 pages. 335 bytes). WHO/FAO.
The Codex Alimentarious is a collection of international food standards that have been adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). Codex standards cover all the main foods, whether processed, semi-processed or raw. In addition, materials used in the further processing of food products are included to the extent necessary for achieving the principal objectives of the code. Codex provisions concern the hygienic and nutritional quality of food, including microbiological norms, food additives, pesticide and veterinary drug residues, contaminants, labelling and presentation, and methods of sampling and risk analysis. The purpose of this booklet is to foster a wider understanding of the evolving food code and of the activities carried out by the Codex Alimentarius Commission - the body responsible for compiling the standards, codes of practice, guidelines and recommendations that constitute the Codex Alimentarius.
Accessed on 29 August 2005 from: <http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/w9114e/w9114e00.htm>

http://www.deik.org.tr/default_eng.asp
Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey
E-mail: info@deik.org.tr
Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) is a non-profit, private sector organization established to contribute to the efforts for improving Turkey’s external economic relations through business councils. The primary objectives of business councils are: to encourage business development, improve the conditions for bilateral trade and industrial cooperation and identify multilateral collaboration opportunities in third countries; to provide a forum for deliberations on new avenues and forms of bilateral/multilateral cooperation and on policy recommendations for strengthening Turkey’s relations with the relevant country; and to coordinate joint efforts to collect, combine, analyze, evaluate and disseminate information relating to trade, investment, industrial and technological cooperation.
Accessed on 10 August 2005.

http://www.globefish.org/
GLOBEFISH
E-mail: globefish@fao.org
GLOBEFISH is the unit in the FAO Fisheries Department responsible for information on international fish trade. It produces a number of publications including fish price reports, market studies and trend analysis. GLOBEFISH is jointly financed by FAO and GLOBEFISH Partners. It coordinates the INFOnetwork which promotes trade in fish products by providing up-to-date information on markets and prices; by bringing buyers and sellers together in international conferences; and by training industry and government on quality requirements of the main markets.
Accessed on 1 August 2005.

http://www.kishtpc.com
Kish Trade Promotion Center
E-mail: info@kishtpc.com
Kish Trade Promotion Center (KTPC) - affiliated to Kish Free Zone Organization - has been established with the mandate of facilitating commercial exchanges between overseas firms and manufacturing and trading companies of Kish Island. The functions of Kish Trade Promotion Center are: to facilitate the organization of exclusive exhibitions on the Kish Island or participate in international and specialized trade exhibition; to assist with promotional campaigns on the Island through setting up product catalogue shows or country business weeks and exhibitions; to provide trade information services and handling trade inquiries; to establish contacts and develop ties between overseas entrepreneurs and Iranian business community and trade organizations; to facilitate the entry of trade delegations onto the Kish Island and plan their visiting schedule; to arrange specialized conference and seminars on the Kish Island; to supply advisory services in all commercial and industrial fields and to provide full range of trade services to manufacturing, industrial and trading firms doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Accessed on 16 August 2005

http://www.mediatrademonitor.org/node/view/241
Media Trade Monitor
Media Trade Monitor is a resource pool for information about the impact of global, regional, and bilateral trade agreements on media, culture, and communication. It is meant to help place media, culture, and communication squarely on the agenda of the global justice movement, and to help activists and progressive policymakers keep these sectors out of so-called ‘free trade’ deals, be they global (WTO), regional (FTAA, CAFTA), or bilateral. Media Trade Monitor is a partnership between Free Press, the International Network for Cultural Diversity, and the campaign for Communication Rights in the Information Society.
Accessed on 16 August 2005

http://tpspb.frinet.org
St. Petersburg Trade Development Centre
E-mail: tpspb@frinet.org
The St. Petersburg Trade Development Centre (SPBTDC) provides assistance to foreign companies in establishing contacts with potential Russian partners, suppliers and customers - and linking the Russian companies with the international markets. The Centre is responsible for information support for business, entrepreneurship and external trade development in the region. SPBTDC is the Trade Point St. Petersburg of the United Nations Global Trade Point Network.
Accessed on 15 August 2005

http://www.stomaldives.com
State Trading Organization Plc– Maldives
E-mail: info@stomaldives.net
The State Trading Organization PLC (STO) was created to finance the purchase and import of essential food items needed for the Maldivian community in bulk. STO has sustained this important responsibility to oversee the food security concerns of government and diversified into many other areas of importance such as energy needs of the country which has now become part of STO’s mandate. Within the framework that includes these two areas STO is also competitively engaged in trading in areas including consumer electronics, home appliances, medicals, canned foods, health foods and a range of other high quality products. STO is a 100 per cent public limited company owned by the Maldivian government and falls under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industries.
Accessed on 10 August 2005

http://www.usaita.com
United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel
United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA- ITA) is a non-profit industry association representing the interests of the textile/apparel importing community before Congress, Administration, United States of America Customs, other regulatory agencies, the business community and the public. It fosters understanding of policies affecting the textile and apparel import trade and educates textile and apparel importers to their responsibilities under United States laws and regulations. It helps resolve import problems and identifies and publicizes opportunities available to the trade. USA-ITA serves its member by organizing monthly seminars, videos, up-to-the minute memoranda, newsletters and on-line quota information updates and by educating importers on business and trade issues.
Accessed on 16 August 2005

http://www.epd.gov.kh/
Export Promotion Department, Ministry of Commerce, Cambodia
E-mail: info@epd.gov.kh
The Export Promotion Department (EPD) is a governmental organization responsible for state management, coordination and implementation of trade related investment promotion activities in Cambodia. EPD works together with various provincial commercial departments and trade support institutions as well as international and foreign trade promotion organizations to assist Cambodia and foreign enterprises in their business development and expansion.
Accessed on 19 August 2005
http://www.mekongtpprojects.com/

Mekong Trade Promotion
E-mail: mekongTPproject@fpt.vn
The Mekong Trade Promotion is responsible for providing substantive advice to projects of trade promotion and export development in Viet Nam, Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic to ensure synergies and field cooperation between them and with other trade-related projects in the sub-region. These projects are jointly implemented with national trade promotion organizations under the Ministries of Trade/Commerce in each country, in close cooperation with relevant national counterpart organizations. The main objective of the projects is to strengthen trade promotion and export development capacities of Government, trade support institutions and exporting enterprises, so that in turn they can induce the expansion and diversification of exports.
Accessed on 19 August 2005

http://paccs.gov.pk
Pakistan Customs Computerized System (PACCS)
E-mail: e-mail: info@paccs.gov.pk
Pakistan Customs Computerized System (PACCS) is initiated under the project of Customs Administrative Reforms of the Central Board of Revenue of Pakistan. PACCS has been designed to facilitate the flow of cargo through Pakistan ports and to open Pakistan for business on 24 hours a day and seven days a week basis through a modern, integrated, automated, simplified and expeditious port and Customs facility. PACCS is the first end-to-end automated solution for Customs in the world. The experience of PACCS in Customs will set the pace for automation in other government departments leading to true e-government and rapid development in the country.
Accessed on 24 August 2005

http://www.slpa.lk/
Sri Lanka Ports Authority
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) administers and operates all specified commercial Ports in Sri Lanka which includes Colombo, Galle, Trincomalee, Kankasanturai and Point Pedru. The mission of SLPA is: to consolidate the position of the Port of Colombo as an international hub port for containers; to develop each port as a regional commercial and auxiliary port or as an industrial port; to develop and maintain state-of-the-art facilities in the commercial ports; to maintain effective and efficient port services; to maintain high levels of productivity in order to ensure speedy turnaround of vessels; to provide a competitive edge to importers and exporters by ensuring a cost effective, efficient and reliable service; and to ensure safety and security of the port users and port infrastructure.
Accessed on 19 August 2005

Information is taken mainly from secondary sources and UNESCAP accepts no responsibility for its accuracy. Mention of any companies and their products does not imply endorsement by the United Nations.

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.