Trade monitoring

La présente publication a été établie sous la direction de Hubert Escaith, Chef statisticien et Andreas Maurer, Chef de la Section des statistiques du commerce international. La coordination et la production des tableaux, des graphiques et des cartes du rapport a été supervisée par Ninez Piezas Jerbi, avec l’assistance de Maria Borda. Les recherches statistiques, la compilation des données et l’établissement des estimations ont été effectués par Barbara d’Andrea Adrian, Christophe Degain, Florian Eberth, Antonella Liberatore, Joscelyn Magdeleine, Yann Marcus, Ninez Piezas Jerbi, et Ying Yan

The starting point for this study is that appropriately designed and sequenced trade liberalization measures and a well crafted set of trade rules can make a positive contribution to growth and development. But the extent of that contribution also depends on other policies. The notion of coherence has been deployed in this study to characterize a situation in which relevant policies are pulling together in the same direction. In a world of multiple policy objectives and priorities, and one where no consensus exists on the ideal policy set, the concept of coherence cannot be given operational precision – rather, it is indicative of the reality that policies are inter-dependent, and that poor policy or neglect in one area can undermine the efficacy of efforts in another. Coherence cannot be uniquely defined unless a set of policy objectives is formally established and the objectives ranked in terms of priorities that indicate how trade-offs are to be made when these are necessary. A precise specification of a fully coherent policy set would also identify the exact nature and timing of all relevant government interventions. Any such undertaking is well beyond the scope of this study. Instead, coherence in this context simply refers to the idea that mutually supportive approaches in related areas of policy are likely to produce greater harmony between intent and outcome. Coherence as discussed here is a matter of degree, and more coherence means that the benefits of sound trade policies are greater than they would be without supportive policies in other areas.

En 2013, certains Membres de l’OMC ont appliqué de nouvelles mesures restrictives pour le commerce, mais les pays ont généralement résisté aux pressions intérieures qui s’exerçaient pour qu’ils érigent des obstacles au commerce. Les nouvelles mesures se sont ajoutées à l’ensemble existant de mesures ayant des effets de restriction et de distorsion des échanges. La croissance économique mondiale est restée lente et inégale, ce qui a lourdement pesé sur les courants d’échanges. On s’attend à une croissance de 2,5 % du volume du commerce mondial des marchandises en 2013 et de 4,5 % en 2014, ce qui est inférieur aux tendances historiques.

The first Trade Policy Review of Lao PDR has offered us a good opportunity to deepen our understanding of recent developments in, and challenges to, its trade, economic, and investment policies. Since its accession in 2013, Lao PDR’s initiatives to further integrate into the Multilateral Trading System and take advantage of the opportunities it offers have been greatly appreciated. Indeed, the about 200 advance written questions submitted by 12 Members and the 23 delegations that took the floor during the first day underline the importance attached by Members to Lao PDR’s trade and investment policies and practices.