Trade monitoring

The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) was first established on a trial basis by the GATT CONTRACTING PARTIES in April 1989. The Mechanism became a permanent feature of the World Trade Organization under the Marrakesh Agreement which established the WTO in January 1995.

The East African Community (EAC) consists of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Sudan (which is not yet a WTO Member). Agriculture remains the key driver of the economies of the EAC countries but the services sector is the main contributor to their GDP. In fact, most of the populations (about 80%) live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihood. High costs of doing business limit the importance of manufacturing to these economies, while recent oil discoveries, mainly in Kenya and Uganda, are expected to boost the economic development of the countries. Nonetheless, EAC countries face various socioeconomic challenges despite their favourable conditions for agriculture, their important sources of renewable energy, and their total population of over 168.2 million. With the exception of Kenya, they all remain least developed countries (LDCs) and are yet to significantly diversify their economies.

“Development” is a far-reaching term, and the subjects of the reviewed literature vary by geographical and organisational coverage, stage of socioeconomic development under study, and perspective adopted. More specifically and substantively addressed is increased participation in global value chains, including upgrading, as applied to firms, industries, and regions. This is driven by both the business practitioner’s and policy maker’s perspectives, and is addressed through the global value chain framework. In contrast to supply chains, value chains provide a better macro-scale perspective on matters such as distribution of income and power across firm networks, and the interlinkages between firms and their socioeconomic environments. Operationalisable typologies of upgrading and value chain governance reviewed here will be of interest to the business practitioner and policy maker. Our literature search also yields a niche body of literature on the subject of rural development and agriculture, which is reviewed near the end of the chapter.

En 2010, le Comité du commerce et de l'environnement (CCE ) réuni en session ordinaire a concentré ses travaux sur l'incidence des mesures environnementales sur l'accès aux marchés, notamment pour les pays en développement. Il a accordé une attention particulière aux situations, dans lesquelles l'élimination ou la réduction des restrictions et distorsions des échanges peut profiter à la fois au commerce, à l'environnement et au développement. Parallèlement aux réunions du Comité, le Secrétariat de l'OMC a organisé trois activités d'information: une sur le rapport conjoint OMC-Programme des Nations Unies pour l'environnement (PNUE ) de 2009 sur le commerce et le changement climatique, une autre sur les systèmes de calcul et d'étiquetage de l'empreinte carbone, et une autre, sur les liens entre commerce, transport et environnement.