19.1 C
Hamburg
Sunday, June 1, 2025
Home News Germany backs UNCTAD work for Africa trade deal

Germany backs UNCTAD work for Africa trade deal

Ambassador Hans-Peter Jugel, Germany’s deputy envoy to the United Nations in Geneva, and UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Isabelle Durant signed the official funding document on 22 November.

“Germany is already a leading supporter of UNCTAD’s work. This fresh funding is a clear sign of the country’s commitment not only to making trade work for development, but also to multilateralism. That sends a strong signal in challenging times,” Ms. Durant said.

“The projects that Germany is backing will play a key role in helping Africa meet the new trade objectives that the continent has set itself.”

The funding announcement comes eight months after the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which is the first pan-African agreement of its kind and is seen as having major potential to spur growth.

“This is a big new step forward in the economic development of Africa,” said Ambassador Jugel, adding that the African Union had sought UNCTAD’s support to meet the aims of the AfCFTA.

“We will observe its effects closely. We trust in UNCTAD’s competences and expertise in making trade facilitation operational,” he added.

UNCTAD provides policy advice and technical cooperation to help poorer countries reap more benefits from the global economy, and regional integration is a key part of that process.

The German funding, which runs from November 2018 to December 2020, focuses on enhancing trade by building the capacity of African stakeholders to address the key objectives of the AfCFTA’s Protocol on Trade in Goods.

Among the areas in the UNCTAD projects are non-tariff measures – or NTMs, in trade jargon. While tariffs make headlines and are generally recognized as a blunt instrument used by protectionists, they are far from the only phenomenon influencing trade flows across borders – and not even the most important, some analysts say.

Regulations on imported goods and products, either with the intention of limiting them, like quotas, or controlling them, like health and safety requirements, comprise a broad category of measures which can impact the scale and shape of trade with and between developing countries.

Helping the authorities and firms in developing countries to understand NTMs and adapt to them in order to trade across borders is an important part of UNCTAD’s work.

NTMs are estimated to be three to four times more restrictive than current tariffs. This importance has been reflected in the ambitious AfCFTA Appendices on Non-Tariff Barriers, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Technical Barriers to Trade.

The German-funded project will scale up the existing, UNCTAD-supported NTM reporting, monitoring and elimination mechanism of the Tripartite – a grouping formed by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community. It uses an online tool to enable private sector operators to report trade barriers, which are then addressed and resolved in an intergovernmental mechanism.

Furthermore, the project aims to increase transparency about all NTMs, in particular regulatory and behind-the-border measures, through comprehensive data collection and dissemination to the public and private sector.

NTMs are not just red tape. They can also be used as a tool to meet the aims of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Detailed mapping by UNCTAD has shown how NTMs line up against the targets and indicators of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that form the agenda’s core.

For example, to achieve Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth, governments can design policies to eradicate forced labour, protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments.

The German-funded work by UNCTAD also addresses the issue of industrial diversification, which is an important route to strengthen Africa’s competitiveness and employment.

In this context, the project aims to help African countries increase their capacity to trade knowledge-based products and handle intellectual property rights, thus assisting them to become less dependent on commodities and raw materials.

On top of the new work funded through UNCTAD, Ambassador Jugel said, Germany already supports various ongoing AfCFTA processes via consultancies by the German agencies GIZ and by Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), notably on quality infrastructure for better quality standards of African products.

 





Latest Posts

The Indian Ocean Rivalry

The Indian Ocean has emerged as a strategic theater of competition between two Asian giants: India and China. India’s recent developments indicate a rapid expansion...

Statkraft advances plans for green hydrogen scheme at Hunterston

Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy has proposed the development of a green hydrogen facility at Hunterston, the former coal terminal in Ayrshire. Clydeport –...

Port of Bilbao wraps up busiest month for cruise traffic

May has marked a record month for cruise activity at the Port of Bilbao’s terminal in Getxo, with 18 cruise ship calls bringing over...

Tripoli port shutdown sparks maritime crisis in Libya

Libya’s shipping sector is teetering on the edge of collapse as fresh waves of political violence erupt in Tripoli, crippling key port operations and...

Klaipėda port embarks on green hydrogen initiative

Klaipėda Port launched its green hydrogen initiative, positioning itself as the first in Lithuania and the broader Baltic region to produce and supply green...
error: Content is protected !!