Op-ed

What role can sustainability standards play in the post COVID-19 recovery?
Adopting such standards in LDC production offers promise, but work remains

Making global value chains sustainable and enhancing the position of LDCs: A shared responsibility
Multinationals and governments need to recognize the trade world’s interconnectedness, and its impact

Can digital platforms help mitigate agricultural losses from COVID in Uganda?
The government of Uganda put containment measures in place to tackle COVID-19. These included quarantines; bans on public gatherings and weekly markets; closures of schools, borders and nonessential retail outlets; and the suspension of international flights.

Climbing the ladder under the storm: How the COVID crisis is changing the GVC development strategies of LDCs
The combined and cumulative effect of pre-existing technological, policy and sustainability trends and the current COVID crisis is set to strike a perfect storm in the system of international production and GVCs.

Supporting an evolving ecommerce ecosystem in Myanmar
Myanmar was already moving to get its businesses online. With COVID-19, they were able to speed things up.

How businesses can build resilience to climate impacts and protect the vulnerable throughout value chains
Companies have a key role to play in building societal resilience to crises, including the current pandemic and climate impacts, across their value chains.

Scale tangles with agility in African pharma supply chains, unleashing new forces
Medicine retail and logistics in Africa are a highly fragmented business.

Business supply chain strategies are evolving, can poor countries benefit?
Multiple sourcing and proximity sourcing are shaping into long-term trends as global firms hardwire resilience and agility into their supply chains.

On the role of women trade trainers
In trade for development, more female trainers could make a big difference

Future-proofing safe trade now urgent for developing countries
COVID-19 is highlighting the interconnectedness of agri-food trade; and work needs to be done to mobilise action to build safe food systems

Boosting African regional value chain development in response to COVID-19: The catalysing role of the AfCFTA
New paper looks at the supply chain dimension of African trade during and post-COVID

Building back equitably: Spotlight on women workers in global value chains
Women workers in global value chains have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Cooperatives help cross border traders stay in business during COVID-19
Originally published by THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION NEWS on 18 August 2020

‘Rules as data’ – the 21st century answer for trade facilitation?
Following digitisation of commercial documents, the digitalisation of trade implies functional use of data to improve the automation potential of cross-border processes.

The clock is ticking on electronic advance data for trade and ecommerce in LDCs
Urgent digital transformation is needed to create safe and secure cross border ecommerce customs clearance in the world’s poorest countries

COVID-19 is exacerbating the global trade finance gap
Originally published in World Economic Forum Agenda on 6 July 2020

Looking at LDCs, food and COVID-19
Food products comprise around 17% of LDC merchandise imports – more than double the world average of 8%.

Lessons from LDCs’ responses to COVID-19: From crisis to opportunities?
Originally published in OECD-Development Matters on 6 July 2020

Blockchain and LDC trade during COVID-19
The macroeconomic context for developing country trade in the time of COVID-19

How can least developed countries attract foreign direct investment in the context of COVID-19?
Ways for LDCs to adapt amid global turmoil

Industries post-COVID-19: A gender-responsive approach to global economic recovery
Women’s specific needs and potential as leaders and agents of change must be considered for COVID-19 mitigation and recovery measures.

COVID-19 and the seed sector: How countries are navigating challenges
OECD’s Seed Schemes are working to protect food systems globally, with important benefits for least developed countries

Unpacking COVID-19-related medical supply chains in Commonwealth LDCs
Although LDCs are home to 13.3% of the world’s population, their share of COVID-19-related medical imports is just 1%.

Time for Asian partners to work together on a global COVID recovery strategy
Six new objectives for regional policy cooperation

COVID-19 and the global contraction in FDI
Originally published by UNIDO in May 2020

How to tackle least developed countries' gender gaps in tech use and data
Originally published by Devex on 10 March 2020

Can Madagascar inspire reform of global fashion’s US$2.5 trillion supply chains?
The collapse in trade provoked by the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fragility of carefully constructed supply chains in the global fashion industry, and the asymmetries with which they are governed.

Don’t put export bans on medical supplies during COVID-19. Why trade should flow freely to the world’s poorest countries
Originally published in OECD-Development Matters on 28 April 2020

Protecting trees, empowering women, ensuring incomes – suggestions for a just shea story
How to ensure the women who collect shea benefit from being part of the global marketplace

Least developed country vulnerabilities exposed by COVID-19
The world is changing, and so should our support to the world’s poorest countries

When it rains it pours: COVID-19 exacerbates poverty risks in the poorest countries
Originally published by UNCTAD on 7 May 2020

How women in developing countries can harness ecommerce
Originally published in World Economic Forum Agenda on 24 April 2020

Six suggestions for improving support to least developed countries
To get LDC graduation back on track, and to help other LDCs, reform of the international system of support must be fundamental and far-reaching.

South Asian least developed countries: The rocky path to sustainable graduation
How will graduation impact countries in South Asia and the trade support they benefit from? How can they prepare?

COVID-19 hitting tourism hard: What does this mean for the world’s poorest countries?
Examining the potential impact of tourism disruption in LDCs; developing policy recommendations to limit the damage, initiate recovery and build resilience

How poor countries can deal with the economic shock of COVID-19
Originally published in World Economic Forum Agenda on 24 April 2020

In the world’s poorest countries, the move to digitalize trade procedures is needed now more than ever
COVID-19 is highlighting the need for paperless trade in developing countries; a recent assessment offers recommendations for how to start

West Africa's (eco)tourism initiative: Last chance to protect African biodiversity
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s travel impacts, West Africa’s objectives remain valid

COVID-19 and trade: Challenges ahead for least developed countries and Small Island Developing States
Originally published by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) on 1 April 2020

How can Africa’s trade ministers help combat COVID-19? Lessons from Ebola
Trade ministers are playing an essential role in the pandemic response

Technology critical to unlocking the agricultural potential of cotton
Information access via tech could increase yields and incomes for cotton farmers in Africa

Coronavirus is coming for the world's poor. Here are six ways to help.
Originally published in World Economic Forum Agenda on 23 March 2020

A traded tree: What rosewood means for Africa
Following research into the mukula value chain, recommendations to preserve livelihoods and landscapes

COVID-19 in Africa – some reflections on trade matters
Poverty, inequality and exclusion are key factors contributing to the devastating effects of COVID-19 on all African countries.

COVID-19: Trade restrictions are worst possible response to safeguard food security
Originally published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on 27 March 2020

Yes, medical gear depends on global supply chains. Here's how to keep them moving.
Originally published by Peterson Institute for International Economics on 27 March 2020

Industry 4.0: What next for least developed countries?
The possibility of reconfiguring manufacturing processes through new digital technologies and data provides opportunities to reboot industrial development in least developed countries.

On tariffs, soap and tackling COVID-19
The right trade policies would help the world combat current pandemic

Achieving SDG 2: Policy options and their trade-offs
SDG 2 commits governments to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, with five specific targets setting the level and ambition of this goal.

Up and coming: Here's why Africa has the potential to boost global growth
Originally published in World Economic Forum Agenda on 18 February 2020

Tools and finance to help transform least developed country economies
Transforming the economies of least developed countries (LDCs) requires a nationally supported vision on how to tackle the binding constraints to higher value-added production.

Time for bold initiatives to tackle inequalities and climate change
Originally published in OECD-Development Matters on 31 January 2020

Why exporters need to mind the trade finance gap
Originally published in World Economic Forum Agenda on 10 February 2020

Least developed countries can become authors of their technological revolution
Originally published in OECD-Development Matters on 5 February 2020

A window of opportunity for Africa: Agricultural innovation, integration and entrepreneurial ecosystems
Agriculture 4.0, fuelled by innovation and technology, is driving more productive, efficient and sustainable food systems.

How developing country exports fared during the recent Populist era
The latest version of the Global Trade Alert, which monitors state interventions that affect world commerce, explores whether developing country access to large overseas markets has changed during the current era of populism.

Benefits and challenges of automated processes for wildlife trade in poor countries
Efforts towards the automation of the CITES permitting system is an example of how trade facilitation could be applied in the wildlife sector.

Leaving no one behind: New help for graduating least developed countries (Part II)
For many, graduation from least developed country status is not the end of the story.

How home country measures can promote foreign direct investment in poor economies
In order to be effective, existing and future home country outward FDI measures need to be customised to the needs and realities of LDCs.

How will least developed countries in Asia fare in the trade war?
Countries that have already implemented trade-cost reducing reforms – for example trade facilitation, infrastructure, and data flows – will be better positioned to take advantage of any opportunities that arise from the trade war.

“Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing” in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
A Global Multilateral Benefit-Sharing Mechanism is the appropriate vehicle by which biodiverse rich countries can be compensated for genetic resources utilised in intellectual property.

Breaking silos between trade and climate for the world’s most vulnerable countries
There is urgent need to better understand trade and climate change linkages in the context of least developed countries (LDCs).

Improved assistance for LDC graduation: What else can be done?
Graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category, a milestone in a country’s development, is not free of controversies.

Poorest countries caught in the global trade turmoil
Least developed countries (LDCs) confront a challenging global trade landscape, from slower long-term growth rates and rising protectionism to a weakening nexus between trade and GDP growth.

How trade can assist least developed countries hit by natural disasters
Many least developed countries are vulnerable to recurrent natural disasters, which exacerbate existing challenges, disrupt long-term investments and divert resources away from development to reconstruction.

Digitally transforming Sudan’s economy
Enabling growth via ecommerce, trade facilitation and geographical indications

For the least developed countries, revitalising multilateralism is life or death
The international system governing the environment and economy is under pressure, but it is in trade where least developed countries (LDCs) may lose most from cracks in the global order.

2019’s other nasty trade policy surprise
With the spotlight on the Sino-US tariff war, a worrying trade policy dynamic implicating many countries has been overlooked.

Unleashing the power of women to transform the world’s poorest countries
Originally published by Thomson Reuters Foundation News on 11 September 2019

6 ways the least developed countries can participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Originally published by World Economic Forum Agenda on 13 August 2019

Aid for trade must focus on the poorest, most fragile countries
Originally published by Devex on 5 July 2019

5 ways to boost sustainable trade in the world’s poorest countries
Originally published by World Economic Forum Agenda on 4 July 2019

4 ways to empower women in the world's poorest countries
Originally published by World Economic Forum Agenda on 24 June 2019

Can LDCs leverage tourism for manufacturing?
To transform LDCs, turning tourism into new kinds of growth

Don't shut trade down, make it truly inclusive
Originally published by Devex on 5 July 2018

An Internet of Rules for all: Can "Trade Policy 3.0" foster inclusive trade?
The distinctive character of trade policy 3.0 is that, in addition to “writing down the rules” of trade in natural language (trade policy 1.0) and use of “single window systems” that replicate paper-based delivery in the digital realm (trade policy 2.0), countries are able to publish computational rules to the Internet in a standard way

Renewables in Least Developed Countries: More arrows in the quiver?
Originally published in Bridges Africa

Making Aid for Trade work for women
Originally published in International Trade Forum

How is the EIF supporting LDCs to unleash their trade potential?
Originally published in Bridges Africa

Digital can lift the developing world out of poverty. Here's how
Originally published on 10 July 2017 in the World Economic Forum Agenda

Four ways Africa can achieve a manufacturing renaissance
Originally published on 7 July 2017 in the World Economic Forum Agenda

Four ways the world’s least developed countries can improve trade
Originally published on 27 May 2016 in the World Economic Forum Agenda