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Civil societies not to be a part of first Regional Conference on Aid for Trade

13 Sep 2007

A press release announcing the dates for the first regional conference on aid for trade does not mention the participation of the civil societies, yet although mentioning that of the private sector.

While the Aid for Trade Task Force placed the right emphasis on “country-ownership” and “country-driven approaches”, it is unfortunate to note that applications from the Civil society groups for accreditation for the meeting to the IDB office have been turned down.

Such a step calls into question whether regional organizations with questionable track records on civil society participation are the right convenors for these regional conferences. Moreover, should the taken as a precedent in upcoming regional
meetings, it might significantly tarnish the legitimacy and future prospects of the Aid for Trade agenda.

As part of the implementation of the Aid for Trade Task Force mandate, regional meetings on Aid for Trade will take place in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The Latin America meeting is scheduled to take place September 13-14, co-convened by the IDB.

Resource: www.iadb.org/NEWS
Released on: 13 August 2007