The World Bank Group Trade Strategy 2011–2021: Leveraging trade for development and growth
In short
As world trade has experienced a boom in the past decade, many countries have benefited from global integration, but the benefits are distributed unequally, both across and within countries. Developing country policy makers confront an increasingly complex trade agenda that spans numerous "behind-the-border" regulatory policies in addition to traditional trade policies such as import tariffs. This is a multi-dimensional agenda that extends well beyond the remit of Trade Ministries and that poses daunting challenges to policy makers in developed and developing countries.
Spotlight on new trade strategies
In the past decade, the World Bank Group (WBG) has significantly changed the focus of its trade activities to reflect the changes in global trade, moving away from programmes anchored on trade liberalisation towards supporting diversification, lowering transport and other trade-related costs, improving access to trade finance, and focusing more on the impacts of trade and trade policies on poverty. To further improve the effectiveness of its support, the World Bank has recently developed its first WBG trade strategy. This trade strategy identifies four priority areas: (i) enhancing trade competitiveness and diversification of developing country exports; (ii) reducing trade costs by improving trade facilitation and transport logistics; (iii) supporting expanded market access and cross-border trade cooperation; and (iv) making the gains from trade more inclusive.
Biography of the Speaker
Mombert Hoppe is an Economist at the World Bank. Prior to joining the World Bank he worked as economist and advisor at the Ghanaian Ministry of Trade and Industry in Accra. His work focuses on policy dialogue and economic analysis in the area of international trade, particularly in West and Central Africa. He holds an advanced degree in European Economics from the Institute of European Studies in Brussels, and a master's degree in International Economics from Maastricht University.
