ILEAP is an independent, not-for-profit organization whose overriding goal is to promote pro-development outcomes in international negotiations. Established in 2002, ILEAP provides professional backstopping capacity and support in trade negotiations to a variety of beneficiaries in Africa and the Caribbean. 

Nigeria Services Consideration Workshop

The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) in collaboration with ILEAP organised a stakeholders meeting on May 8th 2009 with the objective of “reviewing the Nigerian GATS conditional offer and setting an agenda towards building a consensus around such an offer in the EPA and/or expanding such an agenda in the EPA”. Building on the Accra Services agenda of March 2009, the one-day workshop, was attended by all public sector services related MDAs, as well as selected private sector services thematic groups. More specifically, the focus of the workshop was to:

• Achieve a critical analysis of the sectors, a thorough regulatory audit of the sector;
• Promote consensus building, encouraging better stakeholders understanding of the domestic services trade dynamics;
• Provide an evaluation of choices and careful selection of priorities coupled with the acquisition of adequate infrastructure capacity;
• Facilitate negotiations and generated an outline of potential implementation commitments.

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Building Capacities for Pro-poor Services Reforms: Focus and Design for AfT for Regional Integration and EPA Negotiations in Africa
Berlin, Germany
24 April 2009

As part of their on-going contribution to facilitating developing countries attainment of pro-poor services reforms, ILEAP, BMZ and GTZ co-organized a one day meeting on 24th April 2009, at the offices of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in Berlin, Germany. The seminar brought together, in an informal setting, ACP and European partners from various backgrounds (public and private sectors) with the aim to exchange views on key requirements for pro-poor trade-related services reforms and supportive technical assistance.

The meeting accomplished three very important objectives. First, it enabled an exchange of views in an informal setting about the key requirements for pro-poor trade-related services reforms and supportive technical assistance. In particular, it provided avenue for Africans to indicate their needs for the services agenda. Secondly, it discussed best practices and lessons learnt, and arrived at common grounds on efforts needed to support the enhancement of human, institutional and productive capacities on trade and services in Africa. Finally, the providers of capacity building in trade in services gave insights regarding experiences on supporting services reforms and negotiations, including how they have responded, and can continue to respond, to the challenges touched on in the deliberations.

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Trade in Services Negotiations and the Private Sector: Generating Opportunities for Development
Nairobi Safari Club, Nairobi, Kenya
26-28 February 2009

The East African Business Council (EABC) and International Lawyers and Economists Against Poverty (ILEAP) convened the workshop: Trade in Services Negotiations and the Private Sector: Generating Opportunities for Development from 26-28 February 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya.  Over the course of three days, stakeholders drawn mainly from the private sector met to discuss issues and options for priorities in services export development in the context of the EPA trade in services negotiations.  The interactive workshop also served as an opportunity to sensitize the private sector on trade in services talks under the EPA.  More specifically, the workshop sought to:

• Facilitate a better appreciation of the state of play on services in the EPAs and assisting in the identification of associated opportunities and challenges ahead;
• Promote enhanced involvement of the private sector based on specific sectoral knowledge (both EAC and international); and
• Support discussions on a roadmap for the continued involvement of the private sector in the EPA trade in services negotiations.

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CIDA Trade & Development Network brown-bag session
"Trade Concerns of Low-income Countries in a Time of Economic Crisis"
February 19th, 2009 - Gatineau, Canada

The global financial crisis has led to deteriorating economic conditions and prospects for developing countries. Slower global demand is not only depressing prices for developing country commodity exports, but is also leading to declining trade volumes. According to the World Bank, a downturn in developing country exports will be the most widespread shock generated by the crisis. This brown-bag session looked more closely at the trade impacts of the crisis on low-income countries and identified ensuing trade capacity building needs. The session also showcased the activities of ILEAP, a CIDA-sponsored organization working with African and Caribbean countries on trade.

Presentations:

Ann Weston, North-South Institute (NSI)
Topic: Implications of the global economic crisis for developing country trade – and trade programming

Joseph Hoffman, International Lawyers and Economists Against Poverty (ILEAP)
Topic: ILEAP Trade Knowledge to Policy Programme (TK2P) - ILEAP Support Outcomes and Example of Next Steps