CUTS International

CUTS INTERNATIONAL, GENEVA

ANNUAL REPORT

2013 2014

CUTS International

CUTS International

Established in 1983-84 as a rural development communications initiative,

Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) is now at the cutting edge of the

consumer movement in India as well as across the globe, and has expanded into

trade and development, competition, investment and economic regulation, and

human development. Today, CUTS, with a staff strength of over 100, operates

out of:

Three programme centres in Jaipur (CUTS Centre for International

Trade, Economics & Environment, CUTS Centre for Consumer Action,

Research and Training, and CUTS Centre for Competition, Investment

& Economic Regulation), one in Chittorgarh (CUTS Centre for Human

Development)

An advocacy centre in New Delhi, and a Centre in Calcutta (focusing on

Consumer Safety and Grassroots Economic Development), India, and

Five centres at Lusaka, Zambia; Nairobi, Kenya; Hanoi, Vietnam and

Geneva, Switzerland; and Accra, Ghana.

The organization elects its Board/Executive Committee every fourth year, while

the Secretary General heads the Secretariat. The organization is accredited by

Credibility Alliance and affiliated with the United Nations Conference on Trade

and Development (UNCTAD) and several other inter-governmental and non-

governmental organisation.

CUTS International’s vision is “Consumer Sovereignty” and mission is

“Consumer Sovereignty in the Framework of Social Justice and Equality, within

and Across Borders”. In all its work, it follows the method of research-based

advocacy and connects the grassroots with the international policy making

processes.

CUTS International, Geneva was established with initial inputs and support from

CUTS, in 2008 under the name CUTS Geneva Resource Centre and has since

been renamed CUTS International to better reflect the spread of the activities of

the Centre beyond Geneva and their international character.

Contents

Contents From the Secretary General, CUTS 4

From the Chairman of the General Assembly 6

Director’s Overview 8

The Organisation 10 Brief History 10 Strategy 12 Governance 13 Accountability 16 Our Outreach 16

Global South & Multilateral Trade 20 Supporting WTO Negotiators 21 Trade Facilitation 24 The Bali WTO Ministerial Conference 26

Regionalism & Cooperation 28 BIEAC: Evaluating our Impact 29 Aid for Trade 30 The PACT EAC Project 33 Contribution to Kenya Environment Policy 35 Campaigns for Early Warning Systems 35 Influencing Rwanda Trade Policy Revision 37 Charcoal Trade and Deforestation 38 Linkages in Multilateral Debates 38

Empowering Stakeholders 42 The EIF sPokes project 42 Institutional Partnerships 44 Representations 45

Audit Report 48

Annex 1: Members of the Stakeholder Forum 52

Annex 2: CUTS Centres in The World 54

From the Secretary General, CUTS

From the Secretary General,

CUTS

After years of stalemate, the WTO 9th Ministerial Conference, held in Bali,

Indonesia in early December 2013, delivered positive movement in the Doha

Development Round. CUTS welcomed this breakthrough with relief for it restored

confidence in the multilateral trading system and in the WTO as a negotiating

forum. Failure to agree on a package at this “conference of the last chance”

would have considerably weakened the WTO and its rule-based system, leaving

the poorest countries worse off in a trading system increasingly dominated by

regional and plurilateral initiatives.

However, this is not the end of the road. The Bali success, no matter how

important, is only the beginning of the more important tasks of implementing the

Bali decisions as well as drawing up a credible agenda to deal with the remaining

Doha Development Agenda issues. Remember that the Bali deal addressed only

a minimal part of what is on the table and there is still much to be done to re-

energise multilateral negotiations towards concluding the round and thereby

firmly rehabilitate the WTO’s importance.

Moreover, other challenges such as climate change, food security, and their

interface with trade are increasingly becoming more urgent. In fact, food

insecurity is a daily reality for the poorest people in many parts of the world,

especially in Africa. Climate change is exacerbating the problem and its adverse

impacts are becoming more and more obvious. Arguably, trade has the potential

to either further aggravate the situation or be an important part of the solution.

However, this will largely depend on whether the policies related to food security,

climate change and trade are developed and implemented coherently or not.

Over the past three years, CUTS International has been implementing a project

that seeks to address this particular challenge in the East African Community

(EAC). It is heartening to note that the project has led to visible impact on the

ground as confirmed by an internal assessment carried out by CUTS

International, Geneva through its own resources.

This year is a special one for the CUTS family of organisations, since we are

celebrating our 30th Anniversary through public lectures around the world.

Started as a small, local consumer group in 1983, we are proud to have become

an international NGO recognised for its committed and evidence-based work on

From the Secretary General, CUTS

issues related to trade and development, regulation, and governance. The

organisation has evolved over the last 30 years and so too has the geo-political

landscape.

In Geneva, CUTS International will be soon starting its 6th year of presence at

the heart of international trade and development debates since its establishment

in 2008. It has now consolidated its work on the ground and is well positioned to

play a positive role to support international economic dialogue, strengthen the

multilateral trading system, and continue to provide the much needed services to

developing and least developing countries on trade and related issues. These

include international trade, competition, investment, agriculture and food security,

environment and climate change, governance and regulatory reform, and

consumer protection.

Going forward, CUTS International will in the coming year continue to work on

these linkages and scale up its WTO-related work to support developing

countries in their Post-Bali work. Important areas in this regard include trade

facilitation, services as well as the difficult task of putting together a post-Bali

work programme towards concluding the DDA.

I thank our donors for the continued support of CUTS’ work and projects that are

aimed at addressing global challenges in a holistic and sustainable manner. I

also extend my thanks to colleagues and partners in Geneva, Africa and other

parts of the world in our effort to make this world a better place to live in.

Pradeep S. Mehta

Secretary General

CUTS

June 2014

Jaipur, India

From the Chairman of the General Assembly

From the Chairman of the

General Assembly

As the voice of the global south in international Geneva on trade and economic

policy, CUTS International is completing another successful year. It is with great

pleasure that I present to you our sixth annual report, outlining the main activities

and achievements of CUTS International Geneva between April 2013 and March

2014.

Since our establishment in 2008, we have made a name for linking people and

issues in the world of multilateral trade with their counterparts in related policy

areas such as regional integration, agriculture, environment, competition,

investment, and consumer protection among others. It heartening to note that our

organic ties in the developing world – where our unique approach to research-

based advocacy projects often made a difference - greatly contributed to making

us a credible interlocutor of developing countries and international organisations

in Geneva.

This year, while continuing our close collaboration with developing country trade

negotiators in Geneva, our support to domestic processes in several developing

countries contributed to more coherent policies on trade, climate change and

food security in East Africa, as well as improved public-private dialogues on trade

in several countries. These efforts were much appreciated by government

officials and civil society alike.

Looking back at the past twelve months, I can see many achievements, the

following being the most noteworthy:

Supporting WTO Negotiators: Through our EAC Geneva Forum, we served

as a platform for exchange, interaction and technical support between

negotiators, experts and civil society. French-speaking WTO negotiators also

welcomed the release this year of the French edition of our publication

“Reflections from the Frontline: Developing Country Negotiators in the WTO”.

Greater policy coherence across climate, food and trade: the successful

implementation of our 3-year PACT EAC project is leading to positive policy

changes in East African countries, and is triggering a number of locally-

owned initiatives. With funding support by Sida of Sweden, this path-breaking

initiative addresses several gaps in the current thinking, policies, and

From the Chairman of the General Assembly

interactions by providing avenues for creating and sharing knowledge on the

linkages of issues as well as between stakeholders and policy through

research, advocacy, networking and training activities.

Impact on East African regional integration: Early findings of our ongoing

evaluation of the BIEAC project indicate that it helped CSOs in the region to

be more actively involved in the EAC integration process. Since the project

completion in 2010, CSOs have achieved a number of successes through

effective advocacy.

Training trade officials on stakeholder consultations: Under its EIF sPokes

project, CUTS Geneva is designing and piloting a capacity-building module

for Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) National Implementation Units to

help them improve the participation of Non-State Actors in EIF activities and

trade-related public-private dialogues more generally. The module was

successfully piloted in Zambia, Nepal and Burkina Faso and will soon be

available to other LDCs.

I congratulate our Director, Rashid S Kaukab, and his dedicated team of Josiane

Rufener, Julian Mukiibi, Julien Grollier, Krista Joosep and Nathan Sologny for

their commitment and hard work for these achievements. I am also thankful for

our organic relationship with the CUTS family of organisations that remains

invaluable as we continue to strive to achieve our goal and objectives.

As always, I look forward to your comments and feedback on this annual report

that gives an overview of our main activities during the past year as well as our

vision for the next.

Philippe Brusick

Chairman

CUTS International, General Assembly

June 2014

Geneva, Switzerland

8

Director’s Overview

Director’s Overview

The point between the end of a year and the start of another is always a time for

reflection. As CUTS International, Geneva is completing its sixth year of

existence and work, this annual report looks back into the past twelve months to

review our many recent achievements. Equally important, this report is also an

opportunity to reflect on the emerging challenges that will shape our work in the

near future.

Over the period from April 2013 till March 2014 covered by this report, our hard

work and dedication to social justice and economic equity materialised into a

number of achievements for our beneficiaries. Prime among them is our

contribution to better policy coherence across climate change, food security and

trade policies in East Africa, regularly echoed in the regional media. Some of our

most significant breakthroughs in this regard were achieved on the Kenyan and

Rwandan policy scenes under the PACT EAC project.

In Kenya, we inspired the inclusion of a dedicated section on “Trade and

Environment” in the newly-adopted Kenya National Environment Policy, whereby

the government also endeavours to mainstream environmental considerations

into the National Trade Policy. This linkage built between the two policies helps

breaking the “silo mentality” in policy planning and paves the way for a more

holistic approach to climate change adaptation in Kenya.

In Rwanda, we successfully established through our local partner a joint lobby

committee comprising representatives of the Ministries of Trade and Environment

to promote the inclusion of climate change issues in the Trade Policy.

Subsequently, the government publicly announced in March 2014 that it is

reviewing the National Trade Policy to address new challenges, especially those

posed by climate change, acknowledging that the current trade policy does not

draw linkages between trade and climate change.

Other policy efforts are ongoing, including contributions to the revision of the

Tanzania Forest Policy, and stakeholder feedback already indicate that the

project has triggered a number of initiatives that will sustain impact beyond the

project’s lifespan. The project evaluation currently being undertaken by an

external consultant is expected for release this June.

We remain extremely grateful to the Swedish International Development

Cooperation Agency (Sida) for its generous contribution to this project. I am

proud to state that all of the above has been achieved with limited human and

9

Director’s Overview

financial resources, thus ensuring valuable returns for the tax payers’ money on

the one hand, and tailored and demand-driven services to the beneficiaries on

the other.

In our role of connecting Geneva and domestic trade-related processes, we have

also been closely involved in the implementation of the Enhanced Integrated

Framework through our EIF sPokes project started in August 2013. Under this

project, we are currently designing and piloting a capacity-building module for

EIF National Implementation Units in Zambia, Nepal and Burkina Faso that will

help them improve the participation of Non-State Actors in EIF activities and

trade-related public-private dialogues more generally.

Finally, this year was also a challenging one at the WTO front in Geneva. After

years of uncompromising stances that continuously culminated in collapsed

negotiations and less than optimum outcomes, the Bali Ministerial marked the

first substantive breakthrough for the WTO since the launch of the Doha Round

in 2001. At Bali, members of the WTO agreed on a package that included three

important issues under the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). We remained

closely involved in this process by continuing our support to developing country

delegates, e.g. through forum meetings and technical analysis, as well as regular

public events.

As another year begins, we are confident that with the continued support of our

well-wishers and donors, CUTS International Geneva will continue to deliver as

much value for people in the years to come as it did last year. This will focus

particularly on: strengthening and deepening the impact of PACT EAC through

promoting holistic approaches in the EAC to deal with climate change, food

security and trade; building on the success at Bali to contribute to the revival of

the multilateral trading system through substantive and technical support to

developing country delegates and improving their linkages with their capitals and

grassroots; and promoting broader stakeholder participation in trade-related

policy making and implementation to contribute to inclusive development in LDCs

and developing countries.

Rashid S. Kaukab

Director, CUTS International

June 2013

Geneva, Switzerland

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THE ORGANISATION

The Organisation

BRIEF HISTORY

CUTS International, Geneva (hereinafter referred to as

CUTS Geneva) was established as CUTS Geneva

Resource Centre in November 2007 as a non-profit

NGO under the relevant Swiss and Geneva cantonal

laws. To better reflect its sphere of activities, it was

renamed as CUTS International in May 2011. CUTS

Geneva is part of the CUTS family of organisations.

Establishment of CUTS Geneva was the fulfilment of

the dream of Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General

CUTS, to have a credible, Southern, pro trade, pro

equity NGO voice in Geneva, the centre of multilateral

trade and other important international economic and

social discussion and negotiations. Based on the

unique advantages of CUTS, it aimed to link Geneva

with grassroots, Missions and International

Organisations with non-state actors, and trade with

other relevant issues (e.g. agriculture and food

security, climate change, competition, investment and

economic regulation, consumer protection, etc.) to

provide holistic analysis, solutions and services to all

relevant stakeholders with a view to promoting

development.

We have made a name for linking

people and issues in the world of

multilateral trade with their

counterparts in related policy

areas.

Potential beneficiaries of the work of CUTS Geneva

include all the key stakeholders in and from developing

countries: governments and inter-governmental

"CUT'S success in

addressing contemporary

development issues from

the grassroots to the

international policy arena,

has made it one of the

globally-noted

organizations."

Hanna S. Tetteh,

Minister of Foreign Affairs

and Regional Integration,

Ghana

11

THE ORGANISATION

organizations, parliamentarians, civil society organizations, and the private

sector.

CUTS Geneva completed all the formal requirements under the relevant

Swiss/Geneva cantonal laws, secured a well-located premises, and contracted a

small but well-qualified and dedicated staff in a short period of six months. It was

formally launched in July 2008 at an event in the presence of the representatives

of Geneva Mission, IGOs and NGOs.

The period of almost five years, i.e. from July 2008 till early 2013, can be divided

into two phases. The first phase of about three years focussed on consolidation.

During this period CUTS Geneva implemented two big projects (“Fostering

Equity and Accountability in the Trading System” funded by the William and Flora

Hewlett Foundation of the US and “Building an Inclusive East African

Community” with funding support from the GTZ of Germany); established formal

and informal links with many other IGOs and NGOs, demonstrated the need of its

credible and neutral work, and established itself as an important actor in Geneva.

The second phase that is still continuing is one of strategic growth based on the

unique advantages of CUTS to fill in the gaps while avoiding duplication. Several

new projects are undertaken (e.g. “Facilitating Equitable Agricultural

Development in sub-Saharan Africa “ funded by the Hewlett Foundation of the

US, preparation and publication of a Negotiators’ Handbook funded by the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden and FES of Germany, “Promoting

Agriculture-Climate-Trade Linkages in the EAC” with funding support from the

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency); research and

analytical studies are prepared (e.g. for the ITC, the Commonwealth Secretariat,

GTZ, etc.); tailored and demand-driven services are provided to groups of

developing countries (e.g. work on EIF and A4T, support to LDCs particularly in

preparations for the LDC IV held in 2011, establishment and regular functioning

of informal forums for SAARC, EAC, Eastern and Southern Africa, and Western

African countries); and bridges are built among various groups of stakeholders

(e.g. state and non-state actors, developing and developed countries, Geneva

and grassroots).

CUTS Geneva is now well-positioned to play a positive role to support

international economic dialogue, strengthen the multilateral trading system, and

provide the much-needed services to developing and Least-Developed countries

on issues and their interlinkages related to international trade, competition and

investment, agriculture and food security, environment and climate change,

governance and regulatory reform, and consumer protection.

12

THE ORGANISATION

The role and services of CUTS Geneva are based on its unique advantages: the

only Southern NGO in Geneva with linkages with the grassroots in developing

countries, holistic approach to issues, neutral and objective analysis, needs-

based and demand-driven services, and efficient, cost-effective and accountable

operations.

STRATEGY

Vision

To pursue social justice and economic equity within and across borders by

persuading governments and empowering people”

Mission

To establish and promote a pro-trade pro-equity credible Southern NGO voice as

well as the means to achieve this in the policy making circles working on trade

and development and other related issues in Geneva.

Goal and objectives

The goal of CUTS International Geneva is to contribute to the achievement of

development and poverty alleviation through trade and investment in their

economic, environmental, social and political dimensions. Specific objectives

include:

Improving inclusivity in relevant policy-making processes and decisions

through better participation of developing countries’ stakeholders

including the grassroots

Building capacity of policy-makers, negotiators, and other important

stakeholders through demand-driven and need-based research and

analysis and training

Contributing to deeper and broader understanding of relevant issues

through targeted and research-based outputs

Enhancing policy coherence at all levels through the analysing of and

raising the profile of pertinent issue linkages

Facilitating mutual learning through information and knowledge sharing

in networks

Stimulating common interests among developed and developing

countries through advocacy, dialogues and networking

13

THE ORGANISATION

Programme Areas

Based on the knowledge, expertise and experience built up over the past years,

our new Business Plan 2013-2017 has established the thematic focus of CUTS

Geneva work programme as the following:

Global South & Multilateral Trade

Regional Integration & South-South Cooperation

Regulatory Reforms

Linkages for Holistic Policies

Empowering Stakeholders

GOVERNANCE

The main organs of CUTS International Geneva are the General Assembly, the

Executive Committee, the Stakeholder Forum and the Secretariat.

General Assembly

The General Assembly comprises eight members, including its President,

Secretary and Treasurer. The General Assembly meets at least once a year.

Under circumstances requiring urgent action, decisions by circular letter,

telephone or email conference are admissible. The General Assembly takes its

decisions by consensus. If there is no consensus then decisions shall be taken

by a simple majority of those present.

Mr. Philippe Brusick, Chairman Former Head Competition Branch, UNCTAD

Mr. Pradeep S. Mehta, Member Secretary-General CUTS

Mr. Rashid S. Kaukab, Secretary Director CUTS International Geneva

Mr. Bipul Chattopadhyay, Treasurer Deputy Executive Director CUTS

14

THE ORGANISATION

Prof. Lichia Saner-Yiu, Member President Centre for Socio-Eco-Nomic Development

Carlos A. Primo Braga, Member Director of The Evian Group@IMD

Mr. Khalil Hamdani, Member Visiting Professor Pakistan Institute for Development Economics of Islamabad

Dr. Anh-Nga Tran-Nguyen, Member Growth and Development Bridge, Geneva

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee of CUTS International, Geneva is composed of five

persons and is headed by the President of the General Assembly. The Director is

ex-officio member of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee meets

twice a year. For decisions to be valid, at least half of the Executive Committee

members must be present. By mutual agreement, decisions by circular letter,

telephone or email conference are admissible. Decisions of the Executive

Committee are taken by consensus. If there is no consensus then decisions shall

be taken by a simple majority of those present.

Mr. Philippe Brusick, Chairman Former Head Competition Branch, UNCTAD

Mr. Pradeep S. Mehta, Member Secretary-General CUTS

Prof. Lichia Saner-Yiu, Member President Centre for Socio-Eco-Nomic Development

Mr. Bipul Chattopadhyay, Member Deputy Executive Director CUTS

Mr. Rashid S. Kaukab, Member Secretary (Non-Voting) Director CUTS International Geneva

15

THE ORGANISATION

Secretariat

The Secretariat is managed by the Director of CUTS International Geneva. The

duties of the Director include the preparation of annual programme of work for

approval by the Executive Committee, the management of CUTS International

Geneva in accordance with the administrative and financial rules, the

implementation of the decisions of the General Assembly and the Executive

Committee, resource mobilisation, and providing strategic leadership.

Stakeholder forum

The Stakeholder Forum monitors the activities of CUTS International Geneva

and offers advice to the Executive Committee and General Assembly. Current

membership of this forum includes 20 representatives of inter-governmental

organisations, non-governmental organisations, developing and developed

country missions in Geneva, relevant government agencies in capitals,

academics, and the media.

The Team

Rashid S. Kaukab

Director

Josiane Rufener

Administrative Officer

Julian Mukiibi

Senior Programme Officer

Julien Grollier

Assistant Programme Officer

Krista Joosep

Assistant Programme Officer

Nathan Sologny

Research Trainee

The following voluntary interns, engaged during the course of the year have also

made valuable contributions: Karia Sekumbo, Max Hasan, Hannah Leigh,

Danièle Stübi, Marietta Angeli, Carolin Ehrensperger, Shashay Tadesse, Valeria

d’Agostino, Anna Brezhneva, David Schwebel, Diana Hughes, Leslie Debornes,

Matthias Maltha.

16

THE ORGANISATION

ACCOUNTABILITY

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency and

accountability to both our beneficiaries and donors. This is why we have adopted

policies and rules on procurement, finance and accounting, fraud prevention,

donor-recipient relationship and service rules.

Our financial management systems are robust and have handled multi-million US

Dollar projects. Our accounts are audited annually by an independent auditor

affiliated to the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), and special

project audits are also undertaken when required.

CUTS International, Geneva receives funding from a range of donors, including

government agencies, multilateral institutions and foundations. Funding may be

unrestricted or directed to specific projects or programmes.

OUR OUTREACH

New website

In January 2014, CUTS Geneva launched a

new website, organised around our different

areas of work. It is regularly being populated

with press releases, events, reports,

pictures, advocacy documents and other

materials in order for it to be an effective

outreach and communication tool. Besides

this, CUTS Geneva continues maintaining

the website and social network dedicated to

the PACT EAC project.

http://www.cuts-geneva.org

Mailing list

The mailing list is a key element of CUTS Geneva’s outreach and is regularly

updated as new networking activities take place. With a 33% growth this year,

the list now contains about 2’700 trade and development stakeholders from both

developed and developing countries.

17

THE ORGANISATION

Mailing list composition by category

Media Relations

Press relations have also been taken to a higher level this year with a number of

press outlets and TV channels reporting CUTS Geneva’s work, as a result of

sustained efforts to build relationships with selected journalists. Press releases

are still prepared and released promptly after every event.

This year, CUTS Geneva’s work was reported in about 30 press articles and

about 15 times on TV daily news.

18

THE ORGANISATION

CUTS Geneva in Action

Every quarter, CUTS Geneva releases an update of its latest

activities, publications, events etc.

CUTS' 30th Anniversary Lectures: Pascal Lamy and Supachai Panitchpakdi

On July 9, 2013 the Thought Leadership lectures to celebrate CUTS’ 30th

anniversary were delivered by Pascal Lamy, Director-General WTO, and

Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General UNCTAD, at the margins of the 4th

Aid for Trade Global Review. Frederic Jenny, Chairman of the OECD

Competition Law and Policy Commission, moderated the event. These 30th

Anniversary Lectures were live streamed on the internet so they could be

followed live from all over the world. The video record is also available at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxqAp30zal8

New brochure

Brand-building has also been improved with a new brochure in

line with CUTS Geneva’s programme areas as outlined in the

new Business Plan 2013-2017.

19

THE ORGANISATION

20

GLOBAL SOUTH & MULTILATERAL TRADE

Global South &

Multilateral Trade

CUTS Geneva was founded to place the CUTS

family of organisations at the centre of multilateral

trade negotiations and become a Southern voice in

Geneva.

The rules-based World Trade Organization is facing

formidable challenges and the multilateral trading

system is under serious threat of becoming weaker.

This must be avoided as it is a critical global public

good. A strong, rule-based, and equitable WTO is in

the interest of both the developed and developing

countries.

The need of the hour is to increase the engagement of

all stakeholders in the WTO and not to withdraw due to

the slow pace of negotiations. It is particularly

important to facilitate the participation and integration

of developing countries as they comprise the vast

majority of the WTO membership and their support to

it can be the main source of strength in the 21st

century.

We assist developing country negotiators

in the WTO, while connecting them to

non-state actors in the Global South.

We also collaborate regularly with international

organizations in trade-related capacity building

initiatives such as Aid for Trade and the Enhanced

Integrated Framework.

"CUTS has become a truly

global institution respected

by governments and civil

society alike"

Pascal Lamy,

Director General World

Trade Organization (2005-

2013)

21

GLOBAL SOUTH & MULTILATERAL TRADE

As an observer to the WTO and UNCTAD, we

organise and participate in a variety of public

meetings with a view to bring our lessons from the

ground into multilateral debates. CUTS has

participated in all WTO Ministerial Conferences

since the creation of the organization, and this year

was not an exception.

SUPPORTING WTO NEGOTIATORS

Given both the challenges and the

benefits that the multilateral trading

system holds for development, we

focus on empowering developing

country negotiators to effectively

advance their interests in WTO negotiations. We

therefore serve as a platform for exchange and

interaction between negotiators and experts, civil

society and others.

We hold regular consultations with developing

country negotiators of the same region to respond to

their expressed needs. In particular, CUTS’ bi-

monthly EAC Geneva Forum brings together East

African negotiators to discuss WTO issues of

common interest and provide them technical

support. Below is a summary of the forum meetings

held this year.

The Bali Trade Facilitation Outcomes and the

Road Ahead

Jan. 29, 2014. At the 14th EAC Geneva Forum ,

country updates notes provided by the EAC capital-

based partners on “Implementation of the Trade

Facilitation Agreement from the EAC stakeholders’

perspective” were discussed, as well as an issue

paper was on the “9th Ministerial Conference: Trade

Facilitation Outcomes and the Road Ahead”.

“I would like to appreciate

what CUTS in Geneva is doing

to assist the EAC countries in

developing trade related-

issues.”

Christopher Onyanga Aparr

Permanent Representative,

Ambassador of Uganda to the

UN and the WTO in Geneva

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GLOBAL SOUTH & MULTILATERAL TRADE

WTO Bali Ministerial Outcomes And Priorities For The EAC

Dec. 11, 2013. The 13th EAC Geneva Forum was held on December 11th, 2013

to discuss the WTO Bali Ministerial outcomes and priorities therefrom for the

EAC. The other issues for discussion were an issue paper on “Emerging SME

and Consumers Trade Facilitation issues in LDCs” and country update notes on

the US-EAC Investment partnership.stakeholders’ perspective” were discussed.

An issue paper was also provided on the “9th Ministerial Conference: Trade

Facilitation Outcomes and the Road Ahead”. Delegates’ interventions focused on

the post-Bali agenda.

Processes & Issues towards the WTO Bali Ministerial Conference

Sep. 23, 2013. The 12th EAC Geneva Forum took place on the sidelines of the

second Regional Annual Meeting of the PACT EAC project in Kampala, Uganda.

In addition to the Geneva based EAC WTO delegates the forum was attended by

the PACT EAC Country partners. The meeting focused on the highlights and

ways forward from the five national studies of the PACT EAC project “Climate,

Food, Trade: Where is the Policy Nexus?” as presented by the country partners,

and an issue paper on the “Processes and Issues towards the WTO Bali

Ministerial Conference” as presented by CUTS International.

Geographical Indications: Establishing and applying an effective protection

system in the EAC countries

Jul. 18, 2013. The 11th EAC Geneva Forum meeting under the PACT EAC

project was held on 16 July 2013. At the meeting under discussion were two

topics: one on “Geographical Indications (GI) – Establishing and applying an

effective protection system in the EAC countries” and second on “Strategizing for

the UNFCCC COP 19 in November 2013 in Warsaw – the view from the EAC

countries.”

AGOA and the EAC: A re-look after 13 years of Africa-US trade relations

May. 28, 2013. The 10th EAC Forum meeting under the PACT-EAC project was

held on Tuesday 28th May 2013. The issues under deliberation were EAC

member country perspectives on the African Growth and Opportunity Act

(AGOA) preferences and the impacts they have had on their respective countries

to-date; as well as Trade Facilitation scenarios in EAC.

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GLOBAL SOUTH & MULTILATERAL TRADE

Publication

French edition of “Reflections

from the Frontline: Developing

Country Negotiators in the WTO”

Two years after its

first edition in

English, “Reflections

from the Frontline:

Developing Country

Negotiators in the WTO” is now available

in French. This edition contains several

new features, including a new chapter on

the cotton initiative. The authors, past

and present developing country

negotiators, take the reader through the

evolution of the negotiations of the Doha

round and are best placed to provide us

a view “from the frontline”.

http://bit.ly/1kiHX58

Advocacy

Call for an EAC Bloc in WTO

Negotiations

Despite the

establishment of both

a customs union and

a common market,

the EAC member

states are still

represented individually in WTO

negotiations. We argue that there is now

a momentum for the EAC as a customs

territory to become a member on its own

and act on behalf of its five member

states, which would substantially

increase their bargaining power. An

urgent must-do towards achieving this is

the adoption at the national level of the

2007 East African Trade Negotiation

Act. http://bit.ly/1kiHXSG

Geographical Indications: How

can East African agriculture

benefit more?

Aug 01, 2013. The TRIPS Agreement

provides for the protection of

Geographical Indications (GIs). Since all

the EAC countries are contracting

parties to the TRIPS, they are

responsible to make available a GI

protection system for the registration of

products. So far in the EAC only

Burundi, Rwanda and Zanzibar have a

sui generis GI system in place and only

very few products have been registered

as GIs, even though numerous benefits

may arise from the registration, such as

important value addition within the

region.

http://bit.ly/1kiHXSH

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GLOBAL SOUTH & MULTILATERAL TRADE

TRADE FACILITATION

This year, expectations regarding a potential trade facilitation outcome in WTO

negotiations have progressively built up as the WTO Bali Ministerial Conference

was approaching. CUTS contributed to the debates in the run-up to the

conference, and advocated for addressing the specific interests of SMEs and

consumers.

In fact, SMEs are the “traders” that have less capacity to overcome customs,

documentation and infrastructure barriers while remaining the larger employer in

both developed and developing countries. They have specific needs and

considerations that still need to be addressed, whether in the WTO trade

facilitation agreement or in the national implementation phase.

Event | WTO Public Forum

Trade Facilitation: Addressing Consumer and SME Interests and Concerns

in Developing Countries

Oct 03, 2013. This workshop organised by CUTS International

aimed to identify key issues of interest to consumers and SMEs

in trade facilitation, and how they are being considered in the

current WTO negotiations. It also discussed how trade

facilitation can contribute to consumer welfare and SME

competitiveness.

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GLOBAL SOUTH & MULTILATERAL TRADE

Briefing Papers

Trade Facilitation as a Means to

Improve SME Competitiveness

and Consumer Welfare

The briefing paper

outlines the potential

benefits of the WTO

Trade Facilitation

Agreement (TFA)

from the perspective

of the LDC and developing country

consumers and small and medium-size

enterprises (SMEs). The consumers are

expected to benefit from general cuts to

prices of goods while the SMEs should

benefit from more predictable

administrative procedures and

formalities, which currently create

disproportional disadvantages to them.

The concerns and needs of LDCs and

developing countries are also outlined

that require urgent, substantial and

demand-driven capacity building

assistance and balanced

implementation of TFA.

http://bit.ly/1aGBM4b

A Case of Implementing Trade

Facilitation Measures in LDCs

The paper makes a case for

implementing trade facilitation measures

in LDCs that would provide opportunities

for expanding supply-side capacity and

trade-related infrastructure; allowing

them to take greater advantage of trade

liberalization. This can potentially help to

break the cycle of low productivity and

investment that hinder economic

expansion and competitiveness. The

time it takes to import a container in

Africa (37 days) versus East Asia (22

days) reveals the competitive edge that

Trade Facilitation is capable of

providing.

http://bit.ly/1zrE2F5

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GLOBAL SOUTH & MULTILATERAL TRADE

THE BALI WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE

CUTS Geneva actively participated in the Ninth WTO

Ministerial Conference organised in December 2013 in Bali,

Indonesia. After years of uncompromising stances that

continuously culminated in collapsed negotiations and less

than optimum outcomes, the Bali Ministerial marked the first

substantive breakthrough for the WTO since the launch of the

Doha Round in 2001. At Bali, members of the WTO agreed on a package that

included three important issues under the Doha Development Agenda (DDA):

trade facilitation, some agriculture issues including public stockholding for food

security measures, and development and least-developed country issues.

CUTS @Bali Daily Bulletin

Every day, people around the world

were able to track the conference’s

proceedings thanks to our daily

bulletin disseminated every night to

thousands of interested

stakeholders. CUTS’ daily bulletin

provided highlights of plenary

discussions, negotiations insights,

reporting on side events etc.

“Thank you for your news from

Bali. Let's hope that there will be

found a common ground for

especially key questions on food

security.”

Philbert Ntibitangira,

Burundi

Event | WTO Ministerial Conference

Trade Facilitation: Identifying and Addressing SMEs and Consumers'

Needs and Considerations

Dec 04, 2013. The main objective of this side event to the 9th

WTO Ministerial Conference was to identify what are the key

issues of interest to consumers and SMEs in TF in light of the

experience of Members, international cooperation agencies and

other key stakeholders. The event also explored regulatory and

institutional options to respond to those needs and considerations and on how a

potential WTO TF outcome could contribute to consumer welfare and SMEs

competitiveness.

27

GLOBAL SOUTH & MULTILATERAL TRADE

Advocacy

Media interviews

Throughout the conference,

considerable number of media across

the world contacted CUTS for their

views on the chances of successful

outcome of Bali ministerial. Pradeep S

Mehta spoke with some of the well-

known broadcasting media such as BBC

News, Al Jazeera and TV Globo.

Press releases

Who is going to be the spoilsport, if at all

Dec. 4, 2013. “Blaming India is the

flavour of the week, but is that right”,

said Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary

General of CUTS International and

Member of the WTO’s High Level Panel

on the Future of Trade here today on the

second day of the 9th WTO Ministerial,

while speaking to the press here today...

We need a Bali accord: Friends of MTS

Dec. 5, 2013. A coalition of pro-trade

NGOs: “Friends of the Multilateral

Trading System” from around the world

led by CUTS International have

appealed to WTO members to arrive at

a deal at Bali, rather than not.

So Close, Yet So Far

Dec. 6, 2013. “Let there be no encore of

July, 2008, when WTO members had

come close to signing a deal on the

Doha Development Agenda”, said

Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General of

CUTS International and former member

of the WTO’s High Level Panel on the

Future of Trade in the 21st Century.

“There was no deal on the full package

of the DDA at Geneva in 2008, and the

efforts now to get a small package face

the same gloomy prospects”.

Multilateralism Survives

Dec. 7, 2013. “The Bali package struck

today is a win of multilateralism and

would go a long way in the history of

trading system”, said Pradeep S Mehta,

the Secretary General of CUTS

International and former member of the

WTO High Level Panel on the Future of

Trade in the 21st Century. He stated

that the Bali deal has restored

confidence in the multilateral trading

system and it is not just a win for the

WTO but the entire developing world.

28

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

Regionalism &

Cooperation

We support regional integration and promote

experience-sharing through inter-regional

cooperation projects in the South.

Beginning as an Indian NGO, CUTS International has

expanded its project activities and physical presence to

other countries and regions, to unlock the potential of

South-South cooperation, not only among civil society

organizations but also governments and business

communities.

South-South cooperation remains an extremely

significant process in contemporary international

development and continues to motivate CUTS. Our

approach to South-South cooperation has been shaped

further by the philosophy of trilateral development

cooperation: provision of technical assistance between

Southern countries funded by a Northern donor.

CUTS International, Geneva further contributes to

regional integration efforts, which allows developing

countries to benefit to a greater extent from

globalisation by providing larger economic spaces,

alignment of policies, pooling of resources and a

stronger voice in international policy making.

We see regional integration as a building

block towards global integration, which

should not lead to fragmented world and

"regional fortresses".

In this spirit, our projects tend to adopt a regional

approach. CUTS International, Geneva has worked in

cooperation with regional institutions and their member

"I am glad that CUTS is a

partner in our agenda for

integration and

development, including our

collaboration in EAC

agriculture - climate

change- trade linkages and

the EAC Geneva Forum. I

thank you for this

partnership."

Richard Sezibera,

Secretary-General East

African Community

Secretariat

29

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

countries, to build relationships with and between governments, trade

negotiators, the civil society and businesses of different parts of the world.

BIEAC: EVALUATING OUR IMPACT

Four years down the road, CUTS International is

undertaking an evaluation of its project “Building an

Inclusive East African Community” (BIEAC) that was

completed in 2010.

In 2008-2010, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale

Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) of Germany provided funding

support to CUTS for building the capacity of East African CSOs to better

participate and engage in the EAC integration process, as well as Economic

Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations with the European Union (EU). In

fact, very few CSOs were engaged on trade issues at this time. Issues examined

under the project included regional migration, informal cross-border trade, tax

policy and regulatory harmonization, non-tariff barriers, accession of Burundi and

Rwanda to the EAC, competition law among other trade opportunities and

challenges in the region.

In 2013, GIZ commissioned CUTS to establish the extent to which CSOs have

been involved in EAC, EPA and COMESA-SADC-EAC negotiations since the

completion of the project. Interviews were conducted in March 2014 with all

relevant stakeholder in the five member countries of the EAC, as well as the EAC

Secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania. Stakeholders indicated that thanks to the BIEAC

project CSOs in the region have since been more actively involved in the EAC

integration process and have achieved a number of successes through effective

advocacy. These findings will be compiled in an evaluation report expected for

June 2014.

30

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

AID FOR TRADE

CUTS has for several years been actively involved in Aid for Trade and the

Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), including through implementing capacity-

building projects in LDCs.

Since August 2013, CUTS Geneva is closely involved in the implementation of

the Enhanced Integrated Framework (therefore Aid for Trade) through its EIF

sPokes project. Under this project, CUTS Geneva is designing and piloting a

capacity-building module for EIF National Implementation Units in Zambia, Nepal

and Burkina Faso. This will help them improve the participation of Non-State

Actors in EIF activities and trade-related public-private dialogues more generally.

More details are provided in the section “Empowering Stakeholders”.

In Geneva this year, the Fourth Global Review of Aid for Trade organised around

the theme “Connecting to value chains” was an opportunity for international

organizations, the private sector, governments, civil society and academia to

discuss the changing nature of value chains and how developing countries,

especially LDCs can best derive value from them.

CUTS participated in this year's Global Review and organised an event themed

“Aid for Trade, Regional and Global Value Chains and the Role of Trilateral

Cooperation”.

Event | 4th Global Aid for Trade Review

Aid for Trade, Regional and Global Value Chains and the Role of Trilateral

Cooperation

Jul 09, 2013. Multi-stakeholder coordination is inherent to the

Trilateral Development Cooperation model of implementing aid

projects, which provides an ideal platform for regional Aid for

Trade projects. It goes far beyond simple tripartite aid initiatives

involving donors from developed and developing regions and

recipient countries. It involves participation of a wide range of stakeholders in

various capacities. In this session, the state of regional value chains in selected

developing regions, particularly in South Asia, Eastern and Southern Africa and

in Mercosur, and possibilities of linking them with global value chains, were

explored.

31

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

32

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

Linkages for Holistic

Policies

We analyse and sensitize about the linkages

existing across economic sectors and issues like

trade, agriculture, the environment etc. This is to

"break silos" towards more holistic and coherent

policies.

International trade offers a chance for producers to

specialise in production that maximises efficiency and

buffers against domestic shocks or natural disasters.

However, this requires that domestic trade policies are

in line not only with international trade agreements but

also with other related domestic policies. It is how

these policies work together that constitutes the key to

sustainable development.

Trade policy does not take place in a vacuum and

needs to consider reforms and changes in other parts

of the economy to be effective and contribute to

development. Our work aims to think outside pre-

defined boxes and link issues, such as climate change,

food security and agriculture with trade. Sector-specific

policies have far-ranging effects through their linkages

across specific sectors and issues. A key task therefore

is to understand these linkages, improve

communication and coordination among stakeholder,

and develop holistic policies.

We strive to "break silos" towards more

holistic and coherent policies.

This "breaking of silos" is at the heart of CUTS

International's know how, which it undertakes not only

at the national but also the international level.

“I thank CUTS International

for championing the

promotion of linkages

between climate, food and

trade for better planning

within the EAC region”

Hon. Flavia Nabugere

Munaaba,

Minister of State for Water

and Environment, Uganda

33

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

Training

THE PACT EAC PROJECT

In the next decades, the critical situation of food security in the

East African Community is expected to aggravate as climate

change worsens in a region where most of East Africans rely

on agriculture for their living. Early action and adoption of

sound policies harnessing the potential role of trade is a must.

Through a project entitled “Promoting Agriculture-Climate-

Trade Linkages in the East African Community” (PACT EAC), CUTS International

Geneva and its partners throughout the region aim to contribute to this process.

The project was launched in October 2011 and is funded by the Swedish

International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Through an integrated set of research-based advocacy, networking and training

activities and by linking grassroots with Geneva, the project seeks to build human

and institutional capacity of East African Community (EAC) stakeholders to help

them take better advantage of international trade for their growth and

development and poverty reduction, particularly in the context of climate change.

Climate, Food, Trade: Developing

Coherent Policies and

Programmes

This year, CUTS

collaborated with the

Trade Policy Training

Centre in Africa

(trapca) to deliver

national and regional training

programmes on “Climate, Food, Trade:

Developing Coherent Policies and

Programmes”. The workshops built

policy makers and other stakeholders’

capacities to initiate, formulate, revise

and monitor programmes and policies

cutting across the three issues.

Certificates of competence were

delivered to participants having

successfully completed the course.

34

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

Event | PACT EAC Project

Promoting Food Security through Climate Smart Agriculture and Policy

Coherence

Mar. 04, 2014. The five national multi-stakeholder meetings

held throughout May 2014 took forward advocacy campaigns

for the inclusion of climate issues in trade policy and

negotiations (Rwanda, Uganda); inclusion of trade issues in

environmental policy (Tanzania); and stronger climate early

warning systems (Burundi, Kenya). Participants also discussed existing gaps in

research and capacity building related to agriculture, climate change and trade,

to which future interventions should be directed.

Event | PACT EAC Project

Climate, Food, Trade: Bringing Coherence into East African Policy

Responses

Sep. 23, 2013. From 23 to 24 September, leaders from diverse

backgrounds coming from all parts of the East African

Community (EAC) gathered in Kampala to take forward several

recommendations made by the PACT EAC Project - a CUTS

International Geneva-led regional initiative that aims to build

capacities in the region for more coordinated policies at the interplay of trade,

climate change and food security, and strengthen Geneva-grassroots linkages.

Event | PACT EAC Project

Climate, Food, Trade: Campaigning for Change

Jun. 24, 2013. From June 24 to July 29, partners in Burundi,

Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda launched advocacy

campaigns for promoting a more harmonious policy framework

on issues at the interface of trade, climate change and food

security. These campaigns launched on the occation of the

fourth National Reference Group meetings of CUTS International's PACT EAC

Project focus on key recommendations of national research studies released in

March under the title “Climate, Food, Trade: Where is the Policy Nexus?”.

35

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

Publication

Climate, Food, Trade: Where is

the Policy Nexus? – Lessons

from the East African Community

This synthesis report

summarises the

findings of five

national research

studies in East Africa that aimed at

outlining a more coherent policy

framework at the interface of climate

change, food security and trade...

http://bit.ly/1dsIc9d

CONTRIBUTION TO KENYA ENVIRONMENT

POLICY

In Kenya, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (MEWNR)

adopted the National Environment Policy in 2013. According Mr Paul Kere,

Director Policy Formulation Interpretation and Implementation in MEWNR, the

PACT EAC project materials, especially research study reports, have been used

as references for this policy on climate, food and trade linkages.

More specifically, a dedicated section (section 5.2) on “Trade and Environment”

expressly states, inter alia, that “The Government will mainstream environmental

considerations into the National Trade Policy.” Mr Kere is a member of the Kenya

National Reference Group under PACT EAC and was also a reviewer of the

Kenya research study.

CAMPAIGNS FOR EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS

In Kenya and Burundi, enhancing early warning systems has become a priority

for advocacy under the PACT EAC project as extreme weather conditions have

affected agricultural productivity, and directly affected farmers’ livelihoods.

36

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

In Burundi for instance, the region of Bujumbura experienced the worst floods in

30 years which, besides many lost lives, took farmers by surprise and destroyed

crops. This demonstrates the urgent need to implement information and early

warning system for producers and traders, as had been already proposed by the

Ministry of Agriculture. CUTS’ project partner (ADIR) therefore launched an

advocacy campaign which managed to bring together the Head of Weather

forecasting at the Ministry of Environment and an expert in the Ministry of

Agriculture to collaborate on a pilot early warning system for farmers that would

timely disseminate appropriate information through appropriate channels. The

draft mechanism was presented at a meeting on 12 March 2014 where it

received wide media coverage.

In Kenya, CUTS Geneva is joining hands with its sister organistion in Nairobi on

an advocacy campaign that will help to bridge the information dissemination gap

between the Kenya Meteorological Service (KMS) and stakeholders, especially

farmers, as well as promoted community-based early warning systems. The

campaign is taking advantage of the recent decentralization of meteorological

services whereby KMS County Directors have been appointed. This made it

possible to cooperate with Murang’a and Makueni County Directors in

awareness-raising activities directed to rural livelihoods.

Briefing Paper

Early Warning System: A Critical

Aspect in Promoting Agricultural

Productivity in the Face of

Climate Change

This briefing paper suggests a number

of good practices that Kenya could learn

from in improving its early warning

system.

In spite of strides in the Meteorological

service, Kenya still has inadequate

systems to warn farmers on climate

changes. As a result, farmers are

exposed to extreme weather conditions

i.e. drought/floods which undermines

farming.

http://bit.ly/1hSYOXK

37

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

Advocacy

Timely Knowing What Threatens

Our Cultures Will Help us Protect

Them.

This Action alert in

French calls for

urgently devising and

implementing an

agro-climatic early warning system for

Burundian farmers and traders. In

February 2014, the region of Bujumbura

experienced the worst floods in 30

years. These have cost many lives and

worsened an already precarious food

situation. This catastrophe demonstrates

the urgent need to implement such

information and early warning systems.

http://bit.ly/1kiHX58

INFLUENCING RWANDA TRADE POLICY

REVISION

In Rwanda, where the National Trade Policy is currently under review, CUTS’

partner in Rwanda (RCSP) is implementing an advocacy campaign under the

PACT EAC project to lobby for the inclusion of climate change issues in the

Trade Policy, as well as representation of Rwanda Environmental Management

Authority (REMA) in the National Trade Policy Forum (NTPF) to work on the

issue.

As a result, a joint lobby committee

comprising representatives of the

Ministry of Trade and REMA has

been setup to work on the issue in

March 2014. The government has

publicly announced that it is

reviewing the National Trade Policy

to address new challenges,

especially those posed by climate

change, and has acknowledged that

the current trade policy does not

directly show the linkage between

trade and climate change. The

announcement was widely covered

by the media.

“The government is reviewing the

national trade policy to address

new challenges, especially those

posed by climate change.”

John Mwesige,

Trade Negotiator at

the Ministry of Trade

and Industry,

Rwanda

38

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

CHARCOAL TRADE AND DEFORESTATION

In Tanzania, CUTS Geneva is partnering with the Economic and Social Research

Foundation (ESRF) on an advocacy campaign for the government to tackle

deforestation through stronger regulation of the informal charcoal trading sector.

As the Tanzania Forest Policy is being reviewed, the campaign voiced concerns

in an Action Alert that “weak governance has led the charcoal industry to become

the second main cause of deforestation in the country”. Several

recommendations of the alert were discussed in a meeting between ESRF and

the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT), which promised to

incorporate recommendations from the alert in the revised policy. CUTS and

ESRF will closely monitor how these are being integrated over the coming year.

Advocacy

Managing Biomass Trade in

Tanzania to Tackle Deforestation

In Tanzania,

unsustainable and

inefficient biomass

production has led to

deforestation

and soil degradation, thereby putting

livelihoods at risk. The Government

through the Ministry of Tourism and

Natural Resources, Regional

Secretariat, and District Councils should

support measures geared towards

sustainable charcoal production.

http://bit.ly/1lqZojz

LINKAGES IN MULTILATERAL DEBATES

The "breaking of silos" is at the heart of our know-how, which we undertake not

only at the national but also the international level. In fact, international

organisations often tend to work within their narrow areas of specialisation

without adequate knowledge-exchange and collaboration with other relevant

international organisations. This is why our participation in this year’s UNCTAD

39

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

Public Symposium tackled the issue of linking multilateral trade and investment

debates. This is also why we participated in the first ever Global Landscapes

Forum on the sidelines of the UNFCCC CMP/COP19 in Warsaw, Poland which

linked environmental and agricultural issues.

Event | UNCTAD Public Symposium

Towards a Multilateral Consensus on Trade and Investment: Bali and

Beyond

Jun 25, 2013. This breakout session during the UNCTAD Public

Symposium 2013 brought together relevant stakeholders to

discuss a Multilateral Consensus on Trade and Investment that

would lead to a balanced world economy in the long term, while

guiding preparations for Bali Ministerial in the immediate term.

Balanced and fair trade and investment rules are a pre-requisite for a balanced

world economy characterised by substantially reduced poverty, job creation, and

access to essential services. However, development of such rules requires inputs

from, participation of, and ownership by all relevant stakeholders who too often

work in their respective silos – a situation that must be reversed by encouraging

and organising multi-stakeholder discussions. This is urgent as the preparations

for the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Bali, Indonesia in December

2013 pick gears which will be an important occasion to shape a Multilateral

Consensus for balanced and fair multilateralism.

Event | WTO Public Forum

The Neglected Imperative in Trade and Development: Innovation as a

Growth Strategy for the Global South

CUTS International and the Organisation Internationale de la

Francophonie organised this session that examined the

relationship between innovation and trade in developing and

least-developed countries, with an emphasis on Francophone

nations.

40

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

Representation

Participation in CMP/COP19

November 16, 2014. CUTS Geneva participated in the first-ever Global

Landscapes Forum on the sidelines of the UNFCCC COP19 at the University of

Warsaw, Poland. This forum allowed the agricultural and the forest policy

communities to come together and was a landmark evolution in thinking as forest

and farming are intimately interlinked.

Advocacy

Agriculture at COP19: It is Time

for Emerging Powers to Lead!

Nov 01, 2013. Diverging interests in

climate talks have left potential

agreements over climate change and

agriculture at an impasse. While

developed countries favor an approach

centered on mitigation, developing

countries strongly advocate for an

adaptation-oriented approach that would

provide them with enough support to

preserve their agriculture in the face of

climate change. While COP 19 may

provide a window of opportunity for a

positive move on adaptation, active

support by emerging powers will be

necessary to achieve meaningful

results.

http://bit.ly/1aAavvw

41

REGIONALISM & COOPERATION

42

EMPOWERING STAKEHOLDERS

Empowering

Stakeholders

Policy-making should not be the preserve of a few

if they are to balance interests and be owned by the

people. This is why we help relevant stakeholders

navigate and participate in policy processes.

CUTS activities and interventions extend to all groups

of consumers, and emphasise supporting marginalised

groups by empowering and facilitating their

participation in economic governance. Thus, the

objective is to enhance the sovereignty of all groups of

consumers and the pursuit for social justice and

economic equality.

The involvement of relevant stakeholders also benefits

the policy-making and implementation processes by

bringing in invaluable knowledge and insights, balance

various interests, and by creating a sense of

ownership. Our expertise in stakeholder empowerment

includes awareness-raising and promotion of

transparency, building multi-stakeholder networks and

assessing the inclusiveness of policy making

processes.

This year, CUTS Geneva started a capacity-builing

project to improve Non-State Actors’ participation in

Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) and related

trade mainstreaming processes.

THE EIF SPOKES PROJECT

In August 2013, the EIF Executive Secretariat

commissionned CUTS Geneva to design and pilot a

capacity-building module for EIF National

Implementation Units in Zambia, Nepal and Burkina

“The findings and

analysis of the study

will go a long way in

terms of helping

stakeholders sharpen

their engagement in

the EIF process in

Zambia.”

Kelvin Kamayoyo,

National Trade Expert,

EIF National Implementation

Unit, Zambia

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EMPOWERING STAKEHOLDERS

Faso. This one-year project will help them improve the participation of Non-State

Actors in EIF activities and trade-related public-private dialogues more generally.

CUTS is therefore developing a methodology for an integrated set of activities

that will culminate in the collaborative development of a roadmap to address

country-specific challenges to NSAs’ engagement. This step-by-step

methodology also includes stakeholder mapping, outreach, situational

assessment, and engaging NSAs in a workshop towards a Roadmap.

The module was successfully piloted in Zambia in February 2014, wherey a

roadmap was adopted by all stakeholders. Over the coming months, the

experience of piloting in Nepal and Burkina Faso will also inform the creation of

an “EIF Guidebook on Effective Engagement of NSAs”, which will compile good

practices relevant for all LDCs. More information is avalable at www.cuts-

geneva.org/EIF_sPokes.html

Event | EIF sPokes Project

Non-State Actors in the EIF: Towards a Roadmap

Feb 12, 2014. This EIF sPokes capacity building workshop

aimed to present the findings of CUTS' assessment of practices

for engagement of Non-State Actors in the EIF, as well as

finalize and adopt a roadmap for addressing current challenges.

A refresher course on the importance of trade mainstreaming

for development was also delivered.

Training

Trade Mainstreaming for

Development in Zambia

In February 2014, the

EIF sPokes workshop

was an opportunity to

deliver a “refresher

course” to Zambian

stakeholders on trade

mainstreaming in order to ensure that

NSAs contextualise the initiative and are

able to actively provide insights beyond

the implementation of the module. This

short course discusses the role of trade

mainstreaming for development, and

explains trade policy mechanisms in the

country as well as ways for NSAs to

participate in them.

http://bit.ly/1r5TllH

44

EMPOWERING STAKEHOLDERS

Partnerships

As a vibrant advocate of South-South Cooperation, CUTS has been forming

and maintaining strategic alliances with like-minded organisations in over

40 countries, particularly in the developing world.

This has helped CUTS to work in trenches so as to reach out to a large

community of practitioners, policymakers and experts beyond its direct sphere of

influence. We contribute to the expansion of CUTS' networks by forming new

partnerships not only with non-state and state institutions in developing countries,

but also in Geneva with permanent missions, trade negotiators and

representatives of international organisations.

Our working methodology places emphasis on engaging with a multitude of local,

national and international stakeholders around the world. It is our close

involvement with stakeholders in the Global South that makes CUTS

International, Geneva, a credible Southern NGO voice in Geneva.

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

At the international and regional levels, we have established formal institutional

relationships with several International Governmental Organizations (IGOs)

which our work seeks to influence. Our work this year has contributed to

strengthening these relationships:

World Trade Organization (WTO): CUTS Geneva is an accredited

NGO to the WTO. This year, CUTS Geneva organised two events on

how trade facilitation can address consumers’ and SMEs’ interests as

part of the 9th Ministerial Conference and the WTO Public Forum.

Another CUTS session at the WTO Public Forum dealt with the theme

“The Neglected Imperative in Trade and Development: Innovation as a

Growth Strategy for the Global South”. In addition, CUTS was an active

participant to the 4th Global Review of Aid for Trade, where it organised

a session themed “Aid for Trade, Regional and Global Value Chains

and The Role of Trilateral Cooperation”.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD):

CUTS Geneva has an observer status with UNCTAD. This year, we

again participated in the UNCTAD Public Symposium through an event

titled “Towards a Multilateral Consensus on Trade and Investment: Bali

and Beyond”

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EMPOWERING STAKEHOLDERS

East African Community Secretariat (EAC): The implementation of

CUTS’ Memorandum of Understanding with the EAC Secretariat has

continued through the implementation of the PACT EAC Project. Among

other participations, the Deputy Secretary General addressed the 3rd

Regional Annual Meeting of the project.

Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF): Building on

their collaboration initiated on the French edition of the publication

“Reflections from the Frontline: Developing Country Negotiators in the

WTO”, CUTS and the OIF have taken their collaboration to a higher

level this year. Besides organising a joint event themed “The Neglected

Imperative in Trade and Development: Innovation as a Growth Strategy

for the Global South” at the WTO Public Forum, the two organisations

have undertaken to sign an MoU in the coming months.

REPRESENTATIONS

CUTS International Geneva was invited by a number of other inter-governmental

and non-governmental organisations in Geneva and elsewhere to participate and

make presentations to the meetings and events organized by them. These have

been good opportunities to present the interests and concerns of developing

countries on trade and development related issues to a wider audience and to

share the work and knowledge of CUTS.

DFID’s Trade Advocacy Fund

April 30, 2013. Rashid S Kaukab participated as a trainer in

DFID’s first Trade Advocacy Fund training seminar on WTO

issues in London, UK. The training seminar was designed to

enhance the capacity of senior trade negotiators, trade officials

and legal experts from TAF eligible beneficiary countries on

international

Commonwealth Secretariat

June 25, 2013. Rashid Kaukab made a presentation at the Commonwealth

Secretariat Workshop on “Multilateral Trade Issues: Developing Perspectives for

Small and Vulnerable Economies and Least Developed Countries”.

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EMPOWERING STAKEHOLDERS

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

October 23, 2013. Julian Mukiibi attended a GIZ workshop held at the Mandela

Institute, University of Witwatersrand South Africa on “Trade Perspectives in

Services Regulation”.

Washington International Trade Association

December 4, 2013. Rashid Kaukab was a speaker to a side event to the Bali WTO Ministerial Conference on “What will a post-Bali agenda for the WTO look like?”, organised by Washington International Trade Association.

Centre for Policy Dialogue

December 5, 2013. Rashid Kaukab was a speaker to a side event to the Bali

WTO Ministerial Conference on “Integrating trade issues in post-2015

international development framework”, which the Centre for Policy Dialogue was

co-organising.

Africa, Caribbean, Pacific Group of States (ACP)

January 22, 2014. Rashid Kaukab attended an ACP meeting on discuss Bali outcome and post-Bali issues.

March 11, 2014. Rashid Kaukab participated in an ACP Brainstorming and made a presentation on possible approaches for post-Bali work programme of the WTO. He contributed a paper titled “WTO Bali Ministerial Conference: An Outcome Evaluation and Suggestions for Way Forward for ACP States”.

OECD Global Forum on Competition

February 27, 2014. Julien Grollier participated in the OECD

Global Forum on Competition at Paris, France. The Forum

brought together over 100 different delegations to discuss issues

relating to fighting corruption, and competition issues in the

distribution of pharmaceuticals. A daily bulletin was issued to

keep stakeholders up-to-date around the world.

Connexion: Graduate Institute Careers Forum

March 8, 2014. CUTS International Geneva had a stand at the

Graduate Institute’s Career Forum, where Krista Joosep delivered

a presentation on its work. This career fair is an event organised

by the Graduate Institute for employers looking for potential

collaborators with an international profile as well as students and

graduates looking to jump start a career in the public, non-profit and private

sectors.

47

EMPOWERING STAKEHOLDERS

Lahore School of Economics

March 26, 2014. Rashid S. Kaukab participated in the 10th

annual conference on management of Pakistan's economy

organised by the Lahore School of Economics. In is presentation,

he provided a comprehensive overview of Regional Trade

Agreements (RTAs) and Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs)

around the world.

48

AUDIT REPORT

Audit Report

49

AUDIT REPORT

50

AUDIT REPORT

51

AUDIT REPORT

52

ANNEX 1: MEMBERS OF THE STAKEHOLDER FORUM

Annex 1: Members of the

Stakeholder Forum

IGOs

Dr. Edwin Laurent Former Adviser & Head-International, Trade and Regional Co-operation, Economic Affairs Division Commonwealth Secretariat Email:e.laurent@commonwealth.int Mr. David Luke Senior Advisor & Coordinator, Trade and Human Development Unit, UNDP 11-13, Chemin des Anémones, CH-1219, Châtelaine/GE, Switzerland E-mail: david.luke@undp.org Mr. Habib Ouane Former Director, Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes, UNCTAD E-mail : habib.ouane@unctad.org Mr. Shishir Priyadarshi Director, Development Division, WTO Rue de Lausanne 154, CH-1211, Geneva 21, Switzerland Email: shishir.priyadarshi@wto.org

CIVIL SOCIETY

Mr. Christophe Bellmann Programme Director, ICTSD 13, Chemin des Anemones, 1219, Geneva, Switzerland Email: cbellmann@ictsd.ch Ms. Nathalie Bernasconi Programme Leader, IISD

International Environment House 2, Chemin de Balexert 9 CH-1219 Châtelaine Geneva, Switzerland Email: nbernasconi@iisd.org Ms. Caroline Dommen Representative, Global Economic Issues, Quaker United Nations Office, Quaker House, Avenue du Mervelet 13, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland Email: cdommen@quno.ch Mr. Nicolas Imboden Executive Director, IDEAS Centre rue de l'Arquebuse 10, CH-1204 Geneva, Switzerland Email:nicolas.imboden@ideascentre.ch Ms. Maria Rosaria Iorio International Policy Analyst, TPCS Email: mariaiorio@bluewin.ch Mr. Geert Laporte Head of Institutional Relations & Partnerships, ECDPM Rue Archimede 5, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Email: gl@ecdpm.org

MEDIA

Mr. Dipankar De Sarkar Chief of European Bureau, Indo-Asian News Service, IANS India Private Limited 48, Beverley Gardens Wembley,Middx. HA9 9QZ, UK dd.sarkar@ians.in

53

Mr. D. Ravi Kanth Geneva Editor, Deccan Herald (India) & Washington Trade Policy 57 Rue Rothschild, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Email: drkanth@yahoo.com Mr. Alan Beattie World Trade Editor, Financial Times, Number One Southwark Bridge London SE1 9HL, UK Email: alan.beattie@ft.com Mr Jonathan Lynn World Trade Correspondent, Chief Correspondent, Geneva Reuters News, Geneva Email: Jonathan.lynn@thomsonreuters.com

ACADEMIC/

RESEARCH BODIES

Dr. Thomas Cottier Managing Director, World Trade Institute Hallerstrasse 6, 3012 Berne, Switzerland Email: thomas.cottier@wti.org

Dr. Joost Pauwelyn Co-Director, CTEI, GIIDS 132, rue de Lausanne, P.O. Box 136, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland Email: joost.pauwelyn@graduateinstitute.ch

GOVERNMENTS

Mr. Ujal Singh Bhatia Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the WTO Email:ujalsingh.bhatia@ties.itu.int Ms. Claire Durkin Formerly with the Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform Email: Claire.Durkin@bis.gsi.gov.uk Mr. Peter R. Janus Trade Counsellor, Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 31-33 Avenue Giuseppe-Motta, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland E-mail: peter.janus@minbuza.nl Mr Luzius Wasescha Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the WTO and EFTA (UN/ECE, UNCTAD, ITC) E-mail: luzius.wasescha@seco.admin.ch

54

ANNEX 2: CUTS CENTRES IN THE WORLD

ANNEX 2: CUTS CENTRES IN THE

WORLD Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) D-217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani Park Jaipur 302 016, India. Ph: 91.141.228 2821 Fx: 91.141.228 2485 Email: cuts@cuts.org Web: www.cuts-international.org CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS CITEE) D–217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani Park Jaipur 302 016, India Ph: +91.141.2282821 Fx: +91.141.2282485 Email: citee@cuts.org Web: www.cuts-citee.org CUTS Centre for Competition, Investment and Economic Regulation (CUTS C-CIER) D–217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani Park Jaipur 302 016, India Ph: +91.141.2282821 Fx: +91.141.2282485 Email: c-cier@cuts.org Web: http://www.cuts-ccier.org/ CUTS International, Geneva 37-39 rue de Vermont CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland Ph: +41 22 734 6080 Fax: +41 22 734 3914 Email: geneva@cuts.org Web: www.cuts-geneva.org

Lusaka Resource Centre 4th Floor, Main Post Office Building, Cairo Road, PO Box 37113,Lusaka, Zambia Ph: +260.1.224992 Fx: +260.1.225220 E-mail: lusaka@cuts.org Web: www.cuts-international.org/cuts-arc.htm Nairobi Resource Centre Co-op Trust Plaza, 1st Floor Lower Hill/Bunyala Roads Upper Hill, PO Box 8188-00200, Nairobi, Kenya Email: nairobi@cuts.org Web: www.cuts-international.org/cuts-arc.htm Accra Resource Centre No 30 Oroko Avenue (Near Accra Central ViewHotel and ATTC Kokomlemle), Accra, Ghana Ph: + 233 24 392 0926 Email: accra@cuts.org Web: www.cuts-international.org/arc/accra Hanoi Resource Centre No 112 Kham Thien Str. Dong Da District Hanoi, Vietnam E-mail: hanoi@cuts.org Web: www.cuts-hanoi.org

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ANNEX 2: CUTS CENTRES IN THE WORLD

Delhi Resource Centre 62, Qutab View Apartments, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi 110 016, India Ph: +91.11.26863021 Fx: +91.11.26856288 E-mail: delhi@cuts.org Web: http://www.cuts-international.org/cuts-drc.htm Calcutta Resource Centre 3, Suren Tagore Road, 2nd Floor, Calcutta 700 019, India Ph: +91.33.24604985 Fx: +91.33.24604987 E-mail: calcutta@cuts.org Web: www.cuts-international.org/cuts-crc.htm

Centre for Human Development (CHD) Rawala, Senti, Chittorgarh 312 025, Rajasthan, India Ph: 91.1472.241 472 Fx: 91.1472.247 715 E-mail: chd@cuts.org Web: http://www.cuts-international.org/chd/