Expert Group Meeting

Representing SAWTEE, Mr Paras Kharel participated in an expert group meeting (EGM) organized by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) in Dhaka on 8 and 9 September 2012. The meeting was part of the activities of the LDC IV Monitor, an independent partnership for the monitoring of the outcome of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (UN LDC IV). The EGM was convened to discuss the framework and the draft content of the planned first global report of the Monitor on issues related to the delivery of the Istanbul Programme of Action. Mr Kharel was a discussant on a paper on “Commodity exports and related issues”. He highlighted, inter alia, aspects of definition of commodities; different growth and development implications of promoting exports of different commodities; the critical barriers faced by commodity, particularly agriculture, exports of LDCs; need to monitor both outcomes and actions, including policies, strategies, legislation, and trade and fiscal instruments; and the potential role of aid for trade alleviating supply-side constraints faced by LDCs.