Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific: Driving Private Sector Participation in Global Value Chains

Abstract

The formation of a Regional Technical Group (RTG) on Aid for Trade for Asia and the Pacific was a key recommendation to emerge from the Aid for Trade Regional Review Meeting at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila in 2007 and the Global Aid for Trade Review Meetings at the World Trade Organization in Geneva in 2007 and 2009. Reflecting the principles of country ownership of Aid for Trade, the RTG operates under the stewardship of RTG co-chairs, representatives of Cambodia and Japan. The RTG comprises members from recipient and donor countries involved in formulating and implementing Aid for Trade policies and development agencies in the region. ADB is a member and serves as the Secretariat to the RTG. The RTG started as a pilot project to provide an informal regional forum for discussing Aid for Trade issues and proposals, sharing good practices, taking stock of available analytical work on Aid for Trade in the region, and building partnerships among actors and stakeholders. It seeks to formulate an integrated approach to operationalize Aid for Trade in the medium term.