Press Releases
posted : Jan 09, 2012
The Government of Australia is committing an additional 3 million Australian dollars to the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), a programme that works in support of sustainable trade and development outcomes for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) thereby helping them integrate into the global trading system.
Australia's strong partnership and support to LDCs in building up their trading capacity to create resilient economies is reinforced by their latest contribution to the multi-donor trust fund, currently supported by 23 donors. In May 2011 at the Fourth United Nations Conference on LDCs (UN LDC‐IV) in Istanbul, Australia joined other Members at the Conference to agree on a new 10-year programme of action for LDCs and followed up its commitment to boost the LDCs' trading capacity by making a contribution to the EIF Trust Fund of 2 million Australian dollars.
posted : Dec 08, 2010
The Government of Mali is hosting a three-day workshop on 8 to 10 December for the poorest countries in the Central and West Africa region and Haiti, in partnership with UNDP and the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), to promote global trade that works for poor communities in supporting local skills and entrepreneurship.
The international community is backing the event with participation from ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNIDO, UNOPS, the World Bank, WTO, bilateral donors and the African Development Bank. Representatives from 17 countries will be coming together for the first time during the event to exchange experiences, share what works and lessons learned across the region from: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
posted : Nov 15, 2010
The Government of Finland is giving an additional €4.2 million to the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) programme, which works to ensure the poorest countries worldwide are able to forge a strong and sustainable trading future and help lift their communities out of poverty.
Finland has long been an active champion of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) reinforced by this latest contribution to the EIF Trust Fund, currently supported by 23 donors. Finland is also now the chair of the EIF Steering Committee, the global body made up of international agencies, LDCs, donors and observers who advise and guide the delivery and progress of the programme.
Finland's Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Hannu Himanen states, "Trade is a powerful tool to fight poverty and to reach the Millennium Development Goals. The EIF plays an important role in enabling LDCs to tap into international trade opportunities. Finland is a long-time supporter of the EIF. It is one of our most important multilateral partners in our Aid for Trade programme. We are also very much involved in taking forward the work of the EIF at the country level, in particular in Zambia, where we are the donor focal point for the framework."
posted : Oct 07, 2010
The Republic of Turkey is actively supporting the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) programme by contributing US$1 million to help the world’s poorest countries make gains from global trade and provide a route out of poverty.
Turkey's Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Bozkurt Aran states, "We believe that the capacity building activities such as EIF are crucially important for LDCs with a view to alleviating constraints impeding their supply side capabilities, including the weak trade related infrastructure. Turkey is committed to work closely with EIF partners to ensure the success of the EIF projects to this end."
posted : Oct 07, 2010
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF)
programme marked the start of a new partnership with a joint mission to Liberia from 15 to
18 September with a view to promoting opportunities for Liberia to trade its way out of poverty.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Liberia hosted the delegation who met with Ministers
from the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture and Commerce and held discussions with
representatives from Customs, the National Port Authority, the Chamber of Commerce and the
World Bank.
Following the mission, the AfDB and EIF are working together to look at where the AfDB can
provide additional assistance to strengthen Liberia's trade support institutions, building on EIF
current and future support to Liberia's own trade and development projects now under design.
posted : Oct 07, 2010
The Republic of Zambia is honored to coordinate the LDC Group at the WTO in 2010.
In accordance with the declaration of our Trade Ministers in Dar es Salaam in October 2009 and based on the mandate provided in paragraph 47 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the LDC Group seeks early implementation of decisions relating to areas of interest to its members.
These include (i) the implementation of the Decision 36 of the Annex F of the Hong Kong WTO Ministerial Declaration; (ii) a waiver decision on preferential and more favorable treatment to services and services suppliers of LDCs; and (iii) an ambitious, expeditious and specific outcome for cotton trade related aspects, in particular the elimination of trade-distorting domestic support measures and export subsidies, and the granting of duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market access for cotton and cotton by-products originating from LDCs.
