The Aid for Trade Initiative was launched in December 2005 at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong with the purpose of helping developing countries, the least developed in particular, to build the supply-side capacity and infrastructure they need to take advantage of trade liberalization and enhance their participation in the world trading system. AFT refers trade-related capacity building to help countries formulate, negotiate and implement trade policy and related agreements; and trade development, including export promotion and trade finance. It also covers support to activities aimed at strengthening trade-related infrastructure and other supply-side capacities (for example, in the productive sector) and trade -related adjustment programs (social safety nets).

A high-level dialogue entitled Mobilizing Aid for Trade: Focus Latin America and the Caribbean will take place in Lima, Peru, in 13-14 September 2007. This event is organized by the IDB and the WTO in cooperation with the World Bank and hosted by the Government of Peru . This meeting will bring together finance and trade ministers, senior donor representatives, regional institutions and key private-sector actors to focus on trade-related challenges in the region, and to set out priorities for future action. The purpose of this event is to highlight the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) dimension of Aid for Trade, and to encourage governments, donors and the private sector to address specific challenges for the region, to prioritize AFT needs, and to move towards shared solutions to trade-related challenges. It will help to raise awareness about the importance of trade for growth in developing countries, encourage information exchange about best practices and facilitate collective action to maximize the benefits of AFT.

Alongside the main ministerial event on 13-14 September, three expert group meetings are also being organized which will highlight specific dimensions of Aid for Trade to which al participants are invited to attend :

• The International Trade Centre (ITC) and the IDB are organizing a Workshop on Private Sector and the Aid for Trade Initiative on September 12th , a day before the main ministerial meeting, which will bring together high-level private sector representatives. This event will provide an opportunity to take stock of successful initiatives in the role of private sector on the formulation of trade policy and regulations, public-private sector partnerships to build trade-related infrastructure, overcoming supply-side constraints and trade finance.



• The WTO and the IDB are organizing a Workshop on Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) also on the September 12th to look at the role of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity building in promoting the integration of developing countries into world trade.


• The OECD and the IDB are organizing a Workshop on Needs Assessment and Monitoring Aid for Trade on the afternoon of 14 September – directly after the close of the main ministerial event - to address key operational aspects of the WTO Aid for Trade initiative. The forum provides an opportunity to learn about the WTO monitoring framework on aid for trade, to help shape the role and content of recipients’ questionnaires and reports, and to establish a regional dialogue on the most recurrent trade related capacity implementation challenges in the region. Relevant officials from all delegations are encouraged to attend.