#theme:trade

The authors limit their analysis solely to products found in 0201.30 and 0202.30 (fresh and frozen boneless beef, respectively) of the tariff schedule, as imports of carcasses and bone-in products (0201.10, 0201.20, 0202.10, 0202.20) from the developing world are limited by SPS regulations that prohibit bone-in imports to protect primarily against the entry of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The information generated in this report comes from a combination of public sources, economic literature, and informant interviews with beef importers in Norway.

The flower trade from Kenya and Ethiopia has brought direct financial benefits to both countries which contribute to agricultural GDP. Moreover it has brought substantial indirect benefits in the form of employment, organisational and institutional capacity gains, and it has acted as a role model for national enterprise development led by the private sector. Providing trading advantages in the market of flowers to Norway offers an effective high profile modality to strengthen the social and environmental responsibility aspects of this labour intensive and water thirsty industry. Due in part to the quality pressures from the West, and to the demanding and ever changing safety and environmental standards needed, the industry presents a unique opportunity to be a leader in social change in these exporting countries.

This policy brief discusses the issue of food security in relation to trade and the anticipated impacts of climate change within Southeast Asia. It begins by contextualizing the debate before examining the manner in which trade, climate change and food security are interlinked within the Mekong region. The brief goes onto examine Cambodia as a case study in order to establish lessons for other countries in the region. The document ends with a series of policy recommendations drawn from the experience of Cambodia; these include: a call for a more holistic approach that links policymakers operating in different sectors, a greater degree of participation by actors at the local level and by civil society organizations, a stronger and more long-term vision and an enhanced degree of regional coordination.

This report looks at the potential impact on poor countries of large-scale efforts to reduce emissions from consumption in rich countries. It finds that if a set of low-GHG consumption strategies currently proposed in the UK were widely adopted in rich countries, it could reduce consumption-related emissions by over ten percent, but it would also reduce Least Developed Countries’ GDPs by five percent because of the decreased revenue from international trade. Given the importance of reducing consumption in rich countries, the authors argue for embedding sustainable-development goals into climate strategies. This might mean trying to source goods from countries that are both particularly poor, and have particularly low-emissions production, helping poor countries reduce their manufacturing emissions, or helping them produce value-added and/or more durable goods e.g., exporting one shirt brings the revenue they now earn from selling three or four.