Saana Institute moderates high-level panel on the Aid for Trade Results Agenda: Lessons from Recent Evaluations and Impact Studies
On July 2nd 2015, Tom Pengelly, Director of Saana Institute moderated a high-level panel Reducing Trade Costs and the Aid for Trade Results Agenda: Lessons from Recent Evaluations and Impact Studies, at the Fifth WTO Global Review of Aid for Trade in Geneva.
The concept for the high-level panel was proposed by the Saana Institute in March 2015, and then jointly developed with the WTO Secretariat in the lead up to the 5th Global Review. The aim of the panel was to debate different techniques, share key outcomes and lessons from recent evaluations and impact assessments and to outline how these are informing programme strategy decisions. The speakers reflected on lessons for how maximum value can be secured from future large-scale evaluations of Aid-for-Trade programmes.
The panel contributed to an improved understanding of the evaluation and impact assessments and its role in ensuring efficient and effective Aid-for-Trade delivery to reduce trade costs more effectively and to springboard accountability to national and international stakeholders.
The high level panel included:
- Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento, Director, Trade Capacity Building Branch, United Nations Industrial Development Organization
- Alex Thomas Ijjo, Research Fellow, Economic Policy Research Centre, Uganda
- Miguel Jiménez-Pont, Head, Evaluation and Monitoring, International Trade Centre
- Melvin Spreij, Secretary, Standards and Trade Development Facility, World Trade Organization
- Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, TradeMark East Africa
- Joaquim Tres, Integration and Trade Lead Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank
- Daniela Zehentner-Capell, Director, Trade-related Development Cooperation, BMZ, Germany
You can listen to the full panel discussion here.
Here is a selection of tweets from the panel session:
We look forward to discussing evaluating #Aid4Trade programmes with @UNIDO @ITCnews @TradeMarkEastA @wto @EPRC_official @the_IDB @BMZ_Bund
— Saana Consulting (@SaanaConsulting) July 2, 2015
@ITCnews @SaanaConsulting @TradeMarkEastA #stdf #ITC expertise #evaluations which improve #planning & #implementation pic.twitter.com/mN23BKTdAc
— Matthew Wilson (@Matthewbarbados) July 2, 2015
@pengelly_tom – with $55.4 billion spent on #Aid4Trade in 2013, evaluating programmes is vital to maximising impact & strategic direction
— Saana Consulting (@SaanaConsulting) July 2, 2015
@TradeMarkEastA approach builds in continuous evaluation into #Aid4trade project design and delivery to ensure high impact
— Frank Matsaert (@FrankMatsaert) July 2, 2015
.@TradeMarkEastA setting up a governance structure for managing & learning from #Aid4Trade evaluations important for ensuring transparency
— Saana Consulting (@SaanaConsulting) July 2, 2015
Results-based management can help #Aid4Trade programmes plan for and mitigate risks
— Saana Consulting (@SaanaConsulting) July 2, 2015
STDF are encouraging their donors to make #Aid4Trade evaluations public to encourage transparency & accountability, but also lesson learning
— Saana Consulting (@SaanaConsulting) July 2, 2015
See our contribution in @wto #Aid4Trade at a Glance 2015 for more on how to measure gender, poverty & distributional effects of AfT projects
— Saana Consulting (@SaanaConsulting) July 2, 2015