Context
The South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was founded in 1985 with the aim of promoting socio-economic development within the member states, and through their mutual cooperation. The SAARC region is composed of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Though it is home to around a quarter of the world’s population, the region produces less than two per cent of global GDP.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute significantly towards the economic capacity of the region and by providing employment and income opportunities are a decisive factor for poverty reduction. Currently, however, the creation of an acceptable framework for intra-regional trade is hampered, as central trade-related government and private sector organisations lack sufficient competencies and capacities.
The SAARC Trade Promotion Network (SAARC-TPN) consists of 28 public and private institutions from the eight countries of the SAARC region. Public sector members of the TPN are primarily the national trade ministries or the trade departments of economic ministries, along with trade and export promotion agencies. Members of the network drawn from the private sector include regional and national business membership organisations. These chambers of commerce and business associations are the leading trade organisations in their countries.
Objective
The strategic management capacity and specialist competencies of the SAARC Trade Promotion Network and its member organisations have improved.
Approach
Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project is supporting the SAARC Trade Promotion Network (SAARC-TPN) and its five working groups (Non-tariff Trade Restrictions; Quality Infrastructure; Business-to-Business Initiatives; Trade Information Portal; Trade Promotion in SMEs; Donor Co-ordination) in improving strategic management and organisational development. The project promotes communication and information-sharing between network members, as well as competences for identifying priority measures to overcome trade restrictions, facilitating complex negotiations to develop solutions, and properly representing the interests of the network.
The project is strengthening the sector competencies of SAARC-TPN members, and will encourage the network to contribute, through the SAARC executive committees, to the form and substance of regional agreements involving trade. Furthermore, the project will support the introduction and implementation of new trade facilitation and trade promotion initiatives. It will, in addition, promote the development of SAARC-TPN know-how and resources for monitoring the progress and outcomes of cross-border trade promotion measures in South Asia.