CUTS Geneva Resource Centrecuts-geneva.org/pdf/GRC_Annual_Report_2008-09.pdf · 2012. 5. 23. · CUTS International, emphasised to many of us the need to have a credible pro trade

CUTS Geneva Resource Centre

ANNUAL REPORT2008-2009

Published by

CUTS Geneva Resource Centre37-39, Rue de VermontCH-1202 Geneva, SwitzerlandPhone:+41 22 734 6080Fax: +41 22 734 3914Email: [email protected]: www.cuts-grc.org

© CUTS, 2009

ISBN 978-81-8257-124-2

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CUTS International

Established in 1983-84, Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) is now atthe cutting edge of the consumer movement in India, as well as across theglobe. Today, CUTS International, with a staff strength of over 100, operatesout of:

• three programme centres in Jaipur, one in Chittorgarh and one in Calcutta,India, and an advocacy centre in New Delhi, India, and

• five resource centres at Lusaka, Zambia; Nairobi, Kenya; London, UK;Hanoi, Vietnam; and Geneva, Switzerland.

The organisation elects its Board/Executive Committee every fourth year,while the Secretariat is headed by the Secretary General. Over 1200individuals and 300 organisations are its members. The organisation isaccredited to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD) and the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development(UNCSD).

CUTS also works with several regional, national and international organisationssuch as Consumer International (CI); the International Centre for Trade andSustainable Development (ICTSD); South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics &Environment (SAWTEE); and the Consumer Coordination Council of India,etc. It also serves on several policy-making bodies of the Government ofIndia.

Our Centres

CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment(CITEE)D-217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani ParkJaipur 302 016, IndiaPh: +91.141.2282821Fx: +91.141.2282485Email: [email protected]: www.cuts-citee.org

CUTS Centre for Competition, Investment & Economic Regulation(CCIER)D–217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani ParkJaipur 302 016, IndiaPh: +91.141.2282821Fx: +91.141.2282485Email: [email protected]: www.cuts-ccier.org

CUTS Centre for Consumer Action, Research & Training (CART)D-222, Bhaskar Marg, Bani ParkJaipur 302 016, IndiaPh: +91.141.4015 395, 2282823/2282482Fx: +91.141.4015 395Email: [email protected]: www.cuts-international.org/CART.htm

CUTS Centre for Human Development (CHD)Rawala, Senti, Chittorgarh 312 025, Rajasthan, IndiaPh: +91.1472.241 472Fx: +91.1472.247 715E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.cuts-international.org/chd/

Calcutta Resource Centre (CRC)3, Suren Tagore Road, 2nd FloorCalcutta 700 019, IndiaPh: +91.33.24604985Fx: +91.33.24604987E-mail: [email protected]: www.cuts-international.org/cuts-crc.htm

Delhi Resource Centre (DRC)62, Qutab View ApartmentsKatwaria Sarai, New Delhi 110 016, IndiaPh: +91.11.26863021Fx: +91.11.26856288E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.cuts-international.org/cuts-drc.htm

Africa Resource Centre (ARC), LusakaPlot 6087A, Great Easty Road, NorthmeadLusaka, ZambiaPh: +260.211.294892Fx: +260.211.294892E-mail: [email protected]: www.cuts-international.org/cuts-arc.htm

Africa Resource Centre (ARC) NairobiCo-op Trust Plaza, 1st Floor Lower Hill/Bunyala Roads Upper Hill,PO Box 8188-00200, Nairobi, KenyaPh: +254.20.386.2149Fx: +254.20.2386.2149Email: [email protected]: www.cuts-international.org/cuts-arc.htm

London Resource Centre (LRC)Gordon House, 6 Lissenden Gardens, London, NW5 1LX, UKPh: +44.20.74828830Fx: +44.20.74828831Email: [email protected]: www.cuts-london.org

Hanoi Resource Centre (HRC)No. 14/16 Nguyen Phuc Lai StrDong Da District, Hanoi, VietnamPh: +84.4.66 739486Fx: +84.4.51 48 978E-mail: [email protected]: www.cuts-international.org/HRC/index.htm

Contents

From the Chairman ofCUTS Geneva Resource Centre ......................................................1

1. Organisational Structure and Strategic Plan.........................41.1 Establishment and Office Inauguration ............................................. 41.2 Vision ......................................................................................................... 41.3 Mission ...................................................................................................... 41.4 Goals and Objectives ............................................................................ 51.5 Strategy ..................................................................................................... 51.6 Structure ................................................................................................... 6

1.6.1 General Assembly ................................................................................... 61.6.2 Executive Committee ........................................................................... 61.6.3 Stakeholder Forum ................................................................................. 6

1.7 Human Resources .................................................................................. 7

2. Substantive Activities and Projects ............................................82.1 Projects ..................................................................................................... 8

2.1.1 FEATS ........................................................................................................ 82.1.2 BIEAC ..................................................................................................... 14

2.2 Other Substantive Activities ............................................................... 152.2.1 Work with South Asian Geneva Delegates ................................... 152.2.2 Research and Briefing Papers ......................................................... 172.2.3 Representations ................................................................................... 17

3. Outreach and Communications ................................................203.1 Website Development .......................................................................... 203.2 Accreditations ........................................................................................ 213.3 Outreach in Geneva ............................................................................. 213.4 Outreach Outside Geneva ................................................................. 223.5 Other Outreach Activities .................................................................. 22

4. The Road Ahead ....................................................................... 23

5. Audit Report ............................................................................. 25

Annual Report 2008-2009 1

From the Chairman ofCUTS Geneva Resource Centre

I have great pleasure in presenting you the first AnnualReport of GRC, covering the period between July 01,2008-March 31, 2009.

My good friend Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary GeneralCUTS International, emphasised to many of us the needto have a credible pro trade for development Southernvoice in Geneva. It prompted us to establish a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with this objective.We met in November 2007 to adopt the initial Articlesof Association. Thus, was born the CUTS Geneva

Resource Centre (CUTS GRC).

The subsequent process to begin operations took quite long. Scouting forfunds began. The Articles of Association were revised so as to conform to therequirements of establishing a non-governmental organisation (NGO) inGeneva. A lot of effort went into recruiting a small but highly competentstaff that had experience of the South and met the conditions of employmentin Geneva. A suitable office space with adequate facilities was found. All thistook another eight months. CUTS GRC was finally launched on July 16,2008 at an impressive ceremony attended by governmental, inter-governmental, and non-governmental representatives from Geneva andbeyond.

We have been working tirelessly since then to pursue our mission“establishing and promoting a pro-trade pro-equity credible Southern NGOvoice as well as the means to achieve this in the policy making circles workingon trade and development and other related issues in Geneva”. This Reportcovers our activities during the period from July 2008 till March 2009.

2 Annual Report 2008-2009

The immediate priorities for us in the first year of operations were two-fold:implementation of our flagship project “Fostering Equity and Accountabilityin the Trading System (FEATS)”; and establishing the CUTS tradition ofresearch-based advocacy in Geneva through outreach and other activities.As the Report shows, we have done well on both counts.

FEATS Project that started three months behind schedule due to the lateinauguration of CUTS GRC, has delivered on all envisaged activities duringits first year of operation. First draft of a comprehensive research study ontrade policy making processes and role of stakeholders in project countriesof Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia has been completed andreviewed; National Inception Meetings in project countries have been held;and FEATS National Reference Groups consisting of stakeholders from thegovernment, private sector, and civil society in all five project countries havebeen established and are functioning. Moreover, through missions of FEATScountries in Geneva and Brussels (for Malawi) linkages are being createdbetween Geneva and capitals. Solid basis has been laid to successfully completethe first phase of the project by September 2009 and launch the secondphase immediately thereafter.

CUTS GRC has recently been entrusted with the responsibility to implementanother project titled “Building an Inclusive East African Community (BIEAC)”.This two-year project is undertaking research and advocacy activities onEconomic Partnership Agreement (EPA) related issues in Burundi, Kenya,Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda during the first phase and will focus on regionalintegration issues in the second phase.

CUTS GRC has also undertaken a number of other substantive, outreachand advocacy activities since the start of its operations in July 2008 including:

• Establishing a forum for South Asian trade missions in Geneva to facilitatediscussion on issues of their interest;

• Monitoring World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations anddevelopments and issuing pro development advocacy messages on keyoccasions, for example, during the mini-Ministerial in July 2008 and againduring the intense negotiations held in December 2008;

• Participating in UNCTAD Civil Society Hearings;


• Sharing information and establishing relationships with a number of IGOsand NGOs including WTO, UNCTAD, International Trade Centre (ITC),Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation (AITIC),United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Advisory Centre onWTO Law (ACWL), Ideas Centre, International Gender and Trade Network(IGTN), Institute for Agricultural Trade and Policy (IATP), ICTSD andEvian Group.

• Getting accreditation to the WTO as a local NGO working on trade anddevelopment issues; and

• Developing a website that is continuously being updated and improved.

This has been an exciting first year. However, this is only the beginning.Much more remains to be done and the challenges are many. CUTS GRChas to develop a visionary medium term strategic plan, grow organically andin accordance with the needs of its constituency, and procure resources toimplement its goal and objectives. I am confident that with the commitmentof the members of its General Assembly and the dedicated staff, this andmuch more will be achieved during the second year and subsequently. I amalso confident that we will have the support of all our well wishers in Genevaand worldwide to continue and expand our work.

I invite you to read the Report. Your suggestions and comments will be mosthelpful for us as we enter the second year of our operations.

Geneva Philippe BrusickAugust 26, 2009 Chairman

CUTS GRC General Assembly


OrganisationalStructure and Strategic Plan

1.1 ESTABLISHMENT AND OFFICE INAUGURATIONCUTS GRC was established as a research-based advocacy NGO in Geneva,Switzerland, in November 2007. The potential beneficiaries of the work ofCUTS GRC include all the key stakeholders in and from developing countries:governments and inter-governmental organisations (IGOs), Parliamentarians,civil society organisations (CSOs) and the private sector.

GRC started functioning in July 2009. The inauguration of the GRC officetook place on July 16, 2009. Staff members were appointed in September2009.

Below are the Vision, the Mission, the Goals, the Objectives and the Strategyof GRC, based on its Strategic Plan.

1.2 VISIONThe Vision is to pursue social justice and economic equity within and acrossborders, by persuading governments and empowering people.

1.3 MISSIONThe Mission is to establish and promote a pro-trade, pro-equity credibleSouthern NGO voice as well as the means to achieve this in the policy-making circles working on trade and development and other related issuesin Geneva.


1.4 GOAL AND OBJECTIVESThe goal of GRC is to contribute to the achievement of development andpoverty alleviation, through trade, in its economic, environmental, social andpolitical dimensions. Its objectives include:

• contributing to a better understanding of the development concerns intrade and related policies;

• enabling the participation of developing country stakeholders in tradeand related policy-making and its implementation;

• stimulating the interest of the key actors working on trade, developmentand poverty alleviation; and

• bridging the information gap for and among the trade and related policycommunities.

1.5 STRATEGYGRC Strategic Plan envisages the use of the following elements as a strategyto achieve its goals and objectives while keeping in mind its resources:

• Working on issues of direct relevance to domestic policy makers andother stakeholders in developing countries;

• Involving officials from developing countries and IGOs in Geneva andBrussels in determining issues and areas for its work;

• Leveraging CUTS’ partners at the national, regional and internationallevels in developed and developing countries;

• Developing an implementation plan to undertake identified activities relatedto policy research, advocacy and awareness raising and networking;

• Facilitating dialogue between stakeholders from the South and the Northand providing information and support services to its Southernconstituency, including research support;

• Seeking support/resources to execute its activities;• Ensuring long-term impact by focusing on outcomes and not just outputs;• Regular monitoring and evaluation of performance against stated goal

and objectives; and• Periodically reviewing the strategy, based on experience gathered through

its work.


1.6 STRUCTUREGRC comprises the following organs: the General Assembly, the ExecutiveCommittee, the Stakeholder Forum and the Secretariat.

1.6.1 General AssemblyThe General Assembly comprises seven members, including its President,Secretary and Treasurer. The General Assembly meets once a year. Undercircumstances requiring urgent action, decisions by circular letter, telephoneor email conference are admissible. The General Assembly takes its decisionsby consensus. If there is no consensus then decisions shall be taken by asimple majority of those present.

Following are the current members of the General Assembly:• Philippe Brusick, President• Dr Lichia Yiu-Saner, Secretary• Bipul Chattopadhyay, Treasurer• Maria Livanos Cattaui• Veena Jha• Jean Pierre Lehmann• Simon Evenett

1.6.2 Executive CommitteeThe Executive Committee is composed of six persons and is headed by thePresident of the General Assembly. The Director of GRC and a staff memberare ex-officio members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committeemeets at least twice a year. For decisions to be valid, at least half of theExecutive Committee members must be present. By mutual agreement,decisions by circular letter, telephone or email conference are admissible.Decisions of the Executive Committee are taken by consensus. If there is noconsensus then decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of those present.Following are the current members of the Executive Committee:

• Philippe Brusick• Dr Lichia Yiu-Saner• Bipul Chattopadhyay• Veena Jha• Atul Kaushik (Director, GRC – ex-officio)• Rashid S Kaukab (Deputy Director, GRC – ex-officio)

1.6.3 Stakeholder ForumThe Stakeholder Forum is under constitution. The President of the GeneralAssembly will be the Chair. The Director and a staff member of GRC will be


ex-officio members. The Stakeholder Forum will have a minimum of 20 memberinstitutions, though the General Assembly may modify its size, as needed.The Forum shall monitor the mandate, programme activities and outputs ofGRC and offer critical advice to the Executive Committee and the GeneralAssembly with respect to these, but shall not take any decisions on its own.The Forum shall meet once a year.

The Secretariat is managed by the Director of GRC. The duties of the Directorinclude the preparation of annual programme of work for approval by theExecutive Committee, the management of GRC, in accordance with theadministrative and financial rules, and the implementation of the decisions ofthe General Assembly and the Executive Committee.

1.7 HUMAN RESOURCESFollowing are the current staff members of GRC:

• Atul Kaushik, Director• Rashid S Kaukab, Deputy Director and Research Coordinator• Josiane Rufener, Administrative Officer• Julian Mukiibi, Research Trainee

The Centre has also engaged a number of unpaid interns during the periodof the report. The interns are sometime provided local transport and lunchallowance.

L to R: Rashid S Kaukab, Atul Kaushik, Josiane Rufener and Julian Mukiibi


SubstantiveActivities and Projects

GRC has undertaken a number of substantive activities since its inception inJuly 2008. Many of these activities were under two flagship projects: FEATSand BIEAC.

2.1 PROJECTS

2.1.1 Fostering Equity and Accountability in the Trading System (FEATS)GRC is responsible for the implementation of the FEATS project, incollaboration with CUTS Africa Resource Centres in Lusaka, Zambia andNairobi, Kenya. This project began in April 2008, before GRC was launchedin July 2008, with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation ofthe US. The three-year project focuses on five countries: three from Eastern(Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda); and two from Southern (Malawi and Zambia)Africa.

The overarching objective of the project is to generate a more coherent andpro-trade, pro-development voice in the formulation and implementation oftrade policy at both the national and international levels. The specific objectivesof the project include:• Ensuring and enhancing positive linkages between trade and development

in Africa by developing the capacity of governments to proactively andpositively respond to trade issues, through their involvement in policyresearch;

• Advocacy with trade officials and in national capitals by establishing robust,two-way linkages between activities in Geneva and in project countries;and


• Generating a more coherent and pro-trade for development voice in theformulation and implementation of trade and development policy at boththe national and international levels.

To achieve these objectives, three sets of interlinked activities are beingundertaken, i.e. research and analysis, advocacy and networking.

Research activities are at the centre of the project. Two sets of country-specific studies are to be undertaken, focusing, respectively, on politicaleconomy of trade policy-making and implementation processes and aparticular sector most relevant for trade-development linkages in each country.The research adopts an inclusive methodology, seeking active involvementof stakeholders from each project country. The findings will be presented tothe trade policy community and CSOs in Geneva and in national capitals inproject countries and will be the basis for advocacy activities.

Advocacy activities through dialogues and targeted publications focus onseeking changes at national and international levels, which are necessary torecognise the role trade can play in development and to allow trade to playsuch a role. National dialogues are to be organised in each project countryinvolving all stakeholders, for example, relevant government officials,representatives of civil society, the private sector, the media, internationalorganisations and academics are the primary means for advocacy. In addition,issue-specific dialogues and small meetings in Geneva with the trade negotiatorsof project countries, other WTO Members and Geneva-based experts ofother IGOs and NGOs are also being organised. The Centre also preparesand disseminates regular advocacy messages on topical trade and developmentissues, e.g., Doha Round of negotiations.

The third set of activities relates to networking. The objective of networkingis to connect the stakeholders in project countries with each other and withpersons/experts in other selected African countries, IGOs and NGOs inGeneva and other places to enhance contacts, garner information and adviceand achieve better understanding of the issues. Networking facilitates researchand advocacy and also contributes to building the capacity of project countrygovernments to respond to trade policy issues more effectively, by linkingthem with sets of experts and stakeholders. Planned networking activitiesinclude: project inception meetings in Geneva and project countries,organisation of two international conferences in Geneva, establishment ofNational Reference Groups (NRGs) of stakeholders in project countries,


participation in meetings and conferences by project personnel and synergeticcollaboration among GRC, LRC, ARCs – Nairobi and Lusaka.

The key expected outcomes of the project are: better informed, betterconnected and pro-trade-for-development constituencies in the projectcountries; improved capacities and processes for trade policy-making andimplementation; and better linkages between Geneva and national capitals.

Following is a brief description of the activities during the period July 2008till March 2009.

Policy ResearchThe policy research in the first phase of 18 months (April 2008-September2009) is focusing on the political economy of trade policy-making processesin the five project countries. Draft Terms of Reference (ToR) for these studieswere discussed with stakeholders representing relevant government ministries,private sector and civil society at the time of the Project Inception Meetingheld in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 16, 2008. The revised draft ToRs werethoroughly discussed with multi-stakeholders in each country and werefinalised during the National Inception Meetings (NIMs) held in the five projectcountries in October 2008.

First drafts of research studies were circulated in February 2009 to themembers of Project Advisory Committee (PAC) as well as members ofrespective NRGs in project countries for comments. They were also thesubject of an internal CUTS review exercise. Based on the many usefulcomments and suggestions received, the drafts have been revised and will bepresented for validation to the National Dialogues (NDs) to be held in theproject countries in April-May 2009.

The focus of research during the second phase (October 2009-March 2011)will be on agriculture and livelihood issues, including employment generation.Research studies in the second phase, building on the knowledge andunderstanding developed in the first phase, will be undertaken, keeping inmind the latest developments in the arena of international trade andjuxtaposing supply-side constraints (production capacity, physicalinfrastructure and institutional factors) that project countries are facing withdemand-side factors. Draft ToRs for these studies have been prepared, whichwill be discussed and finalised during the NDs to be held in the projectcountries in April-May 2009.


Advocacy

Advocacy Activities Related to Doha Round and the WTO IssuesThe WTO held a prolonged mini-Ministerial in the second-half of July 2008,in an effort to conclude framework deals on important aspects of DohaRound e.g., modalities for agriculture and non-agricultural market access(NAMA). GRC monitored the mini-Ministerial quite closely and preparedand disseminated a number of advocacy messages during that time. Theseadvocacy messages focussed on issues of interest to project countries in thenegotiations, for example, NAMA and Trade Related Aspects of IntellectualProperty Rights (TRIPs). They also brought out the main concerns of projectcountries in these areas and offered a possible development-friendly wayforward.

The Centre also monitored the intense negotiations held in the WTO inDecember 2008 to conclude agriculture and NAMA modalities, attendedthe NGO briefings conducted by the WTO staff and also issued an advocacymessage.

Participation in MeetingsThe staff participated in a number of meetings during this period and madepresentations on issues of interest to developing countries, particularly theproject countries, from a trade-development, poverty-reduction perspective.

Preparation for National Dialogues 2009NDs are the key advocacy activity under the project. The first set of NDs willbe organised in April-May 2009 with the following as objectives:a. To deepen the understanding of all stakeholders about CUTS International,

FEATS Project and the research studies;b. To present the drafts of first phase research studies on the political

economy of trade policy-making for discussion and validation;c. To discuss and finalise the ToR for issue-specific research studies in the

second phase;d. To discuss the modalities of second phase research; ande. To consolidate the networks established, particularly the NRGs.

Substantive and administrative preparations have been made to hold theNDs as per the following schedule agreed to with the local partners:1. Malawi ND: Lilongwe, Malawi in collaboration with Malawi Economic

Justice Network (MEJN) on April 06, 2009;


2. Zambia ND: Lusaka, Zambia in collaboration with CUTS ARC, Lusaka,on April 08, 2009;

3. Kenya ND: Nairobi, Kenya in collaboration with CUTS ARC, Nairobi onMay 19, 2009;

4. Uganda ND: Kampala, Uganda, in collaboration with Southern and EasternAfrican Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) on May20, 2009; and

5. Tanzania ND: Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, and in collaboration with Economicand Social Research Foundation (ESRF) on May 22, 2009.

NetworkingNetworking under the project is closely linked to the research and advocacyactivities. The key outputs under this pillar during the period from July 2008-March 2009 included:

Geneva Inception MeetingGeneva Project Inception Meeting was held on July 16, 2008. The inviteesincluded: governmental/civil society and research institutions representativesfrom project countries; delegates from missions of project countries in Geneva;representatives of IGOs and NGOs and the media; and the staff of CUTSResource Centres in Geneva, London, Lusaka and Nairobi.

The Geneva Inception Meeting established the Initial Reference Group forthe FEATS Project consisting of all the participants. This Group is to facilitatecommunication and feedback on policy research as well as other FEATSactivities. The report of Geneva Inception Meeting is available at: http://www.cuts-grc.org/pdf/Report-Inception-Meeting-16July08.pdf.

National Inception Meetings (NIMs)The staff of CUTS GRC, along with the representatives of CUTS ResourceCentres in Nairobi, Lusaka and London, visited the five project countriesand held the five NIMs as per the following schedule:

• Kenya NIM – Nairobi, October 14, 2008• Uganda NIM – Kampala, October 15, 2008• Tanzania NIM – Dar-Es-Salaam, October 17, 2008• Zambia NIM – Lusaka, October 20, 2008• Malawi NIM – Lilongwe, October 23, 2008


These meetings were organised with the support of the local partners ineach country and attended by about 30 stakeholders, includingrepresentatives of the government, the private sector and the civil society.One representative each from the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Agriculture,a CSO and a research institute contributed short papers to the NIMs ineach project country and made presentations. CUTS staff also madepresentations on the FEATS project and the draft ToRs for the first policystudy.

The NIMs were well attended and held open and constructive discussions.They also approved the revised ToRs for the first policy study and theestablishment of NRG for the FEATS project in each country. Agendas,papers and presentations and reports of the NIMs can be found at http://www.cuts-grc.org/FEATS-Projects.htm.

Establishment and Functioning of the FEATS National Reference Groups (NRGs)Five NRGs – one in each project country – have been established. EachNRG consists of about 30 stakeholders, including all the participants in therespective NIM. The NRGs provide useful support for the research as well asfor the dissemination of the project outputs. They also bring togetherstakeholders from different backgrounds to allow sharing of knowledge andinformation. Regular communications on various project-related issues aremaintained with and within the respective NRGs.

Meetings with WTO Ambassadors of the Project CountriesAll five project countries are members of the WTO and four of them havemissions, headed by ambassadors, in Geneva to deal with WTO issues. Malawistill does not have a mission in Geneva and its ambassador in Brussels is alsocharged with looking after the WTO issues. These missions are a key linkbetween the WTO discussions/negotiations in Geneva and the developmentand implementation of national trade policies in the countries.

GRC staff has kept in regular contact with the ambassadors and delegates ofKenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia in Geneva to brief them on the FEATSProject and to solicit their feedback on planned project activities. The staffhas also met with the ambassador of Malawi in Berne, where the ambassadorhad come for another meeting, and has followed this by regular e-mail/telephone contact and a meeting with the Malawi mission staff in Brussels.


The meetings with project country ambassadors and delegates have beenvery productive. They have evinced keen interest in the project and haveprovided useful comments on the planned project activities. They have alsoindicated their substantive needs in terms of the WTO Doha Roundnegotiations, for example, through issue-based papers and organisation ofinformal meetings by GRC.

2.1.2 Building an Inclusive East African Community (BIEAC)Building an Inclusive East African Community (BIEAC) project commencedin December 2008 and is envisaged to conclude in November 2010. Theproject is funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ),Germany, and its implementation is in the five East Africa Community (EAC)member countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

The BIEAC project aims and expected outputs include the following:

• Supporting a range of CSOs in the EAC member states to examine theimplications of external trade policies on the livelihood of the peopleand provide a better understanding of both the challenges andopportunities of trade integration;

• Raising awareness of the general public on the relevant issues, gatheringtheir concerns and carrying out advocacy to highlight them to the policymakers; and

• Studying the potential implications of the proposed intra-EAC and externaltrade policies for the poor and the marginalised in the region; identifyinginterventions and policies required to support economic and socialadjustments to trade reforms; and the measures required to supportbetter access to opportunities provided through regional and externaltrade integration.

The project is divided into two major year-long phases, wherein the activitiesin each year are research, awareness-raising and advocacy. Theimplementation is through research and outreach partners. The researchcomponent is undertaken from both in-house resources and research partnerscontracted from the EAC region. There are five outreach partners in theEAC member countries that will carry out the awareness-raising and advocacyactivities.


The first phase (December 2008-November 2009) covers the on-going EPAnegotiations between the EAC and the European Community (EC). Heretopical issues under negotiation were selected and will be analysed with theview of assessing their impacts on the EAC and providing an input, wherenecessary, in order to ensure a beneficial outcome in the final agreement.The topics selected are the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause and itsimplications; Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary (SPS) provisions; export taxes;services sector; agriculture sector; and revenue implications as well as thestate of play of the negotiations. The draft research findings on theaforementioned topics were completed at the end of March 2009 and willbe presented at the national workshops in the EAC member states, as well asat the regional workshop scheduled to take place at the end of April 2009,after which the final papers will be published and disseminated to thestakeholders.

The inception/project awareness-raising workshops were successfully heldin February 2009 in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and registered a goodturnout of the targeted stakeholders. Similar workshops are scheduled forBurundi and Rwanda in early April 2009.

The second phase (December 2009-November 2010) will examine the intra-EAC integration process and its impacts on the poor and marginalisedcommunities in the region, making an input on the process to the policymakers on the best way forward. This phase will also involve research,awareness-raising and advocacy activities.

2.2 OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ACTIVITIES

2.2.1 Work with South Asian Geneva DelegatesGRC facilitated the organisation of a meeting entitled “South Asia: Stakesand Role in the Global Trading System – Doha Round and Beyond” underCUTS project on South Asia Forum on International Trade (SAFIT) II inGeneva, on January 13, 2009. During this meeting, wide interest for CUTSfacilitating discussions on South Asian issues in Geneva was expressed.

Taking into consideration this interest and with a view to organising itspossible future work for South Asian countries, the Centre organised a meetingof the South Asian Geneva mission delegates on March 16, 2009. All theeight South Asian Missions in Geneva were invited. Except for Maldives andBhutan, all others were represented. They were asked to provide their thoughts


on the role they would like GRC to fulfil in trade and development discussionswithin and beyond Geneva. All participants gratefully recognised this initiativetaken by GRC to organise the meetings of South Asian countries in Genevaas a positive step and wanted this effort to continue.

They also mentioned a number of issues where South Asian Geneva delegateswould benefit from the work by CUTS. These included: Aid for Trade (AfT),services including mode 4, market access, climate change and the environment,agriculture, preferences, TRIPs-Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)relationship, non-tariff barriers (NTBs), fisheries subsidies, Regional TrdaeAgreements (RTAs), trade facilitation and standards. Since half of South Asiancountries were LDCs, it was agreed that issues of relevance to them shouldbe a priority for the work by CUTS. In addition to these “Geneva issues”,CUTS may also undertake country-specific research studies on trade anddevelopment while taking into account the specific cultural considerationsof each South Asian country. Similarly, research and analysis on the intra-South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and extra-SAARCtrade potential of the region could be pursued, including on issues such asinfrastructure development, harmonisation of standards and transit facilitation.

Mission representatives suggested that GRC could provide a forum for SouthAsian Geneva missions to brainstorm on these and other issues, engenderingexchanges of ideas and facilitating a platform for the region in Geneva.

The main outcome of the meeting was the agreement to hold quarterlymeetings of South Asian Geneva delegates at GRC. Each meeting will focuson a topic to be selected on the basis of its “timeliness” (e.g., link to animminent WTO meeting) and the level of understanding of the issue amongSouth Asian Geneva delegates. The Centre will prepare and circulate a shortnote on the selected issue before the meeting. Accordingly, it was decidedthat the next meeting should be held in June 2009 and focus on AfT, takinginto account the scheduled WTO Global Review on AfT in early July 2009as well as the importance of this issue for South Asian countries, particularlyLDCs.

GRC plans to continue this initiative as per the agreement above.


2.2.2 Research and Briefing PapersDuring the period under the report, three briefing and working papers andstudies were contributed by the GRC staff, apart from contributing inputsinto a number of other briefing and advocacy papers published by CUTSInternational.

Advocacy Briefing Paper on African Regional IntegrationAn advocacy Briefing Paper on “African Regional Integration: Turning a Dreaminto a Reality” was prepared that has been published electronically by CUTSand is available at: http://www.cuts-citee.org/pdf/OP09.REC-01.pdf.

Briefing Paper on the WTO Dispute Settlement MechanismAnother Briefing Paper on “Developing Countries and the WTO DisputeSettlement Mechanism” was prepared that has also been publishedelectronically by CUTS and is available at: http://www.cuts-citee.org/pdf/TLB09-01.pdf.

Study for the Commonwealth Secretariat on Doha Round Development Dimensionfor Small and Vulnerable Economies (SVEs)The Commonwealth Secretariat has commissioned GRC to contribute astudy on “DDA Negotiations: Implications for the Development of SVEs”.The draft of the study has been prepared and submitted to theCommonwealth Secretariat. The draft will be finalised and published afterdiscussion in a workshop being organised by the Commonwealth Secretariatin London on “Doha: Securing Development Outcomes for Small Economiesand LDCs” on March 31-April 01, 2009.

2.2.3 RepresentationsGRC staff has been invited to a number of meetings organised by otherIGOs and NGOs in Geneva and elsewhere to participate and makepresentations. These have been good opportunities to present the interestsand concerns of developing countries on trade and development-relatedissues to a wider audience. During the period under report, the staff madepresentations in the following meetings:

Inaugural Conference of the Society for International Economic Law (SIEL)SIEL organised its Inaugural Conference jointly with the Centre for Tradeand Economic Integration of the Graduate Institute of International andDevelopment Studies on July 15-17, 2008. Atul Kaushik was the keynote


speaker, along with Alejandro Jara, Deputy Director General of WTO intheir closing plenary on the topic “The International Trading System: Revisitingthe Past to Address the Future”.

UNCTAD Civil Society HearingGRC attended the UNCTAD Civil Society Hearing on September 17, 2008and delivered statements on both the following themes:

Theme 1: The Global Food Crisis: Addressing a Systemic Failure in DevelopmentStrategyTheme 2: The Global Financial Crisis and Its Impact on Sustainable Development

Participation in TRAPCA Annual Conference, Arusha, TanzaniaRashid S Kaukab attended the Annual Conference of the Trade Policy TrainingCentre in Africa (TRAPCA) entitled “Strengthening and Deepening EconomicIntegration in Developing Countries”, held in Arusha, Tanzania, on November13-14, 2008. He moderated one of the sessions and also presented to oneof the sessions a paper by Dr Yenkong.

Participation in FES Second Workshop on Global Economic Governance Scenarios2020Rashid S Kaukab participated in the Second FES Workshop held at Chateaude Bossy, Switzerland, on November 15-16, 2008. He moderated the finalsession of the Workshop.

Participation in ICTSD Meeting on Sustainable Development and China Trade PolicyThe ICTSD and International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)have undertaken a project to examine sustainable development issues in thecontext of China’s trade policy and organised a roundtable in Geneva onNovember 17, 2008 to discuss some related issues. Rashid S Kaukab made apresentation on some issues related to China-Africa trade relationship.

GMFUS Global Forum, BrusselsAtul Kaushik attended the German Marshall Fund of the US (GMFUS) GlobalForum held in Brussels, Belgium, on March 21-22, 2009 and was the keydiscussant for a session entitled “Competing for Land: How to Balance Foodand Energy Security in the Era of Global Warming”.


ACP/WTI Advisors Meeting on Issues of Interest to ACP Countries in Doha RoundAtul Kaushik was invited to make a presentation on “Building a StrategicVision of the Development Component of the Doha Round” by the African,Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group Secretariat in a workshop at the WTO,Geneva, on March 25, 2009.

Commonwealth Secretariat Workshop on “Doha: Securing Development Outcomesfor Small Economies and LDCs”Rashid S Kaukab participated in this workshop organised by theCommonwealth Secretariat in London, on March 31-April 01, 2009. He madea presentation based on a draft paper on “DDA Negotiations: Implicationsfor the Development of SVEs”.


Outreach and Communications

Outreach and communication activities are a key element of GRC’s work.Effective outreach and communication is essential to transform outputs intooutcomes and to achieve its vision and mission. Accordingly, a number ofoutreach and communication activities have been undertaken in the periodunder report. Some of these were directly related to the two flagship projects,i.e. FEATS and BIEAC, and have been mentioned in the earlier section. Thissection briefly enumerates other outreach and communication activities.

3.1 WEBSITE DEVELOPMENTGRC has had a dedicated page on CUTS International website which wasregularly updated to keep the larger audience informed of all its activitiesand projects. For example, the agendas and reports of various meetingsorganised by GRC under its FEATS and BIEAC projects were promptly up-linked. Similarly, various drafts of FEATS studies were also put up on the web


page. Despite limited staff and time, every effort was made to continuouslypopulate the web page.

Recognising the significance of a well-designed website as a platform foroutreach, communication and information and knowledge sharing, it hasbeen decided to develop and launch a dedicated GRC website in the verynear future. This will be a major instrument for outreach and communicationin the coming year. An MoU with CUTS International, Jaipur, India, has beensigned for this purpose and the design for the new website is being finalised.

3.2 ACCREDITATIONSGRC, taking advantage of a recent initiative by the WTO External RelationsDivision, applied for the WTO accreditation as a Geneva-based NGO inAugust 2008. This application was approved and GRC has been accreditedto the WTO since September 2008. This accreditation has allowed the Centrestaff better access to the WTO building, for example, during meetings of theGeneral Council, and the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC). It also hasentitled GRC to attend various briefings organised by the WTO ExternalRelations Division for NGOs and strengthened the positive collaborationbetween the WTO and CUTS, which can lead to joint activities in the future.

GRC has been in touch with the UNCTAD Secretariat to get permanentobserver status there. The initial response from the UNCTAD Secretariathas been positive and the required paper work for this purpose will beundertaken soon.

GRC may also apply for accreditation with other IGOs in Geneva if andwhen in line with its work priorities.

3.3 OUTREACH IN GENEVAAn extensive network of collaborators in Geneva has been developed. Thisinformal network includes international organisations: WTO, UNCTAD, ITC,World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), AITIC, ACP, United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP), UNDP, Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO), Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) Secretariat as well as NGOs(IDEAS Centre, ICTSD, IGTN, 3D, Centre for International EnvironmentalLaw, FES, Quakers United Nations Office, IATP, Oxfam, etc). The contactsthus established serve two important objectives: one, improving the visibilityof CUTS in Geneva; and two, creating informal networks that are be helpfulfor the effective implementation of GRC projects, e.g., FEATS and BIEAC.


3.4 OUTREACH OUTSIDE GENEVAOutreach through networking has also been undertaken outside Geneva.Regular contact has been established with the secretariats of some key regionalorganisations, i.e., EAC, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa(COMESA) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) as wellas other IGOs, such as the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK, andthe ACP Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium.

Atul Kaushik has visited several European cities to attend relevant conferences,for example, London, Bonn, Copenhagen, the Hague and Brussels. Similarly,Rashid S Kaukab has participated in meetings at Arusha, Tanzania and London,UK. These meetings are often also attended by delegates of developing anddeveloped countries as well as representatives of IGOs and NGOs and,hence, afford an opportunity to introduce GRC and expand the informalnetworks that are potentially useful for soliciting inputs and disseminatingthe advocacy messages.

3.5 OTHER OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

In addition to the above, following too can be mentioned as outreach andcommunication activities:

• The holding of five NIMs in the FEATS project countries in October2008 was quite helpful in getting the contact details of many stakeholdersin these countries. These contacts have been fed into various mailing listsof CUTS for expanding outreach in these countries.

• Five NRGs established in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambiahave been working smoothly. These NRGs consist of representatives ofrelevant government ministries, private sector, research institutions, andthe civil society in each country. They are a valuable tool for two-wayinformation exchange and inputs on various issues.


The Road Ahead

GRC is now well established as a pro-consumer, pro-development and pro-trade Southern NGO in Geneva. Through its various substantive and otheractivities, it has built a solid basis for further growth to achieve its vision andmission. Accordingly, the following road map has been developed to continueits work in the coming months and years. This takes into account its strengthsand commitments and endeavours to maximise the impact of its work.

1. Focus on the implementation of the on-going FEATS and BIEAC projectsby undertaking research, advocacy and awareness-raising and networkingactivities in Geneva as well as project countries of Burundi, Kenya,Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

2. Expand its communications and networking efforts beyond the sevenFEATS and BIEAC project countries to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa(SSA), as appropriate.

3. Actively participate in the relevant activities of selected internationalorganisations in Geneva (e.g., WTO, UNCTAD, ITC, etc.), includingthrough organisation of events, for examples during the UNCTAD PublicSymposium in May 2009 and the WTO Public Forum in September2009.

4. Team up with other IGOs and NGOs to organise joint events in Genevaand elsewhere on issues of common interest.

5. Participate in the relevant activities of other NGOs and think tanks inGeneva.

6. Also participate in the selected events outside Geneva that are relevantto its work and will contribute to the achievements of its goal andobjectives.


7. Deepen its engagement with South Asian delegations in Geneva throughorganisation of bi-monthly meetings.

8. Strive to provide support to Geneva Missions of LDC, African and ACPcountries.

9. Develop project proposals in the areas of its mandate and seek fundingto undertake the work.

10. Assist CUTS International and, in particular, the Africa Resource Centres,through its substantive and other work.


Audit Report

Documents

CUTS Geneva Resource Centrecuts-geneva.org/pdf/GRC_Annual_Report_2008-09.pdf · 2012. 5. 23. · CUTS International, emphasised to many of us the need to have a credible pro trade