Targeting Aid for Trade for Impactful Capacity-Building in the Least Developed Countries

For the least developed countries (LDCs) facing supply-side constraints, the SDGs target of doubling the share of their global exports by 2020 is a chimera. Various mechanisms have been put in place to help LDCs to enhance their trade capacity, of which WTO Aid for Trade (AfT) is a notable one. Although the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) pre-dates the AFT initiative, the EIF's focus on evidence based needs assessment, institutional and policy support and productive capacity building support have helped a number of LDCs overcome their binding constraints to trade expansion. Besides, country ownership principle, partnership approach and targeted nature of AfT support means that the chances of achieving success is much higher than other development interventions.