International trade as an engine for development

Tariffs applied to imported goods have been decreasing over time across developed, developing and least developed countries (LDCs). Key drivers of this global trend are the progressive liberalization achieved under the multilateral trading system, as well as, the expansion of preferential market access under regional trade agreements, unilateral tariff liberalization and non-reciprocal preference schemes in recent years.

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda specifically:

WTO members have taken steps to reform the agriculture sector and to address the subsidies and high trade barriers that distort agricultural trade. The overall aim is to establish a fairer trading system that will increase market access and improve the livelihoods of farmers around the world.. WTO members have adopted in 2015 a historic decision to abolish agricultural export subsidies and to set rules for other forms of farm export support.

A global aim is to provide access to affordable medicines on a sustainable basis in developing countries. The past decade has seen a strong policy emphasis on public health and access to medicines in the WTO, including making needed medicines available − especially anti-retroviral drugs to combat HIV/AIDS − at lower prices, enhancing international funding and creating an additional pathway for access to medicines.

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda specifically:

In December 2013, WTO members successfully negotiated the 'Bali Package' which included steps on agriculture, food security, support for the least-developed countries, and the Trade Facilitation Agreement. In December 2015, at the Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, another package of major negotiated outcomes was adopted.

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda specifically:

The WTO agreements cover goods, services and intellectual property, spelling out the principles of liberalization of their trade and the permitted exceptions, including individual countries’ commitments to lower customs tariffs and other trade barriers and to open their services markets.

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda specifically:

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda lays out the commitments and action items that would help to ensure that inclusive trade growth is an economic foundation for sustainable development.

The Addis Agenda specifically:

The importance of short-term financing of international trade, known as trade finance, is explicitly recognized in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda as an important means of implementation of the SDGs.  

The Addis Agenda specifically:

WTO members launched the Aid for Trade initiative at the Sixth Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong in 2005. Aid for trade focuses on supporting developing countries, particularly the least-developed, in building trade capacity, enhancing their infrastructure and improving their ability to benefit from trade opening opportunities.

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda specifically:

The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit and sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues. It further contains provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area. On 22 February 2017 WTO obtained the necessary number of acceptance instruments for the TFA to enter into force.

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda acknowledges the importance of policy coherence on trade at all levels for maximizing trade’s contribution to sustainable development. At the national level, it asserts the importance to strengthen domestic enabling environments and implement policies conducive to increasing trade’s contribution to inclusive growth and sustainable development.

In the Addis Agenda, Governments: