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Helping
Developing Countries Engage the Global Economy
April
30 symposium takes up the challenge of enhancing poorer nations’
capacity for trade
New
York, N.Y., April 17, 2002 — Amid worldwide concern that
poor countries may not be benefiting fully from expanded international
trade and investment, the architect of South Africa’s transition
to democracy, Nelson Mandela, has lent his name and global credibility
to an innovative effort aimed at helping developing countries
play a larger role in the global economy.
The
Mandela Institute, founded as part of the law school at the University
of the Witwatersrand (one of South Africa’s most prestigious
universities), aims to encourage and promote capacity building
in developing countries through intensive teaching and research
in international law and trade negotiation.
"If
developing countries, and those in transition, do not equip themselves
to compete in the global economy, their democratic systems will
be imperiled as they are bypassed by the winds of investment and
economic progress," President Mandela has stated.
Such
capacity-building initiatives are widely recognized as essential
to the success of worldwide trade. Following its ministerial meeting
in November 2001, the World Trade Organization issued a challenge
to its more experienced membership: to place the needs of developing
countries at the forefront of their work and to ensure meaningful
participation in trade negotiations for those countries.
On
April 30, at the University Club in New York City, The Mandela
Institute and the United States Council for International Business
(USCIB) will take up that challenge by hosting a Symposium on
Investment Stability and Capacity Building.
"The
global business community has a major interest in helping poorer
countries develop their trade capacity and enhance their participation
in, and implementation of, trade agreements," according to
Thomas Niles, president of USCIB. "And American companies,
whose interests are increasingly tied to emerging markets, have
a particularly important role to play in this endeavor."
The
symposium will be chaired by John Chalsty, chair of the Mandela
Institute’s U.S. advisory board, and Mr. Niles, a retired
diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to the European Union,
Canada and Greece. Representatives from government, business and
key international organizations have been invited to contribute
to an open discussion of practical methods and opportunities for
building trade capacity in developing countries.
More
information on the symposium is available at www.mandelainstitute.org.
USCIB
promotes an open system of global commerce in which business can
flourish and contribute to economic growth, human welfare and
protection of the environment. Its membership includes some 300
leading U.S. companies, professional services firms and associations.
As American affiliate of the leading international business and
employers organizations, USCIB provides business views to policy
makers and regulatory authorities worldwide and works to facilitate
international trade. More information is available at www.uscib.org.
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