THE COMMONWEALTH SECREATARIAT SEEKS APPLICATIONS FOR NATIONAL TRADE ADVISERS (NTAs)
FOR ASSIGNMENTS IN VARIOUS CAPITALS OF ACP COUNTRIES OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN AFRICA, CARIBBEAN AND THE PACIFIC)
DATE REQUIRED: 20 September 2012
REPORTING TO: Permanent/Principal Secretary of the Government
Department Responsible for trade policy
DURATION: Through to 31 December 2015
CLOSING DATE: 31 October 2012
BACKGROUND:
Trade development has the potential to make a significant contribution to pro-poor growth and sustainable economic development. However, despite major efforts at trade promotion, reform and diversification, many Africa Caribbean and Pacific Group of countries have not yet been able to integrate successfully into global markets and participate effectively in the income generating and poverty reducing practices of regional and international trade.
While the trade development challenges are varied, a key aspect has been that ACP governments have limited human and institutional capacities. These has impeded attempts to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by regional and international trade, nor effectively manage the risks inherent in increased competition and exposure to international markets.
An added challenge is the increasingly congested trade policy agenda that many ACP countries are facing. These include:
• Multilateral trade reform through the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round of trade negotiations.
• Compliance with international trade rules, including through the WTO and GATT frameworks.
• Finalisation / Implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and ACP regions.
• Regional integration efforts through various regional integration initiatives as well as an increasing interest in pursuing bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with key strategic international trading partners.
The increasingly resource intensive nature of such an active trade policy agenda underscores the need to strengthen trade capacities in the ACP countries including at the Ministries responsible trade policy. This requires targeted, demand-driven and coordinated trade-related technical assistance that offers support to short-term trade capacity gaps while building sustainable and lasting trade development outcomes.
THE HUB & SPOKES II PROGRAMME
Since 2004, the European Commission (EC), the Commonwealth Secretariat and Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) have recognised the scale of the trade development challenge facing many ACP member countries and provided assistance through The Hub & Spokes Project. With the support of the ACP Secretariat, from July 2012 donor partners are now able to offer continued trade-related technical assistance to ACP member states through the Hub & Spokes II Programme.
The Commonwealth Secretariat is responsible for the implementation of the Hub & Spokes II Programme in Eastern and Southern Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific regions as well as at the African Union Commission. The OIF is responsible for the implementation of the project in the regions of West and Central Africa.
The overall goal of the Hub & Spokes II Programme is to contribute to sustainable economic development and poverty reduction in ACP countries through closer regional integration and increased participation in the global economy. This will be achieved by enhancing the capacity of ACP countries to formulate suitable trade policies, participate effectively in international trade negotiations and implement trade agreement.
Through the deployment of a Trade Adviser to the ACP countries, the Hub & Spokes II Programme will support a wide range of trade capacity development activities, including:
• institutional capacity building for ministries and organisations responsible for trade policy formulation and negotiations;
• enhancing skills and expertise of staff in relevant ministries and organisations to undertake and manage the varied tasks associated with trade policy formulation, negotiation and implementation;
• strengthening national and regional institutions and training organisations so that there is an on-going and sustainable capacity to provide support to countries in these areas;
• provision of technical advice and studies on trade-related issues;
• contributing to, and coordinating, communication mechanisms within and between ACP member countries on trade policy issues and strategies to achieve positive trade policy outcomes;
• support public-private sector engagement on trade policy issues with a view to strengthening the policy-making process and empowering decision-makers through informed analysis and relevant contributions from the non-government sectors.
TASK DESCRIPTION:
1. Conduct a trade capacity development needs assessment for in ACP countries with the support of the Regional Trade Adviser at regional integration secretariats (RIOs) and counterpart officials at host ministries It is expected that this needs assessment will facilitate the development of the Trade Adviser’s broad work plan and identify key interventions for the duration of this assignment.
2. To act as a day-to-day economic or legal Adviser on relevant trade policy matters arising at the host ministry.
3. To assist in the drafting of relevant national trade laws and regulations as well as in the interpretation and implementation of WTO, regional and bilateral trade negotiating texts and agreements.
4. To assist in the development and analysis of relevant trade-related national economic policies as well as in the negotiation and implementation of WTO, regional and bilateral trade agreements.
5. Assist in the development and provision of trade policy and related training to government officials, private sector representatives, members of parliament, civil society and other relevant stakeholders.
6. Work with aid-for-trade donors active in the region and host country in the preparation of high quality technical proposals aimed at providing additional capacity building support and trade-related technical assistance to ACP countries.
7. Participate in, and contribute to, regional Programme activities with a view to identifying opportunities for regional collaboration on trade capacity development activities.
8. Planning and reporting duties as required in support of the broader Programme objectives. This will include, for example, the submission of bi-annual work plans, participation in regional planning workshops and contributing to case studies and other programme reports. The planning and reporting of Programme activities should be conducted in compliance with best practices in Results Based Management.
9. Contribute to intra-ACP and regional communications and technical exchanges on trade capacity development initiatives, experiences and lessons learnt.
10. Participate in professional development and training opportunities proposed in the Programme operating budget.
11. Prepare six monthly progress reports in a prescribed format.
12. Undertake any other related duties assigned by your supervisor and Programme management.
PERSON SPECIFICATIONS:
EDUCATION:
Post Graduate qualifications (completed or due to be completed) in Economics, International Trade, Trade Law, Public Policy, Statistics or related disciplines.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Some posts may require French, Portuguese or Spanish language skills. All posts require written and verbal communication in English.
COMPETENCIES:
National Trade Advisers must possess the following competencies:
ability to work largely on his/her own but participates in developing and formulating detailed analysis in discussions with other ministry/organisation staff, and execute group discussions;
ability to obtain information regularly from other departments and divisions, and from external agencies in order to complete analyses and compile reports;
awareness of changing needs of the assigned organisation/ministry/government and country’s economies and be able to adapt existing reports for their effective use;
ability to analyse complex economic and political information, often incomplete, and make professional judgments and give advice;
responsive to change and put new requirements into practice within own area;
ability to plan and organise own work load within broad guidelines and to meet urgent requirements for specific analyses or reports. May need to manage several projects at any one time and meet agreed deadlines for reports;
ability to maintain good working relationships with colleagues and external agencies with whom he/she works with on a regular basis;
ability to present technical and complex arguments and information in a readily understandable form through written reports. Reports and/or briefing papers may be used by others in a public setting and therefore need to recognise the condition of recipients;
ability to exercise sensitivity and diplomacy (at all levels) in a divers global and multi-cultural environments; and,
ability to recognise, and show respect from different cultural variations, beliefs, traditions, and accepted patterns of behaviour.
Eligibility CRITERIA:
Applicants must be nationals of ACP and/or European Union countries.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Send your curriculum vitae to:
Manager
Hub and Spokes II Programme
Commonwealth Secretariat
Marlborough House
Pall Mall, London SW1 Y 5HX
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 207 747 6145
Fax: +44 (0) 207 747 6504
E-mail: n.waniala@commonwealth.int
The Secretariat will acknowledge receipt of your CV and will contact you if you are short listed for the posting.
COMESA NATIONAL TRADE ADVISERS JOBS
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