ODI, the global affairs think tank, has assumed the role of External Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Trade out of Poverty (APPG TOP) following their AGM on 23 May 2023. Professor Dirk Willem te Velde, Director of the International Economic Development Group (IEDG) at ODI, will serve as Director.
In June, ODI marked its new role with an inaugural event at the House of Lords, co-hosted and chaired by Lord Purvis of Tweed, on the UK government’s new Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). The roundtable event featured the Minister for International Trade, Nigel Huddleston MP, who provided a comprehensive overview of the DCTS and the UK’s wider trade policy, highlighting its potential to propel the UK's bilateral trade, and how it might impact businesses and consumers alike.
The DCTS, officially launched in Ethiopia in June, is an ambitious initiative that aims to simplify trading rules and reduce tariffs for 65 countries, with a major emphasis on Africa (37 countries). The roundtable sparked dynamic conversations among trade and development experts from ODI, the Centre for Global Development, the Institute of Exports and International Trade, and the University of Sussex, sharing valuable insights on the UK's trade challenges and opportunities, particularly within the context of the DCTS. This initiative will not only aid developing countries in diversifying and increasing exports, driving their prosperity and reducing their need for aid, but also benefit UK businesses and consumers by reducing import costs by over £770m annually.
