Bridging the divide between formal and informal cross-border traders.

On behalf of UNCTAD, I welcome you to the UNCTAD 15  which is currently taking place in Barbados!  Unfortunately, we all could not travel to Barbados. Instead, we bring the UNCTAD 15 conference to you here in Maseru.

The UN in Lesotho is therefore pleased to welcome you to this side event hosted by UNDP and IOM, which is part of the ongoing 15th global ministerial conference of UNCTAD running from  3rd to  8th October 2021.

For those that are less familiar with UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is an agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting trade and investment interests of the developing states in World Trade.

Lesotho has a long history working with UNCTAD on trade and development issues, including the formulation and review of various policy instruments including the Trade policy, Investment Policy and the Services Policy, as well as implementation of programmes such as the ASYCUDA for customs modernisation and Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) capacity building.    

The UN Secretary General has called this UNCTAD 15 Conference and (I quote) ‘The Olympics of trade, development, investment, policy and technology discussions. He urged that the conference be used as a platform to advise and guide the global leadership on actions to be taken to turn the world economies into inclusive and sustainable recovery pathways for achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through trade.

The theme for this conference, is “From inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all”, to help refocus the development agenda ‘to deliver hope to the people and healing to the planet’.  

COVID-19 has exposed vulnerabilities globally, including in Lesotho, and widened existing vulnerabilities. This theme is a reminder on the commitment made for attainment of the Agenda 2030 to Leave No One Behind, by bridging the gaps that exist within our societies and households, facilitating equitable access to resources and ensuring development for all. The UN Secretary General at the UN General Assembly held in September refers to the six great divides, or 6 grand canyons, that threaten the future of humanity and which we need to bridge; the peace divide;  climate divide in three key areas of mitigation, finance and adaptation; income divide, within and between countries; gender divide - COVID-19 exposed and amplified the world’s most enduring injustice: the power imbalance between men and women; digital divide- half of humanity has no access to internet ; and the generations divide – we need to engage the young people in development and empower them as they are the future.  Therefore, through this conference, we are called to identify and implement measures that can help bridge these divides, through trade and investment.

The recent UNDP and IOM study on the impact of COVID-19 on the informal cross border traders revealed several findings and proposed a number of possible solutions. There are also other studies global and national on the different aspects of cross border trade. 

To introduce the panel discussions, let me provide some reflections that directly mirror the Secretary General’s message for the UNCTAD 15 conference.

·        Navigating through challenges and restrictions of COVID 19 on trade in Lesotho is an Olympic race we must win.

·        Cognizant of the key contributions of MSMEs to the national economy, its obvious that recovery beyond and to 2030 agenda will require concerted effort to boost the sector.

·        Harnessing the demographic dividend in Africa and in Lesotho, the aspects of women and young people must be at the centre of our efforts for inclusive sustainable recovery.

In conclusion, let me remind us of yet another recent high level dialogue hosted by the UNDP and IOM in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Small Business Development, on the AfCFTA proposed protocol for women in trade, to elevate Basotho’s businesses for trading in Africa.  Let us take the opportunity to tackle the challenges affecting trade in Lesotho to accelerate our accession to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Allow me at this time to introduce our distinguished panellists and welcome you all to this thought-provoking dialogue.

1.     Ntate Kobeli Lemohang from Khathang Tema Baitsokoli (a national informal traders association)

2.     Mme Eriko Nishimura, the Head of Office from IOM;

3.     Ntate Tlhopeho Sefali, the Principal Secretary from the Ministry of Trade;

4.      Ntate Stephan Monyamane from Lesotho Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and

5.     Adv. Bereng Makotoko, the Principal Secretary from the Ministry for Small Business Development, Cooperatives and Marketing.