'The UNDP and its co-sponsors deserve the world's thanks for this authoritative and up-to-date analysis of why so many advocates of human development have so much trouble supporting either the fashionable general enthusiasm for trade liberalization or a good many of the specifics of the current international trade regime. Professional and hard-hitting, it addresses what could, with the necessary political will, be done to make trade and the global trade policy regime at last truly work for human development. It must be read by trade policy-makers and analysts in both North and South. Its challenges simply cannot be ignored' Gerry Helleiner, Professor, Department of Economics, Distinguished Research Fellow, Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto 'In a field that treats all social issues as external to the analysis, this book breaks new ground. It makes people and the work they do central, showing the different ways in which trade policy affects the lives of women and men - with consequences for the whole society. As such, it challenges policy-makers to ask new questions, and find a way to make trade policy really work for human development' Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, United Nations Development Fund for Women 'The emerging world trade regime is being shaped by the interests of rich countries. The concerns of poor countries and poor people, in their pursuit of development, are largely neglected. The rules of the game for trade are, therefore, asymmetrical in construct and inequitable in outcome. This book provides an in-depth and perceptive analysis of these asymmetries in the multilateral trading system, to suggest reform and change from a human development perspective. It develops a powerful argument for capturing the possible synergies between trade and human development and makes concrete proposals which are most persuasive. Its message that the well-being of humankind is the essence of development is particularly important in a milieu which often forgets that trade is a means and not an end' Deepak Nayyar, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi 'This book is essentially a call for a paradigm shift in trade discourse. It convincingly argues that trade, especially with developing countries and the least developed among them, should be seen not as an end in itself but as a means to achieve development. In this context the nexus linking trade and human development is unmistakable. The efficacy of domestic trade policies and the validity of multilateral trade rules and the system itself should be judged against this central anchor and changed where necessary. The book challenges policy-makers in major economies to understand why developing countries, especially the least developed ones, are demanding significant changes to the current multilateral trade system. The book's messages and proposals should be heeded, so that current imbalances which engender unequal development and an unequal sharing of the benefits of globalization can be reversed' Ali Said Mchumo, Deputy Secretary General, East African Community, former Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania to the WTO (1995-2002), Chair of its General Council (Feb 1999-Feb 2000) and Coordinator for the Least Developed Countries in the WTO (2001)
