JUMPSTARTING TRADE IN LDCs

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CHALLENGES

LDC businesses need help overcoming supply constraints to spur export growth.

Over a period when the world economy has generally been growing and diversifying, the share of least developed countries (LDCs) in world trade has shrunk to the present 0.4%, down from 0.7% in 1985. Despite schemes to improve market access for LDC exports - such as Canada's Market Access Initiative or the European Union's Everything But Arms initiative - most countries remain unable to tap into new opportunities.

Why? To boost LDCs' participation in the world economy, market access is necessary, but it's not enough. LDCs depend heavily on primary commodities and low value-added …