Trade ministers from rich and emerging nations are gathered in India for the second day of the two-day informal trade meeting, to make progress on the G20 commitment to conclude the Doha Development Agenda by the end of 2010. As the US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said before he left for India, this could be a “very important step” for their efforts to do so.

So are we finally close to a trade deal that would allow all countries, especially poor African countries, reap the benefits of trade, where they can work their way out of poverty as a result of new opportunities presented by the expansion of global trade? On the one hand, the economic crisis has renewed the political will for an early conclusion of the long-stalled Doha round and thus there is more scope today to achieve the “ambitious and balanced” WTO deal pledged in L’Aquila in July. On the other hand, we have heard these high-level Doha promises before-without any results.

If the Doha Development Round is to be completed by 2010, participants must ensure that the talks produce a deal that integrates poor African countries into the global trading system. Keeping Africa’s needs in the picture is the only way to achieve a truly global recovery — ONE recovery ONE world.

African countries continue to face multiple constraints to expanding trade. A Doha trade deal must effectively help African countries trade more among themselves and with the rest of the world. For a Doha deal to benefit Africa, it must include real reductions in agricultural subsidies in developed countries, improved market access for goods from African countries, a new financial commitment to aid-for-trade and allow countries to pursue trade policies that support development.

If this progress is not forthcoming through Doha, WTO members should develop a separate trade initiative for sub-Saharan Africa. This could be built on existing preference programmes such as the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the European Union’s Everything But Arms (EBA) programme. The package needs to be comprehensive, combining market access and effective trade capacity building. A sub-Saharan Africa wide programme would help prevent trade distortions between neighbouring African countries, and could promote regional trade.

The G-20leaders meeting in Pittsburgh later this month should consider how they could achieve harmonised and coordinated trade measures for Africa – this would go a long way towards achieving a Doha deal that really delivers for development.

-Mikiko Imai