MINUTES OF THE 7TH AGM OF THE APPG ON TRADE OUT OF POVERTY

HELD ON THE 11THJULY 2016 AT 5.30PM

Present:Rt Hon Peter Lilley MP

Mr. Robin Walker MP

Mr. Peter Bone MP

Apologies from:Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP

Lord Michael Hastings

Election of Officers:

The following were proposed and seconded by Rt Hon Peter Lilley MP and Mr. Peter Bone MP and elected unopposed: Co-Chair –Rt Hon Peter Lilley MP; Secretary - Robin Walker.

Approval of Income & Expenditure statement:

Income & Expenditure statement has been reviewed and approved by Rt Hon Peter Lilley MP and Mr. Robin Walker MP.

Chairman’s Report:

The Chairman reported that the key events/activities which took place last year:

  • In August 2015, the Saana Institute took over from Ruth Stanley in providing secretariat services for the APPG.
  • Since February 2016, Trade Out of Poverty launched its first major inquiry into the UK’s Africa Free Trade initiative (AFTi), which was launched by the Prime Minister in 2011. It is now being extended to include implications of Brexit for UK-Africa trade relations.
  • In November 2015, Trade Out of Poverty jointly organised a panel discussion in the House of Commons with the Fairtrade Foundation and APPG SDG.
  • In the same month, the Secretariat for the APPG TOP provided Lord Alton of Liverpool with a briefing on UK-Africa trade and investment prior to a House of Lords debate on bilateral trade and investment between UK and African countries.
  • In January 2016, the Commonwealth Secretariat provided a private briefing in the House of Commons to the APPG members. The briefing coincided with the launch of their flagship trade publication ‘The Commonwealth in the Unfolding Global Trade Landscape – Commonwealth Trade Review 2015’.
  • In February 2016, Trade Out of Poverty held a public seminar ‘Outcomes and Implications for Developing Countries from the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference’ in the House of Commons featuring its keynote speaker, DSG Joakim Reiter from UNCTAD. Chaired by Rt Hon Peter Lilley MP and Lord Michael Hastings, the panel consisted of Ambassador Mr. Darlington Mwape, Senior Fellow at ICTSD, Mr. Christian Rodriguez Chiffelle, Lead for International Trade & Investment at WEF, and Rt Hon. Desmond Swayne MP.
  • In April 2016, the APPG for Food and Agriculture Development and APPG Trade Out of Poverty organised a fieldtrip to Rwanda, with funding support from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Report can be found here:

Upcoming activities:

  • Extending the Inquiry into UK’s Africa’s Free Trade initiative to include implications of Brexit for UK-Africa trade relations, with a hearing on 12 July.

Potential activities:

  • A trip to Washington to engage interested stakeholders and to gain deeper understanding of AGOA.
  • Robin Walker has some relevant contacts, including Porter Delaney, who Tom had a call with.
  • CGD are also helpful to reconnect – had helped TOP publish a report before. They also did a report on Canadian trade.
  • Ask Mr. Mufuruki to help us connect with Earl Gast, Board Member of TMEA.
  • Connect with Andrew Percy, Trade Envoy to Canada
  • Connect with embassies
  • Robin Walker is happy to take a lead on this trip.
  • Commonwealth
  • CHOGM in 2018 – Commonwealth Secretariat is keen to have trade as a theme.
  • Connect with APPG Commonwealth. Joint event with APPG Commonwealth and Commonwealth-country APPGs.
  • Area of focus – food and farming policy
  • A specific project on the implications of Brexit for food and farming policies in the UK.
  • Can be a follow-on from the AFTi Inquiry. Look at experience from AGOA.
  • Connect with APPG Environment. Team with APPG AgDev.
  • Employment data in Africa contributed by UK companies
  • Lack of systematic data, even from embassies.
  • Hard to find UK expats in countries other than the EU.
  • Inquiry into UK diaspora into Africa can be interesting.
  • Engaging other parliamentarians
  • Engage parliamentarians with specific projects
  • Jeremy Lefroy
  • Lord Popat
  • Henry Bellingham (APPG Commonwealth)
  • Brenton Hill (Angus)
  • Paul McClory07770915279;
  • Pauline Latham
  • James Duddridge
  • Josephine Osikena02077297566;
  • APPG British American Parliamentary Group, Hannah Mitchell
  • Joint event with Conservative Friends of International Development