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  • Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – November 15-21, 2020

    Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – November 15-21, 2020

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest for the week of November 15-21, 2020! We are pleased to bring you the major trade and development news headlines and analysis from across the Caribbean Region and the world from the past week.

    THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

    This week, the WTO celebrated its 25th anniversary of existence through a virtual event bringing together senior government officials and representatives from the private sector, civil society and intergovernmental organizations. Read more here

    The WTO’s latest Trade Monitoring Report on G20 trade measures shows a slowdown in the number and coverage of trade-restrictive and trade-facilitating measures on goods implemented by G20 countries between mid-May and mid-October 2020. Read more here.

    The UK and Canada reached a deal to roll over existing market access commitments once the UK leaves the EU and have agreed to start negotiations on a more advanced deal. Read this Bloomberg story here.

    Private sector representation within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is set to receive a further boost. This week, a Headquarters Agreement between Barbados and the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) was signed. It should be recalled that October 29, 2020 the CPSO was made an associate institution of CARICOM. Read more

    REGIONAL NEWS

    Barbados and CARICOM Private Sector Organisation Sign Headquarters Agreement

    Foreign.gov.bb: Efforts to further strengthen the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) were facilitated today, with the signing of a Headquarters Agreement between Barbados and the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation (CPSO). Read more

    Cuba, France prepare meeting of the Bilateral Economic Commission

    Prensa Latina: Both nations’ authorities have expressed at different times the will to strengthen economic-commercial ties, which on the French side is expressed in efforts of that country’s Directorate General of the Treasury and the French Agency for Development, which both encourage French entrepreneurs to negotiate with their Cuban counterparts. Read more

    Cuba Expert Says Don’t Expect Any Big Relationship Change When Joe Biden Takes Office

    CBS: The Cuba dilemma has dogged every president since Dwight Eisenhower. Former President Barack Obama made dramatic moves to reach out to the Castro regime netting little return from the Cubans. President Donald Trump rolled back those initiatives. Read more

    US organizations to seek rapprochement with Cuba

    Prensa Latina: US organizations said on Tuesday that there is an opportunity for the Biden administration to reverse Trump’s harmful policies on Cuba and adopt the normalization policy from the Obama era. Read more

    CARICOM encouraging use of electric vehicles throughout the region

    TV6TNT: The Caricom Secretariat has designated November ‘Energy Month’ and has teamed up with the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and the Technical Assistance Programme for Sustainable Energy in the Caribbean to host a virtual Electric Vehicle demonstration event tomorrow. Read more

    Real estate boost from Barbados Welcome Stamp

    Barbados Today: The northern parish of St James is currently the preferred location for individuals taking advantage of the 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp initiative. Read more

    Study says Cayman is responsible for 16.5% of global tax losses per yr

    LoopCayman: An inaugural annual study by a UK-based global advocacy group says that the Cayman Islands is responsible for the biggest share of countries’ tax losses globally, amounting to 16.5 per cent of global tax losses or over $70 billion a year. Read more

    All-of-government approach to improve business environment, says Dunn

    Jamaica Observer: State Minister for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr Norman Dunn says that an “all-of-Government” approach is being employed to improve the trade and business environment. Read more

    Jamaica Coffee Commanding Smaller Share Of Japanese Market

    The Gleaner: Jamaica hopes to keep its luxury coffee exports to Japan on par with previous years, but the latest data shows its losing ground to coffee imports from richer non-coffee producing nations. Read more

    Electronic Single Window for Trade coming – President Ali

    DPI: His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has announced that an Electronic Single Window for Trade will soon be established to improve trade facilitation and the ease of doing business in Guyana. Read more

    Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce webinar

    SFCN: The recently held Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce (GACC) webinar which discussed expanding Guyanese exports to the United States offered useful information and advice to exporters from the South American republic. Read more

    Informal cattle trade back on again

    Amandala: More than thirty years ago, Belize’s cattle ranchers began supplying enough beef to meet the country’s needs, and after enabling self-sufficiency in the local meat market, the leaders of the industry began looking for markets abroad, in Mexico and Guatemala, so that they could expand their herds. Read more

    Tough times ahead in tourism

    Nation News: A veteran hotelier says COVID-19 could be the worst crisis to have ever hit the tourism sector in Barbados and it will be rough going for the next six to eight months. Read more

    INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    Wealthy countries block COVID-19 drugs rights waiver at WTO – sources

    Reuters: Wealthy nations on Friday reiterated their opposition to a proposal to waive intellectual property rules for COVID-19 drugs, three trade sources said, despite pressure to make an exception to improve access to drugs for poorer countries. Read more

    WTO sees trade rebound, but likely year-end slowdown

    Reuters: The World Trade Organization said on Friday global trade in goods had rebounded in the third quarter from COVID-19 lockdowns, but predicted a slowdown at the end of 2020. Read more

    UK secures vital rollover trade deal with Canada and agrees to start negotiating more advanced deal next year

    Gov.uk: International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has today secured an agreement for a continuity trade deal with “friend and ally” Canada. Read more

    Brexit latest: ‘Better progress’ in EU trade talks but differences still remain with time running out

    iNews: Ursula von der Leyen said there were still ‘quite some metres to the finish’ but insisted there had been ‘more movement’ on important issues. Read more

    UK, Canada could announce free trade deal within days

    Al Jazeera: The UK is negotiating several bilateral trade deals to come into force once it exits a transition arrangement with the EU at the end of the year. Read more

    WTO Members Preview Structured Discussions on Trade and Environmental Sustainability

    IISD: The second day of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade and Environment Week started with an event organized by Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, the EU, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and Chinese Taipei ahead of the launch of the ‘Structured Discussions on Trade and Environmental Sustainability.’ Read more

    Hong Kong strives to join regional trade deal RCEP, says Finance Secretary

    Strait Times: Hong Kong hopes to be part of the first group of economies to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) after the agreement takes effect, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said in a blog post on his website on Sunday (Nov 22). Read more

    Taiwan, Frozen Out of RCEP, Explores Trade Agreement Options With US

    The Diplomat: Taiwan reiterated Sunday its desire to join the CPTPP, and negotiators are in Washington this week hammering out a potential free trade agreement with the United States. Read more

    Taiwan exports set to suffer from RCEP trade deal exclusion

    SCMP: Business leaders fear Taiwan could lose its competitive edge after being left on the sidelines of the region’s largest free trading bloc, formed by China and 14 other countries. Read more

    Commission launches new complaints system to fight trade barriers and violations of sustainable trade commitments

    EU: The European Commission has today launched a new complaints system for reporting market access barriers and breaches of Trade and Sustainable Development commitments in the EU’s trade agreements and under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences. Read more

    STRAIGHT FROM THE WTO

    NEW ON THE CTLD BLOG

    The Caribbean Trade & Development Digest is a weekly trade news digest produced and published by the Caribbean Trade Law & Development Blog. Liked this issue? To read past issues, please visit here. To receive these mailings directly to your inbox, please subscribe to our Blog below:

  • Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – November 8-14, 2020

    Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – November 8-14, 2020

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest for the week of November 8-14, 2020! We are pleased to bring you the major trade and development news headlines and analysis from across the Caribbean Region and the world from the past week.

    THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

    Fifteen States, comprising 30% of the world’s economy, have signed the world’s largest trading bloc – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The signatory States include all 10 ASEAN Member States, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Read more here.

    The EU has put in place countermeasures against the US with respect to the WTO Boeing dispute, increasing tariffs on U.S. exports into the EU worth $4 billion. Read more here.

    EU and UK negotiators resumed Brexit talks in London but appear no closer to a post-Brexit deal as time for the end of the transition period runs out.

    Belizeans went to the polls this week and voted for a change of government. John Briceno has been sworn in as Belize’s new Prime Minister. Read more here.

    The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has released a statement congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Regional experts have been weighing in on what the Biden/Harris victory could potentially mean for US-Caribbean relations. I have included some of the articles below. You can also read my analysis here.

    REGIONAL

    Don’t expect Biden to rescue the Caribbean, says Bernal

    Jamaica Observer: There will be no financial windfall for the Caribbean from a Joe Biden-led US Government cautions Richard Bernal, former Jamaican ambassador to the USA, who on Friday shared his views on the foreign policy implications of a Biden win. Read more

    UWI’s Beckles: Biden/Harris victory a ‘win’ for Caribbean

    TT Newsday: UWI Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles says the Biden/Harris victory is also “a win” for the Caribbean. He was speaking at a virtual media conference on Thursday afternoon under the theme Caricom, the UWI, Biden and the Future of Our Voice. Read more

    Sir Ronald Sanders: The world is waiting to breathe normally again

    Jamaica Observer: Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries should by now have worked out a strategy for securing the early attention of United States President-elect Joe Biden and the team working on his transition into the White House and to the helm of the Government. Read more

    What a Biden-Harris win means for Jamaica and the Caribbean

    Guyanese Online: While there will be considerable euphoria and pride in a Joe Biden-Kamala Harris win in the US presidential race, Jamaica-born New York-based political scientist, Diana Cassells, is cautioning Jamaica and the Caribbean about their expectations at this time. Read more

    American legislators with C’bean roots jubilant over Biden-Harris victory

    Jamaica Observer: Caribbean American legislators in the United States on Saturday celebrated the election of US Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden and his Caribbean American vice-presidential running mate Senator Kamala Harris. Read more

    Coffee exporters seeking to retain US$10 million in exports to Japan

    Jamaica Observer: The Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association is seeking to retain some US$10 million in exports of Blue Mountain coffee to the Japanese market for the 2020-21 crop year, similar to the value purchased last year. Read more

    Government Supports Export Efforts Of Local Businesses

    JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC), Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, said the Government is committed to facilitating the export efforts of local businesses. Read more

    Transformational Changes Coming For Agriculture In The Region

    Jamaica Gleaner: As agriculture and food systems across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) try to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers must act to unleash the sector’s vast potential to drive sustainable and inclusive growth for decades to come, according to a new World Bank report. Read more

    BSI launches project to support sugar industry

    Amandala: On November 2, 2020, ASR/BSI officially launched the Belize Smart Sugarcane Cluster Project, a digital platform that will make information readily available to all the stakeholders in the sugarcane industry, and will especially help the 5,200 farmers who grow most of the cane that the Tower Hill factory converts to sugar for export and to supply local needs. Read more

    Vincentian appointed Director of Trade and Sustainable Development Association of Caribbean States

    Searchlight: Safiya Horne-Bique, a Vincentian national, assumed her duties as Director of Trade and Sustainable Development at the Secretariat of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) on Monday November 2, 2020. Read more

    Europe’s appetite for Caribbean food highlights growing trend

    EU Reporter: The Caribbean food market is now worth almost ÂŁ100 million. Sauces and condiments in particular are worth ÂŁ1.12 billion and grew by 16.8% in the last year. Read more

    Western Union to suspend US transfers to Cuba

    Caribbean News Global: Western Union said on Friday it was suspending US money transfers to Cuba in 10 days due to the Trump administration’s latest sanction on the Communist-run island, in a blow to the many Cubans who rely on remittances from family abroad. Read more

    INTERNATIONAL

    RCEP: Asia-Pacific countries form world’s largest trading bloc

    BBC: Fifteen countries have formed the world’s largest trading bloc, covering nearly a third of the global economy. Read more

    What is RCEP and what does an Indo-Pacific free-trade deal offer China?

    SCMP: When leaders from 15 countries in the Indo-Pacific region meet for a virtual summit on Sunday, they are expected to sign a free-trade agreement that, measured by population and GDP, is one of the most ambitious ever struck. Read more

    Trudeau: UK’s lack of negotiating practice could delay Canada trade deal

    The Guardian: Canada could easily negotiate a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK, Justin Trudeau has said, but he warned that talks could be delayed because British negotiators are so out of practice. Read more

    Trudeau says he expects trade deal with U.K. can be done before 2021

    CBC: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he expects Canada can make a new trade deal with the U.K. before the calendar hit 2021. Read more

    Boeing WTO case: The EU puts in place countermeasures against U.S. exports

    EU: The European Commission’s regulation increasing tariffs on U.S. exports into the EU worth $4 billion will be published in the Official Journal of the EU. Read more

    EU-UK talks: ‘Make or break’ moment approaching, say both sides

    BBC: Trade talks between the UK and EU are reaching the “make or break” point, the two sides have said, with key differences proving hard to resolve. Read more

    EU unlikely to give UK more time to adjust after Brexit transition ends, Ireland’s FM tells Euronews

    Euronews: It is unlikely the European Union will grant the UK a grace period in January to help business adjust to the new post-Brexit trading regime, Ireland’s foreign affairs minister has told Euronews. Read more

    Trading partners seek post-Brexit clarity at WTO

    Reuters: Major trading partners called on Britain and the European Union (EU) on Friday to clarify terms for renegotiating tariff levels after Brexit and for compensating their suppliers for any lost market access, a Geneva trade official said. Read more

    In first for Fed, U.S. central bank says climate poses stability risks

    Reuters: “The U.S. Federal Reserve for the first time called out climate change among risks enumerated in its biannual financial stability report, and warned about the potential for abrupt changes in asset values in response to a warming planet. Read more

    EU hits Amazon with antitrust charges. A huge fine could follow

    CNN: The European Union has unveiled formal antitrust charges against Amazon for abusing its dominance in online shopping and opened a second investigation into the company’s business practices. Read more

    Commission welcomes agreement on the modernisation of EU export controls

    EU: The European Commission welcomes the agreement reached today by the European Parliament and the Council on its proposal for a modernisation of EU export controls on sensitive dual-use goods and technologies. Read more

    Appointment of WTO chief in doubt after key meeting cancelled

    The Guardian: Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had been expected to be confirmed as leader on Monday. Read more

    5 ways the WTO can make investment easier and boost sustainable development

    World Economic Forum: As WTO delegates discuss what might be important measures to include, here are five provisions worth considering. Read more

    As WTO Talks Continue on Subsidy Reform Initiatives, Concerns Persist over Poor Notification Records

    IISD: The need to reform the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) agriculture subsidy rules and to clinch a deal that disciplines harmful fisheries subsidies are well known, and the latter agreement is now nearly within striking distance. Read more

    WTO Committee Discusses Ways to Facilitate FDI in Small Economies

    IISD: A meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Trade and Development discussed foreign direct investment (FDI) and a joint communication on accelerating implementation of the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Read more

    Minister for Agriculture: ‘Tariffs will apply under WTO rules in no-deal Brexit’

    Irish Examiner: The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has confirmed that tariffs will apply to Irish goods going into the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit scenario because of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. Read more

    How intra-African trade is progressing amid the pandemic

    BBC: Last year African countries signed an agreement aimed at increasing trade between them. If implemented successfully, they believe it could create a single African market of over a billion consumers. Read more

    STRAIGHT FROM THE WTO

    NEW ON THE CTLD BLOG

    The Caribbean Trade & Development Digest is a weekly trade news digest produced and published by the Caribbean Trade Law & Development Blog. Liked this issue? To read past issues, please visit here. To receive these mailings directly to your inbox, please subscribe to our Blog below:

  • Caribbean Community (CARICOM) congratulates US President-elect Biden and VP-elect Harris

    Caribbean Community (CARICOM) congratulates US President-elect Biden and VP-elect Harris

    The 15-Member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has extended its congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The congratulatory message was sent by the current chairman under the grouping’s rotating chairmanship system, Dr. The Hon. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

    The full statement may be viewed below:

    Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) congratulate the President-elect of the United States, Mr Joseph Biden, on his victory in the elections of 2 November.

    The historic nature of this victory is exemplified by the election of Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris, a person of Caribbean and South Asian descent, as the first woman to achieve that position.

    Mr Biden will assume office during one of the most challenging periods of recent history and his vast experience will be of great value to the global community at this time.

    The President-elect has been a friend to CARICOM and the Community looks forward to working with the new administration of the United States, in pursuing our common goal of advancing the wellbeing of our people. It is a country with which the Community is inextricably linked through geography, shared values, familial ties, and economic and security relations.

    The Community wishes President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris every success in their tenure.

  • Biden/Harris Victory: What might it mean for US-Caribbean Relations?

    Biden/Harris Victory: What might it mean for US-Caribbean Relations?

    Photo credit: Image by heblo from Pixabay

    Alicia Nicholls

    Caribbean leaders have joined with those around the world to warmly congratulate US President-elect, Joe Biden, on winning the US presidential election of November 3, 2020. Of particular pride for the region is that his second-in-command, Senator Kamala Harris, who has both Jamaican and Indian parentage, is not just the first woman Vice President-elect, but first person of colour and first person of Caribbean descent to ascend to such high office in the US.

    As of the time of this article’s writing, incumbent Republican president, Donald Trump, who has now lost the popular vote twice, has not yet conceded defeat and has launched several legal challenges, calling the election ‘fraudulent’.

    Beyond the symbolism of the Biden/Harris win, and assuming a peaceful transfer of power come January 20, 2021 (the date set for Biden’s inauguration), what does the Biden/Harris victory portend for the future of US-Caribbean relations?

    Who are Joe Biden and Kamala Harris?

    Joe Biden, who is 77 and will be 78 when inaugurated, will be the oldest US president to assume office. This was Mr. Biden’s third run for the White House. However, he brings a wealth of experience and skills as a former long-standing Senator for the US state of Delaware where he was a member and eventually chair of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. He was also Vice President under the Obama Administration. This experience will be invaluable for the long slog ahead of him.

    His much younger Vice President, Senator Harris, is an accomplished attorney-at-law, who was the District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco, the Attorney-General of California and currently serves as a US senator for California. Ms. Harris, who is the daughter of an Indian-born mother and Jamaican-born father, had also been a candidate for president in the Democratic primaries this election cycle.

    The long, hard task ahead

    As noted in his victory speech delivered last night in Wilmington, Delaware, President-elect Biden acknowledged the monumental task ahead of healing a politically divided nation, rescuing an economy on the brink and a country plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest.

    Biden’s consistent message of unity and racial equity should bring some comfort to persons of the Caribbean diaspora negatively impacted by the racially charged rhetoric and divisiveness that marked the past four years of the Trump administration. Biden has also repeatedly promised to repair and rebuild relationships with traditional American allies strained under President Trump, such as with the European Union (EU).

    Biden’s win will occasion a pivotal turning point in the US’ approach to the COVID-19 pandemic which the Trump administration epically mishandled. Trump, notably, suspended US funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) and consistently downplayed the seriousness of the virus, even after he himself and many of his White House staffers became infected. In contrast, one of Biden’s first acts will be to announce a 12-person COVID-19 taskforce evincing a more robust response to the virus which has so far infected over 9.5 million Americans and killed 234,000.

    The frequent saying “when America sneezes, the Caribbean catches a cold”, is not an exaggeration given that the US is the region’s largest trading partner, tourism source market and home to the Caribbean’s largest diaspora. Many Caribbean countries, dependent on US tourist arrivals, have had to classify the US as a ‘high risk’ country because of the Trump administration’s bungling of the pandemic.  A better coordinated federal approach to stem the US’ currently high coronavirus infection and death rate should benefit Caribbean countries whose tourism sectors have been particularly hard hit by the economic fall-out from the virus globally.

    On the issue of trade, it is likely that Biden will be less embracing of free trade than under the Obama/Biden administration. This is because there is growing sentiment in the US, especially in the so-called ‘Rustbelt’ states which were key to Biden’s win, that trade has not been a net positive for American workers. That being said,  a more multilateral approach and some semblance of stability and consistency should appear in US trade policy under the incoming Biden administration.

    Unlike his predecessor, Biden has expressed support for the World Trade Organization (WTO) whose relevance and operations have been undermined over the past four years.  One of the Trump administration’s latest acts has been to delay the selection of Nigeria’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the candidate deemed most likely to achieve consensus to be the next WTO Director-General. It remains to be seen whether the Biden administration will support her candidacy.  

    Biden’s victory also means that the Caribbean and the world have regained an ally in the fight against climate change, an ally which is in fact the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Biden has promised that the US will rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, which the US negotiated and joined under the Obama/Biden administration and from which his predecessor withdrew just this week. Additionally, he will seek to implement his Plan for Climate Change and Environmental justice which will include measures to limit the US’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

    Biden has also indicated a more humane approach to immigration than the Trump administration which curtailed legal pathways to immigration, implemented the infamous Muslim ban and the equally inhumane family separation policy resulting in some 545 migrant children separated from their parents at the border still to be reunited with their parents.

    The Trump administration also saw US aid cuts to charities and NGOs world-wide, including in the Caribbean. This included a prohibition on aid to those which include abortion advice in the reproductive health services they provide to women. Biden is pro-choice and it is likely this policy will be reversed.

    The less certain…

    There are, of course, several unknowns. On the issue of Cuba, Biden has criticized Trump’s hard-lined approach. While we can assume Biden might take a more conciliatory approach and loosen restrictions similar to what was done under the Obama/Biden administration, it is unknown to what extent he is willing to go the extra step to finally end the US’ decades-old illegal embargo on that island nation.

    Less certain will be Biden’s approach to US-China relations which had always had its ebbs and flows, but escalated into an outright trade war under the Trump administration until the signing of the Phase 1 Trade Deal. Although not all Caribbean countries recognise the People’s Republic of China, that country’s growing economic presence in the Caribbean has been a source of some tension in US-Caribbean relations.

    Venezuela is another ally of the Caribbean which has had strained relations with the US. While it is unclear what would be Biden’s approach to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, he is likely to take a more multilateral and cooperative approach than the unilateral approach currently taken by the current administration.   

    Another unknown is where Biden stands on the issue of offshore international financial centres. The Obama/Biden administration had taken a particular harsh stance against Caribbean IFCs, branding them as ‘tax havens’. As I noted in a previous article, while it is hoped that VP Harris’ Caribbean ancestry might have a modulating influence on the administration’s engagement with the Caribbean, it is important for the region to remember first of all that she is an American first.

    Conclusion

    It should also be cautioned that the extent to which Biden will be successful in his legislative agenda will be dependent on whether the Democrats or Republicans control the Senate which is still undecided. That said, the Biden/Harris  presidency will mean a steadier hand at the US ship of state – a marked departure from the erraticism, unilateralism and volatility of the past four years. Like the rest of the world, the Caribbean could at the very least look forward to a more traditional US foreign policy, a more stable if more inward-looking trade policy, and a return to multilateral cooperation on some of the world’s greatest challenges, such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B. is a trade and development consultant with a keen interest in sustainable development, international law and trade. All views herein expressed are her personal views and should not be attributed to any institution with which she may from time to time be affiliated. You can read more of her commentaries and follow her on Twitter @LicyLaw.