Preferential trade agreements with labour provisions and labour market outcomes: evidence from Asia and the Pacific

The Development Account is a capacity development programme of the United Nations Secretariat aiming at enhancing capacities of developing countries in the priority areas of the United Nations Development Agenda. The ninth tranche of the Development Account is aimed at supporting Member States in designing and implementing strategies and policies towards sustainable, equitable and inclusive development. Trade is an important part of this process, as expanding trade and investment has driven growth in many developing countries, leading to major reductions in poverty and overall increases in welfare. However, substantial variations in performance among countries persist and, as a consequence, not all countries - and much less all groups and individuals within countries - have been able to benefit equally from trade. In particular, the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and other countries with special needs, have not benefited from trade as much as some other developing countries. In order for these countries to foster further economic and social development, they need better access to markets alongside further development of productive and supply capacity.