Good governance in trade policy provides legitimate channels of access to decision-makers, not only for business, but also for other groups -- women, consumers, environmental protection activists and so on. To be transparent and inclusive, the process has to include open debate to resolve inevitable conflicts of interest, lay down common positions and establish what Prof Michel Kostecki, consultant on business advocacy to ITC, calls the "community of interests". As discussions between groups move from the specific to the general, they begin to identify common ground for devising positions they can communicate to government negotiators. Good governance on trade policy also requires inclusiveness, bringing in voices that may seldom be heard. The essential is to be able to tread the fine l...
... advocacy group, Philfoodex, in the Philippines, which successfully campaigned for a change in nat...