The Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) in Africa – A human rights perspective

UNECA | July 2017

The Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) in Africa – A human rights perspective

The negotiations leading up to the continental free trade area (CFTA) present a unique
opportunity to improve the livelihoods of millions of African people. The jobs and wealth that the CFTA can bring about have the potential to contribute significantly to alleviating poverty, creating jobs and promoting equality. The CFTA is more than a trade agreement. Its wide scope – covering trade in goods, trade in services, investment, competition policy and intellectual property rights – provides a platform to facilitate the inclusive structural transformation of African countries, contributing to the attainment of Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the global Agenda 2030.

But trade agreements and economic integration do not necessarily lead to fair and sustainable outcomes. Assessing the distributional impacts of an agreement such as the CFTA is therefore crucial to ensure that human rights and trade are complementary.

Read the report here (pdf)

source : UNECA

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