Consultant - Chapter 8 ARIA XI Report

Result of Service

1. A draft chapter on “Governance and resources requirements for establishing and operationalizing the continental Customs Union and African Common Market, ”in line with the requirements outlined in this Terms of Reference and the ARIA XI Concept Note; 2. A final chapter that incorporates review comments, suggestions and recommendations from both internal reviews at the level of ECA and from an Expert Group Meeting.

Work Location

Home Based

Expected duration

3

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will work under the overall guidance of the ECA Director of the Regional Integration and Trade Division (RITD) and the direct supervision of the Chief of the Regional Integration Section. As elaborated in the Concept Note for the 11th Edition of Assessing Regional Integration in Africa Report (ARIA XI): “Beyond the AfCFTA: Bringing the Continental Customs Union and Common Market About”, the consultant, among others, will be required to: i. Articulate the key elements of the governance and institutional setup, as well as resources requirements (human, material and financial) for a continental customs Union and Common Market, ii. Provide pointers on how the continent should begin to plan to put some of these governance, and institutional structures and resource mobilisation strategies together for the continental CU and CM. iii. Highlight the differences in the Governance and institutional requirements for a continental customs union versus those of a common market iv. Highlight the differences between a decentralized versus centralized models of continental CUs and CMs in terms of governance, institutional and resources requirements v. Propose innovative strategies to finance Africa’s integration agenda, specifically the continental Customs Union and the African Common Market. vi. Distil key messages from the chapter analyses, as well as provide practical and actionable recommendations in the form of measures, strategies and policies on how African countries can establish effective governance structures and institutions for the envisaged continental Customs Union and Common market, as well as mobilize the necessary financial, human and material resources for their operationalization. The overall objective of ARIA XI is to provide policy recommendations to African countries on how to successfully transition from a Free Trade Area to a Customs Union and subsequently to a Common Market. It is envisaged that ARIA XI will have ten thematic/substantive chapters, alongside introductory and concluding chapters. The proposed chapter outline is as follows: ➢ Chapter 1: The Status of Regional Integration in Africa ➢ Chapter 2: The AfCFTA and the transition to a continental Customs Union and Common Market ➢ Chapter 3: Theoretical underpinnings of Free Trade Areas, Customs Unions and Common Markets ➢ Chapter 4: Customs unions and common markets: Experiences/lessons from African RECs and from CUs/CMs across the world ➢ Chapter 5: Trade and economic benefits of a continental customs union and common market ➢ Chapter 6: Towards a Continental Customs Union: Elimination of tariff Barriers and operationalization of a common external Tariff ➢ Chapter 7; Towards a Continental Common Market: Addressing Non-Tariff Barriers, Non-tariff Measures, and harmonizing policies/standards ➢ Chapter 8: Governance and resources requirements for establishing and

Qualifications/special skills

PhD in International Economics, Development Economics, International Trade, International Trade Policy, or any other related field. A minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience in the field of regional integration and trade policy analysis and development in Africa is required. Proven experience in using econometric methods and econometric modelling in trade-related economic research. Experience in trade negotiations and advising African countries on trade policy and regional integration at national, regional, continental and international levels is strongly desirable. A track record of refereed publications in reputable international journals, books or book chapters on trade matters and regional integration is required. The capacity to deliver output in a timely manner and the ability to use relevant computer technology as well as experience in editing reports are also required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.