Civil society and the WTO: participation in national trade policy design in Uganda and Kenya
Public awareness of the role of the WTO has largely focussed on the protests surrounding its biannual ministerial meetings, most recently in Canc·n. In some southern countries, however, a less visible process of dialogue between civil society and trade policymakers has been developing at the national level. This paper discusses this process of dialogue in Uganda and Kenya. It describes the institutional context of trade policy processes, and the spaces which civil society occupy within it. It also highlights some of the existing barriers to CSO influence.