The publication looks at the challenges the poorest countries face in participating in global trade. It examines five complementary areas of policy that can be considered by the international community in maximizing trade opportunities for the poor: lower trade costs for deeper market integration, improving the environment for trade participation, intensifying the poverty impact of integration policies, mitigating risks faced by the extreme poor, and the need for better data and analysis to improve policy-making.

The report highlights the critical role of the WTO in underpinning an open and inclusive global trading system while also supporting trade facilitation. The rules-based global trading system has been essential in reducing the risks faced by the poor due to unpredictable trade policies and in creating a stable trading environment to support job-creating investment, both domestic and foreign, in trade-related activities. Similarly, the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement recognizes the need to support countries in making the most of trade opportunities. Various efforts are now under way, including by the World Bank Group, to ensure that this commitment is delivered.

The book provides a framework for policy analysis and action for policymakers, recognizing that many poor people in different economic sectors face common challenges. The report concludes by underlining that the World Bank Group and the WTO both have a strong role to play in promoting the need for co-operation as a means of supporting multilateral governance of the trading system and implementing trade policies in a way that delivers the greatest possible benefits for the poor.