A total of 120 photos were submitted from 31 countries covering a diverse range of topics. Some 45% of submissions were from Africa, nearly 20% from Asia, 15% from Europe, 15% from Central America and 5% from the Pacific region.

A panel consisting of WTO and EIF staff and a professional photographer selected the winning photo, which is entitled “Central American Truck Drivers”. The short list consisted of eight finalists from Costa Rica, The Gambia, Hungary Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Uganda and Ukraine.

The winner, Andrey Rojas Corrales, said:

“When the picture was taken, Central America and the rest of the world were facing challenges resulting from a pandemic unprecedented in our time. A vast range of sanitary measures were implemented to aid in slowing down the virus that at the time had already taken the lives of almost half a million people …

“During those challenging times, truck drivers faced a slowdown in the circulation of goods. This picture is a clear reminder that the pandemic not only presented new challenges but demonstrated the undeniable need to improve our border crossings and to optimize cross-border procedures. As nations, regions and the world community seek to bring about economic recovery, strengthening trade facilitation and global supply chains becomes all the more important.”

The winner received a DSLR photo camera.

The eight short-listed photos were:

1. “Central American Truck Drivers” submitted by Andrey Rojas Corrales (winner) — Costa Rica
2. “Truck at Mpondwe Border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo” by Nyembezi Mvunga and Charles Kunaka (special mention) — Uganda
3. “Man on Zoom Call” by Anthony Alabi — Nigeria
4. “La Confection et Vente de Cache Bouch en Tissus” by Miora Rakotomalala Radamarisoa — Madagascar
5. “Warehouse of Hungary's Biggest Online Retailer” by Simon Móricz-Sabján — Hungary  
6. “Wellness on Wheels” by Ismail Badjie — The Gambia
7. “Car Boot Traders” by Mary Magure — Kenya
8. “Delivery is Safety” by Roman Baluk — Ukraine

Background

The Aid for Trade Stocktaking Event aims to survey the trade impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and make the case for the mobilization of Aid for Trade financing to support recovery and foster resilience. The programme of the event is available here.

The Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) provides tailored support to the poorest countries in the world, helping them to integrate into regional and global trading systems, create jobs and increase incomes. EIF's unique approach guarantees full ownership by the least developed countries (LDCs), with the majority of projects co-financed by the countries themselves. The EIF has partnerships with 51 countries, 24 donors and eight partner agencies that work closely with governments, development organizations and civil society to assist LDCs use trade as an engine for development and poverty reduction.