A/HRC/10/65 page 9 36. Aileen Kwa, Programme Coordinator of the Trade and Development Programme, South Centre, maintained that most countries have been advised to become more integrated with the global economy through exports, which led to deepening poverty in the least developed countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, in spite of increasing worldwide economic growth and trade. She shared statistics on the agriculture and manufacturing sectors in a number of countries to show how imports have surged, resulting in serious drops in production, cuts in employment and reduction in household incomes. Since an exports-based economic policy is not sustainable in the long term for all countries and causes domestic markets to shrink, she advocated the re-agriculturalization and re-industrialization of countries and regions, while reviewing the fundamentals of the trade system in order to place human rights at the centre of trade liberalization obligations. 37. In his presentation, David Luke, Senior Trade Adviser and Coordinator of the Trade and Human Development Unit, UNDP/Geneva, indicated that globalization has resulted, on the one hand, in technological progress, economic and financial integration and higher productivity, and on the other, in widening income inequality across and within countries. He explained the activities and priorities of UNDP in the area of trade and development, and stressed that it had assumed a stronger analytical and substantive role since the 1990s. 38. The Chairperson-Rapporteur then invited the participants to an interactive debate. Statements were made by representatives of Barbados, Mexico, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen. It was recognized that trade as such does not directly mitigate poverty as there is no assurance that trade-generated wealth will have an impact on the poor. It was also noted that international trade has a role to play and that, in that sense, the Doha round was a step in attempting to reduce poverty. It was also emphasized that the realities and history of developing countries must be taken into consideration in the design of trade policies and agreements. Calls were made for the Social Forum to recommend the continuation of negotiations at WTO to conclude an agreement that will contribute to the alleviation of poverty, particularly in the least developed countries. The role of civil society in the eradication of poverty at the grass-roots level 39. Ingrid Srinath, Secretary-General of CIVICUS, commented that State policies that exclude the marginalized segment of society from the enjoyment of its rights are often the cause of poverty. In her view, civil society exists as an amplifier of marginalized voices. She identified participatory governance as the solution to most of the issues that had been raised during the Social Forum, including poverty. Policies informed by the needs of the most affected and marginalized segments of the society ensure equitable and effective implementation. At the same time, the speaker expressed concern about draft laws in a number of countries that would restrict the freedom of civil society and therefore affect their action and efforts aimed at poverty reduction and elimination. 40. Ms. Perez de Perez and Mr. Genin, both representing ATD Quart Monde, described in detail the work of ATD Quart Monde with poor communities in the Central African Republic and Guatemala. Their experience with these communities demonstrated that people living in extreme poverty are always the first to act to transform their lives, and therefore they must be encouraged to participate fully in local and national strategies for eliminating poverty. Civil