Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Trade sensitized stakeholders about St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ WTO GATS commitments
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Trade has just concluded a three (3) day Workshop on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The workshop held from July 21 - 23 at Joachim Associates Conference Room at Murrays Road is one component of a technical assistance project funded by the ACP – EC Project Management Unit in Brussels, to assist St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ integration into the Multilateral Trading System. The workshop, which was facilitated by a German Consultancy firm, BKP Development Research and Consulting GMBH, drew participants from the public and private sector and civil society organizations.
The workshop discussed among other things the current state of play of the Services negotiations in the WTO; examination of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Services Offers; St. Vincent and the Grenadines Regulatory regimes and Service sector development priorities; the role and benefits of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Coalition of Service Industries (SVGCSI) as well as action plan for effective functioning of the SVGCSI in the interest of stakeholders.
Other components of this ACP – EC Project Management Unit technical assistance comprise:
- A comprehensive review of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Services sector standards and regulations by BKP Development Research and Consulting GMBH with a view to determining their adequacy or lack thereof;
- Development of a proposal for Mutual Recognition Agreement for professional;
- Development of a services data base; and
- Convening a second workshop in September 2010 to train stakeholders on trade analysis, research and negotiation skills.
