Arab countries to effectively participate in the multilateral trading system, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) is holding a regional meeting on "Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) in the Arab Countries" from September 2-3 at the United Nations House, Riad Solh Square, Beirut.
Organized under the auspices of Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Marwan Hamadeh and in cooperation with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Lebanese Ministry of Economy and Trade, the Meeting is aimed at enhancing the awareness on the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), and its implications on the trade policies of the ESCWA countries.
It is worth noting that the meeting constitutes a part of a series of activities and events organized by ESCWA, in cooperation with the WTO and other regional and international organizations, to enhance capacity building and awareness on the rights and obligations of the Arab countries under WTO agreements, and provide technical assistance to the Arab countries which are in the process of accession to the WTO. These activities are also aimed to better preparing Arab countries for the current round of multilateral trade negotiation in the context of the Doha Development Agenda, which was agreed upon in the WTO Fourth Ministerial Meeting.
ESCWA activities included organizing numerous meetings, seminars, and workshops on different aspects of international trade, in addition to preparing 26 studies and working papers covering all issues on the Doha Development Agenda, such as market access for agricultural and non-agricultural goods, trade in services, trade related aspects of intellectual property rights, environment, investment, competition policies, electronic commerce and technology transfer.
Participants in the Meeting will be delegates representing Arab countries in addition to representatives of concerned international organizations, such as the International Organization of Legal Metrology (IOLM), International Standardization Organization (ISO), International Electro-technical Commission (IEC), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
