MACHINE NAME = WEB 2

From LDC Services Waiver to GSP...S: Follow-up


08 July 2016
05:00 - 07:00 hrs. Room XXVI, Palais des Nations
Geneva
, Switzerland

​Fully harnessing the potential of services and interlinkages between the services sector and the economy as a whole calls for policy coherence and a holistic approach to services regulation and services trade liberalization, especially for LDCs, where service sector is becoming more and more important.

The recent services Waiver for LDCs that was adopted at the Eighth WTO Ministerial Conference in 2011 and extended in Nairobi in 2015 could potentially serve as a stepping stone towards further services liberalization. Aimed at least-developed countries only, the waiver has a potential to provide a comparative advantage so much needed to kick-start LDCs services trade on international markets.

However, while estimating real life benefits of the preferences generated by the Waiver, one has to consider the following issues:

  • Are such preferences granted in sectors of interest to LDCs?
  • Are they already applied to all trade partners in practice, and consequently fell into mere recognition of MFN treatment?
  • Are the preferences really beneficial to LDCs in providing broader and better market access to them?
  • What can be a next step on a way of liberalizing access for service providers from LDCs that could provide a higher degree of certainty and accountability on both sides of services trade?

The aim of the meeting is to discuss and shed light on these questions.

There is some issue in accessing document path, Please contact to Site Admin

There is some issue in accessing document path, Please contact to Site Admin


languages
Language(s)
English  |    

Contact

Ms. Marina Murina, Office of the Director, DITC.
Tel: +41 22 917 5905