NTMs Week 2019

Non-tariff measures and regulatory policies are at the centre of global trade talks, affecting some 90% of world trade and all areas of our everyday lives.

Meeting these complex and often opaque rules requires significant resources.

Reducing associated costs while ensuring the beneficial effects of those measures addressing public policy objectives requires regulatory cooperation at the regional and multilateral level.

However, the first quarter of 2019 saw a surge in trade tension and protectionist impulses.

To open the discussion on the topic of regulatory cooperation and design of NTMs as a tool to foster market access and sustainable development, UNCTAD will host the fifth Non-Tariff Measures week and Multi-Agency Support Team (MAST) meeting on 14-15 October 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The annual Non-Tariff Measures Week is a platform for policymakers and researchers to discuss the link between NTMs and the latest items which top the news agenda: trade wars, e-commerce, transparency, and sustainable development.

Sessions will discuss the role and impact of:

• Policy initiatives around national and regional regulatory coherence and cooperation

• Trade wars beyond tariffs

• International standard-setting bodies

• Interlinkage of NTMs and the Sustainable Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific

• Reporting and eliminating ‘ugly’ NTMs

• Transparency in trade regulations

• African Continental Free Trade Area

• Classification of NTMs and MAST group

MAST Group Members: