|
Beirut, 29 August 2003 (United Nations Information Service)--
In view of supporting 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" on 2-3 September 2003 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.
The Meeting, which will open at 8:30 am on Tuesday 2 September,
will be an ample opportunity to review the history of the
negotiations on the TBT Agreement and its main principles; the
transparency provisions in the TBT Agreement; the TBT Agreement
and international standards; the TBT cases in the WTO dispute
settlement mechanism; the structure and role of the WTO Committee
on TBT; and the technical assistance provided by the relevant
international organization to the Arab countries regarding the
implementation of the TBT Agreement.
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.
The 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).
|
