WTO to help Pakistan enhance export capacity

Would impart training and provide support for exploring new markets

ISLAMABAD:

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) would help enhance Pakistan’s export capacity through its ‘Aid for Trade’ initiative by adding value to the products, training people and providing support for exploring new markets, said WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo.

Speaking on Monday at a press conference during his first visit to Pakistan, he said the WTO staff would impart training to government officials and the private sector in various areas to enhance exports.



“The business environment in Pakistan is improving which is essential for economic growth,” Azevedo said, adding one of the purposes of his visit was to identify areas where Pakistan needed technical assistance like trade development, trade negotiation, production methods and standardisation.



The WTO DG also urged countries including Pakistan to come up with development proposals for their inclusion in the WTO agenda. “You will lag behind if you only depend on the WTO to do something for you,” he remarked.

Azevedo noted that Pakistan was improving and maintaining a healthy economic growth and said with improved peace and security, the economy would grow even further.

“Pakistan’s ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) is greatly appreciated and many other countries are also entering it,” he added.

Azevedo was of the view that Pakistan needed to take qualitative jumps by focusing on competitiveness, diversification and lowering the cost of trade. “The TFA alone would lower transaction cost of Pakistani companies by 30%.”

Moreover, he said agriculture was an area of high priority and agricultural subsidies were continuously discussed and debated at the WTO by developed and developing countries. However, export subsidies were eliminated in the recently held 10th WTO ministerial meeting in Nairobi.



Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir, who was present on the occasion, said the visit of WTO DG reflected the interest and trust of a leading economic institution in the policies pursued by Pakistan.

“Pakistan’s engagement has deepened in negotiations going on in the WTO as the country played a leading role in meetings held in Paris, Nairobi and Davos. Pakistan was the only country from the Saarc region which participated in the Davos meeting,” said Dastgir.

He said Pakistan signed the TFA and was playing a positive role in facilitating trade and in line with international commitments, it would constitute a national trade facilitation committee in the near future.

“In the Nairobi ministerial meeting, Pakistan worked with other countries to seek permanent solutions for the benefit of all participating countries,” he said, adding Pakistan emphatically shared the imperative to feed the hungry and assist the vulnerable but not at the cost of livelihood of millions of poor subsistence farmers.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2016.

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