Parliamentarians attend WTO workshop

Parliamentarians attend WTO workshop

Parliamentarians and business representatives from several Pacific island countries (PICs) had the opportunity to gain greater understanding of the multilateral trading system and negotiations underway at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) when they attended a workshop in Port Vila, Vanuatu, 11 – 13 May 2011.

The workshop was organised by the WTO and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. Currently four PICs, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga are members of the WTO. Two other PICs, Vanuatu and Samoa are in the process of acceding to the WTO with Vanuatu in the final stages of its accession. Participants at the workshop were from Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.

“Parliamentarians the world over, including the Pacific, have a unique role to play in the multilateral trading system. They are in a position to explain the workings of the multilateral trading system, including the advantages and disadvantages, and thereby helping citizens to understand and cope with the complexities of globalization, encouraging greater awareness and informed debate on international trade issues,” Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum said when he opened the workshop on 11th May.

Mr Slade said: “Parliamentarians, by their position and responsibilities provide the political ingredient needed to build confidence and a level of trust in civil society and thus help to resolve some of the difficult issues that will need to be dealt with.”

He told the workshop participants: “Parliamentarians also have a constitutional role to consider the trade agreements. As accountable representatives of the people who have elected them, parliamentarians must consider and ratify international trade agreements and ensure their implementation through domestic legislation and appropriate budgetary allocations.”

“In all these respects, Pacific parliamentarians will need to have a clear understanding of the multilateral trading system – they must be able to analyse the negotiations and understand the implications for their economies and for the Pacific region as a whole as they work towards entering into binding legal agreements and implementing legislation.”

During the workshop, participants heard not only from representatives of the WTO but also other regional actors including the Forum Fisheries Agency and the Pacific Institute of Public Policy, which provided their perspectives on the WTO negotiations and their implications for PICs.

ENDS.

© Scoop Media