Senior officials, from key agencies involved in trade in Dominica, met to discuss the establishment of a national coordinating body on trade facilitation late last month. The presentations and discussion focussed on Trade Facilitation in the context of customs reform, national development and regional and multilateral negotiations.   

The meeting raised several issues and concerns which would need to be addressed by a task force, including the implications for trade-related fees and taxes, interagency collaboration, engagement of the private sector and trade performance.  The Ministry with responsibility for international trade will be leading efforts to establish the task force. 

The OECS Secretariat, in partnership with UNCTAD, has commenced work in the OECS-WTO Member States to promote the establishment of national coordinating bodies for Trade Facilitation.  This includes capacity building for the task force members, support for participation in the WTO negotiations and technical assistance in priority areas identified by task force members and trade officials.  

Trade facilitation refers to the procedures and controls governing the movement of goods across national borders e.g. customs procedures, policies and legislation.  Negotiations are ongoing in the WTO to clarify and improve the rules related to the movement of goods across borders and to make the procedures related to the import and export of goods simpler and more transparent.