The OECS Technical Mission in Geneva

The OECS Geneva Mission was established in 2005 in response to the lack of effective presence in the WTO. The mission monitors, analyses and reports on developments and submits proposals to committees/councils. The opening of the Mission has strengthened the OECS’ capacity to deal with issues relating to their membership in the WTO.  The Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation (AITIC) located in Geneva assisted with its establishment and provides technical support. It has recently received funding from the EU to facilitate its operations for an additional three years. The OECS was recently granted observer status at the United Nations therefore the mission can be established in its own right. Previously it operated as a mission of the Government of St. Kitts/Nevis.

The OECS Hub and Spokes Project headed by Allan Paul commenced operations in June 2005. Its objective is to promote the effective participation of Member States in international trade negotiations (such as the WTO and EPA) and re-enforce their capacity to formulate and implement trade policies consistent with their overall development strategies. To date the Hubs and Spokes Project has provided support for the OECS participation in the non- agriculture market access and agriculture negotiations in the WTO. It has facilitated the preparation of services and market access offers in for the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations. The project is helping to boost capacity of national statistical offices to produce data on trade in services which currently account for over 80% of total exports of the OECS.

The Hubs and Spokes Project is managed by the Commonwealth Secretariat within the Caribbean and is funded by the European Union.

Allan Paul
Senior Trade Policy Advisor

James Maringwa
Trade Policy Analyst