Capacity
Building

The OAS General Secretariat, through the Trade Section of the Department of Trade, Tourism and Competitiveness (DTTC), plays an active role in the area of trade capacity-building (TCB)

Pursuant to the “Strategic Plan for Partnership for Integral Development 2006-2007” adopted by the OAS member states in June 2006 (AG/RES. 2201 (XXXVI-O/06) (Strategic Plan), the DTTC supports “member states, particularly smaller economies, focusing on those trade capacity-building priorities identified by member states in their national strategy plans that fall within the areas of expertise of the OAS in order to build each member state’s capacity to benefit from trade and promote economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction.”

The National and/or Regional Trade Capacity Building Strategies (TCB Strategies) were prepared by countries --with the assistance of the DTTC, the IDB and ECLAC-- in order to identify and prioritize their trade-related capacity needs so as to better manage the assistance required from the donor community and guide their own efforts in addressing these needs.  The TCB Strategies covered three main areas:  preparing for negotiations, implementing trade commitments, and adjusting to integration in order to maximize the benefits of trade liberalization. Together with mandates from the Summits of the Americas, the OAS General Assembly and Trade Ministerials, these TCB Strategies have guided the DTTC as it works to assist member states, particularly smaller economies, while they strive to ensure that trade and integration serve their economic development objectives. 

 Negotiating Trade Agreements 

Trade-related capacity-building efforts of the DTTC have focused on providing support to the economic integration processes taking place in the Americas through, among others, the negotiation of bilateral, plurilateral and hemispheric trade agreements.  The Department has helped countries strengthen their institutional capacities to participate in these negotiations through technical assistance, training courses, workshops and seminars on the main issues of the trade agenda.  Likewise, through the Tripartite Committee (OAS, ECLAC, and IDB), the DTTC has provided both analytical and technical support to the FTAA negotiations. 

Implementing Trade Commitments

 The implementation and administration of trade agreements, once finalized, is essential to ensure compliance with the obligations assumed under those agreements.  Countries face important challenges when they need to adapt their legislation, administrative procedures and institutional infrastructure to the requirements of increased integration with their trading partners.  The cooperation of other member states that have had ample experience in these matters is extremely valuable. The DTTC provides technical assistance and organizes seminars, regional workshops and experts’ visits where countries can share their experience in areas such the administration of rules of origin, customs procedures, trade statistics and information, sanitary and phytosanitary  measures, dispute settlement, among others.

Adjusting to and Benefiting from Trade Agreements

Negotiating and implementing trade agreements is not enough to make them a tool of economic development and growth. A critical component to their success are the efforts that countries need to undertake to carry out domestic reform programs targeted towards improving the competitive environment in order to make trade liberalization as effective and beneficial as possible.  Emphasis on this parallel “internal agenda” is now widespread among governments, due to the growing recognition of the importance of such auxiliary efforts to the success of greater market openness in terms of increased prosperity for their populations.  

The DTTC has been supporting these efforts through activities as varied as assistance in streamlining investment procedures, definition of appropriate regulatory reform and areas of export promotion for key services sectors, improvement of the competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized economies, assistance in creating networking opportunities for the private sector, assistance with understanding and putting into application intellectual property laws and in dealing with technical standards applied to imported products. 

During the period 2005-2006 the DTTC executed the following programs, projects and activities on trade and competitiveness: