Legal and Regulatory Framework - UNESCAP

The aim of the ESCAP services in this category is to increase national capacity to effectively negotiate, conclude and implement multilateral and other trade agreements supporting the internationally-agreed development goals.

WTO/UNESCAP technical assistance programme

The programme’s objective is to increase government officials’ understanding of the current state of play of negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda and the implications for trade policymaking at the national level, so as to assist ESCAP members and associate members to have a better national planning process and implementation of WTO commitments, and thus lead to a strengthened multilateral trading system and fulfill the countries’ development potential.

Among 62 members and associate members of ESCAP, 36 members of ESCAP are also WTO members, nine members, and seven associate members have no WTO status, while 4 have observer status and are at various stages of the WTO accession process. The Asia-Pacific region still accounts for the high proportion of countries that are not yet members of WTO and thus accession is an issue of special concern to ESCAP.

The beneficiaries of the programme are mainly government officials in the Asia-Pacific region (macro level), and occasionally researchers and policy-analysts.

To facilitate networking, information-sharing, and dialogue among governments, ESCAP organizes regional seminars with trainers coming from WTO, ESCAP and relevant partner institutions. Access to WTO and ESCAP databases is provided.

Since its initiation in 1999, this service has progressed in line with the evolving nature of the WTO negotiations. Recent activities cover the fields of Government procurement, Trade-led development, TRIPS, SPS and TBT, trade facilitation and regional trade agreements, etc. Over the years more than 75 courses were delivered involving more than 3,500 trade policymakers from developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region benefiting from this programme.

Contact:

Rajan Sudesh Ratna

Trade Policy and Analysis Section, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division

Tel: +662 288 1548

E-mail: ratna [at] un.org,

E-mail: artnetontrade [at] un.org

Trade policy and negotiation advisory services

ESCAP is providing advisory services in the area of trade policy formulation, negotiation, accession to WTO and RTAs, and implementation of requests to its member countries especially those countries with special needs (LDCs, LLDCs, SIDs and countries with economies in transition), including through the established platform such as ARTNeT. For example, ESCAP has organized trade priority research course for Myanmar and has organizing Training of Trainers’ programme for preparing them towards formulating a regulatory framework or negotiations and integrating to the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). A draft Safeguard Law was also formulated for Myanmar on a specific request with several capacity building trainings organized. The law is awaiting the approval of their Parliament. For Mongolia, ESCAP has provided advisory services relating to their accession to the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) and preparedness for negotiating the Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan. ESCAP is also providing technical advice to Lao PDR and Sri Lanka for their preferential trade agreements. ESCAP has assisted the Government of Republic of Marshall Islands in drafting her first National Export Strategy. ESCAP also publishes practical guides and technical briefs on trade negotiation and implementation of modalities.

Contact:

Rajan Sudesh Ratna

Trade Policy and Analysis Section, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division

Tel: +662 288 1548

E-mail: ratna [at] un.org,

E-mail: artnetontrade [at] un.org