Assessment of trade in services in the GATS negotiations

COMMISSION ON TRADE IN GOODS AND

TRADE IN SERVICES

International trade in services

Another issue in trade in services related to electronic commerce.

The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) provides a unique multilateral legal framework for trade in services and for negotiations on their further liberalization.

III. Trade in services 27 45

Measures need to be put in place and liberalization needs to follow a proper sequencing to ensure that local providers still have a niche and an opportunity to grow and that adjustment costs, including social impact, are kept to a minimum.

1994 General Agreement on Trade in Services Organization Multilateral Binding Adopted

Such policies should take into account the costs that they impose on international trade in services in general and on developing countries in particular.

(b) Improving trade supporting services facilitating trade and exports

Trade in services and development

INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN HEALTH SERVICES

Distribution services and interests of developing countries in the GATS Distribution services are traded through the four GATS modes of services supply, commercial establishment abroad being the most important one.

COMMISSION ON TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES, AND COMMODITIES

(b) Improving trade supporting services facilitating trade and exports

MODES OF TRADE IN HEALTH SERVICES

As trade in services (and, in particular, information intensive services) increases, and as trade in both goods and services becomes itself more dependent on international information flows, telecommunications play an increasingly important role in the process of globalization of international trade.

Mr. Hamid Mamdouh, Director, Trade in Services, WTO

Target recipients will be traders and trade supporting service providers.

UNCTAD should also continue to help developing countries to strengthen their capacities in the services sector, including for trading.

Technical assistance was also provided from databases in trade in goods and services trade in services competition policies trade and environment and investment regimes.

Commission on Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities

International trade in goods and services, and commodities

For the period 2000 2003, trade in services represented 16 per cent of the total trade of developing countries, expanding at the same pace as their trade in goods.

35. Trade in services is a dynamic sector, whose share in world trade now amounts to 20 per cent.

Services were another area of the WTO agenda of critical importance for the CARICOM economies.

The developing countries have a share of 23 per cent in world services exports.

A survey carried out in 1996 with the majority of operational Trade Points demonstrated that those Trade Points which use the Internet more actively to promote their services or their clients services also facilitate a higher number of trade transactions per month and offer a broader range of trade facilitation services than other Trade Points.

36. The provisions of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) were expected to provide grounds for liberalization of trade in services such that growth would be further enhanced.

In the course of the session, the secretariat would present some of the latest developments in the field of trade supporting services.

assistance to developing countries, in coordination with WTO, in accessing date on trade in services,

Following on the mandate for UNCTAD to assist developing countries in setting up their trade policy, the focus is on the commitments made under the General Agreement on Trade and Services by the 16 small island developing countries that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with a view to analysing the link between these commitments and the strategies of these countries for developing trade in services.

The situation is similar in trade in services.

Gender equality and international trade in services

Women's participation in trade in services has also been growing.

Modes of Trade in Health Services23 80

32. International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities.

For those Trade Points which do not yet benefit from full Internet services, UNCTAD TPDC has set up an Internet Incubator which enables Trade Points (especially in developing countries) without access to the Internet to use the UNCTAD TPDC servers as data repositories.

14. A presentation was made by ITC of its Virtual Trade Fair .

National assessment of experiences with trade and development of distribution services in developing countries

If a Trade Point is operational in a country, the degree to which that Trade Point offers trade facilitation services will be an indicator of the current possibilities for full electronic trading in that country.

Given the role of services in development, technology transfer and trade, a balanced outcome in services negotiations is imperative.

The last years have seen a growth of RTAs covering services trade.

MAST may contribute to increased transparency in the trade regime for services.