The British government recently approved P18 million worth of technical assistance for the Philippines to institutionalize public-private sector consultation networks to strengthen the private sector’s role in trade policy formulation and negotiations.
The Institutionalization of Multi-Stakeholder (I-Must) consultation program on Trade Policy and Negotiations, which is a three-year project grant that kicked off last May 2008 and will run until March 2011, will be implemented by the Universal Access to Competitiveness and Trade (U-ACT), the research and advocacy think-tank of the Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In Cebu, the business sector is encouraged to participate in this campaign through the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), and PCCI-Visayas led by Jose Ng.
Regional business organizations, through the network of PCCI-Visayas will be largely tapped in the consultation series on formulating a sound trade policy of the government and participation in the free trade agreements (FTAs).
Special envoy for trade negotiations and U-ACT chairman Donald G. Dee said the technical assistance from the British government is a breakthrough in the institutionalization of private sector led reforms to improve the country’s trade negotiations capacity and development agenda.
“We are grateful to the British government for allowing us to undertake this project by providing us with this technical assistance. Surely, the I-Must for trade project will enable stakeholders to be attuned with the challenges of crafting trade agreements that support our national interest and agenda for competitiveness,” Dee said.
I-Must for trade project is designed to institutionalize a private sector led consultation network among key stakeholders from national to local levels and provide a coherent agenda for trade policy strategy formulation and negotiations.
The project will establish a fully operational and private sector run trade policy center which will undertake support mechanisms to localize the creation of trade negotiations working committees to serve as counterparts in developing and gathering trade data and feedback with provincial-based stakeholders.
Likewise, it will also establish a trade learning institute that will undertake training of personnel, trade specialists and advocates on trade policy, agreements, and negotiations strategy.
On the other hand, in the localization of trade negotiations, the project will identify four regional hubs from amongst the PCCI’s network of local chambers which will service as the strategic gateways where trade policy consultations and feedback from local stakeholders will be facilitated.