Lebanons Accession to the WTO

1
Lebanons Accession to the WTO

• Presented by his H.E. Dr. Basil Fuleihan at BCCI
• Ministry of Economy and Trade
• June 2002

2
Lebanons Accession
The Challenges of the International Trade System
(WTO)
What Has Been Achieved?
Lebanons Current Position

• Future Steps

The Technical Team
Public Private Sector Partnership
3
Lebanons Accession
The Challenges of the International Trade System
(WTO)

• WTO Accession
• A means (driving force) towards achieving an end
  (economic reform)
• Two of the basic pillars of the current
  governments economic program
• structural reform
• trade liberalization

4
Lebanons Accession
The Challenges of the International Trade System
(WTO)

• Facing up to the challenges brought by the WTO
• System (WTO) requires
• Institutional and Legal Capacity Building
  Development (Public/Private)
• Upgrading Human Resource
• Development of productive sectors (Goods
  Services)

5
Lebanons Accession
Achievements to Date
Previous Governments
6
Lebanons Accession
WTO Accession Time Line
Observer status 1999
7
Lebanons Accession
Achievements to Date
Current Government
8
Lebanons Accession
Lebanons current position

• What are we doing now?

9
Lebanons Accession
WTO Accession Time Line

• Legal Reform
• Finalizing required WTO Documents
• Reinforcing and expediting Free Trade Agreements

Observer status 1999
10
Lebanons Accession
Future Steps
The success of negotiations should be evaluated
on the overall outcome and national gains rather
than on sector specific gains and losses
11
Lebanons Accession
WTO Accession Time Line
Bilateral Negotiations

• Legal Reform
• Finalizing required WTO Documents
• Reinforcing and expediting Free Trade Agreements

Accession Expected end 2003
Working Party Meetings
Observer status 1999
12
The Process at a Glance
Prepare Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime
and all Supporting Documents

• Request For Accession
• General Council Meeting

Prepare ACC/4 and ACC/5 Prepare initial offer on
Goods and Services

• Questions/Replies
• Working Party Meets to discuss the Foreign Trade
  Regime

• Observer Status
• Working Party Formed

Bilateral Negotiations with Trading Partners
Foreign Trade Regime in Conformity with the WTO?

• Bring Foreign Trade Regime into conformity with
  the WTO
• Questions/Replies

Negotiations completed with all countries.
No
Yes
Schedules of Commitments Concessions
Report by Accession working party Protocol of
Accession
Working Party recommends accession
General Council votes on Accession
Parliament of acceding country ratifies accession
Member on the 30th day after ratification
13
The Technical Team
The UNDP WTO Team is composed of 10 individuals
MOET
Macroeconomic Policy Experts
UNDP Project
Legal Trade Experts
IPR Expert
USAID Project
WTO Trade Policy Experts
Headed by an International WTO Expert
Trade Economists
4 Legal Trade experts
14
The Technical Team
UNDP
UNCTAD
ArthurDunkel DG GATT 1980-93
MOET
WTO Technical Assistance
USAIDPWC
15
Private and Public Sector Partnership
Other Ministries and state bodies
National Committee
WTO UnitMOET
Private sector Chambers, Orders, Syndicates,
Associations, Universities

• Awareness campaigns
• Progress Meetings
• Technical Seminars

• Preparation of MFTR
• Preparing replies on MFTR
• Preparation of ACC/4
• Preparation of ACC/5
• Drafting of Legislations
• Preparation of other Accession documents

16
Thank you for your attention