A National Working Group has been formed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to address the barriers faced by Guyana’s products in CARICOM markets.
According to a Ministry release yesterday, the formation of the National Working Group on Barriers to Trade against Exports from Guyana, came as a result of President Irfaan Ali’s directive to the Foreign Ministry at the launch of the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce to compile a list of all the hurdles Guyana’s exports face in each CARICOM market.
The core membership of the Working Group comprises government ministries, agencies, and the private sector.
The release describes the roles and responsibilities of the National Working Group as including but not limited to:
Identifying barriers to trade through a consultative process.
Deciding on dispute resolution approaches.
Providing direction of pointed areas where further government support is required to build capacity to access foreign markets.
Preparing dossiers to carefully examine barriers to trade issues and recommend solutions.
Reporting on progress.
The Group held its first meeting yesterday and has already begun the task of addressing the issues faced by local exporters in accessing the CARICOM market. The first meeting was chaired by Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud. It is anticipated that a report will be prepared and submitted to President Ali within two weeks, the release added.
