ISTIA and the WTO

 ISTIA is Accredited to the World Trade Organization

Preparatory meeting for UNCTAD XIV, Salle XXVI, 26 May 2016

ISTIA intervention to UNCTAD 2nd Meeting on Civil Society:  describes the how ISTIA Work addresses Sustainable Development Goal no. 17: “Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development”.  As ISTIA addresses services trade statistical capacity building, ISTIA addresses SDG 17 "subgoal" 17.9: Capacity building: Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, SDG 17 "subgoal" 17.10: Trade: Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda, and SDG 17 "subgoal" 17.9: Data, monitoring and accountability as a systemic issue: By 2030,  build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries.

Special Session for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, South East Europe and other interested countries

Expert Group on National Accounts

Country experience with surveys, data collection and compilation techniques, Global Production Research Agenda, Exchange of economic data and data sharing, Global accounts and analytical use of SUT, Use of Statistical Units in National Accounts

Link to the meeting can be found here:  Meeting of the Group of Experts on National Accounts

Integrating the Trade Dimension into United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks

High-level segment: Development strategies in a globalized world Multilateral processes for managing sovereign external debt, Role of women as catalyst for trade and development, Interdependence: Financialization and macroeconomic fragility in the global economy, Contribution of UNCTAD to the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011–2020: Fourth progress report, Economic development in Africa: Unlocking the potential of Africa's services trade for growth and development Evolution of the international trading system and its trends from a development perspective - The role of small holder farmers in sustainable commodities production and trade Investment for development: Reforming the international investment regime Preparatory process for the fourteenth session of the Conference: Establishment of the Preparatory Committee Approval of the provisional agenda of the Conference UNCTAD contributions to the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields Technical cooperation activities Review of the technical cooperation activities of UNCTAD Report on UNCTAD assistance to the Palestinian people Report of the Seventh United Nations Conference to Review All Aspects of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices Follow-up to the Joint Inspection Unit report and the agreed conclusions of the twenty-sixth special session of the Trade and Development Board.    UNCTAD Meeting page

Programme of Meetings

14 September | 15 September  | 16 September  | 17 September  | 18 September  | 21 September  |

 22 September  | 24 September  | 25 September  |Summary |  Presentations from the Meeting.  | Participant list

New Horizons in Services Trade Governance.

25 November 2014 to 26 November 2014. World Trade Organisation, Room S1. 0. 6

This conference addressed several issues currently at the forefront of the rapidly evolving role that services are playing in the 21st century world economy. In various panel discussions, experts presented findings from selected chapters of a forthcoming Research Handbook on Services Trade to be published by Edward Elgar. Organised by ICTSD and WTI.

The ICTSD-WTI Session can be viewed on Youtube.

Part of a series on

Integrating the Trade Dimension into United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks

Special keynote address by Amina J. Mohamed, the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Post-2015 Planning

On 3 October 2013, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, the new Secretary-General of UNCTAD, welcomed over 30 civil society leaders to UNCTAD Geneva.  ISTIA was pleased to have been invited to the first meeting between Dr. Kituyi and civil society representatives since he took office in September.  This was an opportunity for all civil society leaders to exchange views with the Secretary General at the very start of his term.  At the commencement of the meeting, Dr. Kituyi praised the role played by civil society organizations in promoting socially just economic development, and said that he wanted to see civil society organizations contributing to UNCTAD meetings at the highest level. 

In his opening speech at the meeting, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi highlighted the "phenomenal" expertise - particularly in global trade and development within Geneva-based international and civil society organizations.  Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi recalled that as Minister of Trade of Kenya, he formalized the role of civil society representatives in the country's trade delegation, so that involving civil society in governmental trade and development affairs was a "duty and not a favor".

Including Work of the High-level Group on the Modernization of Statistical Production and Services

Proposals for 2014 Seminars

Progress of the Task Force for Climate Change

Participant List for 61st Plenary CES Meeting

8th WTO Ministerial meeting in Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2011

The Seventh Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 30 November to 2 December 2009. The general theme for discussion shall be The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment .

ISTIA Accreditation to the 8th WTO Ministerial Meeting

ISTIA is the the only international agency working in the area of  WTO-related Services Trade Statistics Capacity Building.  In March 2010,  ISTIA was honored to be invited to participate to attend the 3rd Session of the UN Multi-Year Expert Group on Services, Development and Trade, held in the UN Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.  The principal meeting focus concerned  services-related egulatory and institutional frameworks of developing country governments, especially African countries, least developed countries (LDCs)  and countries with special needs, such as economies-in-transition. Discussions focused on strengthening domestic services capacity,  increasing services efficiency and enhancing competitiveness; also strengthening export capacity.  A special focus was placed on the Accra Accord.
 

 Key Issues | Notification | Agenda | Programme | Documents | Summary| Participant list
Report of the Meeting | Overview | Programme Timetable | UNCTAD documents
Presentations [Audio] | Presentations [Text] |Contributions [Text]

7th WTO Ministerial meeting in Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009

The Seventh Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 30 November to 2 December 2009. The general theme for discussion shall be The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment .

ISTIA in the MC-7 Programme

ISTIA Accreditation to 7th WTO Ministerial Meeting

ISTIA-GOIC MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed on Tuesday 6th of March 2007, in Doha Qatar, between Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC) and the Geneva-based agency International Services Trade Information Agency (ISTIA). Signing the MOU, was H.E. Dr. Ahmed Khalil Al Mutawa, GOIC Secretary General, and Ms. Jennifer M. Powell, ISTIA Executive Director.

This is a strategic partnership between GOIC and ISTIA. It is aimed at assisting the GCC countries towards building capacity to measure globalization data such as trade-in-services crucial information for World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations as well as foreign direct investment (FDI), operations of FDI-related enterprises, cross-border joint-ventures (JV), and transfers of technology via FDI or strategic alliances. In the context of a more global and integrated world economy, such information is crucial for both GCC governments, as well as the private sector.

Developing the capacity to gather such information at the national level will give the GCC countries the tools necessary to successfully measure, understand and plan strategically for requirements of a more global and integrated world economy. GCC governments require  training so as to better-collect data so that negotiators are best-prepared to negotiate in the WTO under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), as well as in other bilateral trade and investment negotiations.  In addition to training governments how to collect data, trade-negotiators, diplomats and other high-level government officials could benefit from training so as to 'bridge the gap' between the new globalization data framework and their decision-making activities.

In the new millennium, services are instrumental components of industrial activities; previously, services and industrial business activities were viewed as distinct and separate. The modern global economy views services and industrial activity as symbiotic and integrated for two principal reasons. Firstly, because businesses require efficient services sectors such as transportation and communications for domestic or import/export commercial operations. Secondly, modern business models no longer view companies as strictly services-only or industrial-only. In the 21st century, many companies which used to be famous for only selling goods, now also sell services as separate products; one example of this is Hewlett Packard, a former hardware-only firm which now sells consulting, business integration and other services as stand-alone products. Services also make up a significant share of the GDP for all countries in the world; developed country GDP is usually 70-85% services-driven, while developing country GDP figures are generally 35-70% services-based.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a part of the WTO GATS agreement, and in this light, measurement of FDI on a basis which allows sectoral and partner country identification is of crucial importance. Successful ISTIA collaboration seeks to facilitate the public and private sectors of GCC countries to operate in a manner most proactive and strategic in relation to globalization affairs.

DIALOGUE ON AID FOR TRADE: From Policy to Practice

Conference attendees comprised senior policy makers from developing and developed countries, aid practitioners from the headquarters and field level, and stakeholders from the private sector, academia and civil society from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.  Discussions addressed Aid for Trade agenda and key challenges for economic, political and implementation.  Donors and partner countries presented experences on Aid for Trade.
                                                        Overview |   Sessions |   Agenda |   WTO statement|   Participant list

Programme Day 1 |   Programme Day 2|   Press   

ISTIA presentation to Ministers     (pdf)

 ISTIA Technical Assistance

 ISTIA Capacity Building for Government of Vietnam

On the eve of the accession of Vietnam as the 150th WTO Member, ISTIA provided an intensive week-long course on Services trade policy and Services trade statistics to officials of the Government of Vietnam.  The course, which took place the first week of October, introduced the use of services trade statistics, foreign direct investment (FDI) statistics and foreign affiliate trade statistics.  The course also addressed the country's new legal framework for investment. Course summary here.

ISTIA gratefully acknowledges funding support from the

Government of France, Ministry of Finance Employment and Industry (MINEFI), ADETEF

ISTIA-FRANCE (ADETEF) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

 ISTIA and OECD
ISTIA at OECD-EUROSTAT meeting on Trade in Services Statistics
 

ISTIA participated in the OECD-EUROSTAT meeting on Trade in Services and the 7th Meeting on International Trade Statistics, held in Paris 11-15 September 2006.   Participant list here

Summary record of the meeting:

Participants list

ISTIA and OECD
Conference on Globalisation and the Knowledge Economy

ISTIA participated in the Conference on Globalisation and the Knowledge Economy on 9 October 2006.  The conference convened experts to discuss links between innovation, structural change and productivity growth on the one hand, and the intensification of cross-border economic linkages, drivers and scope for public policy in implementing a national innovation and growth strategy in the global economy.

Organised jointly by the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry (DSTI) and the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry

COUNTING ON GATS NEGOTIATIONS TO SUCCEED

ICTSD Trade & Development Symposium - WTO Ministerial Meeting side event
Hong Kong Exhibition Centre
 

December 15 2005
Session Agenda and Panel Members
WTO Ministerial ICTSD Schedule

ISTIA Presentation to Government of Afghanistan

Presented at the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations and WTO, Geneva, Switzerland, October 2005

ISTIA Associated as a Legal Entity in the Republic and Canton of Geneva

Geneva, 28 June 2006 - As WTO trade negotiators work to complete the Doha Round of WTO negotiations, a new international agency arrives with the objective of empowering developing countries in services trade negotiations with better information through statistical capacity building and negotiator training.                      

       ISTIA registration, Canton-State of Geneva

ISTIA "Launch" as New International Agency
 

June 2006

ISTIA Press Release

As from the end of June 2006, ISTIA, the International Services Trade Information Agency has come into being in Geneva, Switzerland.  ISTIA will function as an international agency, assisting developing country governments with the improvement of national accounts and other information necessary for developing country governments to better negotiate in the World Trade Organization (WTO) services negotiations, known as GATS (the General Agreement on Trade in Services).  ISTIA was founded in response to official requests made by developing country governments, in the WTO and during pre-WTO trade negotiations, for help in this area, for the past 20 years.  At present, developing country WTO trade negotiators do not have useful information which helps them to assess the value of services trade commitments under WTO-GATS, a fact which has hindered WTO-GATS negotiations for all WTO Members.  ISTIA seeks to change this situation for the better.      

I.ISTIA Statutes              II. ISTIA Mandate               III. ISTIA Taxonomy

ISTIA Pariticipates in IARIW Conference, Joensuu, Finland
August 2006

ISTIA participated in the International Association for Research on Income and Wealth in Joensuu, Finland.  Conferences of special interest concerned FDI and the relationship of national accounts

ISTIA and Voorburg Group
August 2006

ISTIA was invited to the 2006 Voorburg Group in October 2006.  The Voorburg is the consortia of national statistical agencies and experts involved in setting services statistics standards.  The Voorburg Group is responsible for having drafted the Central Product Classification (CPC) system, which is the standard used by the United Nations Statistical Division; the CPC is the model upon which the WTO GATS 120 list is based;  this is the list of services sectoral definitions used in WTO services trade negotiations. Link to more info

ISTIA Withdrawal of U.S. Treasury Exempt Application
14 December 2008

ISTIA CANCELLATION. With a view towards retention of neutrality, ISTIA has cancelled the IRS-Treasury application for recognition as a foreign-based association, rendered in February 2007, to the IRS Exempt office in Cincinnati/Kentucky.  This application was a good-faith, non-required application. ISTIA, being  Swiss non-governmental organization operating in an inter-governmental capacity - such as was defined in ISTIA Articles of Association - strives to retain an neutral position, in work, which principally involves government training.  Application was made with a view toward opening an ISTIA office in Washington, D.C., an interest which has also been cancelled.  For further information, persons are welcome to contact ISTIA directly.

ISTIA

case postale 628, CH-1214 Vernier-Geneva, Switzerland
Tel / Fax: +41 22 594 8688
Email: info@servicestrade.org