Private sector to be assisted in trade negotiations

Donna Ortega, News Editor

THE UNITED States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the New Economy Project (NEP) have offered to work with the local private sector to assist its participation in the trade negotiation process, particularly with reference to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

A meeting with representatives of the Jamaica Manufac-turers Association (JMA), Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and the Jamaica Exporters Association on June 4 at the NEP office in Kingston agreed to form a working group to find ways and means by which alliances could be built to help the Jamaican private sector participate in the process.

According to NEP private sector specialist, Gary Vanderhoof, the aim was to assess how the private sector could become involved in trade negotiations and to give practical support to that involvement.

Private sector representatives agreed that there was a need to demystify the process towards the FTAA and that communication was an essential strategy in achieving this. The dichotomy was whether to provide information to enhance the negotiating process or information to point out the opportunities and how to prepare for them. The other strategy which found agreement was the building of alliances within the country and outside Jamaica that would create a network of support for private sector participation.

The working group would collaborate with other Jamai-can initiatives to help Jamaica to prepare for globalisation and take advantage of new opportunities that the trade negotiation process is offering to Jamaican businesses.

Michael Julien, NEP chief of party, stressed that it was important for the private sector to get to international standards, and develop technical resources as these were common to all the trade negotiations. "The private sector needs to gear up to take advantage of opportunities rather than negotiate your way into the process," he suggested.

Chamber President Anthony Chang suggested that the working group use the FTAA process as a vehicle to promote change in infrastructure and policy. The three-pronged approach would seek to inform, to stimulate private sector action and to stimulate Government action.

Participating in the discussions as well were JMA President Clarence Clarke; JEA director Martin Mais; JMA/JCC director Erica Gaynair-Shilletto; Nicola Gordon-Rowe, JMA research manager; Stanley Beckford, product manager of Grace, Kennedy and Company and Kermit Moh, director of the Office of Economic Growth of USAID.

The NEP is a four-year business development project financed by USAID to help improve the business environment.

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