UNITED NATIONS TO DISCUSS INTEGRATION OF INDO-CHINA COUNTRIES INTO GLOBAL TRADE SYSTEM

Press Release
REC/77

UNITED NATIONS TO DISCUSS INTEGRATION OF INDO-CHINA COUNTRIES INTO GLOBAL TRADE SYSTEM

BANGKOK, 10 September (UN Information Services) -- A seminar on Integration of Indo-China into Global Trading Environment under the Forum for the Comprehensive Development of Indo-China is scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City, on 7 and 8 October.

The two-day seminar is being organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in collaboration with the Foreign Trade and Investment Development Center of Viet Nam with financial assistance from the Government of Japan.

The enormous potential of economic development for the Indo-China countries, namely Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic and Viet Nam, could be more effectively realized through their greater integration into the global trading environment.

The seminar will provide an opportunity for senior policy makers and high- level private sector representatives, including leading multinational manufacturers and national chambers of commerce and industry, to examine prospects for the accession of the Indo-China countries to the World Trade Organization.

It is expected that the accession of the Indo-China countries to the WTO would give invaluable opportunities to these countries to interact with the dynamic global market, which would immensely benefit the development of the region. Hence, while early accession to the WTO is imperative, equally important is the need to ensure that the countries utilize their accession as a leverage for their overall economic development. From this perspective, the seminar, with a strong business orientation, aims at enhancing the understanding of the WTO rules and disciplines, assessing market opportunities for specific products and sensitizing the business sector on the implications of accession of the Indo-China countries to the WTO.

In addition to high-level government officials and private sector representatives, participants at the seminar will include renowned academics, representatives of intergovernmental and international organizations, such as the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Trade Organization (WTO-OMC), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as mass media. The seminar is open to the public and will be conducted in English.

For more information, please contact Ravi Sawhney, Director, International Trade and Economic Cooperation Division, ESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand (Tel: +66-2-288-1956, Fax: +66-2-288-1026 or 1027; or e-mail: .

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