Ceylon Chamber seminar to discuss implementation of WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement

Monday, 3 April 2017 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will conduct a seminar on the topic ‘WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement – What Business Needs to Know’, under the Trade Intelligence for Private Sector (TIPS) Initiative of the Chamber, which aims to help the private sector to stay up-to-date on international trade issues and advocate for policy changes.

The seminar on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, which will be held on 3 April starting at 9 a.m. at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, will consist of presentations by co-chairs of the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) and focus on the TFA reforms that are underway and how businesses could benefit from those reforms.

Director General of Commerce Sonali Wijeratne, who is a co-chair of the NTFC, will make remarks on Government’s Priorities in TFA implementation in Sri Lanka. Additional Director General of Customs S. Rajendran, who is a lead at Sri Lanka Customs for driving TFA reforms, will make remarks on Customs Role in Trade facilitation and Next Steps. Ceylon Chamber Import Section Chairman Dinesh de Silva, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chief Economist Anushka Wijesinha, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce economist Jayani Ratnayake, will also share their insights on the private sector perspective on TFA reforms and implementation in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is a signatory of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) which came into force last month and has agreed to do many trade facilitation reforms. The TFA can be a game changer for Sri Lanka’s international trade and could bring bigger benefits for business than trade liberalisation.

This is the second seminar under the Trade Intelligence for Private Sector (TIPS) Initiative of the Chamber. If you wish to take part in this seminar, call Satheesha on 011-5588882 or email to [email protected].