TRADE MEETING

St. Vincent and the Grenadines was represented at a World Trade Organisation Meeting, held in Geneva earlier this month.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Trade, Sandy Peters-Phillips attended the Geneva Week General Council Meeting, held at the Headquarters of the World Trade Organization from October 14^th to 18^th.

During the week, a number of issues were discussed, including Trade and Natural Disaster, Trade and Gender Fisheries Subsidies Negotiations, Agriculture, E-commerce and WTO Reform.

At the meeting of the Trade Negotiation Committee, Mrs. Peters-Phillips delivered a statement on behalf of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, OECS.   She reiterated that, for small states, the WTO is more than a collection of rules, and serves as an insurance policy against the arbitrary use of economic force by the strong against the weak.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines joined with other countries as co-sponsor of a proposal on expanding the scope and mandate for the Geneva Week.

Geneva Week allows for representatives from member states of the WTO which do not have a Permanent Mission in Geneva, to spend a week at the WTO, to receive an overview of the main developments taking place within the organization.