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Armenia selected one of 9 pilot countires for UNIDO-WTO enhanced coo

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  • Armenia selected one of 9 pilot countires for UNIDO-WTO enhanced coo

    ARMENIA SELECTED ONE OF NINE PILOT COUNTRIES FOR UNIDO-WTO ENHANCED COOPERATION

    ArmenPress
    Oct 14 2004

    YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14, ARMENPRESS: The UN Industrial Development
    Organization (UNIDO), UN Development Program (UNDP), World Trade
    Organization (WTO) and the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development
    of Armenia held a joint seminar today to begin implementation of the
    Doha Development Agenda. Seminar participants included senior officials
    from the Government, donor community, international organizations,
    business associations, as well as experts.

    A press release from UNDP said the main aims of the Doha Development
    Agenda, which was agreed in December 2001 by WTO members, are
    to ensure that trade and industrial development enhance economic
    development and to assist the integration of the developing countries
    and transition economies into the global economy and the multilateral
    trading system. In order to facilitate implementation of the Doha
    Agenda, UNIDO and WTO will implement pilot activities in an initial
    group of nine countries, including Armenia. The initial group also
    includes Bolivia, Cambodia, Cuba, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya and
    Mauritania. The aim of these pilot activities is to identify priority
    sectors and products with high and strategic export potential;
    address trade capacity weaknesses including supply-side constraints,
    lack of conformity to market requirements and standards; and support
    the implementation of multilateral trade agreements.

    Mr. Alexander Avanessov, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, noted:
    "The fact that Armenia has become a member of the WTO indicates the
    great progress made by the country since independence. The pilot
    activities that are being launched by UNIDO and WTO at this seminar,
    in combination with initiatives from UNDP and other donors, will
    assist countries like Armenia to integrate further into the global
    economy and multilateral trading systems."

    Armenia officially became the 145th member of the WTO on February
    5, 2003. The country's main trading partners include the European
    Union (EU), Russia, USA, Iran and Georgia. A recent survey within
    the business community on external trade and which was presented at
    the seminar indicates that certification and standardization have
    had a serious impact on external trade. Local companies involved
    in the survey identified a number of obstacles to trade, including:
    corruption in customs and taxes; complicated and fragmented tax and
    customs legislation; and lack of cooperation between the customs and
    tax administration bodies. Sixty-three percent of the respondents said
    that they had lost export orders due to technical barriers to trade.
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