LCCI welcomes European Union’s Trade Related Technical Assistance for Pakistan

Lahore: President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Ijaz Ahmad Mumtaz urged the need for active collaboration between public and private sectors to benefit from the vast trade opportunities presented by the World Trade Organization. Mr. Mumtaz, while warmly welcoming European Union’s Trade Related Technical Assistance (TRTA II) for Pakistan, said that training on WTO trade facilitation agreement provides a unique opportunity to deepen understanding of its commercial and economic implications and the emerging multilateral trading system.

Speaking at European Union (EU) funded Trade Related Technical Assistance (TRTA II) program on “WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation: Opportunities and way forward for Pakistan private sector” organized on Wednesday by the International Trade Centre (ITC), the president LCCI added that consultative mechanism between public and private sector for policy formulation and implementation will enhance acceptability and implementation of the policies at national and provincial levels.

Dr. Manzoor Ahmad, former Ambassador of Pakistan to WTO, Bruno Valanzuolo, Chief Technical Advisor, TRTAII Pakistan and Ms. Edna Ramirez, International Expert on Trade Facilitation delivered presentations covering various aspects of WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement while M. Owais Khan, Program Officer International Trade Center (ITC) and Director PITAD, Fawad Hussain shared their views about EU’s TRTA II program.

The training session was organized by the International Trade Center under Component 1 of the EU funded TRTA II Programme in association with Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Commerce and Investment Department, Government of the Punjab.

On the occasion, M. Owais Khan Program Officer International Trade Center, while highlighting the salient features of Trade Related Technical Assistance (TRTA-II) program, informed that that European Union has funded this program with an objective to help Pakistan in building necessary capacity to address trade related issues.

The specific purpose is to support economic integration of Pakistan into the global and regional economy and to stimulate decent work and employment creation by increasing exports and enhancing the enabling climate for international trade, he added.