WTO-IICA Reference Center celebrates four years of service to the agriculture sector in the hemisphere through knowledge management
San José, 21 June, 2016 (IICA). The World Trade Organization (WTO) Reference Center located at the headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) celebrates four years of operation today.
The Reference Center provides IICA member countries with information and knowledge management services in areas related to trade and agribusiness, trade policy, international trade negotiations, and matters addressed by the WTO Agriculture and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Committees.
In 2015 alone, the Center fielded over 400 technical queries about market access for agricultural products and trade and agricultural policies in the countries. Additionally, stakeholders in the government, business and academic sectors requested advisory services on trade and tariff negotiations and preferences for agricultural products in free trade agreements, as well as general information about the WTO.
The Reference Center also provided guidance on topics such as the implementation of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, market trends for tropical products, and the WTO Trade Policy Reviews, which detail all of the measures that governments implement for trade with other countries.
“We also addressed questions regarding regulations on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, statistical information on the export and import of agricultural products, data on profiles and tariffs, and regulations and laws on export regimes,” stated Adriana Campos, Trade Specialist and Coordinator of the WTO Reference Center.
The duties carried out by the Reference Center are part of the IICA Flagship Project entitled “Competitiveness and Sustainability of Agricultural Chains for Food Security and Economic Development,” as a result of the partnership between the Institute and the WTO. The Center addresses the project’s specific objective related to institutional frameworks and policies. Its work is also directly related to one of the expected results of the project, which focuses on enhancing the capabilities of the Member States for participating effectively in international forums dealing with the mobilization of resources for agriculture.
Any interested person may request technical assistance from the Reference Center. Queries may be submitted via email to centroreferencia.omc@iica.int, by phone at 2216-0358 or 2216-0170, or in person by scheduling an appointment.
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