This morning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Immigration held a special ceremony at the Biltmore Plaza Hotel for the re-activation of the National Trade Negotiation Commission or NTNC.
This was an important committee that was first established in response to a requirement under the ACP-EU partnership agreement.
The Briceno Government promised its return as part of their Plan Belize Manifesto when they were campaigning for the November 2020 General Elections. The reactivation of this Commission is supposed to line up with their other election promises to implement a foreign policy that advances the development of Belize. As part of their proposed foreign policy, the ruling PUP has committed to urgently negotiate trade agreements with Mexico and the rest of Central America, and to explore new cooperation opportunities in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, with the goal of establishing new markets for Belizean products and investments.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade invited the press for the re-activation of the NTNC, and 7News attended. Here's what the main speakers of the event had to say about how they hope to boost the country's trade and economic activities:
Hon. Ramon "Monchi" Cervantez - Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, & Immigration "The role is more of a consultative mechanism, and a vehicle through which we invite stakeholders in the economy to participate in the trade agreements, and we act as a facilitator to promote our products, our businesses, and promote export."
Reporter "A specific stakeholder group wants to establish a trade with whichever nation or whichever entity. How does the government and this Commission help that process to go along?"
Hon. Ramon "Monchi" Cervantez "Well, they contact the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Affairs, and we start liaising. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade is very knowledgeable in their area, and of course, they will dialog together with interested parties to ensure that everything is in order, based on their knowledge of other countries and trade as a whole. We are looking at an increase in economic activity, and it's export-oriented. We have a huge task ahead of us to bring our balance of payment, the balance of trade to as close as possible to zero, and then to the positive. What we are trying to do is to ignite - if you wish - that fire for economic activity."
Andy Sutherland - Director General, Foreign Trade "It is a great honour and privilege to welcome you to this momentous occasion, the inaugural meeting of the Belize National Trade Negotiating Commission. The DGFT, as you may be aware, is tasked with discharging the duties and responsibilities of the Government in the very crucial functions of trade policy development, international trade negotiations, and regional economic integration. It is recognized that the private sector is the sector that trades internationally. It is obvious, therefore, that the appropriate and meaningful consultations with the private sector must be at the core of the work of this ministry. The success of the NTNC in addressing our trade development challenges is only possible with our commitment to the process. Seeing the numbers present here today, we are encouraged and optimistic that collectively, we can meaningfully contribute to our trade expansion and economic recovery. The Trade Directorate recently completed a long process of developing Belize's first national trade policy. As far as trade policies go, they are living documents that should be changed as economic circumstances change. The NTNC will be the perfect forum to assist the operationalization of the policy, and for modification to address the ever-changing trade landscape."
Emile Mena - Co-Chair, NTNC "Bodies, such as this one, are tools that can enable functioning, energetic public-private partnerships, which are essential for Belize's recovery from what we must recognize as the most serious economic crisis ever faced by our young democracy. I am not a trade policy guru. I'm a businessman, an investor in our economy, who has produced and exported, and who, by virtue of having sat in on some of the trade negotiations, has some understanding of what our trade policy gurus do go through. What is required around the NTNC table is precisely what we have, diversity of representation, expertise, and background. We bring what we have to this table for the fullest discussion possible, so that our trade negotiators, our representatives in other markets, can give the most well-rounded discussion and presentation."
Hon. Ramon "Monchi" Cervantez "The government is formally reactivating the NTNC as the formal mechanism, through which it will engage fully and responsibly with all non-state participants, in particular, the private sector in undertaking trade negotiations with other countries. The Government of Belize deems it productive to consult with you all, not only as a requirement under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, and economic partnership agreements with the European Union and the United Kingdom but also as a part of the commitments made by this administration to the promotion of trade. Trade is the purview of the private sector, with the government acting as a supporter and facilitator."
The National Trade Negotiation Commission will have representation from the CEO of the relevant public entities, the executive directors of the relevant quasi-government entities, the Designated Processing Areas, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Belize Business Bureau, the Belize Agro-Productive Sector Group, Hotel, and Tourism Associations, the Belize Coalition of Service Providers, the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, and Non-governmental Organizations.
