Great Speeches: MOA Signing

HIS EXCELLENCY PETER BECKINGHAM, AMBASSADOR OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO THE PHILIPPINES;

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, FRIENDS, LADIES, AND GENTLEMEN, GOOD AFTERNOON!

I AM PERSONALLY DELIGHTED TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU TODAY IN THIS IMPORTANT OCCASION.

ON BEHALF OF THE PHILIPPINE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (PCCI), I WISH TO EXPRESS MY SINCEREST GRATITUDE TO ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE U-ACT AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FOR UNDERTAKING THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE MULTI-STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION FOR TRADE (I-MUST FOR TRADE) PROJECT.

THE MOA THAT WILL BE SIGNED TODAY BETWEEN THE U-ACT, THE PCCI, AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SIGNALS HOW WORKING TOGETHER CAN HELP US REALIZE OUR GOALS TOWARDS MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF A CHANGED GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT.

SINCE THE 1990S, GLOBALIZATION HAS BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE TRADE POLICY AGENDA OF ALL NATIONS. THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT FROM CONCERNS WITH PROTECTION AT THE BORDER TO MORE COMPLEX ISSUES SUCH AS ENVIRONMENT, LABOR, RULES OF ORIGIN, TRADE FACILITATION, IPR, AND, MORE RECENTLY, THE PROLIFERATION OF BI-LATERALS AND MULTILATERALS.

IT IS NOT SURPRISING, THEREFORE, THAT THE NEW TRADE ENVIRONMENT HAS TRANSFORMED THE DYNAMICS OF TRADE POLICIES AS WELL AS TRADE NEGOTIATIONS. TRADE POLICIES MOVED FROM THE TRADITIONAL CLOSED CLUB MODEL DOMINATED BY A FEW TO A MORE OPEN MULTI-STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION WITH REPRESENTATIONS FROM DIFFERENT SEGMENTS OF THE SOCIETY.

WITH THE MOA SIGNING TODAY, I WISH TO COMMEND U-ACT AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FOR FORGING THIS PARTNERSHIP TO CREATE A PLATFORM FOR THE MULTI-STAKEHOLDERS IN PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY TO THE TRADE POLICY DECISION-MAKING. THIS PROJECT WILL DEFINITELY EMPOWER THE STAKEHOLDERS BY GIVING THEM A CENTRAL ROLE AND INVOLVING THEM IN THE WHOLE PROCESS OF TRADE POLICY FORMULATION.

THE MOA TO BE SIGNED TODAY SIGNALS THE FIRST AND SERIOUS STEP TOWARDS AN ENHANCED AND ENLIGHTENED TRADE NEGOTIATION.

AND I TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO THE LAUNCHING OF THE I-MUST FOR TRADE PROJECT.

THANK YOU AND MABUHAY PO TAYONG LAHAT.