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Uganda risks WTO blow

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Uganda risks WTO blow

Uganda risks WTO blow
According to the Geneva-based trade regulator, all members must submit draft copies of pending laws that may affect international trade. Photo credit: EABW

Only the National Environment Management Authority and Uganda National Bureau of Standards have responded to new World Trade Organisation (WTO) reforms requiring member countries submit notifications on new regulations and measures that affect international trade.

Sam Senkungu, the Director of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives at the trade ministry said, this makes Uganda not fully compliant with its notification obligations under the (WTO) Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreements.

The WTO is based in Geneva.

“This makes our market not predictable to our trading partners and this may cause unnecessary obstacles to trade,” Senkungu said.

He was speaking at the opening of a two-day training on WTO Technical Barriers to Trade and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures online submission systems.

The training, that attracted a cross section of participants, involved in trade chains, was organised by Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and the trade ministry.

The training targeted building capacity of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to improve compliance. 

The WTO officially launched the World Trade Organisation Technical Barriers to Trade and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures online submission systems, an online program in October 2013 to facilitate international trade among members.

Uganda has had a number of notifications submitted to the trade organisation since last year when it kicked off a pilot project.

“All MDAs formulating trade related regulations and SPS measures that affect trade must notify the proposed regulations and measures when they are still at draft stage through Ministry of Trade to WTO secretariat,” Senkungu told participants.

The Ministry is the WTO National Notification Authority (NNA) for both the TBT and SPS agreements.

Senkungu however said the Ministry of Trade cannot perform the role if MDAs do not initiate notifications of new and revised regulations and SPS Measures.

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