APEC Capacity Building Workshop on RTA/FTA Negotiation Skills on Transparency

Mr. Trinh Minh Anh delievers his opening remarks at the webinar.

On 13-14 January 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Trade organized a webinar on APEC Capacity Building on RTA/FTA Negotiation Skills on Transparency. This activity was held in collaboration between Vietnam and other APEC economies to enhance the capacity for negotiators, policy makers, and authorities in transparency.

Speaking at his opening remarks, Mr. Trinh Minh Anh, Head of Office, National Steering Committee for International Integration, said that the webinar was a good opportunity for Vietnam to learn and update transparency provisions in RTA/FTA, hence develop the capacity of policy makers.

Speakers of the webinar include experienced university lecturers, senior trade and economic affairs officials and experts from Indonesia, Thailand, Republic of Korea, Australia, Russia, Vietnam, OECD, and the United Nations ESCAP.

Through the webinar, participants learned about transparency provisions in FTAs, what they mean and what needs to be done, the importance of transparency, FTA implementation, transparency matters for trade, as well as transparency obligations. Speakers all agreed that transparency is a key element of good regulatory practices, and the implementation of transparency provisions benefits all.

In addition, the speakers also shared their experiences in coordination and stakeholder consultation, including public engagement and social media. Besides, participants learned current best practices in post-negotiation implementation, such as the action plan, legislative action plan, cost/opportunities/benefit analysis, dissemination, and review.