皇冠体育app

Madame Chair,

Let me thank聽the Government of the Dominican Republic and the WTO Secretariat for their Reports and welcome the typically insightful comments of our most distinguished Chair and also our Discussant, Ambassador聽PAG脕N, Ambassador of聽the United States of America,聽fresh from her own nation鈥檚 TPR.聽

Let me start by saying, we commend the Dominican Republic on their GDP growth rates between 2014-2019, exceeding the historical average at 6.2% and that we appreciate the Dominican Republic鈥檚 responses to our聽18聽Advance Written Questions.聽We were interested聽to know more about聽customs procedures, import measures in particular tax stamps, technical requirements, and single investment windows. 皇冠体育appse highlight the granular interest which we and British companies place in effective trading relations with the Dominican Republic.聽As with other聽Members,聽we also聽raised questions聽regarding the聽agriculture sector, in particular exemptions for import licenses.聽

皇冠体育app Secretariat鈥檚 Report for this TPR indicates that over the review period, the Dominican Republic鈥檚 economy had a remarkable recovery聽from the聽COVID-19 pandemic, with a聽contraction in GDP of almost 7% in 2020聽followed by聽growth of over 12%聽in 2021.

We were聽also聽pleased to note the shift towards sustainable agriculture practices during the review period and how these practices have contributed towards increased food security, rural jobs, and agricultural exports. 皇冠体育app UK is keen to hear聽more about developments within Dominican Republic鈥檚聽agriculture, health聽and聽safety system.

However, as the Secretariat Report聽also聽identifies, since their last review, where Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures were deemed unfit there has not been much marked progress, as there is still no centralized mechanism for the preparation of SPS measures. We therefore encourage the Dominican Republic to pay particular attention to these key areas.聽

We are聽grateful to the Government of the Dominican Republic for being one of the first countries to ratify the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement in April 2019.聽皇冠体育app UK appreciates Dominican Republic鈥檚 continued collaboration in the implementation of the CARIFORUM-UK Agreement聽and we look forward聽to working together to fully implement all areas of the agreement.聽

皇冠体育app first meeting of the Partnership鈥檚 Trade and Development Committee was held in October 2021, which was an opportunity for parties to provide updates on relevant trade policy developments in the United Kingdom and in the Caribbean region, and to reaffirm their desire for a prompt ratification of the Agreement.

We also discussed matters of joint interest including tariff liberalisation, trade in Goods & Services, and Geographical Indications. 皇冠体育app parties noted with satisfaction that the Agreement had secured continuity of a trading relationship worth almost 拢4 billion in 2021 and聽expressed their wish to further develop sustainable and inclusive trade.

Turning to exogenous challenges, Members representing Small Island Developing States and Small Vulnerable Economies rightly highlight the increasing threat presented by extreme climactic events.聽

According to an ongoing research programme by the EU鈥檚 Global Climate Change Alliance Plus Initiative, the Dominican Republic is the 11th most vulnerable country聽to climate change in the world. In a region of intense cyclonic activity, the Dominican Republic is聽one of the聽WTO Members聽most聽threatened by hydrometeorological events. 皇冠体育app impact of these extreme events has聽provoked聽economic losses in the order of almost $10 billion, not to mention the impact on human and natural life.

Relatedly, Global Supply Chains, the bedrock of free and fair trade and the conduit to its benefits are also increasingly threatened by extreme weather, from damaged infrastructure to disrupted logistics and the rippling knock-on effects. It鈥檚 a reminder that, as a Membership, we must accelerate efforts to modernise the international trading environment, such as through harmonised standards and digitised customs procedures.

We聽recognise聽the challenge聽for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to diversify considering their vulnerability to external shocks and the impacts of climate change and natural disasters. Indeed, SIDS are important partners for the UK. In our International Development Strategy, we set out our vision that SIDS will be more climate and economically resilient by 2030.聽And we salute聽the constructive role played by the Dominican Republic in representing the interests of SIDS in a whole range of multilateral聽fora, in Geneva and beyond.聽

Just last month,聽alongside Canada and the Alliance of Small Island Sates, we launched the Principles for Improved Aid Impact in SIDS at the Effective Development Cooperation Summit here in Geneva.聽We hope that the聽Principles will be a useful tool in improving the quality of aid and ensuring that development partners align with SIDS鈥櫬爋wn priorities.聽

We look forward to working with the international community to drive action on SIDS climate and economic resilience ahead of the pivotal UN SIDS Summit next year.聽皇冠体育app UK is聽committed to delivering the promises of the Glasgow Climate Pact, including action on the scale of finance, considering vulnerability in our finance decisions, and addressing loss and damage.

Chair,聽to conclude,聽we wish聽our聽colleagues from the Dominican Republic well聽and聽a successful聽5th聽Trade Policy聽Review. Thank you, Ambassador.