TS4D25-4

The WTO Secretariat will conduct a national workshop in the Philippines on trade in services. Falling under the Trade in Services for Development (TS4D) initiative, the workshop will aim to increase knowledge about key trends in trade in services and, in particular, the contribution of services trade and services trade policies for developing countries, and the supporting role of the GATS in that regard.

The workshop will aim to set the foundations for an assessment by officials and stakeholders of the Philippines' services trade and related policies, with the assistance of tools being developed or expanded in the context of the joint WTO-World Bank work program under the TS4D initiative. Key trends in services trade will be underscored through use of the Global Services Trade Data Hub. A draft list of core measures, extracted from the WTO-WBG Services Trade Policy Database, will be reviewed and discussed by participants, and its potential uses explored. The WTO-WBG Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) will be used to situate the Philippines' services trade policies in key sectors. The WTO-WBG services trade competitiveness checklist will be presented, and participants, in that light, will engage in a discussion of the Philippines' strengths and weaknesses, as well as priority areas and key objectives on services trade and related policies. The WTO-WBG Services Domestic Regulation Self-Assessment Questionnaire will be presented, as a tool for participants to benchmark the Philippines' alignment with good regulatory practices for trade in services.