São Paulo – The Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty) should strengthen trade promotion. A series of measures in this respect were announced by Foreign minister Antonio Patriota on Monday (10), during a seminar about the World Trade Organisation (WTO), in Brasília. Among the initiatives are greater participation of the ministry in international fairs and the greater trade promotion in Brazil’s diplomatic representations abroad.
The seminar celebrates the ten years since the creation of the General Coordination of Disputes (CGC) at the Itamaraty and Patriota made use of the opportunity to recall that, at the time, in 2001, the world was facing an international crisis due to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Today, he recalled, the world is living an economic/financial crisis. "Brazil is aware of the evolution of this scenery. We must continue exploring new trade opportunities, especially in our relations with other developing nations,” he said.
Patriota stated that the crisis has had negative results in perspectives for negotiations underway at the WTO and has also had negative impact on the conclusion of bioregional and bilateral agreements. Some of the measures that the ministry is going to adopt are strengthening of trade defence. One of them includes greater number of diplomats to operate in the area at the CGC and another, the selection of a law office to provide services for Brazil abroad, at disputes in the scope of the WTO, as the contract with the current board comes to a close at the end of the year.
The Itamaraty has signed a protocol of intentions with the Federal Attorney (AGU) establishing partnership to improve the technical training of the ministry in international defence and should include discipline "WTO and Disputes" in its curriculum for diplomat training at Rio Branco Institute. Still in the area, the ministry should promote meetings with business leaders to identify hardships.
Patriota has announced a new edition of a joint programme with the Ministry of Agriculture aimed at qualifying diplomats for the promotion of agricultural products abroad, to take place this month and to include heads of agricultural sectors at the embassies of Brazil in 25 countries that are considered priority and strategic for agribusiness.
"Brazil is aware that, in a scenery of economic crisis, and due to the hardships in advancing with the trade negotiations that are underway, it should take new creative efforts like visits to promote the Brazilian product and expand exports to other markets,” said the minister. The activities announced are part of the “2011-2014 National Strategy for Exports”, developed by several ministries and organisations connected to the government.
Initiatives include greater participation of the Trade Promotion Department (DPR) at the Itamaraty in fairs abroad, from 130 in 2010 to 190 in 2015. Among other actions, the ministry should increase the number of market researches promoted by the DPR from 35 to 100; it should expand the number of road shows to attract foreign investment in infrastructure, sports events, green economy and innovation by 50%, as well as increasing the exporter record in an enquiry network for importers from other countries by 40%. The plan also includes the expanding of sectors for trade promotion abroad from the current 100 units in 78 countries to 134 units in 101 countries over the next four years.
New regional meetings will be scheduled with the heads of the Trade Promotion sectors of embassies. This has already been developed in Washington, Brussels and Shanghai. The next should take place on November 1st and 2nd, at the Embassy of Brazil in Doha, Qatar, where talks will be developed to promote Brazilian exports to the region. Patriota recalled that the opening of the embassies in Africa and the Middle East, as well as Central Asia, together with other initiatives like the Summit of South American-Arab Countries (Aspa), helped increase trade with the region.
*Translated by Mark Ament
