UNCTAD, together with ECLAC and ALADI is organising a workshop on the link between multilateral and regional negotiations on Trade in Services, the increasing role of services for countries´ development prospects and the achievement of the MDGs.

The workshop aims to:

• Increase the participation of developing countries in international trade in services.
  
  
• Improve coherence between multilateral and regional trade agreements.
  
  
• Ensure pro-development outcomes from the multilateral trading system.

The workshop aims to provide insights into what can be expected in the upcoming months in the context of trade negotiations, at both regional and multilateral levels.

Specific topics to be addressed include:

• Trends in international services trade.
  
  
• Services statistics.
  
  
• Domestic regulations.
  
  
• Mode 4: The temporary movement of natural persons for providing services.

The last day of the Workshop will take a broader perspective, looking at numerous issues of the Doha Work Program and their linkages to poverty and the achievement of the MDGs.

This high-level workshop will be attended by services policy makers from GRULAC countries, academia, research institutions, intergovernmental organizations and private sector representatives.

UNCTAD will continue in the future to assist regional integration efforts, in particular on trade in services, with the objective of maximising the development impacts of such initiatives.