US A.I.D. Technical Assistance Project on Lebanon's Accession to the WTO
This 2 Million Dollar project aims at strengthening capacity at the ministry of economy and trade as well as other government agencies in their negotiations in the context of Lebanon's accession to the WTO.
USAID intends to provide, through a Contractor (the current firm contracted by USAID to deliver the technical assistance is Booz Allen & Hamilton), technical assistance to the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MOET) in support of Lebanon’s accession to the World
Trade Organization including assisting in:
- Developing the technical capacity of Lebanon’s institutional base for negotiating and implementing the WTO agreements through training (formal, on-the-job, and third country).
- Building awareness within the public sector, private sector, academia, and media, about the WTO, accession process and requirements, and likely impact of WTO accession on Lebanon.
- Evaluating Lebanon’s policies, laws, regulations, and institutions to identify non-conforming aspects with the WTO agreements and assisting in policy and legal reform in order to bring Lebanon’s foreign trade regime into full conformity with the WTO requirements and agreements.
- Collaborating with the Government of Lebanon in preparing all documents necessary for negotiations2 and ensuring clarity, conformity to format, and completeness.
- Developing analytical tools to facilitate negotiations and study the impact of trade liberalization on the Lebanese economy.