Trade opportunities workshop for the ICT and BPO sector : background documents

The aim of this report is to make available to all Jordanian companies, beyond those that participated in the workshops, material that can help them identify export opportunities that they may not be fully aware of, but that are potentially available in key markets under Jordan"s international trade agreements. The main purposes of the Trade Opportunity Workshops, and this Report, are to help companies in services sectors identify and pursue export opportunities under major Jordanian trade agreements. These include the WTO"s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), the Jordan-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (JUSFTA), the EU Association Agreement, the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) and other bilateral FTAs. An additional purpose is also to identify key trade-related policy issues that may be constraints to expanded exports, and consultative mechanisms to make private sector policy advocacy more effective. In brief, the Workshops were aimed at: (1) assessing the impact of Jordan"s international trade agreements on services sectors in terms of market access opportunities and related issues; and (2) identifying domestic trade policy constraints faced by companies in the services sector and help develop effective policy advocacy responses. (Author abstract, modified)