Mauritius will host the 5th Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council meeting on 16 and 17 January 2012 at the Inter Continental Hotel, in Balaclava.
At a joint Press Conference held today in Port Louis, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr A. P Neewoor, and Mr H. Jimenez, Economic/Commercial Officer of the US Embassy elaborated on the TIFA Council meeting, on TIFA as a whole as well as its Work Plan, and on AGOA which is one of the key issues to be discussed at the Council meeting.
A high level US delegation led by Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, Deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) is expected for the Council meeting. Representatives of the US Department of State, USTR Office and USAID East Africa Trade Hub will also be part of the US delegation. The Secretary for Foreign Affairs will lead discussions on the Mauritian side.
The TIFA Council is an important process that helps to pave the ground for bilateral cooperation. It addresses a wide range of trade and investment issues that include, but are not limited to, trade capacity building, intellectual property, labour, environmental issues and enhancing the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in trade and investment. Mauritius is among the few African countries having signed a TIFA with the US.
Technical work pertaining to the TIFA has been carried out on the basis of a Work Plan agreed between Mauritius and the US. The Work Plan consists of 14 areas of cooperation namely trade and investment promotion in competitive sectors, enhancing private sector linkages, coordinating on AGOA implementation, promoting Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), enhancing trade in services, trade in fish and seafood sectors, and, strengthening agri-business linkages, amongst others.
It is recalled that the Mauritius-US TIFA was signed on 18 September 2006 in Washington. The TIFA includes provisions for the establishment of a bilateral Trade and Investment Council that will meet annually to monitor trade and investment relations, identify opportunities for expanding trade and investment, and identify important issues and challenges that the two countries need to address. The first official meeting of the TIFA Council took place on 5 and 6 February 2007 in Mauritius.
The Governments of both Mauritius and US are called upon to meet, at least once a year, at the level of the TIFA Council alternately in Port-Louis and Washington. The purpose of the TIFA Council meeting is to review progress in the implementation of TIFA Work Plan and set the agenda of work for the coming year.
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