Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — A regional conference on the Trade in Services for Development (TS4D) initiative was held in Manila. The initiative was launched by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Bank in September 2024.
The event focused on ways to use trade in services to support economic development and improve government policy in the sector, the WTO press service said.
The TS4D initiative provides a platform for knowledge sharing, technical assistance and capacity building.
As part of the initiative, tools have been developed to help governments assess the competitiveness of trade in services, analyze policy measures, improve regulation, develop exports and strengthen statistical data.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, Philippines Secretary of Economic Planning and Development Arsenio Balisacan said that increasing services exports in itself was not the ultimate development objective.
He said the key issue was whether expanding trade in services could raise economic productivity and create decent jobs for a broader range of workers and companies.
Balisacan stressed that the outcome depended on which services were developed, how closely they were linked to other sectors of the economy, and whether businesses and workers had the necessary capacity to participate in the process.
He said the TS4D competitiveness assessment dashboard, policy measures database, tools on good regulatory practices, export promotion work and statistical support were of particular value.
These tools, he said, enable governments to identify policy priorities more precisely and establish a sequence of reforms that can be implemented and evaluated.
WTO Deputy Director-General Johanna Hill said trade and economic policies had for many years focused largely on goods, while services were often viewed as a supporting sector.
She said the situation was changing as services played an increasingly important role in economic growth, employment and international trade.
Hill noted that this created opportunities for developing economies, but turning the potential of trade in services into practical government policy remained a complex task. The TS4D initiative, she said, was intended to help developing countries address these challenges.
Asian Development Bank Vice President for Sectors and Thematic Areas Wempi Saputra said the ADB viewed trade in services as a foundation of competitiveness and a means of expanding opportunities for people.
He highlighted several lessons from the ADB's experience.
First, Asian economies were already moving toward a greater role for services, requiring the region to adapt accordingly.
Second, the development of trade in services required sustained, long-term support.
Third, regional cooperation could help align common rules, jointly finance reforms and secure benefits extending beyond individual national initiatives.
Gonzalo Varela, Practice Manager for Trade Policy and Trade Facilitation at the World Bank Group, highlighted the importance of transport, telecommunications, financial and professional services to the broader economy.
He said opening these sectors to trade and competition helped increase productivity and create better-quality jobs in related industries. He also noted that TS4D enabled the World Bank to work more effectively with partners, identify priority reforms and support their implementation.
The conference, organized by the ADB, brought together representatives of trade authorities from 25 economies across the Asia-Pacific region. Participants discussed the competitiveness of trade in services, good regulatory practices, digital services and approaches to promoting services exports.
Following the conference, the WTO and World Bank held a training event for government officials from countries in the region.
The event focused on analytical tools developed under the TS4D initiative and their practical application.
