NNA - As part of his tour in Geneva, Minister of Economy and Trade, Amin Salam, met on November 30, 2021 with the newly appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Ms. Rebecca Greenspan, the two parties followed up on ongoing and future projects that benefit Lebanon within the wide scope of the organization's mandate.

Their discussion entailed the next steps in cooperation between the Lebanese government and the organization, and the latter promised to harness its long experience in policy making for the developing countries to support and guide Lebanon in its road to recovery and growth in various fields, most notably:

- Implement the recommendations of the Investment Policy Review (IPR) for Lebanon which was published by the investment division of UNCTAD three years ago, which aims at improving the overall investment environment in Lebanon,

- Update and develop the electronic system of the Lebanese customs and adopting updated customs policies that would provide the Lebanese treasury with more revenues,

- Develop a comprehensive commercial strategy in cooperation with the relevant ministries,

- Establish modern policies for e-commerce.

Ms. Greenspan also put at the Ministry's disposal the expertise of the organization to provide guidance and technical support to modernize Lebanese laws which will greatly contribute to creating a sound commercial environment in country, including laws on consumer protection, competition, intellectual property, as well as formulating new commercial transport and port management strategies.

Minister Salam also met the Executive Director of the International Trade Center (ITC), Mrs. Dorothy Ngambi-Tempo, in the presence of the Ambassador of Lebanon to Switzerland, Mrs. Rola Noureddine, and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations, Ambassador Salim Baddoura.

They followed up on the projects carried out by the center in Lebanon, especially the workshops and trainings dedicated to supporting small and medium enterprises, as well as training Lebanese women on e-commerce, in addition to other projects to support the public sector, especially the Ministry of Economy and Trade in the field of information technology.

The two parties also discussed ways to attract additional international funding in order to support Lebanon with other projects that would help in creating a better trade environment in the country and reviving the economy. In addition, Ms. Tempo renewed the Center's commitment to provide technical support for Lebanon should the Government decides to reactivate its accession process to the World Trade Organization, whereby Lebanon would engage in wide-ranging trade negotiations that require skills, extensive studies and an effective trade policy.

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