Derestricted
FTAA.sme/inf/139
October 27, 2003
Original: Spanish
Translation: FTAA Secretariat
FTAA – CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON SMALLER ECONOMIES
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
PROJECT ON THE SUPPORT UNIT FOR THE
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC’S INTERNATIONAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
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THE H I S P A N I O L A U N I T
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Project Title: |
Support Unit for the Dominican Republic’s
International Trade Negotiations |
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Period of implementation: |
November 2003 to December 2005 |
Description:
Support the development of a unit that analyzes, produces and spreads
information on the free trade negotiations underway in the Americas with a view
to stimulating and promoting the active participation of the Dominican Republic
in the process and providing inputs for the consolidation of a global vision and
the design of strategic plans that protect national interests.
The Hispaniola Unit aims to strengthen the Dominican Republic’s technical and
human capacity and to function as an information entity that stimulates debate
and diffuses information on the core aspects of the trade negotiations (both
directly and through the mass media).
The Unit pursues its objectives by compiling, processing and disseminating
information, arranging exchanges of information and experiences among
businesspeople, and by carrying out scientific and practical studies.
The Unit organizes regular workshops, presents summaries on issues and policies,
publishes weekly articles in the national press, edits and distributes a hard
copy magazine that contains in-depth articles, and produces weekly television
programs, a daily electronic news bulletin, a web-site, and weekly am and fm
radio programs, with a view to providing information and promoting analysis and
debate.
Objectives:
The general purpose of the Hispaniola Unit is to boost the level and the
effectiveness of the participation of the Dominican Republic's civil society
(and the private sector in particular) in international trade negotiations fora.
Its specific purpose is to improve the information available, and as a
consequence, to enhance the team’s capacity to intervene in the negotiation
process through the provision of data of added value, good intelligence, and
technical and logistical support. The Unit’s main activities are:
I. The production of regional workshops aimed at increasing understanding
of the issues involved in the negotiations. Forums are organized for the
representatives of the 30 provinces that make up the Dominican Republic to
educate and raise the awareness of the small and medium-size enterprise sector,
labor movements, NGOs, academic institutions and other sectors of national
society. Feed-back is sought regarding the main inputs so as to validate the
country’s official negotiating strategy.
II. Dissemination activities. The Hispaniola Unit prepares and
distributes consolidated information on the negotiations. It has a permanent (7
days a week) program that, in light of the new negotiations scenario, targets
producers and spreads information on the impact and changes free trade
agreements entail.
It maintains and produces weekly pages in various printed media that circulate
nationwide (it is developing a systematic program for publishing information on
trade topics for the lay public) and publishes a bimonthly hard copy magazine
that is regional in vision and scope and contains technical articles.
It designs and conducts a nationwide television program and it has publications
that appear in series in the main popular and specialized magazines of the
Dominican Republic.
The Hispaniola Unit publishes a daily electronic bulletin on the Internet about
the status of the trade negotiations underway in the Hemisphere and once a week
it updates its website with schedules of activities and information of added
value for civil society and negotiators.
III. Budget.
Hispaniola Unit |
Budget
(USD)
2003-2004 |
Activities |
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Seminars in the provinces |
66,000 |
Daily Bulletin - Internet
-Website - Data base |
18,000 |
Weekly publications in the
press, leaflets and bimonthly magazine |
80,000 |
TV Program |
59,000 |
Radio programs (am and fm) |
24,000 |
Equipment and insurance |
38,000 |
Total |
285,000 |
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