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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


 
 

THE  H I S P A N I O L A   U N I T

   
Project Title: Support Unit for the Dominican Republic’s International Trade Negotiations
   
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  
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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