Free
Trade Area of the Americas
The Free
Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA),
once concluded in January
2005, will establish the
world’s largest free trade
area, stretching from the
southern tip of Argentina to
Alaska. The trade ministers
and their staff have been
meeting regularly to continue
negotiations aimed at
establishing the FTAA.
Ministers will meet again on
November 1, 2002 in Quito,
Ecuador to review the progress
of the negotiating groups and
give them guidance for the
final 2-year round of
discussions.
SEVENTH
AMERICAS BUSINESS FORUM
Prior to
the Ministerial, the Seventh
Americas Business Forum (ABF)
will be held on October 30 -
November 1, 2002 in Quito,
Ecuador. The Forum is a
premier hemisphere-wide
business event that offers the
business community a unique
opportunity to communicate
directly with Trade Ministers.
Since the Forum’s inception,
the Department of Commerce has
strongly supported this event.
This
year’s Forum and Ministerial
will be hosted by the
Government of Ecuador and its
private sector and will
include Trade Ministers and
private sector leaders from
among the 34 countries in the
Western Hemisphere. During the
three-day forum, workshops
will address the nine FTAA
negotiating groups (market
access, agriculture,
investment, services,
government procurement,
intellectual property,
antidumping/ countervailing/
subsidies, competition policy
and dispute settlement), as
well as smaller economies,
electronic commerce and civil
society. Private-sector
participants will discuss
their interests in the FTAA
and present recommendations
directly to Trade Ministers.
Benefits
to the Business Community
The ABF
offers U.S. exporters a number
of opportunities including a
hemispheric voice, an audience
from 34 countries and
incredible
networking
opportunities. The Forum
offers access beyond U.S.
borders by providing a
framework for the private
sectors from the 34 countries
to take part in the policy
making process. No other trade
process offers the business
community the opportunity to
have such direct input into
the trade liberalization
process.
FTAA
INFORMATION
Further
information can be found at
the FTAA Official Site - http://www.alca-ftaa.org
or the Dept. of Commerce FTAA
Site – http://www.mac.doc.gov/ftaa2005/
.
Or call the
Office of NAFTA and
Inter-American Affairs at Tel:
202-482-0393; Fax: 202-482-586
Date Updated: March 27, 2007
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