Mozambique national meeting and experts’ roundtable on trade in services and sustainable development

5th – 6th November 2006 • Co-organised with Economic Justice Coalition

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The Mozambique case study intends to provide:

An overview of Mozambique’s services profile, including, among others, the services sector’s contribution to the economy, employment, the primary services sectors, sub-sectors and activities engaged in by private stakeholders, the main sectors and activities traded internationally, both in terms of supply to the international market by domestic industries and domestic consumption of services supplied by foreign service suppliers, including through foreign direct investment in services sectors, and the countries to which services are supplied or imported from. To the extent practicable, the study should refer to the services sectoral classification used under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), i.e., WTO document MTN.GNS/W/120 in identifying and discussing these sectors;
A outline of the national policy objectives in relation to trade in services, including references to short-term or medium-term development plans, such as Mozambique’s Review of the Economic and Social Plan (RESP) for 2003, strategies or relevant legislation and guidelines for the development of the services sector, priority sectors and sub-sectors which have been identified, including services which have been deemed to be part of Mozambique’s general welfare policies;
An in-depth analysis of key, inter-related services sectors considered critical to the achievement of Mozambique’s sustainable development goals. The RESP for instance refers to the rehabilitation and development of the transport sector as being vital for the development of Mozambique’s agricultural production and competitiveness, for the generation of revenue in foreign currency and the stimulation of the regional development along the transport corridors. Parallel to this, tourism is consistently put forward by Mozambique’s representatives from both capital and Geneva as being integral to their development strategy. In examining this particular sector, account must be taken of a crucial element of Mozambique’s sustainable development thrust for its tourism sector, i.e., the promotion and valorisation of its cultural and landscape heritage and of conservation areas for tourism. The study shall focus on Mozambique’s interests in mode 4, tourism services, maritime transport and inland transport services ;
A review of the services governance of these sectors, which apart from providing a comprehensive examination of the nature of the regulatory environment and the main features of the regulatory regimes (cf. relevant tiret above) in the selected sectors, shall include options and suggestions on regulatory reform or changes in the regulatory framework, as well as flanking measures which may be required as a pre-requisite or as a complement to liberalized conditions to entry and treatment of foreign services suppliers;
Strategic considerations and objectives beyond trade negotiations. The case study should facilitate the formulation of a strategy of promoting trade in services and sustainable development beyond the parameters of the on-going WTO negotiations. Mozambique’s sustainable development goals and national policy objectives in relation to services are not limited by what it can and should request or commit in the context of the transient negotiations. Market and regulatory reforms for key services sectors with a view to achieving these objectives must be examined from the perspective of medium- and long-term development plans, rather than time-bound negotiations with its complex dynamics and trade-offs.