OPENING REMARKS

10:00 ?10:10

• Opening by the Chairman of the Seminar
  H.E. Mr. Alfredo SUESCUM, Ambassador of Panama to the WTO and Chairman of the Council for Trade in Services
• Welcome and keynote address
  Mr. Yonov Frederick AGAH, Deputy Director-General, WTO

PART I — SETTING THE SCENE

MODE 4 — Scope, Commitments, MFN Exemptions

10:10 ?10:30

This session will provide an overview of mode 4 of the GATS and discuss its scope. It will also offer a snapshot of the specific commitments undertaken and MFN exemptions listed by WTO Members with regard to this mode of supply.

• Ms. Xiaolin CHAI, Director, Trade in Services and Investment Division, WTO Secretariat
  Presentation

Questions and answers

RTA Practices

10:30 ?12:00

This session will start off by providing an overall summary of the mode 4 access and pertinent regulatory disciplines negotiated in RTAs. It will then offer an opportunity for various stakeholders to share relevant experiences.

• Ms. Antonia CARZANIGA, Counsellor, Trade in Services and Investment Division, WTO Secretariat
  Presentation
• Ms. Marie-Andrée LÉVESQUE, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Canada to the WTO
  Presentation
• Ms. Yaşın YAVUZ, Foreign Trade Expert, Department of Trade in Services Agreements, Ministry of Trade, Turkey
  Presentation
• Dr. Simon J. TANS, Assistant Professor, Radboud University, The Netherlands
  Presentation

Questions and answers

The Economic Impact of Mode 4

12:00 ?13:00

After discussing the main challenges of measuring mode 4 trade, this session will present available estimates of trade through this mode of supply. It will then discuss the economic impact of mode 4 trade, drawing upon available academic research.

• Mr. Joscelyn MAGDELEINE, Economic Affairs Officer, Trade in Services and Investment Division, WTO Secretariat
  Presentation
• Dr. Rupa CHANDA, RBI Chair Professor of Economics, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
  Presentation
• Mr. Magnus RENTZHOG, Senior Advisor, Department for WTO Affairs, National Board of Trade, Sweden
  Publication: Trade Costs of Visas and Work Permits
  Publication: Making Trade Happen

Questions and answers

PART II — MODE 4 AT WORK

Mode 4 Commitments in Action

15:00 ?17:55

This session will consider how mode 4 commitments are administered within the broader regulatory frameworks.  Participants will also discuss regulatory measures that may have a bearing on scheduled mode 4 commitments and address the challenges to realising the benefits of existing mode 4 bindings. 

Such challenges may include definitional elements pertaining to various mode 4 categories, administration of market access limitations such as Labour Market Tests/Economic Needs Tests or national treatment limitations such as discriminatory residency requirements, transparency of mode 4-related measures, recognition of qualifications, intermodal linkages and how barriers in other modes may affect mode 4, as well as any other challenges to effectively reaping the benefits of mode 4 commitments. 

The main constituents in both home and host countries, including private sector representatives and regulators, will share their experiences and perspectives.

• Mr. Gagan SABHARWAL, Senior Director, Global Trade Development, NASSCOM
  Presentation
• Mr. Sekou Falil DOUMBOUYA, Partner, African Trade & Sustainable Development (AFTSD)
  Presentation
• Ms. Taiana MORA, President, Dominican Republic Coalition of Services (CSRD)
  Presentation
• Ms. Jo ANTOONS, Managing Partner, Fragomen Global LLP
  Presentation
• Ms. Madeleine SUMPTION, Director, The Migration Observatory, Centre on Migration, Policy, and Society (COMPAS), University of Oxford
  Presentation
• Mr. Jean-Christophe DUMONT, Head, International Migration Division, Department of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs (DELSA), OECD
  Presentation

Questions and answers

CLOSING REMARKS

17:55 ?18:00