U.S. and Pacific Islands Discuss Ways to Maximize GSP Utilization

Deputy Assistant U.S Trade Representative Colette Morgan on Feb. 27 led the first-ever senior officials meeting of the U.S.-Pacific Islands Trade and Investment Dialogue, which had broad U.S. interagency participation including representatives from the U.S. Departments of State, Agriculture, and Commerce.

At the meeting, officials explored ways Pacific Island economies could maximize utilization of the Generalized System of Preferences program once it is reauthorized by Congress. A potential action in this regard would entail designating eligible members of the Pacific Islands Forum as a regional association for purposes of GSP. USTR noted that a GSP regional designation “has the potential to further integrate regional supply chains and promote enhanced access to the U.S. market for the developing Pacific Islands states.”

The U.S. and the Pacific Islands also agreed to a number of follow-up items that will shape further trade and investment discussions in preparation for the U.S.-Pacific Islands Trade and Investment Dialogue later this year. The senior officials meeting was co-chaired by the Pacific Islands Forum and included government representatives from Australia, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

For more information, please contact Nicole Bivens Collinson at (202) 730-4956 or via email.