TRAINING OF TRAINER (TOT) PROGRAM:ENHANCING THE UTILIZATION OF FTAS BY SMES, JUNE 17- 21, 2013, KHON KAEN, THAILAND

Trade and Investment Facilitation

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) hold the key to unlocking the economic development and growth potential of the GMS member states’ economies. For this potential to be realized, however, states must implement their commitments and obligations under the various ratified FTAs – especially the ASEAN FTA – and local SMEs must develop the skills and knowledge to utilize the preferential trade provisions, easier market access and other business opportunities extended through the FTA’s provisions. 

To assist the development of these necessary tools and knowledge in the lead-up to integration into the AEC 2015, MI recently conducted a one-week regional training program entitled, ‘Enhancing the Utilization of FTAs by SMEs.’ The program, which concluded last Friday (June 21) at MI headquarters in Khon Kaen, Thailand, sought to develop the capacities of representatives from CLMV-based SMEs,chambers of commerce and industry, business associations, exporters and importers in the GMS countries. 

A total of 28 participants from Cambodia (5), Lao PDR (6), Myanmar (6), Vietnam (6) and Yunnan province of P.R. China (5), participated in the program,which focused on increasing understandings about regional FTA provisions, the importance of the full-implementation of ratified FTAs to attaining accelerated economic development and methods through which to promote SMEutilization of concerned provisions. 

Working in groups and individually, participants developed group action-plans to help develop and localize training packages– SME national workshops – to transfer the knowledge gained through the programtotargeted SME exporters, CCIs, BAs and government agencies in their home countries. 

Participants will hold the national workshops from June to September 2013, before reconvening at MI in October 2013 for the follow-up ‘Synthesis and Evaluation Workshop.’ On their return, participants will share their action plan-implementation experiences, re-evaluatethe level of FTA utilization by SMEs in the GMS countries, and collectively plot the way forward by articulating remaining gaps and issues before articulating a set of national policy recommendations. 

The Enhancing the Utilisation of FTA by SMEs ToT training program was held as part of the three year project entitled ‘Capacity Building for Integrating CLMV Economies into AEC 2015,’ funded by the New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade Aid Programme project;

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Mrs. Guohua Liu

Director, Sustainable Energy & Environment (SEE) Department

Mrs. Liu Guohua is the Director of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Department at the Mekong Institute. Prior to this role, she worked in the Department of International Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, where she played a key role in shaping and implementing China’s cooperation strategies with UN development agencies. During this time, Mrs. Liu was actively involved in advancing initiatives related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on climate change and green development. Additionally, she contributed to the evaluation of projects funded by various Chinese initiatives, such as the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund, etc.

In addition to her work in the Department of International Economic Affairs, Mrs. Liu has an extensive diplomatic background. She spent 7 years in the Department of African Affairs, followed by a 4-year tenure at the Chinese Embassy in Lao PDR, where she gained deep expertise in both Southeast Asian and African affairs. These diverse experiences have played a crucial role in shaping her approach to sustainable development and international collaboration, particularly in building regional partnerships and tackling global challenges like climate change.

She holds a Master’s degree in Economics, with a specialization in Finance, from the Central University of Finance and Economics, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, specializing in International Economics and Trade, from the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.