HONIARA is requesting Abu Dhabi to consider granting Duty-free and Quota-free (DFQF) market access for Solomon Islands products under the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) World Trade Organization (WTO) criteria.

Solomon Islands Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Cornelius Walegerea has been tasked by Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele and his delegation on the trip to Abu Dhabi recently to explore and pursue more trade and labor mobility opportunities in UAE and in other countries in the Gulf region.

The follow up on the request to Abu Dhabi to consider granting duty-free or quota-free access for Solomon Islands products under the LDC WTO criteria was amongst the tasks given to Ambassador Walegerea.

Ambassador Walegerea will raise these matters with the UAE State Minister for Trade.

As far as the WTO is concerned and given the very low degree of LDCs’ integration into the global trading system, WTO Members have developed special flexibilities for LDCs. These flexibilities are tailored to their development, financial and trade needs, as well as their administrative and institutional capabilities needs to help them better integrate into the global trading system.

These flexibilities are contained in various provisions of WTO Agreements in terms of special and differential treatment and can take different forms, including special preferential treatment for the access to their trading partners’ markets (both developed and developing countries).

In terms of labor mobility, Solomon Islands has six aircraft engineers working with the UAE Air Force and Solomon Islands government is pursuing for labor opportunities for Solomon Islanders in UAE and other states of the Persian Gulf region.

These were some of the highlights that Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele provided to the local media at a press conference on Thursday 17 October, prior to his departure to the Republic of Indonesia for the presidential inauguration.

PM Manele returns from Indonesia, Friday.

By IAN LADDS OSO

Solomon Star, Honiara