-----------Highligts Post Accession Gains

Wednesday: October 6, 2021: The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Madam Mawine G. Diggs, has recommitted Liberia to global efforts geared toward the protection and promotion of Intellectual Property.

She also re-affirmed Liberia’s commitment to the World Trade Organization and  multilateral trade system.

Minister Diggs made the commitments in Geneva, Switzerland, this week when she addressed the World Trade Organization’s High-level Panel, chaired by the Director General of the World Trade Organization’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the 62nd Assemblies of Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), respectively.

Minister Diggs  gave   the State of Play and reflection on Liberia’s five-year  membership with the World Trade Organization (WTO), including recent economic developments and performance since her country’s accession.

Addressing the Launch Study of Liberia’s Five years of WTO membership, she  disclosed that Liberia's path to the WTO membership was not an easy road before becoming a model for others.

 She spoke about significant strides made by Liberia  through the development of a balanced and effective structure that enables innovation and creativity for patents, copyrights, and trademarks, where people earn recognition for what they invent or create.

The Commerce and Industry Minister  told the body that Liberia is a member and signatory to  several international IP conventions which speaks to the country’s commitment to the protection of Intellectual property on the global scene  through collective  efforts.

“Bearing in mind the potential benefits of WTO membership, including increased investment inflows, the Government saw a huge potential to integrate the multilateral trade system, and to return Liberia to the position it once had as a country,” Minister Diggs pointed out.

She highlighted practical  actions being taken by  Liberia under the leadership of  President  George Manneh Weah.

Notable among these steps,  according to the Commerce and Industry Minister include;  the single window endeavor at the Freeport of Monrovia undertaking large-scale accession commitments and implementing the WTO Post-Accession Implementation Plan.

She added that the  plan is aimed at  continuing with the reforms and transformation in critical areas, such as tariff regulation, trade facilitation, taxation, Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, economic diversification and many others.

For her Part, the Director General of the World Trade Organization,  Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, lauded  Liberia for the milestone achievements and  particlraly hailed President George M. Weah and the Liberian Government  for  the ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

“The Liberian model, the first of its kind is history and  sets a “new standard for LDC accession,” Madam Okonjo-Iwealain dicated.

 She   re-affirmed WTO's support to Liberia through all necessary assistance.

At the same time on  the margins of the multilateral engagements, Minister Diggs  held bilateral talks with Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Sziijarto.

The discussions focused on enhancing coorporation through trade between the two countries in the areas of Information Technsology, energy and water.

 Minister Diggs is accompanied by the Charge’d’ Affaires (en pied), Liberia Permanent Mission to the United Nations  Office and Multiple International Organizations, Mr. Paul W. Tate, the Director General of Liberia’s Intellectual Porperty Office (LIPO), Atty. Aderline Cooper, Minister Counselor/Public Affairs to the European Union, Senve D. Tehmeh,  the  Second Secretary, Liberia Permanent Mission to Geneva, Abraham Kamara, and Madam Esther Tolbert,  Chief of Staff, Office of the Minister of the Commerce and Industry of Liberia.

Jacob N.B. Parley

Communications Director

Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Contacts: 0777604576/0886560455

WhatsApp: 0881336137

Email: jacobtheancestor@yahoo.com