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Johnson Smith to hold talks on boosting trade in Commonwealth

Published:Wednesday | October 9, 2019 | 9:56 AM
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith - File photo

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade  Kamina Johnson Smith will join 52 Commonwealth Trade Ministers to explore strategies to boost trade with special focus on inclusive and sustainable trade and the Connectivity Agenda.

This Second Meeting of the Commonwealth Trade Ministers will be held on Thursday, October 10 at Marlborough House in London, United Kingdom.

The outcomes will shape trade-related discussions at the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting scheduled for June 2020 in Rwanda.

In the margins of the Ministerial Meeting, Johnson Smith will begin her programme of engagements with a bilateral meeting with Lord Tariq Ahmad, Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon, followed by a welcome event hosted by Elizabeth Truss the UK Secretary for International Trade

Convened under the theme, “Advancing our Shared Prosperity,” Johnson Smith said that the meeting is being used as a platform to support the implementation of the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda for Trade and Investment.

“It also creates a timely opportunity for critical discussions on how to achieve economic growth through trade, as well as the approaches countries can adopt to ensure all stakeholders can benefit,” Johnson Smith said.

She said that it includes full and equal participation of women in the economy through gender-responsive approaches in developing trade policy and promoting women’s economic empowerment.

Johnson Smith noted that there are still challenges for many Commonwealth developing countries and small states in reaping the full benefits of international trade.

“Trade needs to be both inclusive and sustainable in keeping with the commitment countries made to the global Sustainable Development Goals,” she said.

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