ITC to support revitalisation of the Philippine Services Coalition

The International Trade Centre (ITC) will support a variety of activities designed to ensure sustainability of the newly configured Philippine Services Coalition (PSC). The activities will focus on the development of a national services strategy to enhance the competitiveness of the Philippines’ services sector, which is the fastest growing component of its national economy.

This was announced on 4 June 2014 during a National Workshop on Services held in Manila which was co-hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies with sponsorship from ITC and USAID.

The PSC was established through European Commission funding and ITC technical assistance from the Asia Trust Fund (ATF). It brings together stakeholders from the government, private sector and academia to develop and enhance Philippine trade in services. The PSC conducts awareness-raising studies of services trade policy and regulatory issues, and devises a roadmap for export competitiveness of services.

The revitalised PSC will be managed by the public-private Philippines National Competitiveness Council (NCC).

As Chair of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) in 2015, the Philippines is preparing for a strong leadership role in the services trade agenda in both APEC and the World Trade Organization (WTO). With ITC’s backing, the PSC can play a pivotal role in advancing the country’s trade in services sector.