Badrul Ahsan :
The government has taken a move to review the current status of ratification of 27 UN conventions required for Bangladesh like other developing countries for getting GSP Plus benefit to the markets of the European Union, sources said.
The step has been taken to determine whether any steps are lacking that to be taken for getting GSP Plus benefit to the EU market when the country would graduate from the least developed country (LDC) status to the developing one.
The 27 UN conventions include seven United Nations conventions on human
rights, eight International Labour Organisation conventions on labour rights, eight other conventions on the protection of the environment and four conventions on good governance principles.
Under the GSP Plus scheme, the EU offers complete duty exemption on about 66 per cent of EU tariff lines to developing countries. However, to this effect, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), has recently sought opinions of stakeholders, including ministries, divisions and agencies, trade bodies and business associations, on the 27 conventions related to human and labour rights, environmental protection and good governance with a view to evaluating the pre and post ratification situations. In its letter, the MoC, asked the stakeholders to submit their written opinions on the current ratification status of the conventions and necessary adjustment, reforms and next course of actions after ratification of any convention which is yet to be ratified.
Ministry officials said that Bangladesh ratified or signed most of the 27 conventions and the ministry wanted to know the progress of the implementation.
According to the Least Developed Countries Report-2016 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Bangladesh is expected to graduate from LDC category to developing country by 2024 as the country’s pre-eligibility for graduation will be completed in 2018 and the country will become fully eligible for graduation by meeting all three criteria in 2021. As an LDC country, all Bangladeshi products, except arms, enjoy duty-free and quota-free market access to EU under its GSP (generalised system of preferences) facility which is allows import of everything but arms (EBA).
Bangladesh will lose the benefit in the EU market, destination of more than 60 per cent of the country’s export goods, once it will graduate from the LDC category.
The country, however, will get GSP facility for another three years for preparation of sustainable graduation after 2024.
EU offers GSP Plus benefit to developing countries based on their vulnerability and it has assured Bangladesh of providing the benefit upon fulfillment of required conditions, mainly ratification and compliances of the 27 UN conventions.
In this context, the ministry has taken the initiative to evaluate the pre and post ratification situations, officials said.
The government is working to improve the human rights, labour rights, good governance and protection of environment in the country, they said. According to the EU trade office, a country must sign a binding undertaking to maintain their ratification of the 27 conventions and to ensure their effective implementation to be accepted into the GSP Plus scheme.
Armenia, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay and Philippines are getting the GSP Plus benefit while the EU is assessing an application of Sri Lanka for the facility.
The government has taken a move to review the current status of ratification of 27 UN conventions required for Bangladesh like other developing countries for getting GSP Plus benefit to the markets of the European Union, sources said.
The step has been taken to determine whether any steps are lacking that to be taken for getting GSP Plus benefit to the EU market when the country would graduate from the least developed country (LDC) status to the developing one.
The 27 UN conventions include seven United Nations conventions on human
rights, eight International Labour Organisation conventions on labour rights, eight other conventions on the protection of the environment and four conventions on good governance principles.
Under the GSP Plus scheme, the EU offers complete duty exemption on about 66 per cent of EU tariff lines to developing countries. However, to this effect, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), has recently sought opinions of stakeholders, including ministries, divisions and agencies, trade bodies and business associations, on the 27 conventions related to human and labour rights, environmental protection and good governance with a view to evaluating the pre and post ratification situations. In its letter, the MoC, asked the stakeholders to submit their written opinions on the current ratification status of the conventions and necessary adjustment, reforms and next course of actions after ratification of any convention which is yet to be ratified.
Ministry officials said that Bangladesh ratified or signed most of the 27 conventions and the ministry wanted to know the progress of the implementation.
According to the Least Developed Countries Report-2016 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Bangladesh is expected to graduate from LDC category to developing country by 2024 as the country’s pre-eligibility for graduation will be completed in 2018 and the country will become fully eligible for graduation by meeting all three criteria in 2021. As an LDC country, all Bangladeshi products, except arms, enjoy duty-free and quota-free market access to EU under its GSP (generalised system of preferences) facility which is allows import of everything but arms (EBA).
Bangladesh will lose the benefit in the EU market, destination of more than 60 per cent of the country’s export goods, once it will graduate from the LDC category.
The country, however, will get GSP facility for another three years for preparation of sustainable graduation after 2024.
EU offers GSP Plus benefit to developing countries based on their vulnerability and it has assured Bangladesh of providing the benefit upon fulfillment of required conditions, mainly ratification and compliances of the 27 UN conventions.
In this context, the ministry has taken the initiative to evaluate the pre and post ratification situations, officials said.
The government is working to improve the human rights, labour rights, good governance and protection of environment in the country, they said. According to the EU trade office, a country must sign a binding undertaking to maintain their ratification of the 27 conventions and to ensure their effective implementation to be accepted into the GSP Plus scheme.
Armenia, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay and Philippines are getting the GSP Plus benefit while the EU is assessing an application of Sri Lanka for the facility.
