Services make up a large portion of the global economy and are growing. National coalitions can help develop services sectors by raising awareness, strengthening industry associations, increasing export capacity through training and trade missions, and advocating for supportive policies. Coalitions represent diverse service stakeholders and pursue common goals like industry growth. They educate members and governments, organize export opportunities, and ensure standards are met. A developed services sector is exporting competitively with contributions from coalitions, associations, government, businesses, educators, and other groups.

1. WORKSHOP ON TRADE IN SERVICES
THE ROLE OF A NATIONAL COALITION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SERVICES SECTOR
Michelle Hustler – helpdesk Business Services

2. Services: The Growth Engine
‘Services constitute two-thirds of the world economy and the fastest
growing component of world trade. They are core drivers of economic
growth, employment and development in every part of the world.’

3. What are Coalitions?
A service coalition is an
organization of
stakeholders related to the
services sector who may
have diverse sub-sectoral
interests, but who share
common industry-wide
objectives – namely the
development of the service
industry.

4. Caribbean Coalition Background
 1997 – Caribbean Coalition idea FULLY OPERATIONAL:
proposed at a CARICOM/UNDP Barbados
Regional Workshop on Trade in Trinidad and Tobago
Services Saint Lucia Coalition
Jamaica
 1999 – CEDA commissioned paper, Antigua and Barbuda
Dominica
Towards a Caribbean Coalition of
Services Industries, by Henry Gill
 2001 – COTED agrees to regional LAUNCHED:
services sector development plan Belize
which includes the establishment of Grenada
Guyana
National Coalitions St. Kitts and Nevis
 2002 – Barbados Coalition of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Service Industries launched Suriname

5. BCSI Background
CARICOM movement +
Private Sector FTAA response +
Declining agriculture and
manufacturing sectors +
Urgency to improve economic
security +
Need for value added jobs +
Large, educated workforce +
Increase foreign exchange
earnings
= Barbados Coalition of
Service Industries A Perfect Storm

6. CARICOM Objectives
 To provide the service providers with knowledge of export
 To educate service providers on relevant
opportunities; government policies that can assist or hinder the
export of services;
 To organize trade missions to identify and exploit market
opportunities;  To represent the interests of the services
sector, including lobbying government and
 To encourage service providers to engage in developing promoting fair multi-lateral rules for trade in
export programmes and promotional activities through services;
collaboration locally, regionally, and internationally;  To promote the organization of non-organized
service providers into associations;
 To promote the further development and competitiveness
of the services sector;  To advise government on market
conditions/trends with a view to implement/relax
 To ensure that the highest industry standards are met by policies to facilitate the growth of local
practitioners;
all service providers;
 To encourage strategic alliances/partnerships with
 To educate the service providers on relevant aspects of regional and extra-regional counterparts;
the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), Free
 To ensure that factors such as
Trade of the Americas (FTAA), the Economic Partnership population, GDP, size of country and educational
Agreements(EPAs) of the EU-ACP, the World Trade resources are contemplated during the
Organization's General Agreement on Trade in Services implementation of any trade agreement.
(GATS) and any other trade agreements or developments
that can affect trade in services;

7. Why Coalitions?
Coalitions and their Impact on Stakeholders:
Governments
•Collects information from private;
•Disseminates information to private sector;
•Serves as a ‘voice’ for the services;
•Captures services data;
•Plays a large role in organizing and strengthening the services
sector;
•Encourages government to seek/adopt fair, multilateral rules for
trade in services – assists in the elaboration of informed trade
policy decisions
•Raises the profile of the services sector;
•Serves as a vehicle for aligning with other international

8. Why Coalitions?
Coalitions and their Impact on Stakeholders:
Negotiators
•Offers a focal point for the collection and dissemination of information;
•Offers a platform via which private sector positions and developmental
needs regarding trade negotiations are more readily obtainable;
•Serves as a partner in hosting informational forums for the private
sector regarding trade related issues;
•Assists in the simplification of technical trade information to ensure a
better understanding at private sector level

9. Why Coalitions?
Coalitions and their Impact on Stakeholders:
Service Associations
•Assists in the establishment of new service associations and in the strengthening of existing
associations through administrative and developmental support;
•Encourages and enables service associations to implement export-focused services and
offers training regarding the same;
•Assists in the development of national sectoral strategies, involving the input from various
related service associations;
•Lobbies on behalf of service associations or services sectors to governments or other
international agents;
•Facilitates the establishment of Mutual Recognition Agreements or address related market
entry/access issues;
•Establishes relationships and networks with other service associations across the region or
internationally;
•Facilitates networking opportunities amongst association members;
•Offers service associations the opportunity to raise public awareness on the roles of the
association and the types of services being offered by its membership;
•Encourages services associations to adopt high, international standards

10. Why Coalitions?
Coalitions and their Impact on Stakeholders:
Private Sector Operators
•Raises the awareness of trade in services issues to private sector operators and
draws to their attention information that will affect their competitiveness;
•Simplifies technical trade material for its membership via web platforms,
newsletters or through workshops and other forums;
•Offers training and other support that will enhance the competitiveness of the
private sector;
•Provides export opportunities and elaborates export promotion activities such as
trade missions;
•Provides market information;
•Assists in the formation of strategic alliances nationally and internationally;
•Offers networking opportunities both nationally and internationally;
•Assists its individual members in establishing credibility through alignment with the
coalition or via initiatives such as awards programmes

11. Why Coalitions?
Coalitions and their Impact on Stakeholders:
Public
A coalition:
•Raises the awareness of trade in services issues;
•Raises the profile of the services sector and ensures that the value
and contribution of the services sector is well understood

12. S
‘In 2009, services accounted for 67% of GDP worldwide and
commercial services exports totalled $3.78 trillion, or 24.3% of
total world exports.’

13.  Barbados, May, 2007  Raise awareness of the
 Antigua, July, 2009 importance of the services
sector at national/regional
 Barbados, December, 2010 level
 Development of export
promotion programme
 Lobbying and Advocacy for
http://c-nsc.org the development of the sector
 Institutional strengthening for
the services sector
(associations and coalitions)

15. Global Services Coalition and
Others
Informal, private sector
led, international forum:
 Australian Services
Roundtable, Barbados Services
Coalition, Canadian Services
Coalition, European Services
Forum, CSI (US), Hong Kong
Coalition of Services
Industries, Jamaican Coalition of
Services Industries, Japan
Services
Network, NASSCOM, Taiwan
Coalition of Services
Industries, International Financial

16. A Developed Services Sector is Exporting
A developed services sector is informed, organized, supported,
contributory, competitive and most of all, exporting efficiently and
effectively.

17. SUMMARY
 EDUCATION or AWARENESS BUILDING – Raising the awareness of the importance
of the services sector, educating the private sector and the governments on trade in
services issues
 DEVELOPMENT - INSTITUTIONAL – Organizing the services sector through the
establishment of service associations, strengthening existing associations to serve as
meaningful focal points for the sector
 DEVELOPMENT – SECTORAL – Increasing the capacity of service providers to
export through sector development initiatives, encouraging the adoption of the highest
international standards
 DEVELOPMENT – PRIVATE SECTOR – Equipping service providers with the skills to
increase their competitiveness nationally and internationally
 LOBBYING AND ADVOCACY – Representing the interests of the services sector,
promoting a ‘services-first’ approach by governments, encouraging the adoption of fair
multilateral rules for trade in services, contributing the negotiation processes,
collection and dissemination of information
 EXPORT PROMOTION – Identifying export opportunities, organizing trade
missions/shows, encouraging associations to adopt export-focused programmes,

18. A Developed Services Sector is the Responsibility of
Many
A national services coalition requires the support of many in the
development of the services sector.

19. Developing the Services Sector - Responsibilities
 Coalitions
 Professional
Associations
 Government
 Private Sector
 Educational Institutions
According to a 2007 International Labor Organization
 Lending Institutions
report, more individuals are employed in the services sector
than either agriculture or industry
 Other BSOs

20. info@helpdeskcaribbean.co
m
WORKSHOP ON TRADE IN SERVICES
THE ROLE OF A NATIONAL COALITION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SERVICES SECTOR
Michelle Hustler – helpdesk Business Services