Foreign Trade Division - MFAFT

Foreign Trade – Background

Foreign Trade is a key component of Jamaica’s Foreign Policy. The Foreign Trade Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, [comprising the Office of the Under Secretary, the Foreign Trade Department and the Trade Agreements Implementation and Coordination Unit (TAICU), has responsibility for the formulation of foreign trade policy and for trade negotiations. The Division also represents the trade interests of the country at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels. The objective is to ensure that Jamaica maintains and secures access to the markets of its trading partners under the most favourable terms as well as to seek new market opportunities for Jamaican exporters of goods and services.

In addition, the work of the Foreign Trade Division involves coordinating the implementation of bilateral trade arrangements, the WTO Agreements, and the provisions of the CARICOM Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) establishing the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The Foreign Trade Division, through the Trade Agreements Implementation and Coordination Unit (TAICU), is the focal point for the CSME, CARIFORUM/UK and the CARIFORUM/EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).