March 25, 2021
ASEAN, CSO Event
As ASEAN countries set out to ratify RCEP we invite the media to join us for a virtual press conference where Dr. Rashmi Banga from the UNCTAD will share new evidence on the potential economic impact of RCEP on ASEAN countries
Date: 25 March 2021
Time: 2.00-3.00 PM Bangkok | 3.00-4.00 PM Manila
Register here: http://bit.ly/PressConRCEP
Speakers:
Dr. Rashmi Banga, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva
Dr Ika Riswanti Putranti,Vice Dean, Diponegoro University, Indonesia
Josua Mata, Secretary General, SENTRO, Philippines
Moderator:
Susana Barria, Trade Justice Campaigner, Public Services International (PSI)
Organisers:
Asia Europe People’s Forum (AEPF)
Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)
Focus on The Global South
GRAIN
Indonesia For Global Justice (IGJ)
Public Services International, Asia Pacific (PSI)
Trade Justice Pilipinas
Why Attend This Press Conference?
Dr. Rashmi Banga will present new research showing that while ASEAN countries might have signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with the hope of increasing their exports, instead RCEP will worsen ASEAN’s goods trade balance by 6% per year. This press conference will also reveal which products in each ASEAN country will face increased competition from imports. Some ASEAN countries will also lose significant tariff revenue due to RCEP at a time when budgets are already stretched due to COVID-19. This is especially noteworthy because the expected benefits for ASEAN from the goods chapter were supposed to offset the costs of other RCEP chapters.
Speaker and Moderator Bios:
Dr. Rashmi Banga
Dr Rashmi Banga is a Senior Economic Affairs Officer and Officer-in-Charge of the Unit on Economic Cooperation and Integration among Developing Countries (ECIDC), Division of Globalisation and Development Strategies (GDS) at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She has published extensively in refereed journals on international trade and investment issues.
Dr. Ika Riswanti Putranti
Dr. Ika Riswanti Putranti Vice Dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Political Science, Diponegoro University, Indonesia. Her areas of expertise include International Trade Law, Financial Crimes, International Criminal Law among others. She has been published in peer reviewed journals.
Josua Mata
Josua Mata has been working for the labour movement in the Philippines for almost three decades. Apart from day to day struggles to defend and advance workers rights and welfare, he is actively engaged in trade and climate justice issues.
Susana Barria
Susana has worked on issues related to social and economic justice for more than 15 years in Latin America, Europe and Asia. She works at Public Services International (PSI) on the impacts of trade and investment agreements on the provision of public services and on issues related to health-care sector workers and health-care systems.
