Bolivia’s ambassador to the US, Jaime Aparicio, and Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) president Enrique Iglesias have signed a contract for a US$5mn soft loan for a programme to strengthen the Bolivian trade sector.

The programme is aimed at boosting the competitiveness of Bolivian goods and services by modernising and strengthening

  • Bolivia’s trade and investment ministry and other public and private institutions.

 

The project will also back Bolivia’s efforts to improve trade policy design and implementation, as well as to strengthen its technical capacity to undertake international negotiations and to stimulate and diversify trade and investments.

As part of the project, an international trade negotiations unit will be established and staffed with experts trained to take an active part in Bolivia’s negotiations at regional and international forums.

Other activities will be carried out under the programme, including information and outreach efforts to keep the private sector and civil society abreast of trade negotiations and their implications for Bolivia.