a. Member States agree to establish,
inter alia, the following committees, bodies and other appropriate
organs with the specific purpose and objective of assisting the smaller
economies in their implementation of their obligations.
i. Office of Legal Consultations.
ii. Office of Technical Cooperation in Rules of Origin
iii. Office of Technical Cooperation in Customs Procedures
iv. Office of Technical Cooperation in Technical Barriers to Trade
v. Office of Technical Cooperation in Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures
vi. Office of Technical Cooperation in Government Procurement
vii. Office of Technical Cooperation in Intellectual Property
viii. Office of Technical Cooperation in Competition Policy
b. Member States agree to fund the
committees, bodies and other organs specified in article 1.a. for an
initial period of 5 years. In each year of their operation, total
funding shall not be less than twenty (20) million United States
dollars. Annual funding of one (1) million United States dollars shall
be set aside as a reserve fund for unanticipated expenses. Funding of
not less than four (4) million United States dollars in each year shall
be allocated to the Office of Legal Consultations.
c. Five years after the coming into
force of the Agreement, Member States will convene a special meeting of
Ministers to review the state of implementation in and by the Smaller
Economies. Such special meeting shall be devoted exclusively to such a
review, unless decided otherwise.
d. Member States recognizing and
accepting funding commitments to achieve the objectives established
above are enumerated in the following list.
1. Argentina $2.5 million.
2. Brazil $3 million.
3. Canada $3 million.
4. Chile $2.5 million.
5. Colombia $1 million.
6. Costa Rica $100,000
7. Jamaica $100,000
8. Mexico $2.5 million.
9. Peru $100,000
10. Trinidad and Tobago $100,000
11. Uruguay $100,000
12. United States of America $5 million.
13. Venezuela - $1 million.
a. Inscription on the list of
funding Member States in paragraph d. above shall have no other
effect on a Member States rights and obligation under this
Agreement, including provisions that are, or may be, reserved to the
benefit of that category of FTAA Member States that are deemed
Smaller Economies. For greater clarity, the list of funding Member
States does not impose any rights or obligations beyond those
established in paragraph d.
e. At the request of the FTAA Member
States, the institutions of the Tripartite Committee (Organization of
American States, Inter-American Development Bank, United Nations
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) agree, at their
own expense, to second to the entities established in paragraph a.
above, such experts and officials as are necessary for their effective
operation. Additional staff for the entities established may be provided
on a voluntary basis and seconded basis by FTAA Member States. Member
States shall use their influence to encourage other multilateral bodies,
such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and
non-Hemispheric state donors to contribute financial and resources in
kind.
f. Staff and other administrative
costs of the entities established in paragraph d. above shall in no
individual instance, or any single year, or in five years in total,
exceed twenty (20) per cent of financial resources budgeted for that
entity. No less than eighty (80) per cent of budged financial resources
shall be expended in direct technical assistance to the smaller
economies.
g. Smaller economies may make
application, individually or collectively, for the provision of
technical assistance in the areas enumerated above. The FTAA Secretariat
shall provide, on request, administrative support to the smaller
economies in the drafting of such requests. Such requests shall be
submitted to the Permanent Council of Representatives to the FTAA or
such other appropriate permanent decision making body as may be
established.
h. Technical evaluations of each
request for technical assistance shall be provided to the Permanent
Council of Representatives to the FTAA by the appropriate office
enumerated in paragraph a. above.
i. The provisions of this Agreement
on Technical Assistance shall not obviate the agreement to and the
provisions for other forms of technical assistance that may be agreed
upon collectively or bilaterally between the Member States of the FTAA.