Today, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Bill Jackson and Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asian Affairs Mara Burr participated in an interactive webcast presentation on trade opportunities for Pakistan under the U.S. GSP trade preference program. The event, hosted by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., was webcast live to 11 sites in Pakistan, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, and Sialkot. Following an overview presentation by Deputy Assistant USTR Jackson, the panel, which included Jackson, Burr, and Pakistan Embassy Trade Minister Muhammad Agha, fielded questions from Pakistani participants about the GSP program and U.S.-Pakistan trade. Representatives from the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, several Pakistani chambers of commerce, and Pakistani business associations were among the many participants in the live web event.
The GSP program promotes economic development in the developing world by providing duty-free entry into the U.S. market for up to 5,000 products from 127 beneficiary countries, including Pakistan. Pakistan exported $195 million in products to the United States duty-free under GSP in 2012, including jewelry, plastic products, tools and cutlery, and some leather goods.
