We support governments at strategic stages on their WTO or regional integration journey, whether scoping the nature of possible commitments, assisting with coherence across overlapping multinational and regional trade agreements, or working with domestic ministries on their regulatory preparedness. We work in partnership with organisations such as the World Bank and International Trade Centre (ITC) to provide capacity building, training, diagnostic reports and user-friendly tools such as infographics and guides. Our experience includes training Sudanese domestic ministries on provisional WTO GATS commitments and their domestic implications, supporting Horn of Africa governments in addressing gender and youth issues, and creating business-friendly WTO accession guides for Uzbekistan, Iraq and Turkmenistan.

We help governments and trade ministries to prepare for FTAs that align with their national priorities and trade objectives. Our tailored support includes negotiation toolkits, topic guides and training sessions, ensuring negotiators are well-prepared to secure beneficial agreements. We have, for example, supported Bhutan’s Ministry of Trade in preparing for future trade negotiations, Malaysia’s Ministry of Trade in understanding trends in and preparing for next-generation agreements, and negotiators from Laos and Sri Lanka with key insights for their FTA discussions.

We support governments, regional organisations and regulators with the development and implementation of mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) designed to improve cross-border recognition of professional qualifications and expand market access. Our experience includes working with the East African Community (EAC), the Central European Free Trade Association (CEFTA) and the Association of South East Asian Nations(ASEAN) to align their MRAs with international trade frameworks and support regional integration. We have provided technical support for the negotiation of an EAC veterinary professionals’ MRA, capacity-building for East African professional associations of engineers, architects, accountants and advocates on the implications of EAC MRAs for them as regulators and professionals. We have also assisted the Lao PDR government with the domestic reforms needed to fulfil their ASEAN MRA compliance obligations and we prepared a report for CEFTA member countries on how they could use professional MRAs as a stepping stone to the EU single market. We have also supported the UK Ministry of Justice and the British High Commission in advancing the UK-Australia Legal Services Regulatory Dialogue.

We work alongside governments and regional organisations to strengthen services trade and domestic regulation of services. Our experience includes producing toolkits, delivering technical guidance and running capacity-building programmes for trade negotiators and implementing government departments. We have helped both the Sri Lankan and Ugandan governments, for example, to map the applicable legislation and regulation in all major services sectors, as well as key stakeholders, in preparation for trade negotiations.

We help businesses and professional associations to engage effectively in trade negotiations by bridging the gap between private sector priorities and government strategies. We develop stakeholder engagement plans, facilitate public-private dialogues, training workshops and produce accessible trade guidance materials. We have worked with organisations such as AfCFTA, ITC and national governments to help businesses contribute to trade negotiations. We have also developed business-friendly trade guides for Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Iraq and facilitated public-private sector dialogues in Sudan to align trade policies with stakeholder needs.