U.S. Assists Lebanon’s WTO Accession Bid

The U.S. Embassy and the Lebanese Standards Institution (LIBNOR) on Wednesday celebrated the opening of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Enquiry Point for Lebanon at the Metropolitan Hotel in Sin-el-Fil.

The Enquiry Point, a prerequisite for World Trade Organization (WTO) accession, increases transparency and global accessibility to Lebanese trade regulations and facilitates trade operations.

The U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provided assistance to LIBNOR, a public entity under the Ministry of Industry, to support the establishment of the Enquiry Point, its adoption of procedures, and training of key personnel. This enables LIBNOR to maintain and publish up-to-date TBT requirements, answer inquiries from Lebanese and international traders, and provide information on technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures for products sold in the country.

This project is part of USAID’s $3 million Support for Lebanon’s Accession to the World Trade Organization program to help expand commercial opportunities for Lebanese businesses and strengthen their links to the global economy. USAID/Lebanon Mission Director Dr. Jim Barnhart highlighted that LIBNOR’s designation as Lebanon’s TBT Enquiry Point is an important milestone in Lebanon’s accession to WTO and “with the establishment of the Lebanese National Enquiry Point, traders in Lebanon and abroad will have access to simplified trade information.”