This online workshop is a follow up of the workshop held in Sarajevo on 9 July 2024 where

key private and public sector stakeholders were gathered with the aim of:

• raising awareness on the existing channels through which companies can report their trade obstacles.
• stock take on the views and proposals from the private sector, especially SMEs for designing a channel and mechanism for effectively communicating and addressing their trade concerns.

The focus of this workshop is presenting the recommendations on enhancing the effectiveness of trade obstacles reporting by private sector, in particular, SMEs and their resolution.  The draft report and recommendations prepared are based on desk research, and more importantly on the feedback received through bilateral interviews and consultations led by UNCTAD experts/consultants, as well as during the workshop held in July 2024 in Sarajevo with numerous public and private institutions, including relevant ministries/agencies as well as chambers and individual companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina in international trade.

The workshop covers the following topics:

• Existing trade obstacles reporting mechanisms in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Effectiveness of the currently available channels
• Challenges faced by private and private stakeholders
• Recommendations
  • On how to improve current channels
  • Establishment of a centralized online platform on trade obstacles reporting and its administration
  • Design and features of the potential platform
  • Institutional mechanism behind
  • Enhanced public-private dialogue and coordination for the effective resolution
• Feedback, comments, questions & answers

The objective of the workshop is to strengthen the voice of the private sector, especially SMEs, to be heard by the relevant public institutions and enhance the channels of communication and resolution of trade claims