Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement – a regional initiative for economic empowerment
Australia is a founding participant of the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement (IPETCA), a new regional initiative to strengthen the economic empowerment of Indigenous Peoples in our region and beyond.
Our region is home to more than 270 million Indigenous Peoples who have a long and rich history of participating in trade and commerce. Indigenous Peoples continue to play an integral role in the societies and economies of our region. IPETCA will focus on further unlocking their economic potential and increasing trade and investment opportunities. This arrangement will help to expand business networks for Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs across the region, including for micro- small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), Indigenous women and Indigenous youth. Prospective areas of cooperation under the arrangement include enhancing digital skills and e-commerce opportunities; export counselling; promoting access to finance; supporting indigenous public procurement mechanisms; and valuing and protecting indigenous knowledge. IPETCA recognises the importance of enhancing the ability of Indigenous Peoples and businesses to benefit from the opportunities created by international trade and investment. It reaffirms a
number of important existing Indigenous-specific international instruments, such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and acknowledges the important role of the environment in the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples. A joint decision-making body, the Partnership Council, will enable government officials and Indigenous Peoples representatives from participating economies to implement and oversee the arrangement. Australia is working closely with participating economies and Indigenous stakeholders to operationalise the arrangement. As a first step, this involves establishing the governance arrangements for the Partnership Council over the coming months. Participating economies currently include Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Taiwan (as Chinese Taipei, consistent with nomenclature practices in international economic fora).
IPETCA will be supported by the National Indigenous Australians Agency in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. More niaa.gov.au/indigenous- affairs/indigenous-peoples- economic-and-trade-cooperation- arrangement-ipetca Our participation in IPETCA will maximise opportunities for First Nations Australians in a globalised world. We see significant potential for IPETCA’s membership to grow across our Indo-Pacific region. Helen Stylianou Australia’s Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and First Assistant Secretary, Trade Resilience and Indo-Pacific Economic Cooperation Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Above: Celebrating Indigenous cultures of Taiwan, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
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Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
business envoy
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