De La Rue was delighted to support the recent Commonwealth Trade Ministers meeting in London attended by 35 Ministers from 45 member states.
The first meeting of Commonwealth Trade Ministers in more than fifty years was held in London in mid-March. It was organised by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council and supported by De La Rue. A total of 45 of the 52 member countries were represented, with 35 Ministers in attendance and an agenda that demonstrated the strong opportunity for greater intra-Commonwealth collaboration on trade and investment issues, covering some of the key challenges facing member countries in the wake of Brexit.
On the first of the two days, trade ministers had an open dialogue with commercial and international organisations on the opportunities to expand trade across the Commonwealth and the challenges that needed to be overcome. On the second day, the Ministers met in private to look into the policies that will be needed to accelerate trade and investment across the Commonwealth.
Speaking at the event, Lord Marland, Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, commented: “There is an opportunity for the Commonwealth to demonstrate global leadership on free and fair trade. Businesses want to see stability, transparency, predictability and the rule of law and the Commonwealth can work together to improve the ease of doing business in all member countries. This will allow companies, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises, to have the confidence to trade and invest across the Commonwealth. Creating a conducive business environment and helping businesses find a route to market is core to the enabling role of our organisation. It was essential to have the private sector fully engaged in the Trade Ministers Meeting.”
Martin Sutherland, the CEO of De La Rue commented: ‘Our business has always had very strong links with the Commonwealth, and we are proud to work with 80% of its member states already. With 40% of the world's population estimated to be living in the Commonwealth by 2040, it should become the living demonstration of the power of partnership, playing an ever more important role in the world. As well as being a partnership between nations, it is a partnership for innovation and social and economic progress, a partnership that joins the best of the public and private sectors - together to tackle the challenges and to seize the opportunities - that present themselves in an ever more complex world.” Speaking to the attendees at the conference, Martin added ‘…in a world of uncertainty we see real optimism. We are confident that the creativity, energy and ingenuity of the Commonwealth - in harness with business - will deliver a prosperous future.’
As a result of the meeting an ambitious “Agenda for Growth” will be drawn up in the run up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be hosted in the UK in April 2018.
For information:
Duncan Fulton
Head of Government Relations
Tel: +44 (0) 1256 605000
About De La Rue:
De La Rue’s purpose is to enable every citizen to participate securely in the global economy. As a trusted partner of governments, central banks and commercial organisations, De La Rue provides products and services that underpin the integrity of trade, personal identity and the movement of goods.
As the world’s largest designer and commercial printer of banknotes, De La Rue designs, manufactures and delivers banknotes, banknote substrates and security features to customers in a world where currency will continue to be a key part of the developing payments eco-system. De La Rue is the only fully integrated supplier of both paper and polymer banknotes, and creates security features that ensure banknotes are protected against counterfeiting.
De La Rue is the world’s largest commercial printer of passports, delivering national and international identity tokens and software solutions for governments in a world that is increasingly focused on the importance of a legal and secure identity for every individual.
De La Rue also creates and delivers secure product identifiers and ‘track and trace’ software for governments and commercial customers alike to help to tackle the challenge of illicit or counterfeit goods and the collection of revenue and excise duties.
De La Rue is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LON-DLAR). For further information visit www.delarue.com
