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11/19/2020

Joint Statement on the Temporary Suspension of the Technical Negotiations in the International Working Group on Ex…

Joint Statement on the Temporary Suspension of the Technical
Negotiations in the International Working Group on Export Credits
November 19, 2020

ANKARA/BERN/BRASILIA/BRUSSELS/CANBERRA/OSLO/OTTAWA/SEOUL/TOKYO/WASHINGTON/WELLINGTON
– We, the IWG vice-ministers listed below, believe that progress in technical negotiations in the
International Working Group on Export Credits (IWG) requires consensus among members on certain core
issues. These include transparency into the terms o ered in export finance transactions, as well as a
scope of coverage that applies to both goods and services exports and a commitment to international
standards for debt sustainability.
The objective of the IWG has been to agree on a new set of international disciplines among the main
global providers of government export credit support. The IWG comprises 18 members: Australia, Brazil,
Canada, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand,
Norway, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States.
A er eight years of consultation, the positions of the members of the IWG remain significantly divergent
with respect to commitments on these core issues, transparency in particular. Therefore, we cannot
justify continued participation in technical IWG negotiations unless and until members make the
necessary high-level commitments that will allow the resumption of technical negotiations. During this
suspension of further technical negotiations, we will remain open to considering credible proposals,
especially on transparency, by IWG member governments for discussion at vice-ministerial level. We are
open to a high-level meeting in one year’s time to assess whether conditions are right for a resumption of
negotiations or at an earlier date in the event that the necessary commitments have been made.
Helen Stylianou, First Assistant Secretary, Department of Foreign A airs and Trade, Australia
Sarquis José Buainain Sarquis, Secretary for Foreign Trade and Economic A airs, Ministry of Foreign
A airs, Brazil
Ava Yaskiel, Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Finance, Canada
Sabine Weyand, Director General for Trade, European Commission
Maarten Verwey, Director General for Economic and Financial A airs, European Commission
Shigehiro Tanaka, Vice Minister, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan
Tae Sik Yoon, Deputy Minister for International A airs, Korea
Andrew Hagan, Deputy Secretary, The Treasury, New Zealand
Lucie Katrine Sunde-Eidem, State Secretary for the Minister of Trade and Industry, Norway
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11/19/2020

Joint Statement on the Temporary Suspension of the Technical Negotiations in the International Working Group on Ex…

Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, State Secretary, State Secretariat for Economic A airs, Switzerland,
Switzerland
Bülent Aksu, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Treasury and Finance, Turkey
Brent McIntosh, Under Secretary for International A airs, Department of the Treasury, United States of
America
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