SDPI- CUTS and The Asia Foundation Joint

Media
Briefing

The media briefing
is aimed at highlighting and sharing the findings of a study titled “Cost of
Economic Non Cooperation to Consumers in South Asia (COENCOSA)”, implemented by
CUTS International with support from The Asia Foundation and in partnership
with a group of like-minded organisations including Sustainable Development
Policy Institute (SDPI) from Pakistan. The study assesses potential benefits of
opening up trade between south Asian countries to consumers. The study covers
five of the eight South Asian countries, viz Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The quantitative
assessment of the COENCOSA study shows a minimum consumer welfare gain of
approximately US$ 2 billion a year by way of savings on aggregate consumer
expenditure on imported products in selected categories. This gain represents
about 31 percent of total current import expenditure on the selected product
categories. Despite the slight variation in share on total gains, all countries
stand to gain substantially in terms of gains per capita, in proportion with
their economic size and population. Though Pakistan
receives only 10.5 per cent of total gains, the lowest, it stands to save 59.04
per cent on its current import expenditure on selected products.

ENTRY IS OPEN TO ALL

Chair: Mr Humayun Akhtar Khan, Former Federal Minister for Trade and Commerce and Member National Assembly

• Mr Shahid Fiaz,
  Director of Programs, The Asia
  Foundation
• Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director,
  Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI)
• Dr Vaqar Ahmed,
  Research Fellow/Head, Economic Growth Unit, (SDPI)