A little over a month ago, representatives of the 12 participant states in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) announced a final agreement had been reached. The TPP continues to be publically debated, driven by discussions ranging from workers rights to geopolitical competition. The Alliance 21 Program hosted a roundtable discussion with Elizabeth Ward, Australia’s chief negotiator for the TPP, who helped dispel the myths and provided unique insight into the negotiation process.
Elizabeth Ward
First Assistant Secretary, TPP Chief Negotiator, Office of Trade Negotiations, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
Elizabeth Ward was a visitor at the US Studies Centre in 2015. Ward was the First Assistant Secretary, Office of Trade Negotiations and Chief Negotiator for Australia in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement negotiations. From 2012-mid 2014, she was Deputy Chief Negotiator TPP, and oversighted Australian negotiations in the WTO on the Trade Facilitation Agreement, non-agricultural market access including Information Technology Agreement negotiations, as well as work on Technical Barriers to Trade. Previously, Ward was Minister-Counsellor for Trade Policy in the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC and also worked on Australia’s agriculture negotiating team during the WTO Doha Round.