Meet the Trade Commissioner for South Asia, Alan Gemmell

* THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. NEW DATE IN DUE COURSE.* Join  us for a meeting with Alan Gemmell, HM’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for South  Asia and also British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India. In his role  as Trade Commissioner, Alan oversees the work of the Department for  International Trade (DIT) in growing bilateral trade and investment  relationships, improving market access for British companies, and supporting  the development of finance and trade policy. As HMTC he also works closely  with High Commissioners, Ambassadors, the wider diplomatic network and  colleagues across the UK to support the global agenda. We look forward to  hearing from Alan about DIT’s priorities in the region and areas of  opportunity for UK companies.

The  impact of the covid-19 pandemic on South Asia’s economies has resulted in  slower growth than previously anticipated. Recovery continues as countries  put in place containment measures, but the expected rebound has been affected  the recent waves of new variants.

According  to the World Bank, the regional growth is set to increase by 7.1 percent in  2021 and 2022, as the economic recovery in South Asia continues. South Asia’s  largest economy, India is expected to grow by 8.3 percent in the fiscal year  2021-22. Whilst in Sri Lanka, real GDP is expected to grow by only  3.3 percent in 2021. With recovering  exports and consumption Bangladesh growth rates are expected to  increase to 6.4 percent in fiscal year 2021-22. Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan  are all excepting GDP growths above 3.4, 3.9 and 3.6 for the fiscal year  2021-22 as they also slowly start on the road to recovery. The general  outlook is still uncertain as the pandemic challenges continue and progress  will depend on the extent of vaccinations whose roll-out has been uneven at  the expense of the poorer countries.   As South Asia looks to recover and also grapple with the climate  emergency governments need to reconsider the long-term development  frameworks.

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