Industry representatives serving on the Consumer Goods ISAC provide advice on trade policy matters. Recently, members of the Consumer Goods ISAC have provided advice on a range of issues that included: multilateral negotiations related to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In preparation for the U.S.-China bilateral negotiations, Consumer Goods ISAC advisors raised concerns over regulatory transparency, especially with regard to the access of foreign manufacturers to Chinese trade associations and the usual facilitation of dispute resolution that it allows. Furthermore, the committee provided guidance for the Accelerated Tariff Liberalization (ATL) and its incorporation into the WTO negotiations. Regarding FTAA negotiations, Consumer Goods ISAC advisors provided recommendations to the preliminary draft of the text of the Working Groups especially with regard to market access matters where the industry raised the issue of the staging of tariff eliminations and the necessary harmonization of customs rules. The Committee also addressed the Mexican Reference Pricing System and its impact on American exports through the bonding system affecting products subject to reference prices.

Industry representatives serving on the ISAC on Consumer Goods have a voice in U.S. trade policy formulation through the Industry Consultations Program (ICP), which emerged from the 1974 Trade Act, to ensure that trade negotiators were coordinating with the private sector during trade negotiations. Based on the program's success, the ICP was renewed and expanded by the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 and the Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. The Department of Commerce, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and other agencies work side-by-side with business leaders who serve as advisors to the U.S. Government. The Department of Commerce and USTR have joint responsibility for operating the advisory committees of the ICP.

Eligibility for Membership on the Consumer Goods ISAC
Committee members are U.S. citizens representing U.S. manufacturing or service firms in the consumer goods industry, trade internationally, and have a special interest in and knowledge of international trade issues. Representatives of industry associations may also participate. Additional information can be found on the Industry Consultations Program's website at www.ita.doc.gov/icp or by contacting: