Guidance

Call for expressions of interest for membership of the UK’s Domestic Advisory Group

Published 27 January 2022

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-advisory-group-dag-call-for-expressions-of-interest/call-for-expressions-of-interest-for-membership-of-the-uks-domestic-advisory-group

This is a call for expressions of interest in being a voluntary member of the UK’s Domestic Advisory Group (DAG). This is to support the effective implementation of the trade and sustainable Development (TSD) chapters in the UK’s trade agreements with non-EU partners.

The UK and its trading partners will be establishing their own DAGs.

These DAGs will monitor and advise on the UK and partner countries’ implementation of the TSD chapters, which cover:

  • labour
  • environment
  • climate

The full chapters can be found in the texts of the agreements.

DAG’s activities

The DAG will be an important consultative body in support of the effective implementation of the UK’s international TSD commitments. It will be able to provide advice and recommendations to Her Majesty’s Government, including in advance of the UK’s TSD Committees with partner countries. It will also play a leading role in civil society dialogues and forums as part of the implementation of these agreements.

As a group that is independent of Her Majesty’s Government, the DAG will be able to meet at its own initiative and define and take forward its own programme of work. The DAG will be supported in its activities by the Department for International Trade (DIT).

It is envisaged that the DAG will convene as a group regularly throughout the year, with virtual meetings as the norm. If meetings are held in person, these will be rotated between all 4 nations of the UK. The DAG may also organise meetings with partner countries’ DAGs and with other stakeholders. DIT will organise and bear the cost of any logistics for these meetings such as translation and interpretation where they are reasonably required.

Trade agreements in scope

They are:

  • Andean (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)
  • Canada
  • Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama)
  • Georgia
  • Japan
  • Moldova
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Vietnam
  • Ukraine

Eligibility

Expressions of interest must come from independent civil society and business organisations, not individuals.

They could include:

  • non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
  • academic and research institutions
  • trade union organisations
  • business representative organisations
  • businesses

Each organisation will be required to submit its own expression of interest (that is, organisations should not apply jointly with other organisations even if they are affiliated).

Organisations should express an interest in one place and be prepared to have a single representative at each meeting. They should use the expression of interest form to nominate a list of up to 6 individuals from which this representative can be selected. This will enable organisations to flex their representation depending on specialisms, agendas and other priorities.

To be eligible, organisations must have the relevant expertise and experience to engage on the policy areas in scope of these chapters. This means demonstrating 4 of the criteria below as an organisation and in terms of the profiles of specific representatives.

The criteria are:

  1. Interest and competence in the UK’s trade policy, including in relation to trade and sustainable development.
  2. Focus/outlook that is geographically broad or global (for example, not limited to part of the UK only).
  3. Advisory/consultative experience (for example, with Her Majesty’s Government or as part of other advisory groups).
  4. Commitment to exclusively providing objective, technical, expert and evidence-driven advice.

Organisations will be appointed based on the extent to which they fulfil the criteria. The assessment of expressions of interests will also seek to identity and appoint the most suitably qualified individual as chair.

How to apply

To apply, complete the:

You must then submit the completed forms to uk-dag@trade.gov.uk.

Deadline for expressing an interest

The closing date of this call for expressions of interest is 11:59pm 11 March 2022.

Appointment process

All expressions of interest will be considered and assessed against the criteria by policy experts and ministers representing DIT.

The selection process will be based on the written expressions of interest only. Interviews will not take place.

The selected members and chair will be notified once this process is complete. Lists of organisations represented on the DAG may be shared with partner countries.

Following the initial appointment process, the DAG’s membership and chair will be reviewed by DIT at a future date if deemed necessary.

Diversity

Her Majesty’s Government embraces and values diversity in all forms. We welcome and pride ourselves on the positive impact diversity has on the work we do, and we promote equality of opportunity throughout the organisation. We therefore encourage applications from the widest range of qualified groups.

Data protection

We are inviting expressions of interest from organisations rather than individuals. We will, however, be processing personal data as we establish and operationalise the DAG (for example. to contact representatives or organise meetings). Personal data will be processed in accordance with our privacy notice.

Thank you for considering this call for expressions of interest.

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