ABSTRACT
Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) differed from General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) in a couple of ways. The 23 negotiating parties sought to enhance the liberalization of trade in services. The US-based shipping service company, United Parcel Service, has publicly pushed for a plurilateral initiative using GATS to eliminate gender discrimination against women in international trade. Such an agreement would eliminate domestic laws that perpetuate such discrimination and ensure compliance with the principles of equal access and opportunity for trade. The TiSA parties represented 70% of the world’s trade in services of the $55 trillion services market worldwide. Proponents of TiSA believed that it would further liberalize trade in services. In sum, the TiSA would have provided another framework for international trade in services. Although the talks stalled in 2016 and were not free of controversy, TiSA is still worth following should there be any kind of turning point to restore the talks.
