3. Each member of the Committee shall avoid tactlessness and inappropriate appearance, shall be independent and impartial, avoid direct and indirect conflicts of interest, and adhere to high standards of conduct to maintain the integrity and impartiality of the dispute resolution process. Former Committee members are bound by the obligations set out in paragraphs 17 through 20.
Disclosure obligations
4. Prior to confirming his or her selection as a member of the Committee under this Agreement, the Nominee shall disclose any interest, relationship or matter that is likely to affect his or her independence or impartiality or may reasonably give rise to an appearance of impropriety or bias in the proceedings, To this end, the candidate shall make all reasonable efforts to be aware of ary such interest, relationship or matter.
5. Once selected, the Committee Member must continue to make all reasonable efforts to be aware of any interests, relationships, and matters referred to in paragraph 3, and must disclose them by reporting them in writing to the Joint Committee for consideration by the Parties. The obligation to disclose is an ongoing duty, requiring a Committee member to disclose any interests, relationships, and matters that may arise during any stage of the proceedings.
6. Performing the duties of committee members. A committee member must comply with the provisions of this chapter and the applicable bylaws.
7. A committee member, once selected for the position, must perform his or her duties accurately and expeditiously throughout the proceedings with fairness and diligence.
8. A panel member may not deprive other panel members of the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the proceedings.
9. A panel member must consider only those matters raised in the proceedings that are necessary to make a decision and may not delegate the duty to make a decision to any other person.
10. The Committee Member must take all appropriate steps to ensure that the Committee Member's assistant and staff comply with paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 19, 20 and 21 of this Annex.
11. A Committee member must not engage in ex parte communications in relation to the proceedings.
12. A Committee member may not communicate matters relating to actual or potential violations of this Annex by another Committee member unless the communication is mutually beneficial or necessary to ascertain whether that member has violated or may violate this Annex.
Independence and Impartiality of Committee Members
13. A committee member must be independent and impartial. A committee member must act in a fair manner and avoid creating an improper or biased appearance.
14. A committee member may not be influenced by personal interest, outside pressure, political considerations, public clamor, party, loyalty, or fear of criticism.
15. A Committee member shall not, directly or indirectly, assume any obligation or accept any advantage that would in any way interfere, or appear to interfere, with the proper performance of the duties of Committee members.
16. A panel member may not use his or her position on the panel to promote any personal or private interests. A Panel Member shall avoid actions that may create the impression that others are in a special position to influence the Panel Member. The Panel Member shall make every effort to prevent others from presenting themselves as being in a similar position.
17. A committee member should not allow past or present financial, business, professional, family, or social relationships or responsibilities to influence the behavior or judgment of committee members.
18. A Committee member must avoid entering into any relationship, or acquiring any financial interest that is likely to affect the Committee member's impartiality or that may reasonably create an appearance of impropriety or bias.
Duties in certain situations
19. A committee member or former committee member must avoid actions that may create the appearance that the committee member was biased in carrying out his or her duties or may benefit from a decision or report of the committee.
Maintaining confidentiality
20. A Committee member or former Committee member shall not at any time disclose or use any non-public information relating to the proceedings or obtained during the proceedings except for the purposes of the proceedings and in no case shall any such information be disclosed or used to obtain a personal advantage, benefit others, or to adversely affect the interest of others.
21. A committee member may not disclose the committee's report, or parts thereof, prior to its publication.
22. No member of the Committee or former member of the Committee may disclose at any time any of the Committee's deliberations, or the opinion of any member of the Committee, except as required to implement the legal and constitutional provisions.
Chapter 13. Small and Medium Enterprises
Article 13.1. General Principles
1. The Parties recognize the essential role played by SMEs in maintaining the dynamism and enhancing the competitiveness of their respective economies, and encourage close cooperation between SMEs and cooperation to promote employment and growth.
2. The Parties recognize the complementary role of the private sector in the SME cooperation to be implemented under this Chapter.
Article 13.2. Cooperation to Increase Trade and Investment Opportunities for SMEs
With a view to enhancing cooperation between the Parties to maximize trade and investment opportunities, each Party shall, in particular:
1. Strengthen cooperation to support the SME infrastructure of the Parties, including SME support institutions, incubators, accelerators, and other institutions as appropriate, to create an international network to share best practices, exchange market research, and promote the participation of SMEs in international trade and the growth of their businesses in domestic markets.
2. Strengthen cooperation with relevant parties in the implementation of activities aimed at promoting SMEs owned by women and youth, as well as start-ups, and enhancing the cooperation and interdependence of SMEs and their participation in international trade.
3. Strengthen cooperation with other Parties in the areas of exchange of information and best practices, including improving SMEs' access to capital and credit, promoting SME participation and helping them adapt to changing market conditions.
4. Encourage participation in purpose-built online platforms for business owners and consultants to exchange information and best practices to connect SMEs with international suppliers, buyers and other potential business partners.
Article 13.3. Exchange of Information
1. Each Party shall, to the extent available, create or maintain a free website containing information relating to this Agreement, including:
(a) the text of this Agreement;
(b) summary of this Agreement;
(c) SME-specific information containing:
(i) a description of the provisions in this Agreement that the Party considers relevant to SMEs, and
(ii) any additional information that may be useful to SMEs interested in taking advantage of the opportunities provided by this agreement.
2. Each party includes on its website links or information through automated electronic transfer to:
(a) similar websites of other parties,
(b) the websites of its own government agencies and other appropriate entities that provide information that the Party considers useful to any person interested in trading, investing or doing business in the territory of that Party.
3. Subject to the laws and regulations of each Party, the information described in paragraph 2(b) may include
(a) customs regulations, procedures or information points,
(b) regulations or procedures relating to intellectual property, trade secrets and patent protection rights,
(c) technical regulations, standards, quality or conformity assessment procedures,
(d) sanitary or phytosanitary measures related to import or export,
(e) foreign investment regulations,
(f) business or enterprise registration,
(g) a trade promotion programs,
(h) competitiveness programs,
(i) investment and financing programs for small and medium-sized enterprises,
(j) taxation and accounting,
(k) other information that the Party considers useful for SMEs.
4. Each Party shall regularly review the information and links on the website referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 to ensure that the information and links are up to date and accurate.
5. To the extent possible, each Party shall make the information contained in this Article available in Arabic.
Article 13.4. Sub-Committee on SME Issues
1. The Joint Committee shall establish, in accordance with the requirements of Chapter XV (Administration of the Agreement), a Sub-Committee on Small and Medium Enterprises Issues (SME Sub-Committee), which shall include representatives of the relevant institutions of each Party.
2. The SME Sub-Committee shall:
(a) identify ways to assist SMEs in the territories of the Parties to take advantage of the business opportunities resulting from this Agreement and to enhance their competitiveness,
(b) identify and recommend ways to enhance cooperation between the Parties to develop partnerships between the Parties' SMEs,
(c) exchange and discuss each party's experiences and best practices in supporting and assisting SME exporters with respect to training and education programs, trade financing programs, trade missions, trade facilitation, digital and e-commerce, and identification of trading partners in the territories of the two parties,
(d) promote seminars, workshops, webinars, orientation sessions or other activities to inform SMEs of the benefits available to them under this Agreement,
(e) explore capacity-building opportunities to facilitate each Party's work in developing and promoting export advice, assistance and training programs for SMEs,
(f) recommending the inclusion of additional information that each Party may publish on the website referred to in Article 3,13 (Exchange of (e) information),
(g) review and coordinate the work program of this Sub-Committee with the work of other subcommittees, working groups and other boards established under this Agreement, as well as other relevant international bodies, in order to avoid duplication of work programs and to identify appropriate opportunities for cooperation to improve the ability of SMEs to engage in trade and investment opportunities arising from this Agreement,
(h) cooperate with and encourage sub-committees, working groups and other boards established under this Agreement to consider commitments and activities related to the work of SMEs,
(i) monitor the implementation of this chapter and the SME-related provisions of this Agreement and report findings and recommendations to the Joint Committee so that they can be incorporated into future work plans and SME assistance programs as needed,
(j) facilitate the development of specialized programmes to assist SMEs to participate and integrate effectively into each other's regional and global supply chains,
(k) promote the participation of SMEs in digital and e-commerce in order to take advantage of the opportunities resulting from this agreement {k) and quickly access new markets,
(l) facilitate the exchange of information on entrepreneurship education and outreach programs for youth and the women's sector to enhance the entrepreneurial environment in the territories of the Parties,
(m) consider any other matter relating to SMEs as may be decided by the SME Sub-Committee, including issues raised by SMEs regarding their ability to benefit from this Agreement.
3. The SME Sub-Committee shall meet within one year after the effective date of this Agreement and thereafter shall meet annually, unless otherwise decided by the Parties.
Article 13.5. Non-application of Dispute Settlement
Neither Party may resort to dispute settlement under Chapter XII (Dispute Settlement) to settle any matter arising under this Chapter.
Chapter 14. Economic Cooperation
Article 14.1. Objectives
1. The Parties shall promote cooperation under this Agreement for their mutual benefit to liberalize and facilitate trade and investment between the Parties and promote economic growth.
2. Economic cooperation under this Chapter shall be based on the mutual understanding between the Parties to support the implementation of this Agreement, with a view to maximizing its benefits, supporting trade and investment facilitation pathways, and further improving market access and openness to contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic growth and prosperity for both Parties.
Article 14.2. Scope
1. Economic cooperation under this Chapter shall support the effective and efficient implementation and utilization of this Agreement through trade and investment-related activities.
2. Economic cooperation under this chapter shall initially focus on the following areas:
(a) manufacturing industries,
(b) pharmaceutical and health products,
(c) agriculture,
(d) trade and investment pramation,
(e) tourism,
(f) education
(g) trade in services,
(h) renewable energy,
(i) sustainable development and trade,
(j) digital economy, entrepreneurship, data and big data,
(k) infrastructure.
3. The Parties may agree in the annual work program on economic cooperation activities to amend the above list, including the addition of other areas of economic cooperation.
Article 14.3. Annual Work Program for Economic Cooperation Activities
1. The Subcommittee on Economic Cooperation adopts an annual work program for economic cooperation activities (hereinafter referred to as the "Annual Work Program") based on proposals submitted by the Parties.
2. Each activity included in the annual work program developed under this Chapter shall:
(a) be related to the objectives agreed in Article 11.4, and
(b) relate to trade or investment and support the implementation of this Agreement,
(c) involves the participation of both Parties,
(d) addresses the mutual priorities of the Parties; and
(e) avoids duplication of existing economic cooperation activities.
Article 14.4. Competition Policy
1. The Parties recognize the importance of free and fair competition in their commercial relations. The Parties may cooperate to exchange information related to the development of competition policy, taking into account their domestic laws and regulations and available resources. The Parties may conduct such cooperation through their competent authorities.
2. The Parties may consult on matters relating to anticompetitive practices and their adverse effects on trade. Consultations shall be without prejudice to the autonomy of each Party to promulgate, maintain, and enforce its own domestic competition laws and regulations.
Article 14.5. Resources
Resources for economic and development cooperation under this Chapter shall be provided in the manner agreed upon by the Parties and in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Parties.
Article 14.6. Means of Cooperation
The Parties shall promote technical, technological, scientific and economic cooperation through the following methods:
(a) jointly organizing conferences, seminars, workshops, meetings, training courses, awareness and education programs,
(b) exchange of delegations, professionals, technicians, and specialists from the academic sector, research institutions, the private sector, and government entities, including study visits and professional training programs,
(c) dialogue and exchange of experiences between the private sector of both parties and their affiliates involved in trade promotion,
(d) launching a knowledge exchange platform to transfer experiences and best practices in the field of government development and modernization through the UAE Government Knowledge Exchange Program,
(e) promoting joint business initiatives between entrepreneurs from both parties; and
(f) any other form of cooperation that may be agreed upon by the parties.
Article 14.7. Subcommittee on Economic Cooperation
1. For the purposes of the effective implementation and operation of this Chapter, the Joint Committee shall establish in accordance with Chapter 15 (Administration of the Agreement) an Economic Cooperation Subcommittee (hereinafter referred to as the "Subcommittee").
2 The Sub-Committee, under the supervision of the Joint Committee, shall have the following functions:
(a) monitor and evaluate the implementation of this chapter,
(b) identify new opportunities and agree on new ideas for potential cooperation or capacity-building activities,
(c) formulate and develop proposals for the annual work program and mechanisms for its implementation,
(d) coordinate, monitor and follow up on the progress of the annual work program to assess its overall effectiveness and contribution to the implementation of this chapter.
(e) propose amendments to the annual work program through periodic assessments and submit them to the Joint Committee for decision,
(f) cooperate with other subcommittees and/or subsidiary bodies and councils established under this Convention to conduct assessment, monitoring and measurementon any matters related to the implementation of this Convention, as well as provide feedback and assistance in the implementation of this chapter; and
(g) report and consult with the Joint Committee regarding the implementation of this Chapter.
Article 14.8. Non-application of Chapter XII(Settlement of Disputes)
No party may resort to dispute settlement under Chapter XII (Dispute Settlement) to settle any matter arising under this Chapter.
Chapter XV. Chapter XV Administration of the Agreement
Article 15.1. Joint Committee
1. The Parties hereby establish a Joint Committee chaired by His Excellency the Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply on the Jordanian side and His Excellency the Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs on the UAE side.
2. The Joint Committee:
(a) must include representatives of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates; and
(b) may establish permanent or non-permanent sub-committees or working groups and assign them any of its powers.
3. The Joint Committee shall meet within one year from the date of entry into force of this Agreement. Thereafter, it shall meet every two years, unless otherwise agreed by the Parties, to consider any matter related to this Agreement. The joint sessions of the Joint Committee shall be held alternately between the Parties.
4. The Joint Committee shall also hold special meetings without undue delay from the date such meetings are requested by either Party.
5. Meetings of the Joint Committee and any standing or ad hoc subcommittees or working groups may be held in person or through any other means specified by the Parties.
6. The Joint Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure,
Article 15.2. Functions of the Joint Committee
The functions of the Joint Committee shall be as follows:
1. Review and evaluate the results and overall implementation of this Agreement in light of the experience gained through its application and objectives,
2. Consider any amendments to this Agreement that may be proposed by either party, including the modification of concessions made under this Agreement.
3. Make all reasonable efforts to amicably settle any disputes between the Parties arising from the interpretation or application of this Agreement.
4. Supervise and coordinate the work of all sub-committees, working groups and councils established under this Agreement.
5. Consider any other matter that may affect the implementation of this Agreement.
6. Propose a consensual interpretation of the provisions of this Agreement, if either party so requests.
7. Adopt decisions or make recommendations as provided for in this Agreement; and
8. Carry out such functions as may be agreed upan by the Parties.