Business in Suriname, Paramaribo

The objectives of the subject «Doing Business in Suriname» are the following:

1. To analyse the Surinamese economy and Foreign Trade (Import, Export, FDI)
2. To explore the Business Opportunities in Suriname
3. To analyse the trade relations of Suriname with the country of the student
4. To know the Free Trade Agreements of Suriname
5. To develop a business plan for the Surinamese Market

Preferential Access and Free Trade Agreements of Suriname:

1. Suriname and the Caribbean Economic Area
2. Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
3. Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
   1. CARIFORUM-European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement
   2. Colombia-CARICOM Agreement (Suriname)
   3. CARICOM-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
   4. Costa Rica-Caribbean Community Agreement (Suriname)
   5. United Kingdom-CARIFORUM Free Trade and Economic Integration Agreement
4. Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)
5. Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA)
6. Islamic Trade Preferential System (TPS-OIC)
7. Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT)
8. Suriname is a state associated to the MERCOSUR (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay)
9. Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP) - accession process

Trade Facilitation Programs

1. World Trade Organisation (WTO)
   1. WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)
   2. WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
   3. WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
   4. WTO Agreement on Preshipment Inspection (PSI)
   5. WTO Agreement on Safeguards (SG)
   6. WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)
2. World Customs Organisation (WCO)
   1. Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC)
3. Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF)
4. International Bureau of Containers and Intermodal Transport (BIC)
5. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO, Chicago Convention)
6. International Maritime Organisation (IMO)

American Trade and Economic Organisations

1. Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)
   1. European Union-CELAC Summit
2. Organisation of American States (OAS)
3. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
4. Inter-American Development Bank (BID)
5. Africa-South America Summit (ASA)

Islamic Organisations

1. Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
2. Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
   1. Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
   2. Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI)
   3. Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries
   4. Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
3. Summit of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA)

Global Organisations

1. United Nations (UN)
   1. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
   2. International Trade Centre (INTRACEN)
   3. World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
2. World Bank (WB)
3. World Trade Organisation (WTO)
4. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
5. Commonwealth
6. ...

Suriname.

1. Surinamese Capital: Paramaribo
2. Borders of Suriname: Brazil, Guyana and French Guyana.
3. Area of Suriname: 163.820 square kilometres
   1. Territorial tensions with Guyana and French Guiana
4. Population of Suriname: 550,000 inhabitants
   1. Surinamese Population density: 3 inhabitants / square kilometres
   2. 27% of the population are Hindustanis (originally from India)
   3. 21% of the population are maroons of African origin (African Diaspora)
5. Suriname's official language is Dutch
   1. Sranan Tongo language is used by 40% of the population
   2. English, French, Spanish and Portuguese are widely used
6. Abolition of Slavery in Suriname: 1863
7. Main rivers: Suriname, Courantyne, Coppename, Marowijne, Nickerie
8. Climate of Suriname: equatorial-tropical
9. 1498: discovery by the Spanish
10. 1498: discovery by the Spanish
    From the 16th century: British and Dutch colonisation
11. Formerly it was called Dutch Guiana
12. Government Type: Presidential Republic
13. Suriname became independent from the Netherlands in 1975

Main religions in Suriname:

1. Christianity: 48 % of the population Surinamese
2. Hinduism: 23% of the population Surinamese
3. Islam: 14% of the population Surinamese

Suriname belongs to the:

1. Caribbean Economic Area of the Western Civilisation
2. Economic Area of the Hindu Civilisation
3. Economic Area of the Islamic Civilisation

Surinamese Economy.

1. Surinamese GDP: 9,067 million dollars
2. GDP per capita of Suriname: 13,362 Dollars
3. 25% of the Surinamese population works in the agricultural sector
4. Main agricultural products: rice, bananas, wood, palm kernels, coconuts, peanuts, citrus and forest products
5. Natural resources: bauxite, gold, oil, iron ore, other minerals, wood, fish, and shrimp
6. The main economic activity in Suriname is the aluminum industry (15 of the GDP, 66% of the exports)
7. Significant gold and bauxite reserves
   1. The bauxite industry accounts for 15% of the GDP and 70% of the export earnings
8. Important hydroelectric potential
9. Surinamese currency: the Surinamese Dollar (SRD)
10. Country code top-level domain of Suriname: .sr

Surinamese Foreign Trade

1. Main exports of Suriname: aluminum, bauxite, rice, bananas, shrimp, gold, crude oil, wood, fish
2. Main destinations of Suriname's exports: the United States, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Guyana, France and Barbados
3. Main imports of Suriname: capital goods, oil, food, cotton, consumer goods.
4. Largest providers of Suriname: the United States, Netherlands, China, United Arab Emirates, Antigua and Barbuda, Netherlands Antilles and Japan
5. Main trading partners: the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago and the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles
6. Agreement with Venezuela for oil importation (PetroCaribbean)

International Transport and Logistics in Suriname:

1. Main seaport: Paramaribo
2. Other seaports: Albina, Moengo, Nieuw-Nickerie
3. 4,304 Kilometres of roads (1,130 paved)
   1. Driving on the left
4. 166 Kilometres of railway lines
5. Zorg in Hoop Airport (Paramaribo)