WTO NEWS: 2003 NEWS ITEMS

8 April 2003

23rd and 24th WTO Trade Policy Course ends

Mr. Rufus Yerxa, Deputy Director-General of the WTO, chaired last week the closing ceremony of the 23rd and 24th Trade Policy Courses (TPC) which put an end to three months of training dedicated to the multilateral trading system, its rules and its procedures. Fifty-two government officials from developing countries and economies in transition were awarded Diplomas in recognition of their dedication and active participation during the course.

In his address, Mr. Yerxa underlined that, because the training took place at the WTO Headquarters, the participants had a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the role and the functioning of the WTO. He stressed the importance of using multilateral frameworks, such as the WTO, to help governments around the world to work together towards common objectives. Mr. Yerxa acknowledged the imperfection of the multilateral system but expressed the hope that training activities, such as the WTO Trade Policy Courses, would strengthen the capabilities of developing countries to ensure an active participation in the improvement of the international framework governing trade relations between countries. He stressed also the importance of the network of contacts which had been created during the three months of training between participants and the staff of the WTO as well as between participants themselves.

In response to Mr. Yerxa's address, Mr. Francisco Xavier Rivadeneira (Ecuador), on behalf of the participants in the 23rd TPC, and Mr. Aristide Ebang Essono (Gabon), on behalf of the participants in the 24th TPC, expressed their gratitude to the WTO Senior Management, the staff of the organization, the WTO Membership and the host country for their support in training activities.

Mr. Rivadeneira highlighted the value of sharing knowledge and experiences. He also underlined the practical nature of the training and the durable nature of the relationship that has been created during the course.

Mr. Egang Essono stressed the necessity to ensure synergy between national authorities in the capitals and permanent representations and WTO staff in Geneva and the contribution that this course made to this goal. He confirmed that the strengthening of capacities was becoming a tangible reality, in part due to the tireless efforts of the WTO to provide quality training. He invited all participants to consolidate the "acquis". He also confirmed that, for developing countries, the investment made to equip government officials with profound knowledge of WTO rules and procedures constituted a pre-condition to work towards the consolidation of an international framework which can be fully adhered to and properly implemented by the WTO Membership.

The 23rd TPC was held in English and the 24th TPC was held in French. They took place between the 13th January and the 4th April 2003. The organization and conduct of WTO Trade Policy Courses fall within the mandate of the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) to strengthen capacities of the developing countries, economies in transition and countries in accession.

The lists of the participants to the 23rd and 24th WTO Trade Policy Courses are attached.


23rd Trade Policy Course 

Mr. Abdul Wafeq MAJID

Afghanistan

Mr. Avetis HOVHANNISYAN

Armenia

Mr. Rashad NOVRUZOV

Azerbaijan

Miss Irina ARZHANKOVA

Belarus

Mr. Sothy SING

Cambodia

Mr. Yasser IGLESIAS TORRENS

Cuba

Mr. Francisco Xavier RIVADENEIRA

Ecuador

Mrs. Anneli VARES

Estonia

Mrs. Isatou MENDY

The Gambia

Mr. Sheung Man Simon CHAN

Hong Kong, China

Mr. Mir Hadi SEYEDI

Iran

Mrs. Janet Aoko ABILLA

Kenya

Mr. Krum EFREMOV

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Mr. Alfred Beaton VILILI

Malawi

Miss Tengku Suriana TENGKU SULAIMAN

Malaysia

Mrs. Natasha BARBARA

Malta

Mr. Munkhjargal DANGAASURE

Mongolia

Miss Erlinda F. ARCELLANA

Philippines

Miss Julia Isa SOLOFA

Samoa

Miss Aleksandra RAKOVIC

Serbia and Montenegro

Miss Jiunn Ning LAI

Singapore

Mr. Joseph MA'AHANUA

Solomon Islands

Mr. Jeremy Jyan Yi SHEN

Chinese Taipei

Mr. Obaid S. AL KENDI

United Arab Emirates

Miss Sapai Moana MATARIKI TIMAKATA

Vanuatu

Miss Susan Ngoza MPANDE

Zambia

 

 

24ème Cours de politique commerciale

Mlle Ilhame KELLOU

Algérie

M. Clemente SEBASTIÃO FILIPE

Angola

Mme Ernestine F.S. ATTANASSO

Bénin

M. Hiera Robert GOSSE

Banque Ouest-Africaine de Développement

M. Ousmane COMPAORE

Burkina Faso

M. Louis NYAWENDA

Burundi

M. Bernard MAMAT

Cameroun

Mlle Elisângela Maria SILVA ANDRADE

Cap Vert

Mme Aifale PEDIA

Côte d'Ivoire

Mlle Hodan ABDI ADEN

Djibouti

M. Ehab BADAWY

Egypte

M. Aristide EBANG ESSONO

Gabon

M. Mamadou Bobo BARRY

Guinée

M. Marc Franck LAROSE

Haïti

M. Jacques Benjamin PICOT

Madagascar

M. Lansine DOUMBIA

Mali

M. Abderrahim BARHDAD

Maroc

M. Aboubakry KASSE

Mauritanie

M. Mourtada MAHAMAN

Niger

M. René NGONAÏNDO

République centrafricaine

M. Seketula Yendé KITHIMA

République démocratique du Congo

M. Seydina Aboubacar Sadikh NDIAYE

Sénégal

M. Mahamat Nour ABAKAR

Tchad

M. Koulaba KORTHO

Togo

Mme Fatma BRAHIM

Tunisie

M. Barkan Deniz UMRUK

Turquie