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11 December 2003

26th WTO Trade Policy Course ends

Dr. Rana, Deputy Director-General of the WTO, chaired on 11 December 2003 the closing ceremony of the 26th Trade Policy Courses (TPC) which put an end to three months of training dedicated to the multilateral trading system, its rules and its procedures. Twenty-two government officials from developing countries and economies in transition were awarded Diplomas in recognition of their dedication and active participation during the course.

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In his address, Dr. Rana noted that during this 12-week course participants went through a whole cycle of lectures, "hands on" simulation exercises, attendance at various meetings of WTO bodies, round tables, field visits and debates. Held in the WTO Headquarters, this programme offered participants an unique opportunity to enhance their understanding of the functioning of the Multilateral Trading System and to get acquainted with the WTO mandate, structure, rules and procedures. Noting that the Trade Policy Courses were a significant component of the WTO Technical Assistance and Training Programme, Dr. Rana stressed the importance of such activities at a time when Members were discussing the follow-up to the 5th Session of the Ministerial Conference held at Cancún last September. He expected that participants would go back to their capitals with updated information about these ongoing negotiations and the main issues at stake. Participants in the 26th TPC had gained the reputation of being an extremely dedicated, hard working and lively group, and he hoped that the Trade Policy Course would have strengthened their capacity to ensure an active participation of their countries in the improvement of the international framework governing trade relations between countries. Dr. Rana finally stressed the importance of the network of contacts which had been created between participants, the staff of the WTO and other resource persons, as well as between participants themselves. E-mail addresses and contact information were exchanged, leaving an open window of opportunity for participants to obtain technical assistance on a long-term basis.

Responding to Dr. Rana, Mrs. Sara Rosana Rosadio Colan (Perú), on behalf of the participants in the 26th TPC, expressed her gratitude to the WTO Senior Management, the staff of the Organization, the WTO Membership as well as the host country for their support in training activities. Mrs. Rosadio Colan stated that the course had allowed participants to improve and maximize their knowledge of the WTO rules and system thanks to a well balanced training programme including theory, practical exercises and simulations. Herself and her colleagues had also gained a valuable experience on multilateral negotiations. She put particular emphasis on the human experience, where the "enthusiasm of the younger ones and the experience of the elder, have been factors which strengthened the group, leading to its cohesion and richness". Mrs. Rosadio Colan stressed that a main concern of each participant was to share and spread their newly acquired knowledge with their colleagues in home countries.

The 26th TPC was held in Spanish. It took place between the 22nd September and 12th December 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 next WTO Geneva-based Trade Policy Courses will be held in parallel from 12 January to 02 April 2004.

 

List of participants