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WTO NEWS: 2000 PRESS RELEASES

Press/161
17 January 2000

Thirteenth WTO trade policy course opens in Geneva

The WTO's thirteenth Trade Policy Course for twenty-nine officials from developing countries starts today (17 January). The list of participants is attached. The course, being held in English, will end on 7 April 2000.

The aim of the training courses is to provide the participants with greater understanding of trade policy matters, the functioning of the multilateral trading system and the work of the WTO. The courses also address the provisions of the agreements resulting from the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations and the rights and obligations of WTO Members. Offered in English twice every year and in French and Spanish every second year, the courses are open to officials from developing, least-developed countries/customs territories and economies in transition, including countries/customs territories which are not WTO Members.


The courses have a practical orientation and are designed to help participating officials, who already have responsibilities for the formulation and conduct of foreign trade policy in their respective governments, to perform their functions more effectively, and to promote a more active and effective participation of their countries in the multilateral trading system. Apart from a series of lectures on WTO law, the programme includes participation in seminars and group discussions, a workshop on negotiating techniques and simulation exercises for conducting trade negotiations and for settling trade disputes. The participants also attend official meetings.

During the course, the participants undertake a one-week study tour abroad as well as shorter study tours in Switzerland, which include visits to institutions and enterprises connected with foreign trade. Finland will host the study tour abroad for the participants of the thirteenth Course. In addition to WTO Secretariat officials, many guest lecturers, including senior officials of government delegations and international organizations, as well as academics, are invited to address the participants.

The year 2000 will mark the 45th anniversary of the GATT/WTO training courses. Since 1955, the GATT/WTO will have organized 95 regular courses for more than 1,800 officials from over 160 countries/customs territories and more than ten regional organizations. These figures do not include the 212 senior trade officials from Eastern and Central European and Central Asian countries who participated in the nine special courses organized by GATT/WTO since 1991, with the financial support of the Swiss Government, nor the 100 senior officials from Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation and Ukraine who attended the four special GATT/WTO courses funded by the United States in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997.

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List of participants 

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mr. Nenad KLACAR, Senior Official, Department for Multilateral Trade Relations, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations

Brazil

Mr. Celso de Tarso PEREIRA, Third Secretary, Mercosul Division, Department of Latin-American Integration, Ministry of Foreign Relations

Bulgaria

Miss Elitza Dimitrova STOYANOVA, Senior Expert, Multilateral Trade and Economic Policy Department, Ministry of Trade and Tourism

Cambodia

Mr. Sovann KE, Chief, WTO Office, ASEAN and International Organizations Department, Ministry of Commerce

Cameroon

Mr. Solomon Enoma TATAH, Desk Officer in charge of U.N. Specialized Economic Institutions, Department of the U.N. and Non-Governmental Cooperation, Ministry of External Relations

China

Mr. Xiaowei LIU, Deputy Director, Division I (WTO Affairs), Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation

Fiji

Mr. Amenatave Yauvoli VAKASAVUWAGA, Chief Assistant Acting Secretary, Department of External Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade

Grenada

Mr. Oliver Thomas Ira JOSEPH, Economist II, Economic Affairs Division, Ministry of Finance

Guinea

Mr. Souleymane BERETE, In charge of Studies at the WTO Section, Ministry of Trade, Industry, Small and Medium Enterprises

Hong Kong, China

Miss Tsui Ping Ada YEUNG, Assistant Secretary, Regional Cooperation Division, Trade and Industry Bureau

Indonesia

Mr. Asianto SINAMBELA, Head, Section of Multilateral Economic Cooperation, Directorate for Multilateral Economic Cooperation, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Kenya

Mrs. Anne Mwhihaki KAMAU, Trade Development Officer I, Department of External Trade, Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry

Korea

Mr. Myung-soo JANG, Deputy Director, Central America and Caribbean Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Malaysia

Mrs. Wan Suraya WAN MOHD. RADZI, Assistant Director, ASEAN Economic Cooperation, Ministry of International Trade and Industry

Mauritius

Mrs. Seela Devi JEELALL, Trade Officer, International Trade Division, Trade Policy Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Mexico

Mr. Alberto GALLEGOS, Deputy Director for Injury, Injury and Safeguards Division, Unit of International Trade Practices, Ministry of Trade and Industry

Mongolia

Mr. Tsogtbaatar DAMDIN, WTO Desk Officer, Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Department, Ministry of External Relations

Myanmar

Mrs. Thinn Htut THIDAR, Assistant Director, International Trade Promotion Department, Directorate of Trade, Ministry of Commerce

Namibia

Mr. Willem NEKWIYU, Trade Policy Officer, International Trade Directorate, Division of Trade Policy and External Trade Relations, Ministry of Trade and Industry

Nepal

 

Mr. Kailash Kumar BAJIMAYA, Under Secretary, Foreign Trade Section, Ministry of Commerce

Niger

Miss Florentine Pierrette ARAOYE, Senior Trade Promotion Officer, Direction of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Trade and Industry

Pakistan

Mr. Shoukat Ali Anwar RANDHAWA, Assistant Chief, WTO Wing, Ministry of Commerce

Papua

New Guinea

Mr. Brian WAPI, Foreign Service Officer APEC, Trade, Economics and Development Cooperation Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Peru

Mrs. Margarita María TRILLO RAMOS, Senior Economist, International Relations Area, Human Resources and Technical Cooperation Department, Instituto de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual (INDECOPI - GRC)

Samoa

Mr. Lyndon CHU LING, Senior Trade and Investment Promotion Officer, Trade and Investment Promotion Unit, Department of Trade, Commerce and Industry

Sudan

Mr. Abdel Aziz Mohamed Mohamed AHMED, Assistant Under Secretary, General Secretariat of WTO, Ministry of Foreign Trade

Chinese Taipei

Mr. Stanley Tzu-An TSENG, The Third WTO Department, Board of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs

Thailand

Miss Saowanit PONGSAI, Economist, Bureau of Multilateral Trade Negotiation, Department of Business Economics, Ministry of Commerce

Zambia

Mr. Boniface KUNDA, Senior Economist, Department of Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry