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For more information see:
The activities include dedicated regional and Geneva-based government procurement workshops, often undertaken in co-operation with other multilateral agencies, and national seminars. Further, a number of broader technical co-operation activities (e.g., trade policy courses) of the WTO Secretariat are delivered with a government procurement component.
Introduction to Government Procurement-related WTO
technical co-operation activities back to top
WTO regional workshops on government
procurement typically include modules on the following subjects: the
economic and social significance of government procurement; pertinent
developments in the region in which the workshop is being conducted; the
basic architecture of the GPA; the definition and scope of government
procurement and related coverage issues; procedural aspects of
procurement and their relation to transparency, competition and
non-discrimination; developing country issues, including the role of
special and differential treatment; and compliance issues, including
both domestic review procedures and the application of the WTO Dispute
Settlement Understanding in relation to the GPA.
In addition, WTO regional activities usually include a module dealing with
the detection and prevention of collusive tendering. This reflects the
increasingly acknowledged importance of measures to prevent bid rigging
and other anti-competitive practices as an adjunct to a liberalized
government procurement regime. This calls, inter alia, for
vigilance on the part of procurement officials and the development of
appropriate communication channels with national competition agencies.
All WTO Secretariat TA activities in the area of government procurement
embody an interactive format, emphasizing small group practical exercises
in addition to question and answer sessions with resource persons and
traditional lectures. The practical exercises permit participants to
reflect on national objectives in this area in addition to deepening their
understanding of relevant WTO activities and instruments.
The Geneva workshop on accession to the Agreement on Government
Procurement differs from the Secretariat's regional workshops in that it
has a particular focus on the GPA itself, whereas the regional workshops
address government procurement as it relates to trade more widely,
including developments in the regions and at the national level. The
Geneva workshop is also tailored particularly to the interests of WTO
Members that are in the process of acceding to the GPA and/or have made
commitments eventually to seek accession to the Agreement.
The Secretariat's TA programme in this area involves significant
cooperation with other international organizations, regional bodies,
expert bodies from WTO members, and academic institutions. Such organizations and bodies
have included the World Bank, UNCITRAL, the OECD, the national governments
of numerous WTO member and observer countries in the relevant regions, and
other institutions.
Relevant documents back to top
Most of the above events use a background compilation of the most relevant WTO documents.
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Text of a recent compilation
Highlights from this compilation are the
general overview of WTO government-procurement-related work prepared by the WTO Secretariat as well as summaries WT/WGTGP/W/32 and WT/WGTGP/W/33 of the substantive discussions in the multilateral Working Group on Transparency in Government Procurement.
Technical co-operation events back to top
The tables available at the following link provide an overview of the WTO
Secretariat's main technical
co-operation events in the field of government procurement since the adoption of the Doha Development Mandate in 2001. The tables cover , the
GPA Geneva workshops,
regional events,
symposia and
national seminars.
Annual technical assistance plan back to top
The annual
Technical Assistance Plan of the WTO includes events dedicated to the subject of government procurement or comprising a component on the topic.
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