WTO: 2006 NEWS ITEMS

22 May 2006
WTO TRAINING COURSES

WTO Specialized Course: “Negotiating trade agreements: from theory to practice”

Twenty-five government officials from developing countries, least-developed countries and economies in transition had the opportunity to strengthen their negotiation skills and knowledge on the occasion of a two-week WTO Specialized Course on Trade Negotiations which took place from
8 — 19 May 2006 in Geneva. This fifth course of its kind was organized by the WTO Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC).

This activity falls into the mandate of the WTO Secretariat to provide the developing countries with enhanced negotiation skills development and training opportunities and constitutes an integral part of the 2006 programme of the ITTC. The main objective of this course is to give the participants basic factual and analytical tools to handle negotiation processes, in particular within the context of the ongoing negotiations held in the context of the “Doha Development Agenda”.

During the first week, the participants were introduced to the multilateral trading system and the theory of negotiations. Several sessions were devoted to examining factual and analytical elements to handle negotiations, with a particular focus on processes and techniques used in the evolving context of the multilateral trading system (both under the GATT and the WTO). Taking into account the importance of good communication in negotiations, one day was devoted to communication techniques. An update on current negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda was provided at the end of the first week.

Participants were actively involved in interactive training sessions. Moreover, in preparation for the second week, participants had to undertake some preparatory work in the context of the Trade Negotiations Simulation Exercise (TNSE).

During the second week, participants engaged in the TNSE. They were assigned different roles and given tasks to conduct during a mock negotiation on tariff reduction and the drafting of multilateral disciplines on non-tariff measures. This involved, under the supervision of the trainers, a great deal of individual effort, team work and initiative from the participants.

On Friday, participants and trainers held an overall evaluation session, discussing together the lessons learnt during the entire programme.
 

List of the participants  back to top

Afghanistan

Mr. Mohammad Ayub KHURRAMI

Albania

Mrs. Alketa VEJSELI

Antigua & Barbuda

Miss Valique J. GOMES

Armenia

Mr. Artur MAYSURYAN

Bangladesh

Mrs. Sharifa KHAN

Belize

Mr. Luis SALAZAR

Botswana

Mrs. Gemma MASONYA

Israel

Ms Yifat INBAR

Kuwait

Mr. Mohammed Gohloum AL-AWADI

Lebanon

Mrs. Mahasin RAHHAL

Maldives

Mr. Yusuf RIZA

Mongolia

Mr. Dagve BATMUNKH

Montenegro

Mr. Veselin KOVAČ

Nepal

Mr. Krishna Prasad ACHARYA

Nigeria

Mr. Yemi Nasiru OBAFEMI

Saint Kitts & Nevis

Miss Ghislaine WILLIAMS

Saint Vincent & the Grenadines

Mr. Omari Seitu WILLIAMS

Samoa

Mr. Ioane Moreli ALAMA

Seychelles

Mr. Naddy Hubert MARIE

South Africa

Ms Solvinah NOMBINI MATHYE

Sudan

Mr. Khalil Basha SAYRIN

Uruguay

Mrs. Victoria FRANCOLINO SLEPAK

Vanuatu

Mr. Timothy Williams SISI

Zambia

Mr. Humphrey MWEETE KATOTOKA

Zimbabwe

Mrs. Beatrice MUTETWA