Twenty government officials from developing countries and economies in transition concluded a three-month intensive training course on 21 April 2011 at the WTO. The Advanced Trade Policy Course (ATPC), held in English, was organized by the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) and held in Geneva, at the WTO Headquarters. The diploma ceremony was held with the presence of the Patroness, Ms Hilda Al-Hinai Deputy Permanent Representative of the Sultanate of Oman to the WTO.

Mr Hakim Ben Hammouda, Director of the ITTC, thanked Ms Al-Hinai for her participation and commitment throughout the course. He congratulated the participants on successfully completing the training programme, as well as for the high quality of the written projects and oral presentations prepared and delivered during the ATPC, and invited them to keep in touch with the network of contacts that each of them had developed throughout the three-month period.

In her address to the participants, Ms Al-Hinai expressed her satisfaction and pleasure of having being asked to be Patroness of the course. She conveyed her willingness to continue providing guidance to the participants in the future and invited them to contact her should they come again to Geneva or need any assistance. She commended them for their hard work and commitment during their three-month stay in Geneva.

On behalf of the participants of the ATPC, Mr Mohammed Al Mardhoof Al Saadi from Oman thanked Ms Al-Hinai for providing advice and recommendations to the group and for sharing her personal experiences with them. He also thanked the WTO for the valuable contribution that the training course had made in enhancing their trade knowledge as well as personally and professionally enriching their lives.

The ATPC is a “level 3” training activity implemented within the WTO progressive learning framework and, as such, it represents the highest level of learning among WTO training activities. Due to its advanced nature, the course is targeted at participants who already possess a sound knowledge of the general features of the WTO system and the WTO Agreements. The learning approach of the course is multidisciplinary in that it considers both legal and economic aspects of WTO rules and disciplines. The course's training methodology is conceived to encourage the active involvement of participants through a series of interactive modules comprising lectures, exercises and simulations, covering most of the areas of work of the WTO. More specifically, participants are given regular coursework and individual/groups assignments and are expected to complete a project relating to their country's trade policy by the end of their three-month stay. The course also includes visits to other international organizations active in trade-related matters as well as attendance at selected meetings of WTO bodies and briefings on WTO work-in-progress. Contacts with WTO Secretariat officials and delegates and representatives from Missions and other international organizations are also a common feature. The course seeks to promote critical thinking about trade policy formulation by consolidating participants' understanding of the linkages between WTO rules and disciplines and their respective country's interests in the multilateral trading system.

The 2011 programme of training activities carried out by the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation at WTO Headquarters comprises two three-month Advanced Trade Policy Courses, of which the second one will be held in September for Spanish speaking Member countries, several advanced thematic courses covering areas such as intellectual property, TBT, SPS and dispute settlement and one Introductory Courses on the WTO for least-developed countries. Along with these training activities in Geneva, the ITTC also organizes regional and national technical assistance activities in other parts of the world, including regional trade policy courses in cooperation with local and regional partner institutions.
 

  

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