Mrs Syiadat Ormonova, a former participant in the WTO Mission Internship Programme (MIP) who worked at the Mission of the Kyrgyz Republic in Geneva, was selected as the Manager of the Reference Centre.

WTO staff provided training to the Reference Centre Manager and officials from various ministries on how to access WTO information. The training sessions were complemented by presentations on WTO activities, including the Doha Round negotiations, WTO accessions, and trade in services.  Some presentations were delivered in Russian to facilitate the participants’ understanding of the information provided.

After the activity, 77 per cent of the participants stated that their knowledge had improved on the subjects addressed. A total of 96 per cent of the participants found the activity “useful and relevant”.

 

New Reference Centre in Chad

Earlier in the year, on 16 February, the WTO established a Reference Centre at the Ministry of the Economy, Trade and Tourism in Chad. WTO officials also met with the Minister of the Economy, Trade and Tourism and held working sessions with the National Coordinator of the Enhanced Integrated Framework and the National Advisor on Trade Policy (from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie), exchanging views on the way to enhance cooperation and support the Reference Centre in Chad.

 

Upgraded Reference Centre in Lesotho

On 18 February, the WTO upgraded the Reference Centre at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Lesotho. WTO staff provided training to the participants on how to access resources online and provided a set of WTO publications in hard copy. It was noted that insufficient internet bandwidth presents difficulties in downloading large volumes of material. A CD containing WTO training material available was also provided.