The RTPC included an address to the participants by Deputy Director-General Frederick Yonov Agah on the importance of mainstreaming trade in national development plans and on the role of trade in fulfilling the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. A question and answer session following the address covered topics ranging from the challenges faced by developing and developed countries in adapting to the changing global trading landscape to recent and future trends in the multilateral trading system.

The RTPC was closed by Professor Pomthong Malakul Na Ayudhaya, Vice President of Chulalongkorn University, Dr Kamalinne Pinutpivadol, Executive Director of ITD, Associate Professor Taweewong Sriburi, Managing Director of Chula Unisearch, and DDG Agah. Professor Pomthong Malakul and Dr Pinutpivadol thanked the WTO for its partnership with their respective institutions and for the contribution it had made over the past three years towards strengthening their capacity to engage in WTO-related issues.

The participants said that the course had provided them with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of trade policy, both at the regional and multilateral level, and to enhance their capacity to implement WTO agreements. The participants also expressed their gratitude to the Chulalongkorn University, the ITD and the Government of Thailand for the warm hospitality provided.

Regional Trade Policy Courses (RTPCs) are “generalist” Level 2 training activities in the WTO’s Progressive Learning Strategy (PLS). These two-month training events are aimed at government officials working on trade-related issues who have successfully completed a PLS-Level 1 course.

The training curriculum covers the multilateral trade agreements and includes a trade negotiations workshop and a final exam. A distinctive feature of RTPCs is their focus on regional trade policy issues and capacity building; to this end, RTPCs are organised and implemented in partnership with regional academic institutions and they include regional academics and trade practitioners who co-lecture with WTO officials.  A related objective of the co-lecturing approach is to foster networks among government officials, regional trade experts and regional trade-related institutions, with a view to enhancing dialogue on national and regional trade policy issues.