The objective of the course is to deepen the participants’ understanding of issues of interest to LDCs in the multilateral trading system, including in the context of the Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11) to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December this year.

The participants will be briefed about special and differential treatment for LDCs, duty-free and quota-free market access, preferential rules of origin and the LDC services waiver, and about various technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives available to LDCs. They will also be updated on a range of issues currently being discussed by members in the WTO, with an emphasis on their importance and implications for LDCs. The participants will also have an opportunity to interact with Geneva-based LDC delegates on their priorities for MC11.

Ruth Nandazi, Economist at Zambia’s Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, who is attending the course, said: “This course will be important to help me deepen my understanding of priority issues for LDCs and gain more confidence in my daily work. In particular, I hope to get a clearer view of how LDCs can contribute to the multilateral trading system effectively and how my government can best implement WTO agreements.”

Another course participant, Ramkrishna Adhikari, Under Secretary at Nepal’s Ministry of Commerce, said: “I am here to learn about how the WTO can help LDCs overcome the challenges they face when it comes to trade and how the multilateral trading system can contribute to levelling the playing field between developing and developed countries. The course will also be a valuable source of professional networking.”

In opening the course, the Director of the WTO’s Development Division, Mr Shishir Priyadarshi, said that LDCs have always received particular attention in the WTO as a means of helping them participate more effectively in the multilateral trading system.

The course — jointly organised by the Development Division and the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) — represents a “level 2” (intermediate) training activity within the WTO’s progressive learning strategy. Several agencies, including the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), will also make presentations on the areas of their work relevant to LDCs.