The participants said that the RTPC deepened their understanding of trade policy, both at the regional and multilateral level. It also enhanced their capacity to make use of the rights deriving from the WTO agreements and to comply with WTO obligations, such as notifications requirements. The participants expressed their gratitude to Chulalongkorn University, the ITD and the government of Thailand for the support and hospitality provided.

The RTPC included an address by Deputy Director-General Frederick Yonov Agah on the importance of mainstreaming trade in national development plans and the role of trade in supporting the 2030 Agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. His address was followed by a question and answer session which addressed themes ranging from the challenges faced by developing and developed economies in adapting to the changing global trade landscape to recent 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, and DDG Agah. Professor Pomthong Malakul and Dr Pinutpivadol thanked the WTO for its partnership with their respective institutions and the contribution it has made over the past four years towards improving Thailand's capacity to engage in WTO-related issues. They reaffirmed their strong support for the WTO and its training and technical assistance programmes.

Regional Trade Policy Courses (RTPCs) are “generalist” Level 2 training activities on the WTO’s Progressive Learning Strategy (PLS). These two month-long training events are directed 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. RTPCs are organised and implemented in partnership with regional academic institutions and 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.