In welcoming the students, the Director-General said the Joint University Study Tour presents an excellent opportunity to learn more about the WTO and other international organizations, provide practical exposure, and help bridge the gap between theory and practice.

The Director-General underlined to the students that, as set out in the preamble of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO, the WTO exists to serve people: to improve standards of living, ensure full employment, and support sustainable development. There is nothing more compelling than working on these critical issues, she added.

The JUST is composed of students from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Dominica, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Switzerland, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe.

The aim of the programme is to provide insights into the operations and functioning of the WTO and, by extension, the multilateral trading system.