ACCESSIONS

Forum on WTO Accessions: Accession-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building

Geneva, WTO Headquarters, Room E

The Forum on WTO Accessions, moderated by WTO Deputy Director General David Shark, focused on WTO accession-related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building.

Technical assistance and capacity building have always been an essential pillar in the WTO accession process, especially for LDCs. Timely response to the specific needs of acceding governments at each stage of an evolving accession process, as well as the post-accession phase, is critical in determining the benefits which they can derive from WTO membership. In this context, close coordination and effective communication between acceding governments and TA providers have become increasingly important.

During the week of the Aid for Trade Global Review 2017, the Delegation of Sudan, one of the two LDC accessions of this year's strategic focus, was in Geneva to advance its accession negotiations. Taking into account of their presence, as well as the presence of H.E. Mr. Axel Addy, Minister for Trade and Industry and former Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession of Liberia, the Accessions Division organized this Forum, with the participation of a selected group of acceding governments, Members and development partners.

 

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Programme 

Thursday, 13th July 2017

Moderator: David Shark, Deputy Director-General, WTO

09.00-09.10Role of Technical Assistance and Capacity Building in Liberia's accession and post-accession

  • Keynote remarks by H.E. Mr. Axel Addy, Minister of Trade and Industry, Liberia

09.10-09.20State of play in WTO Accessions

  • Ms. Maika Oshikawa, Officer in Charge, Accessions Division
    Presentation

09.20-09.45Technical Assistance and Capacity Building needs

  • H.E. Mr. Hatim Alsir Ali, Minister for Trade, Sudan
    Presentation
  • Mr. Ahmed Mzé, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Union of the Comoros to the UNOG
    Statement
  • H.E. Ms Faduma Abdullahi Mohamud, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Somalia to the UNOG
    Statement
  • H.E. Mr. Marciano Da Silva, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste to the UNOG
    Statement
  • Other acceding governments

09.45-10.30Interventions by development partners

  • Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL)
    Statement
  • Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC)
    Statement
  • United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
    Statement
  • United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA)
    Statement

10.30-11.00Discussion and Way Forward

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