WTO Chairs Programme Annual Conference 2016

The WTO Chairs Annual Conference of 2016 will take stock of the work undertaken by the 19 active WTO Chairs in 2015-16 and identify the main achievements and challenges encountered in the delivery of activities. Thirteen of the active Chairs were selected during the first phase (2010-13) and six during the second phase (2014-17) of the programme.

The Conference will commence with the launching of the WCP book "Trade Costs and inclusive Growth: Case Studies presented by WTO Chair-holders". The publication brings together contributions from ten WTO Chairs.  The book looks into how the Aid for Trade initiative can assist with implementing the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the importance of mainstreaming trade into national development strategies, and the potential impact of the TFA in various regions.

Following the launching event, the first three sessions (Session 1 -3) of the Conference will assess the second year of activities on research, curriculum development and outreach conducted by Phase II Chairs. These reflections will be conducted by WTO Chairs, the Advisory Board Members, and the WCP Team. Session 4 will take stock of the work undertaken by Phase I Chairs in 2015-2016 on the basis of their annual reports and provide an account of the achievements and challenges encountered. Session 5 will discuss the results of the external evaluation of the WTO's Trade-related Technical Assistance (TRTA) activities including the WCP and its implications for evaluating the outputs of the Chairs; the result of the last meeting of the Advisory Board; and future research directions or priorities of the Chairs.

 

Programme

Day 1 | WCP Conference | 14 November 2016

 

 

The following three sessions will take stock of the work undertaken by Phase II Chairs in 2015-2016 and provide an overview of achievements by the Chairs. This will conducted on the basis of the annual reports submitted by the Chairs on the implementation of their respective 2015-2016 work programs which identify the main achievements and challenges encountered in the delivery of the activities.

 

Day 2 | WCP Conference | 15 November 2016

 

 

Following the Implementation Agreement between Phase I Chairs and the WTO Secretariat, this session focuses on activities and outputs generated by Phase I under the WCP logo and the work ahead.

Session 4 will take stock of the work undertaken by Phase I Chairs in 2015-2016 on the basis of their annual reports and provide an account of the achievements and challenges encountered.

 

Day 3 | WCP Conference | 16 November 2016

Session 5 will discuss the results of the external evaluation of the WTO's Trade-related Technical Assistance (TRTA) activities including the WCP and its implications for evaluating the outputs of the Chairs; the result of the last meeting of the Advisory Board; and future research directions or priorities of the Chairs.