The plurilateral WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) is celebrating a dual anniversary this year: 40 years since the first-ever GPA entered into force in 1981 during the GATT days, and 25 years since the first WTO GPA entered into force in 1996.
Against this background, in this panel discussion government experts from New Zealand, Chinese Taipei and Ukraine discuss their experiences since their governments joined the GPA not long ago. What is their assessment of the benefits and impact of GPA accession? Have things turned out as expected or did reality surpass or fall short of expectations? What can WTO members considering GPA accession learn from their experience?
Programme
Moderator:
- Astghik Solomonyan, Technical Assistance Officer, Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition Division (IPD), World Trade Organization (WTO)
Speakers:
- Karen English, Director, International Procurement and Trade, New Zealand Government Procurement, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- Oksana Kamianetska, Head of International Activities at the Public Procurement Department of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine
- Hsiang-Yu Chen, Section Chief, Public Construction Commission, Chinese Taipei
The event will not be live streamed but will be made available on the WTO's YouTube channel (World Trade Organization — YouTube). It is expected to be made available on the WTO's YouTube channel on Friday, 30 July 2021.
Suggested questions to the panel may be submitted in advance, by email to [email protected] (using the subject line: July public event). Any questions would need to be submitted by no later than Wednesday, 28 July 2021, at 3 p.m. CEST.
Ms Astghik Solomonyan is a Technical Assistance Officer for Government Procurement and Competition Policy team of the IPD. She has graduated with Honor Diploma from Yerevan State University and obtained her LLM degree with Cum Laude Diploma from the University of Groningen. She has an International Masters Diploma from University of Rome Tor Vergata specialising in public procurement. Ms Solomonyan has been awarded a PhD from the University of Nottingham in UK after the completion of a thesis related to public procurement. Before joining the WTO Secretariat, Ms Solomonyan worked for the EU Commission and provided consultancy services to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Sigma/OECD. She has also worked in public and private sectors in Armenia.
Karen is responsible for New Zealand's international commitments and engagements relating to government procurement. This includes leading on New Zealand's participation in the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), supporting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with the negotiation of government procurement commitments in free trade agreements and cooperation activities, and ensuring that New Zealand's government procurement and practice continues to be strongly aligned with internationally recognised best practice.
Dr. Oksana Kamianetska is currently occupying a position of Head of International Activities at the Public Procurement Department of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.
Ms. Kamianetska is responsible for advancing, approximating and promoting the Ukrainian Government procurement policy globally, including at the WTO GPA. Her duties also include monitoring and supporting the implementation of Ukraine`s obligations under the Association Agreement with the European Union and facilitating cooperation with international stakeholders, such as the European Commission, OECD, EBRD, SIGMA, World Bank, etc.
Mr. Hsiang-Yu Chen, Section Chief of the Department of Planning, the Public Construction Commission of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei), is a senior expert in government procurement policies and the implementation of the GPA in Chinese Taipei. He was a member of the delegation of Chinese Taipei in the GPA renegotiations and often leads his delegation in participating in activities of the WTO Committee on Government Procurement. He holds master's degrees in civil engineering and in laws program for executives.