2022 part2

27/ WTO introductory course for government officials from poorest countries underway

25 APRIL 2022

A total of 40 participants from 17 least-developed countries (LDCs) are familiarizing themselves with WTO issues via a five week introductory course, which began on 25 April.

This virtual course is part of the WTO’s capacity-building activities aimed at increasing the trade opportunities of developing countries, and more specifically LDCs. While trade policy courses are normally delivered face-to-face in Geneva, this training course was organized virtually for the first time in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s edition ends on 25 May.

Most of the components offered by face-to-face training will feature in the course, including ‘live’’ presentations, discussions and exercises. The objective is to maximize interaction among participants to help them establish a network of trade professionals.

“Take advantage of this opportunity to learn, not only from the experience of the WTO experts, but also from your peers,” Jorge Castro, Training Section Head of the WTO’s Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation, told participants during the opening ceremony on  25 April. “We hope that through this training, you will be better placed to assist your governments in taking advantage of the opportunities that trade offers,” he added. Placing special emphasis on development issues, the programme delves into the link between WTO activities and trade policy issues specific to LDCs.

The list of the WTO’s 35 LDCs is available here.

All WTO training is structured around three progressive levels.  This course is a “level 1” or introductory activity. This means that participants who successfully complete this course can access “level 2” or intermediate courses before reaching the advanced level (“level 3”).

List of participants

Source: wto.org