WTO: 2005 NEWS ITEMS

21 October 2005
WTO TRAINING COURSES

Eighth Introduction Course on WTO for LDCs concludes in Geneva

The eighth Introduction Course on the WTO for the least-developed countries (LDCs), organized by the Institute for Training and Technical Co-operation of the WTO, concluded on 21 October in Geneva.

Twenty one representatives of least-developed African, Asian, and Pacific countries attended the course, which was conducted in English at WTO headquarters as part of the training programme of the WTO Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC).

During the three-week course, participants were given an overview of the structure, rules and functioning of the organization in a series of sessions with ITTC trainers and experts from other divisions of the WTO Secretariat. They also had the opportunity to develop a network of contacts and reference points both amongst themselves and with WTO staff.

The programme of the course had a special focus on the development dimension. A forum on technical co-operation was held with experts from AITIC, ITC, UNCTAD, and WIPO, to present their activities in their domain, with particular emphasis on the specific needs of the participants' countries. Participants were also able to meet bilaterally with these organizations. In addition, towards the end of the course, the Advisory Centre on WTO Law presented its activities in favour of LDCs. These various contacts served to strengthen participants' contacts with these organizations.

Over the three weeks, participants were briefed on the various components of the negotiations launched within the framework of the "Doha Development Agenda" (DDA) and on the progress made in the preparation of the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference to be held in December.

This course was funded from the WTO regular budget as part of the its commitment to provide capacity-building in the context of the DDA.
  

List of the participants  back to top

Afghanistan

Dr. Sultana PARVANTA, Senior Adviser to the Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Kabul

Bangladesh

Mrs. Azizun NAHAR, Deputy Director, WTO Cell, Ministry of Commerce, Dhaka

Bhutan

Miss Lily WANGCHUK, Assistant Director, Bilateral Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thimphu

Cambodia

Mr. Thay BUNTHON, Deputy Chief of Trade in services, Office of ASEAN and International Organization Department, Ministry of Commerce, Phnom Penh

Eritrea

Mrs Almaz ALEMU TEFFERI, Desk Head of Trade and Trade-related issues, Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Asmara

Ethiopia

Mr. Tamrat BEKELE DEGEFU, Senior Expert, WTO Affairs Department, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Addis-Ababa

Guinea

Mr. Abdoulaye DIALLO, Trainee delegate, Permanent Mission of Guinea to the WTO, Geneva

Guinea-Bissau

Mr. Samora Antonio VIEIRA DA SILVA, Trade Officer, Multilateral Trade Agreement Division, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Handicraft, Bissau

Kiribati

Mr. Eni TEKANENE, Officer, Foreign Investment Promotion Division, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Betio, Tarawa

Lao PDR

Mrs. Phouangphaka OUDOM, Acting Director, Bilateral Trade Division, Foreign Trade Department, Ministry of Commerce, Vientiane

Malawi

Miss Gladys Tamandani CHIMPOKOSERA, Principal Industrial Development Officer, Trade and Investment Division, Ministry of Trade and Private Sector Development, Lilongwe

Myanmar

Mr. Aung MIN THYKE, Staff Officer, Department of Border Trade, International Relation Section, Ministry of Commerce, Yangon

Nepal

Mr. Binod Prasad PAUDEL, Under Secretary, WTO Division, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Kathmandu

Samoa

Mr. Fa'afetai Karanita AH KUOI, Principal Inspector, Monitoring and Spectrum Management, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Apia

Solomon Islands

Mr. Simon FUO'O, Desk Officer, International Economic Cooperation and Trainings Branch (IECT), Department of Foreign Affairs, Guadalcanal

Somalia

Mr. Sharif MOHAMED ARRALE, Director General, Ministry of Commerce, Middle Shabelle Region, Jowhar

Sudan

Mrs Hiba ELFADIL MOHAMED, Executive Secretary, Office of the Chief National Negotiator of SudanAccession, Commission for WTO, Khartoum

Tanzania

Mrs. Aneth ELI SIMWELA, Trade Officer, Multilateral Section, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Dar Es Salaam

Tuvalu

Mrs. Taase FUIA, Customs Officer, Warehouse Department, Tuvalu Customs Services, Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Industries, Funafuti

Uganda

Miss Julian KABAJULIZI, Commercial Officer, Department of Trade, WTO Division, Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry, Kampala

Yemen

Mr. Adel ALGHABERI, Specialist, Trade in Services Division, Office of Communication and Coordination with WTO, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Sana'a