Twelfth WTO trade policy course opens in Geneva

The WTO's twelfth Trade Policy Course for twenty-six officials from developing countries started on 20 September last. The list of participants is attached. The course, being held in English, began on Monday, 20 September and will end 10 December 1999.

The aim of the training courses is to provide the participants with greater understanding of trade policy matters, the functioning of the multilateral trading system and the work of the WTO.

The courses will also address the provisions of the agreements resulting from the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations and the rights and obligations of WTO Members. Offered in English twice every year and French and Spanish every second year, the courses are open to officials from developing, least-developed and transition countries, including countries which are not WTO Members.

The courses have a practical orientation and are designed to help participating officials, who already have responsibilities for the formulation and conduct of foreign trade policy in their respective governments, to perform their functions more effectively, and to promote a more active and effective participation of their respective countries in the multilateral trading system. Apart from a series of lectures on WTO law, the programme includes participation in seminars and group discussions, a workshop on negotiating techniques and simulation exercises for conducting trade negotiations and for settling disputes. The participants also attend official meetings.

During the course, the participants undertake a one-week study tour abroad as well as a shorter study tour in Switzerland, which include visits to institutions and enterprises connected with foreign trade. Norway will host the study tour abroad for the participants of the twelfth Course. In addition to WTO Secretariat officials, many guest lecturers, including senior officials of government delegations and international organizations, as well as academics, are invited to address the participants.

The year 2000 will mark the 45^th anniversary of the GATT/WTO training courses. Since 1955, the GATT/WTO will have organized 94 regular courses for more than 1,800 officials from over 160 countries and more than ten regional organizations. These figures do not include the 212 senior trade officials from Eastern and Central European and Central Asian countries who participated in the nine special courses organized by GATT since 1991, with the financial support of the Swiss Government, nor the 100 senior officials from Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation and Ukraine who attended the four special GATT/WTO courses funded by the United States in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997.

List of participants

Bangladesh	Mr. Md. Abu YOUSUF MIAH, Assistant Economic Adviser, International Trade Organization Wing (ITO-Wing), Ministry of Commerce, Dhaka.
Botswana	Mrs. Mmakome Felicia MASENDU, Foreign Trade Unit, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Gaborone.
Chile	Mr. Juan A. SOMAVIA, Economic Advisor, Directorate for European Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Santiago.
Cambodia	Mr. Rithipol TITH, Official of WTO Office, ASEAN and International Organizations Department, Ministry of Commerce, Phnom Penh.
Cuba	Miss Liudmila ORIZ VERJOTUROVA, Specialist on Trade Policy, International Organization Division, Ministry of Foreign Trade, Havana.
Ethiopia	Mr. Mesfin ALEBACHEW, Third Secretary, International Organizations and Economic Cooperation General Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Addis Ababa
Gambia	Mrs. Marie Nguda COLY, Trade Economist, Trade Division, Department of State for Trade, Industry and Employment, Banjul.
Ghana	Mr. Charles Amenyo FOLIKUMAH, Senior Commercial Officer/Unit Head, External/Internal Divisions, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Accra.
Guyana	Mr. Lancelot Garfield WILLS, Senior Foreign Trade Officer, Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Industry, Georgetown.
Hong Kong, China	Mr. Jackson Ping Wai WONG, Trade Officer, Computerized Systems Branch, Trade Department, Trade and Industry Bureau, Kowloon.
India	Mr. Suneel Kumar ARORA, Section Officer, Export Division, Ministry of Textiles, New Delhi.
Jordan	Mr. Tariq AL ZUHD, Researcher, WTO Unit, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Amman.
Kenya	Mr. Rabson Kisuya WANJALA, Trade Development Officer I, WTO Division, Department of External Trade, Ministry of Trade, Nairobi.
Kyrgyz Republic	Mrs. Elmira ORMONOVA, Chief Specialist, Department of External Relations, Ministry of Agriculture, Bishkek.
Lesotho	Mrs. Lucy Ntsebo SEKOBOTO, Legal Officer, Legal Division, Department of Customs and Excise, Maseru.
Malawi	Mr. Richard Samuel CHIPUTULA, Trade Officer, Trade Department, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Lilongwe.

Paraguay	Miss Margarita B. BAEZ, Legal Consultant, International Economic Negotiations Division, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Asuncion.
Rwanda	Mr. Geoffrey NDARUHUTSE, Acting Director, Department of External Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Kigali.
St. Lucia	Miss Lucilla RECAI, Foreign Service Officer, Trade and Economic Policy Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Castries.
Suriname	Miss Lorette Theresia FORD, Economic Officer, International Economic Affairs (WTO, FTAA Desk), Ministry of Trade and Industry, Paramaribo.
Swaziland	Mrs. Ndinini Busi MASHWAMA, Export Development Officer, Trade Promotion Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mbabane.
Uganda	Mr. Joseph William KITANDWE, Projects Coordinator, Directorate of Cooperatives and Marketing, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Kampala.
Venezuela	Mr. Roberto Carlos ARIAS, Specialist II, General Direction of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Caracas.
World Bank	Mr. Renganaden Raj SOOPRAMANIEN, Senior Counsel, Legal Department, Washington D.C. 20433, USA.
Zambia	Mrs. Irene Bwalya TEMBO MULOSHI, Chief Economist, Commerce and Trade Department, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Lusaka.
Zimbabwe	Mr. Edwin MEDA, Senior Agricultural Economist, Marketing and Trade Policy Section, Policy and Planning Division, Ministry of Lands and Agriculture, Harare.