WTO Regional Trade Policy Course : enhancing the Human and Institutional Capacity

The World Trade Organisation’s Regional Trade Policy Course (WTO-RTPC), aimed at enhancing the human and institutional capacity of its members so that they can take full advantage of their participation in the rules-based multilateral system and enforcing their rights and obligations, was launched earlier this week at the Burrenchobay Lecture Theatre, University of Mauritius (UoM), in Réduit.

In his address, the Director, International Trade Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Dr Sunil Boodhoo, emphasised the importance of trade and also the necessity to understand the role with regards to the contribution of the WTO in ensuring the creation of favourable conditions at the international level for trade to evolve.

According to Dr Boodhoo, the world as well as the WTO is facing numerous challenges, more specifically in the trade arena and one such challenge pertains to the process of disintegration.  International trade will thrive when we move away from disintegration towards that of integration, as only then will the best conditions be created and it is crucial to work collaboratively to achieve this objective, he pointed out.

Moreover, the Director observed that while there is the challenge pertaining to the disintegration process at international level, the African continent is giving a lesson to the world when it comes to integration and the development of trade.  Never before, he said, has a whole continent set as an objective to create a single market.  This, he emphasised, is currently happening through the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area, which is a very ambitious agreement signed on the 21st March 2018 by the whole continent.

Africa, indicated Dr Boodhoo, is moving the integration process forward through that single market and the framework agreement has been signed and what is left now is to negotiate some of the specifics such as rules of origin, market access and we are moving very positively in the right direction.

Mr Mustapha Sekate, Economics Affairs Officer, WTO, for his part, said that the WTO places great importance on training and technical assistance activities.  Members of the organisation and in particular developing and least developing economies place great value and emphasis on the development and reinforcement of their human resources’ capacities, he stated.

The WTO, highlighted Mr Sekate, is a member-driven organisation and Governments have to be prepared to articulate and defend their interests and legitimate expectations and can do so only when their Trade Policy Officials are knowledgeable about the multilateral trading system and well-versed in trade policy matters.  It is in this context that the RTPC plays a significant role in building the capacity of Trade Policy Officials of the African-English speaking region to enable them to adequately promote and defend the interests of this region, he added.

In his speech, the Vice-Chancellor, UoM, Professor Dhanjay Jhurry, stated that interactions between academia, the public and international organisations are required, as the problems we are confronted with are complex in nature.  In fact, these problems are connected to a multiplicity of rules and procedures, economic perspectives and legal issues, he said.  However, what is more important, in addition to knowledge, is the need for competencies and practical skills, he emphasised.

RTPC Mauritius 2018

It is organised by the WTO in collaboration with the UoM’s Faculty of Law and Management following a selection process to identify a partner institution for the course.
Thirty-one delegates of English-speaking African members and observers of the WTO are participating, from 14th May to 6th July 2018, in the first ever RTPC organised in Mauritius.  Participating countries are: Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The objectives are: To deepen participants’ understanding of the functioning of the WTO and its rules and procedures; to develop capacity to find relevant information and documents on WTO-related issues including the use of the WTO legal texts; and to enhance understanding of regional perspectives on trade policy and development.

WTO-RTPC

The course has been recently run in several countries around the world including Thailand, Ecuador, Kazakhstan and the last editions for the African-English speaking members were held in Botswana.

The WTO-RTPC fits within the WTO’s Trade Related Technical Assistance activities, and is an eight-week course organised by the WTO in partnership with regional institutions.  The course is co-delivered by Officials from the WTO Secretariat, trade policy specialists and academic experts from the region.