Capacity Building for Developing Member Countries on the WTO Trading System

Summary

The main objective of the technical assistance (TA) is to support developing member countries (DMCs) to fully integrate into the World trade Organization (WTO) multilateral trading system through (i) increasing their awareness of WTO agreements so that they can be fully implemented; (ii) assisting them to participate fully in the new WTO round; and (iii) assisting DMCs, including Pacific DMCs, to accede to WTO.

Expected Outcome

Expected Outputs

The capacity building program has two components: trade and customs. The trade component has two activities: (i) a high-level meeting to discuss the WTO trading system, key policy issues, implications for participants’ economies, and negotiation techniques for the new WTO round of negotiations; and (ii) intensive course on the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement), including border enforcement. The customs component has two activities: (i) a course on trade facilitation, with emphasis on the World Customs Organization Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (“Revised Kyoto Convention”), and (ii) an intensive course on the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement, including a post-entry audit system.