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03/25/2004

Press Release

Thirty-four Graduate From UWI Trade Policy Course

SEVERAL government and private sector officials from the Caribbean are now in a better position to understand the complexities of international trade issues.

This follows the successful completion of a six-week post graduate Certificate Program in International Trade Policy which was developed by the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus; the Organization of American States and the Centre for Trade Policy and Law in Ottawa, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Caribbean Trade and Competitiveness Development Program (C-TRADECOM).

Thirty-four persons from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, Belize, and Suriname, took the course which gave them a solid background in international trade law and economics, together with the negotiation and implementation of trade agreements.

As the participants proudly collected their certificates at a recent graduation ceremony at Accra Beach Hotel in Barbados, course participant Omar Ortiz described the hectic training course as a very important exercise and said not only should participants be in a position to better understand the issues at hand, but they should also be able to act as satellites at their respective work places.

Delivering the feature address, St. Kitts/Nevis Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor urged the participants to utilize the knowledge, expertise and techniques gained through the program for the betterment of their societies.

Condor noted that the region is in the confluence of trade negotiations in the World Trade Organization, the Free Trade Area of the Americas and the European Union/African Caribbean and Pacific negotiations. He commended the initiative for addressing the “capacity gaps that exists in our countries which are not just trade policy challenges but are development challenges as well.

“I am certain that this program has been successful to the extent that it has created awareness and understanding among participants of trade issues facing Caribbean economies. It has provided you with a guide to the regional, hemispheric and international trading system that is comprehensive and up-to-date.”

In addition to studying international trade policy issues, during the program participants engaged in scenarios taken directly from real life. Classroom time was divided between lectures by trade policy academics and practitioners, case study simulations, role-playing negotiations and hands-on application exercises.

Specific topics included the WTO and its agreements, the economic and legal foundations of international trade agreements, trade policy development and public consultation, trade negotiation strategies and techniques along with “new” trade issues such as trade and the environment, genetically modified organisms, core labor standards, electronic commerce and the Doha Development Agenda.

For further information contact:

C'TRADECOM's Trade Director Linda Schmid at lschmid@carana.com or (246) 228-8893 .