Completed Projects

Project:

Assistance to the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, the Organization of American States, and the Centre for Trade Policy and Law to conduct a Certificate Program in International Trade Policy in the Eastern Caribbean

Agency:

University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, the Organization of American States, and the Centre for Trade Policy and Law

Overview

The Organization of American States Trade Unit (OASTU), the Centre for International Services (CIS), at the University of the West Indies in Bridgetown, Barbados and the Centre for Trade Policy and Law (CTPL), in Ottawa, Canada worked together to create a six-week post-graduate Certificate Program in International Trade Policy which was delivered at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus from February 9 – March 19, 2004.

The program, which was targeted at both government officials and executives from the private sector, provided comprehensive training in international trade fundamentals. It attempted to give participants a solid background in trade law and economics, together with the negotiation and implementation of trade agreements.

Objectives of the Course  

•  Build the capacity of attendees to more effectively manage the process of trade policy development and;

•  To strengthen the ability of participants to contribute to trade policy formulation.

Expanded capacity in these two areas enhances the ability of stakeholders in the Eastern Caribbean to more effectively participate in the international trading system.

The capacity-building objectives of the program may be summarized as follows:

Strengthening Stakeholder Capacity in Trade Policy Formulation and Implementation to provide individuals with solid trade policy fundamentals and to deepen their knowledge of multilateral and regional agreements.

Train the Trainers to build on the core trade policy expertise already existent in the Caribbean region among academics, officials and practitioners. The long-term results of this activity will be to strengthen the regional trade policy community while reducing dependence on foreign consultants for short-term training.

Recognizing that people learn best by putting concepts into action, the Certificate Program not only studied international trade policy issues and WTO structures, but also engaged participants 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.

The six-week program gave trade professionals the knowledge and skills they need to increase their effectiveness at work, to access new career opportunities, and to accomplish more on behalf of their countries.

The curriculum was oriented toward executive-level training at the post-graduate level. During their course of studies, participants learnt about:

•  The WTO and its agreements

•  Relevant regional trade agreements

•  The economic foundations of international trade agreements

•  The legal foundations of international trade agreements

•  Trade policy development and public consultation

•  Trade negotiation strategies and techniques

•  The “new” trade issues such as trade and the environment, genetically modified organisms and the precautionary principle, core labor standards, electronic commerce, and the Doha Development Agenda