The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in cooperation with the Beirut-based United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) are organizing a training course on ‘Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda’, June 16-27, 2003, at the United Nations House, Riad Solh Square, Beirut.
The course will focus on the links between trade, investment, and development, especially in the context of multilateral world trade negotiations. It aims to enhance the capacity of officials and other individuals from the Western Asian countries to identify issues, and the approaches adopted in their treatment, in the current trade negotiations, in particular those with development dimensions in UNCTAD ’s field of competence.
It also aims to increase awareness of the diverse policy and other conditions necessary for attaining competitiveness and effective participation in the current global economic environment.
The expected outcome of the course will be for the trainees to have gained a better understanding of the main features and trends that determine the international economic agenda from the point of view of development; the interference between trade, investment, and development issues and their implications for the formulation and implementation of integrated development strategies with respect to the globalization of the trading system; the use of multidisciplinary approaches in tackling the various aspects of trade and development issues, including monetary and exchange rate policies, trade in agriculture and commodities, manufactures, services, environment and the development of infrastructure; and best practices in designing and implementing national, regional, and international policies on trade and sustainable development.
The course is targeted for government officers, at the level of directors or deputy-directors level, ideally from the ministries of trade, industry or commerce, involved in the formulation and implementation of national trade and development policies.
It is worth noting that in response to the UNCTAD tenth session held in Bangkok (February 2003), the third Regional Training Course on Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda is organized in cooperation with ESCWA.
At its tenth session, the Conference adopted a plan of action, which enables officials and other individuals from developing countries and some interested countries with economies in transition to become better informed, through regular training courses in cooperation with the United Nations Staff College, of key issues on the international economic agenda.
These courses would draw on the expertise and policy analysis work of the UNCTAD secretariat, with the support of an advisory body to be established by the Trade and Development Board. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
