2010 ACTIVITIES

CDC-ACP-AITIC High level Workshop on Anti-dumping Practicies 28 April 2010, WTO -Centre William Rappard

The Geneva Group of Commonwealth Developing Countries (CDC), the ACP Geneva Office and AITIC jointly organized a High Level Workshop on Anti-dumping Practices. The Workshop provided an opportunity for discussions and exchange of views on the difficulties which the developing countries may be facing in applying anti-dumping measures at national level that fully conforms to the rules of the Agreement and on the technical assistance that may have to be provided to them to overcome such difficulties.

AITIC Regional Workshop, WTO Trade Facilitation Negotiations for African Members and Observers 27 - 29 April 2010 Kampala

AITIC, in collaboration with the Ugandan Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry and UNCTAD organized a Regional Workshop on the WTO Trade Facilitation Negotiations. Representatives from Ethiopia, Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Kenya and Djibouti, as well as experts and resource persons from international organisations participated. The workshop assisted developing and least-developed countries in understanding and participating more actively in the negotiations by building capacity and knowledge of key trade officials from capital. The WTO Members and Observers present also examined the responsibilities that would follow an eventual Trade Facilitation Agreement.

Joint AITIC - ILI Briefing Session, at the 20th Geneva Week for Non-Residents Members and Observers of the WTO

5 May 2010, from 16.30 to 18.00, Room D, WTO

In this joint AITIC – ILI Briefing Session, the Agreement on Safeguards and the idea of a Regional Investigating Authority was more closely examined. As the need increases to establish a mechanism for investigating authorities in developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs), so does the difficulty to find a practical and effective solution. The AITIC briefing session considered whether a regional approach to this issue makes sense.

Joint AITIC – CUTS Seminar on Preparing for UN-LDC IV: Trade and Development Challenges

Tuesday, 18 May 2010, from 15.00 to 18.00, Salle 4 Centre International de Conferences Varembé (CICG)

To facilitate and prepare the ground for a concrete and implementable outcome from UN-LDC IV in 2011, the Geneva trade and development community was invited to a dialogue on the key trade and development challenges facing LDCs and responses required to meet them.  The discussion sought to provide a realistic assessment of these challenges specific to LDCs which were aggravated by the recent fuel, food and financial crises. The two organizations jointly convened this dialogue, in order to provide inputs into their plans to develop well researched proposals, which would eventually contribute in the formal processes for the UNLDC IV.

AITIC National Workshop, WTO Agreements on SPS and TBT with Notification Training 2 - 4 June, Kigali, Rwanda

AITIC, in collaboration with the Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) organized a National Workshop on the WTO Agreement on SPS measures as well as the Agreement on TBT. Representatives from government ministries, agencies and the private sector participated. The workshop assisted Rwandan authorities and businesses in understanding the key aspects of the WTO agreements, including transparency obligations and other commitments. Participants were taken through several examples of how the notification process works as well as practice exercises to demonstrate how to take offensive and defensive positions on important national trade concerns.