WTO Young Professionals Programme 2022 – APPLICATIONS OPEN!
The Secretariat of the WTO is seeking candidates for THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAMME for 2022. The WTO Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is a unique opportunity for qualified young professionals up to the age of 32 years, as at 1 January 2022, from eligible developing and least-developed country (LDC) WTO Members, to enhance their knowledge and skills on WTO and international trade issues. The Programme aims to widen the pool of professionals from these countries who can later be more competitive with respect to recruitment in the WTO and/or other regional and international organizations. This is a limited programme that offers selected young professionals with the opportunity to gain work experience in the WTO. There is no guarantee of an extension of the programme or of a job offer after the one-year programme. Learn more about the programme and apply on the WTO’s website here.
ITC/SRC/CEDA Webinar Series – Video Recordings
Get the chance to watch Sessions 1 and 2 of the SRC in collaboration with the International Trade Centre and the Caribbean Export Development Agency training series.
COVID-19 and challenges for financing for development: UNCTAD15 civil society discussion series
On April 7, UNCTAD will be hosting the first in its online discussions with civil society to be held in preparation for the UNCTAD15 ministerial conference that will take place in the week of 3 October 2021. For further information and to register, please visit UNCTAD’s website here.
The State of the Union Fringe Event
The State of the Union will celebrate this historic occasion, to debate and reflect on the theme ‘Europe in a Changing World’. The conference will address the challenges and opportunities for Europe amidst rising concerns over global commons and the climate emergency, a shifting economic and geopolitical power balance, major challenges to multilateralism, and the ongoing global battle against COVID-19. The sessions are intellectually independent of the main programme of #SOU2021 and will take place online on Thursday 6 May. #SOU2021 Fringe Events
Towards a Post-Brexit UK-Caribbean Relationship
Nand C. Bardouille, Ph.D.$*Having not met in five years, the United Kingdom-Caribbean Ministerial Forum (hereafter Ministerial Forum) that met on 18 March 2021 for the tenth time was a meeting of many firsts. It was the first such meeting to take place in the post-Brexit era. And it assumed perhaps its highest profile yet, coming as it did on the heels of the March 16th release of the UK’s much anticipated integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy. Speaking of ‘eras’…
SRC Quick Guide on Investment Facilitation
Our newest SRC Quick Guide looks at the topic of Investment Facilitation. Investment Facilitation has become a buzz term in international policy circles in recent years. In this latest SRC Quick Guide, we break down the topic of investment facilitation. We define what it is in contrast to the related topic of investment promotion. We also list some of the investment facilitation initiatives undertaken by Caribbean countries nationally and regionally and the current WTO investment facilitation for development negotiations. Access the Quick Guide here.
A Brief Reflection on Lamy’s Henry Gill Memorial Lecture: New Global Trade Currents, New Caribbean Responses?
Junior Lodge$*On March 17, inst. Pascal Lamy, the former EU Trade Commissioner and WTO Director-General delivered the inaugural Henry Gill memorial lecture. The event was aimed at memorialising the professional life of the former Caribbean trade negotiator and academic. Mr.’s Lamy’s intervention offered a reflection on key lessons on trade and development since…
Services Zones for Post-COVID-19 Recovery and Development
Dr. Ronnie Yearwood & Alicia Nicholls$*At a Covid-19 press conference held on February 15, 2020, it was mentioned in passing that the Government of Barbados (GOB) was exploring the creation of a free trade zone. We applaud the fact that this idea has finally taken root. Some years ago, in his regular newspaper column, Dr. Yearwood proposed the establishment of a free service or trade zone as a new element for Barbados’ economic development. He returned to the idea on several occasions, more recently…
15th UNCTAD Session To Be Virtual Event
From the Barbados Government Information Service (GIS): The 15th Session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 15), to be hosted by Barbados from October 3 to 8, will now be a virtual event. Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and acting UNCTAD Secretary-General, Isabelle Durant, made the announcement today. She said they had recent discussions and the decision was taken. “The intensifying global spread of COVID-19; the appallingly inequitable distribution of vaccines globally; the uncertainties of international travel and likely participation numbers and the reality of protecting our own population here, all make it impractical for us…. “The Secretary General and I, therefore, consulted…and we agreed that it can no longer be convened physically. But, like with all things in life, let us see what we can do to break new ground in this virtual staging of the first UNCTAD conference,” she stated. The Prime Minister noted that the virtual space would give unlimited scope to make the October conference an exceptional experience. Read the full release here.
Henry Gill Memorial Lecture: Call for Reaction – Video Recording
The Shridath Ramphal Centre (Cave Hill, UWI) and the Institute of International Relations (St. Augustine, UWI) came together to host the inaugural Henry Gill Memorial Lecture on 17 March 2021 to celebrate the life and work of Henry S. Gill: Caribbean trade and international relations expert who was crucial in the successful negotiation of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA in 2008. Mr Pascal Lamy, Former WTO Director General delivered the inaugural lecture entitled, “Doha Development Agenda Negotiations 20 Years On: Reflections on Trade and Development.” In his remarks, Mr Lamy highlighted that, as compared to the earlier times when the preoccupation of the trade agenda was with issues of trade “protectionism”, today’s main issues centred around “precautionism” and regulatory convergence over standards to protect against risks to their consumers – whether in food safety, the environment, data/privacy etc. He noted that special and differential treatment has limited relevance in such a precautionist agenda and that Caribbean countries must therefore recalibrate their trade policy to be better prepared for these new issues. As a member of the CARICOM Commission on the Economy, he also urged CARICOM Member States to reinvest in regional integration with a focus on free movement of products, people and data. A recording of the full lecture is available here: https://youtu.be/AsjfTJdsy8M At the SRC, we aim to encourage critical thinking on Caribbean economic development and trade. We are therefore calling on academics, students and policy makers interested in Caribbean trade issues to present their thoughts/recommendations/ideas – of 1000-1500 words – on Mr Lamy’s remarks. Successful entries will be published on our website as part of the SRC Trading Thoughts and in our SRC Newsletter publications. Deadline for your entries is 25 March 2021. For more information contact Jan Yves Remy at: janyvesremy@cavehill.uwi.edu