Training Workshop on the WTO Negotiations on NAMA ... - TRTA i

The <strong>Training</strong> <strong>Workshop</strong>
The training workshop on the WTO Negotiations on NAMA for high-level officers from
Pakistan took place on 12-15 December 2006 at the WTO and ITC headquarters in Geneva.
The training offered the opportunity to participants nominated by the Ministry of Commerce
of Pakistan, counterpart to ITC for this project, to have a direct contact with some of the
main negotiators and experts in Geneva, and gain a better understanding of the negotiation
process and the issues under discussion. Also, the intervention aimed at enhancing their
capacity to support the work of the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the WTO in that area,
and to more effectively contribute in defining Pakistan’s interests and negotiating positions
on NAMA topics.
Nine senior Pakistani government officials from the ministries of Commerce and Industries,
Production and Special Initiatives as well as the Central Board of Revenue attended the
programme sessions, with the strong support of the Pakistan Mission to the WTO in Geneva.
All of them were experienced officials, current on the gist of the NAMA negotiations and the
stakes of Pakistan in them. A list of the participants is included as Annex 1.
The activities of the workshop took place at WTO and ITC headquarters, with the
participation of top experts in NAMA, all based in Geneva. A list of the speakers is included
in the Programme, while their full coordinates appear in Annex 3 below.
The fact that the workshop took place concurrently with the resumption of the Doha
Development Round (DDR) discussions (short of full negotiations, which were suspended in
July 2006), gave the participants the opportunity to attend the last session of the WTO
General Council organised on 14 December 2006.