Iran MSRT Participation in the World Trade Organization Chair Programme

Iran MSRT has been invited by the WTO Chairs Programme (WCP) to participate in the next edition of the programme, which will commence in 2021. The Chairs Programme contributes to the technical assistance mandate of “enhancing human and institutional capacities of beneficiaries to take full advantage of the rules-based multilateral trading system, meet their obligations and enforce their rights as Members, and deal with emerging trade-related challenges.”

The WCP is (i) focusing on the design and delivery of courses on international trade law, economics and policy at academic institutions in beneficiary countries; (ii) fostering research in trade-related matters of relevance for government and stakeholders in the regions; (iii) promoting networking among academic institutions and outreach to policymakers in beneficiary countries.

Accordingly, research should focus on topics most relevant to policy makers and stakeholders, including those covered by committee work and negotiations. More universities from LDCs and underrepresented regions will be included in the programme, while geographic representation of all world regions will be maintained. In addition, the academic network will be enhanced by including, albeit without funding, universities in developed countries, thus strengthening opportunities for peer-to-peer collaboration and intensified networking and outreach activities between participating universities. Finally, synergies with other trade-related technical assistance and research activities carried out by the WTO will be promoted.

For further information please refer to the annex to this communication, to the WCP website or get in touch by email with us at wtochairs.enquiries@wto.org.