JITAP Managers and Donor representatives meet to review and discuss TRTA activities for 2005

Trade-related capacity building (TRTA) has become a priority issue in multilateral trade, including trade negotiations. It is a pillar of UNCTAD’s work, a priority objective in the WTO, including in the Doha Round, and an integral aspect of ITC’s activities. These three agencies have brought their respective expertise and comparative advantages in TRTA together in implementing the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme (JITAP). JITAP is a unique TRTA partnership between ITC, UNCTAD and WTO, and financed by several donor countries, that is making a major contribution to the development of enabling policies, institutions and business climate for 16 developing African countries (Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia).
From 15 to 17 December, managers of the JITAP programme in the 16 African countries will meet in Geneva with the three executing agencies to discuss progress attained in 2004, and set the directions for TRTA activities in 2005 at the national level in the countries and at the generic level of general activities benefiting all countries. Key priorities include training on multilateral trade issues, trade negotiation preparations including for the next 6th WTO Ministerial Conference, development of export sector strategies, and setting up of reference centers and national enquiry points.
Dr. Kipkorir Aly Azad Rana, Deputy Director General of WTO, will open the management meeting. Following the management meeting, the governing body of JITAP, the Common Trust Fund Steering Committee will meet on 17 December to review progress achieved and establish priorities for 2005, including the exit modalities for the original group of countries that participated in the initial phase of the programme. Mr. Smadja, Deputy Executive Director of ITC, will chair the Committee meeting.

For the year 2005, Mrs. Lakshmi Puri, Director, Division of International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities, UNCTAD, will assume the rotating chair of the Committee from ITC
For more information please contact:
Mr. Bonapas Onguglo at UNCTAD Tel: +4122 9175496
Mr. Jean Marc Fortin at WTO Tel. +41.22.739.5207
Mr. Hendrick Roelofsen at ITC Tel. +41.22.7300383
OR
At ITC, Mr. Abdelkrim Ben Fadhl, Programme Coordinator Tel: +4122 7300359
Also see: http://www.jitap.org