Terms of reference
Background
The Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme to Selected Least Developed and Other African Countries (JITAP), executed jointly by ITC, UNCTAD and WTO, aims at building trade and trade-related capacities in African countries to integrated beneficially into the multilateral trade system and participate effectively in trade negotiations.
Objective
The deliberations at the event would aim at identifying best practices and approaches in MTS capacity building in ensuring development gains for African and other developing countries. The event will focus on show casing JITAP as a practical and integrated response by UNCTAD, WTO and ITC, and participating donor countries, in building and/or strengthening, in partner African countries, human, institutional and entrepreneurial capacities for trade negotiations, implementation of WTO agreements, and related trade policy formulation and export strategy development through participatory and inclusive national stakeholder discussion and decision-making.
Participants
Ministers of JITAP beneficiary countries, selected Ministers of JITAP Donor countries, senior officials from JITAP countries will participate. The Ministerial and Expert segments will be open to broad public participation, including governments, the business community, academics and other participants interested in MTS capacity building.
Resource Persons
ITC, UNCTAD, WTO and the JITAP Coordination Unit will service the Event.
Documentation
ß JITAP: Capacity building in assuring developmental gains from the multilateral trading system (TD(XI)/BP/2) – Background note by ITC, UNCTAD and WTO. ß Six country papers by JITAP countries on the contribution of their inter-
institutional committees (IIC) to national dialogue and identification of priorities and strategies for trade negotiations, trade policy and implementation of agreements; and other JITAP capacity building areas
Meeting Facilities
The event will be held in the premises of the Anhembi Convention Centre (Room D) in São Paulo, Brazil.
Financial conditions
UNCTAD, under the JITAP programme, will provide a return air ticket to the six experts preparing the country papers at the standard conditions of the United Nations (travel in Economy class) and daily subsistence allowance at the applicable rate of the UN in São Paulo for the duration of the UNCTAD XI Conference to present the country papers at the UNCTAD XI event on JITAP.
AGENDA
I. PROVISIONAL AGENDA
1. Registrations and Opening
2. Ministerial segment: Multilateral trading system capacity building in ensuring development gains for African and other developing countries
3. Experts segment: Lessons from existing experiences of JITAP beneficiary countries in institutional and other capacity building on MTS
4. Closure
II. ANNOTATIONS TO THE PROVISIONAL AGENDA
Item 1 - Registration and Opening
Registration for all participants at UNCTAD XI will take place daily at the Anhembi Convention Centre, Exhibition Pavilion.
The Event will be opened by [to be determined]
Item 2 – Ministerial segment: Multilateral trading system capacity building in ensuring development gains for African countries
This session will involve interaction among JITAP Ministers, and Ministers of Donor countries, on their countries’ perspectives on capacity building for effective integration into the multilateral trading system (Plenary debate).
Item 3 – Experts segment: Lessons from existing experiences of JITAP beneficiary countries in institutional capacity building on MTS
This session will involve interaction on best practices and approaches in capacity building for the multilateral trading system.
Presentations will be made by representatives of selected JITAP countries on their experience with MTS institutional capacity building through JITAP
Item 4 – Closure