Twenty-two students and lecturers from the Master's Programme in International Trade Policy of the University of the West Indies' Shridath Ramphal Centre took part in a Virtual Institute Study Tour May 11-22.

According to the university, the activity, now in its fifth year, "is an integral part of the programme, which provides students with an unparalleled opportunity to see trade in action. Students have access to meetings at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and UNCTAD, and attend lectures at various international organizations in Geneva. In addition, students are also afforded the opportunity to interface with Ambassadors representing the regions' trade policy."

This year's programme included discussions on the WTO dispute settlement mechanisms; intellectual property rights and development; the effect of the global economic crisis on developing countries; the ongoing WTO negotiations on agriculture; UNCTAD's work on competition law within the Caribbean; the current challenges in the WTO's Doha Development Round; the state of play of the WTO services negotiations; the work of the International Trade Centre (ITC) and its databases on trade and foreign direct investment; the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its work on global health security; corporate social responsibility; and UNCTAD's work on transport and trade facilitation.

Sessions were led by experts from UNCTAD, WTO, ITC, WHO, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Students were also introduced to the work of other organisations based in Geneva, such as the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

A round table with the ambassadors and their representatives from the Geneva-based Caribbean missions concluded the study tour, providing the students of the UWI the unique opportunity to ask questions on the challenges and experiences faced by these missions in the negotiation processes taking place in Geneva.

For more information, take a look at the study tour mini-site.