A partnership with academia

Vi videoconference for Bosnia and Herzegovina on TDR16: Structural transformation essential for sustained growth

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Friday, 18 November 2016 11:24

Hilary Enos Edu

An audience of 22 students and lecturers from Vi Bosnia and Herzegovina core member, the University of Sarajevo, joined UNCTAD for a videoconference presentation on the 2016 Trade and Development Report (TDR) November 11.

Igor Paunovic, of the Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, reported that "the current trends in trade and development have severe repercussions on developing economies and their growth prospects." He said "there is nothing normal about the slow economic growth," which is resulting in "suffering in developing countries."

Vi teaching material on trade policy analysis spawns second UNCTAD/WTO book

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Friday, 18 November 2016 11:08

Susana Olivares

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) launched the second volume in their book series on trade policy analysis on November 15.  The book is yet another outcome of the cooperation between the UNCTAD Virtual Institute (Vi) and the WTO for the benefit of academics and policymakers in developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

“The partnership with the WTO began at the inception of the Virtual Institute in 2004,” said Richard Kozul-Wright, Director of UNCTAD’s Division on Globalization and Development Strategies. “The cooperation was further strengthened in 2010, when the WTO launched its WTO Chairs Programme, whose network of 19 universities includes 13 of the Vi’s 131 institutional members.”

The idea for the book began to take shape in 2005, when the Vi, the International Trade Centre and the WTO held an international workshop on trade policy analysis for 20 academics from 15 developing countries. The Vi then developed a teaching material on the topic in 2008, which served as the basis of the first volume in the series, “A Practical Guide to Trade Policy Analysis.”

Vi Colombian affiliate member in Geneva for Vi study visit

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Wednesday, 09 November 2016 17:25

Pablo Bortz and Hilary Enos-Edu

Master's students from Vi Colombian affiliate member university, Universidad Sergio Arboleda, took part in a training programme delivered by UNCTAD experts October 25. The 15 students participated in sessions covering the latest UNCTAD flagship reports topics related to investment and entrepreneurship in developing countries and the Post-2015 Development Agenda. 

Ricardo Gottschalk, of the Division of Globalization and Development Strategies, asserted the need for policy intervention in the wake of economic fragility during his presentation, based on the 2016 Trade and Development Report.

UNCTAD expert contributes to Vi Russian member's international conference

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Thursday, 27 October 2016 13:22

Susana Olivares

The World Economy Department of Virtual Institute affiliate member, Saint Petersburg State University (SPSU), held an international conference on the topic of the "Evolution of International Trading System: Prospects and challenges" October 20. The conference brought together about 100 participants from the Russian Federation and eight other countries.

The UNCTAD Secretariat was represented by Kalman Kalotay, of the Division on Investment and Enterprise. In addition to a keynote speaker, Kalotay was co-moderator of the "Foreign direct investments and multinational enterprises" session.

Latest Vi study tour for China trains 37

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Wednesday, 19 October 2016 14:56

Eveliina Kauppinen

The seventh annual Vi study tour for Chinese member universities, held October 10-14, offered 37 students from  the University of International Business and Economics, and the Central University of Finance and Economics,  a one-week training programme on trade-related topics.

The week comprised18 sessions delivered by UNCTAD experts, and included visits to the International Trade Centre (ITC), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The group also met with country representatives from China’s Permanent Missions to the UN and WTO.

Alfredo Calcagno, of UNCTAD’s Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, was the first presenter to take the floor, with an overview of current events in the world economy based on the findings of the latest Trade and Development Report, which this year focuses on structural transformation.