Said one of the participants at the Vi's joint workshop on trade data and trade policy analysis which ended last Friday in Geneva. The participant was speaking in the final session of the workshop in which policy makers met with researchers to discuss how best to communicate research to policy makers.
Two Virtual Institute members from Jordan and Iraq took part in UNCTAD's regional training for Western Asia on Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda held in Beirut from 26 June to 13 July. The course focuses on the links between trade, investment and development, especially in the context of the current multilateral trade negotiations, and aims to build the knowledge and skills of trade officials and academics from the participating countries.
With less than three weeks to go until the joint UNCTAD-WTO-ITC workshop on tools and methods for trade and trade policy analysis kicks off, the selection process is complete and registration has now closed. The workshop has been targeted at the Virtual Institute's core constituency of stakeholders: namely higher learning institutions in developing countries who are engaged in teaching and research, and providing policy advice to government.
Academics and researchers from universities and research institutions at UNCTAD member States in the Asia and Pacific region are invited to submit their candidatures for the next Training on Key issues on the International Economic Agenda to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, November 13 - December 1, 2006.
This year's LDC report from UNCTAD emphasises the need for LDCs to focus on developing their productive capacities to achieve sustained growth and reduce poverty. Economic growth in LDCs still remains vulnerable, especially in those countries dependent on commodity prices or weather and climatic conditions; developing productive capacities is therefore seen as a way for LDCs to progress, to become less dependent on aid, to accumulate capital, attract FDI and generate competitiveness...
The Virtual Institute is one concrete step in encouraging partnerships between developed and developing countries. Supporting the Virtual Institute is, in our view, a good investment.
