Title of the activity
WTO Advanced Global Workshop on Government Procurement.
Activity Type
Thematic course/Workshop
Description
This Advanced Global Workshop on Government Procurement will address policy-related issues on government procurement both generally and as they relate to trade, good governance and inclusive sustainable development. Its purpose is to inform participants of WTO and other relevant activities in this area, and to provide a forum for both trade and procurement experts to exchange information on related national, bilateral, regional and multilateral trade-related activities and initiatives. Particular attention will be given to the revised WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA).
The theme of the Workshop is: "Promoting trade, good governance, and inclusive, sustainable development: the revised WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) as an enabler".
The programme will be in English, with simultaneous interpretation into French and Spanish.
The Workshop will be concerned both with trade as well as with the relevance of trade instruments to good governance, value for money, sustainable development and shared prosperity. With increasing overlap with trade objectives in the government procurement sphere, and the evolving policy developments including those occasioned by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is, at a minimum, a need for these inter-related policy areas to be considered in a holistic and coordinated manner. The workshop will, accordingly, explore and develop this approach, including also from a strategic public procurement perspective. The synergies and complementarities between the GPA and other international instruments and with regional trade agreements will be examined in this respect. And relevant activities, initiatives and developments, such as infrastructure provision, sustainable procurement, SME participation in public procurement markets and women's economic empowerment, will also be addressed.
The Workshop will further address developments in e-government procurement, and the opportunities they offer for improved transparency, value for money and regional and global integration of government procurement markets. Furthermore, it will reflect upon the potential benefits, challenges and modalities of accession to, and participation in, the GPA, and the flexibilities available to developing countries seeking accession to the Agreement.
Course objectives
The objectives of this programme are as follows:
1. familiarize participants with the WTO work on government procurement, notably as it relates to trade, good governance and inclusive sustainable development;
2. elaborate the content of the GPA, and explore the opportunities for enhanced global policy coherence, building on synergies and complementarities with other international instruments;
3. reflect upon the relevance of the GPA to evolving policy developments, such as on SMEs, sustainability and e-procurement, and consider their implications for future domestic reforms and for the UN SDGs; and
4. elaborate the potential benefits, challenges and modalities of accession to, and participation in, the Agreement.
The theme of the Workshop is: "Promoting trade, good governance, and inclusive, sustainable development: the revised WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) as an enabler".
The programme will be in English, with simultaneous interpretation into French and Spanish.
The Workshop will be concerned both with trade as well as with the relevance of trade instruments to good governance, value for money, sustainable development and shared prosperity. With increasing overlap with trade objectives in the government procurement sphere, and the evolving policy developments including those occasioned by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is, at a minimum, a need for these inter-related policy areas to be considered in a holistic and coordinated manner. The workshop will, accordingly, explore and develop this approach, including also from a strategic public procurement perspective. The synergies and complementarities between the GPA and other international instruments and with regional trade agreements will be examined in this respect. And relevant activities, initiatives and developments, such as infrastructure provision, sustainable procurement, SME participation in public procurement markets and women's economic empowerment, will also be addressed.
The Workshop will further address developments in e-government procurement, and the opportunities they offer for improved transparency, value for money and regional and global integration of government procurement markets. Furthermore, it will reflect upon the potential benefits, challenges and modalities of accession to, and participation in, the GPA, and the flexibilities available to developing countries seeking accession to the Agreement.
Course objectives
The objectives of this programme are as follows:
1. familiarize participants with the WTO work on government procurement, notably as it relates to trade, good governance and inclusive sustainable development;
2. elaborate the content of the GPA, and explore the opportunities for enhanced global policy coherence, building on synergies and complementarities with other international instruments;
3. reflect upon the relevance of the GPA to evolving policy developments, such as on SMEs, sustainability and e-procurement, and consider their implications for future domestic reforms and for the UN SDGs; and
4. elaborate the potential benefits, challenges and modalities of accession to, and participation in, the Agreement.
Venue
Switzerland
City
WTO
Trade topic
Government Procurement
Start Date
End Date
Duration (days)
5
Activity Level
Pre-requisite
Preference will be given to nominees having policy responsibility and/or a demonstrated background in trade and/or government procurement policy matters. The Organisers reserve the right to decline the candidature of nominees who do not meet these requirements and/or on the basis of the maximum number of funded participants.
Language
English
Key Result
1. Government officials are implementing WTO Agreements and fully realising Members' rights and obligations
Key Output
1.1: Government officials have enhanced knowledge about WTO Agreements, trade policy formulation and conduct of trade negotiations
Chapter
4. Geneva-based Advanced Thematic Courses and topic-specific symposia for Capital-based officials
Invited Members and Observers:
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain, Kingdom of
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia, Plurinational State of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Costa Rica
Côte dʼIvoire
Cuba
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Gabon
The Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong, China
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Korea, Republic of
Kuwait, the State of
Kyrgyz Republic
Lao Peopleʼs Democratic Republic
Lebanese Republic
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Macao, China
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova, Republic of
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Qatar
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Sao Tomé and Principe
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Syrian Arab Republic
Chinese Taipei
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Türkiye
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Viet Nam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe