UnIted natIonS conFerence on trade and development · 2010-05-28 · United nations ConferenCe on...

New TechNologies, TraiNiNg aNd capaciTy-BuildiNg BraNchdivisioN for services iNfrasTrucTure for developmeNT aNd Trade efficieNcyUnctad - UNiTed NaTioNs coNfereNce oN Trade aNd developmeNT palais des NaTioNs ch-1211 geNeva 10 (swiTzerlaNd)tel. + 41.22.917.20.48Fax + 41.22.917.00.50

Printed at United Nations, Geneva - GE.07-50388–April 2007 - 1,050 - Unctad/Sdte/tIB/2006/2

Virtual institute

http://vi.unctad.org [email protected]

training Course on Key issues on the international

eConomiC agenda

http://[email protected]

trainFortrade


e-tourism initiatiVe


UnIted natIonS conFerence on trade and development

divisioN for services iNfrasTrucTure for developmeNT aNd Trade efficieNcy

New TechNologies, TraiNiNg aNd capaciTy-BuildiNg BraNch

acTiviTy reporT 2006

Virtual institute

training Course on Key issues on the international eConomiC agenda

trainFortrade


United nations ConferenCe on trade and development

Division for services infrastructure for Development anD traDe efficiency

new technologies, training anD capacity-BuilDing Branch

activity report 2006

The use of Training, research and

e-Tools for capaciTy-building

neW yorK and geneva - 2007

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copyrighT © uniTed naTions 2006

a l l r i g h T s r e s e r v e d

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T a b l e o f c o n T e n T s

1. Introduction .......................................................................................... 5

2. A Distinct but Complementary Approach: Capitalizing on Synergies ........... 6

3. The Branch's Expert Meetings ................................................................. 7

3.1. The Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting ................................................. 7

3.2. The 4th Meeting of the Advisory Group ........................................... 8

4. Activities of the Virtual Institute ............................................................... 9

4.1. The Virtual Institute in 2006 ............................................................ 9

4.2. Future Prospects for the Virtual Institute ............................................. 12

5. Activities of the Training Course on Key Issues on the International

Economic Agenda ................................................................................. 14

5.1. Course Design and Delivery ........................................................... 14

5.2. Impact of the Paragraph 166 Courses .............................................. 15

5.3. Future Courses for 2007 ................................................................ 16

6 . Activities of the TrainForTrade Programme................................................ 17

6.1. Course Development ...................................................................... 17

6.2. Course Delivery ............................................................................ 19

6.3. The Port Training Programme .......................................................... 20

6.4. Regional Cooperation and Networking ............................................ 21

7. Activities of the e-Tourism Initiative .......................................................... 23

7.1. Research and Analysis ................................................................... 23

7.2. Consensus-building ........................................................................ 24

7.3. Technical Assistance ...................................................................... 24

8. Summary of Activities of the Four Programmes .......................................... 27

9. Partner Institutions ................................................................................. 28

10. Support from Donors ............................................................................. 30

11. Conclusions: Priorities and Challenges for 2007 ....................................... 31

11.1. Support for the Building of Local and Regional Training

and Teaching Capacities .............................................................. 31

11.2. Develop Research and Support for the Building of Local and Regional

Research Capacities and the Promotion of Research-based

Policymaking .................................................................................... 31

11.3. Technical Cooperation Activities .................................................... 32

11.4. Partnerships ................................................................................ 32

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InTroducT Ion

A country’s capacity to utilize the opportunities of trade and investment for economic growth, development and poverty reduction may be hampered by many factors. Lack of knowledge and skills is one such constraint: ensuring that trade policies are beneficial for development and adapted to local conditions requires access to knowledge and information, and the availability of wide-ranging skills and capacities.

Since UNCTAD’s inception, building the individual and institutional capacities of developing countries in the field of trade has always been a core priority. Today, in the current climate of discussions about “aid for trade”, there is a growing emphasis on the building and updating of skills and knowledge to ensure the successful integration of countries into the global economy. The New Technologies, Training and Capacity-Building Branch pursues this outcome in three ways: by delivering training and inputs to training providers; by supporting research and the use of empirical research in policy formulation for trade and development; and by building tools for development. The four programmes of the branch reflect this tripartite approach in the implementation of their different but complementary activities, tailored to the needs of a specific target audience.

The UNCTAD Virtual Institute on Trade and Development has become widely recognized for its programmes and support to academia in developing countries; the Training Course on Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda is now well known for the comprehensive and unique perspective it gives policymakers on trade and development; TrainForTrade is a respected programme for its training and capacity-building work with trade practitioners, trade officials and private enterprise; and the e-Tourism Initiative is building a solid reputation with the sustainable tourism sector in developing countries.

UNCTAD recognizes that access to external technical expertise alone is not enough to develop the skill and knowledge capacities of developing countries. The branch therefore emphasizes the need to develop and support local institutions for the long-term sustainability of its capacity-building efforts. To this end, the four programmes of the branch have integrated various tools and methods into their work, such as Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and networking arrangements, as well as drawing on their pedagogical advantages in the creation of high-quality materials and the delivery of training.

Cooperation between the four programmes, with other UNCTAD divisions and with external partner agencies seeks to boost the efficiency of UNCTAD’s work in the field of capacity-building. This report, which presents the activities carried out in 2006, is intended to give the reader an overview of the aims and results of the branch’s capacity-building work for developing countries, particularly the least developed countries (LDCs).

Anh-Nga Tran-Nguyen Director,

Division for Services Infrastructure for Development and Trade Efficiency, UNCTAD

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UNCTAD's New Technologies, Training and Capacity-Building Branch cooperates with developing countries in the field of international trade and development, in order to enhance local capacities and ensure their long-term sustainability. The branch’s work is organized around three areas, reflecting the three pillars of UNCTAD:

• Analytical work and specialized case studies, which contribute to the research needs of developing country institutions and also to UNCTAD's own research and analysis.

• Consensus-building through expert meetings, regional conferences and the professional networks established by the Branch. These play a crucial role in raising awareness, furthering discussion and research on capacity-building issues, and also contribute to wider cooperation between international organizations, NGOs, donor countries and beneficiaries;

• Technical cooperation through networking activities with developing country partners, professional development workshops, training opportunities in Geneva and the field, regional seminars, and the development of technical tools on a wide range of current trade and development issues.

The four programmes have distinct ways of approaching capacity-building, often determined by their different audiences, but they build on common experiences and the sharing of best practices to maximize efficiency and innovation. For example:

• They make extensive use of ICTs as tools to support their work in the fields of electronic tourism and distance learning, and also to disseminate information and enable the growth of networks and communities of practice;

• They strive to create networks and partnerships, thereby facilitating South–South cooperation, the exchange of experience and research, and the involvement of all local stakeholders;

• They share information, data and research on the topic of trade and investment capacity-building to further the development of high-quality work and innovative programmes.

If developing countries are to derive more efficient and fairer gains from the international economic system, it is important for them to focus on the abilities of their knowledge institutions and training providers to produce informed and capable trade professionals equipped with the appropriate tools to achieve their country’s development objectives. Governments and policymakers need to be provided relevant, knowledge-based research in order to shape and determine national policy and negotiating positions in regional and international fora. The financial and human investment in the development of this capacity should be embedded in local institutions so that they can continue to deliver research and train professionals in the long term, with locally relevant knowledge and experience. The New Technologies, Training and Capacity-Building Branch, in cooperation with other partners within and outside UNCTAD, has been working to contribute to the building of such knowledge and capacity. ■

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2. a dIsTIncT buT complemenTary approach: capITalIzIng on synergIes

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3.1. The Ad Hoc experT Group MeeTinG, Geneva, 27-28 noveMber 2006

An ad hoc expert meeting provides an opportunity to bring together a group of specialists to discuss and exchange experiences and best practices on a particular topic. In this case, the theme was "Building Skills in Developing Countries: Training, Networking and ICTs". The experts continued previous work undertaken by the branch on the topic of what is commonly called trade-related capacity-building. The meeting was particularly timely in view of the current debates over the Aid for Trade Initiative, which is focusing attention on how to help countries build trade-related capacities in the fields of trade policy, trade development, development of productive capacities and trade-related adjustment measures.

The meeting agenda was structured around a background paper researched and written by the branch on the strengthening of individual and institutional capacities in the field of trade. Beginning with a round-table discussion of the current challenges faced by developing countries for building the skills and knowledge they need for trade, the meeting moved on to two substantive discussion sessions. The first dealt with the need to strengthen teaching and training capacities on trade: the meeting heard from various experts working on university courses and online training programmes. The second substantive session concentrated on the topical area of strengthening analytical capacity on trade, focusing on the links between research and policymaking. The meeting was brought to a conclusion with a final round table on the future for capacity-building efforts at the national, regional and international levels and coordination of these efforts between the various stakeholders.

Over the two days of the meeting, several themes stood out for the future work of the branch. Foremost among these was the need for locally determined and delivered training and research programmes which are embedded in developing countries’ institutions. For this reason, the branch should continue to work in collaboration with local and regional partners, to develop a long-term sustainable training and research capacity. Secondly, experts repeatedly drew attention to the need for coordination and coherence between actors and organizations at the national, regional and international levels. Thirdly, ICTs were a recurring theme in discussions, spotlighted for their role as a tool to support networks, training and research. The branch is in a unique position to explore further ways of utilizing its expertise and resources to enhance its ICT-enabled capacity-building programmes. And finally, experts agreed that capacity-building efforts should address all stakeholders, such as academia, policymakers, and the private sector, currently reflected by the target groups of the branch’s four complementary programmes.

UNCTAD was singled out for the unique perspective it provides on trade issues, which emphasizes a systemic, development-oriented approach to trade, investment and finance. The New Technologies, Training and Capacity-Building Branch was therefore encouraged to continue its activities in the field of building knowledge and skills for trade. Additionally, more research should be undertaken by the branch on the provision of training and research inputs for trade which takes country experiences into account. Finally, in conjunction with its ongoing research and training activities, the branch should also identify and organize further opportunities for sharing experiences and ideas on trade-related capacity-building, at the local and intergovernmental levels. ■

3. The branch's experT meeTIngs

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3.2. The 4Th MeeTinG of The advisory Group, Geneva, 22-23 March 2006

The fourth meeting of the UNCTAD Advisory Group on the Strengthening of Training Capacities and Human Resources Development dealt with training and capacity-building in the field of international trade and investment for African LDCs and regional organisations.

A new feature of this meeting was the enlargement and diversification of the Group. Indeed, the meeting provided an opportunity for the representatives of four African LDCs, six donor countries and institutions, two African universities and two regional organizations to exchange views on training and capacity-building issues.

The second feature consisted of the method for analysing training needs and elaborating recommendations. On the basis of questionnaires sent out prior to the meeting, discussions were quickly steered to practical difficulties faced by African countries, e.g. a reduced local training and teaching supply and a lack of synergies at the local level.

Participants issued nine recommendations which, in addition to underscoring the lack of human and financial resources, emphasized the importance of continuous training, teaching and research activities for Africa, and of sustainable long-term human resources strategies. The Group recommended that the Virtual Institute, the Training Course on Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda and the TrainForTrade programme extend their action in this area. Moreover, the members called for donors’ support to respond to the specific needs of African countries and institutions in the field of human resources development. ■

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3. The branch's experT meeT Ings

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The Advisory Group meeting in Geneva.

[1] These 15 members include the Latin American School of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Buenos Aires, Argentina; University of Campinas, Brazil; Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada; University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China; Escuela de Administración, Finanzas y Tecnologías (EAFIT), Medellín, Colombia; Université Pierre-Mendès-France, Grenoble, France; Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India; School of International Relations, Tehran, Iran; University of Jordan; University of Mauritius; Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique; Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal; University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; Foreign Trade University, Hanoi, Vietnam; and University of the West Indies.

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4. acTIvITIes of The vIrTual InsTITuTe

The Virtual Institute (Vi) is in fact a network of members, comprising a small secretariat, based in Geneva and 15 member universities1 across five continents that own and determine the work plan of the Virtual Institute. The Vi’s primary goal is to provide high-quality support to its university members. For this reason, the programme concentrates on a few members, expanding gradually without compromising the level of excellence it can offer to its membership. However, in order to reach a wider audience the Vi offers “associate membership” to some 200 individuals in 73 countries who benefit from a selection of Vi services.

Over the past year, the Virtual Institute has created and streamlined a customizable set of services for its institutional and individual members that cater to their diverse needs and capacities. In 2006,

• the Vi offered developing country universities, teachers and researchers access to the highest-quality expertise on trade issues, in Geneva and abroad;

• it encouraged links between policymakers and researchers and developed research on this process;

• it provided valuable professional development opportunities to developing country teachers and researchers, both in Geneva and abroad;

• it expanded its online library of up-to-date trade and development resources, adding new categories and materials;

• it developed and published, in digital and hard copy form, several new customizable training packages;

• it welcomed two new university members and dozens of new individual members;

• it held its second week-long members meeting, determining the work plan of the Vi.

4.1. The virTual insTiTuTe in 2006

4.1.1. ProfessionalDevelopment:WorkshopsandFellowships

In the past year, the Vi organized three major professional development workshops. The first took place in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, on the production and trade of commodities, followed by a second workshop in French on the same topic in Dakar, Senegal. The objective of both workshops was to increase participants’ knowledge and understanding of commodities production and trade and to provide them with opportunities to strengthen their skills to undertake research and teaching on commodities.

In September, the Vi organized an innovative and highly topical workshop on trade data and trade policy analysis, in Geneva. The workshop was conceived and organized in collaboration with experts from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), as well as involving UNCTAD staff from the Trade Analysis and Commercial Diplomacy Branches. The workshop, which was oversubscribed, also brought together Geneva-based policymakers to discuss with the participants – mainly researchers - how to improve the links between the two groups and how to strengthen research-based policymaking, which resulted in a set of published recommendations - “Research-based Policymaking: Bridging the Gap between Researchers and Policymakers”.

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During May and September, the Virtual Institute pioneered a new service for its members: academic fellowships at UNCTAD. Five fellows from the University of Dar-Es-Salaam in Tanzania and two fellows from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, stayed for one month each researching a paper and benefiting from the support of UNCTAD staff. For the University of Dar-es-Salaam, the programme was intended to build a team of assistant lecturers to support the implementation and sustainability of their Masters programme in International Trade. For the University of Dakar, the priority was to build a research team specialized in trade.

Petro Magai, Fellow, University of Dar-es-Salaam, presenting his paper to UNCTAD in May 2006.

4.1.2. AccesstoExpertise:StudyToursandCurricularAdvice

Training successful and experienced trade policymakers, practitioners and negotiators cannot be done in the classroom alone. To accelerate students’ experience of the trade policy environment and familiarize them with some of the people, questions, data and tools they may potentially be dealing with in the future, the Virtual Institute introduced its study tours: a vocational “tour” of Geneva-based institutions. Centered on UNCTAD, but also visiting our partners at WTO, ITC, WIPO, ILO and WHO, students from masters programmes at the University of the West Indies and the University of Dar-Es-Salaam spent two to three weeks covering a rigorous programme of topics on the international trade and development agenda that exposed them to experts and the surroundings of trade policymaking and negotiation.

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Joint UNCTAD-WTO-ITC workshop on trade data and trade policy analysis held in Geneva, in September. Left to right: Sam Laird, formerly Principal Trade Expert at UNCTAD; participants discussing research methodologies; His Excellency, Toufiq Ali, Ambassador of Bangladesh talking about the links between research and policy; participants coming to grips with STATA, an applied trade simulation model.

“This has been a memorable and invaluable experience…The students who attended the tour are now in a position to better advise the Tanzanian Government on commodity policies and WTO issues”.

Charles Dominician, University of Dar-Es-Salaam, May 2006

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The development of successful university programmes, such as taught masters courses, is essential for providing locally relevant and sustainable training and education. In 2006, the Virtual Institute advised and contributed to the design of the professional Masters in International Trade at the University of Dar-es-Salam and supported the delivery of a course on theEconomics of Commodity Production and Markets on the same programme, in collaboration with the UNCTAD Commodities Branch as well as staff from the Trade Division. For Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, the Vi provided advice with regard to the structure and content of the future Masters programme in International Trade Policies and Negotiations.

4.1.3. TheProduction,ManagementandDistributionofKnowledge:theViWebsiteandTrainingMaterial

A significant development problem for many countries is their lack of access to knowledge and information, whether for the private sector, for national policy formulation or for use in negotiations. Yet access alone is not sufficient to ensure that information and data are used effectively: there is an intermediate stage, which involves finding information and selecting that which is relevant and of satisfactory quality. The Virtual Institute’s online library of over 400 resources is a customized relational database of articles, papers, reports and briefs related to trade and development. It is browsable and searchable according to thematic category and keyword, and every resource is given a short description making browsing easier and more user-friendly. Additionally, the library also includes an email alert system which users can subscribe to by category.

In addition to individual resources for students, teachers and researchers, the Vi website also contains bespoke training material on several topics. The topics have been identified by the Vi membership and developed in collaboration with them. In 2006, the Vi, in cooperation with UNCTAD’s commodities and investment experts, added customized training packages on the economic and legal aspects of investment, the production and trade of commodities (in English and French) and an introduction to trade negotiation skills and strategies. These training packages are comprehensive and at the same time modular; in this way they can be used as stand-alone packages or parts of them can be integrated into existing courses. Given the varying degrees of connectivity and access to the Internet among the Vi membership, all of the Vi’s training materials are also available on CD-ROM and in hard copy.

“The training material has widened and deepened the scope of the teaching of the business administration courses both on degree and postgraduate degree programmes, and improved the short-term training courses for private operators, policymakers and staff from NGOs and other trade-advocating institutions… The beauty of this material/literature is that it is relevant to current trade problems facing developing countries like Uganda and the training information can easily be adapted to training with different levels of background.”

Nichodemus Rudaheranwa, Makerere University, Uganda, associate member of the Vi and participant in the Vi professional development workshop on com-modities

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4.2. fuTure prospecTs for The virTual insTiTuTe

4.2.1. TheNetwork:theSecondViMembers’Meeting

The UNCTAD Virtual Institute network uses the Internet as well as other information and communication technologies to produce and disseminate high-quality online teaching, learning and research services, and to sustain its academic network of member universities and associate (individual) members: in this respect, the Institute is “virtual”. However, the effectiveness of the network is contingent on other, less virtual points of contact, including the regular members’ meetings held every 12 to 15 months. These meetings provide opportunities for network members to build relationships with each other, exchange ideas on trade and development, and collaborate on joint activities such as research and curricular advice. This year, the UNCTAD Virtual Institute Members Meeting brought together 13 of the 15 university members to discuss the past year’s activities and to agree on the future work plan of the network.

Participants discuss joint research projects at this year’s university members’ meeting.

Three new training materials will be developed in 2007, on regional trade agreements, the transfer of technology and trade data analysis - following our workshop in September. The Vi will also move to the next stage of its strategy to develop high-quality, locally relevant training material by introducing its scheme for members to localize existing and proposed material. Moreover, in order to strengthen the research capacities of members and the material offered by the Vi, the network will also collaborate on a number of joint research projects, with members submitting proposals to work together on topics of mutual interest and relevance to their country experiences.

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4.2.2. NewMembers:MozambiqueandColombia

In 2006 the Vi welcomed two new university members, both present at the members’ meeting in October: Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique, and the Escuela de Administración, Finanzas y Tecnologías (EAFIT) in Medellín, Colombia. EAFIT University represents a group of eight universities in Colombia, and in this way multiplies the work of the Vi in the country. At the members’ meeting in October, extending further cooperation with the Vi within countries was an important issue for the membership, and Colombia’s experience is a first step for the Vi in exploring the regionalization of its work, first at the country level and potentially at the regional level as well. In the near future, it is anticipated that the Vi’s core university membership will not grow beyond some 20 institutions, to ensure the quality of the services offered. However, having developed the associate (individual) membership scheme, a regional approach – working through the core member institution with other partners in the country, as in Colombia – is a way for the Vi to broaden and develop its primary constituency among knowledge institutions.

An important conclusion from the second Vi meeting is that the nature of the Virtual Institute is changing over time. For example, there is now the possibility of diversifying the audience of the Vi to include policymakers – something that was shown to be constructive during the Vi’s September workshop on trade data analysis, in Geneva. Given that the nature of the Virtual Institute has slowly changed since its inception in Sao Paulo in 2004, it is probable that the potential for the Vi network has not yet been fully realized and will continue to evolve in the future, subject to continued financial backing as well as the professional support of colleagues, partners and of course the membership itself. ■

Making the network.

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The Training Course on Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda, or Paragraph 166 Course as it is also known, primarily targets policymakers in developing countries as well as staff of permanent country missions to the United Nations in Geneva. The programme thereby addresses a key audience for the branch’s capacity-building efforts which complement the branch’s other programmes.

During the past year, the Paragraph 166 Course has further refined its format and content in response to the changing needs of policymakers and has started to expand its scope in a number of directions. In 2006,

• Three three-week courses were organized and completed between June and December for nearly 60 participants, of which 16 were from economies in transition and 14 from LDCs.

• The course started to build further links between the target groups of the branch by inviting academics to the training courses in Beirut, Belgrade and Bangkok, facilitating the exchange of policy concerns and analytical research.

• The course welcomed the participation of resource persons from Virtual Institute universities (see section 3) who presented research and gave local insights into some of the issues and topics on the course.

• A new website was launched with online registration, downloadable pre-course reading materials and exercises, and an online discussion function, which was used in cooperation with the tutors prior to the Bangkok course.

• In response to the needs of negotiators and policymakers based in Geneva Missions, a series of six short courses reflecting the structure of the Paragraph 166 Course have been devised and will be delivered in the first half of 2007.

• A workshop for UNCTAD resource persons contributing to the course was organized in December to discuss the structure and content of the Paragraph 166 Course and provide opportunities for improving course delivery.

Participants in the Bangkok course, 2006.

5.1. course desiGn and delivery

An evaluation of the Paragraph 166 Course which was conducted by an independent external team in 2005 generally praised the high quality and importance of the course for policymakers in developing countries. Additionally, the report made several recommendations, which have been fully integrated over the past year. Among them are:

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5. acTIvITIes of The TraInIng course on Key Issues on The InTernaTIonal economIc agenda

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5. acT Iv I T I es of The TraIn Ing course on Key Issues

on The InTernaT Ional economIc agenda

• Further collaboration in the design of the programme with UN Regional Commissions, Virtual Institute Members and national experts to ensure a rich, coherent programme on trade and development;

• Introduction of more detailed case studies and lessons learnt from previous policy decisions, such as the examination of national investment strategies and learning from past lessons when defining a national IT strategy;

• Greater emphasis on policy design and implementation.

The programme of the course, which lasts three weeks, aims to give policymakers a comprehensive overview of key issues on the international economic agenda from the unique perspective of UNCTAD's research. At the same time, the course also provides the necessary depth of information by embedding knowledge and understanding through such activities as simulation exercises, extensive discussion and group work, and the presentation of research. The activities on the course therefore have the added value of giving participants the opportunity to practice essential proficiencies for policymakers, such as negotiation skills and techniques; indeed, several of the course's graduates have gone on to become negotiators in Geneva-based missions.

In strengthening the links between academia and policymakers – and emphasizing the importance of using empirical research in policy formulation – academics are now being invited to join the course as participants and Virtual Institute members are being used as resource persons. The Virtual Institute members are experts in their field and region and therefore provide better insights into the regional issues pertaining to gains to be realized from bilateral and regional trade and investment agreements, for example. These resource persons also found the course content to be rich and rewarding and have decided to incorporate aspects of the course into their own teaching programmes.

5.2. iMpacT of The paraGraph 166 courses

The end-of-course evaluations completed by participants reveal that many of them appreciate the design and coherence of the programme which looks at development from the multiple perspectives of trade, finance and investment.

"The different subjects were presented by very good professionals, with great knowledge in the relevant fields. We had the possibility to discuss the different subjects and to compare our countries' experiences… [t]he simulation exercise held at the end of the training made effective use of the knowledge acquired during the course. It was a challenge to put the participants in different roles, to experience balancing the different interests and concerns."

Venislava Dacheva, Ministry of Economy and Energy of Bulgaria.

“The information provided was based on their own experience and research projects of UNCTAD. The unique cases in international economy … strengthen my arguments when I talk to Government officials or students.”

Kiryl Rudy, Vice-Dean, Belarus State Economic University.

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5. acT Iv I T I es of The TraIn Ing course on Key Issues

on The InTernaT Ional economIc agenda

The above participant added that he felt this approach could be further elaborated in the classroom at his University, adding to the long-term impact of the programme. Many participants felt that the discussions during the course resolved problems for them and gave them the tools to address future problems and questions. After extended negotiations, during the simulation exercise, many participants felt that they could frame and recommend solutions, agree on some of them, and agree to disagree on other issues facing their countries.

Furthermore, two Virtual Institute Members from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India, and the School of International Relations (SIR) in Teheran, Iran, who participated in the Bangkok course in late 2006, reported back to UNCTAD that participants grasped the essence of what issues were crucial in trade and development. The Virtual Institute member from the JNU said he also gained himself from the course presentations, as the content was of great help to his own teaching programme on international trade. The Virtual Institute member from the SIR in Teheran commented that the training material was rich and relevant to his work, modules were well planned, and although some presentations were very technical, they were well presented. As a professor, he felt that the course would have a considerable impact on his work.

5.3. fuTure courses for 2007

Three other courses have now been designed in 2007. A second regional African course is scheduled to take place in Cairo at the Institute for Diplomatic Studies in February 2007. Due to the very high demand and oversubscription for these courses by Governments in Africa, the secretariat will organize a second delivery of this regional course in late 2007. The Third Regional Course for Latin American and the Caribbean region will take place in Lima, Peru, in June 2007. Additionally, six short courses reflecting the structure of the Paragraph 166 Course have been devised for Geneva-based policymakers for the first half of 2007. ■

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Paragraph 166 Training Course in Beirut, 2006.

TraInforTrade’s training and capacity-building strategy is based on four elements:

• a technical cooperation approach that includes training needs analysis, tailor-made course development and delivery, training of trainers and institutional strengthening to increase the impact of training and facilitate sustainability at the national and regional levels;

• a rigorous training methodology that provides for the development and continuous updating of pedagogical material;

• the use of distance-learning tools through customized technical solutions for developing countries (including the LDCs);

• networking of countries and training institutions participating in the programme.

Because of the complex nature of the issues being taught, a great deal of attention is paid to the development and delivery of training materials. Evaluations carried out by independent experts acknowledged the quality of materials, the effectiveness of the hybrid training approach that includes distance learning and face-to-face activities, and the value of adapting training methods to local and regional contexts.

6.1. course developMenT

Significant efforts were made to revise, update, and translate some courses, so as to better suit beneficiaries’ needs. Concerning pedagogical courses, aimed at increasing participants' skills to deliver a training course, updated versions of the workshops for the training of instructors and of technical tutors are now available in French, English and Portuguese.

In addition, modules 1 to 4 of the Portuguese version of the Modern Port Management course have been validated at the workshop held in Porto (Portugal) in July 2006. The French version of this course was also updated in 2006 and validated in Marseille, France, in January 2007. Two new courses on Trade Facilitation and on Basic Investment Issues were developed in the framework of the project for Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Concerning tourism issues, new pedagogical material has been developed or validated in 2006. Two courses - addressing tourism as a tool for development and the role of civil society in sustainable tourism projects - have been validated in Madagascar, Toamasina region, in October. Another new course in English, on « ICT and Tourism », has been validated in Cambodia in December, in close cooperation with the E-tourism initiative (cf. section 7).

TrainForTrade has pursued its course-development strategy by systematically including distance learning components whenever possible in its courses and deliveries. According to the beneficiaries, this way of teaching can be very beneficial as it allows to reach a wide audience and to raise its knowledge before the face-to-face seminar. To this end, in 2006 new distance learning material was developed on the following topics and uploaded on the TrainForTrade platform (http://learn.unctad.org):• Introduction to e-Marketing Applied to Tourism;• The Organization of a Port System (part of the course on Modern Port Management);• Technical Port Management (idem).

All the courses have been designed in cooperation with the specialized UNCTAD programmes.

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6. acTIvITIes of The TraInforTrade programme

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Table1:AvailableTraInforTradecourses

Pedagogical MaterialOfferedin

English French Spanish Portuguese Khmer Lao

1 – Course Developers’ Workshop

2 – Instructors’ Workshop DL DL DL

3 – Distance Learning Tutors’ Workshop DL DL DL DL

InternationalTradeandTrade-relatedServices

Offeredin


1 – Trade, Environment and Development DL

2 – Formulation of a Competition Law and Policy DL DL

3 – Implementation of a Competition Law and Policy DL DL

4 – International Trade Financing Procedures

5 – Practice of e-Commerce

6 – Legal Aspects of e-Commerce DL

7 – Multilateral Trade Negotiations on Services DL DL

8 – Multilateral Trade Negotiations on Agriculture DL DL

SustainableTourismforDevelopmentOfferedin


1 – Sustainable Tourism for Development

2 – ICTs and Tourism for Development

3 – Introduction to e-Marketing Applied to Tourism DL

4 – The Role of Civil Society in Sustainable Tourism Development Projects

InvestmentOfferedin


1 – Basic Course on Investment

2 – Intensive Training for Negotiators of International Investment Agreements DL DL DL DL

3 – Third-generation Investment Promotion, Investor Targeting

LogisticsandPortsOfferedin


1 – Modern Management of Ports - Certificate of Port Management DL DL DL

2 – Multimodal Transport and Logistics

3 – Trade Facilitation

: Course available

DL: Course with a distance learning component

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6. acT Iv I T I es of The TraInforTrade programme

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Table 1 lists all the courses that have been developed so far under the TrainForTrade methodology. Some can be delivered only as face-to-face training (they are marked with the sign ), while others (marked with the sign DL ) can also follow a hybrid approach combining distance learning and face-to-face seminars. Most of the courses have been designed in cooperation with other UNCTAD programmes, which are specialized in the related subject matter.

6.2. course delivery

In 2006, a total of 21 face-to-face or distance learning training workshops were organized for more than 400 participants, thanks to the cooperation between TrainForTrade and other divisions or programmes in UNCTAD. Deliveries were planned at the national or regional levels in English, French, Portuguese or Spanish. Local languages were also used in the context of specific projects, namely Khmer and Lao.

Four train-the-trainers courses were organized during the year 2006, including three at the regional level. These participants will then be able to take an active part in local seminars – either as future instructors or as tutors to manage distance learning activities – and to initiate new autonomous training schemes in their country.

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Continuous improvements are made to enhance course delivery and the learning experience of trainees on the TrainForTrade platform (http://learn.unctad.org). The FOSS2 application which it uses is updated regularly, and a mirror server has been installed to cover the need of the regional activities in Asia. A Wiki (http://wiki.unctad.org) has been tested for the preparation and debates of the expert meeting of November 20063.

[2] Free and Open Source Software

[3] Cf. Chapter 3.

Training of technical tutors for distance learning, Bejaïa, Algeria.

6.3. The porT TraininG proGraMMe (pTp)

6.3.1. ActionPlan2006

Ports member of the African PTP network have implemented the 2006 action plan adopted at the tripartite meeting of the Programme held in La Goulette, Tunisia, in December 2005 (as shown in Table 2). The Cambodian ports adopted the 2006 action plan at the PTP Steering Committee meeting, which took place in Sihanoukville in January 2006. Each of the training cycles mentioned below comprises eight modules, for a total of 240 hours of training, wrapped up by the defence of a final thesis.

Table2:2006CyclesofthePortTrainingProgramme

Port Autonome de Cotonou Benin 5th cycle

Sihanoukville Autonomous PortPhnom Penh Autonomous Port Cambodia 2nd cycle

Port Autonome de Douala Cameroon 4th cycle

Empresa Nacional de Administração de Portos Cape Verde 2nd cycle

Port Autonome de Conakry Guinea 3rd cycle

Port Autonome de Lomé Togo 3rd cycle

Port Autonome de Dakar Senegal 6th cycle

6.3.2. NeedsAnalysisMissions

Following requests from Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Madagascar, three needs assessment missions were organized by UNCTAD to these countries’ port communities in order to evaluate their training needs related to maritime and port activities, and define a PTP implementation scheme:• Mission to the Port Autonome de Pointe-Noire, DRC, in April 2006• Mission to the port of Bejaia, Algeria, in August 2006• Mission to the port of Toamasina, Madagascar in October 2006; discussions were led with the Société du Port à Gestion Autonome de Toamasina.

6.3.3. InternationalMeetings

An international coordination meeting was organized in Porto, Portugal in July 2006 for the representatives of Portuguese-speaking port communities with the financial and logistical support of the Administração dos Portos do Douro e Leixões (APDL). Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Sao Tomé and Principe - the five African countries with Portuguese as an official language - and Timor Leste participated in this meeting. Following presentations on human resources development and policies by the nine beneficiary ports, individual action plans were drafted. The Secretariat for the Portuguese-speaking network of the PTP was entrusted to the Empresa Nacional de Administração de Portos (ENAPOR) of Cape Verde.

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6.3.4. PedagogicalCourses

In July 2006, the training of PTP trainers on modules 1 to 4 of the Modern Port Management course was organized in Porto, Portugal, for the PALOPs (Portuguese-speaking African countries) and Timor Leste in collaboration with the APDL. Instructors from the Port Authority of Valencia (Spain) and from ENAPOR also contributed to this delivery.

Moreover, 26 technical tutors partici-pated in two four-day workshops on facilitating management of distance learning sessions and accessing the TrainForTrade learning platform. The first workshop, a regional event, was hosted by the Port Autonome de Lomé and the Conseil National des Chargeurs Togolais (Togo), while the second was hosted by the Port of Bejaia, (Algeria).

6.4. reGional cooperaTion and neTworkinG

6.4.1. LatinAmericaandtheCaribbean

A nine-week distance learning session on International Investment Agreements was organised by the UNCTAD Investment Agreements Section and TrainForTrade from 31 July to 29 September 2006 for Latin America and the Caribbean. The course was attended by more than fifty participants from twenty-one countries.

Moreover, the Spanish contribution to the programme allowed the Secretariat to start implementing the training activities planned in the Annex to the Memorandum of Understanding between ALADI and UNCTAD. In particular, the pedagogical material of the Workshop for Distance Learning Tutors was updated and translated into Spanish. This course will be delivered for technical tutors of ALADI Secretariat and member countries in May 2007.

6.4.2. Africa

A new cooperation was established with the East African Community (EAC). In December 2006, 33 people from the Organization’s Member States, i.e. Kenya, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, were trained on the Legal Aspects of e-Commerce by the UNCTAD’s ICT and E-Business Branch and TrainForTrade. The last afternoon was dedicated to a discussion on how to set up a legal framework for electronic commerce in the EAC, and on how to strengthen cooperation between UNCTAD and EAC in the field of e-business and in other trade- and investment-related fields.

A joint UNCTAD/ITC proposal was prepared to support the government of Guinea establishing a sound framework for training in trade and export promotion issues.

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Training of distance learning tutors in Lomé, September 2006.

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6.4.3. Asia

The 2006 activities in Cambodia and Lao PDR derived from the plan of action agreed upon at the beginning of the year by the regional and the national steering committees.

One of the main objectives of the activities in Cambodia and Lao PDR has been to prepare local trainers, managers, and institutions to become more involved in the project so that they can take over training once the project ends.

The possibility of extending the programme to other Asian countries is currently being examined. In January 2006, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce addressed a request to the TrainForTrade programme for technical assistance on training and capacity-building in the field of international trade. A preliminary mission to China was organized in May, which led to a joint project proposal prepared by the Ministry and TrainForTrade. ■

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The implementation of the TrainForTrade project for Cambodia and Lao PDR began in 2003. Today, efforts are geared to local ownership of activities, as requested by the regional and national steering committees. While international consultants continue to be hired, local consultants and instructors now play a significant part in carrying out training activities and in managing the project in the field. Experts from the region, who have an-depth knowledge of local condi-tions, have also been involved in the project. For instance, a consultant from the Thai Board of Investment was in charge of a course on investment organized in Vientiane in 2006, while an official of the United Nations Economic and Social Commissions for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) delivered a module of the course on Modern Port Management in Cambodia. Along the same lines, local languages are more extensively used. A case in point is the TrainForTrade Internet platform created in Khmer. Along similar lines, a national TrainForTrade video-recording seminar has been delivered in Cambodia order to record local experts and prepare a distance learning module in Khmer. The project also tries to reach out to Cambodian and Lao provinces to increase its impact and facilitate local ownership. In this context, the workshop on investment, delivered in the Lao Luangprabang province in 2006 bears a special significance for the sustainability of the project. Following this workshop, a national consultant was hired to adapt existing materials and translate them into Lao so that the course could be delivered in other provinces in 2007. The Training of Trainers held in November 2006 also aimed at enhancing the local training capacities of the two countries. Some of the 17 participants already play an active role as local trainers.

Lao trainees work on a group exercise.

For developing countries, the tourism sector is of strategic importance. It offers genuine, measurable and expanding opportunities and represents a major source of employment, income and foreign exchange earnings. Furthermore, it provides resources for entrepreneurship development and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and for sustainable economic diversification.

Launched in 2004 during UNCTAD XI in Saõ Paulo as one of the Partnerships on ICT for Development, the e-Tourism Initiative is the ICT component of the UNCTAD Task Force on Sustainable Tourism for Development.

In the course of 2006, the e-Tourism Initiative expanded its activities, which aim to enhance the competitiveness of the tourism sector by strengthening the human and technical skills of stakeholders and by providing them with ICT-enabled tools. The Initiative promotes the growth of the tourism sector of developing countries by:

• Analysing use of ICTs in the tourism sector and conducting national case studies;

• Seeking consensus, with the organization of and participation in various important events, in order to raise awareness on e-tourism related issues;

• A technical assistance package combining the organization of tailored training courses and seminars and the development of a personalized Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) platform.

7.1. research and analysis

In 2006, the first national case studies were undertaken. Updated analyses on ICT and tourism are now available for Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam. Thanks to the MOU with UQAM, similar materials have been made available for Turkey. For the Initiative and its national counterparts, these studies serve to identify key needs in the country and help tailor specialized workshops that reflect the studies’ relevant findings.

Several case studies are planned for next year and the Initiative aims to standardize them in order to produce a set of specialized publications on the e-Tourism issue.

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7. acTIvIT Ies of The e-TourIsm InIT IaTIve

In 2006, the Initiative sought to create synergies and maximize links with partner institutions. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was pre-signed with the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) in September 2006, to be made official during the March 2007 e-Tourism conference. The e-Tourism Initiative with the UQAM / CIFORT (International Centre for Tourism Training and Research) and the UQAM / LATECE (Laboratory of Research on Technologies for e-Commerce) will work on the development of an electronic replicable platform for tourism stakeholders. Mixing both areas of expertise – from the e-Tourism Initiative and UQAM – will enrich the programme, especially in the technical field.

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7.2. consensus-buildinG

The e-Tourism Initiative co-organized and participated in several other important meetings during the course of 2006 such as the “e-Tourism Initiative: strategy in action” event during the TourismAfrica congress held in September 2006.

“e-Tourism Initiative: Strategy in Action”, debate on 12 September.

The e-Tourism Initiative is not only a key partner and co-organizer; it has been the initiator of key events with the aim of raising awareness of the benefits of e-tourism for developing countries. In 2006, the Initiative prepared the organization of the subregional conference entitled “Asia-Pacific: e-Tourism for Growth / Matching market efficiency and social inclusion”. The two-day event, which will bring together decision makers at the governmental, international and private sector levels from 48 countries, will be held on 13 and 14 March 2007 in Kota Kinabalu, State of Sabah, Malaysia. In terms of event organization, UNCTAD is working in close cooperation with other key private sector partners and tourism-related institutions, such as the Ministry for Tourism of Malaysia, and the Sabah Tourism Board of Malaysia.

Furthermore, the e-Tourism Initiative has provided advisory services to developing countries and regional organizations that have expressed an interest in implementing e-tourism activities.

7.3. Technical assisTance

The e-Tourism Initiative contributes to the local empowerment, inclusion and competitiveness of tourism stakeholders, through capacity-building and development activities. The Initiative’s technical assistance activities can be presented in three parts:

7.3.1. CourseMaterial

During 2006, training materials on “ICT and tourism” and “Electronic Marketing” were finalized (course, participants and instructors’ background material, evaluation documents) providing complete background materials for two courses in the field of e-tourism for development

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7. acT Iv I T I es of The e-TourIsm In IT IaT Ive

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The “ICT and Tourism” course is at present available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. Its objectives are to provide participants with relevant instruments for assessing the opportunities and impacts of ICTs in the tourism sector.

The “Introduction to e-Marketing Applied to Tourism” deals with the importance of electronic marketing in tourism promotion. It has been developed in two versions: a “face-to-face” version and a distance learning version, which extends the target audience of the course. It will be disseminated mainly through distance learning in close cooperation with TrainForTrade. The e-marketing course has been developed thanks to expertise made available by the Tourism Ministry of Quebec (Canada). Since 2005, the Tourism Ministry of Quebec supports the e-Tourism Initiative through the availability of technical expertise in the e-marketing for tourism field.

A slide from the face-to-face version of the workshop on e-marketing.

7.3.2. FieldTraining

In 2006, several training workshops were organized for public–private audiences. For every workshop organized, the e-Tourism Initiative customizes the pedagogical material with reference to the specific country situation and takes into account the profile of the target group. For 2006, workshops brought together more than 70 public and private decision makers from the tourism sector; they took place in:

- Colombo, Sri Lanka, October 2006

- Toamasina, Madagascar, October 2006 (part of a “Sustainable Tourism for Development” one-week course in co-operation with the UNCTAD TrainForTrade programme and sponsored by the Regional Authority of Rhône-Alpes, France)

- Phnom Penh, Cambodia, December 2006 (also in co-operation with TrainForTrade)

The Toamasina seminar was a unique experience as it was organized and sponsored by various institutional partners: UNCTAD through its TrainForTrade programme, the Regional Authority of Rhône-Alpes (France), NGO Tetraktys (France), Regional Authority of Toamasina (Madagascar), Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Madagascar) and Ministry in charge of Industrialization and Private Sector Development (Madagascar). It was the first time in the tourism sector of Madagascar that stakeholders coming from different decision-making levels – from international organizations to local institutions and civil society - conducted such a capacity-building activity. The experience has been fruitful and


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will soon be repeated in the region of Antsirabé, thanks to the support of the Regional Authority of Auvergne (France).

Each workshop was evaluated by the participants at the end of the course. Results show a high level of understanding and an excellent opinion of the seminar.

7.3.3. TechnicalDevelopments

As the IT component of the technical assistance package, an Electronic Tourism Platform (ETP) is being developed. It will eventually allow developing, least developed and small island countries to organize, market and sell their own tourism services online to national and international tourists. This ETP will be a “portal generator” and a maintenance software tool. The goal of the portal will be to enable prospective travellers to a beneficiary country to search tourism-related information and plan a visit; the ultimate objective of the software is to support travellers’ decision-making processes in a simple, effective and personalized way. This should result in a measurable increase of the inbound tourism flow. The open source approach will enable free distribution of the code and will make it possible for beneficiaries to customize and improve the tool according to their own evolving needs and wants.

Technical and functional descriptions have been developed with the University of Trento (Italy). The first set of activities concerning the development of the Electronic Tourism Platform is about to be carried out thanks to the partnership between UNCTAD and the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). In the course of 2007, technical activities will be undertaken with UQAM, and the e-Tourism Initiative intends to develop and deepen its partnerships in the field of tourism for development. ■


Working groups during the Madagascar workshop.

Participants in the Sri Lanka workshop gave some personal comments on the activity: “Normally we would presume that each does business in its own way, but now, we all realize that we have similar problems, are addressing the same issues and that we all look for an answer. We therefore got closer and more open to each other. (…) These are issues we can only deal with collectively. (…) Now we are able to understand that”; “All of us realize what we can change a little, e-marketing etc. and could do it. (…) We got a rough input of what we can do on our own (…)”.

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Activity Date Countries Type of Event* Participants

Commercial Law June Lao PDR National 23Commodities January Tanzania Regional 15Commodities June Senegal Regional 21

Oct. Sri Lanka National 30Dec. Cambodia National 20

Investment Oct. Lao PDR National 25Cambodia 25Lao PDR 40

Mar.-Apr. Mauritius National / DL 26KenyaTanzaniaUganda

Multilateral Trade Negotiations Oct. Cambodia National 23Cambodia 35Benin 12Guinea 11Togo 12Senegal 14Cameroon 17

Sustainable Tourism for Development Oct. Madagascar National 20

Tools and Methods for Trade and Trade Policy Analysis Sept. Various developing

countries International 20

July Western Asia 17Sept.-Oct. Transition Countries 16

Nov. Asia-Pacific 25TogoBeninGuineaAlgeria

Dec. Algeria National 16AngolaCape VerdeTimorCambodia Lao PDR

Human Resources Development for LDC and Regional

Organizations in AfricaMarch

Various developing and developed countries + regional organisations

Advisory Group Meeting 12

TrainForTrade Meeting for Port Communities May Portuguese-speaking

port communitiesCoordination

Meeting 26

Expert Group Meeting: Training, Networking and ICTs Nov. Various developing and

developed countriesExpert Group

Meeting 106

Annual Virtual Institute Meeting Oct. Member universities Coordination Meeting 13

University of Dar-es-Salaam April Tanzania 29Study Tour on Entreprise Law May Laos 3University of the West Indies May West Indies 23

Study Tour on Competition Law June Cambodia 7University of Dar-es-Salaam May Tanzania 5University Cheikh Anta Diop September Senegal 2

* DL: Distance Learning

Fellowship

International Investment Agreements

Study Tours and Fellowships

Meetings

Study tour

Training Course on Key Issues on the International Economic

AgendaRegional

Sept.

Regional

RegionalTraining of Technical Tutors

Jan.-Dec.

Training of Trainers

NationalPort Training Programme

Nov.

ICT and Tourism

National

Legal Aspects of e-Commerce

Regional / DL

Regional

18 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean

Aug.-Sept.

Training

15

10

33

July Regional 10

50

Mar.

Dec.

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8. summary of acTIvIT Ies of The four programmes7. acT Iv I T I es of The e-TourIsm In IT IaT Ive

2 � - 2 0 0 6

Belgium

• The PortofGhent cooperates with the TrainForTrade programme on issues related to port management. It took part in training seminars organized by the Port Training Programme.

Canada

• The Memorandum of Understanding pre-signed with the UniversityofQuebecinMontreal (UQAM) is a key asset for the e-Tourism Initiative activities.

• The agreement between the e-Tourism Initiative and the TourismMinistryofQuebec continued to yield excellent and concrete results in 2006.

France

• Activities of the Port Training Programme are organized in Marseilles, in collaboration with the PortAuthority and the RegionalAuthorityofProvence-Alpes-Côted’Azur.

• The seminar on Sustainable Tourism for Development in Toamasina (Madagascar) was organized by TrainForTrade and the e-Tourism Initiative with the RegionalAuthorityofRhône-Alpes.

• The cooperation between TrainForTrade and the Dunkirk Port Authority also continued, particularly for the update of the training material on port management.

Germany

• The Colombo (Sri Lanka) seminar on ICT and tourism was held thanks to the support of the GermanCooperationAgency (GTZ), which acted as a national counterpart for UNCTAD.

Portugal

• The Administração dos Portos do Douro e Leixões renewed their participation in the Port Training Programme by hosting both a training workshop and the coordination meeting for the Portuguese-speaking network.

Spain

• The PortAuthorityofValencia gave support to the Port Training Programme by sending experts to the field, both to Cambodia and to African countries.

9. parTner InsTITuTIons

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International Organizations

• As mentioned in Chapter 6, TrainForTrade and the InternationalTradeCentreUNCTAD-WTO (ITC) in Geneva have started a fruitful cooperation for joint technical cooperation activities. In 2006, a proposal was jointly prepared by the ITC and TrainForTrade to support Guinea in the field of trade and export promotion.

• The ITC has been also contributing to Geneva study tours for postgraduate students of Virtual Institute member universities and is an important partner in a joint UNCTAD-WTO-ITC project on applied trade data analysis.

• The WorldTradeOrganization (WTO) has been an active contributor to the Virtual Institute’s study tours and is a partner in the joint UNCTAD-WTO-ITC project on applied trade data analysis. WTO publications of interest to academia are made available on the site of the Vi, and both Organizations provided support to the Masters Programme in International Trade at the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

• The Virtual Institute has cooperated with the UN-ESCAP’s Asia-PacificResearchandTrainingNetworkonTrade(ARTNeT). Two ARTNeT members attended the Vi workshop on tools and methods for trade and trade policy analysis. In addition, the Vi makes available ARTNeT resources to researchers on its website, and an ARTNeT representative was invited to speak at the UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Building Skills in Developing Countries in November 2006.

• The TradeandRegionalIntegrationDivision of the UnitedNationsEconomicCommissionforAfrica contributed to two Vi professional development workshops on the economics of commodities production and trade. The Vi makes available ECA papers and studies on trade issues on the Vi website.

• The SouthCentre’s analytical work has been made available on the Vi website.

• The Virtual Institute has provided information and access for its members to professional development opportunities offered by the WorldBankInstitute.

• The WorldHealthOrganization, the InternationalLabourOrganization and the WorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization have also contributed to specific Vi activities, in particular the study tours for students of postgraduate programmes at Vi member universities.

• The course on Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda benefited from the cooperation of UN regional commissions: the UnitedNationsEconomicandSocialCommissionforWesternAsia, the UnitedNationsEconomicCommissionfor Europe and the UN-ESCAP have contributed to the programmes of courses organized for their respective regions. ■

9. parTner InsT I TuT Ions

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Belgium• Continued to support the development of TrainForTrade distance learning activities, including

course development and delivery in the LDCs.

Canada• Continued to support the e-Tourism Initiative through the funding of an e-marketing expert from

the Quebec Ministry of Tourism, and an intern from the Ministry of External Relations.• Provided funds to develop the website of the Virtual Institute, in particular the online library.• Funded the translation of the Virtual Institute training material on the economics of commodities

production and trade into French.

Finland• Funded a Virtual Institute professional development workshop on teaching and research on

commodities production and trade for academics from French-speaking African countries in Dakar, Senegal.

• Funded the participation of seven academics from African LDCs in the Vi fellowship programme.

France• Continued to support the TrainForTrade regional project for Cambodia and the Lao PDR.• Contributed to the funding of the TrainForTrade activities in Geneva.• Co-funded the Phnom Penh e-Tourism seminar through its Ministry of External Relations.• The Regional Authority of Rhône-Alpes funded the joint TrainForTrade/e-Tourism seminar in

Madagascar.

Germany• Funded the Sri Lanka e-Tourism capacity-building activity.• Funded two interns for the Virtual Institute and one for the e-Tourism Initiative.

Italy• Provided funds to develop the e-Tourism Initiative.

Japan• Funded the development of the Virtual Institute training material on the Economics of commodities

production and trade.• Funded a Vi professional development workshop on teaching and research on commodities

production and trade for academics from English-speaking African countries in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Portugal• Supported TrainForTrade activities directed to Portuguese-speaking African countries, especially

the update of training material.• Supported e-Tourism activities directed to Portuguese-speaking countries.

Spain•Contributed to the TrainForTrade activities in Latin America, within the framework of the

Memorandum of Understanding between ALADI and UNCTAD.

TheUnitedNations• Granted funds from the United Nations Development Account to support activities of the Vi.• UNCTAD’s Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes funded the

participation of several academics in Vi professional development workshops. ■

10. supporT from donors

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11.1. supporT for The buildinG of local and reGional TraininG and TeachinG capaciTies

• The Virtual Institute (Vi) will work with its member universities on the local adaptation of Vi teaching materials, which enhances their relevance and facilitates their use in member countries. In addition, the Vi plans to increase the number of individuals at member universities participating in Vi activities and further involve their partner institutions in the country. This will reinforce the institution-building impact of the project and extend its national and regional outreach. Further synergies are sought by more closely linking the two programmes of the Vi and the Training Course on Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda (Paragraph 166 Course): the latter provides opportunities for academics to participate in the courses as participants and resources persons, including drawing on some Vi members' expertise in certain fields. The Vi in turn makes its associate membership scheme open to policymakers who does get access to many Vi resources.

• TrainForTrade will continue developing and updating its courses on tourism, e-marketing, investment and trade issues. This will involve adaptation to local needs and conditions as well as translation into local languages, which will greatly enhance the importance and facilitate the use of such courses by beneficiary countries. A programme for the enhancement of distance learning activities has been planned that will allow TrainForTrade to reach a wider audience and multiply the impact of training.

• The e-Tourism programme will expand its contribution to the local empowerment, inclusion and competitiveness of tourism stakeholders, by conducting capacity-building and development activities and by designing and implementing innovative ICT-driven networking, knowledge management and sharing models.

11.2. develop research and supporT for The buildinG of local and reGional research capaciTies and The proMoTion of research-based policyMakinG

• The Virtual Institute and Paragraph 166 Course will continue organizing regional professional development workshops for academics and policymakers to further explore ways of enhancing the links with regional research and capacity-building networks. In so doing, the programmes will also try where possible to bring the two audiences together to strengthen interaction between them. The programmes will provide opportunities for long-term cooperation between the two groups, for example by inviting graduates of these courses to become associate members of the Virtual Institute. The Virtual Institute will also facilitate the access of member country delegates to UNCTAD research and encourage interaction between researchers and policymakers via short courses for Geneva-based diplomats.

• TrainForTrade will collaborate with its partner divisions and programmes on research activities and will conduct studies on distance learning issues.

• The e-Tourism Initiative will undertake a number of country case studies researching the impact and potential of e-tourism for development.

11. conclusIons: prIorIT Ies and challenges for 2007

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11. conclusIons: prIorIT Ies and challenges for 2007

11.3. Technical cooperaTion acTiviTis

• The Virtual Institute will enhance and fine-tune its customizable menu of Vi services to address the diverse needs of Vi members, as requested by them at the Vi meeting in October 2006. It will further strengthen cooperation in the Vi network, including through joint projects of the membership, and continue to aim for moderate growth of Vi university members, thereby ensuring that the quality of its work is not sacrificed to the quantity of its members.

• The Paragraph 166 Course will organize three regional courses on Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda as well as providing a first comprehensive selection of short courses on key international economic issues for Geneva-based missions. It will continue to enhance the marketing, preparation, delivery and evaluation of these regional courses, as well as their follow-up, in accordance with the recommendations of the independent external evaluation of 2005.

• A four-year TrainForTrade programme for Angola is due to start in the first term of 2007, together with the ITC-UNCTAD project for Guinea. The project for Cambodia and Lao PDR will continue to develop local capacities in order to ensure the local ownership and sustainability of training activities. The pilot project with ALADI will be implemented with the view to starting the full-fledged TrainForTrade multi-year project designed in 2006. Efforts to continue cooperation with the Chinese government and Wuhan region will be pursued. The port training programme for English-speaking developing countries will be launched with the support of the port of Dublin.

• The e-Tourism programme will carry out several workshops on "ICT & Tourism" as well as on e-marketing. The 1st UNCTAD subregional conference on e-Tourism: "Asia-Pacific: e-Tourism for Growth/Matching Market Efficiency and Social Inclusion" will be organized in Malaysia in March 2007. On the technical side, the first Content Management System-based release of the Electronic Tourism Platform will be developed, with a narrow but representative subset of the Traveller and Content Manager Modules implemented.

11.4. parTnerships

• The four programmes of the New Technologies, Training and Capacity-Building Branch will continue to consolidate and expand their partnerships with UNCTAD divisions and programmes, as well as building on their successful relationships with other international organizations, donors and partners. ■

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New TechNologies, TraiNiNg aNd capaciTy-BuildiNg BraNchdivisioN for services iNfrasTrucTure for developmeNT aNd Trade efficieNcyUnctad - UNiTed NaTioNs coNfereNce oN Trade aNd developmeNT palais des NaTioNs ch-1211 geNeva 10 (swiTzerlaNd)tel. + 41.22.917.20.48Fax + 41.22.917.00.50

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training Course on Key issues on the international

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UnIted natIonS conFerence on trade and development

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