A meeting that included heads and representatives of the permanent Arab missions to the UN was convened last Thursday. Also attending the meeting was the representative of the League of Arab Nations and the primary special counselor of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The meeting was held under the invitation and patronage of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh & Co. International (TAGI) and the Center for Applied Studies in International Negotiation (CASIN), in order to announce the creation of an Arab Center for building multilateral trade negotiation capacities.
The chairman of TAGI explained the role of the Arab center and its goals in developing the contribution of Arab states in the multilateral trade system, with special focus on the WTO. The chairman of CASIN presented a summary of the training programs that will be offered in the Arabic language on trade and its negotiations, which aim to enrich the knowledge of executives in the business sector and their understanding of the dynamics and mechanism of the international trade system, in addition to issues relating to the WTO and its systems, laws and agreements.
The meeting was lively and characterized with positive dialogue on the project, its advantages and how to execute it. A number of representatives of the permanent delegations of Arab nations offered constructive suggestions to develop the program’s idea, emphasizing that this initiative is taking place at the right time and that governments concerned with multilateral trade negotiations need such a program. At the same time they expressed their support for this project without reservation.
Abu-Ghazaleh explained that this center will begin its activities through numerous programs, the first of which will be held in Geneva to train the trainers for two weeks and in two phases. After that, the programs will be offered in the Arabic language, as TAGI will choose the best ones that have been offered by CASIN during the past 20 years to governments worldwide, and then will translate these to Arabic. He also stated that TAGI will offer the support and expertise needed by the CASIN experts to prepare a program that is appropriate with the requirements of the Arab world and in such a way that ensures the continuity of the program. This is because the process of developing skills and capabilities is a continuous one along with the continuity of multilateral trade negotiations.
Abu-Ghazaleh said that the schedule will be customized to cover the needs of Arab governments and the private sector on issues relating to multilateral trade negotiations. The representatives of the permanent Arab delegations offered the following suggestions and ideas to be adopted during the preparation of the program:
- Taking into consideration the need to make the program regional so that it can be adopted, and that its axes are based on common Arab interests in such a way that addresses the merits of the Free Arab Trade Zone.
- Preparation of a specialized program on negotiations to join the WTO, especially since there are Arab countries that have already passed this phase, and others that are on their way to negotiations and joining.
- Presenting a recommendation to confirm that the program –whether it is regional or domestic- addresses the needs of each particular nation.
- Recommending that TAGI and CASIN, in collaboration with the Arab League, present a list of suggested programs to Arab governments, so that they in turn can choose the appropriate plans or add new ones if need be, and set the priorities for this.
- Recommending that the agendas address the issues listed in the round of negotiations of the organization’s fourth ministerial meeting in Doha, and giving it priority since the Arab delegations will have an active role in multilateral negotiations, especially those related to the services sector.
- Recommending that these plans include an academic program which is an MBA in Global Trade, to be prepared in collaboration with the WTO and major universities.
The Arab diplomats emphasized that such training programs need to be in Arabic and of a practical nature, in isolation of non-applicable theories, by addressing some of the obstacles they may encounter during the preparation stage, especially those related to domestic legislations such that they become consistent or conformant to international trade agreements.
As for the issue of funding, Abu-Ghazaleh stressed that in addition to funding from Arab governments, funding should be sought from the Arab funding agencies over and above the efforts being exerted to obtain necessary funding from international funding institutions.
The leaders and representatives of the permanent Arab missions at the UN headquarters in Geneva thanked Abu-Ghazaleh for this initiative that doesn’t seek profit, but rather represents a true partnership between an Arab establishment and an international one for the interest of the Arab economy.