A three-day workshop to sensitize government officials on the World Trade Organisation Agriculture Agreement got underway today at the Trade Department, Maison L’Esplanade.
The workshop is to further build the capacity of government officials involved in trade-related agricultural negotiations.
The main objectives are as follows:
Increased understanding and in-depth knowledge of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture.
Strengthened understanding of the developments in the Committee on Agriculture Special Session, particularly relevant for the Seychelles.
Enhanced capacity for aligning national agricultural policies with the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and Negotiations.
Enable Seychelles to fulfil its agricultural notification obligations in a timely and comprehensive manner, according to the prescribed WTO notification requirements and formats, in order to effectively participate in the review process.
Improve participants’ negotiation skills.
Senior Trade Officer, Ms. Veronique Brutus, explained that this workshop ‘seeks to improve Seychelles government officials’ ability to implement the WTO Agreements on Agriculture provisions correctly, improve their negotiating skills, and effectively represent and participate in the Committee on Agriculture/Special Session.’
She said the workshop is also needed as it will help ‘Seychelles meet its notification obligations through the appropriate training and simulation exercises’.
The Trade Department collaborated with the Secretariat of the World Trade Organization, and the Commonwealth Small States Office in Geneva, to organize this workshop.