The annual World Trade Organization Chairs Programme (WCP) Conference was successfully held on 25-27 July 2022, in Geneva, Switzerland. The representatives from World Trade Organization (WTO), WCP board, and WCP chairholders gathered to discuss various issues related to international trade and the vision for WCP years ahead. Topics such as the results of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12), WTO responses towards the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, and the advancement of sustainable trade became the main focus of the three-days conference.
Established in 2010, WCP is a programme that aims to enhance research activities and knowledge dissemination related to international trade in developing countries. Initially, there were only 14 academic institutions that were chosen as chairholders, in which Center for World Trade Studies (CWTS) UGM has been one of the chairholder since the beginning. Currently, there are 36 universities from various developing countries that have joined the WCP scheme.
The Director of CWTS UGM, Dr. Riza Noer Arfani, represented Indonesia in the 2022 WCP Conference. In this conference, Dr. Riza presented several case studies related to circular economy activities, MSMEs development, and Indonesia economic recovery which have been actively implemented by CWTS UGM since 2021. The activities of CWTS UGM related to the previously mentioned issues include both local and international workshops, webinar, journal publication, and podcast releases. Together with other delegates, such as the delegates of Mauritius, Barbados, and Kenya, Dr. Riza reiterates how WCP projects, which are relevant for both developed and developing countries, can play a significant role in promoting sustainable and inclusive international trade.
During the annual conference, WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala conveyed the importance of the chairholders role in propelling the implementation of MC12 by delivering research-based policy recommendations. In the closing statement delivered by WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang, the active participation from chairholders is hoped to maintain and improve the research and dissemination activities on international trade related issues, as well as collaborations with policymakers and stakeholders.
