News Releases

Building a "One Caribbean" Trade Network

For Release Upon Receipt - August 27, 2019

St. Augustine


“Together we can do more and achieve more for the continued sustainable development of the entire region.”

These were the words of Professor Brian Copeland, Campus Principal of UWI St Augustine. He was addressing an audience of participants from across the English, French and Spanish-speaking Caribbean, present in Trinidad and Tobago for a first of its kind two-month course on regional trade. Professor Copeland said the course, a collaborative initiative of UWI’s Institute of International Relations (IIR) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), symbolised a “One Caribbean” network of trade professionals.

The WTO Regional Trade Policy Course (RTPC), held from Monday, June 3 to Friday, July 26, 2019, included 22 participants. There were four locally based (three from the Ministry of Trade and Industry and one from the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards) and 18 visiting professionals from Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.

“I was just aiming to deepen my knowledge regarding the application of the rules and regulations of the WTO for the countries of the Caribbean Region, but on top of that, I am also around a wide net of professionals with experience in the WTO, particularly in the Caribbean Region,” said Mrs. Amarilis Altagracia, Head of Division, Central Bank of Dominican Republic.

Combined teams of WTO facilitators and regional resource persons covered topics such as the Basic Principles of the WTO, Trade Facilitation, Agriculture, Trade in Services, Dispute Settlement, and Regionalism and Development.

At the opening ceremony, Director of IIR Professor Jessica Byron welcomed the WTO delegation, led by Mr. Roberto Fiorentino, Counsellor of the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC). Professor John Agard, Director of the St Augustine Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, brought greetings on behalf of the campus. Mr.  Norris Herbert, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, gave remarks on behalf of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

The closing ceremony was held on July 26. Professor Copeland; Dr. Frederick Y. Agah, Deputy Director-General of the WTO; and Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry; all gave remarks and praised the first of its kind collaboration.

Dr. Frederick Y. Agah, Deputy Director-General, WTO, Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry and UWI St Augustine Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal Professor Brian Copeland (centre) congratulate a participant of the of the World Trade Organisation Regional Trade Policy Course

 Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister, Ministry of Trade and Industry

Professor Brian Copeland, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, The UWI St. Augustine 

 Dr. Frederick Y. Agah, Deputy Director-General, The World Trade Organisation

Professor Jessica Byron, Director of the Institute of International Relations (IIR), chairs the closing ceremony of the RTPC 

 

 Ms. Vanessa Rampersad, Ministry of Trade and Industry (left) and Ms. Lissette Nonalaya, WTO (second from right) pose with participants of the World Trade Organisation Regional Trade Policy Course

Mrs. Amarilis Altagracia, Head of Division, Central Bank of the Dominican Republic                                                                     

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About The UWI

For over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and four campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Studies Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); the UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies and the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. 

As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. Times Higher Education ranked The UWI among the top 1,258 universities in world for 2019, and the 40 best universities in its Latin America Rankings for 2018. The UWI was the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists.  For more, visit www.uwi.edu.

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