Trade think tank set to release program on trade policies

MANILA, Philippines – Business-led trade policy think tank Universal Access to Competitiveness and Trade, in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC-Geneva) will release a program that will help people understand trade policies.

Special Envoy for International Trade Negotiations and U-ACT chairman Donald G. Dee welcomed the partnership where he underscored the importance of providing and sharing of knowledge and information on the various aspects of trade policy and negotiations from both local and international perspectives.

Dee said the course program will become a continuing professional program that will later become an academic franchise for university and academic use.

“Eventually, it will secure an accreditation and certification for continuous professional learning and future academic and university use. We want to train and educate as many stakeholders as possible. This program is designed to equip stakeholders with the knowledge on how to become more attune to the developments of the international trade policy practice and profession, to enable our stakeholders become competitive with the emerging challenges of trade liberalization,” Dee said.

The trade policy curriculum under the banner of the Institutionalization of Multi-Stakeholder Professional Learning and Universal Skills for Trade Policy and Negotiations (I-MUST PLUS) will design and institutionalize an integrated modular program for CEOs, trade advocates, policy specialists, business managers and legal practitioners on various WTO trade agreements, regional and bilateral FTAs and business advocacy for trade policy and negotiations.

ITC will dispatch a pool of renowned international experts on subject areas related to intellectual property, completion and investment, market access in goods, trade in services, and export schemes, to serve as lecturers of the I-MUST PLUS Curriculum Program.

The maiden run of the program will cover two lecture series covering a five-day course for trade specialists and advocates, and business managers; and two-day programme for chief executives, chamber leaders and industry associations heads.

The program also features discussions and dialogue with the Philippine trade negotiators.

The I-MUST Curriculum includes specialized modules on the following subject areas: Private Sector and International Trading Environment; Market Access for Trade in Goods; Trade in Services; WTO Compatible Public Support for Business Operations; Intellectual Property Issues; Competition and Investment Rules.

U-ACT operates and manages the Philippine Learning Centre for Trade and Investment Policy (PLACE), the first private sector led trade policy training and learning institution in Southeast Asia, dedicated to capacitating private sector stakeholders on the merits of business participation in trade policy formulation and negotiations. –Ma. Elisa P. Osorio (The Philippine Star)