News and insights on WTO Technical Assistance programmes |
- Coming Up: key activities in spring 2026
- E-Learning: second course on Rules of Origin now available in three languages
- Round-Up: top news and highlights
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Several TA activities have already been approved, with further initiatives currently being planned. Details on upcoming activities are available via the link to the Technical Assistance Management System (TAMS) below. |
Note: The above list is not exhaustive and reflects only some of the forthcoming activities scheduled to date. For the complete and most up-to-date schedule, please consult TAMS regularly. |
📍 Benin | 📅 13-17 April 2026
Regional workshop for French-speaking African countries on
Trade in Services and Digital Trade |
This workshop will bring together officials from French-speaking African countries to deepen their understanding of trade in services and the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), with particular emphasis on the growing role of digital trade.
Through a combination of presentations, interactive exercises, case studies, and peer learning, participants will gain hands-on experience using analytical tools such as I-TIP Services to support national policy formulation and trade negotiations. The workshop will also address how digital technologies are reshaping traditional modes of services supply and the implications for policy and regulation in African economies. |
📍 Geneva | 📅 20-24 April 2026
Applications open for global workshop on government procurement |
Government officials eligible to benefit from WTO TA are invited to apply to take part in the 2026 Advanced Global Workshop on the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement to be held from 20 to 24 April 2026 in Geneva. Applications can be submitted until 13 February 2026.
The Workshop will be held in the three official languages of the WTO, with the delivery of presentations in English and simultaneous interpretation into French and Spanish. |
📍 Geneva | 📅 20 Apr - 8 May 2026
Introductory Trade Policy Course for LDCs |
This course introduces participants to the WTO, its basic rules and disciplines, and how it operates. The main objective is to provide participants with a solid foundation in the functioning, structure, and fundamental principles of the WTO.
The development dimension is an important part of the programme, including highlighting decisions that have been adopted in favour of LDCs since the launch of the DDA. |
Second course in the e-Learning Rules of Origin series now available in three languages |
Take your knowledge further with WTO provisions and current work related to Rules of Origin (RoO). Learn how RoO affect international trade, review the WTO rules that govern them, and get an introduction to the work of the Committee on Rules of Origin. |
Prerequisite: completion of Made in… Understanding Rules of Origin |
Explore other courses on the e-Learning platform |
The WTO e-Learning programme offers a range of training courses through a comprehensive online platform, covering WTO agreements and various aspects of international trade.
Enrol for free in the WTO e-Learning programme and gain access to an ever-expanding catalogue of training courses designed to help you navigate the dynamic world of global trade. |
📅 1 Dec 2025 – 27 Jan 2026
In-depth Course on WTO Dispute Settlement concludes |
The In-Depth Course on WTO Dispute Settlement concluded on 27 January, following a four-week virtual programme. The course provided Members’ government officials with an advanced, practice-oriented understanding of WTO dispute settlement procedures, combining lectures, round-table discussions and hands-on exercises to strengthen both legal foundations and applied skills. Delivered through a series of two-hour Zoom webinars, the programme also featured expert breakout sessions, group assignments and additional readings and videos, with recordings made available via the WTO YouTube channel. Participants additionally had the opportunity to attend the 27 January 2026 meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body. |
📍Singapore hosted Trade Policy Dialogue on the World Trading System
📅 13 – 15 January 2026 |
The sixth Singapore–WTO Trade Policy Dialogue brought together senior capital-based trade officials to exchange views on the state of play of key negotiating issues ahead of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon. Across thematic sessions led by prominent trade experts, participants discussed recent developments and outstanding questions across core areas of the multilateral trading system, with a focus on implications for MC14 preparations. The interactive format encouraged peer-to-peer exchange, enabling participants to compare national perspectives, clarify negotiating dynamics, and test policy assumptions. |
📍Jamaica Strengthens Capacity on Industrial Policy and WTO Rules
📅 26 – 29 January 2026 |
A national workshop supported Jamaican officials in deepening their understanding of key WTO disciplines relevant to industrial policy design and implementation. The workshop combined expert-led presentations on core WTO rules with hands-on training on the use of relevant databases, enabling participants to analyse tariff structures, import licensing regimes and quantitative restrictions in a practical and applied manner. Interactive round tables provided a space for focused discussion on Jamaica’s specific trade policy questions, encouraging participants to link multilateral obligations with national development objectives. |
📍Sri Lanka Builds Practical Skills on WTO Trade Remedies
📅 27 – 29 January 2026 |
Structured around the full lifecycle of investigations, the programme focused on strengthening participants’ capacity to operationalize and correctly implement the relevant provisions of the WTO Agreements on anti-dumping, subsidies and countervailing measures, and safeguards.
Over three days, the workshop combined conceptual inputs with detailed technical sessions covering institutional set-ups, initiation requirements, data collection, questionnaire design, due process obligations, and case management. Particular emphasis was placed on anti-dumping investigations, with participants working through the logic of dumping and injury calculations, comparison methodologies, and evidentiary challenges, including the use of facts available. The programme concluded with simulation exercises on dumping, injury and causation, enabling participants to apply legal and analytical concepts to realistic case scenarios. |
WTO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Coordinated and managed by ITTC |
A core function of the WTO, technical assistance and capacity-building activities seek to enhance professional and institutional trade capacities in developing and least-developed WTO member and observer governments. They provide beneficiaries with enhanced know-how to take full advantage of the opportunities from the rules-based multilateral trading system and address potential challenges. Within the WTO Secretariat, the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) oversees these activities. |
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