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Ensuring Agricultural Trade Policy Transparency in the post-Soviet countries

Type
Course
Location
Web-based
Date
-
Duration
4 Months
Programme Area
Public Finance and Trade
Price
$0.00
Event Focal Point Email
pft-elearning@unitar.org
Partnership
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Registration
By application & selection
Mode of Delivery
E-learning
Language(s)
Russian
Data Protection and Privacy
The personal data of participants applying for, registering for or participating in UNITAR's training courses and other events is governed by the Data Protection and Privacy Policy. By applying for, registering for or participating in this event, the participant acknowledges that he or she is, (or they are) aware of the policy and agree to its terms.

[THIS COURSE WILL BE CONDUCTED IN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE ONLY. FAO will conduct the selection process by prioritizing applicants described in the target audience section of the course. Selected participants will be informed via email two weeks before the start of the course. Please ensure that you have entered a valid email address.]

The majority of the post-Soviet countries have been actively pursuing WTO accession after becoming independent states. Eight of the countries are now members (Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and Tajikistan), while Azerbaijan, Belarus and Uzbekistan are still negotiating their accession.

Recent international trading agreements have provisions calling on countries to notify others, in advance, about any measures that could affect trade, including trade of agricultural goods,  to fully explain them, and provide a means for commenting on them. For example, sanitary and phytosanitary measures (sometimes deliberately) may be unclear and arbitrary.

Transparency is an essential WTO principle stipulating that a country’s policies and regulations affecting foreign trade should be clearly communicated to its trading partners.

Prompt and comprehensive information about the conditions of trade is crucial for agricultural businesses involved in trade in post-soviet countries that are looking for predictability of market access. It is therefore fundamentally important that agricultural trade-related regulations and policies are transparent. In the transparency principle is implemented through obligation on publication, notification, and reply to enquiries concerning country’s specific measures, policies or laws by “notifications”; and through the trade policy review mechanism.

Other important benefit of transparency system is country’s right to comment on notifications and obligation of taking into account such comments by notifying member, thus opening dialog between interested  parties at the early stage when the amendments to the notified polıcy measure still can be made. Especially, it’s very important to learn how to apply this principle and to create effective transparency system on post-soviet space.   

This course will assist participants in mastering agricultural support polıcy and SPS transparency toolkit as well as WTO information databases and benefit from application of a transparency principle.

This course aims to strengthen knowledge of up to 70 participants and equip them with better understanding of the international instruments, rules, procedures for ensuring agricultural and trade policy transparency in post-Soviet countries. 

By the end of the course, participants will:

  • Acquire knowledge on the transparency principle, instruments and procedures regarding agricultural support policy and trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures. 
  • Acquire practical knowledge about monitoring of changes in trade related legislation with a view of implementation of international trade agreements and ensuring transparency provisions.
  • Understand the main functions and procedures of national WTO Enquiry Points and Notification Authorities; exchange experience between participants who works for such national authorities.
  • Understand how notifications are prepared (including on-line Notification Submission Systems that are relatively new feature in transparency toolkit) and how they are reviewed  
  • Acquire practical information about usefulness of transparency provisions for agricultural business
  • Understand and apply the transparency provisions of the Agreement on Agriculture, the SPS Agreement and other accords.
  • Establish a network of professional contacts with other participants.

The course is composed of three modules:

  • Transparency instruments and procedures
  • Transparency of agricultural domestic support policy and notification obligations 
  • Transparency of sanitary and phytosanitary measures  

The course will be conducted in Russian over a period of three weeks, organised in three modules. The course will be delivered via the e-learning platform developed by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR, http:/www.unitar.org). This pedagogical tool will help participants meet the course’s learning objectives through a self-paced study routine with optional and required readings, case study exercises, discussion forums and assessment quizzes. The course will be facilitated and mentored by international experts who have a wealth of practical experience to ensure that real-world examples which facilitate experiential learning are integrated into the coursework.

This joint FAO-UNITAR e-learning course is designed to assist representatives from Ministries of Agriculture, Ministries of Economy and Trade, sanitary and phytosanitary authorities as well as other public authorities with responsibility for agricultural support policy, agri-food trade policy and SPS measures in their work on ensuring agricultural and trade policy transparency. Private sector participants and academia teachers with interest in agricultural trade are also encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to public sector as well as representatives of agricultural producer associations in the post-Soviet countries who are able to convey information and provide technical advice to their constituencies (trainers, professional staff of producer organizations etc.)

This course is offered free of charge as part of FAO’s Regional Initiative on Agri-Food Trade and Market Integration in Europe and Central Asia. The course will be conducted in Russian language only. Limited slots are available and will be subject to a selection process conducted by FAO, taking into account in particular, the geographical distribution and gender balance. In order to receive the final confirmation of selection, participants would be requested to obtain permission to participate in the course from their direct supervisor.

In the preparation of this course FAO draws from its extensive experience with providing guidance, capacity building and technical advice to its member countries on agricultural trade policy and multilateral trade negotiations, as well its normative work on the SPS issues.

A certificate of completion will be issued to participants who successfully complete all course-related assignments and assessments.