Nepal Infrastructure 
KATHMANDU: As global trade is becoming more complicated, competitive, and challenging, Nepal needs to develop the capacity to safeguard trade interests in the international market. Nepal’s irreversible graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2026 and possible loss of international trade privileges further reinforced the necessity for strengthening trade capacities, skills, and knowledge to secure benefits from the global trade system.
Nepali officials must have an adequate understanding of emerging trade issues, and multilateral trading systems, and honed skills in trade negotiations to maximize benefits from international trade for the scheduled graduation from the LDC status, and sustainable economic growth.
However, knowledge and skills regarding the multi-lateral trading systems, including the World Trade Organization among Nepali officials, are insufficient for effective and efficient negotiation to safeguard the interest of Nepal in the international trading system.
Given the growing need for enhanced capacity of officials of trade-related government agencies for trade policy-making, implementation, and trade negotiations, the European Union-funded EU-Nepal Trade and Investment Programme (TIP) organized is organizing the workshop for Nepal government’s trade officials with the support from the Centre for WTO Studies (CWS), the Center for Research in International Trade (CRIT), and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade ( IIFT).
The ‘Introductory Training Programme on International Trade and Trade Policy’ that kicked off on Monday in Lalitpur, is the first in a series of planned trade-related skill-enhancement workshops for Nepali officials under the EU-Nepal TIP’s support.
A total of 26 government officials, including seven female officers, are taking part in the five-day workshop. Relevant officials representing the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, National Bureau of Standards and Metrology, Nepal Rastra Bank, National Planning Commission, Nepal Administrative Staff College, among others are attending the workshop.
The key objectives of the workshop include upskilling Nepali trade negotiators and policymakers to ensure their effective participation in the WTO meetings, WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism and multilateral/ bilateral trade negotiations. Similarly, the workshop aims to enhance the understanding of key trade issues among concerned officials.
During the workshop, Nepali officials will be introduced to international trade and WTO from Nepal’s perspective, WTO Agreement on Agriculture, WTO Agreement on Agriculture Domestic support, WTO and food Security, WTO Agreement on Agriculture-market access and export competition, and the trade-related data and market analysis. Similarly, World Integrated Trade Solution and Trade Data of Nepal, analysis of trade trends, Nepal’s WTO commitments, WTO dispute settlement mechanism, Least Developed Country (LDC) graduation-related issues, trade facilitation in services and global value-chains, stakeholder consultation and Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights are also among the topics of the workshop.
The five-day hands-on workshop is expected to fulfill the needs of Nepali officials on issues related to WTO and its implication for Nepal and make themselves better prepared for securing Nepal’s trade promotion and dealing with the possible challenges following Nepal’s graduation from the LDC.
Speaking on the occasion, Govinda bahadur Karkee, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, said that an international-level workshop like this would help in enhancing the trade negotiation capacities of Nepali trade officials at a time when challenges and opportunities exist in international trade. Instructors from the Center for WTO Studies Murali Kallummal, Shailaja Singh, and Dr. Sachin Kumar Sharma are imparting the workshop.
