IDEAS CENTRE
Our Projects“Sometimes a step back or away from an idea, task or project brings even more perspective, insight and clarity.” ― Rasheed Ogunlaru
7ÈME CLUSTER DE NEGOCIATIONS DE L’IDC SUR LE COMMERCE ELECTRONIQUE, 11-14 FÉVRIER 2020: RAPPORT DE SYNTHÈSE / JOINT STATEMENT INITIATIVE ON E-COMMERCE THE 7TH (FEBRUARY) CLUSTER, 11-14 FEBRUARY 2020: SUMMARY REPORT
Un objectif clair des discussions pour la CM12 a été identifié par les co-organisateurs: finaliser un texte consolidé et établir un cadre solide pour les travaux futurs.
Interim urgent support to the French-speaking developing countries within the framework of the Joint Statement on Electronic Commerce
WTO – Trade Policy Review of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
WTO - Trade Policy Review of the Lao People's Democratic Republic THE PROJECT Timeline: 2019 - 2020 Donor: National Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Beneficiary: Lao People’s Democratic Republic Background Providing transparency over the...
Support to Lao PDR in the Process of Joining WTO Information Technology Agreement
THE PROJECT Timeline: March 2019 – December 2019 Donor: Australia (DFAT) Beneficiary: Lao People’s Democratic Republic Background The WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA) was concluded in December 1996 by 29 WTO Members. Since then, the number of participants...
Providing support to the LIDCs in the negotiations on agriculture, fisheries and e-commerce (with a special emphasis on ASEAN LDCs and selected African LIDCs)
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2018 –2019 Donor: Germany (GIZ) Beneficiaries: low Income Developing Countries (LIDC) with a special emphasis on ASEAN LDCs (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar) and selected African LIDCs (notably, the WAEMU Member States – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote...
Support to Cambodia in the LDC coordination role
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2017 - 2018 Donor: Germany (GIZ) Beneficiary: Cambodia Background The Cambodian Mission requested assistance in performing the demanding task of coordinating the LDC group in 2017. The DDA negotiations are vital for the LDCs group in this...
Serbia accession
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2003 - PresentDonor: Switzerland (SECO)Beneficiary: Serbia Serbia started its independent process of accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2005, having spent four years negotiating accession in a joint bid with Montenegro as a part...
Trade facilitation in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2017 - 2018Donor: Germany (GIZ)Beneficiary: Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam Background The assignment commissioned by GIZ was undertaken in the period November 2017 – August 2018 to assist Cambodia, Thailand and Viet Nam in facilitating trade in...
ASEAN LDCs
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2016 - 2018 Donors: Australia (DFAT) Beneficiary: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar Background In 2016/2017 IDEAS Centre has implemented a DFAT-funded project to support Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar participation in trade negotiations and trade...
UEMOA Support for MC11
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2017 Donor: Commission de l'UEMOA Beneficiaries: Commission de l'UEMOA, Benin, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo L’article 84 du Traité de l’UEMOA indique que « l’Union conclut des accords internationaux dans...
Lao PDR post-accession
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2014 - 2017 Donors: Switzerland (SECO) Beneficiary: Lao PDR Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) became the 158th member of the WTO on 2 February 2013. The country has used the accession process to modernize its trade regime and to adopt...
Myanmar trade strategy
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2016 - 2017 Donor: Germany (GIZ) Beneficiary: Myanmar After years of isolation from the international community, the government of Myanmar initiated in 2011 a process of economic and political reforms with a view to open its market to trade and...
Capacity building with ECOWAS
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2016 Donors: Trade Advocacy Fund, UK (TAF) Beneficiaries: ECOWAS Members : Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo ECOWAS envisions...
Capacity-building in Myanmar I & II
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2013 - 2014 Donor: Germany (GIZ) Beneficiary: Myanmar Background Two projects on trade-related capacity building were implemented in Myanmar in the period October 2013 – April 2014 and in autumn 2015. As one of the only two least-developed...
Liberia accession
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2012, 2015 Donor: Switzerland (SECO), SIDA Beneficiary: Liberia The Republic of Liberia submitted its application to accede to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 13 June 2007. The Working Party was established on 18 December 2007. The...
Support to LDCs/LIDCs: Nairobi and Beyond
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2014 - 2016 Donors: Australia, Germany (GIZ), The Netherlands Beneficiaries: LIDCs, LDC coordination and the African Group The project was funded by Australian Aid and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia (January to June 2015)...
Montenegro accession and post-accession
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2005 - 2014 Donor: Switzerland (SECO) Beneficiary: Montenegro (Ministry of Economy) The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was a member of the GATT since 1966 but could not ratify the Uruguay Round Agreements due to the Yugoslav Wars. The...
Workshop in Mongolia
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2014 - 2015 Donors: Germany (GIZ), Trade Policy and Promotion Fund Beneficiary: Mongolia The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) implemented a project within the Trade Policy and Trade Promotion Fund to support Mongolia...
Mongolia
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2014 - 2015Donors: Germany (GIZ) , Trade Policy and Promotion FundBeneficiary: Mongolia Background Mongolia is landlocked developing economy seeking to fully integrate into the world trading system. As a staunch supporter of multilateralism, the...
Kyrgyz Republic
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2013 - 2015 Donors: Germany (GIZ), Switzerland (SECO) Beneficiary: Kyrgyzstan Background The Kyrgyz Republic acceded to the WTO in late 1998 and has since been a major regional driving force in terms of trade regulation. With the second Trade...
Lao PDR accession
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2007 - 2013Donor: Switzerland (SECO)Beneficiary: Lao PDR Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) is the last country from South East Asia that has acceded to the WTO (2 February 2013), although it has been seeking membership since 1997. The...
The Cotton Project
THE PROJECT Cotton Project I Timeline: 2003 - 2008 Donors: Denmark (MFA), Sweden (MFA), Germany (BMZ), The Netherlands (MFA), Switzerland (SECO), UK (DFID), France (MFA) Beneficiary: Burkina Faso, Benin, Chad, Mali Cotton Project II Timeline: 2009 - 2010...
Mapping Lao PDR’s commitments within ASEAN
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2011 - 2012Donor: Germany (GIZ) Beneficiary: Laos Background Lao PDR has been gradually integrating into the world economy through the accession to regional and multilateral trading systems such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the...
LDC accession to the WTO
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2011 - 2012Donor: Switzerland (SECO)Beneficiary: LDCs Background Accession to the WTO provides an opportunity for countries to integrate into the world economy and to implement economic and trade reforms, but the process entails huge efforts by...
Promotion of ASEAN economic agreements
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2009 - 2011 Donor: Germany (GIZ) Beneficiaries: The ASEAN Secretariat, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam Background The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was...
Lebanon accession
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2002 - 2011Donor: Switzerland (SECO)Beneficiary: Lebanon Shortly after independence in 1943, Lebanon acceded to the GATT as a founding member in 1947 and became a model for social and economic development in the Middle East. The country was...
Tajikistan accession
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2005 - 2011 Donor: Switzerland (SECO) Beneficiary: Tajikistan Tajikistan submitted its application for membership to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in May 2001. The Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime was submitted to the WTO in February...
Seminar for the private sector on negotiations
THE PROJECT In 2010, IDEAS Centre organised a one-day seminar for a group of 40 Swiss private sector representatives. The issues addressed were: how do international organisations and/or negotiations influence the work of private sector and how can the private sector...
Briefings for Vietnamese trade officials
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2009 - 2010 Donors: Switzerland (SECO), EU-Vietnam MUTRAP III Beneficiary: Vietnam In 2009 and 2010, IDEAS Centre organised three briefings for high-level decision-makers and trade negotiators from various relevant Ministries of the Vietnamese...
Tunisia
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2009Donor: France (AFD) Beneficiary: Tunisia Background In 2008, bilateral negotiations between Tunisia and the EU for the integration of agriculture in the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area were launched. At that time, three rounds of...
Geneva Trade & Development Forum
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2006 - 2012 Donors: Denmark (MFA), Switzerland (SECO), France (AFD, MFA), Germany (BMZ, Inwent), The Netherlands (MFA), Syngenta Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Association des Communes du Haut Plateau Valais, Organisation Internationale de la...
Mozambique
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2004 - 2011 Donor: Switzerland (SECO) Beneficiary: Mozambique This project started in 2005 with the aim of strengthening the capacities of the Mozambican Government for the WTO negotiations on agriculture in the Doha Round. It aimed at...
Workshop in Syria
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2007 Donor: Germany (BMZ) Beneficiary: Syria In December 2007, IDEAS Centre was part of a team of three international and regional experts who developed, conducted and evaluated a five-day seminar as well as prepared and held a lecture and...
Ghana procurement
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2003 - 2007 Donors: Switzerland (SECO) Beneficiary: Ghana Background At its highest political level, the Government of Ghana decided to fundamentally reform its procurement system to ensure that efficient, fair and transparent public procurement...
Viet Nam accession
THE PROJECT Timeline: 2002 - 2007 Donor: Switzerland (SECO) Beneficiary: Viet Nam The Vietnamese Government applied for World Trade Organisation (WTO) membership in 1994 and a Working Party was established in January 1995. On 2 May 1997, the Swiss Confederation and...