The Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations (TFCTN) Executive Programme is a six-week capacity building and training program focused on trade negotiations and economic issues. Participants are drawn from various government agencies and ministries in Asia. These officials include mid-career and senior level staff from trade and industry, as well as finance, agriculture, and other government agencies that handle trade policy formulation. Participants include not only the individuals specifically responsible for day-to-day negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO), regional or bilateral free trade areas, but may include those responsible for implementing these agreements in the domestic arenas, including upholding international trade law obligations.
The Executive Programme provides government officials with the practical, interdisciplinary knowledge needed to effectively participate in international trade negotiations. The overall objective of the course is to assist regional states in implementing WTO and FTA agreements domestically through training and to create a greater awareness of the rules of various trading regimes. This will help regional and local officials devise strategies to best meet the challenges of—and benefit from—global trade liberalization and economic integration.
In addition to materials about negotiation techniques, the Programme provides officials with in-depth knowledge of topics like intellectual property rights issues related to trade negotiations. Other topics covered in the programme include the dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO and anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws. The Centre makes extensive use of case studies and simulations in teaching. Lessons are carefully targeted for the Asian participants in the programme. The training instructors for each section of the programme are recognized experts in the field, including officials from the WTO Secretariat, former trade negotiators, international lawyers, and top-notch academics.
Participants are mid-level officials in trade or foreign affairs ministries located throughout the Asia-Pacific region. We are looking for people who are actively involved in developing, negotiating, or implementing trade policy. The Programme is conducted in English, so adequate language skills are critical. This is not an introductory level course, although we are fully aware that applicants will have gaps in their knowledge in various areas.
The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) serves as the institutional home for the Centre. RSIS is an autonomous graduate school of international affairs as well as one of the leading think tanks in the Asia-Pacific region.
For additional information and details on the next TFCTN Executive Programme please refer to www.tfctn.org.sg or contact:
Mr. Swee-Seng Quak
Centre Administrator
Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations
Contact: (65) 6790-6415
Email: isssquak@ntu.edu.sg
