This Seminar aims to build awareness and capacity among WTO Members on the role of competition policy in trade and development. It will focus squarely on experience with respect to competition policy provisions that are already built into the existing WTO Agreements, facilitating policy dialogue on related issues among WTO Members. It further aims to familiarise participants with competition policy elements in existing WTO Agreements, and the role of competition policy for development and other related matters.

This  Seminar will provide an opportunity for participants to enhance their awareness of competition policy principles within existing WTO Agreements, including the TRIPS Agreement, the Government Procurement Agreement, and the GATS Agreement. New developments in patent pooling, compulsory licensing and standard setting will be discussed to highlight the increasing linkages between intellectual property and competition policy. The role of competition policy and law as an adjunct to open and transparent public procurement systems in preventing bid rigging in government procurement supporting the fight against anti-corruption will be discussed. The participants will also be familiarised with sector specific issues, for example, telecommunications with respect to the interface between competition policy and trade in services.

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