P166 Pilot Interregional course

​The courses on key issues on the international economic agenda, known as Paragraph 166 courses, are delivered in two forms: short courses (half-day) for Geneva-based delegates and two-week regional courses for the five developing regions. The beneficiaries are mainly capital-based economic policymakers at relevant public institutions.

The regional courses are inducted in UNCTAD's mandate and are cross-divisional in their deliberations. The curriculum is designed and developed by the Policy Capacity-Building Section of the Knowledge Development Branch, located in DTL, in collaboration with the experts in the various UNCTAD areas of work. During the design phase, collaboration was sought from the UNCTAD focal points from various Divisions.

Similarly, the curriculum for this pilot Interregional Platform followed the established mode of operation. This pilot Interregional platform will be held in parallel with the Trade and Development Board meeting in 2019. The request to bring together alumni participants of regional courses was made by member States during the Trade and Development Board in 2017 and 2018. The first to be held, the pilot will bring together alumni participants from five regions, to share cross-regional perspectives and to have a follow-up training.

This pilot curriculum highlights sharing experiences between regional course participants as a critical element in policy formulation.  Topical economic issues at the regional, national and global level will be explored, along with implications for development strategies globally and particularly for the South. This pilot platform will also provide the participants with the latest UNCTAD research findings and technical assistance, as relevant to the three modules delivered during regional courses. 

These follow-up training sessions, will be concise and will use the UNCTAD integrated approach to discuss development challenges, examining the interdependence between different policy areas, including macroeconomic policies.

They will also address the interdependence between national, regional and international economic realities and their policy implications. The pursuit of national and international development policies and strategies is placed within the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide the overall framework for sustainable development policies in the 2015–2030 period.