Courses and Seminars -

Seminar on Origin Rules, ISPRI, Dominican Republic (October 27-30, 2008)

The Seminar on Origin Rules was held at the Dominican Republic, October 27-30, 2008, under the Institutional Support Program for Regional Integration (ISPRI), and offered an analytical and practical training on Origin Rules issues within trade agreements, and particularly on the techniques of analysis of origin of merchandises, certification of origin processes, and procedures of verification and control of origin, as well as on trade agreements origin rules implementation and compliance. The seminar program was designed and developed by Dr. Jorge Bardier - Vice-President of INTEGRAL Honorary Advisory Council - and Dr. César Bourdiel, both Associate Consultants of INTEGRAL, together with Dr. Claudio Levalle, Coordinator of Merchandises Origin Area of the Undersecretary of Policy and Commercial Management of the Argentine Republic. Sixty six people, belonging to the public - mostly from the Customs General Direction - and private sector, as well as some special guests from other Caribbean countries, participated in the seminar. The presentations can be requested by email to Trade Capacity Building Projects; further information can be found in the following links.
Participants List
Press Releases
Download Seminar Evaluation by the Participants
Photo Gallery
More on ISPRI...

X Training Course on International Trade Negotiations - Intellectual Property Rights (14 -23th MARCH, 2007)

The X Trade Negotiations Skills Course - Intellectual Property Rights is a nine-days intensive training activity, focused both on Intellectual Property Rights relevance and interpretation in trade agreements and their related commitments. The program is specifically oriented to identify and explain the main concepts regarding IPR's within trade agreements, their impact on domestic trade policies and the implementation issues aroused from the commitments undertaken. Main issues are explained from the conceptual point of view, complemented by a negotiation techniques session and followed by a simulation exercise over a Dispute Settlement Panel before the World Trade Organization where the issue at stake is the demand of one state member to another alleging non compliant national legislation according to the Trade Related Intellectual Property Agreement (TRIP's). Preliminary Program

Download Registration Form
Apply to a partial Scholarship

Intelectual Property, Trade and Economic Development: Seeking Consensus (March 7, 2006)

The protection of Intellectual Property rights (IPR) is among the most critical and contentious issues in current international trade negotiations worldwide. Active controversies now swirl through this hemisphere and beyond over TRIPS compliance and enforcement. At the same time, a determined push to expand IPR protections beyond TRIPS - and a corresponding pushback by developing country members - has added contentious new issues. Knotty legal issues are conjoined with socially sensitive questions of public health, technology transfer, and poverty. Commercial and economic interests collide with intensely political, nationalist and ideological sentiments. In this context, the Summit of the Americas Center (SOAC) at the Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC) of Florida International University (FIU) and the Center of Studies on Economic Integration and International Trade (INTEGRAL), have established a Joint Working Group on Trade and Intellectual Property to follow the evolution of this field. We seek to create opportunities for reflection that will convene representatives of international organizations, governments, the private sector, trade associations, non-government organizations, legal experts and academics. SOAC/INTEGRAL Working Group will organize a continuing conference and seminars series to contribute to innovative discussion and resolution of IPR issues.