The Meeting Was Attended by 23 Participants from Member Universities, and the Following

1 THE THIRD VI MEMBERS MEETING 2008: INTRODUCTION

Since the second Virtual Institute (Vi) members meeting in October 2006, the membership has grown from 15 core members to 23 and welcomed a new category of member, 'affiliate member universities', which are national partners of core members and currently number 121. This year's meeting was attended by 22 representatives from the Vi's core membership, as well as 2 representatives from the Vi's affiliate member universities2, making this the biggest meeting yet of the Vi network.

As a member driven programme, the Virtual Institute is the expression of its members' interests and needs: along with the Geneva-based Vi team, it is the members who define the future work of the Vi. This approach to the ownership of Vi activities ensures that the work of the Virtual Institute responds to local demand (in the teaching and research of trade-related issues) and is relevant to local contexts and capacities. The regular Vi members meetings are therefore instrumental in shaping the future direction and content of the Vi work and gathering feedback on the experimental nature of a project driven by a diverse network with different needs and country experiences.

This year's week-long meeting was structured around three types of sessions addressing the needs and future work of the network, topics of professional interest and importance to the members, and opportunities for networking with each other and Geneva-based experts. The members also got acquainted with, and received training on the newly launched Vi website. The meeting was opened by the Director of UNCTAD's Division for Services Infrastructure for Development and Trade Efficiency, Anh-Nga Tran-Nguyen, and followed by presentations and accounts from Vi members and the Vi team reviewing the past year's activities and reflecting on the successes and lessons learned by the network.

As part of the meeting, two afternoon-long sessions were held on substantive issues of importance to the network: the first session was a keynote speech given by the Director of UNCTAD's Globalization and Development Strategies Division, Heiner Flassbeck, which addressed the growing imbalances in the international financial system and how this affects developing countries. The speech was prefaced by a presentation from Detlef Kotte, Head of the Macroeconomic and Development Policies Branch in the Division, on the challenges of globalization for developing countries, in the context of UNCTAD XII. The second session was a roundtable on Regional Trade Agreement (RTAs) and regionalism - an issue requested by members at the last meeting in 2006. The roundtable was chaired by Patrick Low, Chief Economist at the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the panel included speakers from the World Bank, the European Commission in Geneva, The Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery in Brussels, the University of Geneva, the World Trade Institute and UNCTAD.

During the week, two workshops were held on areas of further cooperation between network members, the aim being to take advantage of the face-to-face contact to negotiate the future work plan of the Vi. Lastly, the week also included opportunities for individual networking between members in formal and informal settings, and optional networking opportunities with the Vi's partner organizations in Geneva, such as the WTO, who attended several of the meeting's sessions. On the final day of the meeting, both members and the Vi team presented the week's outcomes and future direction of the Vi to an audience of diplomats and Vi partners, attended by 18 delegates of Geneva-based missions and 3 colleagues from Vi partner organizations, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the South Centre. For a more detailed summary of all of the week's sessions, please see the programme of the meeting (in Annex I), the individual write-ups for each session and the evaluation of the meeting by members (below).

1 See Annex III for a full list of member institutions. 2 See Annex II for the list of participants.

2 LOCALISATION OF GENERIC TEACHING MATERIALS

The localisation of teaching materials was a project introduced at the 2006 Vi members meeting with the aim of making generic teaching material more relevant to the local teaching needs of university members. In addition to this, other benefits of the project include a broader participation of university staff, who may wish to localise material, in Vi activities and the eventual sharing of localised teaching materials among multiple members of the network. Since 2006, 11 adaptations of existing generic teaching materials on investment, commodities, negotiations and competitiveness have been completed or are in progress.

One objective of this session was to raise awareness among members of what is contained in the new generic teaching materials on Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs), Trade Data Analysis (TDA) and Trade and Poverty (TAP), and how they could be used in members' teaching. Additionally, the session was intended to promote discussion and ideas about how the material could be adapted to make it more relevant to members' local needs, in the context of the Vi's project on the localisation of teaching materials. Older members who had already completed a localisation of existing teaching materials were also able to share the benefit of their experience with newer members.

Participants split into four groups to discuss the material and address three questions: (1) Who would you give the material to in your university? (2) What courses could the material be used for? (3) What else would you need to do to the material to make it relevant to your national and regional context? What data, exercises, readings, or research/essay questions would you need to add to the material to make it more locally relevant?

Participants discuss how to localise the material

Two groups chose to look at the RTA material, while one group each looked at the TAP and TDA material respectively: the following is a summary of their ideas.

Regional Trade Agreements (Group 1) The material: . Could be given to graduate students, lecturers and the library. Some of it can be adapted to undergraduate level; some can be adapted to policy makers workshops. . Can be used in general courses on Regional Integration; International Trade; Trade Policy; specific courses for policy makers; other related courses, e.g. MBA courses that are related. . Could be adapted by providing specific cases of RTAs with the member country concerned, including regional statistics; translation, focus on some sectors important for the country.

3 Regional Trade Agreements (Group 2) The material: . Could be used for graduate courses on Masters in International Business or International Relations; undergraduate courses in Economics. Adapted versions could be used for Graduate/MPhil students in Economics. For Masters students in Economics, the material would need to be supplemented by additional items from the reading lists. . Could also be used for continuing education courses, e.g. certificate/diploma/ workshops/training courses/reading courses. . Could be adapted by providing case studies, including illustrations and examples. Members could include analytical models from the existing reading list; add readings from their country/region; translate concepts into locally/relevant exercises; provide simulations on RTA negotiations; and analyse country/regional level trade diversion & trade creation effects.

Advice from older members: . Intervention from Azad: Mauritius encountered data problems not foreseen when writing the proposal, e.g. the coverage of Islamic banking had to be dropped as it was not feasible. . Intervention from Chantal: CTPL has developed some simulation exercises that could be shared.

Trade Data Analysis: . Module 1 of the material could be used with undergraduates and governmental officials; modules 2 and 3 are more appropriate for graduates and post-graduates, and government officials (only if they have the necessary background knowledge). . The material could be used in courses on International Trade, International Economics, International Competitiveness, International Trade Policy, International Finance, Public Finance, specific TDA courses, and interdisciplinary courses. . Examples of local adaptations could include the harmonisation of software common to all members; training on software databases; local examples and case studies using the methods presented in the material; translation into local languages; contracting experts to help teach with the material.

It would also be useful to have: . Workshops on TDA involving experts, organised by the Virtual Institute - such as the one that took place in Geneva, in September 2006. . Networking opportunities . Computer facilities (to follow the exercises, simulations and cases)

Trade and Poverty: . The material could be used with third year undergraduate students in courses on Development Economics and Development Studies, and on courses with trade/government representatives and in executive training. Additionally, the material could be used on trade workshops for MA students and as background material for teaching notes. . The material could be made more locally relevant by providing case studies, both sectoral and national, such as mining, cut flowers, fisheries, tea, coffee etc. Although the material addresses the gender impacts of trade reforms, this could be much expanded by a short paper or additional notes to the material.

4 JOINT MEMBERS' PROJECTS

Launched at the second Vi Members Meeting in 2006, Joint Members' Projects were intended to encourage and support cooperation between the membership in areas of mutual interest. Five joint projects have been undertaken since the last meeting and are now either completed or near to completion.

This year's meeting focused on the presentation of joint projects already undertaken by members, rather than structuring activities for the discussion of future projects. This was deliberate, partly in recognition of the diversity of members' skills and interests, and partly to give newer members a concrete idea of what joint projects involve. Discussion of future projects was instead left to members to do individually in sessions reserved for networking and consultation and during informal networking events.

Members present the results of the joint projects

During the session, four projects were presented by members:

. The implications of textiles/garment trade and investment from China to Senegal - a research paper written by Aly Mbaye of Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal, and Weiyong Yang of the University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China. Members hope to publish the research in the coming year. . A comparative analysis of the effects of regional trade agreements on trade (Jordan, Mauritius and India) - a research paper undertaken by Talib Awad and Amir Bakir of the University of Jordan, Meeta Mehra, Manoj Pant, Saptarshi Basu, Roy Choudhury and Amit Sadhukhan of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, and Sawkut Rojid, Vinesh Sannassee, Boopen Seetanah and Suraj Fowdar of the University of Mauritius. Members hope to either publish the research in the coming year and/or extend the scope of the project to include other countries. . Two training projects on International Trade Law between the Centre for Trade Policy and Law at Carlton University in Canada and the University of Mauritius and EAFIT University in Medellín, Colombia. Members plan to establish courses in International Trade Law at their respective universities with the support of CTPL. . A training material on trade and environment, developed by Sangeeta Bansal and Meeta Mehra of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, and Anne-Marie Zwerg of EAFIT University in Medellín, Colombia. Members plan to use the material with students on undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

At the end of each presentation, there were opportunities for questions and discussion, both about the substance of the projects as well as methodological and practical issues, often relating to the coordination between remote members.

5 LAUNCH OF THE NEW VI WEBSITE 2008

The expansion and changing needs of the network require a website that can both meet those needs now, as well as can be easily adapted to meet evolving needs in the future. For this reason, the Vi brought the design and construction of the website 'in house' and during 2007 built a new website using free and open source software (FOSS). This enabled the Vi to increase the interactivity and add several 'Web 2.0' functions to the site (such as member uploads and contributions to the news section), as well as have the capacity to introduce any changes to the site in the future.

The new site was launched to members in a specialised training session during this year's members meeting. In order to ensure the proper and increased use of the site, it was important to train members in a face-to-face setting on the functions of the site, especially given the diverse levels of experience with ICTs among the membership.

Participants during the website training session

"The new website is much more user-friendly!" Pham Thi Mai Khanh, Foreign Trade University, Hanoi, Vietnam "Susana, Yasemin and Bertrand did a really good job - first created this new site and then taught us to use in a simple and understandable way!" Anna Olefir, Vadym Hetman Kiev National Economic University, Kiev, Ukraine "Now I am feeling able to teach my colleagues how to register, and to access and upload material." Adérito Notiço, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique

The site has two main purposes:

1. To provide access to specialised knowledge about trade and development, in the form of annotated resources, collected in a browse-able and searchable (full text search) online library. Additional resources include links to websites relevant to the field, materials used in Vi workshops and an archive of Vi newsletters, which contain information about the network and trade and development resources. The site also contains 7 bespoke training materials produced by the Vi, as well as localised versions written by members.

2. To provide a networking tool for members: news items provide information about developments at member universities to the network and individual members can upload items themselves. Members are also able to upload their research for

6 distribution and feedback, as well as their own presentations and resources for sharing with other members. Members can also use several features of the site to communicate with each other.

The training included how to upload documents and members' own research, as well as create personal profiles that include professional information and research interests, to help with networking. Having been shown how to use the Vi website, member coordinators can now help other staff members in their universities use the site too.

7 IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF THE DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT PROJECT 2006 - 2009

The Virtual Institute is mainly funded by the United Nations Development Account, a condition of which is that an evaluation of the impact of the project is conducted at the end of the project, in 2009. To assist this process and to facilitate the collection of data that would be required for such an impact assessment, the Vi asked participants at this year's meeting to brainstorm how to assess the five different areas funded by the Development Account: namely, (i) the Vi meetings; (ii) the generic teaching materials; (iii) the localisation of generic teaching materials; (iv) joint member projects; and (v) the website.

The objectives of the exercise were to gather ideas from the expertise and experience of the membership as to how to conduct the assessment, and to understand what would be feasible for the members in terms of their time and the availability of data. As well as the impending requirements of the Development Account, an impact assessment also has the broader perspective of illuminating what Vi membership brought to member universities, what the Vi team did well and what could be improved, and what direction the Vi should take based on the experience of the first five years of its existence (2004-2009) - issues that will be addressed at the fourth meeting of the network in 2009.

In groups, participants were asked to consider: (a) what would need to be measured for such an assessment (indicators, both quantitative and qualitative), and (b) sources of information for these indicators (how the data will be collected). Participants were asked to keep in mind what is a good measure of the impact (convincing enough), yet how feasible is the information to collect.

This is a summary of participants' responses:

Network meetings (to be assessed by member coordinators only) Qualitative and quantitative indicators: . Provide reference to members' prior expectations . Assess access to information and knowledge, such as up-to-date trends and ideas on trade and development from experts at the meeting . Evaluate the materials provided at the meeting by the Vi, and their use . Assess the degree of networking opportunities provided by the meetings: numbers of contacts with other members and the results, numbers of contacts with experts and the results and numbers of contacts with missions

Generic teaching materials (assessed by member coordinators, other teaching staff and students) Quantitative indicators: . The number of training materials used by members: which ones and on what courses . The number of lecturers using the materials . The number of students on courses using Vi training materials

Qualitative indicators (of the usefulness of the material): . Their methodology and structure . Their geographical coverage . Their thematic coverage . The clarity of their information . The quality, availability and relevance of their further readings

8 Localisation of teaching materials (assessed by member coordinator) Quantitative indicators: . The number of materials that have been localised . The number of case studies added . The number of staff members who use the materials

Qualitative indicators (of the usefulness of the material): . Assess the relevance and quality of the localised materials for teaching/research: for example, is it up-to-date, does it provide relevant tools? . Assess the impact on members' research from localising material: for example, the collection of data for a case study . Assess how the material was localised and what form it took, for example, translation . Assess the relevance of the material for policy makers and the private sector

Joint members' projects (assessed by member coordinator and participating staff) Quantitative indicators: . The number of members involved in the project . The number of lecturers/faculties involved in the project . The number of hours spent working on joint projects . The number of joint projects . The number of publications/journals/working papers in which joint (research) projects appear . The number of downloads of joint (research) projects' papers from the Vi website . How many members used the joint (research) projects' papers . The number of citations of joint (research) projects

Qualitative indicators . Assess how the researcher has progressed as a result of involvement with the project . Peer review the projects

The website (assessed by member coordinator and Vi team) Quantitative indicators: . The number of site hits . The number of downloads of a material . The number of documents posted by Vi members . The number of staff members registered on the Vi website . The number of student members registered on the Vi website . The total number of registered members using the Vi website (for example, this would include all associate - individual - members)

Qualitative indicators . Assess the accessibility of the site . Assess the user-friendliness of the site . Assess the degree of networking opportunities provided by the site

9 PARTICIPANTS' FEEDBACK QUESTIONAIRE ON THE VI MEETING 2008

The meeting was attended by 24 participants from 20 core member universities and 2 affiliate member universities; the following feedback is based on 21 returned responses.

Expectations In general, the meeting either met or exceeded the expectations of participants, and participants rated this category on average 4.4 out 5 (5 = expectations exceeded). Before the meeting most members hoped that the meeting would broadly address 3 main areas: to provide opportunities for meeting other members and networking with them and other Geneva-based experts, to review the past year's work of the Vi, and to agree on further areas of joint cooperation and the future work plan of the Vi.

"Sometimes lecturers are isolated, even on their own in a department, so the support of a network is vital for their own professional development and the survival of the courses they teach and research they undertake". Adérito Notiço, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique

More specifically, participants expressed pleasure that more members gave presentations than at previous meetings and that there were plenty of opportunities for interaction and networking. Some members however, felt that there was not enough time for the discussion of joint projects, especially given the diversity of members' research interests and expertise.

Relevance of the meeting sessions The graph below shows the averaged response for each session. It is apparent that a majority of members in general found the content and format of all the sessions to be very relevant to their work and the work of the Vi.

Quantitative responses of participants to the relevance of individual sessions to their work and the work of the Vi (5 = very relevant; 1 = not relevant)

10 Some sessions in particular stood out for praise from the membership, such as the website training and the localisation projects, which were useful for new members. The response to the networking sessions was more mixed, with some members describing them as excellent while others felt that they were not structured enough and that the substantive sessions were more useful; Monday's keynote speech was highlighted as informative, academic and interesting.

Work plan of the Vi for 2008 For a successful implementation of the agreed work plan, it is important to have a realistic appreciation of how participants imagine the feasibility of individual activities. Scoring an average of 8.6 out of 10 (10 = very feasible; 1 = not feasible), the participants felt that the work plan for 2008 would certainly be achievable before the next Vi meeting.

However, as with last year's meeting, there was more optimism about the success of localisation projects than joint cooperation activities, which require coordination with two or more members.

Future directions for the network In this section, members were asked how their understanding of the Vi network had changed, as well as their understanding of their role as a Vi coordinator, and to make any suggestions for the next meeting. One participant noted that being a Vi coordinator means "commitment, responsibility to the promotion of better education and cooperation with other universities", while another reflected that following this year's meeting he now needs "to be more active in different aspects".

Some specific suggestions for the coming year . Add new member(s) from developed countries . Get a list from members about available journals published by their university

… And for next year's meeting . The next meeting should focus on a specific topic and the membership suggested several possible themes to choose from:  Investment and related topics, such as mineral economies (4)  Promotion of entrepreneurship and business development (2)  Regional integration (2)  Technology transfer  Poverty  Services (especially Mode 4) . The meeting could take a more academic/conference format . The meeting could be fitted into three or four days . Papers on the substantive parts of the meeting should be circulated in advance . There should be more opportunities to discuss the findings of joint projects . There should be more focus on members' teaching, in particular the methods and tools used, as well as curricula . There should be more substantive sessions with experts.

Several members expressed their satisfaction with the current format of the meetings.

11 Additional suggestions for the website . Announce member university activities, such as international conferences and calls for papers, online . Digitally publish members' essays and articles on the Vi site, with the possibility to peer review them . Provide an email distribution list . Provide more creative space for students, such as discussion forums or chat . Provide discussion forums for university members . Link to UNCTAD XII roundtables, press conferences and press releases

12 CONCLUSIONS

In the closing session of this year's meeting, Fredrik Arthur, Counsellor for the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations in Geneva, remarked that the Virtual Institute had changed unrecognisably since its inception just after UNCTAD XI, four years ago. In such a short time, the network has grown in both size and stature, expanding the number of its members and their geographical distribution, as well as the number of services it provides to its members. It was clear from this year's meeting also, that the membership has developed in two other ways: the connections and cooperation between members has matured and expanded, and the number of people involved at individual member universities is starting to increase, thereby multiplying the impact of the project.

Having launched several new services at the last Vi members meeting in 2006, this year's meeting was very much a stock-taking event designed to involve newer members who have joined since the last meeting, and to build relationships within the network to ensure the ongoing success of existing services. The work plan is considered to be achievable by the network and should therefore provide members with realistic opportunities and support, rather than over-burden them with time commitments and bureaucracy.

Round table on RTAs: (from left to right) Talib Awad, University of Jordan; Anna Olefir, Vadym Hetman Kiev National Economic University, Ukraine; Jorge Vitorino, European Commission; Patrick Low, WTO; Marcelo Olarreaga, University of Geneva.

Judging by some of the suggestions for the next Vi meeting, due to take place in May 2009, it seems that the format of the meeting will be somewhat different again, reflecting the evolving needs of the membership and the deepening ties of trust and cooperation between them. For example, there is support for a shorter, more intensive meeting, perhaps following a conference format. There have been offers from member institutions to host the meeting in a different region of the world, on one hand sacrificing access to Geneva-based expertise, but on the other gaining from local knowledge and experience (government, the private sector, local academia) and familiarity with a specific regional context. And, it has been suggested also, that the next meeting should focus on a specific topic recommended by the network, such as investment.

The Virtual Institute began as an experiment, and in a limited time, with limited funding and other resources, it has rapidly become a successful model of capacity building and support to developing country academic institutions in the field of trade and development. After 4 years of refinement of the project, it is clear that developing countries will benefit from support to academia and the contribution it makes to policymaking in these countries.

13 ANNEX I - Program of the 2008 Vi Members Meeting

Third UNCTAD Virtual Institute Meeting

Geneva, 4 - 8 February 2008

Program

Monday, 4th February Room XXIV, E-building, Palais des Nations

09:00 - 12:30 Opening (with a break) . Anh-Nga Tran-Nguyen, Director, Division for Services Infrastructure for Development and Trade Efficiency, UNCTAD (to be confirmed) . Vlasta Macku, Chief of the Virtual Institute

Introduction of members and their institutions

Review of last year's work: . Presentation of the Vi progress report (Vlasta Macku, Virtual Institute) . Research fellowships (Francis Matambalya, University of Dar-es- Salaam, Tanzania) . Vi study tours (Neil Paul, University of the West Indies) . Linking policy-makers and academics in UNCTAD's Course on Key International Economic Issues - participation of Vi members (Meeta Mehra, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India) . Professional development workshop: Workshop on the teaching and research of trade and poverty (Geoffrey Bakunda, Makerere University Business School, Uganda) . Launch of UNCTAD flagship reports at member universities (Tatiana Isachenko, Oleg Savelyev, Higher School of Economics, Russia)

14:00 - 17:30 Keynote speech (Heiner Flassbeck, Director, Division on Globalization and (with a break) Development Strategies, UNCTAD) . Globalization and development challenges from an UNCTAD perspective - main issues to be tackled at UNCTAD XII . The International Financial System and consequences for development (capital flow paradox; the role of exchange rate management and regional financial cooperation; new financial instruments)

19:00 - Networking dinner

Tuesday, 5th February Room XXIV, E-building, Palais des Nations

09:00 - 12:30 Localization of generic training materials (with a break) . Feedback from members who completed localization activities and sharing of experiences with new members/coordinators (Group activity) . Localization of new generic materials o Trade Data Analysis o Transfer of Technology o Regional Trade Agreements

14 o Trade and Poverty o Debt

Group activity identifying ways in which the materials can be made more relevant to local contexts, and discussing how the materials can be used in existing or future courses. . How to apply for funding for localization activities: application form, procedures, deadlines

14:00 - 17:30 Joint projects of the Vi network (with a break) . Introduction: types of joint projects and objectives . Presentations of completed and ongoing joint projects, feedback and discussion: o Implications of textiles/garment trade and investment from China to Senegal o Comparative analysis of the effect of regional trade agreements on trade (Jordan, Mauritius and India) o CTPL projects with Mauritius and Colombia (Canada, Mauritius and Colombia) o Training material on trade and environment (Colombia and India) . Upcoming joint projects (2008-2009) o Discussion of potential areas for cooperation and identification of topics for further joint activities among members o Information about the application process and deadlines

Wednesday, 6th February Room E-7109/Room XXIV, E-building, Palais des Nations

09:00 - 09:30 Introductory session to the website (Room XXIV) - All

09:30 - 11:00 Group 1: Website session (E7109) Hands-on introduction to the new website . Website content . How to update individual and faculty profiles . How to register students . How to upload documents

Group 2: Work on the ideas for joint projects (to be presented on Thursday)

Group 2: Website session (E7109)

11:00 - 12:30 Group 1: Work on the ideas for joint projects (to be presented on Thursday)

14:00 - 16:00 Roundtable on Regional and Bilateral Trade Agreements and the Multilateral Trading System, chaired by Patrick Low, Director, Economic Research and Statistics, WTO . An economist's view of burgeoning regionalism (Marcelo Olarreaga, University of Geneva) . Interface between RTAs and the multilateral trading system (Mina Mashayekhi, UNCTAD)

15 . Can we multilateralize regionalism? (Theresa Carpenter, World Trade Institute)

Discussion and questions . Regionalism and development: North-South RTAs (Jorge Vitorino, Permanent Delegation of the European Commission in Geneva; Junior Lodge, Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery, Brussels) . South-South RTAs (Carsten Fink, Visiting Senior Fellow, World Economy Group, Sciences Po, Paris)

Discussion and questions

16:00 - Informal networking activity

Thursday, 7th February Room XXIV, E-building, Palais des Nations

09:00 - 12:30 Impact assessment of training materials, localizations and other network (with a break) activities . Brainstorm about formats and contents of impact evaluation activities . Agree on timing of evaluations and reporting procedures

Discussion of future directions and activities . Localisation and joint project proposals . Study tours, fellowships . Next Vi Meeting: discuss possible formats

Evaluation of the meeting LUNCH

Afternoon Individual meetings at UNCTAD, other international organizations and Permanent Missions

Friday, 8th February Room XXIV, E-building, Palais des Nations

10:00 - 11:30 Meeting with Geneva-based missions and Vi partners

11:30 - Informal cocktail at the Escargot Bar, third floor, E-building, Palais des Nations

16 ANNEX II - List of participants

Country Mr/s Name Position University 1 Belarus Ms Alena Associate Professor, Department of Belarus State Economic Petrushkevich World Economy University, Minsk 2 Canada Ms Chantal Blouin Senior Research Associate Centre for Trade Policy and Law, Carleton University, Ottawa 3 Chile Mr Felipe Muñoz Professor, Institute of International University of Chile, Santiago de Studies Chile 4 China Ms Li Yang Associate Professor, School of University of International International Trade and Economics Business and Economics (UIBE), (SITE) Beijing 5 Colombia Mr Sascha Furst Head, International Business EAFIT University, Medellín Department 6 Ms Hilda Arango de Programme Director, International Universidad de la Sabana, Chía Ortega Business Studies, International School of Economics and Business Studies 7 Egypt Mr Ahmed Ghoneim Associate Professor, Faculty of Cairo University Economics & Political Science 8 India Ms Meeta Mehra Associate Professor, School of Jawaharlal Nehru University, International Studies, Centre for New Delhi International Trade & Development 9 Iran Mr Mehdi Fakheri Head, International Economics School of International Relations, Department Tehran 10 Jordan Mr Talib Awad Professor, Department of Business University of Jordan Economics 11 Kenya Ms Tabitha Kiriti- Senior Lecturer, School of Economics University of Nairobi Nganga 12 Mauritius Mr Azad Parahoo Director, Centre for Professional University of Mauritius Development and LifeLong Learning 13 Mozambique Mr Aderito Notiço Head, International Relations Office Eduardo Mondlane University, Faculty of Law Maputo 14 Russia Ms Tatyana Isachenko Professor, Trade Policy Chair, Higher School of Economics, Department of World Economy Moscow 15 Mr Oleg Savelyev Deputy Chair, Trade Policy Chair, Higher School of Economics, Department of World Economy Moscow 16 Ms Olga Trofimenko Associate Professor, Department of St. Petersburg State University World Economy, Faculty of Economics 17 Senegal Mr Aly Mbaye Director, Centre for Applied Economic Cheikh Anta Diop University, Research (CREA) Dakar 18 Mr Mohamed Ben Professor, Deputy Director of the Cheikh Anta Diop University, Omar Ndiaye Centre for Applied Economic Research Dakar (CREA) 19 South Africa Mr Andre Jordaan Director, Investment & Trade Policy University of Pretoria Centre (ITPC) 20 Tanzania Mr Francis Professor University of Dar-es-Salaam Matambalya Faculty of Commerce and Management 21 Uganda Mr Geoffrey Bakunda Dean, Faculty of Marketing and Makerere University Business Hospitality Management School 22 Ukraine Ms Anna Olefir Deputy Director, Centre for Vadym Hetman Kiev National International Trade Development Economic University, Kiev 23 Vietnam Ms Pham Thi Mai Lecturer, Economics and International Foreign Trade University, Hanoi Khanh Business Faculty 24 West Indies Mr Paul Neil Manager, Research & Development, University of the West Indies /Barbados Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services

17 ANNEX III - List of Members

Core University Members (23)

1. Latin American School of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Buenos Aires, Argentina 2. Belarus State Economic University (Minsk) 3. University of Campinas, Brazil 4. Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada 5. University of Chile (Santiago de Chile) 6. University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China 7. EAFIT University, Medellín, Colombia 8. Cairo University, Egypt 9. Université Pierre Mendès France, Grenoble, France 10. Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India 11. School of International Relations, Tehran, Iran 12. University of Jordan (Amman) 13. University of Nairobi, Kenya 14. University of Mauritius (Réduit) 15. Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique 16. State University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation 17. Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal 18. University of Pretoria, South Africa 19. University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania 20. Makerere University Business School, Uganda 21. Vadym Hetman Kiev National Economic University, Ukraine 22. Foreign Trade University, Hanoi, Vietnam 23. University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus, Barbados)

Affiliate University Members (12)

1. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina 2. Academia Diplomática de San Carlos, Colombia 3. Universidad Autónoma de Occidente, Colombia 4. Universidad Icesi, Colombia 5. Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar, Colombia 6. Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Colombia 7. Universidad de La Sabana, Colombia 8. Universidad del Norte, Colombia 9. Universidad del Rosario, Colombia 10. Universidad Sergio Arboleda, Colombia 11. Universidad del Valle, Colombia 12. St. Petersburg State University, Russian Federation