Webinar on "Issues in International Trade: Market Access, Trade Agreements and Non-Tariff Measures"
Organised by Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM).
17 December 2020. Geneva - Kathmandu.
Concept Note
ITC delivered a webinar on market access and non-tariff measures with the objective of providing new insights to Nepalese students on the current state of international trade and the impact of non-tariff measures. The webinar was part of Kathmandu University School of Management’s (KUSOM) guest lecture series.
Around 30 students enrolled in Kathmandu University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program attended the webinar.
During the webinar, ITC briefed the students on some of the current issues in international trade including climate change, sustainability and fair trade, multilateralism and disruptions due to COVID-19 crisis.
The students were also informed on the role of World Trade Organisation, different types of trade agreements and its components. The webinar also provided insights on non-tariff measures and how it can disrupt trade – either negatively or positively.
Over the years, NTMs have grown in importance. While tariffs rates have declined, the number of new NTMs have increased drastically. The increased role of NTMs in international trade has been especially problematic to least developed countries (LDCs) such as Nepal.
ITC showed how the private sector experience NTMs based on the NTM Business Survey results that have been conducted in over 70 countries worldwide.
Speaker
Mr Samidh Shrestha is a Market Analyst at the International Trade Centre (ITC) – a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization (WTO). His work at ITC’s Trade and Market Intelligence section focuses on non-tariff measures (NTM) and market access. He has managed NTM Business Surveys in numerous countries in the Asia-Pacific, East-Africa, Middle East and North Africa, and the European Union region. He also coordinated the implementation of NTM Business Survey in Nepal - in collaboration with KUSOM. He is also actively involved in other trade intelligence, market analysis and capacity building related projects.
Prior to ITC, Mr Shrestha gained experience in the private sector in Germany where he coordinated business process outsourcing (BPO) operations to Nepal. He has also worked at the Max Planck Institute where he supported research work on entrepreneurship, growth and public policy. He hold a Master’s degree in International Economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), Geneva and an undergraduate degree from Jacobs University, Bremen.
About KUSOM
Established in August 1993, Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM), was the first school to launch graduate program in Kathmandu University and also the first one to initiate Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in the country based on internationally- followed design principles and structure. KUSOM continues to hold the prestigious position of being the leading business school in the country, rated as the best business school in all the B-Schools Ratings in Nepal to date and becoming the first choice of aspirants of management education and employers of management graduates alike (as indicated by the selection ratio for its programs and the placement rate of its graduates over the years).
KUSOM collaborated with ITC in the implementation of NTM Business Survey in Nepal in 2016/17.