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Centre for
CONTINUING EDUCATION
AND EXTENSION SERVICES
&

Bahamas Coat of Arms

THE MINISTRY OF
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Present the course:

Introduction to the Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization

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Course Summary:

This course will be offered in four components on Friday & Saturday, 9th-10th May 2014 and Friday & Saturday, 30th-31st May 2014 at The College of the Bahamas Norther Bahamas Campus, Grand Bahama. Each class will be 3 hours for a total of 12 hours instruction. The 12 hours of instruction and course assignments will be equivalent to a two (2) continuing credit course from The College of The Bahamas’ Continuing Education & Extension Services. We are also working with the Bahamas Bar Association to include the course as part of a continuing education certification programme for members of the Bahamas Bar Association, and retroactive credit may be available.

This course is presented by the Centre for Continuing Education & Extension Services and the LL.B. Programme at The College of The Bahamas, in conjunction with the Ministry of Financial Services and Industry. This course will provide an introductory overview of various areas of the institutional structure, law and policy of the World Trade Organization, with a focus on the role of trade in development and Bahamian trade legislation. This course is appropriate for attorneys in both private practice and the public sector, as well as for other international trade stakeholders.

How the Course is arranged:

The four main components that will be covered by the course are:

1. History of the World Trade Organization, its structure and functions, the accession process, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (the GATT), and Schedules of Concessions;

2. Overview of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (the GATS), and general exceptions to both the GATT and GATS;

3. Overview of the Dispute Settlement Understanding, including cases, procedures and implementation of decisions, with a focus on developing countries within the WTO, including small island developing states; and

4. Overview of the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, including draft Bahamian implementing legislation.

For more information see the Course Outline.

About the Instructor:

Lisa Benjamin

Lisa Benjamin completed her B.A. at McGill University, her LL.B. at University College London, and her LL.M., with a specialization in law and development, at University of London. She is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales and barrister in The Bahamas, having practiced commercial law in both jurisdictions. She has over 10 years’ experience in the law, and teaches International Trade Law, Company Law, Environmental Law and Intellectual Property Law. Her specializations include small island developing states in environmental law, including climate change, and trade and the environment. She has published in these areas, has contributed to the Second National Communication of The Bahamas to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and is currently a national legal expert for a CARICOM project on trade and the environment.

The course includes 12 hours of instruction, copies of the slides, access to the course website, a graded assessment and 2 continuing education units (CEUs). For more information or to register for the course, please contact Leterah Munnings of COB's Northern Bahamas Campus at 688-5904 or leterah.munnings@cob.edu.bs.


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