Participants in the Netherlands Trainee Programme make study visit to The Hague

The participants were accompanied on the study trip by Willie Chatsika, Head of the English-speaking Africa Regional Desk in the WTO’s Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC).

The NTP is a joint initiative of the WTO and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands aimed at improving participants' capacity through “learning by doing”. Officials taking part in this year's edition are from Africa, Asia and the Pacific region.

The study trip was coordinated by the Clingendael Institute, an independent academic and research institute engaged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands under the framework of the NTP. The main objectives of the study trip were to enhance the participants’ trade policy-making skills, enable them to gain insight into how the needs of different national stakeholders are translated into trade policy, and to learn more about the nexus between international trade and development.

During the study trip, participants were given first-hand exposure to the formulation of trade policy during various presentations by officials from the International Trade Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Clingendael Institute also organized sessions on negotiations and presentation skills, considered critical for trade negotiators.

The study trip also included visits to selected institutions in The Hague which have an input in trade policy formulation. These were the Social and Economic Council (SER), the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) and the Horti Centre which brings together multiple enterprises in the horticultural sector to form a collective bargaining position for their products. A guided tour of the Port of Rotterdam, a major gateway for international trade, was another aspect of the study visit.  

The group also had a visit to the Peace Palace, which houses the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). The PCA provided a detailed presentation of its structure and functions and allowed the group to access the chamber of the ICJ.

The NTP is a ten-month internship programme funded by the Government of the Netherlands and undertaken in the WTO Secretariat, with the aim of assisting in the economic and social development of least developed countries (LDCs), other low-income countries and comparable small and vulnerable economies in areas related to trade policy, with a particular focus on Africa.

The 2024 NTP cohort comprises 14 government officials, whose diversity reflects the different targets of the programme — a focus on LDCs and Africa, geographical diversity and gender balance. Eight of the participants are from Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Lesotho, Namibia, Tunisia and Uganda), five are from Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Myanmar and Pakistan) and one from the Pacific (Solomon Islands). Eight of the NTPs are from LDCs, and six out of the 14 are women.

The NTP was launched in 2005 and has been regularly renewed. The current phase was launched in 2023 and will continue until 2028.