Training Programs

Training Programs

A customized learning experience designed training built around your priorities

Customized training programs: the World Trade Institute's tailor-made offer

The World Trade Institute (WTI) provides tailor-made courses, training, and consulting services designed to meet the specific needs of professionals, practitioners, and officials involved in international trade and investment. These customized programs aim to enhance expertise and address unique challenges within the global trade landscape.​

For more information on how the WTI can organise a tailor-made course for you and your institution, please contact us.

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Key Features of WTI's Tailor-Made Offerings

WTI develops personalized courses ranging from consultative workshops to practice-oriented sessions on applied trade regulation and policy, as well as academic seminars on trade policy modeling and principles. Training can be conducted at WTI's premises in Bern or at the client's location, with durations varying from one day to several months. ​

The WTI offers expertise in areas such as regulatory issues, preferential trade agreements, sustainability impact assessments, governance, climate change, human rights, economic development, employment, and migration. These services cater to both public sector entities and international businesses. ​

Recent courses include: 

2023: Courses for officials of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Department for International Trade, United Kingdom.​

2021-2022: Provision of WTO-related modules in academic programs at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED), Uzbekistan, and courses for officials of the Ministry of Commerce, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.​

2019-2020: Courses for officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, India, and UK Trade Policy Capacity Building in collaboration with the British Embassy in Bern

The World Trade Institute's Trade and Investment-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

Trade and Investment-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

The World Trade Institute (WTI) provides trade- and investment-related technical assistance and capacity building services aimed at enhancing the ability of governments and non-governmental institutions to engage in international trade in a sustainable and inclusive manner.

Countries participating in the multilateral trading system—whether as WTO members or as part of preferential trade agreements—face a range of challenges. These often stem from their level of development, socio-economic conditions, or institutional structures. To address these, capacity building is essential.

Government agencies and NGOs alike often require targeted support to strengthen their institutional competences. The goal is to enable them to engage in international trade in a balanced way, reflecting the specific roles of various societal actors and the particular national context.

The training activities listed above represent a focused segment of WTI’s broader technical assistance and capacity-building portfolio. Beyond training, the WTI has also implemented and contributed to a wide range of international technical assistance projects, including several supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Selected Technical Assistance Projects:
- SECO-supported ‘Academic Capacity Building project in Trade Regulation’ (WTI, 2016)
- Preparing, Drafting and Negotiating Regional Trade Agreements, Attorney-General’s Chamber of Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, WTI, May and July 2008; July 2016)
- Advisory services to the Government of Azerbaijan on WTO Accession in the Area of Domestic Support in the Agricultural and Food Sector (2015/GIZ project)
- Advisory work on ASEAN FDI policy (WTI, 2014)
- Agriculture Policy Space for Least-Developed Countries as WTO Members (for a delegation from Nepal, October 2010)

Examples of Previous Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

Examples of Previous Trade and Investment-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Carried Out by the World Trade Institute

2025
- Executive Program for Malaysian Government Senior Officers on Climate Action and Energy Transition

2024
- Trade in Services: legal, Economic and Political Economy Insights, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2023
- Tailor-made course for officials of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
- Tailor-made courses for officials of the Department for International Trade, United Kingdom

2022
- Tailor-made course for officials of the Ministry of Commerce, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2021–2022
- Provision of WTO-related modules in the academic programmes of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED), - Uzbekistan

2021
- Tailor-made courses for officials of the Department for International Trade, United Kingdom (multiple sessions)
- Tailor-made course for officials of the Ministry of Commerce, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2020
- Tailor-made course for officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, India

2019
- Tailor-made course for officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, India
- UK Trade Policy Capacity Building, in collaboration with the British Embassy, Bern

More about the World Trade Institute

Learn more about our Directors

The Directors of the World Trade Institute (WTI) provide strategic leadership and academic guidance, ensuring the Institute’s continued excellence in international trade, investment, and sustainable development.

Research at the World Trade Institute

The World Trade Institute (WTI) is a global leader in advanced, interdisciplinary studies at the intersection of international law, economics, and political science. As a center of excellence at the University of Bern, we are committed to high-impact teaching and research that addresses the complex challenges of international trade, investment, economic globalization, and sustainable development.

Executive Training and Education at the WTI

At the World Trade Institute (WTI), we offer tailor-made executive education designed to meet the evolving needs of professionals and institutions working in international trade, investment, and economic governance. Our programs are crafted to deliver practical knowledge grounded in interdisciplinary research, combining law, economics, and political science.