1. Introduction to the Center for WTO and International Trade
a. Introduction
The Center for WTO and International Trade is set up under the auspices of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) to provide legal support for Vietnamese businesses on international trade issues.
The Center’s mission is to improve awareness, capacity, and voice of the Vietnamese business community to actively participate in negotiations and gain the most benefits from WTO and other trade agreements of Vietnam, as well as to prevent and deal with their possible negative impacts.
b. Organization
– Director: General management and making decisions on the Center activities.
– Secretariat: Administrative support and coordinating the Center activities.
– Advisory Committees – Councils: Professional consulting units established according to specific demands of businesses in each period and on each issue, the 02 current units are the International Trade Advisory Committee (INTAC) and the Trade Remedies Council (TRC).
– Network of domestic and foreign collaborators: A linkage of professional experts and attorneys specialized in international trade, regularly connecting, and supporting the Center to update information, sharing knowledge, experience and giving professional consultation in specific cases.
c. Functions
– Providing legal and related information on Vietnam trade commitments in WTO and in other trade agreements in specific forms/ways that meet the understanding level and needs of Vietnamese businesses.
– Building capacity (through workshops, handbooks…) for business associations, enterprises and other entities on important international trade issues.
– Consulting and guiding associations and business groups to deal with ad hoc problems arising in international trade practice, especially cases relating to trade remedies and other trade barriers.
– Conducting advocacy activities (researches, surveys, workshops getting enterprises’ opinions…) to consult the Government in the process of negotiating and implementing international trade commitments.
d. Legal ground for operation
– Decision No. 06/2012/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on the Consultation of the Business Community on International Trade Agreements.
– Directive No. 15/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on continuing to implement Resolution No. 22-NQ/TW of the Political Bureau on International Integration.
– Directive No. 38/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on Strengthening the Implementation and effective exploitation of Free Trade Agreements has come into effect.
– Charter of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
2. Contents of Cooperation
On the 6th day of May 2022, Foreign Trade University (FTU) and the Center for WTO and International Trade, VCCI entered into the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the aim of cooperating on the activities of the FTU WTO Chair Programme. To accomplish this undertaking, this MOU seeks to facilitate the collaboration of the following activities:
– Under Curriculum Development and Teaching pillar, the Center is committed to cooperating in the designing and teaching (if needed) of new short courses for private actors, and new courses for postgraduate students.
– Under Research pillar, the Center is willing to support relevant research projects under the FTU WTO Chair Programme.
– Under Outreach activities pillar, the Center for WTO and International Trade is committed to promoting and supporting events such as placing the link and logo of “FTU WTO Chair” on the website of the Center, facilitating Viet Nam International Trade (VIT) Moot organized by FTU, sending experts and/or writing articles for seminar/conferences (if needed).
