Rana, Kipkorir Aly Azad --- "Partnerships for capacity building - A necessity rather than an option" [2004] ELECD 149; in Liebscher, Klaus; Christl, Josef; Mooslechner, Peter; Ritzberger-Grünwald, Doris (eds), "The Economic Potential of a Larger Europe" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2004)

Book Title: The Economic Potential of a Larger Europe

Editor(s): Liebscher, Klaus; Christl, Josef; Mooslechner, Peter; Ritzberger-Grünwald, Doris

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781843769620

Section: Chapter 4

Section Title: Partnerships for capacity building - A necessity rather than an option

Author(s): Rana, Kipkorir Aly Azad

Number of pages: 5

Extract:

4. Partnerships for capacity building ­
a necessity rather than an option
Kipkorir Aly Azad Rana1

Among training institutions, the Joint Vienna Institute (JVI) has built a
tradition in, and a solid reputation for dealing with issues of direct concern
to Central and Eastern European countries. This is most valued not only
by beneficiaries, the academic community and policy makers, but equally
by such organizations as the World Trade Organization (WTO), which is
an active supporter of the JVI.
A key objective of the WTO, as one of the JVI's main sponsors, has been
to strengthen existing partnership arrangements with the Joint Vienna
Institute and I am glad to note that the Secretariat is progressing well in this
main endeavour. In 2003, the WTO nearly doubled the number of activities
held at the JVI and it has been agreed to further expand the scope of activ-
ities in 2004. Among other things, enhanced partnership with the JVI is an
important component of the WTO's new approach of outsourcing to, and
building strategic relations with training institutions ­ and with their stu-
dents. After all, the JVI can claim credit to have trained a remarkable
number of specialists in the short period of its existence: more than 12 000
participants at the time of writing.
Building capacity is one of the WTO's main goals in delivering technical
assistance and training programmes, and, in our view, can best be achieved
through `decentralizing' those activities and bringing them closer to the
region. ...