As part of a multi-phase technical assistance program, CLDP is partnering with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) and the Government of Ukraine to improve the quality of trade and economic policy formulation in Ukraine’s efforts to fulfill World Trade Organization (WTO) rights and obligations. CLDP is undertaking training and utiliziling the economic modeling resources of the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) to enable the relevant Ukrainian ministries and agencies to conduct global trade analysis and apply quantitative analysis in policy making. GTAP, a global network of researchers and policy makers conducting quantitative analysis of international policy issues, aims to improve the quality of quantitative analysis of global economic issues.

In phase two of this program, CLDP organized a two-day Workshop on Economic Modeling and WTO Trade Policy Development in Kyiv on January 20-21, 2014 for about 35 Ukrainian Government officials. The workshop utilized the Head of the Department for Development of Foreign Economic Activity and Cooperation with the EU of the Economic Research Institute of MEDT, as an advisor. She was sponsored by CLDP during phase one of the program to attend the 21st Annual Short Course in Global Trade Analysis in Istanbul. The workshop was led by a US expert in macroeconomic modeling from the International Trade Commission.

This workshop, to be followed by additional training in 2014, will assist Ukraine in establishing a knowledgeable core of officials who will utilize quantitative economic analysis in free trade negotiations and to conduct macroeconomic policy forecasts.  Completion of this multi-phase program will enable Ukraine to conduct a more economically justified approach to the formulation of its future trade policy and positions in negotiations with both WTO members and other parties.