2026 Geneva Study Tour

June 15-19, 2026

Course description

This is a practical, skills development for-credit course on how to design, negotiate and implement a multilateral trade strategy. The course combines short lectures, exercises, simulations and a study tour. This experientialapproach provides students with opportunities to both apply what’s learned in class and to practice how they mightserve as a trade policy expert in a career in government, international organisations or the non-profit sector.

Learning objectives

The course has been designed to achieve the following learning objectives:

• Increased knowledge and understanding of the role of multilateral institutions and agreements in advancing national trade and foreign policy objectives
• Increased skills development in international trade diplomacy
• Increased opportunities to engage with international trade experts and diplomats on trade, foreign policy anddevelopment issues

Course delivery

The course has both an online component and a study tour component. The course begins with the online component which consists of two three-hour evening sessions (6-9pm) on May 25^th and June 1^st.  It is then followed by a study tour in Geneva, Switzerland on June 15-19 inclusive. Students are responsible for all their travel and related costs and organizing their participation in the study tour.

The online sessions will provide participants with the background to engage fully in the study tour component ofthe course. The sessions will focus on an introduction to the WTO system and current agenda and Canada’s trade strategy with a particular focus on multilateral institutions.  The sessions will also brief students on meetings during the study tour and how best to prepare for them.

The five-day 2026 Study Tour program is currently being developed. To give a sense of what the agenda will look like, here’s an example from a previous year.

Geneva Study Tour

To deliver this component, Phil Rourke and Rosemina Nathoo (NPSIA) are partnering with the Shridath RamphalCentre at the University of the West Indies (Barbados), the Graduate Institute of International Affairs in Geneva,  the University of Ottawa, Newscastle University and the WTO Secretariat to provide students with a unique opportunity to learnabout how the world’s principal trade institutions – the WTO, UNCTAD, WIPO, and the International Trade Centre (ITC) – work in practice.  In previous years, the tour has also included sessions with the International Labour Organisation, Advisory Centre on WTO Law, and the World Health Organisation.  Each session during this five-day study tour will involve specialised sessions at each institution with senior officials and diplomatic leaders.

In addition to NPSIA participation, we are expecting 80+ students from other university partners to also attend this year. The focus of the study tour is on the practice of international trade and development policy. This is an excellent opportunity to learn from people who are making and implementing international public policy, to develop your professional network of international trade and development experts, and to meet graduating students just like you from around the world.

Course requirements

Graduates of the course will complete the following requirements:

• Full course participation;
• Assignment 1: A policy brief (maximum of 5 pages) on a trade issue related to Canada’s trade agenda with multilateral institutions; and
• Assignment 2: A policy brief (maximum 5 pages) on a trade issue raised during the Geneva Study Tour and its implications for Canada’s trade strategy.

Course registration

The course is part of the NPSIA 2026 May-August summer term offering. Register through the usual Carleton University registration process. For questions about the course, please contact Rosemina Nathoo roseminanathoo@cunet.carleton.ca or  Phil Rourke at philrourke@cunet.carleton.ca

Testimonials from previous Geneva Study Tour participants

To hear and see testimonials from 2024 participants, please watch the following video – – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BQTzUtdpO8.

Testimonials from NPSIA participants

My favorite experience was meeting with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director General of the WTO. This inspirational figure for trade negotiations was keen enough to meet with us on our first day, sharing her knowledge and answering our questions. As a woman, it was truly inspiring to see a real-world woman leader, and it gave me hope that it is possible to succeed even in traditional “boy’s clubs.” — Amélie Tanguay

I would highly recommend JUST. This was an ideal study tour for me because I wanted an international experience that was low-commitment since I have a full-time job. I would also recommend JUST for future international workers and beyond, since the cross-cultural integration and the exposure to different ways of teaching, learning and understanding were of particular value, which can only be gained by participating. – Mélissa Poutot

The chance to visit Geneva and headquarters of international organizations in person cannot be substituted by atraditional course. Researching and reading about organizations in theory is important, but visiting the physical environments where they are housed and listening to lectures by individuals with plenty of experience working inthe field of international trade is invaluable experience for anyone interested in a career path pertaining to trade and development, especially as a means of getting a glimpse into the physical environments in which rounds of negotiations take place – Solomia Chabursky

The study tour exceeded my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of guest speakers and industry professionals that took the time to speak with us. The range of topics covered allowed me to further my understanding of different issues as well as spiked my curiosity to further investigate others. I really appreciate how we were able to see so many institutions within a small amount of time – Dayna McGee