Trade, Development and Diplomacy

May – June 2025 (to be confirmed)

Course description

This is a practical, skills development course on how to design, negotiate and implement a national trade and development strategy with a particular focus on Canada. The course combines short lectures, exercises, and simulations. This experiential approach provides students with opportunities to both apply what’s learned in class and to practice how they might serve as a trade and development expert in a career in government, international organizations 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 public policy – in both developed and developing countries – in advancing the trade and development agenda of developing countries
  • Increased skills development in how to design, negotiate and implement an effective trade and development strategy
  • Increased opportunities to engage with international trade experts and diplomats on trade and development 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 4 three-hour sessions over a two-week period. It is then followed by a five-day study tour in Geneva, Switzerland. Students are responsible for all their travel and related costs to participate in the study tour.

Geneva Study Tour

To deliver this component, the Centre for Trade Policy and Law (CTPL) is partnering with the Shridath Ramphal Centre at the University of the West Indies (Barbados), the Graduate Institute of International Affairs in Geneva and the WTO Secretariat to provide students with a unique opportunity to learn about how the world’s principal trade institutions – the WTO, UNCTAD, WIPO, and the International Trade Centre (ITC) – work in practice. Each session during this five-day study tour will involve specialized sessions at each institution with senior officials and diplomatic leaders. Students enrolled in this course join 80+ students from these university partners in the tour.

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.

Testimonials from previous Geneva Study Tour participants

To hear and see testimonials from previous participants, please watch this 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 a traditional 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 in the 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