Wednesday, March 21, 2018

A trade workshop for the Middle East and North Africa region was held at the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, Beit El Hikma, in Carthage, Tunisia, on 21-22 March. Organized by the WTO Chair at Tunis Business School (University of Tunis) in partnership with Birmingham Business School (University of Birmingham), Beit El Hikma and the Euro-Mediterranean Network for Economic Studies, the workshop covered global value chains, trade agreements, the competitiveness of firms and the informal trade sector.
Keynote speakers are Rym Ayadi, Professor, HEC Montreal, Director of the International Research Centre on Cooperative Finance and EMNES Scientific Coordinator, Afif Chelbi, President of the Council of Economic Analysis, Lionel Fontagné, Professor of economics at the Paris School of Economics, Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne and Scientific Advisor at CEPII, in charge of Trade Policy, Zouhaier ElKadhi, Director General of the Tunisian Institute of Competitiveness and Quantitative Studies, Marion Jansen, Chief Economist in International Trade Centre (ITC), Bernard Hoekman, Robert Shuman Chair, European University Institute, Inma Martinez-Zarzozo, Professor of Economics, University of Göttingen and Mustapha Kamel Nabli, NABES Lab and Ex-Governor of the Tunisian Central Bank.
 
Paper presenters are Sonia Ben Kheder, WTO Chair at Tunis Business School and University of Tunis, Sami Ben Sassi, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, Max Gallien, London School of Economics, Matt Herbert, Fletcher School, Tufts University, Aziz Jaid, UNECA, Rabat Regional Office, Ayhab Saad, Doha School of Graduate Studies and Chahir Zaki, Cairo University.
The workshop concluded with two policy round tables bringing together leading researchers, policy makers and leaders of non-governmental organizations.