From June 24^th to 28^th,2024, the WTO Chairs Programme Annual Conference and the 9th Aid-for-Trade Global Review Conference were held in Geneva. Prof. Tu Xinquan, WTO Chairholder at UIBE, Dean of China Institute for WTO Studies, Prof. Ji Wenhua, Co-Host of the Chair, and Mr. Gao Jian, WCP Coordinator at UIBE, led five graduate students from CIWTO to attend these conferences, and relaunched the “WTO Elite Talent Cultivation Program”.

The conference focused on the role of trade in reducing inequality, the importance of international cooperation among academic institutions, and other related topics. Panel discussions addressed the reform of the dispute settlement mechanism and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Report. WTO Director-General, Mr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Deputy Director-General, Mr. Zhang Xiangchen, attended the conference and delivered speeches. They highlighted the crucial role of WTO Chairs in providing technical assistance and noted that their spillover effects have contributed significantly to trade and development.

Prof. Tu Xinquan, WTO Chairholder at UIBE, reported on the outcomes of discussions held at the regional seminar for Asian Chairs. He stressed the importance of collaborative research, co-authored publications, and joint conferences between intra- and inter-regional Chairs. Prof. Ji Wenhua, Co-Host of the Chair, offered his insights during the session on the reform of the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism. Mr. Gao Jian (Dustin), WCP Coordinator at UIBE, highlighted that this was the first time UIBE had sent outstanding Chinese and international students to attend the WTO Chairs Annual Conference. This initiative, part of the trade course extension, allowed students to better appreciate the significance of the multilateral trade system. The representative from Austria, the donor country of WTO Chairs, also praised this initiative during the closing session.

As a key component of the "WTO Elite Talent Development Program," the CIWTO group visited the International Trade Centre (ITC) to engage in discussions on the ITC’s role in helping developing countries access trade opportunities. Additionally, students took part in the three-day Ninth Aid for Trade Global Review Conference 2024, themed "Mainstreaming Trade into Development Strategies." The conference featured over 60 sessions, and students actively contributed to discussions on topics such as disability and trade, women's empowerment in trade, and the impact of artificial intelligence on trade development and research.