The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Permanent Mission of India to the WTO (PMI), Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL) of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, and Centre for Trade and Economic Integration (CTEI) within The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva.

Benefits:

The MoU with CTEI of The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva will provide valuable academic and research opportunities to the employees of CTIL and the Department of Commerce in the field of international trade and investment law. In addition, capacity-building programmes or activities will be carried out under the MoU to enhance the understanding of the DOC officials, CTIL researchers and academics on contemporary issues of international trade and build support for India’s positions in international trade and investment law.

The proposed collaborations under the MoU with CTEI are academic in nature under which the researchers and academicians from India, including employees from CTIL and Department of Commerce and other government agencies would benefit from capacity-building and research-oriented activities. This would be beneficial to formulating India’s positions on various issues on international trade negotiations and dispute settlement.

Details:

The collaboration between academicians, practitioners, jurists, policy makers, and students from India, Switzerland and other countries would help create a technical and nuanced understanding of emerging and new areas of international trade and investment law and related disciplines. The MoU will remain in force for three years.

International trade and investment law cooperation strengthens capacity building and research to support national positions in global negotiations. Memorandum of Understanding approved between the Permanent Mission of India to the WTO, CTIL (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade) and CTEI (The Graduate Institute, Geneva) to establish academic and technical cooperation in international trade and investment law. The MoU provides for collaborative research, capacity building programmes and exchanges for CTIL staff, Department of Commerce officials, researchers, academics and students to deepen understanding of trade and investment law, support India's negotiation and dispute settlement positions, and will remain in force for three years.