The Global Trade Academy (GTA) has its roots in the 1980’s when the late Professor John H. Jackson, an architect of the World Trade Organization and former Director of the Institute, created a forum to take an in-depth look into the legal underpinnings of the WTO and its agreements.
Today, the GTA continues to be an indispensable boot camp in a seminar-like atmosphere on the Georgetown Law campus, offering participants an unparalleled deep dive into the most salient and complex legal and policy issues in global trade today.
Trade law and policy is front and center in today’s business climate, on the news, and in political debates around the globe. One of IIEL’s signature Executive Education programs, the GTA both examines the legal foundations and constitutional underpinnings of the global trading system and offers insight into the most cutting-edge global trade issues of the day with the world’s leading global trade experts.
The Georgetown University Law Center and the Institute of International Economic Law are delighted to announce that the 2024 Global Trade Academy will take place in-person on April 15-19, 2024 in Washington, DC. For the first time since the pandemic, the Academy will meet live in the heart of the nation’s capital, bringing together participants from governments, IGOs, NGOs, and the private sector, and allowing attendees to meet and exchange views with leading experts as well as participants from around the world.
We expect to obtain Continuing Learning Education credits for the program as in previous years. The 2023 Global Trade Academy offered 29 CLE credits in PA, NY, and CA. Additional states can be added upon request.
The five-day Academy examines the legal obligations and policy underpinnings of the WTO and its agreements, in the context of how the WTO operates and how it relates to national governments. The GTA strengthens participants’ critical thinking about the role of the WTO in solving real-world commercial problems, and addresses fundamental policy challenges.
The first half of the week provides insights into the foundation of trade law and policy (i.e. workshops and lectures on trade in services, dispute settlement, trade in goods, trade remedies, and intellectual property protections). The second half of the week focuses on “trade plus” issues (i.e. workshops and lectures on export controls and sanctions, WTO & development, labor and environment, elections and trade, digital trade and the digital economy, and populist backlash to globalization).
Academy Faculty hail from diverse backgrounds, including academia, government, law firms, the diplomatic corps, the corporate world, NGOs, and former senior trade negotiators. Past presenters include former U.S. Trade Representative and World Bank President Robert Zoellick; former acting Trade Representative Stephen Vaughn; former Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the U.S. Department of State Catherine Novelli; President of the National Foreign Trade Council and former Deputy General of the WTO Amb. Rufus Yerxa; and esteemed Georgetown Law faculty including Professors Jennifer Hillman, Sean Hagan, Michael Gadbaw, and Katrin Kuhlmann.
This IIEL Executive Education program is designed to build knowledge and networks to facilitate engagement in the international economic legal system, by training legal professionals; public policy officials; members of the international business, IGO, and NGO communities; academics; and others – including those from developing countries and transition economies. By design, this Executive Education program is open to experienced leaders and younger professionals alike. One need not be an attorney to attend.
In order to enhance each participant’s learning experience, space may be limited. Therefore, we recommend early registration. Reach out to lawiiel@georgetown.edu for more info.
Former World Bank President Robert Zoellick talks to a GTA participant
Former WTO Appellate Body Member Jennifer Hillman lecutres at the GTA
Former IMF General Counsel Sean Hagan lectures at the GTA
A Key Feature of the Trade Academy is Networking
GTA Participants brainstorm for a group activity
GTA Participants brainstorm for a group activity
