Speaking at the opening session on 29 April, WTO Deputy Director-General Johanna Hill highlighted that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the GPA 2012.  

The GPA 2012 is a unique instrument that recognizes the importance of sustainable development, bringing benefits to both exporters and governments involved in procurement, DDG Hill noted.

“This is a special year and, indeed, month for the GPA 2012. Over the last 10 years, seven WTO members have acceded to the Agreement. As a result, the GPA 2012 now covers 49 WTO members. In addition, we currently have 35 WTO member observers, several of which are negotiating their GPA accession,” she said.  

Held simultaneously in English, French and Spanish, the workshop covered the relationship between the GPA 2012 and development issues, such as market access, flexibilities for developing economies, good governance, sustainable public procurement, the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in global trade, and e-procurement. It also looked at the benefits of the GPA 2012 and the procedure for acceding to the Agreement. Participants also heard about the synergies and complementarities between the GPA 2012 and other government procurement international instruments, including regional trade agreements.  

The programme benefited from the expertise of various WTO and other experts and consisted of practical exercises, including on the use of the e-GPA gateway and on applying GPA rules to a hypothetical scenario. It also included a simulation of a GPA accession negotiation.  

More information on the GPA 2012 is available here.