WT/WGTDF/W/76  
 
12 March 2015  
(15-1405)  Page: 1/2  
Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance  
 
 SEMINAR ON THE CHALLENGES OF ACCE SSING TRADE FINANCE AT AFFORDABLE 
 COST: REVIEW OF REMAINING GAPS AND CONSTRAINTS 
MARCH 26-27, 2015 
 
 DRAFT PROGRAMME1 – ROOM S1  
 
March 26, 2015 (afternoon) 
 15h00-15h10  Opening remarks by Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General of the WTO  
 
 
15h10-16h40  SESSION 1: CONSTRAINTS FACE D IN ACCESSING TRADE FINANCE 
INTERNATIONALLY 
   
This session is designed to highlight the constraints faced by traders in accessing trade finance locally or internationally (lack of integration of the local financial system into international capital 
markets, local capacity constraints), mainly from a country's or regional perspective. 
   Moderator: H.E. Xavier Carim, Ambassador of South-Africa to the WTO  
Speakers: some delegations are still in the process of firming up their proposals for speakers 
  - Mr. Hüsnü Dilemre, Deputy Under-Secretary, Ministry of Economy, Turkey  
- Ms. M. Phetla-Lekhethe, Deputy Director General, National Treasury, Republic of 
South-Africa (confirmation underway) 
 -  Mr. Ousman Gajigo, Principal Economist, Research, African Development Bank 
  
16h40-18h00  SESSION 2: DIALOGUE BETWEEN MAIN STAKEHOLDERS 
 This session would open a dialogue between the international finance industry subjected to 
important structural changes, government regulato rs highlighting the requirements of prudential 
supervision and import and export interests as users of international trade finance, in particular operating in developing countries. 
 
Moderator: H.E. Bertrand de Crombrugghe, Ambassador of Belgium to the UN and   WTO 
 
Speakers:   - Mr. Lixin Guo, Head of Guarantees and Forfeiting, Bank of China 
 - Mr. Jean-François Lambert, Head of Stru ctured and Commodity Trade Finance, HSBC 
- Mr. Vinod Madhavan Head, Transactional Pr oducts & Services, Standard Bank, South 
Africa 
- Mr. Karl Cordewener, Deputy Secretar y General, Basel Committee on Banking 
Supervision 
 
                                               
1 The program can be subject to last minute chan ges regarding the availability of speakers and 
moderator, or a possible change of room. A final programm e will be distributed at the entrance of the room, as 
a room document, and will be available on the dedicate d page for the seminar, on the WTO external website. WT/WGTDF/W/76 
 
- 2 - 
 
  March 27, 2015 (morning) 
 10h00-11h30   SESSION 3: HOW ARE MULTILATERAL INSTITUTIONS HELPING? 
 
This session will discuss the efforts by multilateral institutions to fill some of the gap in trade 
finance in areas in which local financial institutions face difficulties to support trade.   
  Moderator: Marc Auboin, ERSD, WTO Secretariat 
 Speakers: 
- Mr Rudolf Putz, Head, Trade Finance Program, EBRD 
- Mr. Steve Beck, Head, Trade Finance Program, Asian Development Bank  
- [Mr Yaw Kuffour, Head of Trade Finance Division or Lamin Drammeh, African 
Development Bank] 
- Mr Stevenson IFC, Senior Manager, Trade Finance Programs World Bank Group 
- Mr. Hani Sunbol, Deputy CEO, ITFC, Islamic Development Bank Group 
  
Discussion from the floor 
 11h30-13h00  SESSION 4:  THE ROAD AHEAD – WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO IMPROVE THE 
CAPACITY OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO FINANCE TRADE  
 
This session looks forward at new initiatives by private and public sector players aimed at improving the capacity of developing countries to finance their own trade (technical assistance 
support, etc).  
   Moderator: Robert Koopman, Chief Economist and Director of ERSD, WTO 
 
Speakers:  
- Mr Rubens V. Amaral Jr., CEO Bladex (the role of public-private sector partnership) 
- Ms Paola Valerio, Director, International Department, SACE  
- Mr Thierry Sénéchal, SPM Business Development, International Chamber of Commerce 
  
Discussion from the floor 
  
13h00  End of the seminar  
  
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