Workshop on ‘Competition Policy in Supporting Post-COVID-19 Economic Recovery’
Date: 16-17 January 2023
Venue: Virtual-SESRIC, Ankara - Türkiye

Within the framework of the SESRIC Competition Authorities Capacity Building Programme (CA-CaB), the Centre, in collaboration with the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA), organised a Workshop on “Competition Policy in Supporting Post-COVID-19 Economic Recovery” on 16-17 January 2023 through an online video conferencing platform.

The workshop brought together 125 experts and executives from the Competition Agencies/ Authorities and relevant Ministries and national institutions in 26 OIC Member Countries as well as representatives from the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The main objective of the workshop was to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on OIC economies and the role of competition law and policy in supporting economic recovery in post-pandemic era. In addition to highlighting the experience of the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) on the topic, the workshop aimed to shed the light on good practices from different OIC Member Countries as well as the perception of relevant OIC Institutions and International Organisations in facing the current challenges and offering solutions towards sustainable and resilient economic recovery.

The workshop commenced with the opening remarks of Mr. Onur ÇAĞLAR, Director of Training and Technical Cooperation Department at SESRIC, who highlighted the importance of intra-OIC cooperation in the field of competition to strengthen institutional and human resources capacities through knowledge and experience exchange. Mr. ÇAĞLAR also emphasised on the role of competition authorities in ensuring swift and robust economic recovery. “Sound and pertinent competition policy is of utmost importance, especially in moments of crisis, in order to ensure appropriate solutions and the subsequent economic recovery in a sustainable manner”, he stated. Before concluding, he thanked the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) for jointly organising this workshop and sharing the expertise of Türkiye with the Competition Agencies/ Authorities as well as relevant Ministries and national institutions in the OIC member countries.

In her welcoming remarks, Ms. Zeynep MADAN, Head of External Relations and Competition Advocacy Department at the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA), briefed the participants on the measures taken by TCA in combating the negative effects of COVID-19 on the economy. In addition, Ms. MADAN extended her gratitude and appreciation to all the participants and speakers who play a great role in enriching the sessions through sharing the experiences of their countries and institutions.

The Competition Authorities Capacity Building Programme (CA-CaB) was developed and initiated by SESRIC in 2012. The Programme aims at supporting and contributing to the efforts of the OIC Member Countries towards strengthening their institutional and human resources capacities by sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices among the Competition Agencies/ Authorities and relevant national institutions. Within the framework of this Programme, the Centre organises capacity-building activities by following various modalities such as training courses, training workshops, training webinars and study visits. For more information on the Competition Authorities Capacity Building Programme (CA-CaB), please visit: https://www.sesric.org/cbp-competition-authorities.php

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