All the countries and customs territories that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have their trade policies periodically reviewed, the frequency of which varies depending on their share of world trade in goods and services. Reviews are based on two documents: a report prepared independently by the WTO Secretariat and a policy statement by the Member under review.

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The Horn Economic and Social Policy Institute (HESPI) is a regional think tank headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which was established in 2006 for the member countries of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) in the Horn of Africa in particular, and developing countries at large. HESPI has garnered excellence in providing high quality economic and social policy research for evidence-based and action-oriented strategic reforms. In October this year it was awarded with the "Best research output" prize by the African Capacity Building Foundation, a specialized agency of the African Union with the mandate to build human capital and institutional capacity for Africa's sustainable development. This year HESPI will organize in Nairobi (where it maintains a regional office), the presentation of its new strategic plan, with a rich calendar of discussions on policy research, institutional capacity building and partnership and cooperation initiatives, with sectorial panels on trendy topics, like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

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