Washington, DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today announced that Ambassador Stuart Harbinson will serve as the representative and chief advisor to the Council’s WTO Project in Geneva, Switzerland, in his capacity as senior trade policy advisor at Winston & Strawn LLP. As the successor to Ambassador John Weekes – who retired after serving for eight years as the NFTC’s WTO advisor – Harbinson brings to the NFTC decades of senior-level experience in international trade and WTO-related issues.
“We are very pleased to welcome Ambassador Harbinson as our representative in Geneva, and we have no doubt that he will provide invaluable leadership to our WTO Working Group,” said NFTC President Bill Reinsch. “Ambassador Harbinson has been an ardent supporter of the rules-based trading system and we value his commitment to the successful conclusion of the Doha Round and to the advancement of global economic growth.”
As senior trade policy advisor to Winston & Strawn, Ambassador Harbinson advises the firm’s international trade lawyers on all trade policy issues, with a focus on cases involving the World Trade Organization. He has served as a senior-level WTO official in a variety of capacities, including as former special adviser to Director-General Pascal Lamy and as chief of staff to Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi. He previously represented Hong Kong as ambassador to the WTO for eight years and was elected several times as chairman of various important WTO bodies, including its overarching General Council. Harbinson has extensive experience overseeing both Doha Round preparation discussions and participating in WTO dispute settlement panels.
Immediately prior to joining Winston & Strawn, Harbinson served as senior trade advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, where he provided strategic advice aimed to facilitate cooperation between the UN and the WTO.
“We value Ambassador Harbinson’s public service and his extensive knowledge of the WTO,” said NFTC Vice President for Global Trade Issues Jake Colvin. “We look forward to working with Ambassador Harbinson to advance U.S. business interests in supporting the rules-based trading system.”
For more information about the NFTC’s WTO Working Group, visit: http://www.nftc.org/?id=246&cat=Issues_WTOIssues.
About the NFTC
The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules-based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.