Italy contributes 1 million euros to the WTO Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund

Italian Ambassador Andrea Negrotto Cambiaso and WTO Director General Mike Moore signed today a Memorandum of Understanding affirming this commitment.

“Italy fully shares the goals outlined in the Doha Ministerial Declaration according to which substantial technical assistance and capacity building should be provided to developing and least-developed countries and low-income countries in transition in order to help them adjust to WTO rules and disciplines, implement obligations and exercise the rights of membership, including drawing on the benefits of an open, rules-based multilateral trading system,” Amb. Negrotto Cambiaso said. “Any form of cooperation should mainly, and above all, enable them to exercise fully the rights stemming from belonging to the Organization and to benefit from the advantages of an open multilateral trading system based on negotiated rules and predictable procedures”.

“I am particularly grateful to Italy for its donation to the WTO Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund,” said Director-General Mike Moore. “This contribution is in accordance with the December 2001 decision by the WTO General Council to establish a sound and predictable basis for funding WTO Trade-Related Technical Assistance. Italy's contribution will help to build capacity for developing countries to participate in the multilateral trading system, advance their interests, conclude agreements and implement them. It will also help developing countries to participate in the current round of trade negotiations launched by Ministers in Doha last November. The potential benefits from this round are enormous, especially in areas of particular interest to developing countries such as agriculture, fisheries, services and market access. That's why developing countries want this round concluded by the 2005 deadline”.

The Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund was created following the WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, in November 2001, which launched a new round of negotiations. On 11 March 2002 WTO Member Governments pledged CHF 30 million to the fund.