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WTO's
development-related projects now open to private contributions
> annex1: Voluntary
contributions, gifts or donations from non-governmental donors
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Under the
guidelines, the resources of the trust fund into which donations are
channeled are generally expected to be applied to activities
associated with the WTO Programme for Technical Assistance and other
WTO-sponsored capacity building and training activities normally
designed to assist governmental officials and other groups in
developing countries. Non-governmental donors are encouraged to make
donations to the trust fund at large and very specific earmarking
(beyond the general activities referred to above) is strongly
discouraged by the WTO.
Many
activities to be supported by this trust fund are designed to make it
possible for developing country officials to participate in
WTO-sponsored activities both at WTO headquarters and outside of
Geneva. Some examples of activities that could draw financing from the
trust fund are described below.
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Support
of WTO Reference Centers in Developing Countries and LDCs:
For several years, WTO, supported by voluntary contributions, has
worked to establish computer workstations located in LDCs and
certain developing countries, linked to the WTO over the internet
and supplemented by CD-ROM training modules and reference
materials. Apart from the supply of the computer and the costs of
the initial setup in situ, there are hardware and software
maintenance costs associated with this highly successful program.
It could also be desirable in some instances to defray the high
cost of internet service providers. With more adequate resources,
the electronically-oriented reference centers could be further
extended to cover WTO Members most in need.
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WTO-Sponsored
Capacity-Building and Training Activities: The WTO is involved
with a wide range of technical assistance and training activities
designed to build developing and least-developed countries'
capacities to implement their obligations under the multilateral
trading system and take full advantage of the opportunities that
come with WTO membership. Unfortunately, the resources now
available to the WTO through the regular budget and voluntary
contributions from governments enable us to meet only a fraction
of the demand for training. For example, today we are in a
position to offer each of our developing country members only one
trainee slot every other year. Non-government voluntary
contributions could help WTO to significantly expand these
important educational activities.
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WTO-Related
University-based Education and Training Programmes on WTO and
Multilateral Trade Law and Policy: Today,
most university-based expertise in WTO law and policy is found in
North American and European universities. In order to expand the
opportunities for university students in other parts of the world
to study WTO law and trade policy, it has been suggested that WTO
could work with selected universities to establish accredited
programs and "chairs" in trade-related topics. A certain
amount of funding would be required to permit course development
and purchase and distribution of supporting books, electronic
media and other materials.
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Topical
Symposia and Seminars: From time-to-time, seminars and
symposia are organized by WTO (in cooperation with other
institutions) to permit exchanges of views with experts on topics
of current interest to WTO Member governments and representatives
of civil society. The costs of such seminars and symposia,
including travel costs of participants, normally cannot be borne
by the WTO budget and therefore must normally be financed out of
voluntary contributions. Some examples of topics which have been
the subject of symposia and seminars in recent years include:
trade and development, trade and environment, electronic commerce,
and competition policy. In 2001, seminars are planned on trade
facilitation and market access negotiating techniques.
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Facilitation
of Participation by Non-Resident Members and Least Developed
Countries: Many WTO Members do not have the resources to
support a permanent presence in Geneva and, as such, tend to have
great difficulty understanding the work of the organization,
participating in consultations and decision-making, and taking
advantage of their rights in WTO. The Secretariat has explored
ways to support LDC participation in key WTO meetings, including
our regular "Geneva Week" programme for non-resident
delegations. Facilitating basic participation in WTO activities by
WTO's less fortunate Members and trade journalists from these
countries is an activity which may be financed through the trust
fund.
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