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WTO NEWS: 2002 PRESS RELEASES

Press/326
18 December 2002
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Germany to contribute an additional 1 million euros to the Doha Trust Fund

The German government on 16 December 2002 pledged an additional donation of 1 EUR million (about CHF 1.45 million) over two years — 2005 and 2006 — to the WTO Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund. This new donation brings the total of contributions pledged by Germany to the Doha Trust Fund to CHF 4.15 million.

German Ambassador Walter Lewalter and WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi met the same day to sign an amendment of the existing memorandum of understanding between Germany and the WTO.

“With this contribution, we would like to continue and to enhance our support for the Doha Development Agenda,” Ambassador Lewalter said. “Pledging a donation covering the years until 2006 will help the WTO Secretariat to establish long-term planning and can contribute to build up efficient structures of technical cooperation. Trade-related capacity building is, in the view of Germany, an effective means for economic progress of developing countries. As far as this support is delivered in the framework of the WTO Doha Development Global Trust Fund, we will pay, due to annual commitments, for instance this year a bit more than EUR 1 million and EUR 915.000 next year”.

“I thank Germany once again for its great generosity,” said Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi. “The Doha Trust Fund is essential to ensure that developing countries have adequate means to build their capacity to participate actively in the new round of negotiations. Contributions like Germany’s help us ensure a predictable and high quality trade-related technical assistance. Developing country participation in the Doha Development Round is crucial because the potential benefits of the Doha Round are enormous, especially in areas of particular interest to these countries”.

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.