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“Norway has for several years been a staunch supporter of the WTO
trade-related technical assistance to developing, and in particular
least-developed countries,” said Norwegian Ambassador Kåre Bryn.
“Strengthening the capacity of the developing and the least-developed
countries to make full use of the multilateral trading system is
essential if we are to succeed in poverty alleviation and economic
growth on a sustainable, long-term basis. Norway considers this to be a
shared responsibility and remains committed to the continued efforts of
the WTO to this end.”
“I am extremely grateful to Norway for contributing again to the Doha
Development Fund,” said WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi. “We
can only reach a successful outcome to the Doha round of negotiations
with the full participation of all WTO Members. Increasingly, developing
countries are expressing the desire to contribute more actively to the
WTO debate. We can help them, through technical assistance, equip
themselves with the right tools to do so.”
Norway is one of the biggest voluntary contributors to WTO technical
assistance since 1995, with a total of CHF 7.6 million.
The Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund was set up following the
WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha in November 2001 which launched a new
round of negotiations. In December 2002, the General Council approved a
target amount of 24 million Swiss francs for the Doha Trust Fund for
2003. |
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The Government of Norway pledged on 14
October 2003 a contribution of 6 million Norwegian Kroner (CHF 1.2
million) to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund. This
contribution will be used to finance the WTO technical assistance plan
in 2003.