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More on technical assistance
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“I am extremely grateful to Switzerland for its generous
contribution”, stated WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi. “It is
more than ever essential to provide extensive technical assistance to
the developing countries so as to enable them to participate effectively
in the negotiations of the Doha Round. Thanks to such contributions we
shall be able to try to meet an ever growing demand”.
“The WTO's technical assistance activities play an important role in
facilitating the understanding and implementation of the Agreements
which make up the multilateral trading system”, the Swiss authorities
declared. “Switzerland recognizes the efforts made by the WTO
Secretariat to constantly increase the quality of its technical
assistance activities and develop partnerships, not only with other
international agencies concerned with trade, but also with academic
circles. Switzerland attaches particular importance to the establishment
of partnerships intended to develop training capacities at the local and
regional levels. Certain practices, such as the trade policy reviews and
the practical training sessions on trade, offer useful opportunities for
identifying more effectively the needs of the developing countries and
providing technical assistance which is both flexible and properly
structured”.
The Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund was established following
the WTO Ministerial Conference which was held in Doha in November 2001
and which launched a new round of negotiations. The developing countries
indicated that they required greater technical capacities in order to be
able to negotiate on an equal footing with the other countries. They
also requested more assistance so as to be able to meet their WTO
obligations. |
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Switzerland
donates a total of 1.5 million Swiss francs to WTO technical
assistance