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WTO: 2005 PRESS RELEASES

Press/419
1 November 2005
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Iceland contributes CHF 180,000 to WTO technical assistance for 2005 to 2007

Iceland is donating to the WTO Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund CHF 60,000 for each of the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 in order to finance WTO technical assistance activities.

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WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy and the Iceland Ambassador Kristinn F. Arnason signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the contribution on 1 November 2005.

“I am extremely grateful to Iceland for contributing again for several years,” said WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy.

Iceland is one of the very few donors who pledges its contribution over several years, giving much needed predictability to the WTO resources for technical assistance and training. This contribution is not earmarked and will be used to finance activities contained in the WTO Annual Technical Assistance Plans targeted at the needs of least-developed countries.

The Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF) finances activities which aim to enhance developing countries’ participation in the WTO negotiations. Iceland contributed CHF 15,000 to the DDAGTF for each of the years from 2002 to 2004.