This donation will finance technical assistance programmes and training activities for developing and least developed countries as well as economies in transition. The aim is to enhance their ability to participate effectively in the WTO negotiations and ensure they fully benefit from the results achieved during these negotiations.

“I welcome Austria’s contribution that will help developing countries to improve their participation in the multilateral trading system” declared WTO Director General Pascal Lamy.

Austrian Federal Minister of Economy, Family and Youth, Reinhold Mitterlehner, stated: “Trade is an important tool for development, economic growth and poverty reduction. This contribution is a concrete expression of Austria’s commitment to assist developing countries and especially least developed countries in expanding their trading capacities, finding new markets, and facilitating their integration in the global economy”.