Denmark donates DKK 8.72 million to WTO technical assistance

“I am very grateful to Denmark for its contribution which will help the Secretariat strengthen its capacity-building tools such as technical assistance and WTO Internship programme for delegates,” said Director-General Pascal Lamy. “It will also enable us to respond to specific technical demands from developing and least-developed countries that are covered by the Integrated Framework (IF) and the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) programmes. In addition, let me recall that at this crucial moment in the Doha Round we can only reach a successful outcome in negotiations with the full participation of all WTO Members. The participation of LDCs members is essential.”

The new donation made in November 2005 will be allocated with DKK 1,000,000 for the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund which finances technical assistance activities with the aim to enhance developing countries’ participation in the WTO negotiations. In addition DKK 1,500,000 will contribute to the funding of the WTO Internship Programme, providing the opportunity to developing country delegates to work for a year within the WTO Secretariat and thus perfect their knowledge of trade issues. Further amounts of DKK 2,720,000 and DKK 2,500,000 will go to the IF and STDF funds respectively. The IF supports least-developed countries governments to expand their participation in the global economy whereby enhancing their economic growth and poverty reduction strategies. The STDF assists developing countries in improving their expertise and capacity to analyze and implement international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards. The remaining DKK 1,000,000 will finance LDCs’ Participation in the 6th Ministerial Conference.

“Denmark is at the moment the sixth biggest voluntary contributor to the WTO technical assistance activities since 1995. In the context of the Integrated Framework where the WTO as well as IMF, ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP and the World Bank combine their efforts with those of least-developped countries and donors to respond to the trade development needs of LDCs, Denmark has contributed DKK 12 million in 2005 to the IF Trust Fund, managed by UNDP.”