WTO: 2006 PRESS RELEASES
Press/452
9 October 2006
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Denmark donates CHF 3 million to WTO technical assistance
The Danish government has donated DKK 14 million (CHF 3 million) to support technical assistance and training activities in favour of developing countries for the years 2006 and 2007.
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Lamy’s speeches
On 2 October the Government of Denmark pledged this amount in two new
contributions to the WTO technical assistance funds. The first, for an amount of
CHF1.5 million, is destined for the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF),
which finances technical assistance and capacity building activities targeted
especially at the needs of least-developed countries, other developing countries
and/or economies in transition.
The remaining contribution of CHF 1.5 million is for the trust fund established
for the implementation of the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF),
which assists developing countries create and implement international sanitary
and phyto-sanitary (SPS) standards to improve their human, animal and plant
health situation, and thus gain and maintain market access.
The WTO Director-General, Pascal Lamy, acknowledged Denmark’s important
contribution to technical assistance and said : “I express my sincere thanks the
Danish government for its generosity. Such assistance is vital to enhance
developing countries’ participation in the global trading system”.
Since 2000, Denmark has contributed a total of CHF 5.8 million to the DDAGTF
making it the sixth biggest voluntary contributor. The new pledge to the STDF
will bring its total contribution to CHF 2.5 million to this fund since it came
into existence in 2002.