The donation will finance trade-related technical assistance and capacity building activities for officials in Geneva and elsewhere to help them better understand and implement WTO agreements and to enhance their negotiating skills. Since the creation of the Fund in 2001, more than 2,400 training and capacity building activities have been organized.

Welcoming this new donation from one of the largest contributors to the DDAGTF, DDG Agah said: “This donation from the EU is very important to sustain the WTO's work in supporting the effective participation of developing and least-developed countries in multilateral trade talks so that they can better integrate into the world economy. I welcome the EU's generous contribution.”

EU Ambassador to the WTO, Marc Vanheukelen, said: “The EU has donated approximately EUR 20 million (over CHF 21 million) to WTO trust funds over the past 15 years, in addition to significant contributions made by individual EU member states. We remain strongly committed to the WTO and to the further integration of developing and least-developed countries into the multilateral trading system. We are pleased to be able to continue supporting these joint efforts through the WTO.”