A total of NOK 20.1 million (approximately CHF 2 million) will be allocated to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) from 2018 to 2020 to help poorer countries implement international standards for food, animal and plant health and ultimately increase their participation in international farm trade.

A second donation of NOK 0.3 million (just over CHF 30,000) will be provided to support the active participation of LDCs in the 12th Ministerial Conference, the WTO's top decision-making body, to take place in June 2020 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. 

WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said: "Norway's donations are very welcome as a means of securing key funding to support the active participation of developing countries and LDCs in world trade negotiations. I thank Norway for its renewed commitment to making the multilateral trading system more inclusive."

Norway's Ambassador to the WTO, Dagfinn Sørli, said: "Safeguarding the multilateral trading system is more important than ever. We need to ensure that all members have the opportunity to present their interests and be included in important negotiations. Norway remains a consistent partner in these efforts, and the increase in our contributions to WTO-led technical assistance will support this objective."

Overall, Norway has donated approximately NOK 400 million (CHF 40 million) to the various WTO trust funds in nearly 20 years.