Over 2,900 activities have been organized since the fund was created in 2001.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “We thank the Republic of Korea for its continued support to the Global Trust Fund, which plays an important role in building the negotiating capacity of developing and least-developed members and ensuring their voices are heard in global trade talks. The WTO’s technical assistance activities provide developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) with the opportunity to further their development objectives and to better integrate into the global economy.”

The WTO Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Taeho Lee, said: “Korea has always been a staunch supporter of the WTO's capacity building programme for developing countries and LDCs. My government's annual voluntary contribution to the GTF demonstrates Korea's willingness to help facilitate the economic development of these countries through the multilateral trading system. I sincerely hope that this contribution will be used meaningfully, particularly at this difficult time of COVID-19.”

Overall, the Republic of Korea has donated CHF 5.9 million to the various WTO trust funds over nearly 20 years.