Germany donates DM 1 million to WTO technical assistance fund

The government of Germany announced Thursday that it will contribute DM 1 million (around US$600,000) to the WTO's Trust Fund for developing countries.

In an intervention made during the High-Level Symposia on Trade and Development, Dr. Ushi Eid, Parliamentary State Secretary with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, said the contribution to the WTO's Trust Fund represents a first step in a special-purpose contribution from Germany to support developing countries in securing their interests in the multilateral trading system.

Dr. Eid said an integral part of the provisions on special and differential treatment in the Uruguay Round Agreements was the commitment by developed countries to support substantial technical cooperation programmes in developing countries. She said Germany's contribution would help meet this challenge.