WORLD TRADE WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 27 June 2002 ORGANIZATION (02-3578)

Pledging Conference

PLEDGING CONFERENCE FOR THE DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA GLOBAL TRUST FUND

Coherence, Technical assistance and Capacity Building

Report by the Secretariat

Revision

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. The Pledging Conference for the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund was held on 11 March 2002, in pursuance of the General Council's decision on the establishment of the DDA GTF and the convening of a Pledging Conference. The General Council, at that time, set a target amount for the DDA GTF of CHF15 million for 2002. The Director-General, in his opening statement, identified the seven pillars of the Secretariat strategic response to the Doha Development Agenda mandates.

2. Pledges amounted to a total of CHF30,872,000, including amounts announced for 2003 and 2006 in some cases. For 2002, announced pledges amount to CHF25,236,000, including a pledge by Nigeria of CHF1,000 and larger pledges from Chinese Taipei, Korea, Estonia and the Czech Republic (See document WT/BFA/SPEC/73). General information on bilateral assistance and specific announcements of contributions made to other international organizations were also included in the statements of some donor WTO Members (see Annex II).

3. The Conference was a stand-alone WTO event, to which all WTO Members and Observers, plus a number of multilateral agencies were invited. Its proceedings were divided into four segments (see programme in Annex I): first, a number of selected speakers were asked to address different substantive aspects of technical assistance and capacity building, with a view to launching a policy dialogue on these issues; second, developed and developing WTO Members were invited to make statements, including their pledges for the Trust Fund; third, representatives of multilateral agencies were invited to speak on their intended contributions to the implementation of the Doha Development Agenda; and fourth, other WTO Members and Observers were also invited to make statements (See list of speakers in Annex III). The purpose of the Conference related to the launching of a policy dialogue on technical cooperation and capacity building was fully attained. In their statements, many delegations included substantive comments on many aspects of technical assistance and capacity- building (the full statements are reproduced in Annex IV).

4. It is worthwhile to highlight statements by some advanced developing countries, such as Brazil, Argentina, India, Mexico and Singapore, on their willingness to contribute to capacity-building efforts in the WTO. Their contribution would consist, inter-alia, in the provision of expertise, the organization of events and, in general, in a more active role and contributions in kind to the technical assistance and capacity-building mandates of the Doha Development Agenda. The International Institute for Trade and Development in Bangkok, established by the Government of WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 2

Thailand in collaboration with UNCTAD, was mentioned as a concrete example. Another example was the announced intention of Brazil to organize courses for other Portuguese-speaking developing countries. Members and agencies emphasized the urgent necessity for coherence, coordination, evaluation, monitoring and predictability of resources. There was also unanimous support for the WTO Trade-Related Technical Assistance Database.

5. Representatives from multilateral agencies (ITC, UNCTAD, IMF, World Bank, WIPO, UNIDO, UNEP and WCO) and regional development banks (IADB, Islamic Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Arab Monetary Fund) made also substantive statements about their respective agencies' present and intended contributions to the fulfilment of the mandates of the Doha Development Agenda.

II. PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT

6. The Pledging Conference for the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund can be considered to have been a success for the WTO as a whole. As provided for in the General Council's decision, the Conference will become an annual event; will not only be confined to a fund raising exercise, but provide a continuing opportunity for an in-depth policy dialogue on trade-related and WTO-related technical assistance. It will gradually succeed in expanding the community of donors and, most important, will also begin to match expectations with reality. The Pledging Conference will also provide a forum to review and strengthen the strategic alliances established by the WTO with other international institutions, and contribute to a more effective and efficient inter-agency coordination.

III. BACKGROUND

7. The Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund was created by decision of the WTO General Council in December 2001, on the basis of the mandate contained in the Doha Ministerial Declaration related to the provision of a sound financial basis for WTO technical cooperation activities. The General Council decision included the convening of a Pledging Conference and the setting of a target amount for the DDA GTF of CHF15 million for 2002.

8. Throughout an intensive process of consultations with WTO Members in the few weeks preceding the Conference, the view emerged that the Pledging Conference would have to be not only a fund-raising exercise, but include a substantive policy dialogue. It was thus that the Director- General decided to invite eminent personalities to develop their thoughts during the Conference on specific aspects of trade-related technical assistance and capacity building and, particularly, the challenges posed by the mandate of the Doha Development Agenda. This is reflected in the Programme of the Conference.

9. Due to the close relationship established by the Doha Ministerial Declaration between the commitments on technical assistance contained therein and the preparations for the next WTO Ministerial Conference, it was considered appropriate to open the Pledging Conference with the participation of the Host Minister for the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference. Unfortunately, due to ministerial engagements, Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez of Mexico was only able to participate through a written message to the Conference, read by the Delegate of Mexico.

10. The positive response received and the level of interest generated, as well as the complexity of the subject-matter determined the full and tight programme that emerged. It was for these reasons that speakers were kindly requested to limit their interventions to ten minutes. They were also requested to speak from their sitting position with their delegations. Written statements were WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 3

distributed to all delegations. Pledges could also be included in these statements, so that those speakers ready to do so did not have to make a second request for the floor. Time was also allotted for statements and pledges by bilateral donors developed and developing Members, for five minutes maximum each.

11. The afternoon session was dedicated to statements from representatives of multilateral agencies, which included indications of their contribution, in collaboration and coordination with the WTO, to the fulfilment of the Doha Development Agenda.

12. Background documentation for the Conference included:

• The New Strategy for WTO Technical Cooperation for Capacity Building, Growth and Integration, endorsed by Ministers in paragraph 38 of the Doha Declaration;

• The Doha Ministerial Declaration (WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1);

• The Coordinated WTO Secretariat Technical Assistance Plan 2002 (WT/COMTD/W/95/Rev.3);

• The Joint Communiqué from the IF Heads of Agency meeting, Washington D.C., 26 February 2002 (WT/IFSC/1);

• The Memorandum of understanding between the Secretariat of the WTO and the Inter-American Development Bank.

IV. SUMMARY OF STATEMENTS BY SPEAKERS

Opening remarks by Director-General Mike Moore

• I would like to welcome you all.

• Your presence here today is an important indication of the level of commitment of the international community to the mandates established in the Doha Ministerial Declaration.

• This Pledging Conference has been convened in accordance with the decision by the WTO General Council, in December 2001, to create a Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.

• In that decision, the General Council set a target amount of core funding totalling CHF 15 million.

• This Pledging Conference, so soon after the Doha Ministerial Conference, presented the international community (and not just the WTO) with a unique opportunity to initiate an urgent and necessary policy dialogue on several issues at the core of technical cooperation and capacity building.

• These issues include the appropriate overall global architecture for TRTA, the scope of the TRTA, reconciling short-term and long-term needs and, matching expectation with reality. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 4

• Central to current discussions underway on this subject is the urgent necessity for coordination and coherence amongst agencies and between agencies and the bilateral donor community.

• Second, this conference is key to the on-going process of confidence-building amongst WTO Members.

• Third, I believe this conference today is part of the overall process of reinforcing and building on the trade and development consensus that was established at Doha.

• Success in our technical cooperation and capacity building efforts will be critical to the successful conclusion of the Mexico Ministerial.

• We have proposed several of these issues to Members to address, in order that we can begin the process of a high level dialogue.

• Amongst the core agencies, I believe that we have begun the process of addressing the challenges of coherence and coordination.

• Doha was a wakeup call not just for the WTO, but for the international community as a whole that it cannot be business as usual in the treatment of trade and development issues.

• We need to be clear about the limits of what the WTO can do and cannot do with regard to the Doha Development Agenda.

• We can cooperate as we do in the Integrated Framework with other agencies, but we must stick to our core business, which is the Doha Development Agenda, and the benefits it will deliver to people everywhere.

• There are six levels to the architecture that the WTO conceives for addressing the full scope of the Doha Development Agenda.

• First, effective inter-agency groups, focused on issues and activities, for the coordinated delivery of TRTA.

• Second, the Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Assistance to the LDCs is an important pillar in the overall architecture.

• Third, the creation of a Doha/Trade-Related Technical Assistance Database.

• Fourth, effective coordinated delivery of TRTA by the WTO and bilateral donors in the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD.

• Fifth, building a strategic partnership with the Regional Banks, Institutions and Commissions.

• The final pillar of our overall conception of delivering on the mandates is the WTO Secretariat-wide Annual TA Plan, which, in coordination with some agencies, responds to the short term TRTA needs of the beneficiary members.

• The major concern I have is quality control, evaluation, and audit procedures for the use of your resources. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 5

• We established a Technical Cooperation Audit Unit.

• We should submit ourselves to frequent evaluation through you and be accountable to you.

• If we are to equip Ministers with the back-up staff and resources many demanded in Doha, then we need to ensure as much as possible teams stay together.

• For those who felt Doha was difficult to manage, it's not too soon now to assemble a team for Mexico.

• It is necessary to underscore over and again that the Secretariat Plan is one out of 6 pillars. It will not respond to the totality of the needs of beneficiary countries. The scope of TRTA is wide, and the needs are virtually endless. This is why we must match expectations with reality and focus on the specific remit of the Doha mandates.

• Beneficiary countries to ensure that their trade-related technical assistance requirements, through systematic domestic coordination, are firmly reflected in their Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) or their development plans.

Importance of technical cooperation and capacity building for the Fifth Ministerial Conference Dr. Luis Ernesto Derbez, Secretary of the Economy, Mexico, Host Minister of the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference

• It is a rare privilege and an honour also, to be able to participate with you through this message.

• The Government of Mexico is fully committed to host a successful and historic Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference.

• A number of factors and components are necessary for a successful Conference. Involvement of Ministers at an early stage is vital.

• An efficient and effective delivery of technical assistance and capacity building in the forthcoming months will be vital for the success of the Mexico Ministerial Conference.

• The WTO can not reasonably be expected to do it alone. Only a solid partnership with the developed donor countries and with international institutions, in short, with the whole of the international community, will guarantee its accomplishment.

• We need:

− Predictability of funding, and − Coherence amongst Agencies in the delivery of technical assistance.

• I have witnessed how critically important is coherence through my work at the World Bank.

• Mexico is willing to host any number of technical assistance and capacity building activities.

• We want to share whatever expertise we have gained, with other developing countries. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 6

OECD contribution in support of short and long term trade-related technical assistance and capacity building Mr. Donald Johnston, Secretary-General, OECD Secretariat

• What does the OECD itself bring to this discussion?

• First of all, we have very strong analytical capacity and have supported the GATT and now the WTO over many many years.

• The OECD in recent years has developed very strong programmes with non-Member economies; we have programmes with some seventy countries and that's expanding all the time.

• We can work with the non-member economies in the areas of competition law; the OECD and the WTO are working together with other multilateral agency and bilateral donors to establish a trade-related technical assistance Database.

• There must be open markets, there must also, of course, be, in the developing countries themselves growth oriented macro-economic and structural policies.

• Adequate social policy and good governance areas where the OECD has a very important contribution to make.

• One of our great challenges in the OECD is to take that message, not just to politicians but to their constituents: the importance of open markets.

Appropriate policy framework for utilising trade-related technical assistance Dr. Louis Kasekende, Deputy Governor, Bank of Uganda

• I am greatly honoured to be able to address this important "Pledging Conference for the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund".

• The commitments made by Ministers at Doha provided a mandate for negotiations on a range of issues within a reasonable time framework.

• The Ministerial Declaration also posed many challenges for the community of trading partners in the WTO, for developing country Members in particular, to prepare further future work towards liberalization of their trade regimes.

• The participation of developing countries in world trade negotiations and rules setting would lead to enhancement and predictability of access to markets for exports.

• The relative success of Uganda's external trade relations since 1987 has been exemplary.

• Hard decisions and bold initiatives undertaken, in part, to reform, liberalize, and to open Uganda's trading regime.

• The process of integrating developing countries into the world trading system requires substantial resources, both financial and technical. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 7

• Equally important is to design ways and means of directing technical assistance where it is needed most.

• Deliberate open economy policies and measures that embody trade as a credible component of the overall economic policy objective.

• Recipient countries should adopt an appropriate mix of policies.

• Uganda has over the years been specifically active in trade and WTO issues on several fronts.

• Requisite measures have also been put in place to mainstream trade into the ten year National Development Plan.

• The program for technical assistance to developing countries and LDCs should be implemented in a measured but focussed manner.

• Consideration should also be given to extending technical assistance through regional organizations.

• Other resources due to technical assistance already available to developing countries like the WTO Reference Centres should be strengthened and made more usable to the wider public.

Developing countries' short and long term priority needs for trade-related technical assistance and capacity building H.E. Ms. Amima Chawahir Mohamed, ambassador, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the WTO

• I am pleased to participate in this Pledging Conference on the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF) and feel encouraged by the turnout of participants.

• Doha marked a turning point in international economic relations.

• The developments that have taken place since the Doha Ministerial Conference confirm the importance and the seriousness of the commitment WTO members have.

• We have to reconcile expectations with reality. A shell has now been established and we have to fill this shell, so that the commitments in the Doha Ministerial Declaration are fulfilled.

• I view this Pledging Conference and its timing as an important move.

• Short presentation on “Developing Countries Short and Long Term Priorities for Trade- Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building in the Multilateral Trading System.”

• The benefits of globalization have not been distributed proportionally.

• Majority of developing and least developed countries continue to be marginalized in world trade. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 8

• We note with satisfaction developments after Doha particularly the establishment of the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) and its negotiating structures.

• We welcome especially, the efforts that the Director General has made to explore ways and means of securing predictable and enhanced funding.

• In our view the new phase in technical assistance and capacity building should now focus on upgrading technical skills and capacity to negotiate.

• Developing and least developed countries will need technical assistance to conduct thorough analytical studies.

• The Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme (JITAP) has been a success story.

• Recommend that future technical assistance could be channelled through the JITAP type programme.

• Discussions that will be taking place in the Working Groups on Trade, Debt and Finance and Trade and Transfer of Technology as well as the Committee on Trade and Development will be taken into account in designing future technical assistance.

• Negotiations should not be seen as an end in themselves. What is more important is for countries to take advantage of the improved market access opportunities created.

• Technical assistance and capacity building to address supply side constraints is equally important.

• We welcome the initiatives by a number of our developed country partners in supporting to a certain extent private sectors in developing and least developed countries to address supply side constraints.

• It is our hope that the spirit exhibited at Doha will become a reality; in Kenya this spirit is called Harambee, pooling resources together for a common cause.

Coherence and coordination for technical assistance and capacity building: post-Doha H.E. Mr. Carlo Trojan, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the European Commission to the WTO

• I have been asked to speak to you on the issue of co-ordination and coherence in the Technical Assistance field.

• I would like to take up two threads: first of all the coherence and co-ordination between those who deliver Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building Measures.

• The case for co-ordination and coherence in the developing countries is just as strong, and needs to be made.

• Let's look at the donor side first. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 9

• We have seen immediately that to fulfil these commitments, a co-ordinated effort is necessary.

• We mainstream trade in our development programmes on a country by country and region by region basis and include it in all countries strategy papers.

• Trade Related Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building is not a new phenomenon for the European Community.

• The Community has made available 30 million Euro for WTO related Technical Assistance to the ACP countries.

• At WTO, donors and recipients can build on the experience gained under the Integrated Framework.

• No expansion of the IF was needed, but a similar approach using its model and methodology for Technical Assistance in non-LDC’s and low income countries.

• One key principle of the IF is that the donors co-ordinate fully in delivering assistance.

• Just as important, the IF is built on the understanding that the developing country itself has a concept which allows its trade policy to be fully integrated in its overall development strategy.

• In the developing countries, trade ministries, finance ministries, agriculture ministries, the private sector; in short all actors involved in trade, get together and make sure that a coherent strategy is devised.

• It is after this stage then that the co-ordination on the donor sides becomes most important. This means that overlap is avoided, priorities are transported into donor programmes and a clear overview of who is doing what is established.

• We are fully supporting the establishment of a database, the WTO can play the role of clearing house to avoid duplications, gaps, geographical imbalances in the provision of Technical Assistance.

• It is clear that the WTO Secretariat needs to establish closer relations with other multilateral agencies, which deliver Technical Assistance in particular areas.

• We are pleased to see that the WTO Secretariat has now presented the annual TA Plan which puts a lot of stress on partnerships with other organisations, coherence and in-house co- operation.

• I would like to address one other point on coherence, this time on the larger scale of international action for development.

• The Monterrey Conference, but also the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg in August can serve as a tool to integrate trade in Sustainable Development.

• Here is the European Commission’s Pledge: We will contribute 700,000 Euros for 2002, which equals 1 million Swiss Francs. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 10

Predictable funding and priority-setting in technical cooperation and capacity building H.E. Mr. Käre Bryn, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Norway to the WTO

• One of the most important outcomes of the Doha Ministerial was the recognition that the developing countries, and especially the least developed countries, need to draw larger benefits from increased opportunities and welfare gains that the multilateral trading system generates.

• Predictable funding over the coming years is essential.

• The case for secure, long-term financing over the regular budget is obvious. Stability in provision of funds is a prerequisite for building up a delivery capacity in the Secretariat.

• The decision to create the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund was a milestone.

• The Doha Declaration has a strict timeframe which requires close attention to the provision of resources as well as the organization of the delivery of assistance. This includes personnel to provide the assistance.

• Priority setting in trade-related technical assistance.

• First of all, technical assistance must be demand-driven.

• Secondly, the Least Developed Countries must be given priority.

• Thirdly, coordination with other providers of technical assistance is important.

• Fourthly, given the Doha Declaration, priority obviously has to be given to the issues covered there. The WTO technical assistance should be as targeted and concrete as possible.

• My Delegation will actively review the implementation of the Technical Assistance Plan as well as the priority setting and the funding of technical assistance based on the elements I have mentioned

Short and long term trade-related technical assistance needs in the multilateral trading system H.E. Mr. Takahashi, Special Assistant to the Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan

• On behalf of the Government of Japan, I wish to express our deep appreciation for the efforts made to organise this pledging conference o the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.

• WTO-related technical assistance and capacity building are integral parts of the Doha Development Agenda.

• The WTO needs to assist developing Members in implementing the WTO Agreements and in preparing to engage in the new issues.

• Demand for technical assistance and capacity building is strong among developing Members. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 11

• I would like to propose a couple of guiding principles.

• First, working-out of projects should be demand-driven.

• Second, the WTO should seek further cooperation from international aid and development organisations as well as bilateral donor countries to effectively implement technical assistance and capacity building programmes.

• The WTO is not an aid agency and its capacity is limited.

• Japan is aware that developing Members need technical assistance and capacity building on a wide range of issues, including supply-side assistance to strengthen, in particular, their export capacity and competitiveness.

• The international community should do more.

• The legitimacy of the multilateral trading system depends on whether all its Members, both developing and developed alike, can reap the benefits of the system.

Architecture for long-term trade-related technical assistance and capacity building: coherence between multilateral institutions and bilateral donors H.E. Ms. Linnet F. Deily, Ambassador, U.S. Deputy Trade Representative, Permanent Representative to the WTO

• I am pleased to be here today and to have the opportunity to share some views on the importance of coherence between multilateral and bilateral donors.

• Trade is an indispensable means of financing sustainable development.

• In negotiating the Doha Development Agenda we all recognized the critical role that technical cooperation will play.

• Bilateral assistance programs, can draw on expertise from a broad range of sources.

• Other international organizations hold broad expertise in areas where the WTO does not.

• The United States has been actively encouraging multilateral institutions, to meet the most urgent trade capacity needs for the Doha negotiations.

• The United States is also actively working with developing countries and multilateral institutions, organizations.

• Partnership among both donors and recipients.

U.S. Commitment to Participate

• The United States Government provided more than $1.3 billion in funding on trade-related capacity building in developing countries and transition economies in the last three years.

• Need to assess trade assistance and trade-capacity building efforts underway. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 12

• The United States has pledged US$1 million to the Doha Development Agenda, in addition to a commitment we had already made to contribute US$370,000.

• At current exchange rates, that amounts to contributions and pledges to the new trust fund in excess of CHF2.1 million.

• We are also transferring over CHF900,000 from pre-Doha contributions to various WTO trust funds into the Doha Development Agenda Trust Fund.

• High priority to undertaking specific trade-related capacity building programs related to the mandates from the Doha Ministerial.

• The United States strongly supports the initiative of the WTO, in coordination with other multilateral agencies and bilateral donors, to establish a trade-related capacity building database.

• Participation and partnership.

• Enhancing the capacity of think tanks and universities in LDCs.

• Using electronic media and information technology.

• Funding non-resident Member attendance to WTO seminars and meetings.

Maximizing Trade Capacity Resources for Long-Term Gains

• Significant role of the private sector.

• Development of stable and supportive business environments.

• Trade capacity building can augment but not replace the role of each Member in ensuring that they create the domestic environment.

• Trade liberalization by developing countries is also a critical part of the equation.

• Need to separate the short term negotiating needs from the longer term, development-related needs.

• We must match outcomes with recipient country expectations and define needs at the outset.

WTO: Coordination with Other Bilateral and Other Multilateral Organizations' Technical Assistance

Managing Expectations in meeting the Trade-related Technical Assistance/Capacity Building challenge H.E. Mr. Sergio Marchi, ambassador, Permanent Representative of Canada

• Ministers committed to TRTA/CB to ensure that all WTO members can participate effectively in the negotiations and benefit fully from the Multilateral Trading System.

• Ensure that we live up to the commitments and aspirations of Doha. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 13

• Members and the Secretariat work together very closely in formulating, delivering, monitoring and constantly improving “the Plan”.

• It is also vital to the overall success of the Plan that there be broad support for it by Members. We all need to take ownership of the Plan.

• TRTA/CB involves the combined and coordinated efforts of multilateral and regional Banks and Agencies, bilateral donors, the private sector and academic institutions, within a development framework provided by each recipient country.

WTO Responsibilities:

• WTO sticks to what it does best and focuses its attention upon meeting the mandates specifically set out by the Doha Ministerial Declaration.

• Each Committee and Working Group of this House establishes the feasible scope of TRTA/CB.

• Engaging the other multilateral, regional and bilateral Agencies.

• Reporting to all Members on general progress by the end of 2002, and subsequently to Ministers at the 5th Ministerial.

Member Responsibilities:

• Both donor and recipient countries have distinct responsibilities.

• Not only must we also provide funds to various institutions other than the WTO, but we must ensure that we draw upon all of our domestic resources both private and public in a coherent effort.

• Coordinate amongst donors and with multilateral and regional Agencies.

• Report our activities in an agreed framework and in a timely fashion.

• Recipient countries: it is important to keep their requests to the WTO within the Organization’s mandate and capacity.

• Assess their needs.

• TRTA/CB requirements are sequenced and then integrated into country development plans.

• Take advantage of other funding mechanisms.

Canadian Pledge:

• Canada intends to be a full player in all of these efforts.

• Pledge CAN$1.0 million to the Global Trust Fund.

• Over and above this $1 million pledge, we are today announcing an additional contribution of CAN $300,000 to the WTO Training Institute. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 14

• Canada will be delivering this year a minimum of CAN$30 million in TRTA/CB through bilateral programs and multilateral agencies.

• $500,000 to AITIC via La Francophonie.

• $950,000 to the ITC.

• Supply direct technical assistance in the form of human resources from Canadian institutions and government departments.

• Canada, as current Chair of the G8 will, among other tasks, be promoting TRTA/CB within the Africa Action Plan.

Concluding Remarks:

• Getting TA/CB right is essential to helping developing countries.

• We will transform the technical assistance challenge. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 15

ANNEX I

PROGRAMME

WTO Pledging Conference For The Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF): Coherence, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

Monday, 11 March 2002

Chairman: Mike Moore, Director-General, WTO

Opening statement by the Chairman

"Importance of technical cooperation and capacity building for the Fifth Ministerial Conference" Message from Dr. Luís Ernesto Derbez, Secretary of the Economy, Mexico, Host Minister of the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference.

"OECD's contributions in support of short and long term trade-related technical assistance and capacity building" Mr. Donald Johnston, Secretary-General, OECD

"Appropriate policy framework for utilising trade-related technical assistance" Dr. Louis Kasekende, Deputy Governor, Bank of Uganda

"Developing countries' short and long term priority needs for trade-related technical assistance and capacity building" H.E. Ms Amima Chawahir Mohamed, Ambasssador, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the WTO

"Coherence and coordination for technical assistance and capacity building: post-Doha" H.E. Mr. Carlo Trojan, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the European Commission to the WTO

"Predictable funding and priority-setting in technical cooperation and capacity building" H.E. Mr. Käre Bryn, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Norway to the WTO

"Short and long term trade-related technical assistance needs in the multilateral trading system" H.E. Takahashi, Special Assistant to the Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan

"Architecture for long-term trade-related technical assistance and capacity building: coherence between multilateral institutions and bilateral donors" H.E. Ms Linnet F. Deily, Ambassador, U.S. Deputy Trade Representative, Permanent Representative to the WTO

"Managing Expectations in meeting the Trade-related Technical Assistance/Capacity Building challenge" H.E. Mr. Sergio Marchi, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Canada.

"Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund": power point presentation Deputy Director-General Andrew Stoler, WTO WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 16

"WTO strategic response to the Doha Development Agenda & Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building Mandates": powerpoint presentation Mr. Chiedu Osakwe, Director, Technical Cooperation Division (on behalf of Deputy Director-General Paul-Henri Ravier, WTO)

Statements and pledges by bilateral donors: developed and developing Members1 (five minutes maximum each)

Implementation of the Doha Development Agenda: Multilateral Agencies Contributions/Pledges

"Role of regional development banks in implementing the Doha Development Agenda: the model of the IADB" Mr. Ziga Vodusek, Senior Economist, European Office, Paris Inter-American Development Bank

Mr. J. Denis Bélisle, Executive Director/Assistant Secretary-General, ITC

Mr. C. Fortin, Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD

Mr. Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, Director, World Bank Office in Geneva

Mr. Alexei Kireyev, Senior Economist, IMF Office in Geneva

Ms Karen Lee, Counsellor, WIPO

Mr. Alberto DiLiscia, Assistant Director-General, Director of UNIDO Office at Geneva, UNIDO

Mr. Charles Arden-Clarke, Senior Programme Officer, Economics and Trade Unit, UNEP

Dr. Jamel Eddine Zarrouk, Division Chief, International and Regional Organisation, Economics and Technical Department, Arab Monetary Fund

Mr. J.P. Verbiest, Asian Development Bank

Mr. Mikuriya Deputy Secretary-General, World Customs Organizsation

Dr. Ahmed Abdul Wasie Operation Officer, Cooperation Office, Islamic Development Bank

Statements by other WTO Members

1 DAC and non-DAC Members. Pledges may also be included in the initial general statements. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 17

ANNEX II

TABLE OF PLEDGES FOR OTHERS

Announcements made by Delegations to the Pledging Conference for the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund, of Contributions made to other International Organizations and of Bilateral Assistance

Delegation Contribution Organization European Commission Between 1996 and 2000 the EC funded TRTA/CB projects to an amount of 700 million Euro. Currently, projects worth over 300 million Euro are being implemented. Specifically: Euro 30 million ACP countries/ACP Antenna in Geneva. Euro 200,000 in 2001 IF Trust Fund Euro 750,000 in 2002 IF Trust Fund Japan No specifics The APEC Strategic Plan In 2001-2002 approximately In general for multilateral, regional and US$ 107.8 million bilateral trade-related technical assistance. United States In the last three years more than Trade-related capacity-building US$1.3 billion activities in developing countries and transition economies. Canada CAN$30 million TRTA/CB bilateral and multilateral CAN$ 500,000 AITIC through La Francophonie CAN$ 950,000 ITC United Kingdom £ 7.5 million UK's Africa Trade and Poverty Programme. £ 1 million IF Trust Fund £ 1 million AITIC's transformation into an Inter- governmental organization. World Bank – Trade Policy and £ 3 million Development Programme, second phase. No specifics UNCTAD and ITC Australia A$ 500,000 AITIC Germany CHF 750,000 UNCTAD CHF 3.5 million ITC CHF 3 million Monterrey Netherlands No specificities UNCTAD, ITC, Advisory Centre on WTO Law, and AITIC France No specificities UNCTAD, ITC Belgium Euros 2.6 million UNCTAD - Various programs Euros 750.000 IF Trust Fund Euros 250.000 UNCTAD - Expert on trade efficiency Denmark No specificities IF-WTO Internship programmes AITIC, JITAP, ITC Advisory Center for WTO Law Luxembourg No specificities Other organizations e.g. UNCTAD WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 18

ANNEX III

STATEMENTS BY OTHER WTO MEMBERS

• Switzerland • Benin • Brazil • United Kingdom • Hungary • Sweden • France • New Zealand • Nigeria • Spain • Australia • Argentina • Belgium • Italy • Hong Kong, China • Germany • Chinese Taipei • Denmark • Estonia • Iceland • Singapore • Norway • Korea • Ireland • Netherlands • Czech Republic • Finland • Greece • Austria • Luxembourg WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 19

STATEMENTS AND PLEDGES BY BILATERAL DONORS: DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRY MEMBERS

Switzerland

1. We have been able to establish the Global Trust Fund and draw up a plan for Technical Assistance. Clearly in line with the mandate received in Doha, the creation of this Fund responds to the growing needs of developing countries and specifically, least-developed countries, vulnerable economies and transition economies. Without support, it is clear that these countries will not be able to participate effectively in the negotiations which are being prepared for the next Ministerial conference.

2. It is vital that we ensure that efforts not be dispersed and rather that priorities be identified in order to increase the impact of our activities. Furthermore, the basic needs of developing countries in trade, goes beyond the assistance which WTO can give, it is important that we continue to think on how we can establish a coherent and effective mechanism at an international level in order to implement programmes for capacity building which include the different domains of intervention and cooperation for trade. This means that we must have the commitment of financial institutions in technical assistance related to trade. We would like to associate ourselves with the international community in order to promote participation of developing countries in the Multilateral trade system. We will put at the disposal of the Global Trust Fund, a contribution of 1.5 million Swiss Francs shared over two years, an amount which includes the balance of our bilateral funds to WTO. We would also like to take this opportunity, Mr. Chairman, to reaffirm the need to bring technical assistance under the Secretariat's coherent policies, where we identify the needs of beneficiary countries as mentioned in the new strategies for technical cooperation of WTO. Technical assistance has an impact which is not maximised when this is not brought under the coherent plan.

3. With a number of other WTO Members and Observers, I take this opportunity to inform participants in this conference of progress with an initiative closely related to the purpose of the Global Trust Fund. This is the AITIC Initiative signed at Doha during the WTO Ministerial Conference by Ministers of 55 WTO Members and Observers. It recognises the urgent need for support of resource constrained Member and Observer developing countries with a priority to small and vulnerable economies and economies in transition and in particular to least-developed countries and those without representation in Geneva. The objective is to strengthen their capacity to participate effectively in the WTO and the international system. To this end, the AITIC Initiative seeks to reinforce, on a basis of partnership between donors and beneficiaries, the ability of the Geneva-based Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation (AITIC) to respond to this end by broadening it's funding base and governance structure.

4. AITIC has now completed four years of successful and effective operations, its present resources, however, are inadequate to meet demands made on it, particularly as a result of the work programme established at Doha. Recognising this situation, the signatories of the AITIC Initiative established a task force to consider the feasibility of transforming the agency into an intergovernmental organisation. They invited the task force to make a progress report on the occasion of the UN Conference on Financing for Development which will take place later this month in Monterrey. In its report, the task force concludes that the establishment of AITIC as an intergovernmental organisation, would be both feasible and desirable. It recommends that an appropriate intergovernmental agreement be drawn up by the end of June so as to permit a signing conference to take place later this year. These recommendations will be considered by Ministers at a meeting during the Monterrey Conference, on March 21st. Participants in today's meeting, who would like to study the task force reports, will find copies outside this room. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 20

Benin

1. The point of fact, this Pledging conference on 11th March 2002 is once again evidence of the will and spiritual solidarity for international cooperation which has been expressed in Doha and has made it possible to include a development programme in the WTOs' activities, something which we continue to support and something which we are delighted about. I think this is evidence of the fact that in developing countries certain domains and fields which are considered as self-evident, are serious blockages or hindrances to international trade.

2. My country ventures to hope that this new awareness , this new dynamism of international cooperation born in Doha and which is continuing here today will enable the developing countries and especially the least-developed among them to repair their state of institutional inadequacy, infrastructural inadequacy so as to make them efficiently able to participate in international trade thanks to the Fund which we are in the process of setting up.

3. My country, Benin, would like this Fund, which we are ready to contribute to, to remove the real obstacles to the trade of developing countries in terms of specific projects and should not be used for mission expense purposes and to finance mere studies.

Brazil

1. Capacity building is an essential element in our collective endeavour to generate confidence in the multilateral trading system as we embark on a new round of trade negotiations. Many have stressed the importance of assisting developing countries so that they are able to participate in and benefit from the rules based system. It has also been pointed out that we have a development agenda before us and that unless we provide developing countries with the tools to fully engage in this negotiating exercise we will fall short of our objectives. While we agree with this view, capacity building and technical assistance in themselves will not ensure better access for developing countries exports nor will they necessarily lead to a more equitable set of disciplines under the WTO.

2. The core issues for developing countries are fairness and market access in areas where they enjoy comparative advantages, including agriculture, textiles and clothing, footwear, steel. Implementation of previous commitments and fair rules, in areas such as antidumping and subsidies are also among the issues that must be fully addressed if we want the Doha mandate to indeed become a "development round".

3. Financing is also a critical element for the promotion of development. In this regard, we would like to recall that the United Nations Conference on Financing for Development, to be held this month in Monterrey, Mexico, will review international financial cooperation in a forum wider than the Bretton Woods institutions and with a broad agenda that also encompasses trade. We are encouraged to note that the draft Declaration which will form the basis for discussions at Monterrey refers to international trade as an "engine for development".

4. Brazil is actively engaged in South-South cooperation, and together with partners in the Americas, Africa and Asia, has been able to carry out a significant number of projects in different fields. Brazil remains committed to promoting Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building among developing countries (TCDC) and has been playing an active role in the exchange of best practices and know how, drawing from its own experience.

5. In the year 2000 the Brazilian Government took part in more than 100 projects, involving more than 30 countries, in areas such as public health, agriculture, environment, energy and mining. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 21

The focus was clearly on LDCs and, among these, Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa. Within Latin America and the Caribbean, Haiti was one of the major recipients. Due to the financing difficulties faced by developing countries to implement such cooperation in a sustainable way, we would like to propose that the WTO examine the possibility of channelling part of the resources raised through the Global Trust Fund so as to allocate them to projects to TCDC projects with an international trade dimension. Cooperation with international agencies such as UNCTAD and CEPAL might also be envisaged, allowing for the establishment of synergies through triangular cooperation schemes.

6. Today, I wish to announce that Brazil is ready to organize a training course in Brasilia on trade negotiations for approximately 30 to 40 professionals from Portuguese-speaking countries and other interested countries. The Brazilian Diplomatic Academy – Instituto Rio Branco – which is putting together this initiative, is prepared to cover, among others, the work of WTO subsidiary bodies, the Doha mandate and the development perspective within the new round of negotiations as well as more specific topics, such as dispute settlement, agriculture, services and TRIPs.

7. We will be approaching interested member States in order to finalize a programme tailored to their specific interest and expectations. If we can obtain some financial assistance and technical expertise from the WTO we are confident that through initiatives such as this we will be able to make a relevant contribution to our collective effort to build bridges among States members regardless of their level of development, and ensure that the Doha Agenda is truly development oriented.

United Kingdom

1. UK has long regarded the WTO's programme of technical assistance to its developing country members as a key function. We have regularly contributed unearmarked, multiyear funds to support it.

2. Pleased that the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund has been set up in such a way as to facilitate the prompt and smooth delivery of technical assistance.

3. Our Secretary of State for International Development, Clare Short, announced just before the Doha Ministerial Conference that the UK would make available a further one million pounds sterling (that is about SFr 2.4m) to strengthen technical assistance efforts. £700,000 of this funding was promptly made available to the then-existing Global Trust Fund. This contribution has now been transferred to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund in the form of unearmarked, multiyear funding to be drawn down by the WTO in accordance with its needs. The remaining uncommitted portion of £300,000 will be made available to the new Fund in the same form, when the WTO determines that it needs it. The UK hopes in this way to help the WTO to overcome the difficulties it has faced in the past of lack of predictability and 'peaks and troughs' of funding which have hampered the planning and delivery of technical assistance.

4. The UK will also continue its financial support for the monitoring and evaluation of the WTO’s technical assistance. It looks forward to working with other Members this year to refine the WTO's planning and priority-setting for technical assistance activities to ensure that they support the recipients' development strategies and have the greatest possible impact.

5. The UK supports the incorporation of technical assistance contributions into the regular WTO budget and will continue to work towards this objective. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 22

6. The UK's contribution of £1 million for WTO technical assistance announced by Clare Short last November was just one component of a £20 million package to address capacity constraints and help developing countries formulate trade policies and engage in the WTO. The package included:

(i) £7.5 million to the UK's Africa Trade and Poverty Programme to help countries and regional organisations in sub-Saharan Africa to build capacity to formulate and implement trade reforms which serve poverty reduction goals;

(ii) an additional £1m for the Integrated Framework Trust Fund;

(iii) £1m to support countries that are under-represented in Geneva, including support for the transformation of AITIC (the Agency for International Trade Information and Co- operation) into an inter-governmental organisation;

(iv) a further £3 million contribution to the World Bank towards the second phase of its highly successful Trade Policy and Development programme;

(v) the remaining £6.5 million will be made available to assist developing countries to cope with the demands of negotiations.

7. This £20 million package, added to funding commitments already made for trade-related technical assistance and capacity-building including to UNCTAD and the ITC, brings the UK's total commitments for such assistance from 1998 to date to £37.8 million. That is bilateral commitments in addition to contributions through the European Union.

Hungary

1. We do consider Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building as an important element of the Doha Development Agenda and indeed as an important tool for making possible for countries, including developing countries, the least-developed among them and countries in transition, to enjoy maximum benefit from the international trading system with appropriate participation in the work of the WTO. It is essential to improve the level of understanding and the capacity for implementation of already undertaken commitments and also to help these countries to formulate their individual needs and policies for negotiations relating to the Doha Development Agenda. This will be a guarantee for having meaningful negotiations and to conclude these negotiations on time, and also to avoid the repetition of the situation we have recently faced in this Organisation.

2. I have the pleasure to announce that, in line with our priority policy to promote stability and prosperity in our region, Hungary is ready to organize a seminar for WTO Member and Observer countries of Central and Eastern Europe including the Balkans. The subject of this seminar will be Trade and Investment and Trade and Competition Policy of the countries concerned in relation to the ongoing negotiation according to the respective mandates of the Doha Development Agenda. We propose that the seminar should take place in the 4th quarter of this year with three participants from each invited country. We also expect an active participation of the WTO Secretariat, both in relation to organisational and substantive issues.

3. This is how Hungary would like to contribute with this modest way to the success of this Pledging Conference and the success of the Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building activity under the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 23

Sweden

1. From a development perspective, the result of the Ministerial Meeting in Doha is encouraging. Multilateral rules that contribute to the integration of developing countries to world trade are crucial for accelerated economic development. The ambitious work programme, however, is demanding for developing countries. Sweden believes that the capacity of developing countries to promote their interest in the negotiations is essential, not only for their own development, but also for the overall confidence in the multilateral trading system and its benefits. Therefore, it is essential that the resources available for activities that strengthen developing countries' capacity to participate in the WTO negotiations are increased.

2. The commitments in the Doha Development Agenda as regards Trade-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building are far-reaching. Sweden is determined to deliver on these commitments; in particular, we think that preference should be given to the needs of the poorest countries. Sweden is also setting-up the trade-related elements in our bilateral development cooperation. The Swedish International Development Agency has been given a specific instruction, by the Government, to follow-up the commitments from Doha, as regards Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building.

3. That brings me to the only thing that you are really interested in hearing from me, and I am able to announce, I am happy to announce that in relation to the Swedish contribution to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund, Sweden stands ready to contribute 16 million Swedish Crowns, equivalent to approximately 2.5 million Swiss Francs.

France

Summary: France pledges one million Euros to the DDA Trust Fund.

1. Today's meeting is significant for all of us, in that it shows our shared determination to honouring as swiftly and effectively as possible all the commitments made by our Ministers in Doha, the focus today being on the financing of technical cooperation and trade capacity-building as provided for in Articles 38 to 41 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.

2. The successful insertion of developing countries into world trade is a lever of growth and a weapon in the fight against poverty. Trade capacity-building and technical assistance for developing countries now figure prominently among the objectives of French official development assistance policy.

3. France is fully committed to this undertaking, in regard to both its bilateral programmes and its multilateral commitments. Our pledge here today at the WTO is in keeping with a much wider bilateral and multilateral development assistance programme which France has been working on since Doha, particularly with a view to the Monterrey conference on financing for development. This global plan focuses on the development of trade capacity and on institutional strengthening.

4. At the multilateral level, I would like to remind you that two years ago we decided to supplement our traditional and regular pledges made to UNCTAD and the ITC with voluntary contributions to the WTO.

5. We are therefore now pledging a payment of one million Euros for the 2002-2003 period. I think that I will soon be able to confirm that the funds not yet used will be made available to the Doha Trust Fund. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 24

6. Today, we are convinced that the WTO must have the capacity to act as a driving force in the trade capacity-building process, in cooperation of course with the other development actors. The integration of trade-related aspects into development policies is a joint responsibility held by bilateral donors, all the international organizations concerned and the recipient countries.

7. The debate which was still taking place not so long ago on the issue of whether the WTO should or should not become a development agency at the risk of losing sight of its primary vocation, i.e. negotiating multilateral rules to facilitate trade, is now entirely a thing of the past.

8. Developing countries are in favour of an open and liberal trade policy to promote development. This is something that we also believe in.

9. For the WTO to function harmoniously, it requires all-round participation in what I call the "triptych" of the Organization's activities – fulfilment of the commitments assumed, compliance with them thanks to dispute settlement, and the negotiation of new undertakings. Trade events of the last few days have reminded us once more that the WTO is the last safeguard against the law of "might is right".

10. In my opinion, the Doha Development Agenda is a huge step forward: there can be no multilateral trade negotiations in the interests of all WTO Members unless the commitments already assumed have been fulfilled; unless each Member can clearly identify its interests in the negotiations and their impact on its own development strategy before making a commitment, particularly when new issues are proposed; and, naturally, provided that all Members are in a position to actively participate in the negotiations themselves, so that none feel excluded or, even worse, constrained by their outcome.

11. You wanted this first WTO Pledging Conference to make a real impact. This wish might appear surprising at first sight. Firstly, the WTO in fact already received regular payments and has a budget which includes a fair amount of voluntary contributions. Secondly, the WTO Secretariat's annual coordinated technical assistance plan for 2002, even if it now incorporates actions directly linked to the Doha negotiations, which we warmly welcome, fundamentally is not very different from those of previous years.

12. However, I think you were right to throw the spotlight on the duality of the Doha Agenda and the shared interest of all WTO Members in ensuring that the commitments are respected. Our Ministers gave us a very tight schedule and it was therefore important that every effort was made for the different "tools" to be put into place quickly and somewhat visibly in order to highlight the intention, I would go as far as saying the good intention, of us all. Apart from respecting deadlines, this will also facilitate the realization of the entire set of commitments contained in the Doha work programme, whether they are currently being considered in negotiating groups or in the Organization's regular fora.

13. In this context I am very pleased to announce France's pledge of one million Euros to the WTO Doha Trust Fund.

14. We obviously hope that no one will forget the urgent need for coordination between donors, be they bilateral, regional or multilateral, that was highlighted in the Doha Declaration, but we have no doubt that the WTO will be exemplary in this regard. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 25

New Zealand

1. I am pleased to announce on behalf of the New Zealand Government that New Zealand will be making a contribution of approximately 370,000 New Zealand dollars or approximately 250,000 Swiss Francs to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.

2. All our Ministers made a commitment at Doha to help make the multilateral trading system work better for development. This includes improved market access for the products that are important to developing countries, appropriate flexibility for developing countries in implementing WTO commitments, and a significant commitment to providing technical assistance and capacity building.

3. These commitments are in keeping with the agreement to include trade and development, and capacity-building, in the Millennium Development Goals. Enhanced trade capacity as a vehicle by which developing countries can raise levels of economic growth and standards of living is also acknowledged in the Financing for Development context, which heads of state and ministers will be addressing next week in Monterey.

4. Responding to the mandate on technical assistance and capacity building is perhaps the most urgent of all the Doha outcomes for us to address. and New Zealand is pleased to be able to play its part in delivering on this commitment. We also welcome the initiative of the Global Trust Fund along with the efforts by other Members and the Secretariat to date. We would like to thank the participants in today's conference for providing us with some further ideas on how we can improve our efforts in the future.

5. This is not a new issue though. Like many others, New Zealand has been working hard to support developing countries' trade concerns for some time now, but Doha has quite rightly given added impetuous and political weight to this.

6. We have for several years been an annual contributor to the WTO Technical Assistance Programme for Asia-Pacific. In recent years our contributions have been running at NZ$250,000 which is equivalent to around half our annual WTO regular budget contribution.

7. In addition to this we provide a wide range of bilateral and regional trade policy assistance from the New Zealand ODA programme. Much of this is focused on our near neighbours, the small island developing states of the Pacific, who have particular vulnerabilities due to their size and limited capacity and resources. You will also find New Zealand experts regularly taking part in trade-related training programmes run by the WTO and others.

8. We realize however that all the assistance in the world is of no use to developing countries unless they have access to rich countries' markets. New Zealand has no quotas and minimal tariffs on products from developing countries. On top of this, Least Developed Countries face absolutely no tariffs for any of their products exported to New Zealand. In the interest of global development we call on all OECD countries to do likewise.

9. Ultimately the pledges we have made today are but part of a broader effort, within the Doha Development Agenda and in concert with other relevant organizations, to better integrate developing countries into the multilateral trading system. We will also need to continue to work hard in areas such as the market access and agriculture negotiations to ensure we have the right framework of policies and rules to help meet this goal. I would like to assure the Membership of our commitment to these efforts. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 26

Nigeria

1. As a developing country and a beneficiary of this programme, I would like to thank the Director-General and the Secretariat for organising this Pledging Conference aimed at taking concrete steps to realise the objectives set out by ministers in Doha for increasing capacity and technical assistance to developing countries. We thank all those donors and delegations who have made pledges to provide capacity building and technical assistance to developing countries. We strongly support the statement made by the Honourable Minister of Trade and Industry of Kenya, which was delivered by Ambassador Amina. We are particularly touched by the laudable idea of “Harambe” which means pulling resources together for the common good.

2. Let me emphasise that the provision of capacity building and technical assistance is a very important aspect of the Doha Declaration. The more we are prepared and empowered to take part in the negotiations, the better the results will be for all parties and the MTS. We have listened to the advice and statements by major donors. One aspect mentioned by Ambassador Deily is that an effort should be made to match the outcome of the WTO technical assistance with the level of assistance given. To this effect we would like to suggest that the Secretariat should develop a follow-up mechanism that will keep track of the results/effects of what capacity building/technical assistance was delivered to each beneficiary, and to ensure that whatever gains are achieved are not lost.

3. We are delighted to hear in the Director-General’s address that an evaluation of capacity building/technical assistance efforts will be presented to the General Council in December 2002. The result of that assessment will also give an indication as to how ready we are getting for the negotiations.

4. My country as a developing member is a recipient of capacity building/technical assistance not a donor. However to emphasise the commitment of my country to this project and the objective it is intended to address, Nigeria would pledge the sum of SFr. 1,000 to the Fund. In this way we wish to identify with the project and establish our presence as a co-owner of the programme.

Spain

1. I am going to be very brief, over and above the pledges which we can make, we have some comments to make. Spain shares the opinion expressed by other delegates who have preceded me, highlighting the relevance of technical cooperation and the creation of capacity-building as reflected in the Doha Ministerial Declaration. Our Ministers, there, decided that it was necessary to guarantee, first of all financing, financing that would be predictable and secure for technical assistance. This Global Trust Fund has been established in order to carry out this commitment and in order to be a complement to the Doha Development Agenda.

2. My authorities would like to say to you that Spain, over and above, what has already been contributed through the European Union, will contribute 150.000 Euros to the Fund, and would like to thank you for the initiative and the efforts made in order to call together this meeting; we do hope it will be a success and hope that we will be able to collect the funds necessary in order to meet the targets we have set.

Australia

1. The active participation of developing country members in the new round of multilateral trade negotiations is a fundamental prerequisite for success. The efficient provision of targeted and WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 27

effective trade-related technical assistance will be a crucial element in the quest to increase the capacity for meaningful participation by all WTO members.

2. We therefore welcome the establishment of the Global Trust Fund for trade-related technical assistance, and are very pleased to be participating in this pledging conference today.

3. While we firmly believe in the value of trade-related technical assistance, we must remember that this is only one part of the solution. Real , sustainable economic growth for developing countries will not occur without meaningful market access, and reform of trade-distorting measures particularly in those sectors of importance to them.

4. As a member of the Cairns Group of agricultural exporting nations, Australia has long led the push for reductions in barriers that rich countries impose on exports from developing countries. The Cairns Group has undertaken, and will continue to pursue, outreach activities with developing countries, as we firmly believe that reform of developed country agricultural policies is a key factor in their development.

5. As the Australian Minister for Trade, Mark Vaile said last year, “Developing country farmers have to compete in the most highly distorted of trading sectors. The current WTO negotiations provide a key opportunity to correct these distortions. Increasingly, developing countries understand the stakes they have in the agriculture negotiations, and are lending their voice to the campaign for reform.” Australia and the Cairns Group will continue to push for a meaningful outcome to the agriculture negotiations.

6. Australia also welcomes the work being done in a number of WTO Committees to address the concerns of developing countries. We look forward to taking part in the review of special and differential treatment being undertaken in the Committee on Trade and Development in Special Session, as well as the other working groups that have been established to look at development-related issues, such as Trade and Transfer of Technology and Trade, Debt and Finance.

7. Overall, Australia delivered $A28 million in trade-related technical assistance in our financial year 2000/01. These activities were delivered through bilateral programs, APEC, the WTO, the Commonwealth, as well as other multilateral agencies, and focussed on trade policy development, strengthening of customs and quarantine procedures, taxation (including tariff) reform, trade and tourism promotion and investment policy formulation.

8. Post Doha, Australia is contributing to other technical assistance initiatives. At the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, the Australian Prime Minister announced a contribution of $A500, 000 to assist non-resident WTO members pursue their interests in the WTO. This funding will support the important and effective work of the Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation (AITIC), on which the distinguished delegate of Switzerland has already spoken.

9. Furthermore, Australia will deliver a second training programme for trade negotiators from African countries in May this year. The program will assist key African policy makers to maximise their participation in trade negotiations. Australia will fund the course in conjunction with the Government of South Africa. We will look to follow this with further targeted and practical trade policy training in other parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific Region.

10. In addition to Australia’s existing broad range of trade-related technical assistance and capacity building activities, it is my pleasure today to announce that Australia will contribute $A460, 000 to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund. We look forward to working with WTO members and the Secretariat to ensure that the activities funded by the Global Trust Fund will WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 28

advance our collective efforts to ensure that developing countries are fully engaged in the new Doha Development Agenda negotiations and that the programs are effectively targeted, delivered and coordinated.

11. This pledge, along with the other initiatives I have mentioned, demonstrate Australia’s ongoing commitment to advancing the interests of developing countries. It further reflects the vital role that increased trade can play in the promotion of economic development and the reduction of poverty.

Argentina

1. Argentina attaches particular importance to this Conference on Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building for two reasons:

2. Firstly, because it is a step towards fulfilling the commitments laid down in the Doha Declaration, and therefore helps the essential confidence-building process. It also signals the importance of trade and the WTO in the struggle against poverty and underdevelopment.

3. Secondly, because it has widened the focus to include not only questions regarding 'contributions', but also a substantive dialogue on the policies which will lead to an extensive and solid programme, and which will resolve issues of coordination and coherence between organizations and member states.

4. Argentina, as far as its status as a developing country will allow, grants its full cooperation in this process by taking concrete actions in the field of technical assistance.

5. These actions will be carried out in our country, in international fora and particularly in Geneva.

6. In addition to the ongoing programmes, we would like to inform you of two new initiatives.

There are actually two programmes being implemented:

(i) Firstly, in cooperation with the IDB we are in the process of organizing a technical seminar in Buenos Aires on Trade and Competition Policies (May).

(ii) Secondly, our Permanent Mission in Geneva is using an 'agreement by agreement' approach in preparing a programme of assistance, information and in-depth discussion, which will take place here. The aim of this programme is to help to understand rights, implement obligations, improve negotiating capacity, and benefit from the open and rule-based multilateral system.

7. This programme has been designed to be implemented on a 'regional or sub-regional' basis, although applying it on a country by country basis is not to be ruled out.

8. The programme (including the identification of those responsible for its implementation) will be given to the Secretariat and made available for viewing on our web page in the next 15 days (www3.itu.int/missions/argentin).

9. With these two new concrete actions we have set the wheels in motion. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 29

10. We are convinced that a substantial part of the Doha Round's success depends on the success of the Capacity-Building Programme.

Belgium

1. The importance attached by the Belgian authorities to linking trade and development and contributing to the growth of developing countries by strengthening their trade capacity, is nothing new. Belgium, which is traditionally an open nation and one very active as regards trade, knows to what extent trade can promote prosperity and mutual respect between nations when it is governed by rules which have been freely agreed upon and when accompanied by measures to assist less advantaged countries.

2. Following on from the Doha Ministerial Conference, Belgium has decided to make new commitments in the field of technical assistance and trade capacity-building

3. I can therefore announce that, from this year onwards, Belgium will make an annual contribution of 174,000 Euros to the Global Trust Fund.

4. This contribution will be joined by that of Belgium's Flemish Regional Government, which is pledging 100,000 Euros to the Fund, to be used in projects in Mozambique and Southern Africa.

5. In addition to these amounts destined for WTO technical assistance programmes, my authorities have also made efforts to contribute to other trade-related technical assistance programmes, as we consider it important to underline that the efficiency of our efforts depends on coherent action between all the actors who may be in a position to provide trade-related technical assistance.

Thus, Belgium contributes 2.6 million Euros to various UNCTAD programmes:

- 750,000 Euros to different trade-related projects.

- 3 x 375,000 Euros to the 'Globalization and Human Development' programme.

- 750,000 Euros to the long-distance learning programme aimed at preparing negotiators from developing countries for the discussions on trade and investment, as provided for in the Doha Agenda.

6. My authorities also plan to provide UNCTAD with funding for a period of two years for an expert on trade efficiency. This will entail a sum of around 250,000 Euros.

7. Finally, ever aware of the priority which must be given to the least advanced countries, Belgium has put 750,000 Euros into the integrated framework for trade-related technical assistance for LDCs.

8. This Belgian contribution of almost 4 million Euros for the next 2-3 years, is in keeping with the European Union's global efforts in the field of trade-related technical assistance and capacity- building. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 30

Italy

1. I wish, first of all to express my sincerest congratulations for convening, so timely, this Pledging Conference for the establishment of the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund, whose strategic policy lines had been defined already in the context of the Fourth Ministerial Conference in Qatar.

2. Italy fully shares the goals outlined on that occasion according to which more substantial technical assistance should be provided in order to help, not only developing countries and least- developed countries but also transition economies to better comply with WTO rules and regulations and thus fulfill obligations resulting therefrom. Any form of cooperation should mainly, and above all, enable them to exercise fully the rights stemming from belonging to the Organization and to benefit from the advantages of an open multilateral trade system based on safe rules and predictable procedures.

3. In fact, before the Doha Conference, Italy participated through a substantial financial contribution in the activities of the Advisory Center on WTO Law, in the Integrated Framework for LDCs and in a few programmes specifically designed for the accessions of new Members to WTO. But more important today, I think, is indeed our financial commitment for the future. Our participation in this Pledging Conference is meant to take into account the importance of this very crucial time in the life of the organization on the eve of a new round of negotiations, which, for the first time, will be devoted mainly to the issue of development. It is, therefore, with great satisfaction, that I have the pleasure to announce in this assembly that the Italian Government will contribute 1 million Euros to the Doha Development Agenda global Trust Fund.

Hong Kong, China

1. Previous speakers have very eloquently and accurately described the importance of technical assistance and capacity building initiatives, especially in support of our on-going work in relation to the Doha Development Agenda agreed to by Ministers last November. I shall not repeat these points and would only like to associate myself with what has already been said in this regard.

2. Hong Kong, China is a staunch supporter of the multilateral trading system, and we attach great importance to technical assistance and capacity building work by the WTO that would help to ensure the effective participation by all trading partners, large or small, at all stages of development. To contribute to this important area of work, Hong Kong, China in 1998 and April last year contributed a total of more than 3 million Swiss Francs to the WTO Trust Funds to support projects targeted at least developed economies, less advanced developing economies or economies at similar levels of development.

3. With the broad scope of work ahead of us as set out in the Doha Development Agenda, the work on technical assistance and capacity building is becoming ever more important. We believe that the full participation of all Members in this work is essential to ensure a fruitful and balanced outcome that will reinforce the multilateral trading system. We therefore see the creation of the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund as timely and crucial to the future health of the WTO. The global nature of the programme and the co-ordinated management of the Fund to finance technical assistance to developing countries, economies in transition and especially least developed countries should facilitate the effective, efficient and flexible implementation of the Technical Assistance Plan agreed to by Members.

4. To support the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund, we will transfer the balance of our contributions, that is to say some 0.7 million Swiss Francs, to the Fund. We will also continue to WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 31 support the WTO’s technical assistance and capacity building work, both in terms of monetary contributions and organization of other technical co-operation programmes or events, as appropriate.

Germany

1. After the Ministerial in Doha and the recent creation of the Trade Negotiations Committee the establishment of the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund is another major step with respect to a successful new round of multilateral trade negotiations. This is why the German Government appreciates this Pledging Conference for the Fund and very much hopes for a positive outcome.

2. Undoubtedly the multilateral trading system is of major influence for economic development. Germany therefore underlines the great importance of also mainstreaming trade into development strategies.

3. Besides, it should be in the particular interest of all member states not only to avoid damage to the system but also to develop it further comprehensively. This in mind, every member state should be in a position to participate to the widest extent possible to this process. In this context the WTO should strengthen technical assistance and capacity building to developing countries, so that every member can not only exercise its rights and fulfil its duties, emanating from the agreements, but can also effectively participate in the forthcoming comprehensive negotiations of the Doha Development Round.

4. In view of this, Germany signed last December an arrangement with WTO amounting to about 750,000 Swiss Francs, payments beginning this year. Including this contribution we are ready to transfer all funds from the former arrangements with WTO - without changing their content – into the new Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund. That would represent an amount of approximately 1 million Swiss Francs for the current year. In the following years, around 1,4 million Swiss Francs will be disbursed.

5. Additionally the German Minister for Technical Cooperation and Development, Mrs Wieczorek-Zeul, will officially pledge an amount in the order of 3 million Swiss Francs at the Monterrey conference "Financing for Development", the payments in four yearly instalments starting next year.

6. Mr. Chairman, with multi-year contributions we hope to strengthen the planning and the quality of the Technical Assistance of the WTO. At the same time we attach great importance to widening WTO's coordination and cooperation with other international organizations and with bilateral donors. In this context I would like to inform you that Germany has just contributed or will do so soon approximately 750,000 Swiss Francs for trade-related technical assistance to UNCTAD and around 3,5 million Swiss Francs for ITC.

Chinese Taipei

1. I am greatly delighted and honoured to join this Conference and begin my official duties with today's session.

2. The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu has always strongly supported the WTO's efforts to provide capacity building and technical assistance to developing and least-developed countries. For example, while we were still only an observer to the WTO and not yet a Member, we contributed US$ 50,000 in support of the Meeting of African Trade Ministers that took place in Libreville, Gabon, in November 2000. The purpose of that meeting was to enhance African WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 32 trade officials' understanding of the WTO's rules and agreements. In addition, we also donated 37,500 Swiss Francs to support the participation of LDCs at the WTO's 4th Ministerial Conference.

3. As we all know, the meaningful and full participation of developing countries and the least developed countries in the new WTO-sponsored round of trade talks will strengthen the multilateral trading system. The goal of the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF) is to place the needs and interests of developing countries and the least developed countries at the heart of the WTO work programme. It is our pleasure, therefore, to shoulder a small financial burden in support of this fund.

4. As a first step, we have agreed to transfer the balance of our contribution underwriting the participation of the LDCs in the Fourth Ministerial Conference fund to the DDAGTF. This will be followed by a further donation of US$ 300,000 towards helping developing countries and least- developed countries in boosting their capacity to implement WTO rules.

5. In concluding, I would like to take this opportunity to note how much I look forward to working closely with all of you during my time here in Geneva on this meaningful project as well as many other matters of relevance to the international trading system. I sincerely wish today's Pledging Conference every success.

Denmark

1. Let me very briefly underline our continued support for the technical assistance of the WTO. Following the change of Government last year, the finalization of this years' Government budget has unfortunately been further delayed after the expected former adoption of the budget later this month, in fact next week. We are however, planning to pledge multi and annual contributions to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund, as well as to several other programmes and institutions in the field of Trade and Development like IF-WTO Internship programmes, AITIC, JITAP, ITC and the Advisory Centre for WTO Law. I will come back to you as soon as we are finalized.

Estonia

1. The Doha Ministerial declaration emphasized further the importance of technical assistance and capacity building in taking our work forward. The mandate to negotiate goes hand-in-hand with the mandate to provide adequate assistance to help members to better understand and analyze the multilateral trading system and to enhance their human and institutional capacity for trade negotiations.

2. We have already started fulfilling this mandate by organizing the work of appropriate negotiating bodies, by agreeing to the technical assistance plan for 2002, by creating the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund and last, but not least, by having this pledging conference.

3. Technical assistance from the WTO has helped Estonia a lot in the accession process and more importantly, after becoming a member of this organization in 1999. We are convinced that the assistance provided by the WTO is both effective and addressed to the right people. Therefore, we believe that now it’s also our turn to help others and we commit ourselves to participate in the Trust Fund with 10 000 CHF.

4. Estonia is a small country and our contribution is certainly not big. Nevertheless, we believe it could be another small step towards our common goal. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 33

Iceland

1. The Doha Declaration is a historic document for the World Trade Organisation and world trade. This is a document that embodies the common will and commitment of the members of this organisation to place the interest of the developing countries at the very heart of our work and which is furthermore reflected in the name of the negotiations ahead of us which the Director General so appropriately branded the Doha Development Agenda.

2. Good intentions are one thing. We are all too aware that the real challenge is to translate them into concrete action, to design the technical assistance and capacity building in a manner which yields results for those to whom they are intended.

3. We fully realise that this is a complex issue and very demanding on the Secretariat. It has therefore been particularly encouraging to observe the energy and leadership the Director General has put into moving ahead with this task of developing a programme of action.

4. I would like to commend the secretariat and the DG for their efforts and resourcefulness in designing a mechanism, which in our opinion has all the ingredients for a recipe of success. We find that drawing up country files is a constructive way to meet the precise needs of each beneficiary in terms of capacity building and technical assistance.

5. We also fully appreciate the emphasis on co-operation and co-ordination with other international and regional organisations. Drawing on the expertise and experience found elsewhere would only strengthen and complement our work.

6. The particular attention paid to the small and vulnerable economies in the Doha declaration strikes a cord with my delegation. Iceland has all the features of a small vulnerable economy, with its small nation, sparsely populated on a remote island, with a harsh climate prone to natural disasters and with a very narrow economic base,

7. I therefore hope I don’t sound over indulgent by saying that Iceland has managed to overcome the constraints and disadvantages these realities place on its shoulders with an open and liberal economy and through integration into the world economy. I think therefore that my country is a case in point proving the importance of assisting the countries which are faced with the inherent disadvantages of size, in reaping the benefits globalisation has to offer.

8. In my capacity as the chairman of the WG on Trade and Transfer of Technology I am particularly aware of the importance developing countries attach to the working group’s role in enhancing the work of the WTO in facilitating the integration and fuller participation of the developing and least developed countries in the multilateral trading system. Technology transfer and capacity building are mutually supportive and are an indispensable vehicle for further integration. I hope therefore that the necessary technical assistance will be forthcoming in this area.

9. Finally, as a token of the support and commitment to the very important work ahead of us in capacity building and technical assistance, I have the pleasure and honour to confirm my Government’s decision to donate CHF 15.000 annually for the next three years to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 34

Singapore

1. Singapore welcomes the convening of this pledging conference as a step towards achieving the Doha Development Agenda. In Doha, our Ministers affirmed that technical cooperation and capacity building are core elements of the development dimension of the multilateral trading system. Ministers also stressed the need for technical assistance to benefit from secure and predictable funding.

2. As a country whose only resource is its people, Singapore firmly believes that human resource development is vital for economic and social progress. Since the establishment of the Singapore Cooperation Programme in 1992, Singapore has sponsored training courses for over 15,000 officials from over 138 developing countries in the Asia Pacific region, Africa, Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1996, Singapore concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the WTO to provide training programmes to fellow developing countries. We are pleased to note that since then, Singapore and the WTO have jointly conducted 5 training courses in Singapore on WTO- related issues.

3. This financial year, Singapore will again contribute towards technical cooperation activities in the WTO. Together with the WTO Secretariat, we will be organising 2 training courses in Singapore aimed at assisting developing countries to better prepare themselves for the Post-Doha work programme. If the need arise, we will consider organising more training courses. We hope that our efforts will assist developing and least-developed countries to gain a better understanding of WTO rules and disciplines, thereby allowing them to maximise their gains from the rule-based, multilateral trading system. Singapore's contributions are modest in comparison to others, but they represent Singapore's commitment to the Doha Development Agenda and to providing technical assistance and capacity building to other developing countries.

Norway

1. Norway was the first member to allocate a voluntary contribution in support of WTO’s technical assistance activities. Our contribution was earmarked assistance to the benefit of LDCs.

2. We are pleased to note that LDCs remain the priority category for the delivery of WTO trade- related technical assistance as stated in the Secretariat’s annual technical assistance plan. As we see it LDC’s should be at the forefront of WTO’s technical assistance due to the seriousness of their need for a better integration in the multilateral trading system. Accordingly, we urge that the LDCs be given priority in the future technical assistance activities of the fund. My delegation will follow the implementation of the Technical Assistance Plan closely to ensure that this is the case.

3. In order to secure predictable funding for WTO’s technical assistance, these activities should in our view be funded through the regular WTO budget. We took the initiative in this important proposal before Seattle and hope all members will agree to it in the near future. Today we are pleased to note, however, that several members are willing to share the financial burden, make substantial pledges and increase the funding for technical assistance at the WTO.

4. Norway pledges NOK 6 million, roughly CHF 1,1 million, to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund for the year 2002.

5. To ensure predictable funding of WTO’s technical assistance activities, Norway is prepared to consider further contributions for the years 2003 and 2004. Decisions on future contributions will be made bearing in mind the need for proper burden sharing among financial donors. We will also WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 35 closely follow and evaluate how successful the WTO Secretariat is in implementing the planned technical assistance activities.

Korea

1. Technical assistance and capacity building constitute crucial elements for the successful conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations within the agreed timeframe of three years. In this regard, Korea welcomed the decision of the General Council last December to establish the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund and launch other initiatives to ensure that developing countries will be able to fully participate in the negotiations and be able to maximize the potential benefits from the multilateral trading system.

2. Korea has actively participated in various programmes of trade-related technical assistance for developing countries. Korea made a voluntary contribution of US$300.000 to the WTO Technical Assistance Programme in the 2001 alone. Korea has provided funds for various regional programmes and has helped cover some of the expenses for developing countries' participation in regional workshops on trade negotiations. Korea has also offered various human resources development programmes for policy makers of developing countries which have been designed to share its development experiences, especially related to open-market policies and outward looking development strategies.

3. Today, I am happy to announce that Korea pledges 250.000 US Dollars to the Doha Development Agenda Trust Fund for the year 2002. Korea will continue to contribute to the Trust Fund in years 2003 and 2004 and also to participate in other multilateral and regional programmes together with its own bilateral assistance programmes.

4. Korea believes that technical assistance programmes of the WTO should be focussed on enhancing developing countries' trade negotiation capacity, specially on the negotiation topics of the Doha Development Agenda. These programmes should also address the suspicions that some developing countries have about benefits of trade liberalization. There is no shortage of evidence to show that countries that have taken trade liberalization policies are now in a much better position than those that have stuck with jealously guarded market policies.

5. I agree with Ambassador Linnet Deily, that long-term development needs should be separated from short-term trade negotiating needs. We must shake off our tendency to blame the multilateral trading system for our own short-comings in economic development, while addressing our degree of competitiveness on the global market. Responsibility for development and increase of competitiveness on the global market lies primarily with each country. Each country should be more introspective and focus on improving the domestic enabling environment. In this regard, we agree with the conclusion of the Integrated Framework Progress Report that the benefits occurring from the IF are ultimately determined by the level of ownership of the IF process.

6. Another aspect Korea wants to stress is coherence in undertaking trade-related capacity- building programmes. In this respect, Korea welcomes the recent commitment by the Six Core Agencies of the IF to enhance linkage and to improve coherence between trade and development agencies. In particular, Korea supports the WTO initiatives to closely work with the DAC/OECD to increase coordination with bilateral donors and to establish a trade-related technical assistance database. Korea also endorses the revised coordinated WTO Plan 2002; the success of this Plan will depend, to a large extent, on how we minimize the waste of our limited resources arising from redundancy and how we avoid overlapping in participation and topics among various international, regional and bilateral programmes. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 36

7. For conclusion of the DDA negotiations in three years, presupposes joint efforts among WTO Members to quickly leave behind self-defeating attitudes and build on self-fulfilling ones instead. These attitudes should guide the trade-related technical assistance and capacity-building programmes of the WTO.

Ireland

1. Ireland is pleased to announce a pledge of 340 thousand Euros to the WTO Trust Fund in 2002. This pledge underscores our confidence in the WTOs capacity to implement the mandate given to it at Doha on trade related technical assistance and capacity building.

2. Ireland is particularly committed do assisting least developed countries to develop their trade capacity needs. We encourage the WTO Secretariat to intensify its role within the Integrated Framework in order to better address these needs.

3. The technical assistance plan for 2002 is heavily oriented towards the delivery of technical assistance by the Secretariat itself. We urge the Secretariat to vigorously pursue ways of cooperation with other multilateral agencies in the operation of the Trust Fund.

4. The WTO Secretariat should develop its role not only as a delivery agent of technical assistance, but should also play a coordinating role in the circulation of information on trade related technical assistance generally.

5. The Secretariat could seek to become a focal point for the assistance provided by bilateral and multilateral donors, the objective being to avoid duplication of effort.

6. In this regard, we welcome the Secretariat’s plan to set up a data base to which WTO members and international agencies would contribute. This data base should serve as a basis for monitoring the trade related technical assistance provided by various actors.

Netherlands

1. It is important to keep momentum for a vital aspect of the work of the WTO, namely trade- related technical assistance and capacity building, and to implement the commitments laid down in the Doha Declaration in this respect.

2. Since 1997 and the start of the technical assistance programme of the WTO, the Netherlands has been a major contributor to the Global Trust Fund, and other technical assistance related activities. For example, the Netherlands initiated the Trainee Programme of the WTO in 1998. At present 5 trainees an annual basis are receiving on-the-job training in the Secretariat, which costs roughly 750,000 Swiss Francs a year.

3. The Netherlands has also contributed to the IF programme for least-developed countries. Occasionally the Netherlands supports ad hoc activities. In 2001, for example, the Netherlands contributed to the NGO seminar and a Workshop on TBT. In total, the Netherlands' voluntary contribution to the WTO over the years 1997 to 2001 has been over 8 million Swiss Francs.

4. However, the Netherlands does not limit its' support to activities in WTO. Trade-related technical assistance and capacity building efforts by other organisations such as the World Bank, UNCTAD, ITC and the Advisory Centre on WTO Law are receiving Dutch financial support. We are also considering to contribute to a strengthened AITIC. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 37

5. Trade-related technical assistance and capacity building has become a sexy topic and everyone wants to get involved now. We want the relevant organisations to work closely together but also to ensure a clear division of labour. The issues are too important to have wasteful overlaps or institutional jealousies. We feel that efforts to improve coordination and promote synergy between the organisations are starting to show results. This will require an ongoing effort.

6. Before I come to the Netherlands pledge, I would like to express my satisfaction that so many pledges have been made and that the costs of the WTO technical assistance activities will be shared among so many countries. Nevertheless, the Netherlands is of the opinion that the continuity and predictability of funding for WTO Technical assistance activities, and fair burden sharing, are best served by "on budget" funding.

7. At this point, I can confirm that the Netherlands has decided to transfer the remaining balance of the Dutch Contribution to the Global Trust Fund, an amount of 1 million Swiss Francs, to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.

8. In addition we pledge for 2002 an amount of 680,000 Euros, also a little over 1 million Swiss Francs. Thus, in total, the Netherlands will make available 2 million Swiss Francs to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.

9. As has been the case with previous contributions from the Netherlands, the pledge will be without any earmarking. I would like to urge other donors to follow the same practice. In the Doha Declaration, members of the WTO agreed on the premises upon which the current WTO Technical Assistance Plan has been built. Let's have some confidence in our own collective decision-making and in the WTO Secretariat, and try to make its work easier, and not limit its capability to implement the plan in full by all sorts of conditions.

Czech Republic

1. The objective of this Conference, whose holding had been hardly conceivable until a few years ago, is to build on the success of the Ministerial Conference in Doha and steps that have been taken since then to ensure that the WTO is capable of responding to the needs and concerns of the least-developed countries, the developing countries and the economies in transition.

2. Today, we are here to display our individual and collective support for WTO's technical assistance both in terms of implementing the existing agreements and in terms of negotiation capacity, and in particular to contribute to the creation of a sound basis for the Doha Development Agenda through voluntary contributions by Members.

3. However, the Conference is not just a fund-appealing exercise. It is also an important occasion to engage in a policy dialogue on how to enhance integration of less developed countries into the open, rules-based multilateral trading system and enable these countries to share more fully the benefits of new opportunities offered by globalization and new market openings.

4. Under its national GSP scheme, the Czech Republic grants preferential treatment in the form of reduced duties to a large number of developing countries and economies in transition. Imports originating in the least-developed countries enjoy duty and quota free access to the Czech market. We do have a well established system of development aid which is provided both bilaterally and multilaterally.

5. In this institution, the Czech Republic has contributed to technical assistance and capacity building activities organized by the WTO through its contribution to the regular budget. It has also WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 38

committed extra-budgetary donations to cover the costs of the participation of representatives from the least-developed countries in the previous Ministerial Conferences.

6. We have been informed by the Secretariat that the trust fund created for the participation of LDCs at the WTO 4th Ministerial Conference in Doha, to which the Czech Republic also contributed, still has a balance. We would like to pledge our part in the balance, that is CHF12,500, to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund, with the simple earmarking that this money be used for activities in which the least-developed countries are beneficiaries.

7. This brings me to the end of my intervention. Before concluding, I would like to wish every success to this Conference and express, once again, my gratitude to you, Mr. Chairman, for your efforts and dedication to the WTO developmental mission.

Finland

1. Finland has been recently providing funding to WTO for technical assistance through a two year commitment. The second year of this old pledge with an allocation of 336,000 Euros, is now being implemented. At the same time, we are preparing a new two year commitment for 2003-2004 with a total allocation of 840,000 Euros for the two years.

2. We have to remember, however, that money alone is not enough and that WTO, though in a key role at this stage, cannot do everything by itself. The task before us is enormous and the contribution of all organisations working in this field is needed according to their spheres of competence and strengths. A system wide coordination mechanism is badly needed so that we know what should be done, and by whom, to ensure implementation of all commitments and to avoid duplication. We are convinced that such a mechanism would ensure a more effective delivery. In this regard, we welcome the Joint Communiqué by the six core agencies of the Integrated Framework issued in Washington D.C. on 26 February 2002. If needs arise Finland would be ready to allocate more, further funding to trade related technical assistance and capacity building within a framework of coordinated international operations.

3. Before finishing I would also like to emphasize the fact that our perspective is not limited only to this year and to the reports to be given in December and at the Fifth Ministerial Meeting. Trade related technical assistance and capacity building has to be seen as a long term commitment. While planning and giving the priority at the moment to the most urgent activities, we have to keep in mind also the requirements in the long term so that we approach these complex issues in a coherent way, building the long term activities on those we are implementing in the short term and hopefully doing it in a well-coordinated framework.

Greece

1. First of all I would like to endorse the words of those who have congratulated the WTO Secretariat for organizing this Pledge Conference for contributions to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund. I think we need to establish a predictable basis for technical assistance in relation to trade so as to ensure the effective and active participation of all current and future Members of the organization.

2. I would like to be brief and I would like to limit myself to saying how much importance we attach to the WTOs' work on access of new Members, in parallel to activities for the implementation of the WTO Agreements, current negotiations and new negotiations. You really have to look at a map WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 39 to see that our country has a fairly large number of neighbouring countries who are, either acceding to the WTO or countries who became members of the Organization in the very, very recent past.

3. My authorities have empowered me to state that we should participate to the Global Fund with the sum of 70.000 Euros.

Austria

1. The wide differences in the economic structure between developing and industrial countries, and the steadily growing importance of developing countries in the WTO, mean that trade negotiations are increasingly linked to development issues. Differing views on many of the important topics in WTO, from government procurement to market access and investment, often reflect real differences in economic structures and levels of development.

2. Unfortunately, the multilateral trading system does not, for various reasons, automatically provide the possibility to use to an equal extent the opportunities which it offers to all Members. The developing world and especially the least developed countries need our particular support, in order to master the challenge of globalization.

3. However, the nature and scope of technical assistance in trade policy have been evolving rapidly due to the growing complexity of the world trading system and a greater involvement of developing countries and interest groups in trade policy-making. Technical assistance has also become a determining factor for developing countries’ participation in the international trading regime and therefore is critical for a multilateral trading system supportive to development.

4. In improving technical assistance and capacity building, the Doha Ministerial Declaration was a step in the right direction. Another important step was the decision of the General Council on 19 December 2001 to establish the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund to finance the technical assistance.

5. Today, in the framework of the pledging conference, we have the opportunity to reaffirm our support for developing countries in practical terms. It is my particular pleasure to announce that Austria is in a position to pledge on this occasion 200.000 Euros, which corresponds to about 300.000 Swiss Francs.

6. We are confident, Mr. Director-General, that this fund will be administered in accordance with the WTO’s recent Strategy for Technical Assistance and the Annual Plan for Technical Assistance, supervised by the Committee on Trade and Development and the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration.

7. Austria's donation is unearmarked. We would appreciate, however, if at least part of it would be used for issues like Trade and Environment, Trade and Investment and Trade and Competition.

8. As a matter of fact, WTO is facing increasing demands for technical cooperation from member countries, especially the least-developed ones. Therefore we hope that the Austrian contribution can help the WTO Secretariat to meet the numerous challenges.

Luxembourg

1. Luxembourg would like to thank you and the Secretariat for having taken the initiative to organize this conference, which clearly demonstrates the will of Members to honour the commitments WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 40 made in Doha and allows us to give substance to the fine words contained in the Ministerial Declaration.

2. We would like to congratulate the Secretariat for the efforts it has made since then to ensure the active participation of all members in the multilateral trading system, an indispensable condition for the future of our organization.

3. We also support the annual technical assistance Plan drawn up by the Secretariat and particularly the revised version which takes into account the suggestions made by the EU and is more in keeping with my own country's development strategy. We would, however, have preferred to see more emphasis given to LDCs and African countries. In this respect, we are pleased to see that the Secretariat considers its action plan as an evolving programme and that flexibility is therefore fundamental in its implementation, which must take place whilst maintaining close cooperation and dialogue with all the parties concerned, the donors and the recipients.

4. The fight against poverty, along with technical cooperation and capacity-building, are the main priorities of my country's development policy, and we take an active role in these issues through a number of international organizations (such as UNCTAD), firmly convinced of the link between development and the liberalization of trade. My country has already contributed to the financing of technical assistance activities linked to trade within the WTO by way of a previous contribution to the Global Trust Fund.

5. A residual amount of Sw F 30,000 will be transferred to the Doha Development Trust Fund.

6. Furthermore, my authorities have requested that I inform you of Luxembourg's decision to make an additional contribution of 125,000 Euros to the Doha Trust Fund. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 41

Implementation of the Doha Development Agenda: Multilateral Agencies Contributions/Pledges

Role of regional development banks in implementing the Doha Development Agenda: the model of the IADB Mr. Ziga Vodusek, Senior Economist, European Office, Paris Inter-American Development Bank

1. Since the mid-1980s the IDB has actively supported the process of structural reforms in Latin America and the Caribbean. One of the main pillars of these reforms has been greater openness to the world economy, and in this regard trade liberalization has had an important strategic instrumental role.

2. Trade liberalization in Latin America and the Caribbean has involved a three-tier process. The first tier has been unilateral liberalization that has witnessed average tariffs falling from over 40% in the mid-80s to 12% in the mid-90s. Meanwhile, all but one country of the region actively participated in the Uruguay Round and assumed its liberalizing disciplines. Finally, the third tier has been regional integration which has taken the liberalization process further, albeit among a limited number of like- minded partner countries.

3. In the context of the New Regionalism that emerged in the 1990s, the Bank and many others view these three tiers as mutually reinforcing and laden with potential synergies to make our region more open, more competitive and better prepared to harness the forces of globalization for growth and poverty reduction.

4. At the center of this three tier process is the WTO which drives forward world wide liberalization and provides for a global rules-based trading system. Hence it is not surprising that we are extremely pleased by the emergence of the Doha Development Agenda. It not only reconfirms the health of the multilateral trading system, but also its broad scope opens prospects for further important advances in world trade liberalization. Moreover, its unprecedented focus on the needs of developing countries promises to ensure that the multilateral system will become an even more important catalyst for growth, economic transformation and modernization.

5. In the context of the Doha Development Agenda the Bank gives exceptional importance to the Secretariat's efforts to make the stated objective of Capacity Building an operational reality. We all know that good and sustainable trade agreements require good negotiations and good implementation as well as socially efficient mechanisms to facilitate adjustments. Developing countries in our, as well as in other regions, have serious shortcomings in this regard. If negotiations launched in Doha are not followed up with Capacity Building in these areas, the spread of the fruits of free trade will be more limited and the benefits of trade and globalization increasingly questioned by developing countries and their citizens.

6. It is also important to point out that there is considerable overlap in national, multilateral and regional trade agendas and therefore capacity building for the Doha Development Agenda will have considerable positive externalities for the other two tiers of trade liberalization, and visa versa. This is why the Bank is pursuing capacity building at all three levels.

7. Given the central role of the multilateral system in regulating and energising trade liberalization, the IDB has given high priority to collaborating with the WTO Secretariat in Capacity Building. We think that Regional Banks such as the IDB can be especially effective partners with the WTO Secretariat in the capacity building effort. First, the Regional Banks like the IDB are part of a long defined "neighbourhood" and have an intimate "first name'"-like relationship with local players. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 42

Second, the IDB is very active in supporting trade authorities in their three tier agenda and hence has a special on-going working relationship with them. Third, the Bank has a wide array of financial and non-financial services at the disposal of the countries for Capacity Building. Finally, the IDB has a working relationship with the subregional development banks and can act as an effective liaison for their support of WTO Capacity Building as well.

IDB cooperation with the WTO

8. Since 1999, the IDB has been strengthening its collaboration with the WTO Secretariat in the area of trade-related technical assistance. That year the first MOU between the two institutions was signed, and since then joint actions have been undertaken on several fronts.

9. The first and foremost area of cooperation has been the preparation of joint training courses for government negotiators in Latin America and the Caribbean. The courses are organized by the Bank’s Institute for Latin American and Caribbean Integration (INTAL), together with the WTO’s Technical Cooperation and Training Division. In 1999, the first year of cooperation, altogether seven courses were carried out, and subsequently this number has grown, to reach 11 courses during last year. The courses are normally carried out at the subregional level for a group of countries – for example for the CARICOM countries, Central America, the Andean countries, MERCOSUR etc. The courses cover topics such as the development of negotiating skills and trade policy courses, as well as specific areas such as services, anti-dumping or dispute settlement etc.

10. Another activity that is being jointly developed is support of the WTO Trade Policy Review Mechanism. In 2001, we supported a WTO TPRM in the OECS countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. This year, a seminar is being organized in April in Guatemala, and will have both a regional and national focus. A session will examine the goals and requirements of the TPRM and will bring together five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic. At the national level – in this case Guatemala – the dissemination of its just completed TPRM will be discussed, as well as the training and other needs that have originated from this exercise.

11. In Montego Bay, Jamaica, the IDB supported a WTO Secretariat Workshop with CARICOM Trade Ministers to discuss their views on the preparations for the Doha Ministerial. There also was a session on regionalism and the multilateral system with IDB participation.

12. Mention should also be made of the conference that was held just ten days ago at the Bank’s headquarters in Washington D.C., at which officials of trade and finance ministries from Latin America and the Caribbean discussed Capacity Building in view of the FTAA process and the Doha Development Agenda. The need for mainstreaming trade issues in the member countries’ national development plans – and the Bank’s programs – was an issue that was particularly highlighted.

13. On the occasion of the Washington conference, a meeting with representatives of other Regional Development Banks was also held, where it was noted that cooperation between the WTO Secretariat and the IDB could serve as a model for relations with the WTO Secretariat.

14. The two institutions signed a new MOU in Washington on February 27, a copy of which we understand has also been distributed to participants of today’s meeting. The new MOU is already being launched with an agreement to support – through INTAL – 15 regional and subregional WTO training courses during 2002 involving financing of more than $400,000. Furthermore, we also plan to collaborate with subregional banks, and discussions are underway for the implementation of other aspects of the joint program. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 43

Mr. Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, Director, World Bank Office in Geneva

1. The World Bank is responding systematically to the post-Doha challenges in many different ways. It is clear that our role on trade has assumed an increased urgency. Trade-related activities have advanced along the three dimensions of the trade-for-development agenda: global, focusing on the promotion of development through international cooperation on trade-related issues, in particular with the WTO; regional, focusing on the twin themes of promoting efficient regional integration schemes consistent with multilateral principles and overcoming trade-related obstacles to growth common to particular regions; and national focusing on policies and institutions needed to make trade an instrument of pro-poor growth.

OUR RESPONSE TO THE POST DOHA CHALLENGE

The World Bank is responding to the post-Doha challenge by developing a three-year plan of action that entails:

• Contributing to the global agenda through economic analysis and research associated with the Doha Development Agenda, including market access and the new trade issues (e.g., services, competition and investment policy, government procurement, trade facilitation, product standards and the environment). The intention is to publish these research findings in a special issue of the Global Economic Prospects report shortly before the next WTO Ministerial next year in Mexico.

• Carrying out diagnostic trade integration studies under the Integrated Framework Initiative to assist the LDCs in their efforts to integrate into the world economy, as well as working with other development partners to implement their findings.

• Extending the IF approach to up to fifteen of the low-income developing countries that are not LDCs, using our own funds and programs.

• Support to middle-income countries in specialized areas related to the negotiations – for example, liberalization of services, managing accession to the WTO (e.g., China and Russia), helping to make regional agreements trade-expanding and consistent with multilateral accords and providing advice on integrating trade reform into national development and poverty reduction strategies.

• Using the World Bank Institute and our trade work to build capacity in specific areas that are critical to moving forward on the Doha agenda. The WBI is expanding and reorienting its program to focus more on understanding the new trade agenda of the WTO and is exploring ways to address trade and poverty in support of the PRSP process by drawing on the diagnostic studies generated under the Integrated Framework. WBI is planning 10 courses in FY02, relying heavily on partnerships with local institutions.

• Research and workshops are being conducted in rural development and agricultural trade liberalization to enhance the participation of developing countries in the next round of negotiations and enable them to maximize the benefits from trade. We are exploring how best to design operational projects that will help address developing countries meet the product and phyto-sanitary standards they face. Capacity building initiatives on trade policy and strategy, and trade-related standards in the field of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and food safety are also part of the strategy and operational contributions. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 44

ACTIONS AT THE REGIONAL LEVELS

At the regional level, many interventions must be noted.

• In Africa, attention is being paid to the regional prospects for traditional exports, to a methodology for measuring trade reform and to work on customs administration. The implementation of the West Africa Regional Integration Assistance Strategy has begun. Preparation of Regional Integration Assistance Strategies for Central Africa and Southern Africa was initiated in September of last year. Technical assistance was provided to ECOWAS and COMESA on establishing a common external tariff and removing internal trade barriers. Multi-country research on regional trade facilitation and standards was launched also last year, and another project on trade in agricultural products is underway, covering five African countries and two sub-regional trade area.

• In Europe and Central Asia, the Bank (in collaboration with the European Commission) has provided support to Central European countries in preparing for accession to the European Union, and has also undertaken significant analytical trade work for the Southeast European countries that are not accession countries. Recently we launched a Trade and Transport Facilitation Project in six countries in Southeast Europe to promote and facilitate regional trade, in close cooperation with the trading and transport community.

• In East Asia, we are assisting in developing tools to analyze the linkages between trade and poverty. The region has initiated work on supply chain and logistics management to better integrate remote poor regions into the global economy. Analysis of the regional impact of China’s entry into the WTO and further regional trading arrangements is continuing.

• In the Middle East and North Africa, we are initiating a study on trade intensification, looking at barriers to competitiveness and improved export performance, including a detailed analysis of “behind the border” barriers to trade within the region.

• In the Latin American and the Caribbean Region, work is under way on regional trade and integration issues and their impact on the region’s poor is under preparation, including work on NAFTA and a planned flagship report (in 2003) on the future of trade agreements in the region.

• In South Asia, attention is paid to regional trade work which examined the evolution of trade policies and of intra-regional trade patterns in recent years, and also to reviewing the impact to date of regional preferential trading agreements and initiatives in the region.

LENDING AND INSTRUMENTS

The Bank is enhancing its lending program and instruments including the PRSPs.

• Trade-related Lending. In FY01, the World Bank group approved 251 loans and credits for a total amount of $17.3 billions, including 45 adjustment loans and 206 investment loans. A total of 47 investment projects (compared to 46 in FY00) had a trade component. Investment lending for those projects amounted to $1.6 billion, of which an estimated $600 million could be attributed to trade. While the number of projects with a trade component and the total amount lent for those projects remained similar to that of FY2000, the share of lending associated with trade was somewhat lower (6% instead of 10% in the previous year). WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 45

• The Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). In order to assist countries in the development and strengthening of poverty reduction strategies the Bank, jointly with the International Monetary Fund, is working intensely on a Sourcebook which dedicate a whole chapter to trade. The chapter begins by describing experience with successful trade policy reform and discuss adjustment costs and the implications for the poor; it discusses and evaluates the principal trade policy instruments and institutions; it identifies the most important complementary policies are discussed and evaluated; it accords special treatment to the importance of agriculture and business services for a poverty reduction strategy that employs trade; it focuses on general and trade policy specific safety nets; and it briefly summarizes the principal points in a successful strategy for using trade for poverty reduction.

OTHER ACTIONS TAKEN

The Bank is supporting this program internally by:

• Allocating more budget resources and staff.

• Introducing internal mechanisms to coordinate a more ambitious trade program, including enhanced research, policy and dissemination collaboration, and better integrating trade into other programs such as transport, rural development and finance. We have created a trade coordinators’ working group reporting to the Economic Policy Sector Board, with members from each region, research, PREM (Economic Policy), and WBI. The group coordinates the work program and serves as focal point for the quality and consistency of trade work being undertaken both in the center and the regions.

• Enhancing a number of thematic groups. At present, three thematic groups within the Bank work on overlapping issues in (i) customs reforms; (ii) trade and competitiveness; and (iii) infrastructure. We are in the process of integrating these thematic groups, and the specialists, and developing a common framework with the IMF. This will ensure a common approach, consistent work programs that avoid duplication, and imply greater emphasis on customs administration, which is now identified in all country studies as a major barrier to integration.

Mr. Denis Bélisle, Executive Director/Assistant Secretary-General, ITC

1. I think you're all aware, how keen we are to contribute everything we have and can to the Doha Development Agenda. We've reviewed very attentively the technical assistance programmes of our two parents, WTO and UNCTAD and we consider that we can complement both of their programmes in a number of specific ways directly related to our experience and responding to specific needs expressed by the export community of the LDCs. Mr. Moore made reference to that in his opening remarks and I thank him for that. Our target clients, as you know are the small and medium size enterprises and their trade support organizations. We very strongly believe that in addition to a solid rules based multilateral trading system firms need to know WTO rules, they need to have goods and Services to export, and they need export skills for exports to be generated. This is precisely what our programme of work is all about. Large companies, anywhere in the world, north and south and small companies working in the north have easy access to all sorts of professional services to become competitive and skilful exporters. Smaller firms in the south do not have those and this is precisely what we are trying extremely hard to bring to them. Our programmes in Services and Tools, at ITC, are targeted, they're concrete, they're practical, they're designed with and for the SMEs and their trade support organizations. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 46

2. Upon our return from Doha, we reviewed all of our activities with a view to sharpen their focus, in line with the promises made in Doha. We've defined them succinctly and clearly in a document that we made available today, short document, four pages, colourful, it's at the back of the room, I really hope that you will have a look at it, it won't take you very long and it will give you a fairly good idea of what we have to offer. Equally important, perhaps more even, if you believe that those programmes can make a difference, please help us put them to work for those who need them, we do need funds, it's the WTO Pledging day, so I won't steal too much of your day but we need the same to get going, and please keep in mind that this is the case, in addition to that, we do need it, I think there is room for us to work even more with other Development Organizations, we are enjoying good team work with the other five Integrated Framework Agencies and more so all the time, but beyond that, I think there are other multilateral Development Agencies as well as bilateral with whom we could work better and more and it's really my suggestion to you all, do not be shy, please bring us on board each time you believe that together we may do something better than we would do separately. It's our earnest desire to contribute everything that we have, but we need a basis, we need something to work from, we've written those four pages in hope that they could serve as a basis to go much further with many more of you.

Mr. Carlos Fortin, Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD

1. UNCTAD's involvement in supporting the negotiating capacity of the developing countries in multilateral trade negotiations goes back 30 years, to the start of the Tokyo Round in the early 1970s. In accordance with its mandate on trade and development, UNCTAD's technical assistance is guided by the objective of helping developing countries to ensure that the results of the negotiations are consistent with their development needs.

2. UNCTAD technical assistance in this area has evolved in recent years, showing a “learning process” of the secretariat in fine-tuning the priorities and the modalities of delivery. At present, UNCTAD Technical cooperation yearly expenditures amount to about US$ 25 million a year, with a focus on capacity-building and priority given to LDCs.

3. During the Uruguay Round, one of the main focus of UNCTAD assistance was the negotiation on services, that was, at that time, a “new” issue, in connection with which developing countries lacked experience. The final shape of the agreement on services, based on a “positive list” structure where the countries can define their commitments in accordance with the needs of their development strategy reflected UNCTAD debates and thinking at the time.

4. During and after the Uruguay Round, many of the national studies on services and on the implications of the new multilateral agreements in developing countries were produced by consultants from those countries, supported by UNCTAD projects, and demonstrating that the process of building local capacities was bearing fruit.

5. In the months before the Seattle Conference the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, launched the work on the “positive agenda”, aiming at providing technical tools that help the developing countries in the identification of their own objectives and interests in the trade negotiations. The increasing proactive participation of a larger number of developing countries was clearly shown in the preparatory process of the Seattle Conference through their capacity to formulate half of the proposals that were on the table at that time. The Commercial Diplomacy programme was launched in parallel to the work on the positive agenda as a specific technical assistance instrument targeting the negotiating capacity of the developing countries and economies in transition. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 47

6. The UNCTAD Secretary-General presented at the UNCTAD Trade Commission last month the elements which, according to the UNCTAD secretariat, emphasise the development content of the Doha Programme of Work:

• It contains a number of issues raised by the developing countries since the preparation of the Seattle Conference and which are now part of the new negotiating mandates. The developing countries were able to ensure that many of the implementation issues raised by them are now part of the “single undertaking”. • The need for a special and differential treatment was also successfully inserted in all the areas of the Doha Work Programme, leading to what Mr.Ricupero has called “a revival” of the special and differential treatment concept. • The important role given to the technical assistance and capacity building in the Doha Work Programme is another success of the developing countries. The quality and the quantity of the technical assistance provided to the developing countries has now become part of the multilateral trade agenda. Indeed, the new negotiations launched at Doha will not achieve meaningful development results if the scope and the impact of the technical assistance and capacity building does not match the expectations of the developing countries.

7. I mention the quality of the assistance provided because UNCTAD is firmly convinced that “trade-related” implies both the process leading to the formulation of a national trade policy, where the negotiating position is the final result of that process, and the implementation of the results of the negotiations in terms of concrete trade and development opportunities that call for a supply response. The multiple links between trade and development are the core of this process, and should, therefore, be the core of the assistance provided. It is this vein that we have participated strongly in supporting developing countries in the preparations for the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Financing for Development that will take place next week in Monterrey and for the World Summit on Sustainable Development that will convene later in the year in Johannesburg.

8. UNCTAD'S proposed contribution to the post-Doha technical assistance effort is contained in the "UNCTAD post-Doha Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Plan" that was presented last month to the UNCTAD Commission on Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities. The Plan has four key features:

- it is demand driven: it contains the specific demands for UNCTAD assistance expressed by the developing countries and LDCs in the consultations held with them after the Doha Conference in all the areas of the Doha Work Programme, including the “Singapore issues”; - it is differentiated: it takes into account the variety of situations and needs among developing countries and favours a tailor-made and regularly updated assistance as opposed to a “one- size-fits-all” programme; - it includes strong components on the articulation between regional, subregional and multilateral negotiations, as requested by the developing countries and the LDCs, and in full compliance of our mandate on regional integration; for instance, the group of ACP countries in Geneva has requested UNCTAD assistance for their parallel negotiations at the WTO and with the European Commission; - finally, it is explicitly oriented towards an open, intense cooperation with all other international and regional organisations, particularly the WTO, in all the negotiating topics of the Doha Work Programme, including the non-negotiating Singapore issues as well as the two new WTO working groups on trade, debt and finance, and transfer of technology. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 48

9. An important component is UNCTAD cooperation with the WTO. In virtually all UNCTAD training events, technical missions in the field, and Geneva-based activities, the WTO secretariat has participated and has made valuable contributions. Recently, for instance, the WTO participated very usefully in the workshop on anti-dumping co-organised by UNCTAD and AITIC (the Agency for International Trade, Information and Cooperation). In less than one month, a regional seminar on agriculture trade and negotiations will be organised by UNCTAD at Conakry for all the members of ECOWAS, and the WTO and the FAO will be making inputs. We look forward to the participation of the WTO in several other initiatives that are already being prepared for the next few months, in Geneva and in the countries, some of them in cooperation with the UN Regional Commissions.

10. In the context of inter-agency cooperation, we are very much inspired by the JITAP experience, that is, in UNCTAD’s view, a successful model put together by three Geneva-based agencies, UNCTAD, WTO and ITC.

11. We also cooperate with the WTO, the World Bank, ITC, UNDP and the IMF in the Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to the Least Developed Countries, and we welcome the recent efforts to maximize the contribution from all agencies to the Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS), led by the World Bank, taking advantage of their respective expertise and comparative advantage to enhance the spirit of partnership in this exercise.

12. The technical assistance plan of UNCTAD covers trade, including competition policies; investment; trade facilitation; and electronic commerce. The activities will target three main areas of assistance: policy analysis, human resources capacity building and institutional capacity building. We look forward to close collaboration with WTO, ITC and other organisations in its implementation.

13. Finally, few words about our technical assistance work in two areas where UNCTAD is specifically mentioned in the Doha Programme of Work

Investment

14. This an area where UNCTAD has some comparative advantage, as we have a whole Division devoted to investment issues. Cooperation with WTO in implementing the post-Doha agenda on investment is already underway, particularly work on international investment agreements

15. Specifically, two intensive courses on investemtn will take place in the next few weeks: for Anglophone African countries in March 2002 and for Francophone African countries in May 2002.

16. Other events activities are scheduled in the framework of the regional symposia work programme and the Geneva-based seminars programme. Work will also start on the analytical and institution-building components of the investment follow-up to Doha, with particular reference to analysis of past country experiences with investment policy measures and options in the pursuance of national development objectives, and of experiences at the bilateral and regional level that ought to be brought to bear on multilateral discussions in this area. Institutional capacity-building in this context focuses in particular on the dimensions of investment promotion and the enabling infrastructure.

Competition

17. Another area where UNCTAD has been active for a number of years. A significant number of specific technical cooperation activities are to be implemented in cooperation with other agencies in particular WTO. UNCTAD and WTO have agreed to co-organize six regional workshops in 2002 for: (i)English speaking African countries; (ii) French-speaking African countries; (iii) the Caribbean WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 49 region, (iv) Asian countries; (v)all Africa and Arab countries and (vi)Central and Eastern European countries. It has also been agreed to hold a Joint Symposium in Geneva, back-to-back with the April meeting of the WTO Working Group on 22 April 2002. Possibilities for cooperation with the World Bank and the OECD are also being explored.

In conclusion

18. UNCTAD wishes to reiterate its constructive engagement aiming at achieving the expectations of the developing countries raised by the Doha Work Programme.

19. UNCTAD technical assistance Post-Doha programme is the result of intensive consultations with developing countries and a reflection of their concerns and priorities among the various elements of the Doha work programme and the type of assistance they would expect from UNCTAD.

20. UNCTAD will cooperate closely with the WTO and other organisations involved in delivering trade-related technical assistance with a view to maximising sysergies and avoiding unnecessary duplication

21. UNCTAD is grateful to those donor countries that have pledged support this morning for UNCTAD's work in trade-related technical assistance activities.

Mr. Alexei Kireyev, Senior Economist, IMF Office in Geneva

1. Thank you for inviting the Fund to participate in the Pledging Conference for the Doha Development Agenda Trust Fund and to speak on how the Fund can contribute towards implementing this major policy initiative. The Fund assigns great importance to the Doha Ministerial Declaration and to one of its key messages—that the trade and development communities must work together more effectively if globalization is to fully benefit the poor. Although the Fund’s core expertise and policy advice relate to the functioning of the international monetary, financial, and exchange rate systems, we see a variety of ways in which the Fund can step up activities in support of the Doha Development Agenda, both in terms of technical assistance and broader macroeconomic cooperation.

The Fund’s role in technical assistance

2. The Fund is an active participant in the implementation of the Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to LDCs and considers that progress achieved to date in the pilot countries is encouraging. The immediate priority now is to ensure effective follow-up in the pilot countries by agencies, bilateral donors, and the countries themselves. There should be evidence that the diagnostic studies lead to concrete results in terms of mainstreaming trade into a country’s development and poverty reduction strategies, and also to generating additional support from donors and agencies. We remain fully committed to further expansion of the IF, but its extension beyond the second group of countries already in the pipeline should be based on the IFSC’s judgment on the effectiveness of the scheme. We also consider it advisable for donors and agencies to take stock of the financial and expert resources that will be available for follow-up technical assistance. To maintain credibility, we should not promise more than can be delivered.

3. In principle, the Fund supports the idea of extending the concepts embodied in the IF to other low-income countries. However, significant engagement in this area should not divert resources from LDCs and should follow a careful assessment of agency and donor capacity to meet commitments under the IF scheme. Work on non-LDCs may have to take place outside the institutional framework WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 50 of the IF, and could target specific trade-related problems more selectively in order not to involve all IF agencies each time. There might also be less need than in the case of LDCs to subsidize such assistance. While it may be difficult to increase Fund trade-related technical assistance towards LDCs and other low-income countries at the same time, the Fund would contribute to diagnostic studies, and would strive to reflect their results in its policy dialogue with member countries.

4. As part of its own technical assistance, the Fund is currently providing significant trade- related technical assistance in customs administration and tariff reforms to a number of developing countries, including 14 LDCs. The Fund may have additional capacity to expand assistance in these areas and stands ready to respond to requests for such assistance, in particular from IF pilot countries.

Trade for development

5. As a global monetary and financial institution, the Fund’s role in implementing the Doha Development Agenda extends beyond technical assistance. The International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) of the IMF Board of Governors, in its communiqué of November 17, 2001, called forcefully on all countries to stand firm against protectionist pressures. In particular, it called on the advanced economies to improve access to their markets and reduce trade-distorting subsidies, for the benefit of their own citizens and to provide critical support for developing countries. The IMFC asked the Fund to strengthen surveillance in those areas and to help promote international efforts to open markets.

6. The Fund believes that technical assistance is not a substitute for market access and is stepping up the analysis of market access issues and agricultural subsidies. The Fund is also developing a systematic approach to covering market access issues in its Article IV consultations and staff reports. This approach is being extended from Quad countries (begun over the past year) to other developed countries and to large traders among developing countries.

7. The Fund also seeks to ensure, working together with the World Bank, that trade is better integrated into national poverty reduction strategies, drawing on IF diagnostic studies, where available. PRSPs so far have generally emphasized issues of public expenditure management and have focused less on trade and its growth-related potential, a problem that has been identified in the recent PRSP review. Through the Joint Staff Assessments, the Fund and the Bank intend to increase the focus on trade and other policies relevant for growth.

8. Finally, there are a variety of other areas in which the Fund is taking steps to support and complement the Doha Development Agenda, for instance in the area of financial sector assessments and in relation to the work of certain WTO bodies. We have already approached the WTO to explore synergies between negotiations on financial services and the Bank-Fund Financial Sector Assessment Program. The Fund is happy to cooperate with WTO bodies in the areas of its expertise (while respecting the mandates of both institutions)—market access, revenue impact of trade liberalization, subsidies, and investment. In particular, we expect fruitful cooperation with the WTO in the Working Group on Trade, Debt, and Finance, which we would hope to be invited to join on a permanent basis, as well as in the Inter-Agency Panel dealing with short-term financing problems confronted by net food-importing countries.

Ms. Karen Lee, Counsellor, WIPO

1. On behalf of Dr. Idris, Director General of WIPO, I would like to congratulate you on initiating this important Conference and what seems to be a already successful event. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 51

2. It is also my pleasure to inform this Conference of the good cooperation WIPO enjoys with the WTO not only in assisting developing and least-developed countries in the area of intellectual property rights, but also in sharing substantive information as regards intellectual property rights to further the interests of the two Organizations.

3. Since this is the Pleading Conference for the Doha Development Agenda on technical assistance and capacity building, allow me to briefly reflect on WIPO’s technical cooperation activities as regards our joint activities. As a follow-up to the joint initiative launched in June of last year by Dr. Idris and yourself, Mr. Chairman, we are organizing two joint workshops this year. One is to take place in Africa for the least-developed sub-Saharan African Countries and Haiti, and the second is to take place is Asia for the LDCs in that region. There is also a joint policy meeting in the field of intellectual property scheduled to take place in Doha, for Arab countries, in April of this year. In addition to these three workshops, WIPO will be reviewing, with WTO, those requests we have received from the LDCs pursuant to the joint initiative, with a view to responding to the particular requests. This may lead to additional Nationally Focussed Action Plans of WIPO and national or regional roving seminars. Just to give you an idea of the amount of financing, Mr. Chairman, for the three joint workshops and the foreseen activities as follow-up responses to the joint initiative, WIPO’s contribution will likely exceed one million Swiss Francs, this year alone.

4. Allow me to conclude, by reiterating WIPO’s commitment to assist all developing and least- developed countries, beyond the joint initiatives, on all matters concerning intellectual property and to cooperate with WTO in this area.

Mr. Alberto DiLiscia, Assistant Director-General, Director of UNIDO Office at Geneva

1. Let me on behalf of UNIDO express our sincere thanks to the WTO Secretariat for having invited UNIDO to this Conference.

2. As the new Director of the UNIDO Office at Geneva, last week I had the chance to participate in the 39th session of the Committee on Trade and Development where the Annual Technical Assistance Plan 2002 was approved with the clear indication of Members States to speed its implementation.

3. We all know that the challenges in implementing such a plan are enormous and indeed require all possible efforts. The magnitude, complexity, diversity, and urgency of the issues involved requires, in addition to the necessary funds, substantive cooperation, policy coordination, and the specific essential expertise.

4. In a resolution of the medium-term programme framework for UNIDO for the years 2002- 2005, we were mandated to focus on strengthening industrial capacities. In this context, one of the key objectives that we have been requested to pursue is to support developing countries and countries with economies in transition to overcome technical barriers to trade and to promote market access of their products in full integration with the multilateral trading system.

5. In the recent past, UNIDO had already various opportunities to report on its active follow-up on the LDC III programme of action, in particular in the field of trade facilitation for LDC’s.

6. As the Chairman of the UN High Level Committee on Programmes, our Director-General, Mr. Carlos Magarinhos, had invited many UN sister organizations to join this effort with a view to develop a truly inter-agency approach to trade facilitation. We are pleased with the preliminary results already achieved to closely work together with some of them, like ITC, which whom we are in the process of developing a joint trade facilitation programme in Central America which has a full WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 52

sense of ownership. This regional programme was fully endorsed by the 6 vice-presidents of these respective countries.

7. As far as the IF initiative is concerned, we believe that significant efforts were made by UNIDO and specially with the EU to support African LDCs to strengthen their productive and institutional capacities in order to obtain a more active participation on trade.

8. A closer working relationship between UNIDO and the IF initiative as regularly suggested and supported by various member states, LDCs and donor countries will permit, in particular at the country level, to obtain better results in less time.

9. Thus, we welcome the suggestion recently done by you Mr. D-G, in making UNIDO and strategic partner on trade facilitation as it was mentioned in your last report to the Council of WTO.

10. Finally, I am very pleased to confirm once more that UNIDO is ready to make its own contribution in order to transform into a reality the objectives fixed in the annual technical plan 2002.

Mr. Charles Arden-Clarke, Senior Programme Officer, Economics and Trade Unit, UNEP

1. UNEP believes that trade-related capacity building and technical assistance, particularly on the interface between trade, environment and development, is vital for the development prospects of the WTO’s less developed members. It is vital not simply so that they can increase their participation in world trade on fair and equitable terms, but also so that the net contribution of trade to sustainable development is maximized.

2. This objective poses a serious policy challenge to all WTO members, both developing and developed, because of the complexity of the interactions between trade, environment and development. Since 1994, UNEP has been addressing this challenge in increasingly close collaboration with our colleagues in the WTO, UNCTAD, multilateral environmental agreements (MEA), as well as with research institutes and NGOs. From that experience we have learned that a major capacity building effort is a prerequisite for a successful outcome to the round of trade negotiations launched at the Doha Ministerial Conference.

3. The Doha Ministerial Declaration itself emphasizes this truth, explicitly recognizing the need for capacity building and including commitments to the enhancement of activities in the general area of trade-related technical assistance, and the specific area of trade and environment. This echoes the fact that both development and environmental objectives are reflected throughout the Declaration, as is the commitment of WTO members to develop mutually supportive trade and environment policies, in favor of sustainable development.

4. That is an exceedingly complex task. At this conference, UNEP pledges to continue and wherever possible expand its capacity building effort on this policy interface, as well as deepen collaboration with the WTO and other institutions. We already appreciate the opportunities that existing WTO activities, such as its regional seminars on trade and environment, offer for cost effective, collaborative work between the relevant international and regional institutions. This was exemplified by the recent WTO Regional Seminar in the Caribbean, in which UNEP participated, also in collaboration with UNCTAD and the Secretariats of three MEAs.

5. The key output from that seminar is, in our opinion, a list prioritizing the capacity building needs on trade and sustainable development of the thirteen Caribbean countries present. This list, drawn up by the national trade and environment officials who attended the seminar, represents a pooling of knowledge and needs, based on balanced perceptions of trade, environment and WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 53 development policy objectives in the region. We look forward to future opportunities to repeat this experience in other regions, but know that our ability to contribute effectively to these seminars will depend on UNEP and the MEAs raising financial resources for cooperative capacity building activities. These will necessarily be additional to the resources that the WTO requires to fund these seminars.

6. There is another systemic challenge to be met if capacity building on the trade, environment and development policy interface is to be coherent, cost effective and supportive of balanced policy integration. While it is clear that capacity building efforts are being increased, there is still no tradition, and only a limited practice of collaborative activities such as those just mentioned. No strategic overview has been developed by the institutions engaged in such activities, and efforts remain fragmented, relatively ad hoc, and in many cases directed to only one of the three policy objectives, rather than their balanced integration.

7. As a first step to addressing this situation UNEP, in collaboration with the WTO, has organized a two-day workshop on Capacity Building on Environment, Trade and Development, which will take place on 19-20 March, in the Palais des Nations. This workshop is being informed by the results of questionnaire that UNEP has prepared and distributed to intergovernmental, regional and non-governmental organizations engaged in capacity building on this policy interface. The results of this questionnaire, additional research, and UNEP’s own experience have been fed into a background paper and an annotated agenda. This should allow for a structured discussion of the needs of developing countries and those with economies in transition, and on ways in which current and future capacity building activities can better meet those needs.

8. UNEP believes that enhancing the value and cost effectiveness of capacity building on trade, environment and development will depend critically on greater coordination and collaboration between all the institutions involved. The forthcoming workshop will not only test that proposition but, if it is validated, also set out some preliminary ideas and even project outlines aimed at achieving enhanced coherence and synergies between capacity building activities. In that sense we hope that this workshop may also be seen as a part of UNEP’s pledge to assist with trade-related technical assistance, and enhance its value to beneficiary countries.

9. We are convinced that meeting the capacity building needs and challenges of maximizing trade’s contribution to sustainable development requires both more resources, and better use of existing ones. We know that the maximization objective can only be achieved by more collaboration between the WTO, UNEP, UNCTAD, UNDP, the World Bank, MEAs, regional organizations and NGOs, to name but some.

10. UNEP stands ready to collaborate closely with WTO, and other interested institutions, in meeting the Doha related capacity building requests of developing countries. We look forward to addressing these complex but stimulating policy integration challenges, in partnership with many of you who are here today.

Dr. Jamel Eddine Zarrouk, Division Chief, International and Regional Organization, Economics and Technical Department, Arab Monetary Fund

1. On behalf of the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), I am pleased to take part in this Conference and wish to thank Mr. Mike Moore and the WTO Secretariat for inviting the AMF to this key conference in supporting the ongoing process of enhancing the abilities of developing countries to participate fully in the work of the WTO and to derive maximum benefit from it.

2. To begin with, I would like to introduce briefly the Arab Monetary Fund’s activities, before outlining the AMF foreseen contribution to the WTO technical assistance and capacity building plan. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 54

3. The AMF, a regional inter-governmental financial organization, was established by 21 Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa in 1976 and has a paid up capital of 1.3 billion dollars. The main objective of the AMF has been to assist its member countries with balance of payments difficulties and macroeconomic unbalances through financial support, technical assistance and policy advice. In this capacity, the AMF has extended financial supports to member countries that undertook macroeconomic adjustment programs. Between 1982 and the end of 2001, the AMF lent about $ 2.5 billion in support of adjustment programs in seven Arab countries.

4. As member countries moved toward implementing structural reforms to improve the efficiency of resources allocation and promote growth, the AMF refocused its efforts through establishing new lending facilities to support members in their efforts to reform and modernize their financial and banking sector and public finance. These facilities have become the core of the Fund’s lending activity, in the recent years.

5. The AMF has also been actively involved in the technical assistance through holding consultations for policy advice in the implementation of both adjustment programs and market- oriented policies to improve the efficiency of resource allocation and promote open trade regimes. The AMF technical assistance activities extend also to capital markets development. In this regard, the AMF has assisted member countries strengthen their stock markets through dissemination of information on the activities of these emerging markets and the development of a composite index on these markets as an analytical tool in evaluating their performance.

6. Training has been another major activity that the AMF has provided to its member countries through its Institute of Economic Policy that was established in 1989. The AMF Institute has delivered specialized training in economic analysis and policy related subjects for officials of member countries. From 1989 to 2001, more than 2898 officials from the 21 Arab member countries had participated in Institute courses and seminars.

7. As regional demand for training has increased, the AMF collaborated with the International Monetary Fund to set up the Joint Regional Training Program (RTP) to make training more accessible to officials of member countries from the Middle East and North Africa region.

8. In its endeavor to promote regional trade, the AMF established in 1989 so called the Arab Trade Finance Program (ATFP), a regional trade financing scheme to assist in financing regional trade. The AMF contributes more than half of the ATFP capital of 500 million dollars. ATFP also has played an important role in providing a wide range of trade-related information services to regional traders, investors, and businessmen through its Intra Arab Trade Information Network (IATIN). I should mention here that IATIN is also a collaborative effort with the UNDP and the International Trade Center (ITC). IATIN has its central core at ATFP headquarters in Abu Dhabi and its focal points at chambers of commerce and export promotion centers throughout Arab countries. These focal points are important sources of feeding the necessary and timely information on national market access regulations and trade opportunities.

9. Let me highlight now the AMF foreseen contributions in helping build trade capacity in its Arab member countries. To this end, the AMF will join forces here to expand its assistance to its member countries on three levels. First, to assist in national capacity building as a proven way to sustain good trade policy. Second, to strengthen the regional focus of trade capacity building initiatives. And third, to cooperate with the WTO Secretariat in stepping up joint activities to assist the Arab countries.

10. Regarding building national trade-related capacity, greater efforts are required to enhance domestic analytical capacity to support the full participation of Arab countries in WTO work and negotiations. In this respect, the AMF will provide technical assistance and policy advice that put WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 55 emphasis not only on the implementation of the WTO agreements but also on how to derive maximum benefit for the national economy from the participation in the multilateral trading system. Concurrent to Mr. Mike Moore’ statement, in his opening speech this morning, an important focus will be given to assisting member countries to build in-country multi-person teams for extended periods and to ensure the availability of the personnel that can inform negotiating stances and enrich domestic debate.

11. As far as building regional trade-related capacity is concerned, the AMF will organize specialized training and outreach activities on integration and Doha negotiating issues. This will target not only officials and negotiators, but also civil society and the business community in member countries.

12. Finally and not least, the AMF will collaborate with the WTO Secretariat in jointly funding regional seminars, short trade policy courses and similar activities at the AMF Headquarter. Cooperation also extends to exchange of experts in joint technical missions to member countries. We believe that such joint efforts would help the WTO and the AMF in providing technical assistance and capacity building services to their joint member countries in a cost effective and efficient manner. The AMF hopes to conclude in the near future a memorandum of understanding with the WTO Secretariat in this regard.

13. In conclusion, I look forward to an opportunity to exchange ideas and views with the beneficiaries, donors, the WTO and other international and regional agencies on how resources can be most effectively deployed to support trade-related technical assistance and capacity building in our member countries.

Mr. J.-P. Verbiest, Asian Development Bank

1. On behalf of the Asian Development Bank, I wish to express our appreciation to the WTO and to yourself for inviting the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to this meeting today.

2. As you know, the Asian Development Bank covers a very large region, starting to the west with the Central Asian Republics and covering to the East 14 small pacific island countries, many of the countries in Asia, including very small countries, are in different stages of negotiation to enter WTO and some of these countries are very small and have very weak capacities, so the subject we are discussing today is particularly relevant in some parts of our region. The Asian Development Bank, while providing long-term financing, mainly in the form of loans, both concessionary onto non- concessionary loans also has very large technical assistance programmes, for instance in 2000 alone ADB's technical assistance programme which is grounds based of course, provided over 300 technical assistance's for a total 172 million Dollars, so quite a large amount. In the case of international trade we are providing, already now, lending, loans for supporting trade reform policies, but those with technical assistance on Trade Investment and Customs practices.

3. We are well aware of course, that the International Community attaches great importance to providing technical assistance and capacity building to enable countries to enter the WTO system. The ADB has been discussing for sometime the possibility of having an MOU together with the WTO and possibly other Institutions in this area and I hope over the next few days to be able to advance that agenda, I will be in Geneva for few more days.

4. To come to capacity building itself directly, the ADB received a few months ago through the Government of Japan a request from APEC, to provide capacity building to implement key WTO Agreements, and the ADB Management has endorsed a capacity building programme, just very recently to the amount of 450,000.00 Dollars. This is also supported by about half a million dollars of WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 56

research in the area of WTO. At the moment, what we envisage to do is to have, basically, a number of activities, first of all a high level meeting on the WTO trading system for negotiators, intensive courses on the TRIPs Agreement and then to other areas which relate more to Customs, one intensive course on trade facilitation with particular emphasis on WCO, and my colleague is here, the revised Kyoto Convention, an intensive course on WTO Customs Valuation Agreement, I mean, this is only a start of an ADB project or an ADB activity in this area and, well, needless to say, we will of course work very closely with WTO and we will discuss this over the next few days with WTO, also with other partners such as UNCTAD, ESCAP and also what we are looking at is the possibility sharing experiences among more countries, because some of our countries have just gone through intense negotiations, and of course very knowledgeable and the gentleman from India for instance mentioned about that, and this experience can of course be shared with the newer coming countries and the countries currently negotiating and we think this is an important role ADB together with WTO and other partners can play.

Mr. Mikuriya, Deputy Secretary-General, World Customs Organization

1. The WCO is an independent intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations. The WCO has 159 Member administrations world-wide accounting for 97 % of world trade. To fulfil its mission, the WCO develops and maintains instruments and recommendations for the standardization and simplification of Customs systems and procedures governing the cross-border movement of goods. We also provide Members with training and technical assistance to implement trade and Customs instruments and best practices.

2. Turning to the Doha Development Agenda, we welcome the Ministerial Declaration’s recognition of the case for further trade facilitation and the need for enhanced technical assistance and capacity building in this area. We see our role as being complementary to the WTO in developing instruments to support the WTO rules and in delivering training and technical assistance to implement those rules. We are keen to intensify our capacity building in all the areas related to trade facilitation. In this connection, we will be happy make our experts available to provide technical assistance in Geneva and at regional level in order to help WTO negotiators fully understand the background, the achievements, the issues and the long-term capacity building available in respect of trade facilitation.

3. To provide a little more detail of our activities - the WCO develops, maintains, promotes and implements trade instruments, including the WTO Valuation Agreement and the WTO Agreement on Rules of Origin. Of similar importance is the WCO’s Harmonized System of tariff classification, which serves as the basis for WTO market access negotiations. The uniform, predictable and transparent application of these instruments facilitates international trade, while at the same time ensuring compliance with national laws and regulations. To assist the implementation of these instruments, the WCO places great emphasis on equipping officials at operative levels with the knowledge and skills necessary to apply the Agreements.

4. If I take the example of Valuation, the WTO Valuation Agreement designates the WCO as the international body responsible for interpreting the Valuation rules and providing technical support in their respect. To give effect to this, the WCO Technical Committee on Customs Valuation, working in close co-operation with the WTO Committee on Customs Valuation, has developed a number of instruments to provide guidance to Members in ensuring the uniform application of the WTO Valuation Agreement. A large number of least-developed and developing-country Members still have to prepare implementing legislation and establish an adequate administrative infrastructure to apply the Valuation Agreement. With its expertise, the WCO is actively assisting Members as they prepare to implement and apply the Agreement. In fact, over the last four years in the Valuation area alone the WCO has provided 400 days of training for 2,000 participants from 80 countries. That training has WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 57 been totally funded out of our Members’ contributions. We are sure that we will deliver the same assistance to Members when the Harmonized Non-Preferential Rules of Origin come into force.

5. The WCO has also devised and circulated best practice models and recommendations on Customs procedures and facilitation. We continuously update our instruments to keep abreast of developments in information technology and in Customs techniques such as risk management, and to take account of the highly competitive business environment. As a result of years of deliberation amongst our Members, the revised Kyoto Convention on Customs procedures provides for the introduction of clearance procedures that are clear, transparent, simplified and automated and are therefore in accordance with the relevant GATT Articles on trade facilitation. In addition, we are currently working on a number of supporting initiatives, including the WCO Customs Data Model to establish standard data sets and electronic format for most commercial declarations, as well as Guidelines for the immediate release of consignments by Customs.

6. Needless to say, the role of Customs is not limited to trade facilitation – other functions such as revenue collection and protection of society are also highly important. Many least-developed and developing countries still depend heavily on Customs duties to ensure their national revenue. The terrorist attacks of September 11 have highlighted the role of Customs to protect the national territory. The WCO has sought to reconcile facilitation and increased border controls in consultation with its Members. These efforts have resulted in the WCO Action Plan to improve security at the frontier, reinforcing the need for enhanced risk management, advanced transmission of passenger and goods data, co-operation with the private sector and exchange of information - all concepts that are already contained in the revised Kyoto Convention.

7. In the area of training and technical assistance, the WCO’s programmes essentially give those Members with low and medium levels of revenue the opportunity to invest in their most important asset, namely their human resources. The missions carried out by the various WCO services provide Customs administrations with the means to enhance their staff training, as we are in a unique position to deal with Customs on the ground and in the real world, thanks to our membership network. This ensures that Customs administrations are better placed to meet the numerous international challenges they face - challenges which, in addition to the need for transparent and effective procedures, include the use of common rules by all WCO Members for Valuation, Origin and the classification of goods. We offer solutions that allow countries to meet their legitimate goals of revenue collection and protection of society, while at the same time delivering practical trade facilitation dividends. Training and technical assistance is an extremely important aspect of the WCO’s external activities. Hence, over the past four years, Customs administrations from developing countries have received over 2,000 days of technical assistance from the WCO and this major effort on our part will continue.

8. In responding to the growing need for technical assistance, we call upon the experience and skills of national Customs experts from WCO Member administrations, thus supplementing the human resources available within the WCO Secretariat. Moreover, we are currently standardizing the priority teaching materials in order to facilitate the change, in some instances, from traditional teaching sessions to a formula of distance education.

9. To ensure greater consistency and transparency in the WCO Secretariat’s technical assistance activities, we have developed a database listing the technical assistance needs of our Members as well as details of the missions we have conducted in the past and those that are planned for the future. This new computerized tool will soon provide valuable information on the WCO’s training activities, which will encourage co-ordination between various players – including both donors and recipients – in the dispensing of technical assistance.

10. I would like to take this opportunity to stress the importance of better co-ordination amongst the international community. This is also an area where I believe that, together with other WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 58

international agencies, the WCO can play a complementary role to the WTO. With the demand for technical assistance increasing every year, it is high time to improve the mechanism for co-ordination between our two Organizations. Earlier I referred to our database containing details of Members’ needs, past records and plans for future training and technical assistance. We will be happy to exchange this data with other agencies, perhaps through the WTO as a “clearing house” or repository of information for WTO-related technical assistance, the objective being to enhance coherence of the efforts being made by the various stakeholders - including recipients, donors and international agencies - while avoiding unnecessary duplication.

11. The same applies to co-ordination at national level, as we are concerned about the frequent lack of dialogue and interaction between Customs administrations and Trade ministries nationally. I believe that the Doha Development Agenda provides an opportunity to improve this situation and develop greater coherence and understanding at that level. In doing this, we will be tackling a barrier that often finds its way into the trade facilitation environment. A co-operative approach shown at the international level will help support this endeavour.

12. Finally, your meeting today is a very important step towards consolidating joint undertakings in order to meet the challenges that the international community has faced for many years. You are well aware of the enormous scale and scope of the capacity building challenge ahead and the work required to achieve real results. I congratulate you on your initiative and I sincerely hope that this conference will indeed be a milestone in gathering the forces in this very important area.

Dr. Ahmed Abdul Wasie, Operation Officer, Cooperation Office, Islamic Development Bank

1. On behalf of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), I would like to thank Mr. Mike Moore, Director General, WTO for inviting the IsDB to participate in this important event which has provided a forum for exchange of views and experiences on specific aspects of the trade related technical assistance, capacity building, and policy dialogue particularly on the challenges posed by the mandate of the Doha Development Agenda.

2. On this occasion, I take the opportunity to shed light on the IsDB's WTO Technical Assistance Programme which serves the needs of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) 57 member countries located in Africa, Asia, and South America which indirectly complements the WTO efforts in the field of technical assistance.

3. While the new multilateral trading system as epitomized by WTO, has greatly contributed to the liberalization of the world trade, yet it has placed onerous demands on the limited human and technical resources of the developing countries. As a result, many developing countries including some IsDB member states have not been able to integrate their economies into the world trading system so as to fully partake the benefits of trade liberalization.

4. Keeping in view the recent developments on the international trade scene, the Islamic Development Bank embarked upon an intensive Technical Assistance Programme in 1997 to help OIC member countries to upgrade their institutional and manpower resources relating to WTO activities.

5. With an aim to enhance the capacity building of the OIC member countries, the IsDB created a special WTO Unit in January 1998 dealing specifically with issues concerning the World Trade Organization (WTO). Of the OIC member countries, 39 are the members of the WTO and 10 countries have observer status and are in the process of accession to the WTO. The IsDB's WTO- related Technical Assistance Programme covers wide range of activities including courses, seminars, WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 59 workshops, studies, and consultative meetings for the OIC member countries in preparation for the WTO Ministerial Meetings as well as providing specific technical assistance.

6. The IsDB has organized various consultative meetings at the level of experts, senior trade officials and trade ministers in favour of the OIC member countries in preparation for the last four WTO Ministerial Conferences held in Singapore, Geneva, Seattle and Doha. These consultative meetings provide a forum for member countries to exchange views and coordinate their positions on the WTO-related matters.

7. In order to enhance the capacity building of the OIC member countries, IsDB organized and co-financed a number of courses, seminars and workshops (38) covering a wide range of WTO issues with an aim to familiarize the member countries with contents and provisions of the Uruguay Round Agreements and the activities of the WTO so they could be in a better position to defend their interests. To achieve the above mentioned objectives, the IsDB signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the WTO as well as other relevant institutions such as ITC, UNCTAD and ESCWA.

8. In collaboration with the World Trade Organization (WTO), the IsDB has so far organized Three-week Trade Policy Courses in its working languages, (Arabic, English and French),. These courses are short versions of the regular Trade Policy Courses organized by the WTO in Geneva for a period of three months.

9. Furthermore, the IsDB has undertaken five major sectoral studies on Agriculture, Investment, Services, Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), and Electronic-Commerce. In that regard, the IsDB hired the services of some world renowned experts in such fields and collaborated with UNCTAD in supervising some of these studies. Each study included selected set of case studies on OIC member countries and contained valuable technical tips and negotiation strategies on the various issues concerning the OIC member countries.

10. The IsDB currently participates two WTO Committees on Trade and Development and Trade and Environment as an observer.

11. In line with its WTO-related Technical Assistance Programme , the IsDB provides specific technical assistance to the OIC member countries on request through hiring consultancy services on vital WTO issues such as accession, drafting of national laws, establishing WTO Units and providing capacity building in general.

12. Once again, the Islamic Development Bank extends its sincere thanks to the WTO Secretariat for its invitation and appreciates the efforts, support, cooperation and joint collaboration of all the relevant regional and international institutions in complementing IsDB's efforts to serve the needs of the OIC member countries. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 60

ANNEX V

FULL LENGTH STATEMENTS BY SPEAKERS

Opening remarks by Director-General Mike Moore

I would like to welcome you all to this Pledging Conference for the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF). Your presence here today is an important indication of the level of commitment of the international community to the mandates established in the Doha Ministerial Conference in particular for technical cooperation and capacity building.

This Pledging Conference has been convened in accordance with the decision by the WTO General Council, in December 2001, to create a Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund, so as to establish a sound and predictable basis for funding WTO Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA). In that decision, the General Council set a target amount of core funding totalling CHF 15 million.

However, the importance of this Pledging Conference goes far beyond raising CHF 15 million, as important as that goal is. There are several other reasons. First, the DDA established an extensive and unprecedented agenda for trade and development, including for TRTA, which far exceeds the delivery capacity for any one organization. This is why, I considered that this Pledging Conference, so soon after the Doha Ministerial Conference, presented the international community (and not just the WTO) with a unique opportunity to initiate an urgent and necessary policy dialogue on several issues at the core of technical cooperation and capacity building. These issues include the appropriate overall global architecture for TRTA, the scope of the TRTA, reconciling short-term and long-term needs and, matching expectation with reality. Central to current discussions underway on this subject is the urgent necessity for coordination and coherence amongst agencies and between agencies and the bilateral donor community.

Second, this conference is key to the on-going process of confidence-building amongst WTO Members that is necessary for the successful conduct of the new trade negotiations that have been initiated.

Third, I believe this conference today is part of the overall process of reinforcing and building on the trade and development consensus that was established at Doha. It is essential for enhancing the meaningful integration of developing and least developed countries into the multilateral trading system and the global economy. I am confident that it will contribute to the maintenance of the post- Doha momentum that has been evident amongst WTO membership. We need to maintain this momentum from now until the 5th WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Mexico and then to the conclusion of the Doha Development Round, in time. Ministers were clear – success in our technical cooperation and capacity building efforts will be critical to the successful conclusion of the Mexico Ministerial. A condition of further progress is the capacity of capacity-restrained Members, to consider, participate, engage and conclude any agreements.

It is for these reasons, as you will see in the circulated programme, that we have proposed several of these issues to Members to address, in order that we can begin the process of a high level dialogue on technical cooperation and capacity building and in designing more optimal arrangements and solutions for enhancing the delivery of the TRTA to beneficiary countries. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 61

Amongst the core agencies, I believe that we have begun the process of addressing the challenges of coherence and coordination. I am pleased to report to you that two weeks ago, in Washington, the Integrated Framework Heads of Agency held a particularly successful meeting, which was kindly hosted by Jim Wolfensohn. As Chairman of that Group, I would like to pay tribute to my colleague Heads of Agency and representatives of the IMF, ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, and the World Bank. A Joint Communiqué was adopted, which lays out a clear and overarching vision and road map not only for the effective implementation of the Integrated Framework and its extension to all the LDCs, on the basis of the agreed criteria, but also how agencies, in partnership with bilateral donors should proceed to support developing countries and LDCs in implementing the DDA and their effective participation in the new trade negotiations. I can also report to you that, at our meeting, each agency head and representative, took the floor, to clearly state how their organizations, based on their expertise and competence, would support the new round of trade negotiations and the Doha Development Agenda. Doha was a wakeup call not just for the WTO, but for the international community as a whole that it cannot be business as usual in the treatment of trade and development issues. It has provided the impetus to improved coherence and coordination at all levels. The Joint Communiqué adopted by Agency Heads is before you.

But enhanced coordination and improved coherence involves more than agencies. It also involves the trade and development communities, and the trade and finance communities of the membership. Coherent and consistent messages will be necessary.

Bill Clinton in his first presidential campaign had a poster to remind his staff of the key issue: "It's the economy stupid". In the WTO, and with our partners, we must remind ourselves "It's the Doha Development Agenda --- stupid". But we need to be clear about the limits of what the WTO can do and cannot do with regard to the Doha Development Agenda. It's not for us to tell countries and companies to make T-shirts or shoes, build airports or seaports. It's true over 10% of our budget goes to the International Trade Centre which exists to help businesses navigate through agreements and rules to get products to markets, and they do an excellent job. That's their core business. Other organizations can help with physical infrastructure; that's their core business. We can cooperate as we do in the Integrated Framework with other agencies, but we must stick to our core business, which is the Doha Development Agenda, and the benefits it will deliver to people everywhere.

It is appropriate that I seize this opportunity to describe the architecture that the WTO conceives for addressing the full scope of the Doha Development Agenda in particular the mandates for technical cooperation and capacity building. There are six levels to this architecture.

First, we will negotiate and design effective inter-agency groups, focused on issues and activities, for the coordinated delivery of TRTA. In this regard, we have accomplished much with UNCTAD, in the last few weeks in the area of competition policy and investment. Negotiations are well underway with other agencies to establish similar arrangements on trade facilitation, transparency in government procurement, and the more traditional implementation issues. Our partnership with the Food and Agricultural Organization, the Codex Alimentarius and standards activities is contributing to the effective participation of developing countries and LDCs in standard- setting bodies. Currently, we are exploring a joint initiative with the World Bank to enhance the capacity of developing countries and LDCs to meet international SPS standards. We have a solid and reliable partnership with the World Customs Organization on Customs Valuation on which we will continue to build. UNIDO will be of assistance together with the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and Trade Facilitation matters. The WTO's partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC) is a model of cooperation not only in policy and institutional capacity building on the various agreements, but also in supporting the activities of ITC in developing export strategies for trade support, promotion and diversification. These examples are simply illustrative. They are the Integrated Framework writ small. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 62

Second, the Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Assistance to the LDCs is an important pillar in the overall architecture. I have just referred to the significance of the last meeting of Heads of Agency. At the meeting, we confirmed the extension of the benefits of the IF to 11 LDCs, and we agreed to act swiftly to extend the benefits of the Integrated Framework to as many LDCs, as possible, before the conclusion of the Doha Trade Round, on the basis of the agreed criteria. Heads of Agency instructed the representatives of the UNDP and the World Bank to consult with donors and national authorities at the country level with a view to designating a lead donor, and to report to the Integrated Framework Steering Committee. I can confirm that Heads of Agency are committed to practical and effective follow-up with donors to implement the recommended priority TA projects in the LDCs. We agreed to meet again to review the effective implementation of our commitments. However, the unique aspect of the last meeting of Agency Heads was the unanimous undertaking to support developing and least-developed countries in the new round of trade negotiations and the negotiations of the Doha Development Agenda, on the basis of complementary expertise of the agencies.

Third, the creation of a Doha/Trade-Related Technical Assistance Database is key to our efforts. This WTO initiative has received strong endorsement from the IF Heads of Agency in their communiqué. In this regard, I would like to express gratitude to Donald Johnston, Secretary-General of the OECD. As agreed, the OECD will work with the WTO, together with all key agency and country providers of TRTA to create and manage this database. This database will be established on the basis of country files. Agencies and country providers of TRTA will report into agreed, comparable TRTA categories. The purpose of the database will be to improve coherence, maximise available resources, minimize duplication. It will also act as a transparency mechanism in the exchange and sharing of information, holding us all accountable. I believe that this database will invariably assist agencies and countries in measuring progress in the implementation of the Doha mandates.

Fourth, effective coordinated delivery of TRTA by the WTO and bilateral donors in the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD is essential. We have taken the first step on this road. In January, the first meeting of agencies and the DAC/OECD took place. It was an important meeting that contributed to the implementation of the DDA. The meeting was co-chaired by the Chairman of the DAC/OECD and the WTO. Several messages originated from that meeting, requiring the action of the trade and development communities. I am pleased to note that the meeting agreed to reconvene, just ahead of the WTO General Council, in December, where the Director- General will report on the adequacy and implementation of the commitments on technical cooperation and capacity building in the Declaration. I would urge that they provide concrete inputs on their achievement from the joint meetings to the report of the WTO Director-General to the December meeting of the General Council.

Fifth, building a strategic partnership with the Regional Banks, Institutions and Commissions is a fundamental requirement for the effective implementation of the Doha mandates. Regional institutions know the regions. There are several potential areas of contributions, which include grant funding for TRTA, and concessional project-based funding for TRTA. Two weeks ago, I signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mr. Enriqué Iglesias, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). I believe that we (and other regions) can emulate the good practices of the IDB in bringing together the trade and finance communities, in reflecting trade priority areas of action in competitiveness studies, and in providing not only grant support, but soft loans to finance TRTA. I believe that other regional development banks, pulling in the same direction, can make fundamentally significant contributions to support the implementation of the Doha Mandates. To pursue this aspect of our overall plan, I held an initial meeting, in Washington, two weeks ago, with representatives of the regional development banks. It was agreed with those present, that I would convene a meeting of regional development banks, at the WTO, here in Geneva, in the month of April, with the participation of the World Bank. I can report to Members that arrangements are effectively underway WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 63 for this meeting with regional development banks. I will be further reporting on this to the WTO membership.

The final pillar of our overall conception of delivering on the mandates is the WTO Secretariat-wide Annual TA Plan, which, in coordination with some agencies, responds to the short term TRTA needs of the beneficiary members. I am pleased to report to you that the WTO Committee on Trade and Development (COMTD) agreed on Wednesday, last week, that the Secretariat should proceed with the implementation of the Plan. This Plan is before you in document WT/COMTD/W/95/Rev.2. Agreement to proceed with this plan was an important accomplishment by Members. It demonstrated the establishment of consensus on such issues as structure and the TRTA categories. The Plan is flexible and will be work in progress, but it is a signficant step forward in delivering on the Doha mandates. It contains a total of 514 activities. Implementation has effectively begun, and will now be accelerated because of the decision of the COMTD.

Can I share the major concern I have and that is quality control evaluation and audit procedures for the use of your resources.

As you know, we established a Technical Cooperation Audit Unit. We now have a transparent, competitive system which allocates resources through the Technical Assistance Management Committee. All this is good progress that needs frequent updating and renewal. I believe we have the right people and the correct structure in place. A note will be going out to all staff and to Missions soon on a fresh evaluation methodology. Our new monitoring and evaluation will ensure that the Technical Cooperation Audit Unit prepare an annual report on Technical Assistance evaluation and submit it to the Committee on Trade and Development. I am confident that the systematic application of the evaluation methodology will contribute to improved performance- management in the field of technical cooperation.

All this makes us better. We should submit ourselves to frequent evaluation through you and be accountable to you. This is healthy. We should rejoice and celebrate when colleagues find ways of improving our outputs. Criticism is never personal; we cannot do better without it. However, we too need your cooperation. Staff tell me of enthusiastic, impressive young people who graduate from our training programmes or attend seminars and follow-up on ideas with staff. This is very rewarding for our staff. But staff are disappointed when they so often lose track of individuals or never see them again. They are promoted to other departments or go to other jobs. They are not lost completely, but I hope you can see my point.

If we are to equip Ministers with the back-up staff and resources many demanded in Doha, then we need to ensure as much as possible teams stay together. This is not a conditionality; we can and will never insist. But we will continue to make this point to Members.

I'm saying now, and it's starting to happen, that for those who felt Doha was difficult to manage, it's not too soon now to assemble a team for Mexico. This is the responsibility of Ministers of Members. We can do a better, consistent and worthwhile job if this were to happen in most places by the last quarter of this year.

This is, of course, the beauty of our country files. We will and you will know what your neighbour has got and this should drive things forward.

However, it is necessary to underscore over and again that the Secretariat Plan is one out of 6 pillars. It will not respond to the totality of the needs of beneficiary countries. The scope of TRTA is wide, and the needs are virtually endless. This is why we must match expectations with reality and focus on the specific remit of the Doha mandates. Furthermore, I would like to draw attention to the necessity for beneficiary countries to ensure that their trade-related technical assistance requirements, WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 64

through systematic domestic coordination, are firmly reflected in their Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) or their development plans. PRSPs are the basis for policy lending by the Bank and the Fund. These trade priority areas of action also need to be reflected in the UN Common Country Assessments (CCA) and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The essential point is that TRTA needs and requirements are not only to be lodged in WTO Annual Plans. Our plans will be able to account and take care of the short term needs, but more is needed, and this is why domestic coherence and coordination within beneficiary countries are essential. I can confirm to beneficiary countries that in making this point that the WTO will continue to champion with other agencies and with bilateral donors the necessity to reflect the trade in development plans and PRSPs. We will do so because we have trade competence as a trade organization.

This is how we conceive that the international community can work together to implement the Doha mandates, which I believe is a global mandate both to countries as well as to agencies.

I'm appreciative of the fact that you have already given us the resources for double our training through the Training Institute. They are busy in this important work and preparing to do more in distance education and follow-up. Creative and strategic partnerships are planned in this area in the near future. The contributions you announced today, and the support you give to us, will be used wisely and carefully. We have put in place the systems to ensure monitoring, quality, evaluation and accountability to you.

This is a full day conference. The programme has been circulated, together with a note for participants and supporting relevant documentation. Management of time will be critical. I now formally open this Pledging Conference. The first message to our conference will be a pre- recorded message from Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez, Secretary of the Economy of Mexico, who is the host Minister for the 5th WTO Ministerial Conference, to be held in Mexico.

Importance of technical cooperation and capacity building for the Fifth Ministerial Conference Dr. Luis Ernesto Derbez, Secretary of the Economy, Mexico, Host Minister of the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference

• It is a rare privilege and an honour also, to be able to participate with you through this pre- recorded message. Please allow me to express my appreciation to WTO Members for permitting me to address this Pledging Conference this way.

• The Government of Mexico is fully committed to host a successful and historic Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference. As it is the first time that I address a formal WTO meeting after the decision of the General Council accepting Mexico's invitation, let me emphasize that my Government will spare no effort to live up to the confidence of WTO Members.

• A number of factors and components are necessary for a successful Conference. Involvement of Ministers at an early stage is vital. That is why I have put myself at the disposal of WTO Members, and it is the reason for my personal involvement since January of this year. I am confident that work is proceeding intensively in Geneva, both among delegations and within the Secretariat. Please allow me here to pay tribute to Mike Moore for his unrelenting efforts. It must be hard for the Secretariat staff to keep pace with him, and for that I also thank them.

• An efficient and effective delivery of technical assistance and capacity building in the forthcoming months will be vital for the success of the Mexico Ministerial Conference. The mandates of the Doha Development Agenda, of an unprecedented nature, have to be fulfilled to the best of our abilities. A good start for the short term has been achieved through the WTO WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 65

Secretariat's Annual Plan. But the WTO can not reasonably be expected to do it alone. Only a solid partnership with the developed donor countries and with international institutions, in short, with the whole of the international community, will guarantee its accomplishment.

• We need: • Predictability of funding, and • Coherence amongst Agencies in the delivery of technical assistance.

• I have witnessed how critically important is coherence through my work at the World Bank. There I had the opportunity and the privilege of working for those last developed countries who were most in need for help. The global trust fund must give special attention to least developed countries whilst keeping an appropriate global balance in assistance to other developing countries.

• Mexico is willing to host any number of technical assistance and capacity building activities. Furthermore, we want to share whatever expertise we have gained, with other developing countries in a less fortunate situation. I call here also to other developing countries in a similar situation, who are fortunate enough to have built up expertise in WTO and related areas, including negotiations, to go along with Mexico and put their experts at the disposal of other developing countries, and of the WTO technical assistance services, as resource persons.

OECD contribution in support of short and long term trade-related technical assistance and capacity building Mr. Donald Johnston, Secretary-General, OECD Secretariat

Thank you very much Mike. The Director-General is a dear friend of the WTO and it's a great honour for me to be hear this morning and I apologise for arriving late that was not due to anything on my part but rather a late aircraft.

Well, here we're talking about pledging funds to enhance technical assistance and capacity building and I have some pledges to make this morning, Director-General, but they do not consist of Euros or dollars because as you know, the OECD itself does not give money, although obviously the donor countries are Members of the OECD and hence we have a very important role to play, especially through the DAC. But what does the OECD itself bring to this discussion? Let me just touch a few points if I may and raise one matter of great concern from my perspective and one, which I hope, we in the OECD will be able to, more effectively address in the future than we have in the past. First of all, we have very strong analytical capacity and have supported the GATT and now the WTO over many many years, in fact in our Trade Committee and in our work in the Secretariat, I often say that the WTO is really our only client, we're there to provide whatever analytical support we can. In addition to that though the OECD in recent years has developed very strong programmes with non-Member economies if you like, we have programmes with some seventy countries and that's expanding all the time. There is a very strong coincidence of interests between the OECD Countries and the developing countries represented in this room in developing trading capacity, and the OECD again, has much to offer in this regard, I could be specific, of course we can talk in terms of good governance as fundamental to this whole discussion but we have specific areas as well were we can work with the non-member economies in the areas of competition law, for example, certain areas of taxation and I understand also that the OECD and the WTO are working together with other multilateral agency and bilateral donors to establish a trade-related technical assistance Database, and this with provide better knowledge base of what is taking place in various countries, it will also, of course bring transparency and coherence to the whole areas. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 66

Well, we all know that trade and investment are beneficial for development, there's no need to develop that point but there must be access, there must be open markets, there must also, of course, be, in the countries themselves growth oriented macro-economic and structural policies, the kind of capacities which the Director-General has just mentioned a moment ago, higher human capacities educated well trained people, adequate social policy and good governance and all of these are areas were the OECD has a very important contribution to make and I believe is making at the time. But let me enclose and just say a word about Access, because all the capacity in the world is meaningless if there's no access, and I'm not talking about access to the developing world, I'm talking about access to the OECD markets themselves. We at the OECD have been attempting to convince our member governments to move more quickly in many areas to provide such access, we did a study called "Open Markets Matter" which I think had a very beneficial impact, it was sighted by many politicians in the United States and elsewhere because it demonstrated, with actual examples, concrete examples, the benefits of open markets. In addition, we have published others such as "Reaping the Benefits of Open Markets" this addressing issues within the developing world as well, all of this is very helpful but the harsh reality is that domestic politics in the OECD have had a major role to play and I think one of our great challenges in the OECD is to take that massage, not just to politicians but to their constituents the importance of open markets. Bare in mind that the politicians in many instances are the messengers and Mike Moore is a former politician and other in this room like myself, have experienced the difficulties of breaking down protectionist thinking in many areas in our own countries. This is a major challenge for us and one that I'm certainly pledging, all I can do to help address, just for example, last week we've solved two headlights which were very disturbing in the most open market in the world, probably the United States of America where we have tariff quota of 66%, I think it was of Argentinian honey which was on the front page of the International Herald Tribune and of course, we're all aware of the debate over steel, another issue which we're addressing at the OECD. This is the harsh reality effectively of electoral politics in our own countries, this is a major challenge for us and a major challenge, that is for the OECD Membership, because it's clear that developing trade capacity in developing countries is absolutely critical, but that capacity has to find an outlet in terms of access to the developed world's markets.

Appropriate policy framework for utilising trade-related technical assistance Dr. Louis Kasekende, Deputy Governor, Bank of Uganda

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

I am greatly honoured to be able to address this important "Pledging Conference for the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund". I strongly believe that this conference is opportune and timely. It will also serve well as one of many efforts that will have to be undertaken by the community of WTO Members, including the various multilateral agencies, to help forge a mechanism for consensus building among negotiating members, and especially to ensure the successful conclusion of the development agenda that was agreed upon at Doha.

The commitments made by Ministers at Doha provided a mandate for negotiations on a range of issues within a reasonable time framework. At the same time, the Ministerial Declaration also posed many challenges for the community of trading partners in the WTO, and defines the necessary process for developing country Members in particular, to prepare further future work towards liberalization of their trade regimes.

We are convinced that the participation of developing countries in world trade negotiations and rules setting would lead to enhancement and predictability of access to markets for exports from developing countries. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 67

The relative success of Uganda's external trade relations since 1987 when the country began to robustly implement its prescriptions for economic adjustment and recovery has been exemplary. The success achieved so far were buttressed on hard decisions and bold initiatives undertaken, in part, to reform, liberalize, and to open Uganda's trading regime. This was helped by sustained macroeconomic stability and donor financial support.

In the same view, the process of integrating developing countries into the world trading system requires substantial resources, both financial and technical. Developing countries require assistance in meeting the required standards for compliance, the building of basic infrastructural capacity, acquisition of appropriate technology, and funds to facilitate training, public awareness activities, and participation of country officials in important WTO events and discussions.

Equally important is to design ways and means of directing technical assistance where it is needed most, especially by way of bringing developing countries closer to meeting the ideals of an all inclusive multilateral trading system. The scope for further improvements to meet the demands for compliance is large and a lot of more work has to be done to achieve the desired objective.

To place the developing countries on the right footing, potential beneficiaries of the technical assistance would maximise benefits if the economic circumstances of recipients are suitably transformed to operate in a relatively efficient and stable manner. This can only be achieved through deliberate open economy policies and measures that embody trade as a credible component of the overall economic policy objective.

Recipient countries should adopt an appropriate mix of policies that are designed to promote, inter alia, open trade, a sound policy of competition and resource allocation, and more importantly the involvement and participation of the private sector and civil society in fostering growth in trade, consistent with WTO objectives.

I would hasten to point out that Uganda has over the years been specifically active in trade and WTO issues on several fronts, including the building of capacity to promote free trade, and to comply with WTO implementation guidelines. Some capacity and human resource constraints have been mitigated somewhat through technical assistance, training and awareness programs. But also a lot more has come through the activities of Uganda's Inter-institutional Committee (IIC) on WTO agreements supported largely by resources offered under the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Program (JITAP).

Requisite measures have also been put in place to mainstream trade into the 10 year National Development Plan in order to enable Uganda to adapt its trading policies and practices to meet WTO standards and guidelines.

♦ Specifically, the program for technical assistance to developing countries and LDCs should be implemented in a measured but focussed manner in order to enable the recipients of the assistance to improve and build capacity in form of human resources, basic infrastructure, and information technology. Such assistance would also help them in transforming their respective institutions and legal structures for optimal implementation of WTO agreements within the time framework set out by the Doha Ministerial Declaration, and to cope with WTO related developments, including reasonable participation in on-going negotiations.

♦ Consideration should also be given to extending technical assistance through regional organizations of which the targeted beneficiary countries are members. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 68

♦ Other resources due to technical assistance already available to developing countries like the WTO Reference Centres should be strengthened and made more usable to the wider public.

Thank you for your attention

Developing countries' short and long term priority needs for trade-related technical assistance and capacity building H.E. Ms. Amima Chawahir Mohamed, ambassador, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the WTO

• I am pleased to participate in this Pledging Conference on the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF) and feel encouraged by the turnout of participants. This conference is an indication that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is taking positive steps towards the effective implementation of the work programme launched at Doha.

• Doha marked a turning point in international economic relations. For the first time, WTO members committed themselves to unprecedented support and technical assistance for the integration of developing and least developed countries into the evolving multilateral trading system.

• The developments that have taken place since the Doha Ministerial Conference confirm the importance and the seriousness of the commitment WTO members have in the Doha Development Agenda.

• This notwithstanding, we have to reconcile expectations with reality. The General Council’s decision to establish the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund was but one step forward. A shell has now been established and we have to fill this shell, so that the commitments in the Doha Ministerial Declaration are fulfilled.

• It is in this regard that I view this Pledging Conference and its timing as an important move towards fulfilling the Doha mandate.

• I now wish to turn to my short presentation on “Developing Countries Short and Long Term Priorities for Trade-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building in the Multilateral Trading System.”

• As it has been noted in the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the benefits of globalization have not been distributed proportionally. Majority of developing and least developed countries continue to be marginalized in world trade. The situation has been exacerbated by the Structural Adjustment programmes and the Uruguay Round commitments that created difficulties in implementing WTO Agreements. The limited administrative and institutional capacities in these countries has not been helpful. In recognition of this, Ministers committed themselves to address their marginalization and improve their participation in the multilateral trading system.

• We note with satisfaction developments after Doha particularly the establishment of the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) and its negotiating structures. In addition we are encouraged by the number of visits made by Trade Officials from the EU, the US, Britain and leading International Organizations which have rekindled the hope that our technical assistance and capacity building needs will be addressed. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 69

• We welcome especially, the efforts that the Director General has made to explore ways and means of securing predictable and enhanced funding to improve technical assistance and capacity building to developing and least developed countries. Mr. Chairman, in our view the new phase in technical assistance and capacity building should now focus on upgrading technical skills and capacity to negotiate on various subjects under discussion in the WTO both to our Geneva based and capital based officials. This will undoubtedly enable them to participate fully and from an informed position in such discussions and negotiations.

• In addition to the above developing and least developed countries will need technical assistance to conduct thorough analytical studies on subjects of negotiations, including brainstorming sessions and drafting of integrated national negotiating positions.

• The Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme (JITAP) has been a success story because it combines most of the points that I have just elucidated. Indeed JITAP played an important role in our preparation and participation in the 4th Ministerial Conference. I feel, therefore, inclined to recommend that future technical assistance could be channelled through the JITAP type programme.

• It is our hope that the discussions that will be taking place in the Working Groups on Trade, Debt and Finance and Trade and Transfer of Technology as well as the Committee on Trade and Development will be taken into account in designing future technical assistance to overcome problems associated with indebtedness, lack of technology and poverty among others.

• Negotiations should not be seen as an end in themselves. What is more important is for countries to take advantage of the improved market access opportunities created. In this respect, technical assistance and capacity building to address supply side constraints is equally important. As this may go beyond the mandate of the WTO, it will be necessary for the WTO to consult and cooperate with other multilateral institutions, international organizations and especially with developed partners to see how this could be achieved. Such cooperation will also enhance coherence in the provision of targeted and well coordinated technical assistance.

• In that regard, we welcome the initiatives by a number of our developed country partners in supporting to a certain extent private sectors in developing and least developed countries to address supply side constraints. We encourage other partners who have not done so to consider doing so favourably.

• It is our hope that the spirit exhibited at Doha will become a reality in today’s Pledging Conference. As most of you may be aware in Kenya this spirit is called Harambee, which in English is translated to mean pooling resources together for a common course.

Thank you Mr. Chairman

ANNEX

1. Short-Term Priorities for Trade-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building in the MTS

Financial & Techncial Assistance to carry out impact studies on the mandated negotiations and the new issues Development of Trade Negotiation and Analytical Skills WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 70

Training of Experts and Establishment of institutions capable of handling complex procedural requirements necessary for application of WTO anti-dumping, safeguards and subsidies and countervailing measures Participating in WTO Negotiations Sessions, Regular meetings of the various Committees, Workshops and Seminars Scholarships and attachment programmes for Geneva and Capital based officers th Participation in the 5 WTO Ministerial Conference Enhancement of the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme (JITAP) Support to mainstream private sector into the WTO work programme Support to developing countries to effectively participate in the newly created WTO Working Groups.

2. Long-Term Trade Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building in the MTS

Technical Assistance to address supply and diversification constraints in developing countries Technical Assistance and capacity building to meet stringent and high SPS & TBT Standards Harmonization of National Laws to conform with WTO provisions Trade Policy Formulation Debt Relief Support to Regional Economic Communities (RECS) Funding for Investments in Physical and Social Infrastructure Technical assistance to enhance Competitiveness of Developing Countries Preparedness for Natural disasters

Coherence and coordination for technical assistance and capacity building: post-Doha H.E. Mr. Carlo Trojan, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the European Commission to the WTO

C I have been asked to speak to you on the issue of co-ordination and coherence in the Technical Assistance field. I gladly take up this challenge as this is a point the European Community has raised numerous times in the debates on how to deliver Technical Assistance in the most efficient way.

C The issue is complex, and coherence and co-ordination take place on many levels: national, multilateral and bilateral. But I would like to take up two threads: first of all the coherence and co-ordination between those who deliver Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building Measures. Secondly I think it is important to underline that the case for co-ordination and coherence in the developing countries is just as strong, and needs to be made.

C Let's look at the donor side first. After Doha we all realised that we had taken a quantum leap on Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building in WTO. Other speakers before me have quoted the numerous commitments we have taken on. We have seen immediately that to fulfil these commitments, a co-ordinated effort is necessary.

C Many ideas have been put on the table to achieve a co-ordinated response. Let me outline the Commissions internal experience: We mainstream trade in our development programmes on a country by country and region by region basis and include it in all countries strategy papers. This is based on the communication and joint Council/Commission Statement on development policy of the year 2000, in which trade has been identified as an integral part and a priority of development strategy. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 71

C I would like to note in this context that Trade Related Technical Assistance and Capacity- Building is not a new phenomenon for the European Community. Between 1996 and 2000 the European Commission funded TRTA/CB related projects to an amount of 700 million Euro, and at the present time projects worth over 300 million Euro are being implemented.

C The Community has made available 30 million Euro for WTO related Technical Assistance to the ACP countries. The Community has also sponsored the opening of the ACP Antenna here in Geneva.

C At WTO, donors and recipients can build on the experience gained under the Integrated Framework in the continued efforts to improve coherence and co-ordination. We have contributed 200 000 Euro in 2001, and will add 750 000 in 2002 to the IF Trust Fund. The Community continues to fully support this process, which might be difficult, but is the only way to achieve the integration of trade in development strategies.

C We have long argued that no expansion of the IF was needed, but a similar approach using its model and methodology for Technical Assistance in non-LDC’s and low income countries. What does this mean?

C One key principle of the IF is that the donors co-ordinate fully in delivering assistance. The 6 agencies running the integrated framework have just asked donors to volunteer as "lead donor" for particular LDC’s to underpin donor co-ordination. This is a concept we fully support provided the recipient country is in agreement with this concept.

C But just as important, - and now I come to the second main thread of my intervention - is coherence in the beneficiary countries – the IF is built on the understanding that the developing country itself has a concept which allows its trade policy to be fully integrated in its overall development strategy.

C I do not want to lecture anyone, but this kind of coherence means in fact that on the ground in the developing countries, trade ministries, finance ministries, agriculture ministries, the private sector; in short all actors involved in trade, get together and make sure that a coherent strategy is devised which is in line with the overall development objectives of the country concerned. We are now considering whether the first steps in IF implementation should be concrete help to enable LDCs to have such an internal process initiated and followed through.

C Such internal co-ordination in the country will then allow the necessary analysis, needs assessment and formulation of individual projects or programmes, and forceful implementation, monitoring and possible improvements.

C We have seen that this process can work in the pilot countries, and I was particularly impressed by the presentations Cambodia has made on their mainstreaming efforts.

C It is after this stage then that the co-ordination on the donor sides becomes most important. This means that overlap is avoided, priorities are transported into donor programmes and a clear overview of who is doing what is established.

C To allow a clear view of who does what, we are fully supporting the establishment of a database, which contains information on the provision of TRTA and Capacity-Building on the bilateral, and multilateral level. Built on this data base, and on the work going on in individual Committees which now look much closer on Technical Assistance, the WTO can play the role of clearing house to avoid duplications, gaps, geographical imbalances in the provision of Technical Assistance. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 72

C In order to be able to play such a role, it is clear that the WTO Secretariat needs to establish closer relations with other multilateral agencies, which deliver Technical Assistance in particular areas. UNCTAD, WIPO, WCO are just examples. Equally, the training institute should look for synergies with the numerous training institutions, which are already established around the world.

C We are pleased to see that the WTO Secretariat has now presented the annual TA Plan which puts a lot of stress on partnerships with other organisations, coherence and in-house co-operation. The plan is the first time ever that we have tried to systematisise WTO Technical Assistance activities according to themes, and the appropriate response to the challenges laid out by the Doha Declaration and the decision on implementation.

C Looking ahead, I would like to address one other point on coherence, this time on the larger scale of international action for development. We have worked hard to ensure that the UN Conference on Financing for Development has a serious approach to trade as part of development. It is an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of TRTA/CB in ODA spending, to try to ensure that ODA funds are used for building trade capacity and influence in general attempt to raise more funds for TRTA/CB.

C This kind of coherence is relevant not only on the TRTA level, but as a last thought I would insist that it is also relevant for policy making on a broader scale. The Monterrey Conference, but also the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg in August can serve as a tool to integrate trade in Sustainable Development.

C Finally, as this is the WTO DDA Trust Fund Pledging Conference, here is the European Commission’s Pledge: We will contribute 700 000 Euro for 2002, which equals 1 million Swiss Francs.

Predictable funding and priority-setting in technical cooperation and capacity building H.E. Mr. Käre Bryn, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Norway to the WTO

Mr. Chairman,

One of the most important outcomes of the Doha Ministerial was the recognition that the developing countries, and especially the least developed countries, need to draw larger benefits from increased opportunities and welfare gains that the multilateral trading system generates. Therefore the developing countries have to be better integrated into the multilateral trading system. An important tool to achieve this goal is technical cooperation and capacity building. The Doha Declaration was a recognition that technical assistance must be a core activity of the WTO if the developing countries are to reap the benefits from the multilateral trading system. This is all the more so when we are embarking on ambitious new negotiations.

Predictable funding over the coming years is essential. We still maintain the view that the long-term solution, in order to secure financing of technical assistance on a sustainable basis, is to increase the regular WTO budget for this purpose, as proposed by a number of countries in 1999. Only such a system would fully recognize that technical cooperation is a systemic issue of fundamental importance, as reflected in the relevant provisions of the WTO agreements and as confirmed by Ministers.

The case for secure, long-term financing over the regular budget is obvious. Stability in provision of funds is a prerequisite for building up a delivery capacity in the Secretariat. Furthermore, the need for technical assistance is going to be with us for the foreseeable future. Financing over the WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 73 regular budget would not of course exclude the possibility of additional voluntary financing for more specific purposes. In this way one could have adequate guarantees for financing of the ongoing long- term technical assistance needs to implement and draw benefits from the system, as well as the extra needs created by special situations, i.e. a new round of negotiations like the one we are embarking on now.

This having been said and leaving aside the question of principle of financing technical assistance over the regular budget, I would still accept that the decision to create the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund was a milestone. This must now be followed-up. The Doha Declaration has a strict timeframe which requires close attention to the provision of resources as well as the organization of the delivery of assistance. This includes personnel to provide the assistance. If the Trust Fund is to give predictability it will need contributions beyond 2002. The Director General’s proposal for a buffer of CHF 1 million might help in this regard, but it is not sufficient. It is important that as many members as possible share in the effort to secure predictable funding for the WTO’s technical assistance.

Turning to the question of priority setting in trade-related technical assistance, I would like to highlight the following elements:

First of all, technical assistance must be demand-driven. The developing countries should be in the driving-seat and assume ownership of the assistance. This also means that we have to allow for the necessary time and resources to attain the results we aim for. It will obviously put heavy demands on the Secretariat. But I am convinced that with the help of all Members the Secretariat can live up to the trust we put in them. This is after all a Trust Fund. To secure the demand-driven nature of the assistance Members must avoid the temptation of setting up steering mechanisms that will lead to micro management in the formulation of projects. We should give guidance and advice, but not dilute the responsibility of the Secretariat to manage delivery. Furthermore, we underline the importance that technical assistance is delivered for WTO- related activities and mainstreamed within the policy framework of trade negotiations and implementation objectives within national economic development plans and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers.

Secondly, the Least Developed Countries must be given priority. LDCs still only account for 0.5 per cent of world trade and many have experienced negative growth over the past years. Not only the WTO Secretariat, but also bilateral donors and other agencies are urged to assist the LDCs in defining their need for trade-related technical assistance and capacity building. In this regard the Integrated Framework for trade related technical assistance provides an important mechanism for assistance in broader fields than what the Doha Trust Fund can provide. Regional cooperation between developing countries to help the LDCs is also vital.

Thirdly, coordination with other providers of technical assistance is important. The objective is to secure the best possible assistance, whether it is given by the WTO Secretariat, or by other organizations with or without the participation of the WTO. Coordinated delivery of technical assistance is underlined in the Doha Declaration. This has a both a substantial and a financial dimension, as duplication on the one hand and lacunae on the other have to be avoided. The Trust Fund has to be used for WTO-related technical assistance of direct relevance to the forthcoming negotiations and implementation of commitments.

Fourthly, given the Doha Declaration, priority obviously has to be given to the issues covered there. The WTO technical assistance should be as targeted and concrete as possible, and one should be cautious in setting up projects with too general aims. In this regard Members can and should provide important inputs in setting of priorities. Identification of institutions and organs outside the WTO who have competence in relevant areas is also crucial, and they should be encouraged to participate in the delivery of the assistance. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 74

Mr. Chairman,

My Delegation will actively review the implementation of the Technical Assistance Plan as well as the priority setting and the funding of technical assistance based on the elements I have mentioned. I believe that there is widespread support for these elements, but the proof is in the doing. We are all stakeholders in a better functioning multilateral trading system, including the multilateral agencies that are represented here today. We all stand to benefit from better integrating the developing countries into the system.

Short and long term trade-related technical assistance needs in the multilateral trading system H.E. Mr. Takahashi, Special Assistant to the Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan

Mr. Chairman,

On behalf of the Government of Japan, I wish to express our deep appreciation for the efforts made by you, Director-General Moore and the Secretariat to organise this pledging conference o the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.

As is clearly stated in various parts of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, WTO-related technical assistance and capacity building are integral parts of the Doha Development Agenda.

The WTO needs to assist developing Members in implementing the WTO Agreements and in preparing to engage in the New Issues. In this context, establishment of this Global Trust Fund is significant and opportune. The Government of Japan therefore contributes the amount of CHF 1.5 million ($US 0.9 million) to this Fund.

Mr. Chairman, as the long list prepared by the Secretariat illustrates, demand for technical assistance and capacity building is strong among developing Members. In order for the WTO to effectively and expeditiously implement necessary assistance with the limited Fund, we need to focus our efforts on “WTO related or New Round related” projects. In this regard, I would like to propose a couple of guiding principles.

First, working-out of projects should be demand-driven. Developing Members are now asked to make clear what they expect from WTO technical assistance and capacity building programmes in a concrete manner. Without active participation from the recipients, no project can be useful for them. In other words, ownership is important.

I would like to take ”The APEC Strategic Plan” as an example. This plan, aiming to assist APEC Members in implementing the WTO Agreements, formulates programmes after carefully hearing the needs of each member. On the basis of the results of such hearing, JICA, Japan International Cooperation Agency, has recently started a series of workshops in Bangkok on TBT, AD/CVD and GATS, in cooperation with the Thai Government and the WTO Secretariat. I am glad to report that the workshops were quite successful. We will continue similar programmes which will be tailored to specific needs of each member in other capitals of the region. APEC SOM I in February decided to confirm the importance of the capacity building on the New Issues; to compile a matrix on WTO-related capacity building activities in APEC; and to involve relevant international organizations in these activities.

Second, the WTO should seek further cooperation from international aid and development organisations as well as bilateral donor countries to effectively implement technical assistance and capacity building programmes. The WTO is not an aid agency and its capacity is limited, while WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 75

UNCTAD, UNDP and various national and international technical assistance agencies such as JICA have been working in this field for a long time and have accumulated experiences and expertise. The cooperation with those organisations is therefore fruitful and even indispensable. There are already a number of examples: The Asian Regional Symposium on trade, investment and development held in Malaysia last year is one example, which was co-organised by WTO and UNCTAD, and funded by the Government of Japan. This year, the Government of Japan is planning to conduct, through JICA, several capacity building programmes on the New Issues in Geneva, combining professional knowledge of the WTO Secretariat with expertise of the UNCTAD and other organisations. Utilising the regional organisations is also extremely effective. Last month, the Government of Japan sponsored the WTO Accession Seminar for non-WTO members in Asia Pacific organised by ESCAP that has deep regional networks in the field of trade and development.

Mr. Chairman, Japan is aware that developing Members need technical assistance and capacity building on a wide range of issues, including supply-side assistance to strengthen, in particular, their export capacity and competitiveness. Although the WTO cannot provide such assistance by itself, the international community should do more. The Government of Japan launched, 2 years ago, an extensive human resource development programme which aims at training of 2,500 people in developing countries over five years to enhance their trade-related capacity. During the past two years, Japan has contributed the total amount of approximately US$ 107.8 million to the multilateral, regional and bilateral trade-related technical assistance. Japan will continue this type of long-term technical assistance as well as various types of assistance such as aids to develop necessary infrastructure.

This year, from Monterrey to Johannesburg, “trade and development” will be highlighted as one of the key subjects of the international for a. They provide good opportunities to focus on the importance of trade-related technical assistance and capacity building.

Mr. Chairman, the legitimacy of the multilateral trading system depends on whether all its Members, both developing and developed alike, can reap the benefits of the system. The Government of Japan believes that the new round of trade negotiations along with adequate and targeted trade related technical assistance and capacity building will best ensure the benefits from the multilateral trading system.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Architecture for long-term trade-related technical assistance and capacity building: coherence between multilateral institutions and bilateral donors H.E. Ms. Linnet F. Deily, Ambassador, U.S. Deputy Trade Representative, Permanent Representative to the WTO

I am please to be here today and to have the opportunity to share some views on the importance of coherence between multilateral and bilateral donors in our efforts to contribute to sustainable development through trade-related technical assistance and capacity building.

• Trade is an indispensable means of financing sustainable development. Developing countries exported close to $2.0 trillion last year. Further substantial liberalization of trade could dramatically increase this trade. That is one reason why the United States is fully committed to the Doha Development Agenda. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 76

Importance of Technical Cooperation

• In negotiating the Doha Development Agenda we all recognized the critical role that technical cooperation will play in helping to ensure that developing countries will be full participants in the negotiations and maximize the potential benefits to them of successful conclusion.

• This technical cooperation must come not only from the WTO but also through bilateral aid programs and cooperation with other international organizations.

• Each of these three avenues has its own comparative advantage.

• The WTO holds experience and expertise in many, though not all, key areas that we will be working on under the Doha Development Agenda.

• Bilateral assistance programs, such as our own, can draw on expertise from a broad range of sources and couple it in many cases with an in-country presence that is important in helping to identify needs and target assistance.

• Other international organizations hold broad expertise in areas where the WTO does not.

• The United States has been actively encouraging multilateral institutions, like the World Bank, regional organizations, and other bilateral donors to commit to meet the most urgent trade capacity needs for the Doha negotiations while they pursue -- concurrently – long-term capacity building, infrastructure, and policy reform programs.

• The United States is also actively working with developing countries and multilateral institutions, organizations, and other donors, to better understand individual developing country needs and to coordinate our bilateral and multilateral trade capacity building activities.

• Partnership among both donors and recipients, above all else, will be the determining factor in the effectiveness of our technical assistance and capacity efforts.

- World Bank studies have shown that in countries that are broadly following favorable trade and development policies, assistance can be very effective and have a multiplier effect: leveraging greater private and foreign investment flows, stimulating trade and unlocking domestic financial capability.

U.S. Commitment to Participate

• The United States Government provided more than $1.3 billion in funding on trade-related capacity building activities in developing countries and transition economies in the last three years. We have been at the forefront of efforts to help developing countries improve their capacity to integrate into the trading system because trade fuels the engines f economic growth which create jobs, increase incomes and reduces poverty.

• One of the first issues Ambassador Zoellick addressed post-Doha was the need to assess trade assistance and trade-capacity building efforts underway, as well as identify existing studies on trade policy issues and research in support of trade negotiations, such as those conducted by and African-based institution, the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC).

• As already announced by Ambassador Zoellick, the United states has pledged $1 million to the Doha Development Agenda Trust Fund. This is in addition to a commitment we had already WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 77

made to contribute $370,000 to the Doha Development Agenda Trust Fund to fund 30 scholarships for sub-Saharan African trade officials from AGOA-eligible countries to attend WTO trade policy courses. This grant will also support two regional WTO seminars in Africa on agriculture and services.

- At current exchange rates, that amounts to contributions and pledges to the new trust fund in excess of 2.1 million Swiss Francs.

• We are also transferring over 900,000 Swiss Francs from pre-Doha contributions to various WTO trust Funds into the Doha Development Agenda Trust Fund. These contributions are a demonstration of the United States' strong commitment to the technical assistance and capacity building objectives laid out in the Doha Declaration.

• We give high priority to undertaking specific trade-related capacity building programs related to the mandates from the Doha Ministerial.

• The United States strongly supports the initiative of the WTO, in coordination with other multilateral agencies and bilateral donors, to establish a trade-related capacity building database.

- We look forward to working together with other donors and the WTO to facilitate this project. This work will increase coordination and maximize resources and we encourage the WTO to have the database operational as soon as possible.

• Our approach is very much directed toward participation and partnership – that's why we support initiatives such as:

- enhancing the capacity of think tanks and universities in LDCs,

- using electronic media and information technology to make available relevant electronic data bases and libraries on trade capacity building, WTO agreements and commercial law, and

- funding non-resident Member attendance to WTO seminars and meetings to enhance developing countries' ability to negotiate and/or otherwise participate in the decision-making processes of the WTO.

Maximizing Trade Capacity Resources for Long-Term Gains

• Coming from the business world, I recognize the significant role the private sector plays in achieving long-term gains.

• Fostering development of stable and supportive business environments should be a result we strive to achieve.

- Foreign investment flows to developing countries and among developing countries amount to $180-200 billion annually. Foreign direct investment is important because it brings not only capital, but also technology, management techniques, good environmental practices and knowledge of foreign markets.

• We're looking at our own programs, like AGOA, which is stimulating new trading opportunities for the region's businesses and entrepreneurs, creating jobs for people who have never worked for a weekly wage, and bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment to some of the poorest parts of the world. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 78

- Imports of products covered by AGOA totaled $8.4 billion in the first 11 months of last year, a 1,100 increase over the same period in 2000. Anecdotal evidence suggests that AGOA's incentives have generated nearly $1.0 billion in investment. We are all learning in this process.

• Official development assistance, at à50 billion annually, is smaller but plays an indispensable role, especially if it help countries tap into these larger flows.

• That is why the United States has increased to over $500 million annually our programs that strengthen countries' capacity to build market institutions, to attract investment, and to participate effectively in the trading system.

• Technical assistance efforts are only effective if designed to meet the needs of the recipient countries. Ambassador Zoellick has stressed that for the United States it is imperative that we not only listen, but hear the needs of developing countries and tailor trade-capacity efforts to specific proposals.

- Yet we must be realistic about what we can do. Trade capacity building can augment but not replace the role of each Member in ensuring that they create the domestic environment that only they can develop to participate in the WTO and share in its benefits.

- Similarly, trade capacity must be recognized as one key element of moving the liberalization agenda forward, but it should not be as a substitute for such progress.

• We all have a contribution to make. While recognizing the important role that developed countries will have to play in further opening their markets, it is also important to recognize that trade liberalization by developing countries is also a critical part of the equation.

- The World Bank estimates that some 70 percent of the burden on developing countries' manufactured exports results from the longer trade barriers of other developing countries.

• Discussion on trade capacity building post-Doha demonstrates the need to separate the short term negotiating needs from the longer term, development-related needs that will continue beyond the three-year timeframe of the Round.

- The architecture we must shape needs to take this reality into account.

• We should apply these lessons to our technical assistance and capacity building work, particularly as it relates to the Doha Agenda: we must match outcomes with recipient country expectations and define needs at the outset.

• According to recent assessments carried out by World Bank, 21 least-developed countries (of 49 LDCs) considered recipient friendly or "pretty good partners," are making reasonably good progress overall in terms of economic growth performance, achieving annual growth in real per capita income at rates above 2.0 percent over the 1996-2000 period.

- And at the risk of sounding provocative, experience strongly suggests that increased aid has not been productive in development terms for countries who are not "recipient-friendly."

- Examples are: absence of rule of law, disregard for the lending requirements and lack of interaction with the private sector. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 79

WTO: Coordination with Other Bilateral and Other Multilateral Organizations' Technical Assistance

• The Multilateral Development Banks, with their loan and grant programs make a significant contribution by channelling resources and know-how to developing countries.

- We believe that the Multilateral Development Banks can make an even more effective effort by organizing their work to give primary emphasis to balanced, productivity-driven economic growth led by the private sector.

- To achieve productivity-driven economic growth, developing countries are going to have to use all the financing sources that are available to them to keep their economies growing.

• We believe the Multilateral Development Banks can also help countries seize the benefits of trade through capacity building and help countries make the fiscal and structural policy changes that are necessary to take advantage of emerging new opportunities in the trading system.

- The WTO and the Multilateral Development Banks need to have an effective partnership.

• The effectiveness of such assistance will not only be determined by the willingness of developed and developing countries to work together but also our ability to achieve results.

- Institutionally, as stated in the Integrated Framework joint communique, we are collectively committed to assist the meaningful integration of developing and least-developed countries into the multilateral system and the global economy.

• Now we must work together to identify the priority needs and interests of developing countries so to unleash these countries' trade and investment potential and allow private sector growth to flourish.

Managing Expectations in meeting the Trade-related Technical Assistance/Capacity Building challenge H.E. Mr. Sergio Marchi, ambassador, Permanent Representative of Canada

I am grateful for the opportunity to address the Trade Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (TRTA/CB) challenge before us in my capacity as Canada’s Ambassador to the WTO.

At Doha, our Ministers committed to TRTA/CB to ensure that all WTO members can participate effectively in the negotiations and benefit fully from the Multilateral Trading System. In this regard, Ministers have set an ambitious and legitimate goal.

The task before us is to ensure that we live up to the commitments and aspirations of Doha. To do so we need to empower the WTO to deliver on its Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Plan and we need, at the same time, to manage overall expectations. This requires that the Members and the Secretariat work together very closely in formulating, delivering, monitoring and constantly improving “the Plan”.

It is also vital to the overall success of the Plan that there be broad support for it by Members. We all need to take ownership of the Plan. I was pleased, therefore, that this occurred at the Committee on Trade and Development meeting last week, after thorough discussion by the Membership, and with the understanding that there be ongoing improvements made as the Plan evolves. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 80

As others have said so eloquently, TRTA/CB involves the combined and coordinated efforts of multilateral and regional Banks and Agencies, bilateral donors, the private sector and academic institutions, within a development framework provided by each recipient country.

Each party has an indispensable role to play according to its comparative advantage.

WTO RESPONSIBILITIES:

I had mentioned earlier the need to manage overall expectations, and for those of us who work at the WTO, this means at least four things:

· insisting that the WTO sticks to what it does best and focuses its attention upon meeting the mandates specifically set out by the Doha Ministerial Declaration;

· ensuring that each Committee and Working Group of this House establishes the feasible scope of TRTA/CB to meet commitments within its area of expertise, consistent with the requirements of “the Plan”;

· engaging the other multilateral, regional and bilateral Agencies to deliver according to their areas of expertise and in a coherent manner;

· and fourthly, reporting to all Members on general progress by the end of 2002, and subsequently to Ministers at the 5th Ministerial.

MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES:

In this regard, both donor and recipient countries have distinct responsibilities in helping the system cope with those expectations.

For donor countries, not only must we also provide funds to various institutions other than the WTO, but we must ensure that we draw upon all of our domestic resources both private and public in a coherent effort. Second, we must coordinate amongst donors and with multilateral and regional Agencies both at the country and international levels.

Third, we must report our activities in an agreed framework and in a timely fashion. And fourthly, donors also need to ensure that our Ministers are as engaged on this issue as they are on the sectors under negotiation.

For recipient countries, I think it is important to keep their requests to the WTO within the Organization’s mandate and capacity. Second, they need to assess their needs and ensure that these TRTA/CB requirements are sequenced and then integrated into country development plans and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). And third, they should take advantage of other funding mechanisms and call upon the wider development community to fulfill their broader needs.

CANADIAN PLEDGE:

Mr. Chairman, Canada intends to be a full player in all of these efforts, and to contribute through different channels. Toward this end, Canada is very pleased today to pledge CAN $ 1.0 million to the General Trust Fund.

Over and above this $1 million pledge, we are today announcing an additional contribution of CAN $300,000 to the WTO Training Institute. This money will support courses aimed at delivering WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 81

train-the-trainer and trade negotiations skills, as well as developing networking with academic institutions in developing countries, especially LDCs.

Furthermore, Canada will be delivering this year a minimum of CAN $ 30 million in TRTA/CB through bilateral programs and multilateral agencies.

For example, Canada is contributing $500,000 to AITIC via La Francophonie to assist developing countries that do not have offices in Geneva to participate in the work of the WTO. We will also be channelling $950,000 to the ITC, to continue its valuable work in assisting developing countries to take advantage of the Multilateral Trading System, through export promotion.

In addition to financial contributions, we will continue to supply direct technical assistance in the form of human resources from Canadian institutions and government departments to meet identified needs of developing countries.

Finally, and by no means least important, Canada, as current Chair of the G8 will, among other tasks, be promoting TRTA/CB within the Africa Action Plan.

CONCLUDING REMARKS:

We all know, in this room, how important TRTA/CB is to the success of the Doha negotiations. It is clearly a central ingredient. Moreover, in the mid-to long term, getting TA/CB right is essential to helping developing countries better realize the gains from the multilateral trading system.

I am confident that by working together, we will transform the technical assistance challenge before us, into an opportunity that will enhance our collective interests and those of the citizens we all represent.

Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund: PowerPoint presentation Mr. Andrew Stoler, Deputy Director-General, WTO

Good Morning. Just before we move into that portion of today's program where donors are asked to state their pledges to the new WTO trust fund for technical cooperation, I would like to take several minutes to set out the context for the new Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.

The Doha Declaration, as with many GATT and WTO Ministerial Declarations that preceded it, launched important new multilateral negotiations.

The Declaration also emphasized the key role played by technical cooperation in the negotiations and in the implementation of WTO commitments and obligations arising out of the negotiations.

What makes this declaration unique is that – for the first time ever – Ministers committed to provide the resources needed in order for the Members of this organization to ensure that the required technical cooperation might actually be provided to those who need it.

In creating the new Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund as the response to the Ministerial resource commitment, we were guided firstly by the need to ensure substance over form. In other words, the important thing is to obtain the funding we need. Obtaining the resources is more important than whether the funds are on-budget or from voluntary contributions. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 82

Secondly, we acknowledged that the funding needed to be provided in such a way as to ensure long term predictability and stability in the resources at our disposal for technical cooperation.

Only if the funding is predictable and stable over the long-term is it possible for the WTO Secretariat and its partners in technical cooperation provision to plan out the provision of technical cooperation activities and program expenditures over time. We have found in the past that where we cannot plan activities and expenditures, resources are not well-used and sometimes go unspent.

Although the new global trust fund is chartered as a trust fund made up of voluntary contributions, it is structured in such a way that it will be a de facto off-budget budget.

The fund will be characterized by stability, flexibility and predictability.

As a result of the hard work which the Members and the Secretariat have done in the Committee on Trade and Development prior to this Pledging Conference, we can say with a high degree of confidence that we know the level of resources to match needs in the provision of technical cooperation this year.

Finally, because of the stable and predictable nature of this new off-budget budget, we expect to realize a substantial increase in secretariat activity through planning of the technical cooperation program and expenditure of the resources available through the trust fund.

I have said that the new fund will operate as an off-budget budget. I say this because of the following elements.

• Just as with the WTO's own annual budget, the DDAGTF is based on defined activities which are planned ahead of time; agreed between technical cooperation providers and recipients and carefully costed out.

• The overall envelope for spending in a give year is then fixed through a consensus among the Members. In future years, this envelope will be fixed in the autumn as a result of joint meetings of the Committee on Trade and Development and the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration. This year, the envelope was fixed by the General Council last December.

• As with a budget, we know in advance where the resources at our disposal will be allocated.

• Finally, targets built into the new global trust fund ensure that we have the money in advance of when we need to spend it. You will recall that 25 percent of annual funds must be in hand before the start of the year; 75 percent of funds must be in hand when we are just 25 percent through the year; and 100 percent of resources must be received by the time we are half-way through the year.

The stability of the new fund has been enhanced through a multi-year buffer account that provides the fund with a CHF 1 million cushion against the possibility that voluntary contributions might rune slightly behind expenditure needs.

Flexibility is realized through the fact that the annual planning of activities associated with the fund will be connected to the negotiating process. As priorities or needs shift through the Doha Round of multilateral negotiations, the expenditure of funds can be linked to the negotiations.

Finally, the advance knowledge of our spending parameters, gives us the predictability we need to plan and execute the best possible program of technical cooperation. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 83

We are committed to realizing resources which match our needs in technical cooperation. We will ensure this first through the annual CTD – CBFA planning and costing exercise.

Second the targets we have set for ourselves at the beginning of the year, at the three-month mark and at the mid-point, will ensure that we have the money in hand when we need it.

Third, future pledging conferences, like today's event, will take place in full knowledge of the agreed program of technical cooperation and its estimated cost.

With the agreed plan for technical cooperation that has been discussed in the CTD, and with the funds which we hope you will provide in the course of today's conference, we expect to realize a very substantial increase this year in the Secretariat's activities.

In past years, we have often not been able to use all of the funds available to us because we did not know that the money would be provided and could not adequately plan. Advance planning capabilities will eliminate this unfortunate mis-match of funding and activities. In addition, Members, on the basis of their experiences and with the assistance of the WTO's technical cooperation audit function, will evaluate the provision of technical cooperation and adjust future priorities accordingly.

With your assistance and with the new structure in place, we are in a position to meet the demands of the Doha Ministerial Declaration. We are in a position, for the very first time, where our technical cooperation funds can match our needs and planned activities.

But for this to be the case, and for the fund to operate as Members have agreed, the fund must stay "global" in nature, which means that donors must avoid ear-marking of their contributions.

Now to finish. As you know from the participation of your delegations in the CTD meetings. We estimate the cost of technical cooperation activities this year to amount to some CHF 22.2 million. When deductions are made for cost-sharing by other organizations and for a portion to be borne by the regular budget, the amount we are seeking from voluntary contributions to the new trust fund comes to CHF 15.8 MILLION.

Your contributions should be directed to the WTO accounts with UBS which are now appearing on the screen:

ACCOUNT NAME: WTO BANK NAME: UBS SA BANK ADDRESS: P.O. BOX 2600, CH-1211 GENEVA 21

Separate account numbers apply in the case of contributions made in

240-CO199320.1 (SWISS FRANCS)

240-CO199320.2 (US DOLLARS)

240-CO199320.0 (EUROS)

The Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund represents an important first step in a new direction to technical cooperation planning and execution in the WTO. I hope we can count on your generous contributions to this new funding mechanism.

Thank you for your attention. WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 84

WTO strategic response to the Doha Development agenda & Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building Mandates: PowerPoint presentation Mr. Chiedu Osakwe, Director, Technical Cooperation Division (on behalf of Mr. Paul-Henri Ravier, Deputy Director-General, WTO)

Thank you Chairman,

I'm not quite sure what Deputy Director-General, Paul-Henri Ravier was going to say, but I can imagine what he would have said so let me try.

I think that what he would have said under the first lines is simply to repeat all that has been said by previous speakers in the policy dialogue and also by the Director-General. I think that he would have said that we had an extensive work programme, work programme that includes studies in some cases and also that he would have refered to implementation and the negotiations in agriculture, in services, for non-agricultural market access, for TRIPs, for all the Singapore issues, for the negotiations in the areas of rules and dispute settlement and environment and also for the work programme in the area of e-commerce, small economies, trade and debt and finance, and trade and transfer of technology as well as for the least-developed countries and special and differential treatment. So essentially the point that he would be making, I'm sure, on behalf of the Secretariat, is that the Agenda is an unprecedented Agenda, nowhere near in scope anything we've had before previously, and I think you've heard this from all the speakers who've taken the floor before and also from the Director-General himself. And the specific challenge for the Technical Cooperation Division is that it is the point of intersection where all the areas of the work programme as well as the areas of negotiations intersect.

But if you read right into the Doha Ministerial Declaration, you will find that there are very specific commitments undertaken by Ministers on Technical Cooperation and Capacity building. The first you would see in paragraph 16, and that would be the paragraph where Technical Assistance commitments are undertaken for the negotiations in non-agricultural market access. And then of course, in paragraph 21, you also have the same commitments for the work programme in the area of Trade and Investment. Paragraph 24 is the area on Trade and Competition Policy, Paragraph 26 on Transparency in Government Procurement, 27 on Trade Facilitation, paragraphs 31 to 33, although it's specifically on 33 you have the commitments undertaken with regard to the negotiations and Trade and the Environment, and then in the core paragraph 38 you have the generic references to Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building boiled into that paragraph for mainstreaming, for implementation and also for the implementation of the new strategy which is one of the booklets which you have before you circulated as documentation for this meeting. In paragraph 39, you have the references to the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance programme for Africa as well as the Integrated Framework. On the Integrated Framework, I can say already that the Heads of Agency in consultation with the bilateral donors already moving ahead to implement the commitments therein. Director-General, Mike Moore, has already drawn your attention to the final communiqué by the Heads of Agency that they adopted on the 26th of February. Deputy Director-General, Andy Stoler has just spoken to the commitment undertaken by Ministers in paragraph 40, which hopefully, but before lunchtime today, that commitment will already have been met by the WTO, today, the 11th of March, and I think if that happens before mid-day based on your programming, already we will have been able to accomplish one of the commitments undertaken. There are also specific commitments with regard to least- developed countries' accessions, I do not doubt that Mr. Arif Hussain, the Director of the Accessions Division is already working to prepare a programme for the seminars that need to take place in this regard. I need no longer repeat the point of the commitments undertaken under paragraph 43 on the Integrated Framework WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 85

Essentially what you have in this slide, is a repetition of what you had in the previous one. This slide actually draws attention to what you have in paragraph 38 of the Ministerial Declaration and does draw attention to the objectives of WTO Technical Cooperation and what we would seek to achieve. Technical Cooperation would assist with implementation, assist beneficiary countries to adjust to the rules but not only obligations but to also exercise their rights and also help them to enable them draw on the benefits of the open rules base trading system.

One of the areas where we've had a cascade of requests in recent times is negotiating skills. Many of the beneficiary countries are increasing their demands with regard to negotiations, they do want assistance that would enable them to negotiate how to proceed with things almost as elementary as scheduling commitments, as making requests, responding to offers, being able to analyze textual offers contained and proposals and no less being able on their own to do quantitative analysis of some of the tariff trade and tariff information that's contained both in the IDB as well as the consolidated tariff schedules. And so, it you do look in the TA Plan, which is one of the slides on which I will be concluding, you would see that we would be investing a significant amount of resources with regard to the development of tools to assist trade negotiators. I have already spoken to the Singapore issues and other issues. The last two points you will find on that slide, is essentially to say that the focus, I believe as has been referred to by the Communities, Norway, Canada and several others must remain the least-developed countries and must also remain those Missions, those WTO Members, as well as observers, without any physical representation in Geneva as well as those that we currently refer to as small and vulnerable.

If you look in the New Strategy for WTO Technical Cooperation, we've received a lot of advice as to how we should proceed with the actual delivery. None of the points in the advice that we are receive are essentially contradictory, but the landscape is as follows: some of our Members are saying, why don't you focus on an agreement by agreement approach. Let me focus finally on the seven pillars that the Director-General referred to. I think it's probably easier to do that since some of the things we need to say have already been referred to. One is our little plan, the plan that was agreed to, I should be careful about the terminology "that was agreed to" by the Committee on Trade and Development last week, that we have now proceeded to implement on an accelerated basis. One key point that we need to make in emphasising this particular point, and several have said it, if beneficiary countries consider that all their technical cooperation and capacity building needs and requirements will be met through this plan it would be a mistake, we cannot do it even if the size of the secretariat is doubled 100 % and even if we had all the resources in the world it cannot be done. I think we need to emphasise that the focus of this plan is short term. In there, we have 514 activities that respond to the most urgent and short term needs of our Members, but we do need to reemphasize, as the Director-General has said, that the essence, the real value in trade-related technical assistance lies to the extent that beneficiary countries, through the process of domestic coordination ensure that the full scope of their needs are either part of their national economic development plans, or are part of their poverty reduction strategy papers.

The second part of the pillar and I'm rehashing what has been said already this morning, is the consensus amongst all our Members that we need to do better. The WTO Secretariat needs to do better in terms of Inter-Agency coherence, in terms of what Mr. Moore described as the Integrated Framework. What you will find in our Plan on Investment and Competition, is being negotiated with UNCTAD. we are working with the Economic Commission for Europe and with UNIDO, hopefully on Trade Facilitation, ITC of the dual parentage of UNCTAD and the WTO, is involved in work of indispensable value on trade promotion strategies. I can not name it all but we are progressing very gradually and we will be able to report at subsequent meetings of the Committee on Trade and Development of all the Inter-Agency strategic partnerships that we're working out.

Thirdly, I need say no more on the Integrated Framework, I think that has already been discussed fully nor should I add more to the contributions the Secretary-General of OECD, Donald WT/COMTD/37/Rev.1 Page 86

Johnston has already made today about the partnership that we're working out with the bilateral donors but within the institutional framework of the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD. In about three weeks, Mr. Moore will be convening a meeting of Regional Development Banks, at which the World Bank has requested presence. The Focus will be; he will be making a point that we've not previously made here, that grant funding, which essentially is what we're going to try to do through the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund, will never be sufficient to meet the full needs on trade-related Technical assistance, and that the need also would be clear and evident to everyone for some sort of soft flow and then concessional financing, and this is where he intends very urgently to involve the Regional Development Banks based on the model of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and a subsidiary of the Inter-American Development Bank, namely the Multilateral Investment Fund also of the IADB.

Two final points, the Trade-related Technical Assistance Database, we've had an initial meeting, hopefully the final meeting to close on the detailed survey, methods, definitions and etc. will be concluded tomorrow, and also we're hoping that tomorrow we will be able to agree to the Trade- Related Technical Assistance categories into which all providers, agencies as well as country providers will report, because one of the problems that has plagued any previous attempt at Trade- Related Technical Assistance is that Agencies as well as countries, frankly have not reached a clear understanding of what they're talking about and so tomorrow, we hope we will be able to agree to categories into which Agencies as well as countries would report.

Finally, Deputy Director-General Stoler has already spoken to the Audit and oversight mechanism to be sure that we not only deliver but we deliver to the highest quality. I think I should stop there, on behalf of Mr. Ravier, I don't think he would disagree with anything I say. Thank you.

______