The FINANCIAL — The government of Sweden has donated in 2016 CHF 1,300,000 (SEK 11,575,000) to help developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) participate effectively in multilateral trade negotiations and over CHF 100,000 (SEK 900,000) for evaluating the WTO trust funds.
A contribution of CHF 1,300,000 to the WTO’s Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF) will finance training workshops for government officials in Geneva and elsewhere to help them develop the skills needed to negotiate multilateral accords.
Another donation of EUR 100,000 to the External Evaluation of WTO Trust Funds will finance an external audit to assess the efficiency and management of WTO trade-related capacity-building and training programmes, according to WTO.
WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said: “I want to thank Sweden for its commitment to supporting developing and least-developed countries to improve their trade capacity. This is essential to ensure that these countries can take advantage of the opportunities that trade offers. Sweden’s generous donations are very welcome.”
Sweden’s WTO Ambassador, Daniel Blockert, said: “Sweden has always been at the forefront of supporting developing countries and LDCs in their efforts to integrate into and benefit from the global trading system. Through this new contribution, we aim to assist these countries in fostering economic growth, promoting sustainable development and reducing poverty.”
Overall, Sweden has donated nearly CHF 45 million to WTO trust funds in 15 years.
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