Yesterday, Ambassador Kirk announced that the United States will contribute nearly $1 million for trade-related technical assistance (TRTA) to the World Trade Organization (WTO). This latest contribution will bring total U.S. trade assistance for the Doha Development Agenda to almost $9.4 billion since the launch of negotiations in November 2001. The WTO released the following statement welcoming the contribution. With this last donation, the US total contribution to the DDAGTF will reach a total of CHF12.6 million.
The US contribution will be used, among other things, to fund programmes to assist developing countries in enhancing their capacity to assess their interests and participate in the markets access related aspects of the DDA negotiations, including with respect to the services negotiations.
The money will also be used to further strengthen the capacity of developing countries to participate in the WTO's work on Trade Facilitation.
WTO Director-General, Pascal Lamy, said: "I welcome this donation which illustrates the United States commitment to help developing countries integrate better in the global economy and get better benefits from the multilateral trading system".
US ambassador to the WTO, Peter Allgeier, declared: "We are pleased to provide this contribution to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund at this critical stage in the Doha Development Agenda negotiations in order to help developing country Members participate fully in the negotiations and other activities set out in the Doha Ministerial Declaration, to meet their existing WTO commitments and, more generally, to participate more fully in the international trading system."
