WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/276
28 July 1999
(99-3173)
General Council Original:  English
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 1999 MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Proposal on Technical Assistance/Capacity Building
Communication from the United States
The following communication, dated 27 July 1999, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of the United States.
_______________
Proposal
1. Ministers decide to establish a new direction and priority to the technical assistance and
support for capacity building provided to WTO Members to facilitate their integration into the trading
system.  They request the Director-General, in cooperation with the Chairpersons of the Committee
on Trade and Development and the General Council, to launch a new action agenda to strengthen and
enhance the WTO’s ability to work with other international institutions in delivering such assistance
to Members, particularly the least developed.  The new action agenda shall promote greater coherence
among institutions and emphasize efficiencies among donor countries in the conduct of their
programmes; ensure that the programmes are “demand driven” and responsive to the needs andinterests of recipients; and adapt the general concepts embodied in the Integrated Framework to a
broader range of WTO Members.
Action agenda
2. Not later than July 2000,  Members shall complete an evaluation of current technical
assistance delivery mechanisms and develop proposals for General Council consideration to adapt and
extend the existing Integrated Framework to:
- improve cooperation among international intergovernmental or ganizations (IGOs) in
the identification and delivery of technical assistance and to expand the number of
participating IGOs in the expanded Integrated Framework;
- incorporate bilateral donors and technical assistance providers into the expanded
Integrated Framework, and explore ways to improve coherence in the interaction
among bilateral donors, IGOs, and the NGO community, particularly development
and environmental organizations, trade associations and private philanthropicorganizations;
- evaluate current funding mechanisms and expenditures on technical assistance, to
ensure effective use of resources, including in the WTO Secretariat’s ability to
coordinate the broader Integrated Framework;WT/GC/W/276
Page 2
- ensure that capacity-building assistance to address so-called “supply-side” and/or
regulatory and other infrastructure needs are appropriately brought to the attention of
relevant institutions for further action;  and
- explore the viability of a development partner programme for the least developed to
facilitate cooperation between donors and recipients as noted above to ensure
continued progress in the pursuit of the new directions agreed by Ministers.
Rationale
3. During the General Council debate many Members have commented on the need for a new
approach to technical cooperation and capacity build ing and their interest in participating in the
design and evaluation of programmes.  The experience of the first five years of the WTO leads us to
the conclusion that broadening, enhancing and more effectively coordinating technical assistance is
desirable and that Ministers meeting in Seattle need to give specific directions to the WTO, under the
leadership of the Director-General, to make impor tant and immediate improvements in this area,
building on the experience of the Integrated Framework.
4. In 1997, as part of the High-Level Meeting on Integrated Initiatives for the Least-Developed
Countries’ Trade Development, the Integrated Fr amework was developed to foster an integrated
approach to trade-related technical assistance activities for the least-developed Members, aimed at
improving their overall capacity to respond to the challenges and opportunities offered by the trading
system.  The process began with the identification of needs by each country, followed by a jointresponse to those needs by participating IGOs.  Ultimately, each least-developed country received an
integrated technical assistance plan from the IGOs.
5. The Integrated Framework was a sound approach, but, in practice, had some shortcomings in
terms of implementation, particularly with respec t to lack of follow-up and poorer-than-expected
coordination among IGOs.  Nevertheless, with appropriate attention to the problems identified, theconcept can be applied effectively to additional WTO Members and can become  the basis for
meaningful technical assistance/capacity building.  The WTO can facilitate this effort by playing a
more active coordinating role.
6. There are many actors in the technical assistance/capacity building field – from IGOs to WTO
Member donor countries to WTO Member recipient countries, although not all are yet granted
observer status in the WTO.  Numerous IGO’s are involved, including the World Bank, the IMF,
UNCTAD, UNEP, UNDP, the International Trade Centre, and the ILO.  Assistance also is provided atthe bilateral level and via the extensive network of NGOs and other organizations.  At the same time,
recipient countries have called for a better means of working within the framework of assistance to
select and make the best use of programmes that will meet their particular needs.  There has been
considerable emphasis on the importance of ensuring a demand-driven component to programmes and
that they include identification of priority projects based on recipient country needs assessments andtheir relationship to trade-related capacity building.  In the context of World Bank country
programmes, reflecting government priorities, the World Bank can incorporate trade-related projects
that facilitate WTO capacity building.
7. A new approach should be adopted by Ministers at Seattle with the aim of revitalizing the
success of the initial work done under the Integrated Framework and strengthening existing forms ofcooperation.  Many governments found that the needs assessments were an invaluable tool for
considering the viability and efficiency of new programmes.  The WTO need not compete with other
international institutions or development institutions, but it must strengthen its ability to assist
Members in maximizing the opportunities for assistance and ensuring that they enhance prospects for
fuller integration of Members into the trading system.  WTO Members have a special responsibility inWT/GC/W/276
Page 3
this regard with respect to the least-developed Member s of the WTO.  In an effort to assist the least
developed, through the administrative and coordination process, WTO Members should consider
establishing a programme of development partners that might take the responsibility in ensuring that
there is appropriate follow up in organizing roundtables and other coordinating activities, including
possible involvement of members of the NGO community in the effort, including development andenvironmental organizations, business organi zations and philanthropic organizations.
__________