PRESS RELEASE
PRESS/346
14 July 2003
(03-3823)
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Joint Communiqué by the Six Core Agencies of the Integrated
Framework—IMF, ITC, UNCTAD , UNDP, WORLD BANK, AND WTO
The Heads and Representatives of the six core agencies of the Integrated Framework—
Ms. Anne O. Krueger, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF,
Mr. J. Denis Bélisle, Executive Director of ITC,
Mr. Rubens Ricupero, Secretary-General of UNCTAD,
Mr. Zéphirin Diabré, Associate Administrator of the UNDP,
Mr. James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, and
 Deputy Director-General of the WTO, Dr. Kipkorir Aly Azad Rana—
met at the International Monetary Fund Headquarters in Washington D.C.
on July 10, 2003 and issued the communiqué which follows:
We reaffirm our commitment to assist in the effective integration of least developed countries
(LDCs) into the multilateral trading system and the global economy. We believe that trade is animportant means to achieve economic growth  and poverty reduction. Focused and well-
coordinated trade-related capacity-building and technical assistance are central to realizing the
development benefits of trade. This requires a major effort to assist LDCs to build their capacity toformulate policy, to negotiate, and to tackle su pply-side challenges in responding to new market
access opportunities.
In this context, substantial progress has been made in the initial phase of the Integrated
Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries (the IF).
Collaboration among our agencies, donors, and IF countries has strengthened. This hasestablished a sound basis for raising the volume, relevance, and efficiency of trade related
capacity-building for our LDC partners. The princi ples of the IF—strong country ownership and a
commitment to integrate trade into national development plans, such as Poverty ReductionStrategies—are central to enhancing the role of trade in development and leveraging increased
development assistance for trade.
The efforts and commitment of LDC participants in  the IF must be matched by a pro-development
outcome in multilateral trade negotiations. The Doha Declaration placed development and the
needs and interests of developing countries at the heart of the negotiating agenda. It is expectedthat WTO Members will deliver on these commitments. The forthcoming 5th Ministerial Conference
in Cancún will be an important benchmark of progress. In particular, increased efforts are needed
to resolve issues of major concern to developing countries, including LDCs. Diagnostic studiesunder the IF have demonstrated the great potential that exists in many LDCs, if faced with a morePRESS/346
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supportive trade environment, for strengthening and diversifying agricultural and manufactured
exports.
PROGRESS ON THE IF
The IF is moving from a diagnostic stage to the implementation of action plans. Diagnostic trade
integration studies (DTIS) have been completed or are near completion for the thirteen LDC
countries that entered the initial phase of the IF. The diagnostic studies have provided a soundpolicy basis for the delivery of technical assistance and capacity-building on trade, and have
contributed to greater coordination among trade, finance and other ministries. What started as an
inter-agency process is now embedded in a clear set of trade priorities and activities at the countrylevel. The LDC governments have taken an active role in managing this process. There are
encouraging signs of progress in implementing projects based on diag nostic action plans.
Since the last Heads of Agency Meeting, donor and agencies’ financial contributions to the
Integrated Framework have continued to grow. We welcome the adoption of the Terms of
Reference for a bridging mechanism to finance concrete, modest, and priority technical assistance
projects under Window II of the IF Trust Fund. Eventually, trade-related assistance needs must be
integrated into donor and multilateral development agency programs at the country level  in order
to ensure their sustainable funding.
On this basis we strongly reaffirm our commitment to the IF as a viable model for LDCs' trade
development, as endorsed by WTO Ministers in Paragraph 43 of the Doha Declaration. We
underscore that building capacity and institutions is a development process that takes time.
MOVING FORWARD
To build on this progress, the challenge now is to implement what we have started. To maintain
momentum we commit to the following:
• We will step up our efforts to help countries integrate their diagnostic studies into national
development plans such as po verty reduction strategies. Th is requires embedding trade
into existing national consultative processes with the development community, the private
sector and civil society.
• We will further integrate the IF activities into the work of our respective agencies.
• We will continue to improve the IF process, on which we await the outcome of the IF
evaluation. We will seek ways to make the IF process more flexible in the diagnostic phaseand accelerate the implementation of DTIS action plans.
• We support the extension of the IF to further LDCs, following completion of the evaluation
of the IF now underway. In the meantime, we will provide assistance to help LDCs prepare
the ground for their participation in the IF through pre-DTIS activities.
• We will continue our efforts to increase synergies and complementarity between the
Integrated Framework, the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Program for Africa(JITAP) and other trade-related technical assistance programs, both at the country leveland between institutions.
More broadly, and in the context of the Doha Development Agenda, we stand ready to help
developing countries and LDCs engage in the multilateral trading system. Removing supply-side
constraints to trade is important in generating a response to market access opportunities. We will
step up assistance on trade-related infrastructure, private sector development and institution-PRESS/346
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building to help countries to expand their export base. Within our respective competencies, we will
assist LDCs in meeting social, fiscal, balance of payments, and other adjustment needs that might
arise from trade liberalization.
We express our appreciation to the Internatio nal Monetary Fund for hosting the meeting and
providing hospitality.
END