WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/COMTD/W/48
20 October 1998
(98-4042)
Committee on Trade and Development
WTO PROGRAMME FOR TECHNICAL COOPERATION
Three-Year Plan (1999-2001)
Note by the Secretariat
Introduction
1. The guidelines for WTO technical cooperation, adopted by the Committee on Trade and
Development on 15 October 1996, require that the three- year plan for technical cooperation be presented
to the Committee on Trade and Development.  The attached plan covers the period 1999-2001.
2. The work of the WTO Secretariat providin g technical assistance and cooperation from
headquarters, in response to requests for assistance in the resolution of specific issues and problems of
the Members concerned, continued in 1998. This wo rk includes providing technical assistance and
cooperation through (i) contacts with delegations and capital-based representatives in Geneva (also in
seminar/workshop format), and (ii) direct contacts with capital-based officials via telecommunications.
Such activities are not covered in the attached plan, the focus of which is on the Secretariat's activities as
they involve work in the field and events where fundi ng is to be provided for experts from capitals to
travel to Geneva.
3. The Trade Policy Courses are also an important component of WTO technical cooperation
activities at headquarters. Annex 2 to this note presents the activities carried out in this context as well
as future plans for the next Three-Year Period (1999-2001).
Background
4. A full report on WTO technical cooperation activities during 1998 will be provided to the
Committee on Trade and Development early in 1999. A preliminary review shows that, by the end of
the year, the Secretariat will have organized and/or participated in over 280 different activities, whilst,
according to the reports submitted to the Committee,  a total of 79 activities had been undertaken in
1995, the first year of the WTO, 124 activities in 1996, and 227 activities were carried out in 1997. This
evolution shows an increase of approximately 56 per cent in activities in 1996 over 1995, an 83 per cent
increase in 1997 over 1996, and roughly a 24 per cent increase in 1998 over 1997. In 1998 many of
these activities were done on a regional basis, thus reaching a larger number of participants, and had a
considerably longer duration than the usual two- three days to one-week seminar/workshop.  Funding
considerations aside, the increasing trend in requests for technical cooperation can be expected to
continue during the next three years.
5. Furthermore, during 1998 the trend towards an increasing number of activities at the regional
level mentioned in the previous three-year plan (doc. WT/COMTD/W/32/Rev.1)  was confirmed. It was
based on the substantive financial resources provid ed through generous vol untary contributions fromWT/COMTD/W/48
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certain Members, and on close collaboration with othe r international organizations, including  the World
Bank, ITC and UNCTAD and regional development bank s. The experience over the last four years,
especially in 1997 and in 1998, points to the growing e fficiency and cost-effectiveness, especially for
the WTO, of this mode of delivery, in particular in relation to the development and training of human
resources, and in relation to dissemination of informa tion and clarification of issues, both traditional and
new.
6. The situation described in the previous paragraphs only confirms the increasing dynamism in
WTO technical cooperation activities. One way or another, various parts of the Secretariat are
involved, on a daily basis, in providing advice and technical assistance to Members. Up to now, the
increasing workload, both on substance and on administration, logistics and coordination, has been
absorbed by the Secretariat, with the same basic manning table of the past three years and with barely
minimum internal adjustments. However, it may be expected that human resources which during thisperiod have been dedicated to technical cooperation activities, might in the future with the initiation
of the process leading up to the Third Ministerial Meeting and later with the commencement of
mandated negotiations, as also due to an increase in recourse to dispute settlement procedures, be
diverted to other work.  In this situation, it may not be possible to sustain the increasing trend in
technical cooperation activities.
7. In the face of constantly increasing workloads, a number of improvements and adjustments
can be introduced into current operations that would, with the present human resource base, improve
the productivity rate. These are ideas that, subject to the availability of adequate financial resources,
would enhance the productivity of the present human resource base through more intensive utilisationof  new technologies.  Among those, the following are under active consideration: - preparing a WTO
Course on videocassette;  - developing  "primers" of good practices (e.g. draft legislations on customs
valuation, on TRIPS, etc., publication of "how-to"  booklets on different agreements, such as TBT,
SPS, etc.);  - use more video-conferencing for meetings and seminars; - develop more in-depth
computer-based training (CBT) packages.
Future Orientations
8. Whereas improvements and adjustments are constantly applied to technical cooperation
operations, it is obvious that new approaches and new modalities for execution need to be explored.These may range from outright "outsourcing", that is, subcontracting technical cooperation activities
to outside services, to more gradual possibilities that ensure full identification of technical cooperation
activities with the WTO Secretariat and full "quality control" of the prospective product. In any case,
what is needed is an approach that would guarantee a fuller, deeper and wider reach for the WTO
philosophy, and an increased and improved WTO response to ever growing demands  for technical
cooperation.
9. An enhanced WTO response capacity could be achieved through enlisting the collaboration of
external  institutions of renown prestige and credibility (including so-called "Academic Centres of
Excellence", both public and private) through what may be called the "WTO Outreach Programme"
(in practical terms, a limited decentralization of technical assistance). Its operation would be relatively
simple, although its  introduction would have to be carefully prepared and executed through stages
over the next three years or so.
10. The work already undertaken with regional institutions such as the regional development
banks can serve as a basis to identify relevant external institutions. Regional Secretariats and UN
regional economic commissions could also be considered for participation in such a programme. Theunderlying idea is to enhance the collaboration that already exists with many of these institutions,
taking it to new levels in terms of training trainers and developing pilot workshops/courses which
could become institutionalized, that is, undertaken on a recurrent yearly basis. At the initial stages,WT/COMTD/W/48
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full participation of WTO experts would be needed, but this participation could slowly be reduced, to
a point where the regional institutions themselves become fully responsible for the organization and
delivery of certain workshops/seminars, with the WTO Secretariat maintaining a degree of
participation and surveillance to guarantee the quality  of the product, both in terms of the event itself
and in terms of the documentation.
11. Over the next three years or so, working step by step, the WTO may succeed in having a
substantial number of regional activities undertaken by the regional institutions themselves, under the
WTO "brand name".  This would allow the WTO, on the one hand, to achieve a substantive
"multiplier" effect for its activities, and on the ot her, to reserve the scarce resources of the WTO
Secretariat (in terms of human expertise) to be used on a more rational basis and more intensively on
specialized and more in-depth activities at the national level.
Financial Considerations
12. A preliminary attempt  to estimate financial requirements for 1999 shows that a considerable
shortfall may be anticipated, since presently the remaining balance in the Trust Funds at the beginning
of next year is estimated at Swiss francs 1.8 million (Netherlands, about 200 thousand; Switzerland,about 650 thousand; and Hong Kong, China, 950 thousand). The Norwegian fund will have been
exhausted, and the Italian, Japanese and New Zealand funds will, or will have been used for the
specific purposes indicated there-in.  The HLM Trust Fund will also have been exhausted – used for
follow-up to the HLM. Since the Technical Cooperat ion Missions budget line will remain constant at
741 thousand Swiss francs, total financial resources available for 1999, as of now, would stand ataround  2.5 million Swiss francs. It may be recalled that activities carried out and planned for 1998,
involve a financial outlay of a little over 5 million Swiss francs. In the absence of additional Trust
Funds, current conditions would force the WTO to scale down technical cooperation activities by
about 3 million Swiss francs or by some 20 regional seminars or 150 national missions based on the
average cost for 1998.
Structure
13. In the process of preparing the present docum ent, a communication was sent to Delegations of
developing-country Members in Geneva inviting th em to present requests for technical cooperation
activities for 1999 by 15 September 1998. This target date was set in terms of the lead-time required in
the Secretariat for the production and circulation of the present document; it does not imply that requests
presented afterwards will not receive adequate attention and response. Replies to this communication
have been received from numerous delegations, some of them in very precise terms for 1999, some
containing only indications of areas of interest and preferred m odes of delivery (e.g., technical missions,
general seminars, technical workshops, etc.).  In some other cases, requests pending from the previous
plan have also been taken into account.
14. A number of the requests presented in precise terms, and a number of concrete activities,
already foreseen for 1999, are listed in Annex 1.  As  in the past, a number of other requests require
consultations with the delegation concerned in order to  define, in more specific terms, the activities to be
undertaken. The Secretariat will make all necessary e fforts, within its existing resources, to cover as
many as possible of technical cooperation needs.  WTO commitments to provide technical assistance in
reply to the Needs Assessment submitted by least-deve loped countries in the context of the Integrated
Framework for Least-Developed Countries (follow-up to the High-Level Meeting on LDCs) have also
been incorporated in Annex 1.
15. In light of the above, the structure of the present document follows closely the structure of
document WT/COMTD/W/32/Rev.1. After the present introductory section, the Plan describes the
broad lines of action for the Secretariat's technical cooperation activities on different WTO subjects forWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 4
the years 1999 and 2000. For the year 2001, a general st atement of an indicative nature is included,
outlining likely priorities for the future.  Annex 1 contains a list of foreseen/planned activities for 1999,
and Annex 2 covers the WTO Trade Policy Courses held in Geneva.
16. Annex 1 is split into four categories:
- 1 (A): events wholly organized  and financed  by the WTO, either through the regular budget
for technical cooperation missions, or from trust funds established with voluntary
contributions and administered by the WTO;
- 1 (B): events organized jointly by the WTO with  other institutions, and events organized and
financed by other institutions, where the WTO is to participate in a major or substantive
role;
- 1 (C) : events where the WTO has been invited to participate, along with a number of other
institutions; and
- 1 (D) activities undertaken  within the Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical
Assistance for the least-developed countries (follow-up to the High Level Meeting on
LDCs).
Final Remarks
17. As in the past, many actors are involved in each of the 1999 events. The WTO Secretariat as a
whole; the host country; funding resources; and the beneficiary countries themselves. The interaction
required among these actors is an important factor in the determination of exact dates, coverage,
participation and documentation for the particular events.
18. The global objective of the Secretariat's technical cooperation activities, as summarized in
document WT/COMTD/W/32/Rev.1, continues to be valid, and is reproduced below:
" First, to enhance the implementation of the priority placed by Members on the
integration of the least-developed countries into the multilateral trading system, as ameans to assist them in their development effort s, in particular in the light of the results
of the High Level Meeting on an integrated response for trade-related technical
cooperation for them;
- Second, to continue implementing assistance for the better understanding of rights and
obligations of developing countries under the WTO Agreements, and for their
improved implementation, and to facilitate participation in work on new issues;
- Third, to continue improving the c oordination and manage ment of technical
cooperation activities of the Secretariat as a whole;
- Fourth,  to make increasing use of more e fficient and cost-effective modes of delivery,
such as regional activities; and
- Fifth, to multiply the utilisation of info rmation technology-based technical cooperation
and training tools."
18. The specific aims in relation to a certain number of areas and subjects are set out below for
1999 and 2000. For the year 2001, a general statement outlining likely prioriti es for the future is
included.  Annex 1 contains a list of foreseen/planned activities for 1999, and Annex 2 covers the WTO
Trade Policy Courses held in Geneva.WT/COMTD/W/48
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1999
1. Agriculture and SPS Agreements
1.1 Agreement on Agriculture
In 1999, the focus of the Secretariat's technical assistance activities related to the Agreement
on Agriculture will remain on assisting Members in implementing their specif ic commitments in the
areas of market access, domestic support and export competition, and on being available for technical,
legal and policy advice in the context of any changes in trade-related agricultural policies on the part
of individual Members.  In addition, the Secretariat will also provide assistance, on request of
Members, in preparing for the agricultural negotiations to be launched at the end of 1999.  Much of
this assistance will be provided at or from headquarters.
It is envisaged to provide targeted assistance by way of missions to the capitals of 5 to 6
Members on a demand-driven basis.  Preference will be given to requests from African and Asian
countries.  In addition, the Secretariat intends to conduct, or participate in, two regional seminars on
the rules, commitments and negotiations in agriculture (one in Africa and one in Latin America).  At
least one of these regional seminars will be conducted in cooperation with other international
organizations, in particular the World Bank and/or  FAO.  WTO sponsorship of the participation of
some Members in these seminars will be required.
Missions already provisionally scheduled are indicated in the Annex 1.1.2 SPS Agreement
Technical cooperation under the SPS Agreement has typically taken the form of national or
regional seminars organized in response to developing-country Members' requests, or at the initiative
of the Secretariat.  In order to decide in which countries/regions such seminars should be organized,
the Secretariat takes especially into account the implementation difficulties of these Members asreported by their representatives at the SPS Committee meetings, at other international fora meetings,
and in consultation with the Secretariat.
Like the recent workshop in the Philippines (30 June-3 July 1998), SPS seminars will likely
include in the future one or two special sessions/workshops on practical implementation of theAgreement (risk assessment;  equivalence;  methods  of production (HACCP);  enquiry points, etc.).
Following the Secretariat's emphasis in the early days of the WTO to improve awareness and
understanding of Members' rights and obligations under the SPS Agreement, adding this feature to
our programme is an important and practical step to assist implementation.  However, as the
Secretariat will have to draw on external  experts in the relevant areas, this will have financial
implications for the WTO.
Missions already provisionally scheduled are indicated in the Annex 1.WT/COMTD/W/48
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2. Market Access Issues
2.1 Tariff Schedules
In 1999 the Secretariat will have to pursue providing assistance to a number of developing
countries in connection with the transposition of their pre-Uruguay Round Schedules into theHarmonized System, including the changes that have taken place in 1996 (HS96).  While the main
attention may focus on certain French-speaking Afri can least-developed countries (see the section on
the least-developed countries), requests for assistance in this respect may also come from a few Asian
(and Central American) countries.  In addition, assistance will need to be provided to some
developing countries with a view to establishing consolidated loose-leaf schedules of tariff
concessions.
2.2 Agreement on Customs Valuation
In document WT/COMTD/W/25, it was stated that a total of 54 developing countries have
made use of Article 20 of the Agreement enabling them to invoke a 5 year delay for the application of
the provisions of the Agreement, and that for 28 of those countries the transition period ends at theend of 1999.  For another 20, the transition period ends at the end of the year 2000.  The Secretariat's
activities in this area will thus have to be oriented towards assisting those countries to be adequately
prepared for the fulfilment of their obligations by that deadline.  The WTO Secretariat has organized a
technical assistance programme which makes use of expert consultants (one Spanish, French and
English-speaking) to go to each of the countries which have invoked the delay or who requestassistance, to assist them with all aspects of their transitional process.  The Market Access Division
has conducted around 10 such missions in the last 2 quarters of 1998.  The Division estimates
between 15-20 of these missions will be held in 1999 and another 15-20 through the year 2000.
Under the arrangements with APEC, around 9 Asian countries have been receiving intensive
technical training on valuation with the cooperati on of the World Customs Organization (WCO) in the
period 1997/1998.  Member governments have also been giving extensive assistance through the
APEC Secretariat.
Coordination with the WCO valuation team is an on-going process because it is clear to all
that cooperation with the WCO will contribute to the effectiveness of technical assistance activities.
2.3 Agreement on Rules of Origin
The Committee on Rules of Origin has been working on the harmonization work programme
(HWP) for non-preferential Rules of Origin.  Members have committed themselves to making their
best endeavours to complete the work programme by November 1999.  If the HWP is finalized by thattime it will become necessary to assist a large number of developing countries to implement the new
harmonized rules of origin.  In the meantime, it will be necessary to assist certain smaller developing
countries which specifically request so, in the understanding of technical negotiating issues.  For
instance, in the current year two such requests were received and missions were carried out in
response.
2.4 The Integrated Data Base for Personal Computers
On 16 July 1997, the General Council decided, inter-alia , that the Secretariat "...shall, upon
request, provide technical assistance to Members in relation to the submission of the data required for
the Integrated Data Base for Personal Computers." In pursuance thereof, the Secretariat has started in
1998 a technical assistance programme for the PC IDB. Its continuation will cover:WT/COMTD/W/48
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• the dissemination and training on the PC  software for submission preparation;
• conducting PC IDB workshops tailored to regional and/or national requirements;
• continued participation in WTO seminars to provide training; and
• pursuing the establishment of contacts in missions and national capitals.
During 1999 a number of developi ng countries which have not yet submitted their IDB data will
probably be requesting assistance on the preparation of their IDB submissions. General information on
IDB requirements would be presented, and contacts with national representatives for further follow-up
and collection of data would be established, fo r implementation, if possible, on a regional basis.
During 1998 the Statistics Division participated in regional seminars in conjunction with other
WTO divisions, principally with Market Access Divi sion and in seminars for LLDCs countries. Given
that the results of this collaboration were successful the intention is to pursue it.
Workshops exclusively on IDB matters w ould be undertaken in  1999 and 2000. These
activities would target the officers responsible for the collection of customs tariff data and import
statistics. The first one, will probably be addre ssed to ASEAN countries at the beginning of 1999 .
3. Agreement on Textiles and Clothing
The progress achieved, in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement on Textiles and
Clothing, in the integration process of internati onal trade in these products to the multilateral rules
means that this sector will be of increasing inte rest to developing countries, including the least-
developed among them. Since technical cooperation is  a demand-driven process, the Secretariat is not
yet in a position to provide proposals for specifi c technical cooperation missions.  However, the
Secretariat stands ready in this area to organize, upon request, three regional or sub-regional seminars
and three national seminars each in 1999 and 2000, co vering the three broad regions of developing
countries in the world.
Technical assistance and cooperation at the nati onal level, both for Geneva-based delegations
and for capital-based government o fficials,  may also be undertaken.
4. Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade
At the 1998 Special Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchange, a number of
developing country Members indicated that they were experiencing problems with respect to raising
national awareness among government agencies and industries of the TBT Agreement, and requested
technical assistance in the form of workshops and seminars.  In responding to that, the sub-regional
seminars organized for the participation of of ficers who are involved in implementing the TBT
Agreement, standards information and trade promotion, as described for 1998, would be continued.Taking into account the result of the 1997 First Triennial Review of the TBT Agreement, the regional
seminars would be coordinated with other international organizations and special attention would be
given also to the development of human and institutional resources, in particular, with respect to
conformity assessment procedures.
5. Rules Agreements
5.1 Regional activities: A number of activities developed with regional financial
institutions, such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Inter-American Development Bank
(IADB) during 1996, 1997 and 1998 have produced positive results and demonstrated the usefulness ofinter-agency cooperation. This collaboration is to be continued in 1999.WT/COMTD/W/48
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The project with the IADB includes three activities for 1999. Previous activities with Latin
American and Caribbean countries have covered alr eady a large amount of general issues. Moreover, as
is the case in various Uruguay Round agreements, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing
Measures foresees transitional periods for developi ng countries for the dismantling of their subsidy
programs and the aligning of their subsidy regime s with the disciplines of the agreement. Thus, an
important component of assistan ce from 1999 onwards will be on subsidy disciplines. Activities will
also concentrate on calculations of anti-dumping and subsidy margins, and the concept of injury.
5.2 Country Specific Workshops: This progra mme provides the opportunity of a more
specialized assistance to Members. The issues to be dealt with in each workshop are coordinated with
the government agencies receiving the assistance and are custom-tailored to their specific needs.
Requests pending from 1998 will be attended to in 1999 and in 2000. Six country specific workshops
are planned for 1999 and a similar number will take place in 2000. Details for 1999 can be found inAnnex 1.
5.3 Other Assistance: Assistance on the prepara tion and review of draft legislations and
regulations on contingent trade remedies is also available to Members.  This is done strictly upon
request by the Member desiring to adopt implementing legislation. Therefore, it is difficult to foresee the
number of these types of programmes to be conducted in the next two years.
5.4 Seminars on Rules: In order to increase and enhance the participation of developing
countries in the activities of the different committees of the rules agreements (Anti-Dumping, Subsidies
and Countervail, and Safeguards), and to improve thei r response to their various notification obligations,
the Secretariat will continue its assistance in the fo rm of regional seminars in the area of WTO rules.
5.5 Accession Related Missions: The Rules Divi sion envisions continuing its assistance to
acceding countries.  The purpose of this assistance is to clarify the rights and obligations in the rules area
that the acceding country acquires upon accession to the WTO.  It is difficult to estimate the number ofmissions in this area to be carried out since this is  done strictly at the request of the Working Party on
Accession of the particular coun try or the acceding country itself.
6. Agreement on Trade-Related Aspect s of Intellectual Property Rights
The focus of the Secretariat's technical cooperation activities specifically in relation to TRIPS
continues to be on assisting Members to understand the rights and obligations which flow from the
TRIPS Agreement.  It is aimed at helping Members to assess the amendments that may be needed to
their national legislation, the adaptations in institutions that may be called for and other requirements
for which they would need to plan, and to trai n staff, both for these purposes and for the actual
implementation of TRIPS consistent legislation in the fields of standards and enforcement.  The
purpose is also to assist Members to participate fully in the operation of the TRIPS Council, includingto meet their procedural obligations under the Agreement, and the other mechanisms of the WTO
related to TRIPS matters.  The technical cooperation made available is essentially demand-driven,
within the available resources.  Importance is at tached to ensuring complementarity and cooperation
with other intergovernmental organizations, in pa rticular WIPO.  The main modes of supply of
technical cooperation specifically relating to the TRIPS Agreement is  information and advice givento Members in Geneva, seminars and workshops for developing countries, technical missions to
individual Members, and, to a lesser extent, NGO conferences.
The Secretariat will follow up the Joint Initiative on Technical Cooperation to assist
developing countries to meet their commitments under the TRIPS Agreement by the year 2000,launched by WIPO and the WTO Secretariats in July 1998. The joint initiative is being taken under
the auspices of the Cooperation Agreement between the two Organizations.  The joint initiative is
intended to build on the existing cooperation between the two Organizations and their existingWT/COMTD/W/48
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programs in this connection.  Under the joint init iative, the two Organizations commit themselves to
use available resources to provide, on request, assistance to enable developing country Members of
the WTO to comply with obligations under the TR IPS Agreement within the applicable time limits.
The two Organizations will provide technical cooperation, both individually and jointly, using both
in-house resources and outside experts, and, wherever appropriate, in conjunction with donor
countries.  The joint initiative aims to facilitate enhanced utilisation of programmes both in respect ofmatters of substantive intellectual property rights and in respect of procedures and remedies for their
enforcement.
Assistance given to other countries - in particular least-developed countries, which do not
have to meet the year-2000 deadline - will not suffer as a result of the above-mentioned Joint
Initiative.  Priority continues to be attached to assistance to least-developed c ountries, and the results of
the High Level Meeting on the Least-Developed C ountries held at the WT O on 27 and 28 October 1997,
are reflected in the number of activities organized for them from 1996 to 1998, and the two seminars
planned for 1999.
7. General Agreement on Trade in Services
Technical cooperation activities in services are expected to hinge around four major issues:
(i) implementation of existing commitments;  (ii) ongoing negotiations under the GATS on rules,
procedures and disciplines;  (iii) facilitation of the accession process;  and (iv) preparation of the new
services round due to start in January 2000.  Given already high demand for technical assistance in the
past, and the possible increase associated with the new round, the Secretariat may be facing resourceconstraints.  It is thus important that requests for assistance be forwarded as early as possible and,
whenever feasible, be coordinated in the context of existing frameworks for regional trade and
economic cooperation.
While predominantly demand driven, technical assistance in the area of existing commitments
is expected to focus on the results of the extended negotiations on basic telecommunications as well
as on entry into force of the Fifth Protocol, financial services, in early 1999.  These activities are of
longer-term relevance in particular for those countries that have made pre-commitments to be phased
in over the coming years.  Some Members not participating in the initial negotiations have recently
shown interest in scheduling commitments in the areas concerned and may also request assistance.  Inaddition, technical cooperation is intended to enable developing countries to participate effectively in
the ongoing negotiations under Articles VI:4, X, XIII; XV and XXI of the GATS.
Assistance for accession countries generally aims to provide information on the principles and
structure of the agreement, its main provisions, and the obligations incurred in scheduling
commitments.  The Secretariat has carried out various missions to acceding countries in 1998 and,
given high continued interest by the administrations involved, is likely to receive additional requestsin 1999 and beyond.
With the starting date of the new round approaching, the Secretariat also stands ready, as
resources permit, to assist developing countries in preparing themselves for active participation.  This
implies identifying their own negotia ting interests as well as interpreting, and effectively responding
to, potential requests from trading partners.
As in the past, assistance will be granted in th e form of both individual country missions and
regional seminars for countries with a similar economic and institutional background.  While country
missions help to familiarise representatives from all interested ministries and agencies with relevantGATS provisions, regional seminars are a particularly cost- and resource-efficient way of informing
selected country participants of the main features of the Agreement.  To facilitate planning, it is
necessary that potential hosts of such seminars indicate their interest in advance.WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 10
8. Trade and Environment
In 1998 the Trade and Environment Division  held a total of seven regional seminars on trade
and environment for developing and least-developed countries, in Asia, South America, Africa, the
Middle East and Eastern and Central Europe.  Representatives from both the Ministries of Trade andof Environment were invited to attend.  The objective of the seminars was to inform developing
countries on ongoing discussions in this area in the WTO, and of relevant GATT/WTO rules.  In
1999, the Trade and Environment Division will continue to build on these seminars, through the
organization of additional seminars (possibly seven) for a more in-depth examination of trade and
environment issues.  Issues of particular concern to different regions, such as the market access
impact of eco-labelling schemes, or the environmental benefits of removing trade restrictions and
distortions, will be addressed.
9. Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme for Selected Least-Developed and Other
African Countries (JITAP)
A Joint Integrated Programme of Technical Assistance for Selected Least-Developed and Other
African Countries was launched in early 1996 by the WTO in collaboration with UNCTAD and the
International Trade Centre.  The specific objective of the programme is to assist least-developed and
other African countries in the expansion and diversif ication of their trade and improve their integration
into the multilateral trading system.
Areas where WTO is expected to make contribu tions for country projects in Benin, Burkina
Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and where activities will be continued from
1998 are:
-  providing lecturers for tr aining of trainers' courses;
-  contribute to the establishment of National Reference Centres on the multilateral
trading system (a Centre where documentation and information will be readily available
to the public, business and academic communities in the country concerned);
-  carry-out workshops to increase knowle dge and understanding of the Uruguay Round
Agreements;
-  legal drafting or redrafting of legisla tions to comply with WTO Agreements, and
assistance on notifications procedures and obligations;
-  assistance to Customs Administrations; and
-  studies on the impact of WTO Agr eements on individual LDCs economies.
- PCs and connection to Internet, DDF, etc..
An important development under this programme  is the fact that a Joint ITC/UNCTAD/WTO
Trust Fund has been established, with voluntary c ontributions from a number  of donor countries, thus
putting this programme on a sustainable financial basis for 1999.
10. Least-Developed Countries
In the context of the Integrated Framework fo r Trade-Related Technical Assistance for Least-
Developed Countries adopted at th e High-Level Meeting for Least-De veloped Countries held on 27 and
28 October 1997 in pursuance of the Singapore Minist erial Declaration, the WTO committed itself to a
number of technical assistance activities to be implemented over the 1998 and 1999 period. The
forthcoming report on technical cooperation to be presented to the CTD early in 1999 will contain
information on the activities undertaken in 1998. Some activities that may already be foreseen for 1999,such as national "round tables" on trade-related technical assistance and regional seminars and short
trade policy courses  have been included in Annex 1. Additional activities which may be agreed upon
shall be introduced at the appropriate time.WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 11
11. Accessions
At this point, it is quite clear that a great deal of work foreseen for 1998 will spill over into
the technical assistance activities in 1999.  It is expected that 1999 will be a particularly busy period
in the accessions area and the demands for technical cooperation will be even higher as most accedinggovernments try to become members of the WTO before the turn of the century.
The demands on accession negotiations in general, both for existing working parties and any
new ones that may be created, will become greater and more complex.  From the end of 1999 and
beyond, with the attention of WTO members focusing increasingly on the new negotiations in the
WTO, the accession negotiations will have to take into account the issues being discussed in the
context of multilateral negotiations.  Consequently, the technical assistance needs and requirements ofthe acceding governments can be expected to increase during this period, and the Secretariat will be
called upon to fulfil these to the maximum extent possible.
12. Dispute Settlement
12.1 Special Training Courses on Dispute Settlement Proce dures will continue to be
organized by the Secretariat at WTO Headquarters.  Three of these courses are foreseen for 1999. On
request, these courses may also be orga nized in the field, on a national basis.
In view of the high demand for registration in  these courses, the Secretariat envisages to
continue, subject to the availability of appropriate funding, the programme of regional and subregional
workshops initiated in 1998 for the training of govern ment officials of devel oping countries on dispute
settlement procedures and practices. A special com ponent on dispute settlement and the way it connects
together all of the WTO agreements is also to be included in the activities specifically directed at the
least-developed countries.
12.2 Specialized legal assistance will continue to be provided to developing and least-
developed countries, in pursuance of  the provisions of Article 27:2 of the Understanding on Rules and
Procedures for the Settlement of Disputes.
13. Other Issues
13.1 Investment, Competition Policy, and Government Procurement
Paragraph 22 of the Singapore Ministerial Decl aration states that the technical cooperation
programme of the Secretariat will be available to de veloping and in particular least-developed country
members to facilitate their participation in th e new groups on the relationship between trade and
investment, the interaction between trade and competition policy, and transparency in government
procurement.
In the area of government procurement, and the areas of investment and competition policy
(subject to the decisions that the General Council will take on how the work should proceed in these twoareas in 1999), it is the Secretariat's intention that  its technical cooperation programme will increasingly
cover these matters, the objective being to provide in formation that will facilitate the participation of
developing and least-developed c ountries in the work.  Given the limits on the Secretariat's own
resources, cooperation with other intergovernmental organizations, in particular UNCTAD, is a key
aspect and recourse is also made to the use of outside experts.  The focus is not only on government
officials from capitals, through symposia, but also on Geneva-based delegations, through events in the
Geneva area.WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 12
(a) Investment.  In 1999, WTO plans to jointly organize with UNCTAD two seminars on
investment for Geneva-based delegations and two regional seminars. The Secretariat
plans to participate also in seminars wholly organized by UNCTAD at the regional and
national levels, and in around six other regional or national seminars on investment
organized by other institutions.
(b) Competition Policy. Two seminars for Geneva-based delegates and two regional
seminars are planned to be jointly organized with other inter-governmental
organizations.  The Secretariat also plans to  participate in conferences, seminars and
other events on competition policy organized by other institutions.
( c) Government Procurement.  The Secretariat plans to participate in a number of events,
including regional seminars, conferences et c., on government procurement organized
by other institutions.
13.2 Notifications Procedures and Obligations
The Secretariat will continue to give attention and respond to requests for assistance on
notifications procedures and obligations. In 1999, one workshop will be organized in Geneva for
Geneva-based delegations. Moreover, a module on these issues continues to be used in seminars and
workshops on the WTO held at the national, sub-regional and regional levels.
Furthermore, the workshop organized in Geneva in December 1997 has been taped for a total of
over five and a half hours of video material, and co pies have been provided to Members. It is also
readily available as an additional tool to assist developing and least-developed countries in their
understanding of their notification obligati ons, and the procedures to be applied.
The Handbook on Notifications Procedures and Obligations, issued in 1996, will be updated in
1999 and disseminated as widely as possibl e among interested Member governments.
A CD-ROM version of the Handbook  is also under consideration.
14. Activities Carried Out Using Information Technology Tools
Information technology is increasingly being in corporated into technical cooperation activities,
in order to develop new and more efficient and cost-effective delivery instruments. The projects
described below cover the period 1999-2001
14.1 Information Technology for Development Project (ITD)
The ITD project is a joint initiative of various Divisions within the WTO, with participation
by the World Bank. Its aim is to apply a variety of information technologies for the development of
training and information tools that support and extend the reach of technical cooperation activities.
a) The Trade and Development Web-site
Development and strengthening of the WTO/World Bank Trade and Development Web-site
will continue during 1999. This will include setting up the WTO reference centres, providing internet
linkages and training on Web sites for a number of countries as a follow-up activity to the LDC High-
Level Meeting.WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 13
Specific enhancements to the joint site will includ e a special internet forum for participants in past
WTO training courses.  This forum will be accessible by password. It will enable participants in WTO
trade policy courses to:
• obtain advance information to prepare themselves for training courses,
• conduct question and answer sessions with training course specialists to update and review course
materials after they have returned to their ministries.
• participate in discussion forums designed specifically for trainees.
• provide feedback on training and other WTO technical cooperation  initiatives.
b) Distance-Learning
WTO Computer-Based training (CBT): WTO ex perts regularly provide courses on the WTO
agreements to participants in technical cooperation training activities. The objective of this initiative
is to "capture" the essence of these training courses in a series of multimedia modules which can beaccessed on CD-ROM and through the ITD web site. Each training module will focus on a specific
WTO agreement. It will enable users to work with th e course instruction in an interactive manner, and
will  include a testing component that enables students to measure their progress in learning the
subject-matter.
These multimedia training modules will be used as follows:
• As support tools for WTO training activities that complement classroom instruction by enabling
students to review subject-matter using a comput er-based training module with the ability to
measure their progress.  The testing capability integrated into each module can also be used on a
Local Area Network. This means that the WTO training group will be able to monitor the test
results of trainees to measure their progress.
• As stand-alone training tools that can be used  anywhere in the world by officials needing to
acquire a basic grasp of the various WTO agreements.
The ITD project, working with the training group, is  also developing the means to enable trade
officials in distant capitals to participate in training courses being given at the WTO using Internet
web-casting. The use of this technology permits users world-wide to follow training courses livethrough a PC. It also enables them to access an archive file of the training course that will be stored on
the ITD web site.
c) Video-Conferencing
Video-conference is a powerful tool that can be used for interaction between headquarters-based
WTO experts and capital-based government official s and other interested institutions/individuals.
For instance, through the Internet, the availab ility of the WTO training package in the WTO
web-site referred to above, provides the user in  the field with the opport unity of interacting with
Geneva-based experts either through electronic mail or , subject to the availability of adequate hardware
and software, on a one-to-one basis in real time.
Video-conferencing through dir ect high quality video links has been used for advisory missions
without leaving headquarters, and for complementin g from Geneva mission teams  which are already in
the field. This modality could, in the longer term, al so allow the organization of events at a regional
level, without the need for any of the participants to leave their home countries, or any of the experts to
travel from Geneva. A survey of existing and pl anned video-conferencing capacities around the worldWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 14
would have to be done, and a small meeting room at the Secretariat has b een prepared with the
appropriate equipment. This facility has already been used in 1998, and will continue to be used in 1999
and beyond.WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 15
2000
1. Agriculture and SPS Agreements
1.1 Agreement on Agriculture
In 2000, the Secretariat will continue to assist Members in implementing their specific
commitments under the Agreement on Agriculture and to provide advice in the context of any
changes in trade-related agricultural policies on the part of individual Members.  The Secretariat will
also respond to specific requests related to the negotia tions in agriculture.  As in previous years, the
approach will be demand-driven.  5 to 6 country missions are envisaged, with preference being given
to requests from Africa.  Two regional workshops, focusing on the multilateral rules affecting trade inagricultural products and the work of the Committee on Agriculture are also envisaged (one in Africa
and one in Asia), with participation of both Members and acceding countries.  Sponsorship of WTO
participation of some Members in these seminars will be required.
1.2 SPS Agreement
In 2000, the Secretariat intends to continue the second phase of technical SPS Agreement
related assistance, i.e. assistance focusing on specific national concerns and practical aspects of
implementation of the SPS Agreement (enquiry points and notification authorities;  risk assessment;
methods of production (HACCP), etc.).  It is envi saged to organize, or participate, in about six
national or regional seminars, two in Africa, tw o in Asia and two in the Central/South American
region.  It is intended to couple the regional workshops with a subsequent national workshop in therespective host country.  As on earlier occasions, participation of the private sector will be
encouraged.
2. Market Access Issues
2.1 Tariff Schedules
Assistance will continue to be necessary for a number of developing countries in the African,
Asia Pacific, Central and Latin American and Caribbean area in connection with the transposition of
their pre-Uruguay Round Schedules into the Harmonized System and, in particular, with theintroduction of the HS96 changes.  Most likely the need for such assistance will be in the same range
as for 1999.  Assistance will also consist in establishing consolidated loose-leaf schedules of tariff
concessions for a number of developing countries.
2.2 Agreement on Customs Valuation
For another 25 developing countries the delay period for the application of the provisions of
the Agreement will expire in the course of the year 2000 or early 2001.  Similar arrangements as in
1998 will have to be made on a regional and individual basis for those countries to assist them.
2.3 Agreement on Rules of Origin
If the Harmonized Work Programme is finalized by the end of 1999, most likely many
developing countries will request assistance for implementation during 2000 and the following years.WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 16
2.4 The Integrated Data Base for Personal Computers
The activities described for 1999 would be continued.
3. Agreement on Textiles and Clothing
The activities described for 1999 would be continued.
4. Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade
The activities described for 1999 would be continued.
5. Rules
The activities described for 1999 would be continued
6. Agreement on Trade-Related  Asp ects of Intellectual Property Rights
The Secretariat's intention is that its techni cal cooperation activities would broadly follow the
principles set out in paragraph 6 under the 1999 section above.  However, adjustments will be needed in
the light of the fact that by 1 January 2000 most de veloping countries should al ready have brought their
intellectual property regimes in line with their TRIPS obligations.  This will mean that for this group of
countries the emphasis will increasingly move to assis ting them to  participate fully in the operation of
the TRIPS Council, including meeting their procedural obligations under the Agreement, and theother mechanisms of the WTO related to TRIPS matte rs, and also helping them to ensure that their
legislation and procedures, including in the area of enforcement, are effectively implemented.  For
least-developed country Members, the focus will continue to be on assisting them to understand the
rights and obligations which flow from the TRIPS Agreement, aimed at helping them to assess the
amendments that may be needed to their national legi slation, the adaptations in institutions that may
be called for and other requirements for which they would need to plan, and training staff, both for
these purposes and for the actual implementation of TRIPS consistent legislation in the fields of
standards and enforcement.
7. General Agreement on Trade in Services
The Secretariat expects that the demand for technical assistance will continue to
increase as the new round of services negotiations takes off.  Countries may seek specialized
assistance on individual areas where liberalization is likely to occur and/or where they need to specify
their own positions.  Support activities in this cont ext may take various forms, focusing for example
on the legal framework within which the negotiati ons proceed, on the economic and institutional
conditions of the sectors affected and/or on past liberalization experience of comparable countries.  Atthe same time, with various accessions being completed, the new Members are likely to request
additional seminars for their staff.  Further requests are expected to result from participants in regional
economic integration agreements who are in the process of preparing themselves for negotiations
under the relevant GATS provisions.
In the event of resource constraints, the Secretariat may need to consult with Members on
their priorities.
8. Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme for Selected Least-Developed and Other
African Countries (JITAP)
The activities described for 1999 would be continued.WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 17
9. Trade and Environment
The Secretariat's technical cooperation activities in this area would continue, subject to the
decisions to be taken by WTO Members on the work that should be undertaken in the WTO.
10. Least-Developed Countries
The activities described under 1999 would be continued.
11. Accessions
The activities described under 1999 would be continued.
12. Dispute Settlement
The activities described under 1999 would be continued.
13. Other Issues
13.1 Investment, Competition Policy, and Government Procurement
The Secretariat's technical cooperation in these areas will depend on the decisions to be taken by
the WTO Members on the work that should be undertaken in the WTO.
13.2 Notifications Procedures and Obligations
The Secretariat will continue to give attention and respond to requests for assistance on
notifications procedures and obligations.
14. Activities Carried Out Using Information Technology Tools
The activities described under 1999 would be continued.WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 18
2001
Technical cooperation activities are continuously evolving. They have to adapt constantly, inter
alia,  to the needs of the recipient countries,  to th e situation of implementation of the WTO Agreements
and  to any further developments in the multilateral trading system.
Technical cooperation needs, both in the year 2000 and more so in 2001, will likely be
determined, among many other considerations, on three specific factors:  first, the expiration for somedeveloping countries of the transition periods for th e full implementation of some of the agreements;
second, the processes of reviews and possible negotiations  to be initiated in accordance with the "built-
in" agenda of the Final Act of the Uruguay Round including, inter alia , the progressive liberalization of
trade in services and the continuation of the process of reform in internationa l trade in agriculture; and
third on .the decisions to be taken by WTO Memb ers on future WTO work, particularly at the 1999
WTO Ministerial Conference in the United States.
These are some of the reflections that the Secret ariat will have to take into account in the future
drawing up of its programme for technical  cooperation activities in the year 2001.WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 19ANNEX 1 A
ACTIVITIES WHOLLY ORGANIZED BY WTO
Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
1. 20-Jan-99 23-Jan-99 Thailand
Regional seminar
SPSWTO to be
determinedEuropean
CommissionAgD
2. 25-Jan-99 28-Jan-99 United Arab Emirates
Technical mission
Agriculture, TRIPS, Services and other
WTO AgreementsWTO WTO/TC TCD
3. 02-Mar-99 05-Mar-99 China, P.R.
Regional seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
for Asian Developing EconomiesWTO Japan Fund/
Hong Kong,
China FundTCD
4. 07-Jun-99 10-Jun-99 Lebanon
Regional workshop
Dispute Settlement Procedures and
Practices for 19 Central and Eastern
European, Central and Western Asian
countriesWTO Netherlands
FundIDB TCD Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain*,
Bulgaria, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan,
Kuwait*, Lebanon, Moldova, Oman,
Qatar*, Romania, Russian Federation,
Saudi Arabia*, Turkey, Ukraine, United
Arab Emirates*
* on a self-financed basis
5. ( 01 / 99 ) Congo Brazzaville
National seminar
Trade PolicyWTO to be
determinedto be
determined
6. ( 01 / 99 ) Congo Brazzaville
Needs assessment (January)
Follow-up to Ministerial ConferenceWTO to be
determinedTCD
7. ( 02 / 99 ) Uzbekistan
National seminar
Customs Valuation, TBT, SPS, TRIPS
and other WTO mattersWTO WTO/TC TCD
8. ( 03 / 99 ) Asia
Regional seminar
SPS (first week of March 1999)WTO to be
determinedAgD
9. ( 03 / 99 ) Africa
National seminar
SPS (second half of March 1999)WTO to be
determinedUSDA AgD
10. ( 03 / 99 ) Africa
National seminar
SPS (second half of March 1999)WTO to be
determinedUSDA AgD
11. ( 03 / 99 ) Africa
National seminar
SPS (second half of March 1999)WTO to be
determinedUSDA AgDWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 20Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
12. ( 04 / 99 ) Venezuela
Regional workshop
Agriculture for the ANDEAN Group (end-
April 1999)WTO to be
determinedAgD Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru,
Venezuela
13. ( 04-05 / 99 ) Uruguay
Workshop on Issues on Electronic
CommerceWTO WTO/TC to be
determined
14. ( 04-05 / 99 ) Namibia
National workshop
Specialized workshop on Agriculture,
including SPSWTO to be
determinedto be
determined
15. ( 06-07 / 99 ) Venezuela
National workshop
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
- Preparation for the Third Ministerial
ConferenceWTO WTO/TC TCD
16. ( 06-07 / 99 ) Colombia
National seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
- Preparation for the Third Ministerial
ConferenceWTO WTO/TC TCD
17. ( 09 / 99 ) Africa
National seminar
SPS (second half of September 1999)WTO to be
determinedUSDA AgD
18. ( 09 / 99 ) Africa
National seminar
SPS (second half of September 1999)WTO to be
determinedUSDA AgD
19. ( 09 / 99 ) Africa
National seminar
SPS (second half of September 1999)WTO to be
determinedUSDA AgD
20. ( 10 / 99 ) Asia
Regional seminar
SPS for Asian countries (second week of
October 1999)WTO to be
determinedAgD
21. ( Semester 1/99 ) Bangladesh
National workshop on WTO rules
(Safeguard measures, Anti-dumping and
Countervailing measures)WTO to be
determinedRDWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 21Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
22. ( Semester 1/99 ) Bangladesh
National workshop
Impact of the Agreement on Textiles and
Clothing on LDC Trade and EconomyWTO to be
determinedTexD
23. ( Semester 1/99 ) Bolivia
Regional seminar
AgricultureWTO to be
determinedAgD
24. ( Semester 1/99 ) Cuba
Technical mission
Agriculture and ServicesWTO WTO/TC AgD/TSD
25. ( Semester 1/99 ) Cuba
National seminar
TBTWTO WTO/TC TSD
26. ( Semester 1/99 ) Jamaica
National workshop
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
- Specific AgreementsWTO WTO/TC TCTD Postponed from 1998
27. ( Semester 1/99 ) Mongolia
Technical mission on WTO rules
Drafting of anti-dumping and
Countervailing Duties LegislationWTO WTO/TC RD
28. ( Semester 1/99 ) Mongolia
National workshop
Services sectorsWTO WTO/TC TSD
29. ( Semester 1/99 ) Nigeria
Technical mission
Drafting of Anti-dumping and related
LegislationWTO WTO/TC TCD
30. ( Semester 1/99 ) Philippines
National workshop
Agreement on AgricultureWTO WTO/TC AgD
31. ( Semester 1/99 ) Philippines
National workshop
Implementation of Agreement on
SubsidiesWTO WTO/TC RD
32. ( Semester 1/99 ) Papua New Guinea
National workshop
WTO Agreements and Notification
RequirementsWTO WTO/TC TCD
33. ( Semester 2/99 ) Colombia
National workshop
GATSWTO WTO/TC TSDWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 22Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
34. ( Semester 2/99 ) Venezuela
National workshop
GATSWTO WTO/TC TSD
35. ( Year 1999 ) Czech Republic
Regional workshop
Dispute Settlement Procedures and
Practices for 17 Central and Eastern
European, Central Asian and
Mediterranean countriesWTO Netherlands
FundTCD Belarus, Croatia, Cyprus*, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Israel*,
Kazakstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia,
Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta*, Poland,
Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Uzbekistan
* = on a self-financed basis
36. ( Year 1999 ) Fiji
Regional workshop
Dispute Settlement Procedures and
Practices for 13 South Pacific CountriesWTO/South Pacific
Forum SecretariatHong Kong,
China FundTCD Cook Islands, Micronesia, Fed. States of,
Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru,
Niue Island, Papua New Guinea,
Western Samoa, Solomon Islands,
Tonga
Tuvalu, Vanuatu
37. ( Year 1999 ) Morocco
Regional workshop
Dispute Settlement Procedures and
Practices for 25 French-speaking African
countriesWTO Hong Kong,
China FundTCD Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central
African Rep., Chad, Congo, Dem. Rep.of
Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-
Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, Mali,
Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda,
Senegal, Togo, Tunisia
38. ( Year 1999 ) Tonga
National seminar
WTO and the multilateral trading systemWTO New Zealand
FundAccD
39. ( Year 1999 ) Namibia
Technical mission
Advisory mission to the Ministry of TradeWTO to be
determinedTCD
40. ( 07 / 99 ) Thailand
Training course
Introductory Dispute Settlement CourseWTO No cost Government
of ThailandTCD
41. ( Year 1999 ) Indonesia
Training course
WTO training course for Indonesian
Customs OfficialsWTO to be
determinedTCD
42. ( Year 1999 ) Mongolia
Technical mission
Establishment of WTO Reference Centre
– Electronic CommerceWTO WTO/TC TCD
43. ( Year 1999 ) Mongolia
National seminar
Future Negotiations, Services, GSP,
Rules of Origin, Multilateral Trading
SystemWTO WTO/TC TCDWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 23Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
44. ( Year 1999 ) [..AFRICA..]
Regional seminar
TRIPS Agreement for Sub-Saharan
English-speaking countriesWTO to be
determinedIPID
45. ( Year 1999 ) [..AFRICA..]
Regional seminar
TRIPS Agreement for Sub-Saharan
French-speaking countriesWTO/WIPO to be
determinedIPID
46. ( Year 1999 ) Mongolia
Technical mission
Government Procurement, Negotiating
capacity-building, Market Access
CommitmentsWTO/WIPO to be
determinedTCD
47. ( Year 1999 ) Tonga
National seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading SystemWTO WTO/TC WTO/TC TCD and
other
DivisionsWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 24 ANNEX 1 B
ACTIVITIES ORGANIZED JOINTLY WITH OTHERS
Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
48. 16-Feb-99 19-Feb-99 Nigeria
Regional seminar
Trade Policy - WTO and the Multilateral
Trading System for ECOWAS SecretariatWTO/ECOWAS to be
determinedTCD
49. 08-Mar-99 15-Mar-99 Singapore
Training course
2nd Joint Singapore/WTO Trade Policy
CourseWTO with
Government of
SingaporeWTO/TC Gov't of
SingaporeTCD
50. 11-Oct-99 15-Oct-99 Australia
Conference
The International Food Trade beyond
2000: science-based decisions,
harmonisation, equivalence and mutual
recognition.FAO/WTO to be
determinedAgD
51. ( 03 / 99 ) South Africa
[National seminar]
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
- Agriculture, SPS, TBT, TRIPS, future
trade negotiations.WTO/Government
of South AfricaNo cost Government
of South
AfricaTCD
52. ( 04 / 99 ) Colombia
National workshop
TRIPSWIPO/WTO to be
determinedIPID
53. ( 06-07 / 99 ) United States
Regional workshop
Three-week Advanced Training Course
for Government Officials: English-
speaking (13 countries)OAS/WTO to be
determinedOAS TCTD Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize,
Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti,
Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St
Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago
WTO funding limited to participation of
WTO experts - OAS funding for
government participants
54. ( 06-07 / 99 ) United States
Regional workshop
Three-week Advanced Training Course
for Government Officials: Spanish-
speaking (19 countries)OAS/WTO to be
determinedOAS TCTD Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican
Rep., Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
WTO funding limited to participation of
WTO experts - OAS funding for
government participantsWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 25Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
55. ( Semester 1/99 ) Bahrain
Regional seminar
Foreign Direct Investment and
Multilateral Agreement on Investment for
Arab countriesWTO/UNCTAD to be
determinedIPID
56. ( Semester 1/99 ) Cuba
National seminar
TRIPSWIPO/WTO to be
determinedIPID
57. ( Semester 1/99 ) Tunisia
National seminar
WTO RulesWTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundUNDP RD Joint Integrated Technical Assistance
Programme for African Countries (JITAP)
58. ( Semester 2/99 ) Bangladesh
National workshop
TRIPS (Copyright, patent, trade marks)WTO/WIPO to be
determinedIPID
59. ( Year 1999 ) Argentina
Regional workshop
Anti-Dumping and Countervailing
Calculations (advanced) for MERCOSUR
and Chile (5) - Jun/Jul 99WTO/INTAL WTO/TC INTAL TCD Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay,
Chile
WTO funding limited to participation of
WTO experts, Government participants
funded by INTAL
60. ( Year 1999 ) Argentina
Regional seminar
Market Access (Customs Valuation) -
Sep/Oct 99WTO/INTAL WTO/TC INTAL TCD Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay,
Chile
WTO funding limited to participation of
WTO experts, Government participants
funded by INTAL
61. ( Year 1999 ) Argentina
Regional workshop
Agriculture for MERCOSUR and Chile
and other Latin American members of
Cairns group- Nov/Dec 99WTO/INTAL WTO/TC INTAL TCD Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay,
Chile
WTO funding limited to participation of
WTO experts, Government participants
funded by INTAL
62. ( Year 1999 ) Guatemala
Regional seminar
Services for CACM and other Latin
American countries (9) - Apr/May 99WTO/INTAL Banco
Centoamericano
de Integración
EconómicaTCD CACM: Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
Other: Belize, Dominican Republic, Haiti,
Panama
63. ( Year 1999 ) Trinidad and Tobago
Regional seminar
Subsidies Disciplines and Notification
Requirements for CARICOM (11) -
Feb/Mar 99WTO/INTAL WTO/TC INTAL TCD Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica,
Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts &
Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & Grenadines,
Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago
WTO funding limited to participation of
WTO experts, Government participants
funded by INTAL
64. ( Year 1999 ) Venezuela
National workshop
TRIPSWIPO/WTO to be
determinedIPIDWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 26Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
65. ( Year 1999 ) Mexico
Regional seminar
Injury Determination (advanced level) for
ANDEAN Community and Mexico (6) -
May/Jun 99WTO/INTAL WTO/TC INTAL TCD Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
Venezuela, Mexico
WTO funding limited to participation of
WTO experts, Government participants
funded by INTAL
66. ( 01 / 99 ) Uganda
Regional workshop
Market Access Issues for East Africa
(Customs valuation, tariffs, rules of origin,
regional integration, PSI)WTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundMAccD JITAP
67. ( 01 / 99 ) Burkina Faso
Regional workshop
Market Access Issues for West Africa
(Customs valuation, tariffs, rules of origin,
regional integration, PSI)WTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundMAccD JITAP
68. ( 01 / 99 ) [AFRICA]
Technical Mission
Enquiry points in West AfricaWTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
Fundto be
determinedJITAP
69. ( 02 / 99 ) Côte d'Ivoire
Regional workshop
TBT, SPS, Quality management and
certification, agriculture for East AfricaWTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
Fundto be
determinedJITAP
70. ( 02 / 99 ) Uganda
Regional workshop
TBT, SPS, Quality management and
certification, agriculture for West AfricaWTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
Fundto be
determinedJITAP
71. ( 03 / 99 ) Ethiopia
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for ECA Member Countries
(52)WTO/Economic
Commission for
Africa (ECA)JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD
72. ( 03-04 / 99 ) Madagascar (or Comoros)
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for IOC Member Countries
(5)WTO/Indian Ocean
Commission (IOC)JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD Comoros, France, Madagascar,
Mauritius, Seychelles
73. ( 04 / 99 ) Ghana
Technical mission
Implementation, NotificationsWTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD JITAP
74. ( 04 / 99 ) Côte d'Ivoire
Technical mission
Implementation, NotificationsWTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD JITAPWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 27Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
75. ( 04 / 99 ) Ethiopia ( or Zambia)
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for COMESA Member
Countries (17)WTO/Common
Market for Eastern
and Southern Africa
(COMESA)JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Congo, Dem.
Rep., Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho,
Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sudan,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia,
Zimbabwe
76. ( 07 / 99 ) Benin
National workshop
TextilesWTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTXD JITAP
77. ( 10 / 99 ) Kenya
National workshop
TextilesWTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD JITAP
78. ( 10-11 / 99 ) [..AFRICA..]
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for SADC Member
Countries (12)WTO/Southern
African
Development
Communityto be
determinedTCD
79. ( Semester 1/99 ) Burkina Faso
Briefing
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
for policy makers.WTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD JITAP - 1-day session
80. ( Semester 1/99 ) Uganda
Briefing
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
for policy makers.WTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD JITAP - 1-day session
81. ( Semester 1/99 ) Ghana
Briefing
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
for policy makers.WTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD JITAP - 1-day session
82. ( Semester 1/99 ) Kenya
Briefing
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
for policy makers.WTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD JITAP - 1-day session
83. ( Semester 1/99 ) Djibouti
Regional seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
for IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority
on Development) Member Countries (8)WTO/IGAD WTO
(Additional
budget)TCD Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya,
Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
Activity postponed from 1998
84. ( Semester 1/99 ) Côte d'Ivoire
Briefing
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
for policy makers.WTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD JITAP - 1-day session
85. ( Semester 1/99 ) Tanzania
Briefing
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
for policy makers.WTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD JITAP - 1-day sessionWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 28Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
86. ( Semester 1/99 ) Benin
Technical mission
Customs valuationWTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundMAccD JITAP - First quarter 1999
87. ( Semester 1/99 ) Benin
Briefing
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
for policy makers.WTO/UNCTAD/ITC JITAP
Common Trust
FundTCD JITAP - 1-day session
88. ( Semester 1/99 ) Switzerland
Symposium
TRIPS: Plant Variety ProtectionUPOV/ WTO No cost WIPO IPID
89. ( Semester 2/99 ) Switzerland
Symposium
Specific Aspect of Technical Cooperation
on TRIPSWIPO/WTO JITAP
Common Trust
FundWIPO IPID
90. ( Year 1999 ) [..AFRICA..]
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for English-speaking
Western African states (ACP)WTO/ACP
SecretariatEC Trust Fund TCD and
other
Division
91. ( Year 1999 ) [..AFRICA..]
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for English-speaking
Eastern African states (ACP)WTO/ACP
SecretariatEC Trust Fund TCD and
other
Division
92. ( Year 1999 ) [..AFRICA..]
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for French-speaking
Western African states (ACP)WTO/ACP
SecretariatEC Trust Fund TCD and
other
Division
93. ( Year 1999 ) [..PACIFIC..]
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for the Pacific region (ACP)WTO/ACP
SecretariatEC Trust Fund TCD and
other
Division
94. ( Year 1999 ) [..CARIBBEAN..]
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for Caribbean countries
(ACP)WTO/ACP
SecretariatEC Trust Fund TCD and
other
Division
95. ( Year 1999 ) [..AFRICA..]
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for French-speaking Central
African states (ACP)WTO/ACP
SecretariatEC Trust Fund TCD and
other
Division
96. ( Year 1999 ) [..AFRICA..]
Regional seminar
Trade Policy for Southern African states
(ACP)WTO/ACP
SecretariatEC Trust Fund TCD and
other
DivisionWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 29Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
97. ( Year 1999 ) Switzerland
Symposium
Competition Policy for Geneva-based
delegatesUNCTAD/WTO to be
determinedUNCTAD IPID
98. ( Year 1999 ) Switzerland
Symposium
Competition Policy for Geneva-based
delegatesUNCTAD/WTO to be
determinedUNCTAD IPID
99. ( Year 1999 ) Six Regional Conferences, symposia and
seminars on Government ProcurementWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 30 ANNEX 1 C
ACTIVITIES WHERE WTO WAS INVITED TO ATTEND
Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
100. 11-Jan-99 15-Jan-99 Taipei, Chinese
Training course
International Trade Promotion Training
Programme I: for Senior officers of
Government Economic Agencies, Trade
Promotion and Public Enterprises of
selected developing countries - WTO and
the Multilateral Trading SystemInternational
Cooperation and
Development Fund
(ICDF)ICDF TCD No cost for WTO
101. 25-Jan-99 29-Jan-99 Thailand
Training course
Trade Negotiations Simulation for six
countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-
regionMinistry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade /
Mekong InstituteNew Zealand
FundTCD Cambodia, China, People's rep. of, Lao,
P.D.R., Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
102. 22-Feb-99 26-Feb-99 Spain
Training course
Agriculture:  WTO and its Impact on
Agro-food Marketing (13 countries)International Centre
for Advanced
Mediterranean
Agronomic Studies
(CIHEAM)WTO/TC AgD/LegD Albania, Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece,
Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Portugal,
Spain, Tunisia, Turkey
WTO funding limited to participation of
WTO experts
103. 09-Apr-99 13-Apr-99 Taipei, Chinese
Training Course
Tax Policy and Economic Development
for Middle to Senior-level officials of
selected developing countries - TRIPS
and GATS AgreementsInternational
Cooperation and
Development Fund
(ICDF)ICDF TCD No cost to WTO
104. 15-Apr-99 25-Apr-99 Senegal
Symposium
4th Afro-Arab Trade Fair
Technical mission on ImplementationOAU (Org. of
African Unity)WTO/TC TCD 16-17 April: Trade and Industry days; 19
April: Culture day and Intellectual
Property day
105. 10-May-99 14-May-99 Taipei, Chinese
Training Course
International Trade Promotion Training
Programme II: for Senior officers of
Government Economic Agencies, Trade
Promotion and Public Enterprises of
selected developing countries - WTO and
the Multilateral Trading SystemInternational
Cooperation and
Development Fund
(ICDF)ICDF TCD No cost to WTOWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 31Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
106. ( Year 1999 ) Mongolia
Training course
Tailor-made training programmes for
Mongolian officialsGovernment of
Mongolia/WTOto be
determinedTCD and
other
Divisions
107. ( 07 / 99 ) Thailand
Training course
2nd Trade Policy Course for the six
countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-
regionMinistry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade /
Mekong InstituteNew Zealand
FundTCD Cambodia, China, P. Rep., Lao, P.D.R.,
Myanmar, Thailand, VietnamWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 32 ANNEX 1 D
HIGH-LEVEL MEETING FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
NATIONAL ROUND TABLES; NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
108. 25-Jan-99 26-Jan-99 Haiti
National
Trade-related Round Table  - Follow-up
to High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTD
109. ( 02 / 99 ) Angola
National seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading system
(in Portuguese) - Follow-up to High Level
MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCD
110. ( Semester 1 / 99 ) Bangladesh
National
Trade-related Round Table  - Follow-up
to High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTD
111. ( Semester 1/99 ) Bhutan
National seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
- Follow-up to HLMWTO HLM Fund TCTD
112. ( Year 1999 ) Angola
National
Trade-related Round Table  - Follow-up
to High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTD
113. ( Year 1999 ) Cambodia
National seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading system
(week of 3 May 1999)WTO to be
determinedTCD
114. ( Year 1999 ) Chad
National
Trade-related Round Table  - Follow-up
to High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTD
115. ( Year 1999 ) Djibouti
National
Trade-related Round Table  - Follow-up
to High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTDWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 33Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
116. ( Year 1999 ) Gambia
National
Trade-related Round Table  and
Legislation  Adjustment - Follow-up to
High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTD
117. ( Year 1999 ) Mali
National
Trade-related Round Table  - Follow-up
to High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTD
118. ( Year 1999 ) Mozambique
National
Trade-related Round Table  - Follow-up
to High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTD
119. ( Year 1999 ) Nepal
National
Trade-related Round Table WTO and the
Multilateral Trading System - Follow-up to
High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTD
120. ( Year 1999 ) Niger
National seminar (February)WTO to be
determinedTCD
121. ( Year 1999 ) Tanzania
National
Trade-related Round Table  - Follow-up
to High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTD
122. ( Year 1999 ) Western Samoa
National seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
- Follow-up to HLMWTO New Zealand
FundAccD
123. ( Year 1999 ) Zambia
National
Trade-related Round Table  - Follow-up
to High Level MeetingWTO to be
determinedTCTD
124. ( 10 / 99 ) Switzerland
Training course
15th Special Training Course on the
WTO Dispute Settlement Procedures and
Practices (5 LDCs)WTO Norway Fund TCD
125. ( 01 / 99 ) Nepal
National seminar
Trade NegotiationsWTO to be
determinedTCD
126. ( 01 / 99 ) Bhutan
National seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading SystemWTO to be
determinedTCDWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 34Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
127. ( 01-02 / 99 ) Togo
National seminar
Trade PolicyWTO to be
determinedTCD
128. ( Semester 1/99 ) Burundi
National seminar
Trade PolicyWTO to be
determinedTCD Activity postponed from 1998
129. ( Year 1999 ) Myanmar
Technical mission
Preparation of Trade Rules, Regulations
and the Notification RequirementsWTO to be
determinedTCD
130. ( Year 1999 ) Maldives
National seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading SystemWTO to be
determinedTCD
131. ( Year 1999 ) Bangladesh
National workshop
New Trade IssuesWTO to be
determinedTCD
132. ( Year 1999 ) Western Samoa
National seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading SystemWTO to be
determinedTCD
133. ( Semester 1/99 ) Djibouti
Regional seminar
WTO and the Multilateral Trading System
for IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority
on Development) Member Countries (8)WTO/IGAD WTO
(Additional
budget)TCD Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya,
Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
Activity postponed from 1998WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 35HIGH-LEVEL MEETING FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
ESTABLISHMENT OF REFERENCE CENTRES
Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
134. ( Semester 1/99 ) Sudan
Technical mission
Establishment of WTO Reference Centre
- Follow-up to HLMWTO Hong Kong,
China FundSISD
TCDPostponed from 1998
135. ( Semester 1/99 ) Lesotho
Technical mission
Establishment of WTO Reference Centre
- Follow-up to HLMWTO Hong Kong,
China FundSISD
TCDPostponed from 1998
136. ( Semester 1/99 ) Sierra Leone
Technical mission
Establishment of WTO Reference Centre
- Follow-up to HLMWTO Hong Kong,
China FundSISD
TCDPostponed from 1998
137. ( Year 1999 ) Western Samoa
Technical mission
Establishment of WTO Reference CentreWTO to be
determinedSISD
TCDEarly 1999WT/COMTD/W/48
Page 36 HIGH-LEVEL MEETING FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
REGIONAL LDCs
Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
138. ( 05 / 99 ) Tanzania
Regional seminar
Rules (safeguards, subsidies, anti-
dumping) for English-speaking LDCs -
Follow-up to HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
Divisions
139. ( 09 / 99 ) Togo / Benin
Regional seminar
for French-speaking LDCs - Follow-up to
HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
Divisions
140. ( Semester 1/99 ) Vanuatu
Regional seminar
WTO Multilateral Trading system for the
6 Pacific Islands. Follow-up to HLMWTO New Zealand
FundTCD and
other
Divisions(Cook Islands), Fiji, Papua New Guinea,
Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu,
Western Samoa
With NZL consultant. POSTPONED from
1998!
141. ( Semester 1/99 ) Switzerland (Geneva)
Training course
Short Trade Policy Course for 24 English-
speaking LDCs -Follow-up to HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
DivisionsBhutan, Cambodia, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Gambia, Kiribati, Lao, P. Dem. Rep.,
Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Maldives,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar,
Nepal, Western Samoa, Solomon
Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania,
Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia
142. ( Semester 1/99 ) Switzerland (Geneva)
Training course
13th Special Training Course on the
WTO Dispute Settlement Procedures and
Practices (5 LDCs)- Follow-up to HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
Divisions
143. ( Semester 2/99 ) Africa
Regional seminar
TRIPS Agreement for French speaking
LDCs - Follow-up to HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
Divisions
144. ( Semester 2/99 ) Switzerland (Geneva)
Training course
14th Special Training Course on the
WTO Dispute Settlement Procedures and
Practices (5 LDCs) - Follow-up to HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
DivisionsWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 37Technical Cooperation Missions Organizer Funding Other
fundingExecution Participating Countries
Comments
145. ( Semester 2/99 ) Switzerland (Geneva)
Training course
Short Trade Policy Course for French-
speaking LDCs - Follow-up to HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
Divisions
146. ( Year 1999 ) Asia
Regional seminar
English-speaking LDCs - Follow-up to
HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
Divisions
147. ( Year 1999 ) Asia
Regional seminar
English-speaking LDCs - Follow-up to
HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
Divisions
148. ( Year 1999 ) Africa
Regional seminar
English-speaking LDCs - Follow-up to
HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
Divisions
149. ( Year 1999 ) Africa
Regional seminar
French-speaking LDCs - Follow-up to
HLMWTO to be
determinedTCD and
other
DivisionsWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 38
Annex 2
WTO TRADE POLICY COURSES HELD IN GENEVA
The WTO Secretariat plans, organizes and ensures the running of residential trade policy
courses (TPCs) in Geneva for officials from deve loping countries (regular courses) and economies in
transition in the process of accession (special courses).
1. Overview
Developing countries
On an annual basis three regular courses of a twelve-week duration are held, one in French or
Spanish and the others in English.  The courses aim to widen the participating officials' understanding
of the multilateral trading system and international trade law, and of the activities, scope and structure
of the WTO, in order to enable them to improv e the effectiveness of their work in their own
administrations.
Course Calendar envisaged for 1999-2001
1999 Programme: (invitation circulars already issued to developing country Members and
Observers)
10th WTO TPC:  11 January – 1 April (English)
11th WTO TPC:  26 April – 16 July (French)
12th WTO TPC:  13 September – 3 December (English)
2000 Programme: (dates of courses to be determined)
13th WTO TPC:  (English)
14th WTO TPC:  (Spanish)
15th WTO TPC:  (English)
2001 Programme: (dates of courses to be determined)16
th WTO TPC:  (English)
17th WTO TPC:  (French)
18th WTO TPC:  (English)
Economies in transition
In addition, the WTO Secretariat organizes shorter courses for officials from economies in
transition which are in the process of accession to the WTO.  Since 1991, 211 officials from the
economies in transition have been trained in trade, WTO and accession issues through special courses
financed by Switzerland and the United States
Future calendar
For 1999 the WTO Secretariat is committed to organizing a further accession-related course on
behalf of the Swiss Government from 6 to 30 April 1999 in Geneva.  It is not possible at this time toWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 39
give a precise picture of courses beyond 1999 in th e absence of specific requests from sponsoring
governments.
2. Training priorities
In order to improve the planning and delivery of trade policy courses the Secretariat has
identified the following areas as priorities for improvement/development.
Candidate selection
The number of courses offered to developing countries increased from two to three in 1998
and the number of applications for each course is constantly growing.  In order to meet this demand as
effectively as possible, the WTO Secretariat is streamlining the process of administering applications.In addition, every effort is made to ensure that over a two-year period (in which 144 WTO fellowship
places are available) every developing country Member and, where possible Observer, gets at least
one place while strictly adhering to the well-established objective selection criteria.
Course content and delivery
Increasing the amount of training has necessitated an effort to standardize at a high level of
quality the key course elements which comprise:
- Lectures, presentation and discussions on trade theory, the formulation of trade
policy, the provisions of WTO legal instruments and agreements emphasising the
development dimension, implementation of WTO obligations, issues such as regional
economic integration and the interaction be tween trade and environmental policies as
well as the structure, scope and functioning of the WTO system.   The Course will
increasingly utilise information technology tools that participants have at their
disposal including access to the WTO Website, Internet and the DDF.  A prototypeCD-Rom self-contained training package on the Textiles Agreement is ready to betested by course participants.
- The presentations are complemented by practical work including round table
discussions, case studies and the preparation and presentation of issue analysis papers
on WTO subjects.  Officials also take part in a workshop on negotiating techniques,
and simulation exercises on trade negotiations, policy debate exercises and dispute
settlement, in which they put into practice their knowledge of trade policy issues and
develop analytical and negotiating skills acquired on the course.  The programmeincludes visits to international organizations based in Geneva and attendance at
meetings of WTO bodies, so as to allow the participants to observe the functioning of
the WTO on the spot.
- There are also two study tours:  one in Switzerland and the other in a European
country which serve as case studies for national trade policy-making.
Evaluation and follow-up
Evaluation – identifying specific training objec tives and then measuring how well the course
achieves those objectives – takes place mainly thr ough the preparation and discussion of evaluation
reports done by the participants during and at the end of each course.  These evaluations are an
important factor in deciding on changes and impr ovements to the organization and delivery of theWT/COMTD/W/48
Page 40
courses.  A longer term evaluation system is also being developed to measure the effectiveness of the
training activity in terms of identifiable improvements back on the job.  Current efforts underway in the
training area are described in Annex II of the paper Evaluating Technical Assistance:  Issues for
Reflection, (Job no. 4299).
3. Resource considerations
Budget
The financing of Regular Trade Policy Courses is ensured by the Regular Budget of the
WTO, and the hosting of study tours by individual WTO Members.  Twenty-four officials per Regular
course receive WTO fellowships. On an annual basis 72 officials are  trained for 12 weeks each,
giving a total of 4,320 man-days of training provided by the courses.
In addition Special Trade Policy Courses, organized and delivered by the Secretariat using
Members' Trust Funds, also take place.  In 1998 for example, the Secretariat delivered a seven-week
course on behalf of the Swiss government for 21 officials from Eastern and Central European and
Central Asian Countries,  giving a total of 735 man-days of training.
Human resources
The presentations and exercises are carried out to a large extent by Secretariat officials dealing
directly with the respective subjects.  "Outsourcing" is used whenever expertise is not available in-
house: approximately twenty five per cent of each Regular course is performed by outside
consultants/lecturers. In addition, twelve per cent is delivered by experts put at the disposal of the
WTO by other relevant international organiza tions (World Bank, WIPO, ITC, UNCTAD and ISO)
within a context of expanding cooperation.
4. Future work
During 1999 the overall priority in the Secretariat is to consolidate its expanded trade policy
course activities in terms of improving the quality of the content and delivery of the courses,developing and maintaining appropriate evaluation and follow-up practices and improving utilisation
of new technologies for the benefit of course participants.  The implementation modalities will guide
the future work in this area.
_______________