WORLD TRADE WT/COMTD/14
12March 1998
ORGANIZATION(98-1006)
Committee onTrade andDevelopment
MANUAL ONTECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING
Thefollowing textwasadopted bytheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment atitsmeeting
on6March 1998.
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I. INTRODUCTION
One ofthemain features ofthemultilateral trading system thatemerged from thetrade
negotiations which took place between 1986 and1994 (Uruguay Round), wastheestablishment ofthe
World Trade Organization (WTO) on1January 1995 inGeneva. The WTO Secretariat has
approximately 500staffmembers. With 132Members and31countries having requested tobeadmitted
asMembers, theWTO issettobecome atruly global organization. Over 90percent ofworld trade
isnow governed bymultilateral trade rules.
More than three-quarters oftheWTO 'sMembers have self-elected thestatus ofdeveloping
countries (99intotal), ofwhich 29areleast-developed countries. TheAgreement establishing the
WTO recognizes theneed forefforts "toensure thatdeveloping countries, andespecially theleast-
developed among them, secure ashare inthegrowth ininternational trade commensurate withtheneeds
oftheir economic development". TheWTO Agreements thusinclude anumber ofprovisions infavour
ofdeveloping country Members tofacilitate their integration intothemultilateral trading system and
tomaximize benefits from their participation therein.
Box 1
Committee onTrade andDevelopment
TheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment istheWTO Committee thatdeals with issues ofparticular
interest todeveloping countries. Itcomprises allMembers oftheWTO andreports totheGeneral
Council. Itschairman iselected foroneyear. Inthesummer 1995, theCommittee established aSub-
Committee onLeast-Developed Countries, specifically mandated toaddress issues ofconcern tothese
countries andmake recommendations. InOctober 1996, theCommittee adopted Guidelines forTechnical
Cooperation, which provide thebasis fortheWTO 'stechnical cooperation andtraining activities and, in
particular, define itsobjectives andprinciples.WT/COMTD/14
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II. PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES OFTECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
TheWTO'stechnicalcooperationandtrainingactivitiesareguidedbythefundamentalobjectives
ofassisting recipient countries intheir understanding andimplementation ofagreed international trade
rules, achieving their fuller participation inthemultilateral trading system andensuring alasting,
structural impact, toenable them toderive fulladvantage from thenew trading environment. Some
ofthemain objectives andprinciples oftheWTO technical cooperation areto:
- assist intheprocess ofintegration ofbeneficiaries intothemultilateral trading system
andcontribute totheexpansion oftheir trade;
- strengthen andenhance institutional andhuman capacities inthepublic sector foran
appropriate participation inthemultilateral trading system; activities may include
representatives oftheprivate sector;
- bedemand-driven andadapted torecipient needs, inparticular with respect tothemost
appropriate modes ofdelivery;
Inaddition, itisensured that(i)theassistance complements andsupports recipients 'efforts
toidentify their own requirements, (ii)ageographical balance ismaintained, while giving priority to
least-developed countries, inparticular African countries, andtolow-income economies, (iii)itisfully
andclosely coordinated with assistance provided byother multilateral andbilateral institutions. The
assistance ismonitored andfollowed uptoensuring long-lasting relations with beneficiary countries
andguaranteeingtheeffectivenessoftechnicalcooperationactivities.Technicalassistanceisadministered
bytheSecretariat and reviewed byMembers, inaccordance with operational directives and
implementation modalities established bytheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment.
III. THE BENEFICIARIES
TheWTO 'stechnical assistance isprincipally provided togovernment officials ofbeneficiary
countries whohave specific responsibilities withregard totheimplementation oftheWTO Agreements.
Officials canbetrained andprepared fortasks ahead, both inGeneva oronanational, regional or
sub-regional basis. Theassociation oftheprivate sector with technical cooperation activities canbe
promoted, asitcontributes toraising thebusiness community 'sawareness ofthemultilateral trading
system andenables ittoidentify thetrading opportunities arising from theAgreements.
While assistance isavailable toalldeveloping country Members oftheWTO alike andthe
Secretariat aims atmaintaining ageographical balance, priority isgiven toleast-developed countries,
andtolow-income economies (Box 2).
Some 30countries arecurrently seeking accession totheWTO. Thetechnical assistance to
beprovided differs according tothestages oftheaccession process, andcaninclude inputs inthe
preparation ofamemorandum ontheacceding country 'sforeign trade regime, thepreparation ofthe
schedules ofconcessions andcommitments which arerequired forMembership.WT/COMTD/14
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Box 2
Specific Activities forLeast-Developed Countries
AttheWTO Ministerial Meeting, held atSingapore (December 1996), aComprehensive andIntegrated
WTO Plan ofAction fortheLeast-Developed Countries (LDCs) wasadopted, which includes measures
intheareas ofcapacity-building andmarket access. Asaresult, aHigh-Level Meeting onIntegrated
Initiatives forLeast-Developed Countries 'took place inGeneva (October 1997) to"...foster anintegrated
approach toassisting these countries inenhancing their trading opportunities". Amajority oftheworld 's
48least-developed countries participated anditincluded theactive involvement ofUNCTAD, ITC, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), theWorld Bank andUNDP. TheHigh Level Meeting endorsed the
"Integrated Framework forTrade-Related Technical Assistance, including forHuman andInstitutional
Capacity Building tosupport Least-Developed Countries inTheir Trade-Related Activities".
Under theIntegrated Framework, which isdemand driven, itwas agreed thattrade-related technical
assistance activities willbebased onanassessment oftheneeds ofindividual LDCs, tobesubmitted by
each LDC. Following theidentification ofindividual needs, thesixagencies would prepare anintegrated
response totheneeds assessment. Todate, 34LDCs have expressed aninterest inparticipating inthe
Integrated Framework andsubmitted their needs assessments. Thesixagencies involved have prepared
individual responses, thus completing thefirst stage oftheprocess. The second stage consists of
organizing full-scale Round tables foreach oftheLDCs, involving amuch larger group ofplayers (e.g.
other intergovernmental organizations andbilateral development partners) andestablishing aprocess for
review andevaluation ofthetechnical assistance provided.
TheWTO response totheneeds broadly covers three types ofactivities:
(i) organize special trade policy courses in1998 and1999, ineach year oneforEnglish andonefor
French speaking LDCs;
(ii) hold regional seminars ontrade-related topics ofspecific concern toLDCs;
(iii) organize national seminars inLDCs toincrease awareness ofthemultilateral trading system and
rights andobligations under theWTO Agreements;
Also andasaresult oftheHigh Level Meeting, in1997 and1998 missions were held inLDC Members
toprovide computer hard- and software, link them totheInternet and provide training inusing
technologies andaccess information through theWTO website. AllMember LDCs should becovered.
Prior tothis, anIntegrated WTO/UNCTAD/ITC Technical Assistance Programme forSelected Least-
Developed andOther African Countries wasadopted inMay 1996. Itresponds totheurgent need of
least-developed andother African countries tobeassisted intheexpansion anddiversification oftheir
trade andintheprocess oftheir integration into themultilateral trading system This programme
currently covers eight developing countries, including four least-developed: Bénin, Burkina Faso,
Tanzania andUganda. Activities under thisProgramme forindividual LDCs willbesubsumed under the
Integrated Framework. In1998, aCommon Trust Fund wasestablished tofinance country projects by
thethree organizations involved.
IV. THE SCOPE OFWTO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: MODES OFDELIVERY
Technical assistance isprovided inallareas oftheWTO 'scompetence andwithin thelimits
ofitsmandate. Theactivities carried outarevery diverse inscope andnature, andaretailored to
meet theneeds oftheindividual country orcountries involved (Box 3).TheWTO Secretariat proposes
themode ofdelivery, taking intoaccount therecipient country orcountries 'level ofdevelopment and
thenature oftherequest made.WT/COMTD/14
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(i) General Seminars
GeneralSeminarsareorganizedwithaviewtoprovidinggeneralexplanationsonthemultilateral
trading system anddisseminating information onthework oftheWTO. They cover abroad range
ofaspects including thefunctioning oftheWTO andtheAgreements, Understandings andDecisions
which resulted from theUruguay Round negotiations, aswellaspractical information ondevelopments
inthework ofthevarious WTO bodies. They areorganized onanational orregional basis.
Box 3
Examples ofAreas Covered through Technical Assistance
• institutional issues andbasic rules andprinciples ofthemultilateral trading system
• market access issues (tariffs, import licensing, customs valuation, preshipment inspection)
• agriculture andsanitary andphytosanitary measures
• technical regulations andstandards
• international trade inservices
• notifications requirements
(ii) Seminars andworkshops
Technical/specialized seminars focus onanarrowly defined subject (e.g. customs matters, anti-
dumping)andareaddressedtoexpertsintheareascovered.Workshopsgenerallyfocusononeparticular
areaoftrade policy andinaddition totheoretical explanations have apractical orientation, i.e.through
casestudies andsimulations. Seminars andworkshops canbeheldeither inGeneva orinthecapitals,
andgenerally have aduration of4-5days.
(iii) Technical Missions
Technicalmissionsareorganizedincapitalstoassistcountriesinspecifictasksrelatedtoeffective
implementation ofWTO commitments, such aspreparing legislation, regulations andnotifications,
aswell astofacilitate understanding ofspecific issues.WT/COMTD/14
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Box 4
Examples ofWorkshops
Notifications:
TheSecretariat hasorganized specific workshops inGeneva onnotification obligations fortrade policy
officials. These workshops include practical and detailed presentations, aswell asindividual
consultations byparticipants with Secretariat officials responsible fornotifications under thevarious
Agreements.
Trade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights (TRIPS):
During aworkshop onTRIPS, allaspects ofintellectual property rights covered bytheTRIPS Agreement
arediscussed, with theparticipation ofWTO officials aswell asrepresentatives ofother relevant bodies,
such asanational patent office ortheWorld Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), andtheprivate
sector.
Other areas:
Agriculture andSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures, International Trade inServices, Technical Barriers
toTrade andInternational Standardization (Standards), Subsidies andCountervailing Measures, Dumping
andAnti-dumping, Safeguards.
Examples ofTechnical Missions
-Assist countries in:reviewing draft legislation onandestablishing aninstitutional framework for
contingent trade remedies (such asanti-dumping) orinthearea ofintellectual property tomeet the
requirements oftheTRIPS Agreement;
-Adapting customs tariffs totheHarmonized Commodity Description andCoding System.
Specific Technical Assistance intheArea ofDispute Settlement
The Memorandum ofUnderstanding onRules andProcedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes
(DSU) contains provisions forspecific technical assistance inthisarea:
Article 27.2 oftheDSU foresees additional legal advice andassistance inrespect ofdispute settlement to
developing country Members, andprovides thattheSecretariat shall make available aqualified legal
expert from theWTO technical cooperation services toany developing country Member which so
requests.
Inaccordance with Article 27.3 oftheDSU, theSecretariat organizes special training courses inGeneva
toenable Members 'experts tobebetter informed about therules andpractices ofdispute settlement in
theWTO. These four-day courses include adetailed presentation oftherules andprocedures aswell as
practical simulation exercises.
(iv) Information-technologies
Various projects areundertaken tofacilitate thedissemination ofinformation ontheWTO
multilateral trading system through modern technology andtocreate interactive systems, through which
informationontheWTOcanbeobtainedandtrainingprovided(CfBox5).Acomputer-basedinteractive
technical assistance/training package isbeing developed thatwillbeused tointroduce theWTO in
thesame manner asthrough ageneral seminar. Thepackage includes alltheconcepts developed in
anormal 4to5dayseminar organized byTCTD.WT/COMTD/14
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Box 5
Information Technologies forDevelopment andWTO Reference Centres
TheWTO Secretariat incorporated, intheestablishment ofReference Centres onthemultilateral trading
system, theuseofinformation technologies tohelp decision makers indeveloping countries better
understand andmake useoftherules andmechanisms oftheWTO. InaWTO Reference Centre (i)all
relevant documentation ismade readily available tothegovernment andbusiness communities inthe
country; (ii)Internet connectivity ismaintained through procurement andinstallation ofcomputer(s),
modem(s), printer(s) andother accessories; (iii)training provided toaccess trade-related information on
theInternet.
Funding fortheestablishment oftheReference Centres wasprovided bytheGovernments ofNorway and
theNetherlands through theInformation Technology forDevelopment Project oftheWorld Bank andthe
WTO. This project enables developing country decision-makers tohave permanent on-line access to
electronic training, education andinformation tools conceived specifically forthem; andtomaintain on-
going, electronic contact with theWTO sothatthey could keep abreast with new developments.
Technical Assistance onCD-ROM
The information-technology-based training material consists ofasetofmodules, each ofwhich
corresponds toatwo-three hour seminar lecture, andincludes areview section using theFrequently
Asked Questions (FAQ) approach andincorporating aself-evaluation sub-section. Itsmain support isa
CD-ROM, although itwillalsobeproduced inasetofdiskettes, taking account ofavailable hardware in
thecountries concerned. The package will also bemade available through thenew Trade and
Development Website thatisacomponent oftheInformation Technologies forDevelopment Project.
Websites
TheWTO official website located ontheinternet atwww.wto.org contains awealth ofinformation about
therules andmechanisms oftheglobal trade system, thelatest news, WTO Agreements, International
Trade, schedule ofMeetings, Documents on-line etc.Theworld wide web address ofthejoint World
Bank and WTO project ishhtp://www.itd.org .This web contains trade-related information on
developing countries, trade anddevelopment discussion forums, interactive guides totheWTO, links to
home pages oftheEconomic Development Institute oftheWorld Bank and theWTO, trade and
developments links andactivities oftheTechnical Cooperation andTraining Division.
CD-ROM ontheUruguay Round Results
This CD-ROM contains allWTO rules andcommitments made byitsMembers andtheSchedules of
Concessions ongoods andonservices (nearly 30,000 pages ofundertakings). Foreach Member ofthe
WTO there areproduct-by-product lists ofbound tariff rates affecting market access formerchandise
goods, including agricultural products. TheSchedules ofSpecific Commitments onservices identify the
services sectors towhich acountry willapply themarket access andnational treatment obligations ofthe
GATS andanyexceptions from those obligations itwishes tomaintain. This CD-ROM canbeobtained
from thePublications Services, Centre William Rappard, Rue deLausanne 154, 1211 Geneva 21,
Switzerland; tel:022-739 5208/53 08(Fax: 759.57.92) attheprice ofCHF 1000. Adiscount of30%
isgranted toMembers andof50% toleast-developed Members.WT/COMTD/14
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(v) Other Modes ofDelivery:
- Short training courses aredesigned forparticular groups ofcountries (formedium orhighlevel
officials) which cover, indepth, inalimited period oftime (2-6weeks), issues relating totrade policy
andthemultilateral trading system. They caneither beheld inGeneva orinnational capitals. This
alsoapplies tothree-week trade policy courses forLDCs (one English andoneFrench peryearin1998
and1999), tobeorganized asoneofthefollow-up activities ofHigh Level Meetings.
- Upon request, data ontrade flows, tariffs andnon-tariff measures aremade available, and
information canalsobeprovided towards theassessment ofother countries 'offers inmarket access
ingoods ofrelevance todeveloping countries, ortohelpthem assess theimpact ontheir services trade
ofspecific commitments onservices made bydeveloped countries. Also, theWTO hasprepared a
CD-ROM with thecomplete textoftheAgreements andtariffs andtrade data (Box 5).
- Aspart ofregular seminars andother activities, documents arewidely made available to
participants. Thedocumentation cancover general information, aswell asanyspecific material to
assist incarrying outtheobligations under theagreements. Inorder toassist Members inunderstanding
anddischarging more efficiently their notification obligations under theAgreements, theSecretariat
hasprepared aTechnical Cooperation Handbook onNotification Requirements. Thisdocument provides
Members inasingle instrument with acomplete view ofthenotification obligations contained inall
theAgreements, aswell asmodels oftheformats which should beused toprepare notifications.
V. WTO TRADE POLICY COURSES HELD INGENEVA
TheWTO Secretariat finances andorganizes three Regular Trade Policy Courses peryear for
officials from developing countries. TheCourses, held twice peryear inEnglish andalternately in
French andSpanish, take place inGeneva andlastfortwelve weeks.
TheCourseobjectiveistowidentheparticipatingofficials'understandingoftradepolicymatters,
themultilateral trading system, international trade lawandthefunctioning oftheWTO. Theknowledge
acquired intheCourse isexpected toallow participating officials toimprove theeffectiveness oftheir
work intheir own administrations andtopromote amore active participation oftheir countries inthe
work oftheWTO.
TheCourse programme iscomprehensive andincludes lectures, presentations anddiscussions
ontrade theory, theformulation andimplementation oftrade policy anditsinteraction with monetary
policies, theprovisions ofWTO legal instruments andagreements emphasising thedevelopment
dimension, trade policy issues such asregional economic integration andtheinteraction between trade
andenvironmental policies aswell asthestructure, scope andfunctioning oftheWTO system.
Thelectures arecomplemented bypractical work including group discussions, round tables,
andthepreparation andpresentation ofseminar papers onWTO-related subjects. Officials alsotake
partinaworkshop onnegotiating techniques, andsimulation exercises ontrade negotiations anddispute
settlement, inwhich theyputintopractice theknowledge oftrade policy issues acquired ontheCourse.WT/COMTD/14
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TheWTO addresses aninvitation circular totherelevant authorities ineach developing country,
such astheMinistry ofTrade, theMinistry ofForeign Economic Relations ortheMinistry ofForeign
Affairs, aswell astothelocal office oftheUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and
tothePermanent Mission inGeneva. Governments wishing topropose candidates foraTrade Policy
Course should follow theprocedures outlined intheinvitation circular. Allnominations aresubmitted
toaWTO selection committee forconsideration. Each selected candidate isawarded oneofthe
24fellowships granted bytheWTO foreach Course. There arenocourse feesforparticipants.
Further Information onTrade Policy Courses
FortheRegular Trade Policy Courses, theinvitation circular contains detailed information on
nomination criteria, procedures andclosing dates forsubmission ofnominations andother practical
guidelines forapplicants from developing countries. Further information canbeprovided by:
TheTraining Section Tel. (+41.22) 7395190
Technical Cooperation and Fax. (+41.22) 7395781
Training Division E.mail: norma.herbst@wto.org
WTO Secretariat
Centre William Rappard
RuedeLausanne 154
CH-1211 Geneva 21
Inaddition, theWTO Secretariat hasbeen organizing onanadhocbasis twoshorter Special
Trade Policy Courses peryear forofficials from economies intransition: oneeight-week course for
officials from Eastern andCentral European andCentral Asian Countries financed bytheSwiss
government (since 1991) andonefour-week course foranumber ofeconomies intransition funded
bytheUnited States government (since 1994).
VI. HOW TOREQUEST TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Agovernment wishing toobtain technical assistance from theWTO Secretariat should formulate
arequest inwriting andaddress itto:
The Director
Technical Cooperation andTraining Division,
World Trade Organization
154ruedeLausanne
1211 Geneva 21-Switzerland
tel:(+41 22)7395237
fax: (+41 227395764
Requests forassistance should normally bemade before thebeginning oftheyear inwhich
theactivity would becarried out,soastoallow foritsinclusion intheannual programme oftechnical
cooperation activities. Thesequence ofsteps tobefollowed when agovernment requests technical
cooperation from theWTO Secretariat issummarized inthechart below.WT/COMTD/14
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Steps tobetaken forrequesting WTO Technical Assistance
Request
Beneficiary sends request fortechnical assistance tothe
Technical Cooperation andTraining Division;
requests should befiled before theendoftheyear forimplementation
inthenext calendar year;
therequest willbeintegrated inWTO 'splanning
Defining theActivity
inconsultation between theWTO Secretariat (TCTD and/or functional Divisions)
andtherecipient country;
(mode ofdelivery, implementation modalities, contents ofactivities, logistics andfunding)
Coordination with Other International Organizations
Some activities callforcoordinated action between international organizations
Implementation
activities carried outbytheTCTD, other functional WTO
Divisions and/or other executing agencies aredelivered inaccordance with
theguidelines ontechnical cooperation andtraining;
inprinciple theactivity iscarried outintheyear following thatinwhich therequest ismade
Follow-up
Following theexecution oftheactivity, continued contact willbepursued to
enhance effectiveness ofthetechnical cooperation;
thebeneficiary country canberequested toestablish acontact point toensure effective coordination
between theWTO andtherecipient inthefollow-up process
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