WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/484
2 December 2002
(02-6605)
General Council
10-11 December 2002
INTERIM REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL:  PARAGRAPH 41
OF THE DOHA MINISTERIAL DECLARATION
PAGE N °
I. INTRODUCTION:  THE COMMITMENTS, THE STRATEGIC RESPONSE
AND INTERIM RE SULTS......................................................................................................2
A. THE MANDATES AND COMMITMENTS ..........................................................................................3
B. THE WTO SECRETARIAT STRATEGIC RESPONSE ...........................................................................3
C. SUMMARY OF INTERIM RESULTS .................................................................................................4
II. PREDICTABLE FUNDING FOR WTO TC/CB ANNUAL PLANS – THE
DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA GLOB AL TRUST FUND (DDAGTF ).....................6
III. THE WTO TA ANNUAL PLANS – 2002 AND PROPOSED 20 03 TA PLAN...................7
A. STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2002 TA PLAN ..................................................................7
B. SECRETARIAT MEASURES TO ADDRESS THE BALANCE OF UNDELIVERED ACTIVITIES ................8
C. CAUSES OF CANCELLATION AND SLIPPAGES IN AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES ..................................8
D. LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2002 TA PLAN ...................................9
E. EVALUATION AND QUALITY AUDIT OF WTO ANNUAL TA PLANS ...............................................11
F. 2003 TA PLAN ............................................................................................................................11
IV. COORDINATION – STRATEG IC PARTNE RSHIPS.......................................................12
A. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP – UNCTAD AND ITC ..........................................................................12
B. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP – OECD /DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE (DAC).................13
C. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP – THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS  AND UN REGIONAL
ECONOMIC COMMISSIONS .........................................................................................................14
D. EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS AND MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING (MOUS )..............................16
V. CONCLUS ION ................................................................................................................... ....16WT/GC/W/484
Page 2
I. INTRODUCTION:  THE COMMITMENTS, THE STRATEGIC RESPONSE AND
INTERIM RESULTS
1. This interim report is provided in accordance with the mandate in paragraph 41 of the Doha
Ministerial Declaration.  In paragraph 41, Ministers instructed the Director-General to report to the 5th
WTO Ministerial Meeting with an interim report to the General Council in December 2002, on the
implementation and adequacy of the technical cooperation and capacity building (TC/CB)
commitments in the Doha Ministerial Declaration.  A full report will be provided to Ministers at
Cancun, Mexico, 10-14 September 2003.
2. At the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, WTO Members undertook
unprecedented commitments in technical cooperation and capacity building.  Ministers agreed that
technical cooperation and capacity building were core elements of the development dimension of the
multilateral trading system and, consequently, integral to the Doha Development Agenda. Thesecommitments involved an explicit distribution of responsibilities encompassing not only the WTO
Secretariat, but also bilateral donors within the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD and,
relevant multilateral and regional institutions.  Ministers requested the WTO Secretariat to coordinate
and lead these efforts.
3. An interim assessment is required by paragraph 41 on the implementation and adequacy of
the TC/CB commitments.  The results, so far, show demonstrable practical progress and benefits to
developing and least-developed countries.  Although there is scope for improvements, progress has
been made, so far, on implementation.  It has created a strong basis for adequate engagement by the
beneficiary countries in the on-going negotiations as well as other aspects of the work programme and
the implementation of WTO Agreements and future agreements.  Because of the high number ofdemands and the ever expanding priorities, adequacy and implementation of TC/CB has always been
a challenge. In sum, the adequacy of the technical cooperation and capacity building commitments is
a matter of degree.  The current degree of adequacy, at this stage of the interim report, is one that
allows the multilateral trading system to move  forward with the on going negotiations and work
programme.  I will continue to keep progress in this area under assessment and I will reportperiodically to the membership.WT/GC/W/484
Page 3
A. THE MANDATES AND COMMITMENTS
Paragraphs Mandates
16 Tariff negotiations:  non-agricultural Market access – capacity building to assist the LDCs
to participate effectively in the negotiations.
21 Trade and investment – TA/CB including, policy analysis and development so that
developing and LDCs may better evaluate the implications of closer multilateral
cooperation for their development objectives, human and institutional development.
24 Trade and competition – TA/CB including policy analysis and development so that
developing and LDCs may better evaluate the implications of closer multilateralcooperation for their development objectives, human and institutional development.
26 Transparency in government procurement – ensuring adequate technical assistance and
support for capacity building both during the negotiations and after their conclusion.
27 Trade facilitation – ensuring adequate technical assistance and support for capacity
building in this area.
33 Trade and environment – recognize the importance of technical assistance and capacity
building in this field for developing countries, in particular for LDCs.
38 Mainstreaming/Implementation/New Strategy – TA/CB, in coordination with other
relevant agencies, to support domestic efforts to mainstream trade into national dev. plansand PRSPs; TA/CB to assist recipient countries adjust to WTO rules and obligations,exercise membership rights, and draw on benefits of the open, rules-based trading system.
39 IF/JITAP – coordination with bilateral donors/agencies –
• Coordinate with bilateral donors within DAC/OECD framework and relevant
international and regional institutions;
• Consult with agencies, bilateral donors and beneficiaries to identify ways of
rationalizing the IF and the JITAP.
40 Predictable funding for TA activities – BFA Committee to develop a Plan to ensure long-
term funding for WTO TA, by December 2001 General Council.
42 LDCs' accessions – Reflect priority attached to LDCs in WTO TA Annual Plans.  Design a
WTO Programme for LDCs, and report on WP to the first meeting of the General Councilin 2002.
43 Integrated Framework –
• Core agencies, in coordination with develo pment partners to explore the enhancement
of the Integrated Framework, with a view to addressing the supply-side constraints ofthe LDCs and extension of IF to all LDCs, following review;
• Director-General to provide interim report to December 2002 General Council on all
issues affecting LDCs.
B. THE WTO SECRETARIAT STRATEGIC RESPONSE
4. In accordance with the mandate, the WTO Secretariat has led the implementation of the
technical cooperation and capacity building commitments undertaken by Ministers.  Immediately,WT/GC/W/484
Page 4
after the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the Secretariat defined a comprehensive strategic response to
the commitments.  This response was configured around the WTO Annual TA Plan.1
5. With the WTO Annual Plan, at the centre, there was an explicit connection to concrete
negotiated undertakings and joint activities (in several instances) at seven selected dimensions:  i) the
Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme for African Countries (JITAP);  ii) the Integrated
Framework, focused on the LDCS;  iii) Regional De velopment Banks;  iv) United Nations Regional
Economic Commissions;  v) the corpus of WTO Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs);  vi) the
WTO/Development Assistance Committee of the OECD Joint Trade Capacity Building Database;
and, vii) the arrangement between the OECD and the Integrated Framework Working Group
Agencies.  (The structure of the WTO Secretaria t response to the TC/CB commitments in the DDA
are shown in the pictogram below).
TRTA & CB
DATABASE
OECD/WTO
Management of TCB Needs
WTO   TC
Annual Plans
TCD --- WTO Divisions & Training Inst.UN - RECs
RDBsMOUs  & Specialized
Arrangements
ADB, ESCAP, IDB, INTAL, ESCWA, IGAD,
AMF, ECA, WIPO, STDF, etc.
JITAP
ITC, WTO
UNCTADIF
IMF, ITC, UNCTAD
UNDP, WORLD
BANK, WTOSTRUCTURE OF WTO TECHNICAL COOPERATION
C. SUMMARY OF INTERIM RESULTS
6. Eleven months after the conclusion of the Doha Ministerial Meeting, I would like to report to
the General Council, ad interim , that the WTO Secretariat-led implementation of the technical
cooperation and capacity building mandates can be assessed to be substantive, meaningful andcredible.  A strategic response was defined, with the explicit support of all the participants in the
architecture.  Concrete synergies were established.  In summary:
                                                     
1 WT/COMTD/W/95/Rev.2.WT/GC/W/484
Page 5
• First , the JITAP has delivered concrete practical benefits on human and institutional
capacity building on the multilateral trading system, and ways that support the DDA.
The terms of its extension to other countries are the subject of consultations amongst
the three agencies (ITC, UNCTAD and WTO) and the donors and the beneficiary
African countries;
• Second , the Integrated Framework has emerged as the principal mechanism for trade
mainstreaming in the global economy.  The Pilot Phase achieved some success in
light of the significant challenge.  At the recently concluded Trade Mainstreaming
Seminar, the consensus achieved amongst the participants showed that in addition, to
being a mechanism for trade mainstreaming, the IF was also key to the
implementation of some of the Millennium  Development Goals (MDGs) in particular
poverty alleviation.  It was also key to the implementation of the DDA.  The JITAPand the IF are now focused on achieving concrete complementarities such as in the
use of the JITAP as one of the implementing arms of the IF, after the IF diagnostic
trade integration studies;
• Third , Regional Development Banks are now partners in the implementation of
WTO technical cooperation and capacity building activities.  They are providingmatching financial resources and intellectual expertise in the implementation of
agreed joint activities with the WTO.  Significantly also, they are consolidating “tradefacilities” in their banks to respond to the mandates.  These “trade facilities” will be
periodically reported to the membership;
• Fourth , UN Regional Economic Commissions are engaged with the WTO Secretariat
in the delivery of joint activities, principally based on training for systematic,
cumulative and sustainable capacity building for trade negotiators and trade policyspecialists;
• Fifth , the WTO and the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD have
begun the preparation of Joint Reports on trade capacity building activities pursuantto the DDA.  These reports will be produced twice a year.  These biannual reports
will show, in volume and value terms, projects and activities by technical assistanceproviders (countries as well as multilateral and regional institutions) being delivered
in response to the Doha mandates;
• Sixth , to ensure coordination in the delivery of trade capacity building, improve
complementarity between the trade and development communities, the OECD/DAC
2
and the Integrated Framework Working Group Agencies (IFWG) will now meet on a
regular basis.  They have met twice this year,3 and will continue to meet periodically.
The purpose of these meetings is for the trade and development communities, inter
alia, to purposefully work together to support the mainstreaming  of trade into
development plans and strategies for poverty reduction, and to ensure that trade
capacity building (agreed by the international community) are funded mandates,through an appropriate allocation of resources;
• Seventh , the WTO Secretariat has established a corpus of MOUs and is re-
formulating pre-existing ones to render them DDA-relevant.  New ones are undernegotiation and completion such as with UNCTAD, the ACP, etc.  Reports on the
                                                     
2 The principal forum for the bilateral donors.
3 17-18 January and 28-29 November 2002.WT/GC/W/484
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implementations and functioning of these MOUs will be periodically made available
to the membership;  and,
• Finally, in addition to leading the implemen tation of TC/CB commitments in the
DDA, as above, the Secretariat has focused on the implementation of the First WTOAnnual TA Plan, in 2002, authorized by the membership on 6 March 2002.  Effective
implementation on the 2002 TA Plan, as at the end of November 2002, stood at over89% for planned regional activities and 82% for planned national activities that were
authorized.  The Second TA Plan for 2003 was proposed to the membership for
authorization on 8 October 2002.  The Plan, following consultations amongst the
membership, was adopted on 22 November  2002.  The agreed Plan for 2003 will
build on the progress made in the implementation of the 2002 TA Plan.
7. In 2003, the Secretariat will build on the progress and achievements recorded in 2002.  The
road map is well defined.  The rest of this report elaborates on relevant aspects, on an interim basis.
Reference is made to other issues, but not elaborated because they are the subject of reports under
separate mandates, such as the Least-Developed Countries and the WTO Work Programme for the
LDCs.  A full report and assessment under paragraph 41, as mandated by Ministers will be provided
by the time of the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference, in September 2003.
II. PREDICTABLE FUNDING FOR WTO TC/CB ANNUAL PLANS – THE DOHA
DEVELOPMENT AGENDA GLOBAL TRUST FUND (DDAGTF)
8. In paragraph 40 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, Ministers agreed that there is a need for
technical assistance to benefit from secure and pred ictable funding.  Consequently, they instructed the
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration (B FA) to develop a plan for adoption by the
General Council by December 2001 that would ensure long-term funding.  In November 2001,
immediately after Doha, WTO Members and the Secretariat initiated work to this end.  The BFA
Committee agreed on a recommendation for a decision by the General Council on a solid financial
basis for WTO TA/CB through the establishment of  the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust
Fund.  The General Council endorsed the recommendation in its decision on 20 December 2001. Thisdecision established the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.
9. The DDAGTF is a unique mechanism to finance technical assistance to developing countries,
especially LDCs, in accordance with:  (i) the technical cooperation and capacity building mandates in
the Doha Ministerial Declaration;  (ii) the New Strategy for Technical Cooperation for Capacity
Building, Growth and Integration, endorsed by Ministers in paragraph 38 of the Doha Declaration;and,  (iii) the Coordinated WTO Secretariat Annual Technical Assistance Plan.  It is a welcome
development.  The main elements of the DDAGTF are notable.  Beginning in 2002, technical
cooperation activities under the Coordinated WTO Secretariat Annual Technical Assistance Plan shall
be financed through a new global trust fund.  For each year, the Committee on Budget, Finance and
Administration (CBFA) and the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) – meeting jointly –
will be responsible for a process whereby (a) the CTD should consider and endorse the Plan;  (b) the
CTD and CBFA will jointly cost the Plan and recommend an annual target level for the DDAGTF tothe General Council;  and (c) the CTD and CBFA will jointly keep the execution of the Plan and
spending commitments under periodic review.  Because the DDAGTF will function most efficiently if
Governments provide financial contributions, the use of which is not conditioned beyond specifying
support of the Plan, Governments are urged to make  contributions which would preserve the global
nature of the programme.
10. As agreed at the General Council, a Pledging Conference was organised in early 2002 to give
political visibility to the fund raising exercise for the implementation of the Doha Development
Agenda.  The target sum of CHF 15 million for 2002 was se t for th e DDAGTF.WT/GC/W/484
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11. The Pledging Conference for the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund was held on
11 March 2002.  The Pledging Conference also provided the opportunity for a substantive dialogue
amongst WTO Members, observers and agencies on trade-related technical assistance and capacity
building and, the challenges posed by the mandate of the Doha Development Agenda.  This was
reflected in the Programme of the Conference.  The Conference was a stand-alone WTO event.  The
report of the Pledging Conference to the Committee on Trade and Development is contained indocument WT/COMTD/37.Rev.1.
12. Bilateral donors pledged CHF 21.7 million to  the DDAGTF fo r 2002 and CHF 4.5 million, in
advance, for 2003.  (WT/BFA/SPEC/73 ).  The Pledging Conference for the Doha Development
Agenda Global Trust Fund was a successful event, but it was more than an event.  It initiated a policy
dialogue on technical cooperation and capacity building.  The Pledging Conference also gave impetus
to a more effective and efficient inter-agency coordination.
13. Donors need to ensure that the DDAGTF will be adequately annually replenished to enable
the implementation of the WTO Annual TA Plans and for meeting the cost of coordination.
III. THE WTO TA ANNUAL PLANS – 2002 AND PROPOSED 2003 TA PLAN
14. As part of the implementation of the New Strategy for WTO Technical Cooperation
(endorsed by Ministers in paragraph 38 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration) and in the
implementation of the TC/CB commitments in the Declaration, the Secretariat presented the First
Annual TA Plan to the membership, this year.  Following extensive consultations with the
membership (beneficiary countries, regional groupings and donors), the Plan was authorized by the
Membership in the COMTD on 6 March 2002.
4  The Secretariat welcomed the advice received from
Members, the constructive suggestions, and the searching questions, which contributed substantially
to the final shape of the Plan with regard to its  structure, themes, appropriate mandates, and the
number of discrete activities.
A. STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2002 TA PLAN
15. The implementation of the 2002 TA Plan shows a rather meaningful and credible
implementation, consistent with the TC/CB commitments in the DDA.  In the course of 2002 regular
reports have been provided to the COMTD.  The item on Technical Cooperation and Training hasbeen a standing item on the agenda of the COMTD.  The Secretariat has provided reports, and
responded to questions and clarifications from the membership and observers to every detail of the
Plan.
16. In addition, the Secretariat (the Technical Cooperation Division) has been invited to several
Committees and Negotiating Bodies to explain how the technical cooperation Plan has responded tothe negotiating and work programme needs and priorities of several bodies.  These include the Non-
Agricultural Group on Market Access; the SPS Committee; the Working Group on Trade and
Investment.  As the record of these Bodies show , Members and observers have expressed satisfaction
with the TA Plan and its implementation.
17. To be certain that the Plan was proceeding in the right direction, WTO Senior Management
convened a High Level Meeting/Briefing on Technical Cooperation and Training on 16 July 2002.
5
Secretariat presentations were followed by questions and statements from WTO Members and
Observers.  The results of that High Level Briefing clearly demonstrated that while there was scope
                                                     
4 WT/COMTD/W/95/Rev.2.
5 The Report of the High Level Meeting on Technical Cooperation is contained in document
WT/COMTD/43.WT/GC/W/484
Page 8
for improvement, members and observers were satisfied with the WTO TA Plan, the progress
underway and indicative plans for improvements in the future.
18. The implementation/delivery of the discrete activ ities in the 2002 TA Plan is satisfactory and
much better than average performance.  Although 514 activities were authorized in the planned
activities by the membership, effective implementation rate was calculated on the basis of 383
activities.  This was because 122 activities were cancelled for a variety of reasons, hinging principallyon cancellations and postponements by recipient countries; and, 9 activities did not involve delivery
of activities to countries but the development of TA tools for actual delivery.  The following
summary, therefore, describes the actual implem entation situation with regard to the authorized
discrete activities, as at the end of November 2002.
• Effective implementation – planned regional activities (153 activities or 89%
delivered);
• effective implementation – planned national activities (172 activities or 82%
delivered);
• at end November, 133 (or 29% of implemented activities) were unplanned or ad hoc ;
• a grand total of 458 activities – planned and unplanned – were delivered as at end
November.
B. 
SECRETARIAT MEASURES TO ADDRESS THE BALANCE OF UNDELIVERED ACTIVITIES
19. The Secretariat has moved rapidly to take three principal measures (and a subsidiary measure)
to address the balance of activities that will be undelivered by end of December 2002.  The activities
in question will not exceed approximately 35 to 40 discrete activities.  The corrective measures are as
follows:
• First , proposed activities for 2003 have been designed to take account of those
activities that were planned but undelivered - an efficiency measure;
• Second,  those activities which were undelivered in 2002 and have been re-requested
by recipients in 2003 have been subsumed in the proposed 2003 TA Plan – another
efficiency measure;
• Third,  in some cases because of specific exceptional requests by
countries/institutions, an activity is "rolled over".  One example is the DDA Training
Course for Senior Government Officials for the Arab and Middle East Countries.
This activity has been rolled over to next year because, in 2002, it falls within a holy
period.  Another example is where because of insufficient capacity to absorb, a
recipient has asked for the implementation of an activity to be postponed;  and,
• Fourth , ad hoc national activities organized at recipient country's request, necessarily
need to be seen as "compensating" for any planned but undelivered activity in 2002 –a replacement measure.
C. 
CAUSES OF CANCELLATION AND SLIPPAGES IN AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES
20. It is useful to review several of the key factors that account for cancellations and slippages in
the implementation and delivery of activities authorized by the membership.  Several of these factorsWT/GC/W/484
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are avoidable while others are unforeseen.  The factors show, however, that there is general
responsibility to be borne by the membership, by recipient countries and the Secretariat as well, in
ensuring that these factors are addressed and do not re-occur in the future.  The principal causes for
cancellations/slippages in the delivery of authorized activities include the following:
• Cancellation by recipient countries or insufficient absorptive capacity;
• impaired delivered rate because of challenges arising from joint delivery with other
Agencies;
• insufficient progress in some groups or negotiating bodies (such as accessions
Working Parties, negotiating groups) or de velopment of TA tools, to justify the
implementation of a planned activity;
• domestic civil unrest/insecurity in a beneficiary country;
• the opportunity cost of implementing ad hoc activities (the displacement effect caused
by ad hoc activities);
• Secretariat causes, including delayed L-Post recruitment;  and,
• delayed remittance of pledged contributions.
21. There is a creative dynamism in the WTO Annual Plans, which has arisen because of intense
interaction between the Secretariat and the membership.  In this regard, several new products have
been developed, which are sensitive to the demands and priorities of the donors, and based also on
cost rationality.
22. Annex I of the 2002 TA Plan described a new initiative in the form of an Advanced Training
Programme for Government Officials through the Doha Development Agenda Short Trade Policy
Courses.  This programme is designed to train trade negotiators of WTO Members and Observers
from developing countries and economies in transition more systematically on the issues central to theDoha Development Agenda.  Its main purpose is to strengthen these countries' effective participation
in the Doha negotiations and work programme through policy analysis, a deeper understanding of the
issues involved and the range of options available.  This programme is being jointly delivered in a
tripartite relationship between the WTO, an academic center of excellence (research institution
and/or policy-oriented think tank), and a regional development bank .  Eight of these courses have
been scheduled for different regions and groups.  Two for the Latin American and Caribbean
Countries in Georgetown, USA and the University of the West Indies, in Barbados; two in Africa
(South Africa and Côte d’Ivôire); one for LDCs, in Bangladesh; one for Asia and Pacific countries in
Beijing, China; two for Central and East European, and Central Asian Countries (in Vienna, Austria
and Tibilisi, Georgia); and, finally, one for the Non-Residents.  Several of these courses areunderway, and a schedule for implementation has been developed.
6  Other valuable new products,
which have been developed, are elaborated in the proposed 2003 TA Plan.7
                                                     
6 WT/COMTD/W/104/Rev.1 (page 30).
7 WT/COMTD/W/104/Rev.1 (page 10-13).WT/GC/W/484
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D. LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2002 TA PLAN
23. Although attention has been drawn to the vital importance of the lessons in the
implementation of the 2002 TA Plan, it is useful and necessary to draw attention to these lessons yet
again as previously communicated below:
• First, demand is infinite and exceeds supply;  as a result, sorting and rationalizing are
a necessity and carefully defined strategic partnerships are indispensable;
• second, to achieve sustainability with high yield in trade capacity building, recipient
countries need to ensure that trade priorities and demands for assistance and capacitybuilding (as communicated to the WTO also) need to be integrated into their overall
development plans and strategies for poverty reduction.  This approach will also
assist beneficiary countries to increase national absorptive capacity of TA through
enhanced national co-ordination;
• third, co-ordination challenges remain acute at several levels: at the national level,
amongst agencies, and amongst bilateral donors.  Addressing this challenge must be a
key objective by TA providers and beneficiaries in the TA 2003 Plan;
• fourth, well-defined agency partnerships, careful arrangements with bilateral donors,
and building on these synergies will be essential requirements for fully responding tothe Doha commitments;
• fifth, the role of the Bretton Woods Institutions and the 6 major Regional
Development Banks are key to the implementation of the Doha TC mandates.  Theseroles turn on policy knowledge of the regi ons, intellectual contributions, and funding
support;
• sixth, recipient countries have  re-emphasized their preferred priorities in their
TA/CB requests.  Greater need has been expressed for capacity building for trade
integration (stimulating supply-side responses, export diversification, etc) relative to
capacity building for short term TA/CB for WTO negotiations.  As an agency, the
WTO cannot deliver, in this regard, except through co-ordinated arrangements with
development agencies and bilateral donors, and the recipient countries themselves;
• seventh, there is an even distribution of preferences expressed for delivery modes,
which focuses on training in short trade policy courses, training-for-trainers, WTOinternships, seminars, and workshops – all have been requested for;
• eighth, the regions of most dire need and challenge in technical co-operation and
capacity building are Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean, Central Asia, and the two
inter-regional groups of the Least-Developed Countries and the acceding countries;
• ninth, there is wide scope for improvement and acceleration in the follow-up to the
Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS) of the Integrated Framework for the
Least-Developed Countries.  There are concrete positive results but a need for
enhanced resources remain;
• tenth, technical assistance and market access are not substitutes.  Both are
complementary;WT/GC/W/484
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• eleventh, there is a threshold capacity of the WTO Secretariat to deliver TA.  This
capacity threshold was attained in 2002.  At current levels and staffing strength, the
Secretariat cannot deliver more than approximately 450 high yield and quality
activities.  Moreover, it needs to be emphasised that the Secretariat on a daily basis
provides advisory services to Member and Observer delegations, in Geneva, and by
telephone, and videoconference to capital authorities.  Members value this assistance,
which also counts as WTO technical assistance;
• finally, ad hoc activities undermine the logic and rationality of WTO TA Plans.  The
principal responsibility for addressing this challenge lies with the Secretariat, but
support from recipient countries and the membership is indispensable.
E. EVALUATION AND QUALITY AUDIT OF WTO ANNUAL TA PLANS
24. As part of Senior Management re-organization of WTO technical cooperation, initiated in
2001, the Technical Cooperation Audit Division (TCA) was created.  This Division is strictly
independent of the Technical Cooperation Division.  The TCA provides internal audit reports of
selected TA missions to WTO Senior Management and Operational Divisions on a selected basis, in
the course of the year.  It will provide a systematic and comprehensive evaluation report to the
membership in 2 to 3 months following the implemen tation of an Annual TA Plan.  (For instance, the
evaluation and audit report for the implementation of the 2002 TA Plan will be circulated to themembership in February/March 2003).
F. 2003 
TA PLAN
25. The 2003 TA Plan is the second in WTO TA Plans.  It will be key to meeting the needs of
developing and least developed countries in advance of the Cancun Ministerial Meeting.  It was
adopted by the COMTD on 22 November 2002.8  The Plan builds on, and consolidates, the gains and
progress made in the 2002 TA Plan.  With the availability of resources, the Secretariat will begin
implementation in January 2003.  This situation is a marked improvement in contrast to the 2002 TA
Plan when implementation, in reality, began in March after adoption by the membership.
26. The 2003 TA Plan is innovative in several respects.  The process of identifying the priorities
by recipient countries involved a careful half-year process of interaction with countries.  In light of thelarge number of requests received, the guiding principles applied in drawing up the Plan are clearly
spelt out.  The Plan begins by distinguishing the various (three inter-related stages) of TA, and where
WTO comparative advantage will be best applied.  To this end, in recognizing the equal utility of TA
to build capacity for the negotiations, TA to build capacity for implementation of past and future
WTO Agreements, and TA for commercial infrastructure for poverty reduction, the superiorcomparative advantage of the WTO for the first stage is underscored.  At the same time, the role of
the WTO in coordinating and championing the other stages is also acknowledged in light of the fact
that the WTO is the principal agency for multilateral trade matters.
27. In the agreed 2003 TA Plan, the emphasis in designing activities is placed on systematic,
cumulative and sustainable capacity building through training programmes of variable duration of 1 to
12 weeks.  There is focus on the DDA negotiations (as described in paragraph 22 above).
28. The Plan has designed new products such as the extended internship system, Training-of-
Trainers, regular field trade policy courses for Anglophone and Francophone Countries in Africa, the
                                                     
8 WT/COMTD/W/104/ and WT/COMTD/W/104/Rev.1 (A second revision will be issued shortly in
accordance with the adjustments to the 2003 TA Plan ag reed in the COMTD, on Friday, 22 November 2002.WT/GC/W/484
Page 12
development of a “Trade Negotiations Tool Kit for Negotiators”.  The Plan also indicates the
development of a programme orientat ion to WTO TA that is underway.
29. The priority group of countries remain the LDCs.  Nonetheless, the proposed Plan addresses
special regional challenges for countries in South Asia and Central Asia, the small island countries in
the Pacific, Africa (through the African Union a nd the New Partnership for Africa’s Development –
NEPAD), and the Caribbean.  The Plan consolidates Geneva Week for Non-Residents by confirmingthat two such weeks will be scheduled every year; and, that the Weeks will be scheduled in such a
way that they are back-to-back with meetings of Standing Bodies, in particular Negotiating Bodies
under the DDA.  As already underlined in the introduction, strategic partnerships constitute the
centrepiece of the 2003 Annual Plan (as they were for the 2002 TA Plan).
IV. COORDINATION – STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
30. In paragraph 39 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, Ministers gave clear instructions to the
Director-General on coordination with bilateral do nors, the OECD/DAC, and relevant international
and multilateral institutions.  The Director-General  was instructed to coordinate delivery of TA/CB
within a coherent policy framework and timetable.
31. Although the benefits of coordination are potentially incalculable, it remains a major
challenge.  However, since Doha, the WTO has registered significant and notable progress with
specific regard to the coordinated implementation of technical cooperation and capacity buildingcommitments in the DDA.  The search for DDA-focu sed coordination has been  approached at two
levels, namely:
• The construction of new strategic partnerships and consolidation of existing ones with
bilateral donors, regional and multilateral institutions and agencies;  and,
• improving on the implementation of existing programmes, projects and activities.
32. Overall, it can be reported that results from coordination and co-operation are proceeding
constructively, effectively and positively.
33. There are several pillars to the architecture for technical cooperation and capacity building
developed by the WTO Secretariat.  Two of these pillars are the Integrated Framework for Trade-
Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries (IF), and the Joint Integrated TechnicalAssistance Programme  for African Countries (JITAP).  The Integrated Framework has been addressed
separately under the terms of the Report mandated in the last sentence of paragraph 43 of the DDA.
A. 
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP – UNCTAD AND ITC
34. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International
Trade Centre (ITC) are engaged in a strategic partnership at several levels namely, in theimplementation of the JITAP; in the implementation of the Integrated Framework; and, in the
implementation of the DDA.  Immediately after Doha, on 23 November 2001, a meeting with the two
Heads of Agency was convened to explore ways to implement the Doha outcomes and other levels of
strategic cooperation amongst the three agencies.
35. I moved rapidly to convene a working meeting with the Heads of UNCTAD and ITC to re-
affirm the strategic partnership amongst the three organizations on 30 October 2002.  At that meeting,
the three Heads of Agency re-committed themselves to working closely together and with renewedvigour to implement the DDA, and to ensure a successful outcome to the negotiations.  The Agency
Heads agreed to work together in the coordinated delivery of technical assistance.  They underlinedWT/GC/W/484
Page 13
the importance of TA/CB in preparations for the Cancun Ministerial and in the implementation of the
DDA.  As a result of this meeting, officials from the WTO and UNCTAD are working to conclude a
Memorandum of Understanding to place specific activities on a firm, secure and predictable footing.
As stated in paragraph 38 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the work of the International Trade
Centre is valuable and should be enhanced.  Since Doha, the valuable contributions of the ITC has
been deepened and extended in its area of operations particularly with the private sector, industrygroups, export promotion bodies, and others.
36. Beyond the meeting of Agency Heads, official s from the two organizations are in constant
contact exploring ways to improve and enhance coordination, including through joint and/or
coordinated programmes.  Important gains for coordination, in this regard, were achieved on
investment and competition in 2002.
37. For instance, on 25 January 2002, the WTO Secretariat held inter-agency consultations with
UNCTAD (and other agencies such as the World Bank and the OECD).  The purpose of the meetingwas to develop enhanced inter-agency cooperation on technical cooperation and capacity building in
the field of competition policy, to explain the Doha mandate, in this regard, to other agencies, and to
seek their support and cooperation in its fulfilment.  The Secretariat also exchanged experiences on
the needs of developing countries, and the best way of meeting them and each organization's specific
technical cooperation plans, and identification of specific opportunities for cooperation andcoordination between the organizations.  The meeting was considered successful by participating
agencies.  Invited agencies underlined their support for enhanced cooperation aimed at meeting the
requirements of the Doha Declaration.  The Secretariat was able to identify complementarities
between the types of technical assistance provided by the various organizations of which advantage
could be taken.  A significant number of specific possibilities for cooperation, in the form of jointactivities, mutual support for each other's activities, and coordinated activities were identified,
especially with UNCTAD.  It was also agreed that  inter-agency cooperation had to be viewed as an
on-going process and that representatives of the various organizations would remain in contact with
each other on a regular basis and exchange information on upcoming events.  As a result of this
meeting, the activities in the 2002 WTO TA Plan on competition policy were coordinated withUNCTAD.  Similar arrangements were also coordinated in the area of investment.  These contacts
were maintained throughout the year and will be enhanced in 2003.
38. The JITAP, a mechanism for trade capacity building, binds the WTO, ITC and UNCTAD.  It
is a successful programme, which has recently b een reviewed with recommendations made for its
enhancement, including its extension.  Donors are keenly exploring practical steps to effectcomplementarity between the Integrated Framework for the LDCs and the JITAP.  These efforts need
to be intensified for reasons of efficiency, greater impact and effectiveness for the recipient countries.
Efforts need to be related to the overriding objective to use trade to reduce poverty and achieve
development goals.
B. 
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP – OECD /DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE (DAC)
39. The OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) is the institutional forum for bilateral
donors – the principal providers of aid and technical assistance.  Immediately after Doha, the WTOtogether with the OECD/DAC Secretariat moved to  initiate a meeting between the OECD/DAC and
the core agencies of the Integrated Framework (the core multilateral economic agencies in the
provision of TA/CB).  The meeting was held on 17-18 January 2002 at the OECD, in Paris, as a
specific response to paragraph 39 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.  The meeting established the
basis for shaping and promoting a coordinated international response for TA/CB pursuant to theDDA.WT/GC/W/484
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40. The meeting delivered a clear message on the strategic and urgent importance of meeting the
short-term trade capacity building needs of developing countries, while developing a long-term,
system-wide strategy for effective integration of the trade and development agendas.  The joint
development of the Doha Development Agenda Tr ade-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity
Building Database, with the inputs from other TA prov iders, is a practical aspect of this collaborative
enterprise.9  A follow-up second meeting was held on 28-29 November.  The meeting focused on the
Doha Development Agenda: Implementation Progress and Challenges for Capacity Building.  The
meeting demonstrated not only actual progress made, but an improvement of the trade/development
community dialogue10 – per se  a critical objective of the DDA commitment on technical cooperation
and capacity building.
41. The Joint WTO/OECD DDA trade capacity building database requires special mention.  It
has been established as a key element in the post-Doha WTO architecture for technical cooperation
and capacity building.  The database was formally launched on the margins of the OECD MinisterialMeeting held in May 2002 in Paris, by the Secretary-General of the OECD and the Director-General
of the WTO.  At several Working Group Meetings of the Country and Agency Providers involved, a
negotiated agreement was reached on the common objectives as hereunder:
• Transparency of TRTA delivered;
• exchange and sharing of information;
• minimization and/or avoidance of duplication;
• estimation of progress in the implementation of the Doha Mandates on technical
cooperation and capacity building;
• coordination and coherence to meet the objectives of the report mandated in para.41
of the Doha Declaration;  and,
• to enable developing and least developed country recipients to use the database to
facilitate their management of their national technical assistance and capacitybuilding needs.
42. An important element of the progress that has already been made is agreement on the
definition of comparable trade-related technical assistance and capacity building categories that willbe used in the Doha Development Agenda Trade-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building
Database (DDADB).  The database gives practical effect to the mandate for inter-Agency coordinated
and coherent delivery of technical assistance established in the Doha Ministerial Declaration.
Furthermore, this Database has provided an important input for the present Interim Report. The
information in the database will be updated for the 5
th WTO Ministerial Conference.  The server for
the Database is "housed" in the WTO.11
C. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP – THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS  AND UN REGIONAL
ECONOMIC COMMISSIONS
43. Involvement of the Regional Development Banks (RDBs) was one of the strategic responses
of the WTO for the implementation of the Doha Development Agenda, as stated in paragraph 2 (v) of
                                                     
9 Report of the meeting is contained the Joint OECD/WTO letter, dated 18 February 2002.
10 The Report of the meeting will shortly be circulated.
11 The WTO Secretariat acknowledges with apprecia tion the funding provided by the UK Department
for International Development (DFID) for the database.WT/GC/W/484
Page 15
the 2002 WTO TA Plan.  In order to help build strategic alliances with RDBs, the former Director-
General convened a meeting, on 3 May 2002, with Heads and Representatives of the African
Development Bank, Arab Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, Islamic Developm ent Bank and the Inter-American Development
Bank.  Also participating in the meeting were representatives from the World Bank and NEPAD.  The
purpose of the meeting was to explore and identify ways in which RDBs could contribute to WTOtechnical cooperation and capacity building.   The discussions reaffirmed inter alia the importance of
closer cooperation between RDBs and the WTO. Upon  the conclusion of the meeting, a note on the
issues that emerged from the discussions between the Heads and Representatives of the participating
organisations was communicated to the WTO membership.  Following this first meeting, officials
from the WTO Secretariat and five RDBs met on 3 October 2002 to explore practical ways to jointly
implement technical cooperation and capacity building activities.
12
44. In light of these discussions, collaboration with the Regional Development Banks will focus
on several key areas.  First, negotiation-focused training is an important area.  Special courses – the
DDA Advanced Training Courses for Senior Government Officials – have been developed.  These are
intensive two week courses, modelled on a course at Georgetown University, which the WTO jointly
delivers with the Organization of American States (OAS), with US grant funding.  The RDBs are
participating in these courses not only by providing matching contributions, but also in providingresource persons with regional perspectives.  There are eight such courses, distributed in eight
different regions.
45. Second, implementation and practical follow-up to  the results of diagnostic trade integration
studies under the Integrated Framework, focused on the least-developed countries, is an area of
weakness.  Engagement by the RDBs, particularly by the African Development Bank, the AsianDevelopment Bank, and Arab Monetary Fund, will be necessary.  These RDBs are present in regions
with the greatest number of LDCs.  Their meanin gful engagement, including financial support, is
essential to complement the efforts of the World Bank, the lead agency for trade mainstreaming  under
the Integrated Framework.
46. Third, WTO's comparative advantage in technical cooperation is limited to building effective
capacity for trade negotiations, and to implement agreements.  However, developing and least
developed countries have placed strong emphasis on commercial infrastructure for trade integration,
i.e., TA that would enable them to generate ap propriate supply-side responses and to draw on the
benefits of an open, rules-based multilateral trading system.  RDBs and development agencies are
better placed than the WTO to provide such technical cooperation. In this regard, the RDBs arefavourably disposed to working with the WTO to respond to country needs and priorities in
strengthening commercial infrastructure for trade integration.  As a first step, participating RDBs have
agreed to periodically notify the WTO of their financial instruments related to trade.  This will in turn
enable the WTO Secretariat to inform Members of opportunities in RDBs for grant and non-grant
funding for trade-related technical assistance and capacity building, including for commercial
infrastructure.
47. Fourth, meetings between trade and finance ministers to improve on coherence are necessary
in order to ensure that countries mainstream  trade into their development plans and strategies for
poverty reduction, have unified national positions in the negotiations, and implement agreements to
which they are party.   So far, in the discussions that have been held, RDBs have indicated their
readiness to convene such meetings in their re gions, and to invite the WTO to participate.
                                                     
12 The five participating Regional Development Banks were: African Development Bank; Asian
Development Bank; European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and Inter-American Development
Bank.WT/GC/W/484
Page 16
48. Finally,  it is essential for the RDBs in partnership with the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) to provide policy-relevant advise and support for countries who may experience immediate
fiscal revenue pressures following tariff liberalization.
49. The WTO Secretariat is also currently working closely with the UN Regional Economic
Commissions (RECs).
D. EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS AND MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING (MOUS )
50. The Secretariat remains attentive to consolidating existing partnerships, which continue to
yield satisfactory results.13  The Secretariat is also seeking further partnerships.
51. There is a Cooperation Agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO). The WTO has signed formal agreements with the following intergovernmental
organizations: the International Monetary Fund (I MF), the International Telecommunications Union
(ITU), the World Bank, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  In addition, three
cooperation agreements/arrangements have been concluded through an exchange of letters betweenthe Director-General of the WTO and the Agency Head, namely the Office International des
Epizooties (OIE), the United Nations (UN), and the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP).  These agreements/arrangements establish, inter alia , the conditions for the exchange of
information - in some cases, including access to databases - and if applicable, collaboration in the
planning and delivery of TA activities.
52. Efforts to establish framework agreements with the World Customs Organization and UNIDO
are in progress.  Nevertheless, the practical discussions are underway to identify joint activities for
execution with these organizations.  The WTO Secretariat is also working in cooperation with other
agencies including the International Development Law Institute (IDLI).
53. As part of the 2003 TA Plan, outsourcing arrangements are been explored with several
organizations.  The substantive results of these exploratory discussions will be reported to the
membership at appropriate periods.
V. CONCLUSION
54. I am confident in reporting to the Membership  that the technical cooperation and capacity
building commitments undertaken by the membership at Doha, is an area where there has beendemonstrably meaningful progress.  There is yet scope for improvement.  The progress that has been
made, however, is one that enables the membership to proceed with the DDA negotiations and the
Work Programme.  2002 was a transitional year in WTO technical cooperation.  A first-ever Annual
Plan was adopted.  The Secretariat is deeply encouraged by the support it has received from the
membership, multilateral and regional agencies.  The adopted 2003 TA Plan will build on what wasachieved in 2002.  My objective as Director-General is to establish a solid basis for WTO technical
cooperation that goes beyond the Doha Negotiations and Work Programme.  My objective is to
establish a WTO technical cooperation programme that is part of the international consensus with
                                                     
13 The list of active (in force) Memoranda of Understanding, which the WTO Secretariat has circulated
are with:  The Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Communauté Economique et
Monetaire de l’Afrique Central (CEMAC), Inter American Development Bank (IDB), Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (IGAD), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International TelecommunicationsUnion (ITU), Republic of Singapore, Secretaria de Integracion Economica Centro-Americana (SIECA/IADB),
South Pacific Forum (FORSEC), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United NationsEconomic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), United Nations Economic and SocialCommission for Western Asia (ESCWA), United Natio ns Environment Programme (UNEP), University of
Salamanca (UoS), World Bank (WB), and Worl d Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).WT/GC/W/484
Page 17
regard to poverty reduction, integration and development of the least-developed and developing
countries.  Since Doha, at various international conferences, such as the Monterrey Summit on
Financing for Development and the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD), the Doha Development Agenda was transformed from a trade agenda into a global agenda.
My objective, therefore, is to lay the foundation that will ensure that WTO technical cooperation and
capacity building contribute to the global agenda: the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),growth, integration and sustainable development.
55. I will forward a final report, for the purposes of paragraph 41 of the Doha Ministerial
Declaration, to Ministers at the 5
th WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancun, Mexico, 10-14 September
2003.
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