WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/WGTI/W/151
29 October 2002
(02-5911)
Working Group on the Relationship
between Trade and Investment
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES IN 2002 PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH 21
OF THE DOHA MINISTERIAL DECLARATION
Note by the Secretariat
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The Secretariat has reported on the implementation of its technical assistance activities at
each meeting of the Working Group in 2002 under Item A of the agenda.  Summaries of these reports,and of Members’ statements on this issue, are contained in WT/WGTI/M/17, 18 and 19.  In addition,
the Secretariat prepared and circulated to the Working Group a Note on its technical assistance
activities in the first half of 2002 (WT/WGTI/W/135).
2. This Note has been prepared in response to a request made in the Working Group at its
meeting on 16-18 September 2002 for a summary and assessment by the Secretariat of its technical
assistance activities carried out in 2002 pursuant to Paragraph 21 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.
It provides information also on the Secretariat's planned activities for 2003.
II. THE 2002 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PLAN ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
TRADE AND INVESTMENT
3. In response to the mandate contained in Paragraph 21 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration,
informal consultations were held in the Working Group in January-February 2002 on a Secretariat
programme of technical assistance activities on the relationship between trade and investment for2002, to be undertaken jointly with UNCTAD.  The programme was drawn up on the basis of
requests from individual WTO Members for technical assistance, informal consultations in the
Working Group, consultations in the UNCTAD Comm ission on Investment, Technology and Related
Financial Issues, and collaboration with the UNCTAD Secretariat to identify how joint activities
could most effectively and efficiently respond to the needs identified by Members and to theMinisterial mandate.  Preference was given to accommodating Members’ requests through regional
activities where possible, since national seminars are far more resource intensive from the
Secretariat’s point of view.  The resulting plan of technical assistance activities for 2002 was
incorporated in WT/COMTD/W/95/Rev.3, and in the Report of the Secretary-General of UNCTADThis document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own
responsibility and without prejudice to the positions of Members
and to their rights and obligations under the WTOWT/WGTI/W/151
Page 2
on "Capacity Building and Technical Co-operation fo r Developing Countries, especially LDCs, and
Economies in Transition in Support of their Participation in WTO Doha Work Programme".1
4. The WTO and UNCTAD Secretariats followed up with individual delegations during the
course of the year to confirm or amend the list of planned activities.  The majority of activities
foreseen in WT/COMTD/W/95/Rev.3 were confirmed.  Six of the national seminars that wereforeseen for 2002 were cancelled or postponed until 2003, following consultations with the
delegations concerned.
III. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  ACTIVITIES IN 2002
A. A
CTIVITIES
5. Annex 1 to this Note lists the technical assistance activities on the relationship between trade
and investment that will have been carried out by the end of 2002. All activities are carried out jointly
with UNCTAD and fall into four categories:
• Technical workshops  for Geneva-based delegations and officials visiting from capitals,
scheduled to coincide with meetings of the Working Group and designed to help delegations toparticipate effectively in work under Paragraph 22 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.  The
workshops are limited to a maximum of 30 participants each.  By the end of the year, four
workshops will have taken place:  one regular workshop each in English2, French and Spanish,
and one special workshop for English-speaking African countries for which financing has beenprovided so as to allow capital-based officials to travel to Geneva to participate in the workshop
and in the subsequent meeting of the Working Group.
• Regional seminars  designed to assist capital-based officials to follow the work of the Working
Group under Paragraph 22 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, and to undertake policy analysisand development so that they may better evaluate  the implications of closer multilateral co-
operation in the area of the Relationship between Trade and Investment for their developmentpolicies and objectives.  By the end of the year, si x regional seminars will have taken place:  one
in Central America, one in South America, two in Asia and two in Africa.
• National seminars  for Member countries that request technical assistance in this area for a large
number of capital-based officials, and whose need cannot be satisfied through Geneva-based orregional activities.  By the end of the year, eight national seminars will have taken place.  It
should be noted that the regional seminars also offer an opportunity for officials and private sector
participants from the host country to participate in significant numbers.
• Training courses  for negotiators of international investment agreements.  This is a well-
established UNCTAD activity.  In 2002, a section of each training course has been devoted to the
issues listed in Paragraph 22 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration with a view to responding to the
needs of WTO Members for training of officials in this area.  By the end of the year, four training
courses will have taken place, one in Latin America, one in Asia, and two in Africa.
                                                     
1 UNCTAD/RMS/TCS of 1 February 2002.
2 As indicated in WT/WGTI/INF/2, because of the large number of delegations whose preferred
working language is English it has been necessary to provide two workshops in English;  the second workshop
in English is scheduled to take place in conjunction with the first meeting of the Working Group in 2003.WT/WGTI/W/151
Page 3
B. PROGRAMME
6. A standard WTO/UNCTAD programme, consisting of the seven elements identified in
Paragraph 22 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, has been used for all four categories of activity
carried out in 2002.  The background documentation distributed to participants has consisted of the
Secretariat Notes prepared for the Working Group, Members’ submissions to the Working Group, andrelevant UNCTAD publications in the series “Issues in International Investment Agreements”.
Presentations to participants have been shared between the WTO and UNCTAD Secretariats.  For
certain activities academic consultants with expertise in the field of international investment
agreements have also been invited to make presentations.  Time is set aside for question and answer
periods, and an effort is made to encourage a discussion among participants on their own national and
regional experiences with international investment agreements and on the implications of closer
multilateral co-operation in this area for their development policies and objectives.
7. Some modifications have been made to the programme during the course of the year, in light
of comments received by participants and the experience gained by both Secretariats.  A general
presentation on Paragraph 22 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration has been introduced so as to inform
participants of the context in which the Working Group is discussing the seven specific elements
mentioned, and of other issues that have been raised (e.g., FDI and the transfer of technology).  Also,a session has been included in the regional seminars and training programmes on the broad,
development implications of international investment agreements, which go beyond the factors
covered in the presentation on the specific issue of “Development Provisions".  Recently, the practice
has been introduced of circulating questions to participants in advance of each activity so as to help
focus and facilitate a more interactive discussion.
C. P
ARTICIPATION
8. The WTO and UNCTAD Secretariats are aiming to ensure that the largest number of
activities possible, given the resources available, is offered to the least-developed countries and other
low income countries whose needs in this area are felt to be the greatest.  By the end of 2002, four
regional activities will have taken place in Africa, and three each in Asia and Latin America.  The
special technical workshop for English-speaking, capital-based African officials is intended to
respond to the particular need of African countries for enhanced support to participate effectively in
the Working Group.  A second workshop of this kind, for French-speaking African countries, will be
organized in 2003.  Also, the current programme of regional seminars and training courses will be
repeated for African countries in the first half of 2003.
9. The activities undertaken in 2002 have not covered all WTO Members.  Activities that
respond to the needs of countries in the Caribbean, West Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe aretherefore being proposed as a matter of priority in the technical assistance programme for 2003.
10. By the end of 2002, the Secretariat estimates that about 500 officials and a substantial number
of private sector representatives will have participated in one or more of the technical assistance
activities in this field.  Over 80 officials will have participated in the Geneva-based workshops, and
over 400 officials will have participated in one or more of the regional and national seminars andtraining courses.  About half of these officials represent African countries, around 150 represent Asian
countries, and around 100 represent countries in Latin America.
D. F
INANCING
11. A special effort has been made throughout to maximise the cost-effectiveness of the
programme of technical assistance activities.  In this regard, the WTO Secretariat benefited greatlyfrom UNCTAD’s previous experience of organising regional events in this field.  The Secretariat isWT/WGTI/W/151
Page 4
grateful also for the generous support it has received from the governments that have hosted the
activities.
12. By the end of 2002, twenty-three separate technical assistance activities will have been
completed (see Annex 1).  Aside from cost of participation of WTO staff in these activities, the WTO
will have been involved in financing four of the twenty-two activities in 2002, in whole or in part,from the Global Trust Fund.  The WTO is covering in full the costs of the seminars in Thailand,
Gabon and Botswana, at a total cost of about SwF300,000.  The WTO is also partially financing from
the Global Trust Fund the special technical workshop in Geneva for officials from English-speaking
African countries, at an estimated cost to the WTO of about SwF50,000.
13. The regional seminar for Asia was financed by the Government of Singapore.  The regional
seminars for Central and South America were fi nanced by the Inter-American Development Bank
(IDB/INTAL).  The special technical workshop in Geneva for officials from English-speaking African
countries is partially financed by the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA).  The
financial support that has been received from these sources was not anticipated at the time the
technical assistance programme was planned and agreed on earlier this year, and there can be no
expectation that it will necessarily be repeated in 2003.
14. The training courses in Africa, Latin America and Asia were financed by, or through,
UNCTAD.  This was anticipated at the time the technical assistance programme was planned and
agreed on earlier this year.  While it is now expected that UNCTAD will indeed be able to proceed as
planned in financing these activities for 2002, UNCTAD has experienced serious difficulties during
the year in securing additional financing for activities based on Paragraph 21 of the Doha Ministerial
Declaration.  These difficulties have been brought to the attention of the Working Group as well asthe UNCTAD Commission on Investment, Tec hnology and Related Financial Issues.
IV. PROGRAMME FOR 2003
15. On the basis of requests received from WTO Members, and bearing in mind the need to give
priority to regional activities where possible in the interest of using scarce resources efficiently, the
Secretariat has drawn up a tentative plan of technical assistance activities in this area to be carried outjointly with UNCTAD in 2003. In addition to UNCTAD, the Secretariat will continue to collaborate
with other relevant intergovernmental organizations.
16. The plan is included in the proposed overall programme of WTO technical assistance
activities for 2003.  Annex 2 lists the specific technical assistance activities on Trade and Investment,
as contained in WT/COMTD/W/104/Rev.1. The list is based on the same four types of activity
undertaken in 2002.  It includes regional activities for African, Asian, Caribbean, Central and Eastern
European, Latin American and Middle-Eastern countries, a certain number of national seminars, andworkshops for Geneva-based delegates and officials visiting from capitals.  Priority will continue to
be given to meeting the needs of least-developed and other low-income country Members.
V.          ASSESSMENT
17. The planned schedule of activities for 2002, as modified mid-year through contacts with
delegations, will have been fully carried out by the end of the year.  The plan for 2003 envisages asimilar number and structure of activities.  All requests to the Secretariat from Members for technical
assistance activities in this area have been factored into the plan of activities for 2002 and/or 2003.
By the middle of 2003, all regions and several sub-regions will have been covered by the technical
assistance programme:  eight regional activities will have been carried out for officials from Africa,
five for officials from Latin America and the Caribbean, four for officials from Asia, and one each forofficials from East Asia and the Middle East and from Central and Eastern Europe.WT/WGTI/W/151
Page 5
18. The WTO and UNCTAD Secretariats carry out assessments of each technical assistance
activity based on written comments by participants, and adjust the programme of future events in light
of the comments made.  By and large, the response of participants to the activities carried out to date
has been positive, and the level of satisfaction of participants has improved over the course of the
year, as reported in the Participants Evaluation Form.  On the basis of the forms received to date, 76percent of participants felt the technical assistance activity delivered had achieved its objective, and
78 percent said they were satisfied with the results.  90 percent felt the activities had been carried out
competently and effectively by the WTO and UNCTAD Secretariats.  Generally, the activities have
been viewed as relevant and useful to the responsibilities of participating officials.
19. However, as stated in WT/WGTI/W/135, two issues have been flagged consistently:  the
duration of the seminars and workshops is considered insufficient to cover the ground in detail, and
requests have been made for more references to specific regional and national experience with foreigninvestment and international investment agreements.  As regards the first of these issues, time is a
constraining factor for both the WTO and UNCTAD Secretariats and for participating officials.
Efforts have been made to address the second issu e in the last two regional seminars, and in the
Geneva Workshop for English-speaking African countries, by nominating a regional expert to make a
presentation and to participate in the discussion.
20. From the point of view of the WTO Secretariat, one of the main challenges to satisfying the
needs of participants that has emerged is the fa ct that, given the nature of the subject-matter,
participating officials come from a range of different government departments other than the Ministry
of Trade (e.g., Central Banks, Ministries of Finance, Commerce, and Industry, and Investment
Promotion Agencies) and many of them have very little familiarity with the WTO and its Agreements.Efforts are being made to address this issue, by  providing participants with information on the
functions and features of the WTO and its Agreements and how they relate to the relationship
between trade and investment.
21. Several issues related to the Secretariat’s technical assistance activities have been raised in the
Working Group by Members during the course of the year.  The following few paragraphs aim torespond to Members’ concerns or comments in this regard.
22. The WTO Secretariat’s ability to staff the programme of technical assistance activities in this
area was reinforced through the recruitment of one professional staff member in June 2002, to work
solely on the issue of technical assistance.  Nonetheless, staffing remains a problem, and it is a clear
constraint for the Secretariat in envisaging any expansion of the current programme of activities.
23. The Secretariat has co-operated closely with UNCTAD in carrying out jointly the programme
of activities for 2002 and in drawing up the plan of activities for 2003.  Co-operation has beenexcellent.  In view of the difficulties UNCTAD has encountered in financing its share of the cost of
the joint activities in 2002, the WTO Secretariat is supporting UNCTAD's efforts to ensure that
similar difficulties do not recur in 2003.
24. The WTO and UNCTAD Secretariats have co-operated in 2002 with the following
international and regional organizations:  Ag ence de la Francophonie, APEC, Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB/INTAL), Secretaria  General de la Comunidad Andina, Banco
Centroamericano de Integracion Economica, and SADC.
25. To the extent possible, the WTO/UNCTAD technical assistance programme has been
designed to avoid duplication or overlap with similar initiatives undertaken by Members and other
inter-governmental organizations.  However, the Secretariat still lacks comprehensive information onthese initiatives, and it would welcome information from Members on any activities they have already
planned for 2003.WT/WGTI/W/151
Page 6
26. The Secretariat has increased the involvement of practitioners and national and regional
experts in its programme of activities in 2002, and intends to continue this practice in 2003.  For
example, a COMEX representative participated in th e activity in Costa Rica, and the Director General
of the Secretaría General de la Comunidad Andina  and the Head of the Investment Unit of CEPAL
participated in the activity in Lima.WT/WGTI/W/151
Page 7Annex 1
Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building Activities held in 2002
TopicsDoha TC/CB
MandateActivity Cooperation with Dates Venue
Intensive Training Course for English-
speaking Africa21, 22 Training Course UNCTAD 18-29 March 2002 South Africa (Pretoria)
Regional Seminar for Asia 21, 22 Regional Seminar UNCTAD/Singapore 6-8 May 2002 Singapore
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Workshop UNCTAD 13-14 May 2002 China (Beijing)
OECD Technical Workshop 21, 22 Technical Workshop OECD 15-20 May 2002 Hong Kong, China
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD 16 May 2002 Indonesia (Jakarta)
APEC Workshop on Regional and
Bilateral Investment Rules/Agreements21, 22 Technical Workshop APEC 17-18 May 2002 Mexico (Mérida)
Intensive Training Course for French-
speaking Africa21, 22 Training Course UNCTAD/Agence de
la Francophonie27 May-6 June
2002Egypt (Alexandria)
Regional Seminar for French-speaking
Africa21, 22 Regional Seminar UNCTAD 19-21 June 2002 Gabon (Libreville)
Regional Policy Seminar 21, 22 Regional Seminar Thailand 27 June 2002 Thailand (Bangkok)
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar Thailand 28 June 2002 Thailand (Bangkok)
Training for Geneva
Delegations/Officials visiting from
capitals, coinciding with WGTImeeting21, 22 Technical Workshop
(English)UNCTAD 2 July 2002 Switzerland (Geneva)WT/WGTI/W/151
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TopicsDoha TC/CB
MandateActivity Cooperation with Dates Venue
Regional Seminar for Central America 21, 22 Regional Seminar UNCTAD / IDB 12-13 August 2002 Costa Rica (San José)
Training for Geneva
Delegations/Officials visiting from
capitals, coinciding with WGTImeeting21, 22 Technical Workshop
(French)UNCTAD 13 September 2002 Switzerland (Geneva)
Regional seminar for South America
and Intensive Training Course for LatinAmerica21, 22 Training Course UNCTAD / IDB 7-8 October 2002 Peru (Lima)
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD 24-25 October
2002Venezuela (Caracas)
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD 28-29 October
2002Guatemala (Guatemala
City)
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD 21-22 November
2002Sri Lanka (Colombo)
Training for Geneva
Delegations/Officials visiting fromcapitals, coinciding with WGTImeeting21, 22 Technical Workshop
(Spanish)UNCTAD 29 November 2002 Switzerland (Geneva)
Intensive Training Course for Asia and
the Pacific21, 22 Training Course UNCTAD Nov/Dec 2002 India (New Delhi)
Workshop on the Relationship between
Trade and Investment for English-speaking African countries21, 22 Technical Workshop UNCTAD / JICA 1-2 December 2002 Switzerland (Geneva)
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD December 2002
(provisional)Colombia (Bogota)
Regional Seminar for English-speaking
Africa21, 22 Regional Seminar UNCTAD December 2002
(provisional)Botswana (Gaborone)
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD 17-19 December Tunisia (Tunis)WT/WGTI/W/151
Page 9
Annex 2
Provisional List of Activities Scheduled for 2003
Region Venue Topics Activity Dates
Global Geneva Trade and Investment for Geneva-
based delegatesWorkshop 1st quarter
2003
Global Geneva Trade and Investment for Geneva-
based delegatesWorkshop 2nd quarter
2003
Global Geneva Trade and Investment for Geneva-
based delegatesWorkshop 3rd quarter
2003
Global Geneva Trade and Investment for Geneva-
based delegatesWorkshop To be
confirmed
Africa Egypt UNCTAD Intensive Training
Course on Trade and Investment
for French-speaking AfricaTraining Course To be
confirmed
Africa South Africa UNCTAD Intensive Training
Course on Trade and Investmentfor English-speaking AfricaTraining Course To be
confirmed
Africa Djibouti Trade and Investment Issues for
English-speaking AfricancountriesRegional Workshop To be
confirmed
Arab andMiddle EastQatar Trade and Investment for Arab
and Middle East CountriesRegional Workshop To be
confirmed
Asia / Pacific Pakistan Trade and Investment for Central
and Western AsiaRegional Workshop To be
confirmed
CEECACs Lithuania Trade and Investment for Central
and Eastern EuropeRegional Workshop To be
confirmed
Latin America
and the
CaribbeanJamaica Trade and Investment for
Caribbean CountriesRegional Workshop To be
confirmed
Latin America
and the
CaribbeanMexico Trade and Investment for Latin
American CountriesRegional Workshop To be
confirmed
National Argentina Trade and Investment National Workshop To be
confirmed
National Cuba Trade and Investment Issues National Workshop To be
confirmed
National Kuwait Competition Policy and Trade and
Investment IssuesNational Workshop To be
confirmed
National Morocco Trade and Investment National Workshop To be
confirmed
National  Romania Trade and Investment National Workshop To be
confirmed
National Yemen Trade and Investment Issues National Workshop To be
confirmed
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