WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/WGTI/W/135
7 August 2002
(02-4347)
Working Group on the Relationship
between Trade and Investment
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH 21
OF THE DOHA MINISTERIAL DECLARATION
Note by the Secretariat
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Paragraph 21 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration recognizes the needs of developing and
least-developed countries for enhanced support for technical assistance and capacity building in the
area of the Relationship between Trade and Investment, including policy analysis and development so
that they may better evaluate the implications of closer multilateral cooperation for their developmentpolicies and objectives, and human and institutional development.  It commits the WTO to work in
cooperation with other relevant intergovernmental organisations, including UNCTAD, and through
appropriate regional and bilateral channels, to provide strengthened and adequately resourced
assistance to respond to these needs.
2. In responding to this mandate, and following informal consultations in the Working Group in
January and February 2002, the Secretariat drew up a plan of technical assistance activities for 2002,
to be undertaken in cooperation with UNCTAD.  The plan was circulated inWT/COMTD/W/95/Rev.3.  The Secretariat has reported at each meeting of the Working Group on its
implementation of technical assistance activities.  This Note provides further information for
delegations on progress in fulfilling the mandate contained in Paragraph 21 of the Doha Ministerial
Declaration.
II. ORGANISATION OF ACTIVITIES AND COOPERATION WITH OTHER
INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS.
3. The plan of technical assistance activities on the Relationship between Trade and Investment
contained in WT/COMTD/W/95/Rev.3 was drawn up on the basis of requests from individual WTO
Members for technical assistance, of informal consultations in the Working Group, of consultations in
the UNCTAD Commission on Invest ment, Technology and Related Financial Issues, and of
collaboration with UNCTAD to identify how joint WTO/UNCTAD activities could most effectively
and efficiently respond to the needs identified by Members and to the mandate contained in Paragraph
21 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.  This plan of joint technical assistance activities with
UNCTAD was included in the UNCTAD Secretary-General's Report on "Capacity Building and
Technical Cooperation for Developing Countries, especially LDCs, and Economies in Transition in
Support of their Participation in WTO Doha Wo rk Programme" (UNCTAD/ RMS/TCS of 1 February
2002).This 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/135
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4. In collaboration with UNCTAD, the Secretariat has offered four types of joint technical
assistance activity in 2002:
• 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 tofollow and participate effectively in the work of the Working Group under Paragraph 22 of the
Doha Ministerial Declaration.
• 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
cooperation in the area of the Relationship between Trade and Investment for their development
policies and objectives.
• 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 or
regional activities.
• Training courses  for negotiators of international investment agreements.  This is a well-
established UNCTAD activity.  Since the beginning of 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 human development (training) of officials in this
area.
5. On this basis, the plan of activities contained in WT/COMTD/W/95/Rev.3 was drawn up and
circulated to delegations.  The WTO and UNCTAD Secretariats undertook follow-up contacts with
delegations to confirm or amend the planned activities.  In light of those contacts, the list of activities
that has been carried out jointly with UNCTAD to da te, and that is scheduled for the remainder of this
year, is contained in the Annex to this Note.  Priority has been given to meeting the needs of least-
developed country Members.
6. All WTO technical assistance activities in this area have been planned and carried out jointly
with UNCTAD.  It was expected that the activities would be undertaken on a cost-sharing basis with
UNCTAD (approximately 50-50).  Thanks to generous  financial and logistical support from other
intergovernmental organisations with which the WTO Secretariat is collaborating, notably the Inter-
American Development Bank, from individual WTO Members for certain specific technical
assistance activities, and from the WTO's Global Trust Fund, no difficulties have been encountered bythe WTO Secretariat in meeting its commitmen ts.  However, the UNCTAD Secretariat has
encountered financial constraints, and has brought these to the attention of the Working Group as well
as the UNCTAD Commission on Invest ment, Technology and Related Financial Issues.  Nonetheless,
it is anticipated that the remaining technical assistance activities scheduled for 2002 will be carried
out as planned.
III. PROGRAMME FOR 2003
7. 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 list of technical assistance activities in this area to be carried out
jointly with UNCTAD in 2003.  In addition to UNCTAD, the Secretariat will continue to collaboratewith other relevant intergovernmental organisations.  The list is based on the same four types of
activity undertaken in 2002, and it includes regional activities for African, Asian, Caribbean, Central
and Eastern European, Latin American and Middle-Eastern countries, a certain number of national
seminars, and workshops for Geneva-based delegates and officials visiting from capitals.  Priority willWT/WGTI/W/135
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continue to be given to meeting the needs of least-developed country Members.  The list will be
included in the overall programme of WTO technical assistance activities for 2003 and circulated to
delegations in due course.
IV. ASSESSMENT
8. 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.  The activities have been viewed as relevant and useful to the responsibilities of
participating officials, and as having been carried out competently and effectively by the WTO and
UNCTAD Secretariats.  Nonetheless, 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 foreign investmentand international investment agreements.  Efforts are being made to address these two issues.
9. From the point of view of the WTO Secretariat, one of the main challenges that has emerged
in satisfying the needs of participants is the fact that, given the nature of the subject-matter,
participating officials come from a range of different government department 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 too.WT/WGTI/W/135
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ANNEX 1
Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building Activities for 2002
and Provisional List of Activities Scheduled Tentatively for 2003
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
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 fromcapitals, coinciding with WGTI
meeting21, 22 Technical Workshop UNCTAD 2 July 2002 Switzerland (Geneva)WT/WGTI/W/135
Page 5TopicsDoha 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 October 2002 Peru (Lima)
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD October 2002 Colombia (Bogota)
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD October 2002 Venezuela
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD October 2002 Guatemala
Training for Geneva
Delegations/Officials visiting fromcapitals, coinciding with WGTImeeting21, 22 Technical Workshop
(Spanish)UNCTAD 13 November 2002 Switzerland (Geneva)
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD November 2002 Sri Lanka
Intensive Training Course for Asia and
the Pacific21, 22 Training Course UNCTAD Nov/Dec 2002 India (New Delhi)
Regional Seminar for English-speaking
Africa21, 22 Regional Seminar UNCTAD November 2002 Botswana (Gaborone)
Trade and Investment 21, 22 National Seminar UNCTAD 17-19 December Tunisia
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