RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/COMTD/W/23
3February 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-0459)
Committee onTrade andDevelopment
Fourteenth Session
17February 1997
ANASSESSMENT OFTECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING
Note bytheSecretariat
I. Introduction
Atthethirteenth meeting oftheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment, theSecretariat was
asked toprovide more qualitative information andanalysis ontechnical cooperation andtraining, which
would allow tobetter assess itseffectiveness andtheextent towhich theactivities meettheneeds of
thebeneficiary countries. Theadditional information thattheSecretariat wasrequested togather should
alsoinclude anidentification ofthedifficulties developing countries encounter indischarging their
obligations under themultilateral disciplines oftheWTO.
Thisdocument isbased ontheexperiences gathered through national andregional seminars,
workshops andWTO participation inconferences, discussions intheCommittee onTrade and
DevelopmentandotherWTOcommittees,repliestothequestionnairethatwascirculatedbytheChairman
oftheCommittee, fact-finding missions, information provided through focal points indeveloping
countries aswellasonwritten contributions fromtheoperational WTO Divisions whohaveprovided
technical assistance intheirspecific areas ofcompetence.
II. Keyobjectives oftechnical cooperation andtraining
Theguidelines forWTO Technical Cooperation adopted bytheCommittee onTrade and
Development on15October 1996 identified twokeyobjectives:
-Assist inthefullintegration ofbeneficiaries intothemultilateral trading system andcontribute
totheexpansion oftheirtrade;
-Strengthenandenhanceinstitutionalandhumancapacitiesinthepublicsectorforanappropriate
participationinthemultilateraltradingsystem;wheneverpossibleandinconsultationwiththegovernment
concerned, capacity building activities could include representatives oftheprivate sector.
Inorder tomeetthese objectives, theWTO Secretariat hasseveral instruments atitsdisposal
todeliver technical cooperation, which werediscussed indocument WT/COMTD/W/14 add.1. While
some instruments mayseem more appropriate forreaching oneoranother objective, alltechnical
cooperation instruments aregeared toachieving thetwoobjectives simultaneously.WT/COMTD/W/23
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Technical cooperation isdemand driven andtheWTO thusexercises flexibility tobesttailor
thetechnical cooperation activities totheneeds andpriorities ofindividual countries, groups ofcountries
orregions, taking intoaccount theirlevelofdevelopment. Thisflexibility ismostly usedthrough the
choice ininstruments, thenature oftheactivity, itsduration andlocation ofimplementation. A
comprehensiveassessmentoftheeffectivenessoftechnicalcooperationshouldthereforetakeintoaccount
therequirements, objectives andexpectations ofthebeneficiary country, aswellastheadequacy of
theinstruments selected tomeetthese expectations.
Theimmediate effects ofthetechnical cooperation provided areoften difficult toidentify,
particularly when itincludes adapting thelegal, administrative andinstitutional framework. Thisis
agradual process, astheinformation andpolicy decisions needtobeabsorbed andtranslated intoaction,
which takes timeanddoesnotnecessarily leadtovisible ormeasurable results. Inassessing the
contribution oftechnical cooperation provided bytheWTO inachieving these objectives, itshould
alsobekeptinmind thatitisonlyoneofmany policy instruments, including domestic policies.
Moreover, technical assistance isalsoprovided byother international agencies, regional institutions
andbilateral donors. Therefore, WTO technical assistance cannot beanalyzed inisolation andshall
beregarded aspartofacommon international effort.
Theassessment willvarypercountry anddepend onotherfactors thanthetechnical cooperation
perse,andtheinformation provided through it,including theeffective participation intheseminar,
targeting therightgroup ofpersons intheadministration orprivate sector, aswellastheavailability
ofadequate logistical facilities. These areelements which inanimportant waydetermine theoutcome
oftheassistance.
Assist inthefullintegration ofbeneficiaries intothemultilateral trading system andcontribute
totheexpansion oftheirtrade
Theactivities carried outunder technical cooperation programmes withregard toachieving
thefirstobjective, i.e.thefullintegration ofbeneficiaries canbegrouped intwobroad categories,
onerelating to'raising awareness 'andanother relating toassistance inthe'implementation of
obligations '.Specific assistance isalsoprovided tocountries intheprocess ofaccession.
Raising awareness
Much ofthetechnical cooperation isofaneducative nature anddesigned toraiseawareness
oftheobligations thatflowfrom themultilateral trading system andprovide astronger knowledge
baseinthecountry concerned. Thisshould thenbeaninput intothefaithful implementation ofWTO
commitments andother future policy changes. Itisgenerally achieved through seminars, workshops
andbriefing sessions.
Animportant question would appear tobehowmuch oftheinformation isretained bythe
beneficiary country -information tobetaken intoaccount atalaterdateintheimplementation process.
Agoodindicator oftheretention ofinformation maybetheamount offollow-up resulting fromsuch
activity andmore particularly from atechnical mission, where thecountry concerned needs further,
more precise information. Most missions undertaken bytheWTO havebeenfollowed byrequests for
further information orfurther missions. Thisimplies anintensification ofcooperation withalarger
number ofcountries andprovides thebasis forcontinuity intheexchange ofinformation.
Agoodexample werethetwobriefing sessions thattheWTO Secretariat organized inSeptember
forAmbassadorsandinNovemberforMinistersandseniorofficialsfrom29Least-DevelopedCountries.
Asaresult, thereisgreater awareness oftheneedforprecise information. Also, oneoftheconclusions
ofthebriefing session withMinisters wasthatmany countries facesimilar obstacles intheirintegrationWT/COMTD/W/23
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process intothemultilateral trading system, which canbeaddressed insimilar ways, thusavoiding
arepetition ofcostly learning processes. Similar briefing sessions areenvisaged tobeheldinfuture.
Implementation ofobligations arising from theMultilateral Trading System
TheMultilateral Trade Negotiations oftheUruguay Round andtheAgreements andlegal
obligations thatemerged fromthemhavehadimportant implications fortheintegration ofdeveloping
countries inthemultilateral trading system. Through thesingle undertaking approach, developing
countries canfullyparticipate inthetrading system, astheyderive rights andobligations fromallthe
multilateral agreements. Theimplications fordeveloping countries were presented indocument
COMTD/W/512: "Developing Countries andtheUruguay Round: AnOverview".
Generally,thereseemstobeashortageofknowledgeinbeneficiarycountriesabouttheoperation
oftheagreements, therequirements fortheimplementation oftheagreements andhowtoexercise
rights thatflowfrom these. Technical cooperation missions aimatassisting developing countries in
dischargingtheirobligationsundermultilateraltraderulesandexercisingrights.Incarryingouttechnical
cooperation missions, theWTO secretariat attempts toaddress concerns ofthebeneficiary andtakes
noteofspecific difficulties thatitmayencounter, tofollow uponthemission. Once theknowledge
baseisstrengthened, theinformation needs tobetranslated intoaction. Thisrequires aninstitutional
andadministrative capacity tocopewiththeagreements, toprepare legislation, tocoordinate between
agencies, institutions andMinistries thatareassociated totheoperation oftheagreement. Italsorequires
apolitical willtocarry outtheagreements andfollow upontheimplementation. Insome beneficiary
countries, however, theinstitutional andadministrative infra-structures areweakandtheimplementation
oftheagreements notnecessarily considered apriority ineconomic policy. Thisimplies thatevenif
atthemiddle-level oftheadministration, thepolicy official responsible foraspecific areamayhave
theexpertise required toimplement theagreement, therecanstillbealackofsupport totranslate these
intopolicy action.
Adiscrepancy canthussometimes beobserved between theinformation gathered, e.g.the
understanding oftheagreement andtranslating thisknowledge intoaction. Thiscanbestbeillustrated
bythenotification obligations. TheWTO hasassisted several beneficiary countries indrafting
notifications inspecific areas, where suchnotifications arerequired tomeetWTO obligations. Also,
theSecretariat hasprepared aHandbook onnotifications, which aimsatassisting Members meeting
theirnotification obligations byproviding acomprehensive setofobligations intheAgreements and
models astohowthenotification caneffectively bedone. Moreover, theSecretariat systematically
includes amodule onnotification requirements innational seminars andhasheldseveral workshops
inGeneva onnotifications. Thetechnical assistance provided doesnotautomatically imply thatthe
notification willeffectively becarried out.There maybeother blockages intheadministrative process,
thatprevent thetechnical cooperation fromtranslating intoaction. Asnoted attheSingapore Ministerial
Conference,thecomplianceratebyMemberswiththenotificationrequirementshasnotbeensatisfactory.
TheAnnex provides more information regarding some oftheefforts pursued bytheSecretariat
inspecificareastoassistdevelopingcountriesimplementingtheirrightsandobligationsinthemultilateral
trading system through technical cooperation. Some specific constraints with regard tothe
implementation oftheagreements identified inbeneficiary countries arediscussed inchapter IIIof
thisreport. Also, itprovides anindication ofrequirements expressed bythebeneficiaries.
Accession
Thenumber ofcountries seeking accession totheWTO hasincreased steadily inrecent years,
particularly withthearrival ofmany newly independent States ontheworld scene. Although some
oftheapplicants forWTO membership aremajor traders oflongstanding, themajority oftheacceding
governments stillneedtoestablish therequired infra-structure foreffective integration intotheworldWT/COMTD/W/23
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trading system andovercome problems related totheir specific situation either asaneconomy in
transition, aleastdeveloped ordeveloping nation, oranisland developing State. Theneeds fortechnical
assistance inthisprocess areaccordingly considerable interms ofinstitution-building, theestablishment
ofamarket-based foreign traderegime, theprocess ofaccession, andtheunderstanding andapplication
ofmultilateral trading rules. Much assistance isprovided byWTO Members themselves onabilateral
basisorbyotherinternational organizations suchasUNCTAD, theWorld Bank, theIMFandtheUnited
Nations.
Expansion oftrade
Withrespect to"contributing totheexpansion oftheirtrade", document WT/COMTD/W/15
"Participation ofDeveloping Countries inWorld Trade: Overview ofMajor Trends andUnderlying
factors" provides adetailed analysis oftheparticipation ofdeveloping countries inworld trade over
thepasttwodecades. Italsocontains abriefexamination ofsome ofthekeyfactors thatwereassociated
withtrade patterns fordifferent groups ofdeveloping countries. Inorder toimprove theparticipation
ofdeveloping countries ininternational trade, amajor initiative relates totheComprehensive and
Integrated PlanofAction fortheLeast-Developed Countries, which includes concrete ideasforensuring
improved market access conditions forproducts originating from beneficiary countries.
Animportant element insearching foranddeveloping newmarkets isinformation onmarket
andbarriers totrade. Aninformation gapisoften perceived between thepublic andprivate sectors
bothonrights andobligations inthemultilateral trading system andnewopportunities arising from
theWTO Agreements. TheWTO Secretariat triestofillthatgapbyproviding technical information
onindividual products andtrade flows aswellasonservices which caninclude theidentification of
potential market opportunities orofbarriers totrade inmarkets ofsupply ofbeneficiary countries.
Thisinformation isprovided upon therequest ofindividual countries andgenerally isofinterest to
thepublic andprivate sector. Moreover, technical cooperation missions systematically include the
dissemination oftables anddatasummarizing information ontradepatterns andtradebarriers inmajor
andpotential markets ofsupply. Most oftheseminars ontheWTO andtheUruguay Round results
include amodule onthescope forproduct andtrade diversification forthebeneficiary country, both
intheareaofgoods andservices. Itisgenerally considered veryuseful andvaluable information and
allowsbeneficiariestorethinktheirtraditionalpatternsofsupplyandfocusmoreonunexploredmarkets.
Since thebeginning of1996, theWTO hasbeenactively associated inthedissemination of
theBusiness Guide prepared bytheITCandtheCommonwealth Secretariat. Targeted tothebusiness
community, two-day seminars introduce, onthebasis oftheBusiness Guide, themajor Agreements
andrules established intheUruguay Round. They discuss theirpractical implications forbusiness
operations andprovide country-specific assessments oftradeperformance andbusiness prospects under
thenewtradeenvironment. Theseminars include ahalf-day roundtable discussion toidentify priority
needs foraction among representatives ofthebusiness community andtradeofficials. Intheseseminars,
theUruguayRoundAgreementsandtheirimplicationsareintroducedbytheWTO,whilecountry-specific
information ontrade performance andonprospects forthecountry 'skeyexport products ispresented
byITCstaff. Thefeed-back ofthese activities bytheprivate sector isverypositive andtheyoften
hadafollow-up interms ofproviding additional data.
Theparticipation oftherepresentatives oftheprivate sector intheACP-EU-WTO regional
seminars hasbeenparticularly active, seeking detailed information bothabout thefunctioning ofthe
multilateral trading system aswellasmore specifically about market-oriented andtrade information,
including scope forproduct andmarket diversification. Intheseseminars, ITChasprovided itsexpertise
andknow-how inassisting theprivate sector representatives ofthebeneficiary countries tofurther their
trade capabilities. Theseminars andinparticular themodule thatfocuses ontheprivate sector have
facilitated transmission ofinformation onthemultilateral trading system totheprivate sector, butalso
provided forexchange ofviews between thepublic andprivate sector. Ithascontributed tofurtheringWT/COMTD/W/23
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adialoguebetweenpolicymakersandeconomicactorsontradepolicymatters.Followingtheseseminars,
many requests forfurther information aswellasforfollow-up seminars which would specifically focus
onprivate sector concerns were received bytheSecretariat.
Strengthen andenhance institutional andhuman capacities inthepublic sector foranappropriate
participation inthemultilateral trading system; whenever possible andinconsultation with
thegovernmentconcerned,capacitybuildingactivitiescouldincluderepresentativesoftheprivate
sector
WTO 'stechnical cooperation activities aregenerally geared towards enhancing human capacity
building through seminars, workshops andtraining. Training through theWTO Trade Policy Courses
areconsidered effective toolsinassisting developing countries aswellascountries inaccession integrate
inorfamiliarize themselves withthemultilateral trading system. Thetraining courses address allaspects
ofthetrading system andthrough theirpractical orientation, prepare officials inimplementing the
obligations resulting from themultilateral trading system intheirnational administrations. Working
relations between thetrainees andtheWTO Secretariat inmany cases continue aftertheincumbent
hastaken upduties inhisnational administration, particularly when theofficial hasresponsibilities
intheareaoftrade policy. Given theusefulness ofthetraining courses, several WTO Members are
financing specific training programmes undertaken bytheWTO Secretariat. Recipients alsoinsist on
theirimportance asatraining tool.
Inaddition tothesecourses, which haveabroad scope andareaimed atproviding anextensive
general knowledge, there arealsomore specialized training activities. These focus onspecific areas.
Oneexample ofspecialized training istheSpecial Training Course onDispute Settlement Procedures
andPractices. There areseveral developing countries currently involved inconsultations under the
Dispute Settlement Procedures oratthepanel phase ofdispute settlement, which canbeseenasan
indication ofabetter andfuller participation ofdeveloping countries inthetrading system. Through
thisactive learning process, itwould seem thatparticipants tendtobeinaverygood position, atthe
endofthesession, tobeabletoadvise governments, industry andbusiness onthekeyissues ofthe
actual operation oftheWTO dispute settlement system.
Another example isaworkshop ontheAgreement onTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual
PropertyRightsforofficialsfromLeast-DevelopedandOtherdevelopingSub-SaharanAfricanCountries,
heldinGeneva (October 1996), which hadaverypractical orientation andwasexplicitly designed
tostrengthen human andinstitutional capacity toimplement theagreement. Theseminar wasattended
byofficials whohaveresponsibility intheareaofTRIPs andareinstrumental inpreparing and/or
adapting relevant legislation. Thefeed-back hasbeenverypositive, astheinformation gathered will
facilitate using thetransition periods under theterms oftheagreement tointroduce oradapt legislation.
Training isalsoakeyelement intheIntegrated Technical Assistance Programme forLeast-
Developed andOther African Countries, which concentrates initssecond stage onstrengthening of
institutional capacities, human resource development andinstitution building inbeneficiary countries.
Thisincludes training trainers inGeneva, attheWTO headquarters, aswellasatUNCTAD andITC,
whowillsubsequently transmit theirknowledge andexperience inthebeneficiary country. TheWTO
Secretariat iscurrently developing information technology-based training material inelectronic form,
which willfacilitate thetraining oftrainees andthatcanbeusedbythem intheirtraining activities.
Beneficiary countries haveclearly indicated theimportance theyattach tothispartoftheprogramme,
which istestified bythelarge number ofcandidates thathavebeensubmitted tobetrained.WT/COMTD/W/23
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III. Identification ofneeds forassistance indischarging Uruguay Round obligations
Asreferred tointheintroductory part,theSecretariat hasvarious sources ofinformation for
theidentification ofneeds ofrecipient countries. Some ofthekeyfindings arepresented below.
Aquestionnaire wascirculated bythechairman oftheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment
toWTO Members, developed anddeveloping alike, inorder toidentify needs ofdeveloping countries
fortechnical cooperation. While thenumber ofreplies fromMembers isinsufficient toprovide acritical
massandallow todraw across-the-board conclusions, some oftheconcerns identified areasfollows:
-Thecomprehension ofthemultilateral trading system andtheAgreements thatemerged from
Uruguay Round negotiations bythepublic andprivate sector isoften limited;
-Insome countries, there isageneral lackofexpertise andlimited understanding ofthe
implications oftheAgreements fordomestic policy making;
-Difficulties areperceived inadapting thedomestic regulatory framework andimplementing
some oftheAgreements; thedifficulties areparticularly strong inareas suchasTechnical
Barriers toTrade, Customs Valuation, Anti-Dumping Procedures, Trade-related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights; assistance isneeded indrafting legislation;
-Aneedisperceived tostrengthen andupgrade existing infra-structures and/or create new
specialized bodies todealwithspecific areas andtodevelop human resources andexpertise,
through training andcapacity building; theneedforanintegrated approach andtheestablishment
ofasingle body toaddress issues related totheWTO Agreements isexpressed byvarious
countries;
-Difficulties areencountered inmeeting notification requirements;
-Thedomestic institutional framework isoftenperceived tobeinadequate tomeetthechallenges
ofaglobalized economy;
-Several countries identified insufficient research capacities tomeetthechallenges deriving
fromanincreasinglyopeneconomyandinadequateaccesstointernationallyavailableinformation
ontrade matters;
Another source ofinformation, asaresult ofthefact-finding missions undertaken, isthe
Integrated Technical Assistance Programme forSelected Least-Developed andOther African Countries.
Themain needs identified arethefollowing:
-There tends tobeageneral lackofaccess toinformation withregard tothetrading
environment, aswellasagapingeneral awareness andunderstanding oftheprinciples ofthe
multilateral trading system;
-Government officials seem tobeshort ofinformation ontherights andobligations oftheir
countries under theWTO trading system. Under these circumstances itishardtoevaluate at
thisstage howthetrade liberalization canbeturned intobenefits forthese countries;
-Theprivate sector isgenerally short ofinformation andthere tends tobealackof
communication between thepublic andtheprivate sector;WT/COMTD/W/23
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-Most countries havenotbeeneither inaposition tomake alltheirnotification requirements,
ortoimplement theUruguay Round Agreements. National expertise islimited withrespect
totherevision oramendment oftheexisting legislations, toadapt tothenewrules ofthe
multilateral trading system. Therefore, countries willcontinue toseektechnical assistance
inthese areas inthemidandlong-term;
-Weak institutional structures andinfrastructures dealing withtrade policy matters andlack
ofcommunication between agencies anddifferent entities totackle orimplement thetradepolicy
areperceived asmajor bottlenecks. There isalackofcoordination among themselves aswell
asanoverlapping intheiractivities duetoaweak delineation between theirown mandates;
-Supply capacity constraints andinadequate export supply, except fortraditional outputs,
continue tobethemajor concern ofmostcountries. Inparticular, diversifying thebasis for
export isamajor issue forthefuture;
-Countries stressed thatefforts towards assisting theminincreasing theirparticipation inthe
multilateral trading system should beundertaken inlinewiththeirnational strategies, thatare
alllinked totheirownstructural adjustment programmes undertaken withtheassistance of
theBretton Woods Institutions;
-Limited access torelevant training ininternational tradematters andtechniques isavailable.
Asubstantial partoftheintegrated programme should begeared atalllevels ofprofessional
education;
-Needs were expressed toreinforce theinstitutional capacity building through appropriate
supportforinstitutionshavingadirectrelationwiththemultilateraltradingsystem.Manyentities
donothavematerial ordocumentation toconduct theirownwork inareassuchastrade-related
intellectual property rights, customs matters, technical barriers totrade andsanitary and
phytosanitary measures.
Yetanother source ofinformation isprovided byfact-finding mission carried outinAsia-Pacific
Island Countries. While theneeds thatwere identified forthese countries arecertainly notthesame
forall,inbroad terms theycanbesummarized asfollows:
-Better understanding oftheoperation ofthemultilateral trading system andmore inparticular
oftheWorld Trade Organization; institutional aspects, dispute settlement procedures;
-Aspects relating toaccession totheWTO: benefits andimplications; scope fornewtrade
andmarket opportunities, including product diversification;
-Customs matters (customs valuation, preshipment inspection, rulesoforigin): implications
forisland countries andadministrative andlegislative implications;
-Operation oftheAgreement onTrade inServices anditsimplications forpolicy making;
-Legislative andother implications oftheAgreement onTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual
Property Rights andAgreement onTrade-Related Investment Measures;
-Scope forregional integration.WT/COMTD/W/23
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Finally andmorespecifically, theAgreement onTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property
Rights foresees certain areas where assistance isexpected tobeneeded initsimplementation. These
areas include thepreparation oflawsandregulations ontheprotection andenforcement ofintellectual
property rights aswellasontheprevention oftheirabuse, andsupport regarding theestablishment
orreinforcement ofdomestic offices andagencies relevant tothese matters, including thetraining of
personnel. Thefeedback from developing country participants insome seminars confirm thatthese
aretheareas where assistance isoften needed. Their contributions canbesummarized asfollows:
-Theneedforcoordination between relevant authorities inidentifying changes inlegislation
required, preparing andimplementing suchchanges, andproviding training forpersonnel.
Regional cooperation intraining, implementation andsharing experience;
-Lack ofskilled personnel; theneed forassistance intraining ofofficials responsible for
administration andenforcement ofintellectual property rights, including customs officials;
-Theneedforassistance inthepreparation oflawsandregulations, andsupport regarding
theestablishment orreinforcement ofdomestic offices, including computerization.
-Theneedtopromote public awareness among high-level policy makers inbothgovernment
andtheprivate sector, aswellasthepublic atlarge, ofthebenefits andimportance ofintellectual
property rights.
From allthesecomments, itcould besummarized thatthekeytoeffective technical cooperation
andtraining provided bytheWTO inbeneficiary countries through abroad range ofinstruments lies
inmatching offeranddemand. While insome developing countries theneeds areclearly identifiable,
itwouldappearthatothercountriesencounterdifficultiesindefiningtheirneedsandestablishingpriorities
interms ofassistance. Atthesametime, therequirements candiffer significantly between beneficiaries.
Onecountry maylackoverall knowledge andunderstanding oftheUruguay Round Agreements and
theirimplications, whereas another country mayfacespecific problems inawell-defined area. The
technical cooperation instruments thatcould offerappropriate solutions totheproblems identified will
naturally differ inthetwosituations. Furthermore, some countries would seemtoexperience difficulties
inclearly identifying thegains thatcanbeobtained through theWTO Agreements. Afullunderstanding
oftheefficiency gains tobeobtained through trade liberalization fortheeconomy asawhole seems
tobeaprerequisite forabsorbing themultilateral trade agreements andtranslating them intopolicy
action. Finally, fortechnical cooperation tobedelivered effectively, anefficient coordination between
Ministries andagencies inthebeneficiary country ofpolicy issues relating totheimplementation of
theWTOandmultilateraltradeagreementsisrequired.Countriesstandtogainfromadequateinstitutional
infra-structures thatfacilitate transmitting information both horizontally andvertically inthe
administrations.WT/COMTD/W/23
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Annex
Implementation aspects oftheWTO Agreements
Schedulesofconcessionsandservicescommitments:Duringthenegotiations,technicalcooperation
wasprovided among others todeveloping countries thathadrequested assistance from theWTO
Secretariat inpreparing theirschedules ofconcessions ingoods andcommitments forservices. With
theconclusion oftheRound, allMembers, developing anddeveloped alike nowhaveschedules of
concessions intheareaofgoods andcommitments inservices. However, thisareaisofparticular
importance totherecipients oftechnical cooperation andtheSecretariat isconstantly examining requests
andproviding suchtechnical cooperation.
Agriculture: Intheareaofagriculture, much work relating totechnical cooperation activities
hasbeenundertaken within thecontext oftheCommittee onAgriculture andtheCommittee onSanitary
andPhytosanitary Measures andininformal contacts andmeetings. Members arealsoinvited toidentify
needs andofferassistance todeveloping countries. More specifically, technical assistance inthearea
ofagriculture isdoneinthree different ways: (i)through contacts withdelegations andcapital-based
representatives inGeneva (including inseminar format); (ii)through direct contacts withcapital based
officials and(iii)through missions tocapitals. Missions aremostfrequently successful iftheprivate
sector isinsome wayinvolved, e.g.inaroundtable including bothtraders/producers/processors along
withtherelevant government departments. Itisgenerally feltthatthemissions todeveloping country
andleast-developed country Members weresuccessful infurthering theunderstanding oftheAgreement
onAgriculture andSPSAgreement andprovided abasis forthem togetmore actively involved in
therelevant Committees.
Technical barriers totrade (TBT): Seminars wereorganized in1996bytheWTO, jointly with
theISO,ITCandFTAA withtheparticipation ofgovernment agencies, standardizing bodies andnon-
governmental agencies which areinvolved inthework ofstandard related matters. Thegoalofthese
seminars wastohelpparticipating countries tounderstand details oftheTBTAgreement sothatthe
Agreement canbefullyimplemented andatthesametimehelpbuild human andinstitutional resources
inTBTrelated activities andhelpproducers tobenefit fullyfromtheAgreement. Theseminars also
provided opportunities forcommunication andexchange ofviews among representatives fromdifferent
government agencies andtheprivate sectors involved inrelated jobs. Itshould better facilitate the
implementation oftheAgreement andfuture cooperation onthenational levelaswellastheregional
level.
Rules: Alargenumber oftechnical cooperation activities related totheareaofrules(dumping
andanti-dumping, subsidies andcountervailing duties, safeguard measures). Suchactivities aregeared
towards facilitating developing country members 'better understanding ofrights andobligations inthese
agreements, implications fordomestic legislation, drafting ofsuchlegislation orassisting inthe
modification ofexisting legislation, aswellastheapplication oftherules intheirpolicy making.
Trade-RelatedAspectsofIntellectualPropertyRights:Technicalcooperationactivitieshasfocused
onassisting Members tounderstand therights andobligations which flowfromtheTRIPS Agreement.
Thishasbeenaimed athelping Members toassess theamendments thatmaybeneeded totheirnational
legislation, theadaptations ininstitutions thatmaybecalled forandother requirements forwhich
theywould needtoplan. Themain modalities fortechnical cooperation specifically relating tothe
TRIPS Agreement havebeeninformation andadvice given toMembers inGeneva, seminars and
workshops fordeveloping countries andNGO conferences.
Article 67oftheTRIPS Agreement requires developed country Members toprovide technical
andfinancial cooperation infavour ofdeveloping andleast-developed country Members inorder to
facilitate theimplementation oftheAgreement. Suchassistance caninclude assistance inthepreparationWT/COMTD/W/23
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oflawsandregulations ontheprotection andenforcement ofintellectual property rights andsupport
regarding theestablishment orreinforcement ofdomestic offices andagencies relevant tothesematters,
including thetraining ofpersonnel. TheTRIPS Council hasinitiated awork programme ontechnical
cooperation withaviewtomonitoring thefulfilment bydeveloped countries oftheirobligations under
theTRIPS Agreement inthisregard, andensuring thatadequate information ontheassistance onoffer
isavailable andthatanyunfulfilled needs ofdeveloping countries areidentified andresponded to.
Understanding onDispute Settlement :With regard toprocedural andsubstantive elements of
thenewintegrated dispute settlement mechanism oftheWTO, theSecretariat provides training through
specialized courses aswellaslegalassistance todeveloping countries thatareinvolved indisputes.
Consistent withthemandate inArt.27.2oftheDSU, theTechnical Cooperation andTraining Division,
principally through theuseofconsultants, hasprovided legaladvice andassistance inrespect ofdispute
settlement toanumber ofdeveloping countries.