RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/COMTD/W /59
24 February 1999
(99-0725)
Committee on Trade and Development
THE USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN
DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Background Note by the Secretariat
I. INTRODUCTION
1. This Note has been prepared at the request of the Committee on Trade and Development and
provides background information on the use of information technology (IT) in the delivery of
technical assistance carried out by the Secretariat.  It is meant to illustrate the present use of IT in
technical cooperation activities and to identify the options available in the short and medium-term.
II. INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
2. Information dissemination is a WTO-wide activity, that is, a service provided to all Members
of the Organization. However, for this activity to succeed in reaching as many Members as possible,
potential recipients of information need to have the appropriate infrastructure and training for an
efficient retrieval of the information available in the WTO. It is at the recipients' end where technicalassistance becomes a critical activity for those Members who lack the adequate retrieval capacities.
3. Following a needs assessment carried out under the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance
Programme (JITAP) in July 1996, the Secretariat incorporated, in the establishment of WTO
Reference Centres on the multilateral trading system, the use of information technologies to help
decision makers in developing and least-developed countries better understand and make use of the
rules and mechanisms of the WTO.  This was achieved through procurement of computer equipment
and internet connectivity as well as training of government officials on how to access trade-relatedinformation resources on the Internet and CD-ROMs.  A WTO Reference Centre is designed to serve
government Ministries and Departments in a country.  Associated with the Centre are resource
persons trained to help users navigate the Web and in particular, WTO-related web-sites and
electronic publications, download documents, send and receive electronic mail, and use search
engines to look for specific information.  The establishment of the WTO Reference Centres has sincebeen expanded as part of WTO's contribution to the Integrated Framework for Trade-Related
Technical Assistance to LDCs. By 31 December 1998, WTO Reference Centres had been established
and training provided in all least-developed country Members .
4. Information can be classified in two broad categories: static and dynamic.  Static information,
that is information not subject to changes, can be  disseminated on off-line supports such as diskettes,
CD-ROMs and DVDs (digital video disks). In the case of dynamic or changing information, the
dissemination tends to take place on-line, for instance through the use of electronic mail or
downloading from internet. Moreover, when time constraints are a key factor, for instance when draft
documents are to be reviewed, the delivery through electronic means reduces significantly the delays.In the next part relevant web-sites and products used by the Secretariat to disseminate information
will be briefly reviewed.WT/COMTD/W/59
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5. WTO web-site (www.wto.org) . This is the official site of the World Trade Organization. It is a
trilingual site (English, French and Spanish) that contains a wealth of information (over 11,000 pages)
about the rules and mechanisms of the multilateral trading system, the latest news, WTO legal texts,
developments in International Trade, schedule of  meetings,  and a document database, the DDF (see
box 1), which provides access to over 50,000 working documents of the WTO. Access to restricteddocuments and confidential information is limited to Members only and is password-protected.
6. At present  over 100,000 users visit  the WTO site each month and download a significant
volume of documents and data (the equivalent of 20 million pages of text per month). The site is used
by individuals from about 140 countries, including an increasing number from least-developed and
developing countries. Trade officials in each  of the WTO Reference Centres have been trained on
how to use the main site and the DDF to obtain WTO information and documents. The results of a
survey of Reference Centres as well as statistics obtained from the Internet site server confirm thegrowing use being made of these on-line information sources.
7. ITD web-site (www.itd.org) . The Information Technologies for Development Project is a joint
initiative of  the WTO and the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank. In the framework
of this project, a specialized web-site has been set-up that is focused specifically on social and
economic development and how these are related to trade. It offers information, analysis andcomments on these issues through case studies and interactive guides as well as an opportunity to
exchange views through an on-line conference facility. This web-site should be of particular interest
to officials of developing countries dealing with the social and economic aspects of trade policies.
8.  LDCs web-site (www.ldcs.org).  As agreed during the High Level Meeting on Least-
Developed Countries held in October 1997, six core organizations (IMF, ITC, UNDP, UNCTAD,
World Bank, and WTO) are working together with the LDCs to coordinate their trade assistanceprogrammes through an Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least-
Developed Countries. In order to facilitate its implementation, a specific web-site has been developed
by the Integrated Framework's Administrative Un it. The aim of the site is to become both a
management tool for the six agencies and a communicat ion tool for stakeholders in the process. At the
same time, it serves as a medium of communication between the agencies, the least-developedcountries and their development partners, multilateral, regional and bilateral. The web-site provides
also, among other things, general information on the Integrated Framework and is open to
contributions from other development partners.Box 1: The Document Dissemination Facility (DDF)
The DDF permits the transfer of selected documents from the electronic archive of the WTO to a
local workstation. Documents posted before 2 June 1998 are stored in Word Perfect 5.2 format,
while more recent documents are available in WORD 97 format. When browsing the database,documents  are arranged in reverse chronological order so that the most recent items appear at the
head of the list. The DDF provides details of the symbol, title and date of each document
distributed. The DDF is thus more than an electr onic pigeonhole since it also allows searching for
documents that meet criteria specified by the user such as document series, title, words that are
used in the document, etc.
The document database is updated daily and can be accessed via internet 24 hours a day from
anywhere on the globe.WT/COMTD/W/59
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9. Electronic publications.   The WTO has developed a growing series of electronic publications,
normally distributed as CD-ROM products. The following products are used as support material in
technical cooperation activities:
• Results of the Uruguay Round . This trilingual CD-ROM contains all WTO rules and commitments
made by its Members and the Schedules of C oncessions on goods and on services (nearly 30,000
pages of undertakings).  For each Member there are product-by-product lists of bound tariff rates
affecting market access for goods, including agri cultural products.  The Schedules of Specific
Commitments on services identify the services sectors to which a country will apply the market
access and national treatment obligations of the GATS and any limitations from those obligations it
wishes to maintain.
• Guide to GATT Law and Practice: Analytical Index . This CD-ROM contains the complete text of
the corresponding publication and is fully searchable with hyperlinks and on-screen help.
• GATT Basic Instruments and Selected Documents (BISD).  This trilingual CD-ROM contains the
42 volumes of the corresponding publication and uses the same software as that for the Analytical
Index. It will be updated regularly to include new WTO BISD series.
• Trade Policy Review  collection. The first CD-ROM covers the Trade Policy Review reports for
the period 1995-1997. It will be updated annually.
• WTO Trade Statistics on CD .  This trilingual CD-ROM consists of trade statistics from Volume II
of the WTO 1998 Annual Report. It will be updated annually.
• WTO Internet site on CD . This CD-ROM allows to browse and print the information available on
the WTO web-site at a certain cut-off date off-line. Updates are pressed every six months.
10. Copies of these electronic publications have been provided to WTO Reference Centres as
well as to delegations of developing and least-developed country Members. Most of these CD-ROMs
are also available for sale.
III. IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS
11. Progress in communications technologies, with its impact on reducing time and distance and
the constant lowering of costs, has produced new and important tools which are increasingly beingused by the WTO in its technical cooperation activities. These tools, such as e-mail, on-line fora,
videoconferencing and others, have a substantive multiplier effect in terms of the number of
individuals reached, both in their official and personal capacities, enabling the WTO to dramatically
enhance the scope and coverage of its technical assistance.
12. E-mail . Communication using electronic mail (or e-mail) makes exchange of messages almost
instantaneous. All staff in the Secretariat have an in ternet e-mail address, that is standardized in the
following manner: first name .family name@wto.org.  Additionally, some generic e-mail addresses
have been created, for instance, in the area of notifications, that enable the semi-automatic routing of
messages to the officer in charge of that specific subject-matter, and for WTO Reference Centre
Helpdesk.
13. On-line fora.  The ITD web-site is the locus for a series of on-line conferences for developing
country officials on issues of trade and development. An indicator of the effectiveness of on-line fora
was a conference on Intellectual Property Rights and Development organized over a period of five
weeks during 1998 by the WTO and the World Bank. The conference attracted over 300 registered
participants who were able to engage in discussions among themselves and with a panel composed ofsome of the leading world experts on the subject. There are plans to make available a full schedule of
such conferences during the course of this year. The next such events include an on-line forum on
Regionalism with specialists from the World Bank and the WTO, and another one on WTO and
developing countries.WT/COMTD/W/59
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14. Video-conferencing. The Secretariat has acquired a video-conferencing system that can
connect anywhere in the world to other video-conferencing equipment that recognizes the ITU
standard H.320. The system  uses ISDN telephone lines and the video quality is near-television at the
high end. Two types of video-conferencing can be  organized: point-to-point connections and multi-
point links.
15. Video-conferencing can be used for different purposes (interviews, participation in
conferences, lectures, etc.). In the case of lectures, for instance, presentations can easily and
effectively be adapted to a video-conference format while accommodating visual tools such as
overhead transparencies, charts, photographs and video sequences. While maintaining dynamic face-
to-face communication, video-conferencing allows only one person to speak at any one time, forcing
pauses between speakers, something that is perceived as a disadvantage by some participants.
16. From a technical cooperation perspective, video-conferencing can be an important tool for
lecturing, questions and answers (Q&A) sessions as well as for technical missions. Video-
conferencing has already been used on a regular basis during the Short Trade Policy Course for
French-speaking Least-Developed Countries that was held at the United Nations Staff College in
Turin (Italy) last October.  Participants as well as WTO staff found that video-conferencing was an
effective means of communication when senior WTO officials could not be on-site.
IV. IT-BASED DELIVERY OF  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
17. Technical assistance can be delivered through different modes. In the Implementation
Modalities adopted by the Committee on Trade and Development the use of internet and interactive
technology (CD-ROMs) for self-training was mentio ned together with follow-up courses, seminars
and workshops (national/ regional) to ensure the effective delivery of technical cooperation activities.
18. During seminars and technical missions, some WTO staff are already making use of
computer-based presentations as well as overhead transparencies. Most of these transparencies have
been prepared using computer-based tools and ca n be distributed not only on paper, but also on
electronic storage media such as diskettes and CD-ROMs.
19. The Secretariat produces on a regular basis videos for the press and general public. Videos
can also be used in technical cooperation activities, in  particular to raise awareness. A set of two
cassettes was, for instance, produced and distributed to Members in 1998 containing the proceedings
of the Third Workshop on Notification Requirements held in December 1997 (over five hours of
presentations).
20. Videos are normally not considered to be IT-based products although the amount of
information they convey is impressive. With the use of  DVDs, one of the major limitations ofvideos, i.e. sequential access, will be overcome. In fact, it will be possible to access any video
segment directly.  Moreover, DVDs will allow the integration of video sequences with text-based
information in a smooth manner.
21. The WTO: a training package.  A computer-based package on the World Trade Organization
has been prepared by the Secretariat and is now accessible in the WTO web-site. It mirrors thestructure of a general seminar and covers all the concepts developed in a normal 4 to 5 day seminar
run by TCD. It consists of ten modules. Each of the first nine modules corresponds to a three-four
hour seminar lecture, and includes a review section using the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
approach.  The last module - module 10 - contains the Final Act as well as other key WTO
documents.WT/COMTD/W/59
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22. This package can be seen as two inter-related components: (i) a set of over 350 “slides”. Each
slide has a title and  contains some bullet points. Slides are grouped in units and sections, which form
the structure of the modules. These slides are available in English and French on-line, while the
Spanish version should soon be finalized; (ii) a “book” that contains a short explanation for each
bullet point appearing on the slides. This “book” is for the moment only available in English and its
translation into French and Spanish is forthcoming. Once all the material is available in the threelanguages, a CD-ROM will be pressed and distributed as electronic documentation during technical
cooperation activities. The same material contained in the CD-ROM can be made available in printed
form as well, i.e. a "book" and a set of slides.
23. Apart from its main use – computer-based self-t raining - this material can be used in two
other ways: (i) to explain in a structured manner the work of the WTO or (2) to help trainers organize
their presentations using slides.  In the former case, no slides are needed while in the latter the "book"
is used to highlight the key concepts that should be elaborated in each slide presented. It should alsobe noted that the on-line version allows users of each slide to send an e-mail  to  TCD related to that
specific slide for further information.
24. Computer-Based Training (CBT) series.  The objective of this initiative is to capture on CD-
ROM the subject-matter presented in WTO Trade Policy Courses. The target audience are trade
officials of developing countries as well as other interested persons who are not in a position to attendthe residential courses. Using the CD-ROMs,  they will have access to the course material developed
by WTO experts. The material is presented using a multimedia approach that combines text, audio
and video segments in an interactive, pedagogical manner. Each module includes a test through which
the student, and instructor, can measure progress in absorbing the subject-matter. A pilot module was
recently completed on the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing that incorporates three hours of coursematerial. This first CD-ROM should be made available in the WTO three working languages in the
near future.
25. To summarize, "The WTO: a training package" should be used as a comprehensive first
exposure to the WTO, while the Computer-Based Training (CBT) series will be used to gain a more
in-depth knowledge on an Agreement by Agreement basis.
V. OPTIONS FOR THE SHORT AND MEDIUM-TERM
26. Use of the World Bank Learning Network.   The WTO is taking advantage of the World Bank
video-conferencing network to further extend the reach of its technical cooperation activities.  The
World Bank Learning Network already covers over forty countries and the number of centres linked
will be further expanded in the course of this year. The network can accommodate point-to-point as
well as multi-point links. The first joint activity is planned for the end of February, 1999 during thefourth workshop on notification requirements. A video-conference will link WTO experts in Geneva
with trade officials gathered at World Bank offices in the capitals of Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and
Zimbabwe. Trade officials in these capitals will have the opportunity to review WTO notification
requirements, ask questions and exchange their experiences.
27. Web-casting.  The WTO first used web-casting to send out on internet live images and sound
from the WTO Ministerial Session in May, 1998. Other web-casting events, some using an interactive
capability that permits two-way communications, are being planned for this year. These will be
particularly important for officials and NGOs in developing countries since they will be able to
participate in events on-line which they could not afford to attend in person. Web-casting could also
be used for lectures and sharing of working documents, but, for the moment, the equipment is notavailable in the Secretariat.WT/COMTD/W/59
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28. Distance learning.   The innovative use of distance education and learning methods and
techniques could augment the impact of technical cooperation activities. The tools already available,
described in the previous chapter, could be seen as part of a wider IT-based programme centered on
capacity-building. The main beneficiaries of a programme of this kind would be junior to mid-level
government officials who need to better understand WTO rules and procedures. Distance learningtechniques normally rely on local tutors. These could be more senior government officials, who would
definitely help increase its effectiveness. Another option would be to rely on Universities and/or
regional institutions.
29. "Virtual" meetings.   On-line fora could also be used to promote the exchange of experiences
among trade officials, for instance, on the implementation of WTO commitments. In a sense, this kind
of fora could evolve towards "virtual" meetings. In  this context, it is proposed that some Committee
meetings or Symposia (such as those on Trade and Development and on Trade and Environment to beheld in March 1999) be taped. The resulting material would be divided into segments to be accessed
on-line through web-casting. The documentation pr epared for the meeting could also be made
available and linked to each segment. Access to these on-line fora would be restricted according to the
relative confidentiality of the WTO body concerned.
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