RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/COMTD/W/97
11 April 2002
(02-1968)
Committee on Trade and Development
TECHNICAL COOPERATION AUDIT
REPORT FOR 2001
Note by the Secretariat
BACKGROUND1. This is the first annual report of the Technical Cooperation Audit (TCA) on evaluation activities in
WTO.  It covers the period 1 February 2001, when the function was established, to 31 December 2001.
2. The year 2001 was a year of transition, and not on ly for TCA.  With a view to making technical
cooperation more effective and efficient, the Unit re sponsible for the Integrated Framework (IF) and
LDCs was merged into the Technical Cooperation Division (TCD).  TCD was placed under new
management, and reorganized.  The Training Divi sion was given an enhanced mandate and renamed
Training Institute (TI).  A Technical Assistance Management Committee (TAMC) was created in the
Secretariat, and given overview and coordination/ consultation functions.  These changes were brought
into effect in June 2001.
3. Since the establishment of TCA, the development of an evaluation methodology tailored to the kind
of TA done by the WTO has been a priority issue.  This was the principal conceptual work undertaken
in 2001.  The resulting methodology has been agreed upon within the Secretariat and is briefly described
in paras. 9 to 14 below.  This work has been s upported by funds made available by the UK Department
for International Development (DFID).
4. The purpose of the present document is to give an overview of the evaluation activities undertaken
in 2001.  The coverage excludes the evaluation of the Trade Policy Courses in Geneva, for which a
stand-alone evaluation system has b een developed by the Training Institute.  That evaluation system was
taken into account in the conceptual work done on th e evaluation methodology to be used for the rest of
WTO's TA.  The comments in this paper therefore do not concern the work of the Training Institute in
2001.
5. Since the methodology for evaluating TA had not b een entirely worked out, in this first year of
operation of TCA an ad hoc  method was adopted.  Familiarisation w ith the various kinds of TA project
1
was the first order of business.  Some projects we re observed directly by accompanying the TA mission,
while others had to be considered based on the back-to-office-reports (BTORs) and feedback forms
from participants.  The main modus operandi  was therefore to attend as many seminars, workshops, etc.
as budget and time would allow, and in reporting on each of them, to make a critical evaluation.  Thus a
total of nine projects were evaluated by TCA a nd some 40 BTORs were examined.  It was hoped that
the TCA evaluations, when taken together with th e evaluations based on BTORs and feedback forms,
would already point to general issu es that it would be worth addressing.  In addition, and whenever the
                                                     
1 In line with standard terminology for evaluation of technical assistance, a “project” encompasses all
aspects of technical assistance, from planning stage to  implementation, evaluation and follow-up.  References to
a  "TA activity" are reserved only for the seminar, workshop, course, etc.WT/COMTD/W/97
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opportunity arose, consultations were held with other practitioners of TA evaluation, to take advantage
of experience which might assist in the further de velopment of evaluation pr ocedures and practices in
WTO.
6. This report is not intended to be solely inward-looking , i.e. for the benefit of the Secretariat.  In view
of the considerable importance that WTO TA had ta ken on, in terms of both Secretariat resources and
financial resources, Members, both donors and beneficiar ies, had indicated a desire to have feedback on
the effects and impact of WTO TA.  In synthesizing  TA evaluations, therefore, attention was paid to
issues which would likely be of interest to Members as well.
MANDATE FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN THE WTO
7. As indicated above, 2001 was a year of transition.  When it began, the debate about whether TA
was or was not a core function of the WTO appeared not to have been entirely resolved.  As a result
of this ambivalence, or as a reflection of it, there was no agreed overall strategy for TA in the WTO,and responsibility for it was dispersed in several Divisions/Units.  In 2001, however, a concerted
effort was made to deal with the issue.  The debate about the place of TA was laid to rest, the
organizational structure for dealing with it was revised, and an overall strategy for TA was developed
and endorsed, first by the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD), and then in the Doha
Ministerial Declaration.  The Declaration itself, through its repeated reference to TA and capacity-building, makes it clear how important this aspect of WTO's work is to be considered.  The mandate
for TA is therefore now clearly established, and one of the components of that mandate is precisely
the evaluation thereof.  Even if this is somewhat retrospective, the mandate is considered valid for the
activities of 2001, but will have even more relevance for TA in future years.  (In taking note of the
"New Strategy for WTO Technical Cooperation", Members acknowledged that it is not set inconcrete, and might have to be adjusted to take account of changing circumstances).
8. In terms of the evaluation function, this clear and reinforced mandate is not merely of academic
interest.  Evaluation cannot be meaningful if the role of TA in the WTO and its legitimacy are in
dispute.  As things now stand, evaluation is firmly anchored in the recognised mandate, and can
therefore make a contribution towards fulfilling it.
METHODOLOGY
9. Two factors had a decisive influence on the choice of methodology for evaluating WTO technical
assistance: the fragmentation and short duration of activities, all of which are of a capacity-building
nature; the very limited resources available for evaluation, in relation to the number of activities.
10. Many of the evaluation methodologies used in international technical assistance are primarily
suited to projects relating to infrastructure, which often have multi-year durations, and engage
important financial resources. On inspection, these did not appear to be suited to the WTO’sprogramme; there was a risk that the evaluation burden would become heavier than the activities
themselves.  It was therefore decided to pursue a methodology which was relatively light but
effective, commensurate with WTO’s TA portfolio.
11. The limited resources mean that only a very small proportion of activities can be assessed directly
by TCA.  This makes it imperative to recognize that  evaluation is a shared responsibility.  Hence the
reports filed by those who are delivering the activities should contain more elements of evaluation
than up to now.
12. As a result of these considerations, the methodology provides for two parallel streams of
evaluation.  The first is self-evaluation by the resource persons themselves, which will be carried out
mainly through revised BTORs, and will allow for capturing evaluative information from a muchWT/COMTD/W/97
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larger number of activities than would otherwise be possible.  This information will concern mainly
issues of process, i.e. efficiency, effectiveness, and the timeliness of the results.  Together with the
results from activities directly observed by TCA, this should allow for a regular analysis of the
activities, which will permit adjustments on an ongoing basis, as well as periodic (annual)
assessments of this aspect based on a critical mass of information.
13. At the same time, TCA will focus on additional evaluation aspects, with a view to determining
relevance, sustainability and impact over the longer term.  This will be done in close collaboration
with TCD and the operational divisions, and will consist of thematic evaluations, ex-post  evaluations
and tracer studies.
14. TCA attaches high priority to the dissemination of lessons learned and the development of an
institutional memory.  To facilitate this, an evaluations database and an evaluation briefing/training
system are being established.  Regular feedback will be given to the secretariat, and periodic reportson evaluation, like this one, will be submitted to the Committee on Trade and Development.  Bearing
in mind the type of TA activities, and the need fo r a critical mass of information in order to draw
meaningful conclusions, an annual report is foreseen.  Contacts with Members, both beneficiaries and
donors, will, however, continue on a regular basis.  The observations included in the paragraphs
below are structured along the lines of the major phases of the programming cycle: the report firstaddresses the organization and planning of TA, then the conduct of TA and concludes by highlighting
the lessons learned.
ORGANIZATION AND PLANNING OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
15. When the evaluation function was established, it was given as part of the remit that TCA would
not only consider the effects and impact of TA (downstream evaluation), but would also be expectedto make a contribution to development, planning, content and coherence of TA (upstream
considerations).  The assumption was that the eval uation of effects and impact would provide lessons
for development, planning and strategy, always of course remaining within the overall guidelines set
by Members.  It is for that reason that TCA very early held a series of consultations inside the house,
and with representatives of donor Members.  Every opportunity has been taken too to consult withrepresentatives of beneficiary countries in order to have as complete a picture as possible.
16. The fact that 2001 was a year of transition had an impact on the planning and organization of TA.
The projects for 2001 started out as the annual part for 2001 of a 3-year plan of TA.  (The 3-year plan
was a disputed aspect of the way TA was done, and has since been abandoned.)  Despite the changes
that occurred during the year, it was essentially that plan that guided the conduct of TA.  The
following comments come to mind.
17. The notion that technical assistance is demand-driven  is central to the planning of TA.  That
being so, it is important that the Secretariat is ac tive in helping Members to formulate their "demands"
in such a way as to optimise the use of the resources at their disposal.  That is why the consultations
which are regularly held in TCD and operational Divisions with donors and potential beneficiary
countries or groups thereof are important.  The analyses contained in Trade Policy Review (TPR)
reports can also be helpful in assisting the Members and Secretariat to identify suitable issues for TA.Inevitably, there will be situations where there is not much room for manoeuvre, e.g. decisions taken
by committees that TA of a given kind should be provided.  TCA's experience, however, suggests that
Members are on the whole receptive to discussing with the Secretariat priority areas and other details
based on the Secretariat's experience.  Operational Divisions have a particular role to play in this
regard because of their in-depth knowledge of each country's situation with respect to each
Agreement.  More generally, if the "demand" is to be accurately assessed and usefully channelled,
canvassing of requirements, as seen by Members, is particularly important.  The annual request that
Members indicate what TA activities they think are impor tant to them is central to this process.  TheWT/COMTD/W/97
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existence of the new WTO Technical Cooperation Strategy, and the Doha Declaration remits, should
also make this task easier.
18. A technical assistance plan, containing hundreds of activities, should be considered as indicative,
a plan that can and should be adapted to the changing needs of the Members.  The experience in 2001
showed up a number of instances where projects listed in the plan had either been cancelled, or hadbeen postponed, usually sine die .  One of the drawbacks of postponed or cancelled projects, however,
is that they open the door to ad hoc  requests, which the WTO is trying to keep to a minimum.  From a
purely practical point of view, if a change  does occur in planned projects, this should be promptly
reflected in the TA plan so that all concerned can know of it, and that particular project ceases to be
taken into account for evaluation purposes or any other purpose.  No doubt the practice of issuing
monthly updates of the plan will have to be preserved, as they constitute a very important working
tool.
19. It is too early to consider the impact of the new organization of TCD.  It reflects considerations
that emerged from the work of a secretariat task force on technical cooperation, which reported in
July 2000.  Thus, for example, the operational activities of TCD were organized along geographical
lines, ensuring continuity of focus, with separate responsibilities attributed in relation to LDCs and
reference centres, in light of the specificity of these issues, and the emphasis placed on assistingLDCs.  The impact of the Doha Development Agenda, and the generally held desire of Members that
the organization of TA should adhere closely to the priorities outlined therein, may have to be taken
more into account.
20. One aspect which it appears will require close monitoring to maximise efficiency is the
interaction between TCD's responsibilities and those of operational Divisions, as regards both the
planning of TA and its execution.  Perhaps this reflects the fact that a clear definition of the respective
roles of each is still to be worked out.  But the Divisions and TCD are bound to work in tandem, and
any way of making that work smoother and more transparent is to be encouraged.  The establishment
of focal points for TA in each Division has helped.  With these in place, cooperation between TCD
and operational Divisions in planning and execution of TA has been facilitated.  The focal points are areflection of the decision to integrate TA even more  fully into the work of Divisions.  They should
also help in making monitoring and self-evaluation more systematic.
21. A final consideration concerns objective-setting .  This is also discussed in the next section, but it
is of utmost importance to consider objectives at the planning stage.  The tie-in with the "demand-
driven" issue is clear.  In developing the plan for TA, it would be desirable to include for each project
a succinct statement of why the project has been included and what is the principal objective being
sought in carrying it out.  In this connection, it would also be interesting to know what has had to beleft out of the plan for TA, and why (resource constraints, duplication, low priority, etc.).  Considering
the great number of TA projects, it might be burdensome to set out objectives for each and every one
of them.  Consideration could be given to setting out objectives at least by major groups of TA
projects as laid out in the plan, which points to the need to identify and integrate the individual small
activities into the framework of larger projects or programmes.  Such an approach would result inlarger WTO country/sub-regional/regional projects or programmes.
CONDUCT OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
22. The remarks in this section are based on TCA’s direct observation of nine projects, and feedback
from a number, but by no means all, of the projects at which TCA was not present. The list of directly
observed projects is in Annex I.  The feedback was principally in the form of  BTORs, but also
personal discussions with TA providers, and with representatives of beneficiaries and donors.WT/COMTD/W/97
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23. It must be stated at the outset that overall quality in the execution of the projects is very high. The
resource persons observed have been different in each of the nine projects, but they have
demonstrated an impressive command of their subjects, and a thorough professionalism in delivery.
24. The criteria considered in relation to this aspect of TA are efficiency , effectiveness , relevance
and sustainability .  This evaluation report, therefore, limits itself to the most important issues
relevant to evaluation.  It does not consider the validity of project-design, or suggest alternative
strategies for the projects reviewed.  However, it does set out some lessons learned which might be
taken into account in the development and implementation of future TA projects.
25. The efficiency  with which the projects are run is at a high level generally, and there is no
evidence that there has been any expenditure, in terms of human or financial resources, in excess of
the requirements of the project.  This is all the more noteworthy considering two factors which have a
direct impact on efficiency.  The first is that WTO does not have control over all aspects of theorganization of the project.  The second is that except for regional projects, which may include an
officer responsible for logistics and organizational matters at the venue, the resource person(s) has to
do double duty both for substance and for organization, with the help of local staff assigned by the
host country.
26. The host country, and/or TA partners, have to be relied on for organizational aspects of the project
(regional projects are dealt with separately below): selection of participants, venue, audio-visual
facilities, hospitality arrangements. This makes it incumbent on the WTO to make the basic
requirements for a successful project clear to the organizers so as to avoid misunderstandings and last
minute difficulties; even so, preparations by the host country do not always adhere to the requirements
as laid out.  There are also differences in capacity among the hosts, which need to be taken intoaccount, as do differences arising from the fact that  sometimes the venue is not a main centre in the
country concerned. Two issues illustrate such concerns: audio-visual support and communications.
27. Most resource persons use either overhead slides or PowerPoint presentations. The latter in
particular require sophisticated equipment (computer, projector), often carried by the resource person
because it is not clear that appropriate equipment will be available at the venue, provided by the host.This is a vulnerability of which resource persons must be aware, as most of them are. (Overhead
projectors with slides probably constitute a slightly less fragile arrangement.) Fall-backs in case of
missing or non-functioning equipment, or simply electricity outages, have to be foreseen:
markerboards and flip-charts may be low-tech, but they rarely disappoint.
28. Communications for resource persons so they can be in touch easily with headquarters are
important. This means access, at the venue, to fax, telephone and, ideally, e-mail. For fax and e-mail,
the host has to be relied on. For telephone, however, if this is not already done, resource personsshould systematically have with them one office cell-phone, in order not to have to rely on sometimes
imperfect national phone systems, or struggle to have access to a landline phone. Most countries
where TA projects are implemented have well-functioning mobile phone systems.
29. With regard to regional projects, the issues are not very different, but the financial stakes for the
WTO are substantially higher, since it pays for participants to travel to the venue
2.  Logistical issues
are more complex and the lead time for organizing the project is set currently at nine weeks.  Related
activities involve a specialised Unit in the Administration and General Services Division (AGSD), in
addition to the operational Division and TCD.  This nine weeks is a formal requirement for regional
projects, but it would appear that lead time for national projects and technical missions is in fact not
much less. Despite the reasonable length of the lead time, there is a considerable amount of last-minute stress in bringing such projects to fruition.
                                                     
2 Except for regional projects run by others in which WTO participates.WT/COMTD/W/97
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30. Otherwise, distinct issues which emerge from observation of regional projects, and consultations
with those responsible for managing them, are few. It is worth recalling the concerns that have arisen,
and that are absent from national seminars or technical missions, regarding the risk associated with
having to carry to the venue in cash the money that is to be distributed to participants as per diem.  A
solution to this problem may have been found, using the services of local UNDP offices; if so, this is awelcome development. It is simply not responsible to require resource persons, or the logistical
officer where one accompanies the project, to carry large amounts in cash, incurring the risk of loss or
theft.
31. Coming now to the effectiveness  of the TA activities, some of the questions that will be discussed
below in terms of relevance and sustainability become apparent. Logically, since the level of
competence and professionalism of the resource persons is as high as it is, the effectiveness of the
seminar/workshop etc. should be correspondingly high. Factors that will influence whether this is soor not, are not necessarily always within the control of the resource persons. Leaving aside issues of
physical comfort or of equipment not working properly, obliging resource persons to improvise,
effectiveness is primarily dependent on how the Members’ needs were articulated, what objectives
were set and how the selection of the participants has been done. The WTO does not have full control
over this, and the issue is discussed in more general terms in the paragraphs below.
32. Effectiveness is also easier to measure if the objectives of the project are clearly stated at the
outset, and correspond not only to what the WTO believes should be the objective, but also to what
the participants or host country want out of the project.  This is not always done.  Clearly, this is
easier in the case of national projects than in regional or sub-regional TA projects, where expectations
may vary according to the circumstances of participating countries.  The methodology that has beenapproved for evaluating TA sets out some ways of improving objective-setting.
33. A further factor having an influence on effectiveness is the degree to which the subject matter to
be covered is reasonable in relation to the time available. On several occasions, direct observation
and/or feedback has shown that the time available to cover certain issues in a multi-issue project has
been considered insufficient. It is difficult to gauge what aspects of a given project will give rise todiscussion which disrupts the schedule, but it may be worth trying one of two approaches: either
extending the duration of the project on the assumption that nine times out of ten the time originally
allotted will be too short, or making a more realistic assumption about the discussion likely to be
provoked by different aspects of the presentations, and curtailing if necessary some aspects which are
of less value to participants. Thus, for example, the part of every project that is devoted to a sort of
historical presentation of the GATT/WTO might, if necessary, be sacrificed.  Information on this can
be handed out to the participants prior to launching the activity.  The weight of evidence suggests that,unless the project is in the nature of a Short Trade Policy Course (STPC), participants would rather
that time was spent delving more deeply into the technical issues covered by the project.  At this
point, efficiency and effectiveness considerations interact.  Extending the duration of a project will
have cost implications and may therefore be seen as a second best alternative. It may, however, be
necessary to reconsider whether it is really possible to cover in a reasonably thorough manner, andallowing for discussion, all aspects of a highly tec hnical issue, such as for example the GATS, in two
and a half days. If extending the duration of the project is deemed impractical, perhaps consideration
should be given to extending the duration of the working day, although it is recognized that it is
already difficult enough for resource persons and participants alike to remain focused for anything
much over six hours.  Consideration could also be given to organizing follow-up TA to clarify
outstanding issues; this could be done through video conferencing or correspondence in order to limit
costs.
34. The final element that this section of the report would draw attention to in relation to effectiveness
is the desirability of having as much interaction as possible between resource persons and the
participants. This is not as straightforward as it may seem, reliance on audio-visual supports havingWT/COMTD/W/97
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supplanted more old-fashioned approaches to training/teaching. It is nevertheless clear that when there
is such interaction, it is greatly appreciated by the participants, and by the resource persons as well.
When the subject is as technical as WTO Agreements , anything that contributes to enhancing interest
must be encouraged. Of course, the more interaction there is, the more impact there may be on
scheduling considerations. Striking the right balance between promoting discussion between resourcepersons and participants, and cutting off discussion in order to keep to a schedule, is difficult.  If the
approach of developing standardized presentation m odules is pursued, and is found to be successful, it
may also contribute to getting that balance right more often than not. Interaction between resource
persons and participants, in particular at the beginning of the activity, should also allow the resource
person to gauge more accurately what level of knowledge the participants have brought to the activity,
and how participative they are likely to be.
35. The relevance of a TA project can be considered from two angles. The first is the expectations
that the Member or Members have when they ask for a particular activity to take place. The second
angle is the extent to which the activity taken indi vidually or activities taken together are deemed to
correspond to what the WTO itself has decided is required. The determination of this aspect has now
become more structured since the development of the New Strategy for WTO Technical Cooperation,
and in light of the provisions of the Doha Development Agenda.
36. With regard to the expectations of Members and participants, it can be said that there is a very
good correlation. The only potential concern is whether, as mentioned above, all aspects of an issue
have been covered to the required extent, and the varying circumstances of each country at a regional
activity have been reflected.  That is largely defined by what the participants themselves think, and on
the whole the indications are that they find the substa nce of the activities directly relevant in terms of
their own expectations. There may be quibbles about emphasis, but these do not seriously undermine
the value of the activity itself.
37. As for correlation with the Strategy, this will be a matter to be examined more closely in relation
to the programme for 2002; the programme for 2001, as indicated in the first section of this report,
took place mainly in a context where an overall strategy did not exist.
38. And finally there is sustainability . This is no doubt the most difficult aspect of the conduct of TA
to measure. It is closely tied in with the concept of impact and yardsticks of success. Several of
TCA’s reports have been sceptical about the assertion by participants that they would be able to use
the newly acquired knowledge and improved capacity in their jobs on a day-to-day basis, and share
that knowledge and capacity with colleagues who had not attended the activity. To some extent,
sustainability in this sense is also a function of the knowledge-base which the participants bring with
them to the activity. In order to know exactly, an ex- post analysis would have to be done, for which
the WTO does not have the resources. The analys is might show, however, that the lower the
knowledge-base of the participant, the less likely that the acquired knowledge and capacity will have
been imprinted on a long-term basis. For this case, therefore, the importance of hand-out material
cannot be overemphasized. That material will allow participants to refresh their memory as required
and reinforce what has been learned at the activity.
39. This is not to say that hand-outs will not be useful to the other category of participants, namely
those who come to the activity already with a degree of understanding of the subject matter. In these
cases, the activity itself acts as a reinforcement for the capacity that is already there and is therefore
more likely to lead to long-term sustainability. If this analysis is generally accepted, it will be more
readily understood why TCA believes that the selection of a homogeneous group of participants interms of their knowledge-base will be a positive factor in promoting TA sustainability.
40. A related concern is that participants should have backgrounds relevant to the activity.  This
illustrates the remark above to the effect that WTO does not have control over all aspects of a project.WT/COMTD/W/97
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Providing instruction in WTO matters to people wh ose work has in fact nothing to do with WTO, or
technical skills to people who do not need them, is not a good use of their time or WTO's.
Awareness-building activities, a staple of the TA programme, will be worthwhile if a positive answer
can be given to the question "Awareness in order to do what?".  In light of the costs involved, the
distances travelled, and the impact of the resource person's absence on work in Geneva, there is a needto reflect on how participants might be better "targeted".  It would seem reasonable that at least for
regional projects, the WTO could seek to be advised who it is intended to send, since there is a
substantial financial investment involved.
41. Three other aspects deserve mention in connection with sustainability. The first is the question of
whether the participants, whatever their knowledge-base, remain in the trade business or not. The
methodology for TA evaluation provides for tracer studies to determine this. Anecdotal evidence
indicates, however, that except for the Trade Policy Courses in Geneva, the record is not very good inthis regard. This is further discussed in the final section of this report.
42. Another aspect concerns the importance of participation in TA activities in terms of the
networking that takes place through those activities. Assuming that participants do remain in the trade
business, the connections that they can establish at  TA activities, be it at the national level or the
regional level, will also contribute positively to sust ainability. There is an additional twist to this in
terms of bringing together representatives of government, the private sector and civil society, and in
some instances, representatives of different branches of the same government who would not
normally come into contact with each other.  It is generally recognised that the more interaction is
fostered at the national level, the greater the likelihood that the results of TA will be sustained.
43. An important aspect of this question is the existence of a national commitment to sustain the
results of WTO TA.  However, evidence on this is not often available and Members may wish to
consider ways in which to foster that commitment.  The notion of "stake-holding" should have some
meaning beyond that of "demandeur".
44. Finally, a word about the BTORs.  The ones that  TCA has seen provide the minimum information
required.  They often tend, however, to be self-satisfied, and presented as an ex- post justification for
the trip taken.  While this is understandable in vi ew of the acknowledged quality of the work done, a
more critical and analytical approach would be desirable.  A good BTOR, which must be considered
an integral part of the resource person's responsibilities, can make a real contribution to assessing
sustainability over time.  That is why the evaluation methodology puts some emphasis on changes in
the way BTORs are done.
LESSONS LEARNED
45. Previous sections of this report include a number of remarks which may be considered also as
"lessons learned".  This section, therefore, concentrates on a limited number of themes that appear to
TCA to be of a more general nature.
46. The first remark is to reiterate the assessment, based on observation and feedback, that the quality
of WTO TA is uniformly high.  WTO resource persons are "on top" of their subjects, and are good at
getting them across.  A somewhat artisanal appr oach to delivery of TA has given way to a
recognition, driven by the importance of the subject, that this work has to be put on as professional a
footing as possible.  Two initiatives are germane in this regard:  the development of standardised
presentation packages for the main areas of WTO TA, and the Training-of-Trainers programme
planned in early 2002.  Taken together, these should help to ensure that whenever an activity takes
place, and whoever the resource person(s), there will be more coherence and uniformity.  Thedecision to include in vacancy notices for functions in operational Divisions the fact that a staff
member may be required to be a resource person for TA projects is also intended to enhance potentialWT/COMTD/W/97
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for high-quality TA; references to this requiremen t could, however, be more systematic and explicit
than they are.
47. The second issue relates to context .  Each of the WTO's TA activities stands on its own, and
relates either generally to the multilateral trading sy stem (MTS) or more specifically to an aspect or
aspects of an Agreement.  TCA has found it interesting to relate the activity to the context in which itis taking place.  This is akin to the idea of "mainstreaming" trade into development and poverty
reduction plans, and could be more systematically pursued by resource persons as well.  It could take
the form of illustrating what is being said at an activity with examples  drawn from national/regional
experience.  Quite apart from anything else, it will make the presentations less abstract, and help
maintain interest.  This has been systematically  cited by participants as something they greatly
appreciate.  Interaction between resource persons and participants may also be enhanced.  One
suggestion in this regard is that it be systematically required that resource persons consult, forexample, existing TPR reports, Economist Intelligence Unit Country Reports, or any other source of
such information, prior to carrying out the mission.
48. It is also necessary to consider the relationship between the activities of WTO in the area for
which it has expertise, and the other factors which influence a country's level of participation in the
MTS.  The consultations which TCA has had indicate that beneficiaries are very pleased with thequality of the TA they receive (many are not happy about the quantity, but recognise there are limits).
Inevitably, however, they draw attention to problems they face other than understanding the
Agreements and having the capacity to apply them and negotiate new ones.  These are the so-called
supply-side issues .  Leaving aside the issue of whether or not developing countries have all the
opportunities which the MTS is supposed to deliver (implementation), it has to be recognised thatenhanced understanding of the Agreements, coupled with major improvements in human capacity in
WTO matters, will have less impact in the absence of a solution to the very real supply-side issues
faced by Members, in particular LDCs.  Addressing these directly is beyond the remit of the WTO
and beyond its resources.  But the awareness that ther e are issues can be reinforced in two ways:  by
repeated reference in discussions in the WTO and with other development partners to this aspect of
trade integration, and by acknowledging in our TA activities that consideration of the Agreements
alone is not enough.  The results obtained from the IF approach will be interesting to observe in this
regard.
49. How to get more mileage  out of our TA:  to some extent, this is connected to the issue of
sustainability, but not just that.  WTO's TA is by definition short-term (again leaving aside the TPCs)
and highly fragmented.  It is not likely that this state of affairs is going to change anytime soon.
Perhaps the idea of having longer-term, residential experts providing TA on a "permanent" basis in atleast some developing and LDC Members deserves some consideration.  In the meantime, two other
approaches might be considered.  Activities that invo lve more than just government officials, i.e. the
private sector and civil society, would appear to have a better chance of securing wide dissemination
and knock-on effects.  It also makes sense to involve in WTO activities not only those who set policy,
but also those who are actively applying that policy through their professional activities.  This isparticularly so in the national context, but could hold equally in a regional context, as evidenced by
some of the activities in the field of trade and environment.  The other approach is one that has been
signalled for consideration but which, to TCA's knowledge, has not been made effective, namely TA
specifically aimed at providing local personnel, in universities or elsewhere, with the capacity to train
others once the WTO resource people have left – the so-called "training-of-trainers" at the nationallevel.  In view of the growing demands, and increasing resources being committed to WTO-related
TA, it is only a matter of survival to try whenever possible to leverage TA activities. WTO should
also not be shy about pressing to include WTO-i ssue modules in activities organized and conducted
by others.WT/COMTD/W/97
Page 10
50. In this connection, it will have been noted that this report refrains from pursuing in any depth the
issue of human resources  for delivery of TA in the WTO.  It is a well-known problem, and has been
considered by Members in both the CTD and the Budget Committee.  TCA's activities take as a given
the resources WTO has, but it cannot help but note that in respect of some of the issues highlighted as
requiring attention, the question of resources is far from peripheral.  So WTO will continue to carryout TA up to the limit of the resources it can reasonably deploy while keeping all other activities
going, and when it can do no more, it will not.  The experience of 2002 in matching human capacity
in the WTO with financial resources will be interesting to monitor closely.
51. In this connection, and related also to the remarks in paragraph 33, there is a direct correlation
between quality and the amount of resources put into play.  A project that really requires five days
rather than three, or two resource persons rather than one, will be of lesser quality if these
requirements are ignored.  Even if this means more expense per project, it is worth consideringwhether a somewhat smaller number of projects, but of the optimal quality, is not worth the sacrifice
of a small number of more marginal projects.  There is a tradition of economy in the WTO, but this
may sometimes be counterproductive in the TA context.
52. The last issue is measuring success .  This first year's experience serves to confirm what was
suspected all around, that it is extraordinarily difficul t to devise yardsticks of success in the area of
human capacity-building as done by the WTO.  On a macro level, it can be said, for example, that
developing countries have shown themselves to be far more able, and above all willing, to participate
fully in meetings, negotiations, etc.  The build-up to, and proceedings at, Doha are evidence of this.
Perhaps some of this can be attributed to enhanced assurance on the part of developing country
representatives, in turn derived from their capacity to participate having been improved through TA.As a generalization, this leaves aside the very clear differences in capacity that exist even among
developing countries; the bigger ones have capacity that is far closer to that of developed country
players than to that of smaller developing countries and LDCs.
53. An encouraging sign in this connection is the ex tent to which former participants in the TPC in
Geneva are now present in the delegations of developing countries and LDCs in Geneva; the samephenomenon has been observed in the ministries in some of the countries visited by TCA.  This
means that because of our TA, these countries are able to field better teams for the work in Geneva
and at home.
54. At a micro level, however, the situation is more complex.  It is always going to be easier to
evaluate process than long-term impact, but the methodology for evaluation does make some
suggestions on ways in which the measurement of impact might be approached.  In the end, however,
there is going to be a "leap of faith" involved here:  the assumption that the situation of developingcountries is better with  technical assistance than it would be without it.  As long as this implicit
understanding exists, the WTO will be justified in pursuing these capacity-building efforts, and
donors will have the basis on which to provide resources for this activity in a context where there is
severe competition for aid money.
55. And finally, a word about security : this is an issue which TCA has been pressing systematically.
It is not relevant only to TA, but rather concerns any travel to risk-areas.  The vast majority of such
travel is, however, TA-related, so it is legitimate to consider it as part of the context in which TA
takes place:  peace-of-mind is a factor which can affect quality.  It is the explosion in TA missions
which has focussed attention on the need to secure for WTO staff the maximum level of protection
available to international personnel, even if they are not in the front lines like the staff of HCR,UNICEF, etc.  An agreed policy has recently been issued (March 2002), based on United Nations
arrangements.WT/COMTD/W/97
Page 11
ANNEX I
LIST OF MISSIONS CARRIED OUT BY TCA DURING 2001
IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
Short Trade Policy Course, Fiji, 5 – 9 March 2001
Seminar on Trade and Environment, Chiang Mai, 27-29 March 2001Trade Policy Seminar, Kampala, 28 – 31 May 2001Mission to Washington, New York, Ottawa, 18 – 26 June 2001 (IDB / Georgetown Short TPC)National Seminar on GATS, Jakarta, Indonesia, 25 – 27 July 2001
National Seminar on WTO/APEC Issues, Lae, Papua New Guinea, 25 – 28 September 2001
Short WTO Trade Policy Course, Joint Vienna Institute (JVI), Vienna, 15 – 26 October 2001Mission to Georgia, 5 – 7 December 2001 (Reference Centre / Market Access)Mission to Haiti, 10 – 14 December 2001(IF / Notifications)
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