WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
27 May 2019  
(19-3624) Page: 1/80 
Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation    
 
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAIN ING 
 
2018 
TABLE OF CONTENTS  
ACRONYMS  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  3 
1   EXECUTIVE SUMMAR Y ................................ ................................ ................................  5 
1.1   Main evolutions in 2018 compared to 2017  ................................ ................................ ..... 5 
1.2   Implementation of TA Plan - main features of the WTO Technical Assistance in 2018  ...........  5 
1.3   Evaluation of Performance in 2018 and lessons learnt  ................................ ......................  6 
2   INTRODUCTION  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  7 
3   MAIN EVOLUTIONS IN 2018 COMPARED TO 2017  ................................ ......................  7 
3.1   Management of TA resources  ................................ ................................ ........................  7 
3.1.1   Resources availability for TA  ................................ ................................ ..............  8 
3.1.2   Volume of TA activities  ................................ ................................ .....................  9 
3.2   External Evaluation Follow -up ................................ ................................ .....................  11 
3.3   Implementation and enhancement of Results -Based Management  ................................ ... 13 
3.4   Improving the WTO TA offer  ................................ ................................ .......................  15 
3.4.1   Improvements in the e -Learning offer  ................................ ..............................  15 
3.4.2   Improvements in the face -to-face offer  ................................ .............................  18 
4   IMPLEMENTATION O F TA PLAN AND MAIN F EATURES OF THE TA PR OVIDED  
IN 2018  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  21 
4.1   Participation of le ast developed countries (LDCs)  ................................ ...........................  21 
4.2   Geographical distribution  ................................ ................................ ............................  23 
4.3   Product mix  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  24 
4.4   Distribution by subject  ................................ ................................ ...............................  28 
4.5   Language mix  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  29 
4.6   Progressivity of training  ................................ ................................ ..............................  30 
4.7   Gender mix  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  31 
4.8   Key Result mix  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  32 
5   EVALUATION OF PE RFORMANCE IN 2018  ................................ ................................ . 34 
5.1   Impact: Developing and LDC Members are benefiting from their active participation  
in the WTO  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  35 
5.2   Key Result 1: Government officials are implementing WTO Agreements and fully  
realising Members' rights and obligations  ................................ ................................ .............  36 
5.2.1   Output 1.1: Government official s have enhanced knowledge about the  
WTO Agreements, formulation of trade policies and conduct of trade negotiations  ............  39 WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
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5.2.2   Output 1.2: Effective partnerships esta blished resulting in substantive  
contributions of human and financial resources for TA activities  ................................ ..... 52 
5.2.3   Output 1.3: Members' needs and priorities are identified ................................ ..... 54 
5.2.4   Output 1.4: WTO data accessed and used by Members to analyse  
trade -related matters  ................................ ................................ ...............................  56 
5.3   Key Result 2: Acceding governments are participating in accession negotiations  ................  58 
5.3.1   Output 2.1: Acceding governments are familiar with WTO substantive and  
procedural matters  ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 59 
5.3.2   Output 2.2: Interested Members have expertise on GPA rules, accession 
negotiations, best practices and core access obligations  ................................ ................  60 
5.4   Key Result 3: Academic institutions and other stakeholders are analysing WTO issues  
and reaching out  to policy makers  ................................ ................................ .......................  61 
5.4.1   Output 3.1: Research on trade policy and WTO -related matters generated by  
WTO Chairs and other academics through provision of grants  ................................ ........  63 
5.4.2   Output 3.2: Courses developed by the relevant academic institutions have  
WTO content and students are being trained on WTO -related subjects by the WTO  
and its Chairs  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  66 
5.4.3   Output 3.3: The WTO Chairs are reaching out to other stakeholders and key 
decision -makers  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 67 
5.4.4   Output 3.4: Young professionals under the Young Professional Programme are 
exposed to WTO issues and work  ................................ ................................ ...............  68 
5.5   Key R esult 4: Non -governmental stakeholders and legislators are aware of and 
knowledgeable about WTO work and issues  ................................ ................................ ..........  68 
5.5.1   Output 4.1: Specific outreach activities organised for legislators, journalists, 
business and NGOs on WTO issues and trade policies  ................................ ...................  69 
5.5.2   Output 4.2: Improved understanding by journalists, civil society and business  
of WTO issues and trade policies  ................................ ................................ ................  70 
5.5.3   Output 4.3: Improved access to WTO issues through online training material  
for self -study  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  70 
5.5.4   Output 4.4: Information on trade -related TA provided, including through the  
ITTC Newsletter  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 71 
ANNEX I FOLLOW -UP ON  THE RECOMMENDATIONS  OF THE TA EXTERNAL  
EVALUATION  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  73 
ANNEX II MAIN RESULT S MEASURED IN 2018  ................................ ..............................  78 WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
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ACRONYMS  
ACP  African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of St ates 
Ag-IMS Agriculture Information Management System  
AIP  Accession Internship Programme  
ALADI   Latin American Integration Association/Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración  
APEX Brazil  Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Export  
ATPC  Advanced Trade Policy Course  
BTOR   Back-to-Office Report  
C4  Cotton four  
CAMEX  Brazilian Foreign Trade Chamber  
CARICOM  Caribbean Community and Common Market  
CBFA   Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration  
CEECAC  Central and Eastern European, Centra l Asian and Caucasus  
CEF  Centre for Economics and Finance  
CHF  Swiss franc  
CITES   Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora  
CONMETRO  Brazilian National Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality Council  
CRN  Central Registry of Notifications  
CTD  Committee on Trade and Development  
CTE  Committee on Trade and Environment  
DG  Director General  
DS  Dispute Settlement  
DSB  Dispute Settlement Body  
DSU  Dispute Settlement Understanding  
EBRD   European Bank for Reconstruction and Development  
EIF  Enhanced Integrated Framework  
EU  European Union  
FES  Friedrich -Ebert Stiftung  
FIMIP   French & Irish Missions Internship Programme  
GATS   General Agreement on Trade in Services  
GATT   General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade  
GEMPACK  General Equilibrium Modelling PACKage  
GPA  Government Procurement Agreement  
GSO  Gulf Cooperation Council Standardization Organization  
GTAP   Global Trade Analysis Project  
GTF  Global Trust Fund  
GVCs   Global Value Chains  
HK RX  Hong Kong re -exports  
IADB  Inter-American Development Bank  
IGO  Intergovernmental Organizations  
IICA  Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture  
IMF  International Monetary Fund  
IMS  Information Management System  
IP  Intellectual Property  
IPE  International Polit ical Economy  
IPR  Intellectual property right  
ITA  Information Technology Agreement  
ITC  International Trade Centre  
ITPC  Intermediate -level Trade Policy Course  
ITTC  Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation  
LDC  Least -developed country  
M&E  Monitoring & Evaluation  
MA  Market Access  
MC11   11th WTO Ministerial Conference  
MCHF   Million Swiss franc  
MFN  Most Favoured Nation  
MP  Member of Parliament  
MTS  Multilateral Trading System  
NAMA   Non-Agricultural Market Access  
NGO  Non-governmental organiz ation 
NTMs   Non-Tariff Measures  WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
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NTP  Netherlands Trainee Programme  
PAM  Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean  
PIFS  Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat  
PLS  Progressive Learning Strategy  
Q&A  Questions & Answers  
QR  Quantitative Restriction  
RBM  Results -Based Management  
RCI  Regional Coordinator Internship Programme  
RTA  Regional Trade Agreement  
SCORM  Sharable Content Object Reference Model  
SDG  Sustainable Development Goal  
SJR  SCImago Journal Rank  
SME  Small and Medium -sized Enterprise  
SNIP  Source Normalised Impact per Paper  
SPS  Sanitary and Phytosanitary  
STDF   Standards and Trade Development Facility  
TA  Technical Assistance  
TACTF  Technical Assistance Coordination Task Force  
TBT  Technical Barriers to Trade  
TF  Trade Facilitation  
TFA  Trade Facilitation Agreement  
TFAF  Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility  
TMR  Training Material Request  
TPP  Trade Policy Presentation  
TPR  Trade Policy Review  
TRIPS   Trade -Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights  
TRTA  Trade -Related Technical Assistance  
UAE  United Arab Emirates  
UNCTAD  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development  
WAEMU  West African Economic and Monetary Union  
WB  World Bank Group  
WCP  WTO Chairs Programme  
WHO  World Health Organization  
WIPO   World Intellectual Property Organization  
WTO  World Trade Organization  
YP  Young Professionals  
YPP  Young Professionals Programme  WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
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1  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  
1.1.  This report on the World Trade Organization Technical Assistance ( WTO TA) provided by the 
Secretariat in 201 8 follows the same logic as in previous years  by focussing on three types of 
analysis: the main evolutions of TA in 201 8 compared to 2017; an analysis of implemented TA 
activities by region, type, subject, language, level of training, gender of the participants , Key Results  
and for LDCs ; and an evaluation of the delivery and results of these TA activities.  
1.1  Main evolutions in 201 8 compared to 201 7 
1.2.  Further  progress during the year in the implementation of the 28  recommendations formulated 
in the external evaluation  of the WTO TA conducted in 2016 meant that, b y the end of the year, 
71% of the recommendations had been  implemented and the others were in progress .  This meant 
that two years after the evaluation, no recommendation had been left unattended .  A detailed table 
on the actions undertaken in 2018 to implement each of the recommendations is included in Annex  I. 
1.3.  In line with the implementation of Result -based management (RBM) for TA , in 201 8: (i) TA 
workflows were simplified and streamlined ; (ii) t he development of a new TA management system 
progressed well and a first module for the management of activity requests was released in 
November ; this meant that the new system w as used for 2019 TA activities onwards ; (iii) t hirteen 
TA evaluations were conducted during the year  to assess the results of four regional and two national 
activities , the introduction course for LDCs  and of the WTO TA provided to  six beneficiary countries  
since 201 4; (iv) a  review of the recommendations formulated in  Back-to-Office -Report s (BTOR s) 
showed that half of them ha d been either fully implemented or discontinued  for lack of relevance or 
feasibility , and another quarter  had been partially  implemented ; and (v) t he reporting rate on TA 
activities  was almost 100%  as in previous years . 
1.4.  The Secretariat continued to enrich  the substantive content of its TA offer  and promoting good 
training practices  in 2018 : a new e -Learning cloud -based platform was configurated and tested; five 
new online courses were released and two existing ones revised to increase their interactive 
multimedia content  and upgrade  them to Sharable Content Object Reference Model ( SCORM ) 
standards ; the holistic approach to subjects like Public Health, e -Commerce, Standards and 
competition was deepened;  connections were made between trade issues and the globa l economic 
and policy agenda in the field of Agriculture and Intellectual Property (IP); efforts were made in a 
number of areas ( Standards, NAMA, Services, TRIPS, Government Procurement,  etc.) to respond to 
the actual needs of beneficiaries  and promote the implementation of the WTO Agreements . 
1.5.  The resources available to the Secretariat ( from the regular budget  and extra -budgetary funds ) 
to finance TA to developing Members and Observers seem ed to have stabilised since 2014, despite 
annual flu ctuations .  However, the overall resources available  remain ed lower than actual expenses , 
obliging the Secretariat to tap regularly into its financial reserves.  The volume of TA activities grew 
significantly but  related expenses decreased by 8% for the fi rst time in seven  years, due to the tight 
management policy implemented by the Secretariat  and the postponement  of one programme 
funded by an earmarked contribution . 
1.2  Implementation of TA Plan - main features of the WTO Technical Assistance in 201 8 
1.6.  The Secr etariat undertook 307 TA activities  (+18% compared to 2017) , both in Geneva and in 
other locations , and participated in 5 2 other TA -related activities (e.g. conferences or activities of 
partner institutions).  A majority of these TA activities were organiz ed in partnership with other 
international, regional or sub -regional institutions.  Overall, 22,800 participants were trained during 
the year, a n increase of 25% compared to 201 7, mainly as a result of  a 65% growth of the 
participation in face -to-face activities, as p articipation in online courses was stable .  Despite this 
spectacular growth, total TA expenses were 5% lower than in 2017, as a result of  tight resource 
management and the postponement  of an internship programme.  
1.7.  During the year the proportion of face -to-face activities held outside Geneva  increased  
compared to 201 7, as a 28% growth of national requests led to an equivalent increase in the number 
of national activities .  The relative weight  of TA on activities with a general scope (i.e.  multi-topic 
coverage) decreased  further .  In 201 8, 36% of the 307 activities had a general scope, when that 
proportion was close to 50% two years ago .  As in the previous two years, the other activities were WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
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spread across specific Agreements or subjects.  Standards -related activities (SPS, TBT) were in high 
demand, followed by services, market access for goods (including TF) , TRIPS  and Agriculture . 
1.8.  Subject -specific regional seminars were conducted in all region s.  Africa and LDCs remained a 
priority in 201 8, in line with the TA Plan .  The participation of LDCs was proportionately lower in 
2018 than in 2017, as demand from these countries grew at a slower pace than from other 
beneficiaries.  Africa was back in th e first place for the number of TA activities hosted , as the surge 
seen in Asia -Pacific in 2017 was short -lived.  Overall, more than half of face -to-face activities were 
held at the national level and the rest at regional/global level.  National activities  continued to gather 
larger audiences - 46 persons for 3 .1 days on average – when regional or global activities tended to 
gather smaller audiences – around 3 4 persons over 3. 8 days on average, which facilitated the use 
of more interactive training methods.  
1.9.  Overall, 58% of the WTO TA was provided in English, 1 7% in French and 1 9% in Spanish, and 
the balance in more than one language.  A small increase in the number of global activities with 
interpretation was noted during the year.  T his continued to mirror approximately the language 
preferences of Members and Observers in the WTO.  These proportions were similar in face -to-face 
activities and online courses.  
1.10.   The balance between the three PLS levels of training - introduction, intermediate and 
advanced - changed compared to the previous year: the relative importance of the intermediate 
level decreased  (57%).  Most of the TA activity growth in 2018 benefited more advanced activities  
which represented 18% of the total .  The volume of a ctivities without a defined  level stabi lised at 
9%.  This is due to a number of  reasons , including the fact that it is not feasible to allocate a level 
to outreach or academic -related activities  for example,  since they do not purport to train their 
participants over several years to progressively take them to higher levels of knowledge on WTO 
issues.  The TA offer was almost equally shared between generalists and specialists.  
1.11.   The overall proportion of women a mongst WTO TA participants grew above the 2012 -17 
average to reach 4 7%.  There was no difference between face -to-face activities and online courses 
in this regard.  
1.12.   An overwhelming majority of the TA activities (8 6%) contributed to Key Result 1 "Government 
officials are implementing WTO Agreements and making full use of Members' rights", a proportion 
which was even closer to 100% for e -Learning courses.  Key Result 2 on accessions was next ( 7%), 
followed by Key Result 3 on benefiting academic institutions  (5%) and Key Result 4 on outreach to 
other non-traditional audiences (MP s, journalists, civil society) ( 2%). 
1.13.   In addition to the continuous reduction of its TA resources, the main challenges faced by the 
Secretariat in 201 8 continued to come from the limitati ons on the training facilities available on the 
WTO campus, which constrained the volume of TA that could be offered in Geneva; and the heavy 
workload of staff members in certain areas, which limited the TA available on specific subjects.  
1.3  Evaluation of Per formance in 201 8 and lessons learnt  
1.14.   WTO TA produced excellent results in 2018.   The proportion of targets met reached its highest 
level since 2015.  Targets were met in 76% of the cases, wh en this proportion was 57% on average 
during the period 2015 -17.  Only 4% of the targets were not met and 15% of them were missed by 
a small margin.   Thanks to the Secretariat's continuous efforts to enhance the quality of its TA 
performance indicators, significant progress was made in terms of data availability.   The pro portion 
of indicators for which no data was available decreased progressively from 18% in 2016  and 10% 
in 2017 to 4% in 2018.  
1.15.   Key Result 1, which regroups the bulk of WTO TA activities and related indicators (65%), 
registered the highest level of performance with targets met in 8 3% of cases  (69% in 2017 and 71% 
in 2016) .  Key Result 4  recorded the second -best performance : targets were met in 80% of the 
cases  against  39% in 2016 and 56% in 2017.  Under Key Result 2, the rate of success went down  
compared to 2017 and stood at 5 0%.  Performance of activities under Key Result 3 doubled 
compared to the two previous years as 50% of the targets were met , knowing that  what used to be 
covered by Key Result 4 in previous years was split between Key Results 3 and 4 in the TA Plan WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
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2018-19, and the former Key Result 3 was discontinued for the most part.  These changes should 
be kept in mind  when making a comparison with previous years ' results . 
1.16.   The assessment of TA performance presented in this report is based on  a combination of desk 
analysis and onsite evaluations conducted by the Secretariat during the year.  A summary of results 
measured in 2018 against the targets assigned to  each of the indicators included in the 2018 -19 TA 
Plan logframe can be found in Anne x II. 
2  INTRODUCTION  
2.1.  This report follows  the same approach as in previous years .  It goes  beyond a quantitative 
account of the volume of WTO TA provided during the year by presenting the activities in a n 
analytical way, and avoid s repeating the description o f the various programmes and activities 
implemented during the year, since they  have already been presented to Members as part of the TA 
Plan.1  The report  seeks to  give Members a proper  understanding of the achievements of the year 
and of the rationale guiding the action s in this field.   Significant efforts have been made to present 
the results of WTO TA activities according to the structure of the TA Plan adopted by Members for 
2018-19. 
2.2.  Further to the  comprehensive 2016 external evaluation of the TA pro vided by the WTO in 
2010-15, the continuation of the work performed during the year to implement and follow -up on its 
recommendations has also been presented in this report  to give Members as comprehensive a picture 
as possible.  
2.3.  The Secretariat keeps  devel oping and implement ing the tools to collect data so as to better 
measure the results produced by its TA activities in the beneficiar ies.  As in previous years, the 
report links TA activities to their associated costs, to allow Members to assess the value for money 
produced  in 201 8.  However,  and as noted by the 2016 external evaluation, one of the main 
limitations in this domain comes from the lack of capacity of many beneficiar ies of WTO TA to gather 
sufficiently representativ e data to assess the results of the TA they have received.2 
2.4.  The report focuses on three main aspects .  The first  is a present ation of  the main evolutions 
seen in the  WTO TA provided in 201 8 compared to the previous year, and their rationale.  This 
required  a selection amongst the many activities and programmes implemented during the year to 
focus on the most significant changes implemented .  The second analyses  the TA provided during 
the year by region and to LDCs , by subject covered, language used , level o f training offered , 
participants' gender  and Key Results.  The last part of the report analyses in detail the  immediate 
and long -term results of the  WTO TA provided by the Secretariat during the year - and before . 
3  MAIN EVOLUTIONS IN 2 018 COMPARED TO 201 7 
3.1.  This section describes the main changes observed in 201 8 in the management and 
implementation of TA activities compared to 201 7, including in terms of: (i) resources allocated to 
TA and the overall volume of activities implemented; (ii) progress made in th e implementation of 
the recommendations of the 2016 external evaluation; (iii) monitoring and evaluation of TA 
(including implementation of the Result -based management system); and (iv) changes to the design 
and delivery of TA activities.  
3.1  Management of TA resources3 
3.2.  Delivery of TA in 201 8 occurred in a context of stagnation of donors' contributions.  As predicted 
in the TA Plan for 201 8-19, to keep the same level of ambition and objectives for WTO TA, a tight 
management of resources continued to be essentia l. 
                                                
1 See document WT/COMTD/W/227/Rev.1, viewed at: 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/239616/q/WT/COMTD/W227R1.pdf  
2 See paragraph 4.12 in WT/COMTD/89 for an illustration.  
3 For a detailed analysis of the resources and expenses of the WTO in 2018 (including TA resources), 
please see the WTO 2018 Financial Performance Report in document WT/BFA/W/ 482. WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
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3.1.1   Resources availability for TA  
3.3.  In 2018, as the TA resources 
coming  from the regular budget  were 
constant in nominal terms (since 
2012) , the overall increase of TA 
resources meant that the relative 
share of the regular budget in TA 
funding was 30% ( 4 percentage points 
below  last year 's level ).  The Global 
Trust Fund (GTF) and other non-
earmarked resources  represented 
54% of the total (+3 percentage 
points compared to 2017)  and the 
balance ( 16%) came from 
contributions earmarked for specific 
programmes .  Non-earmarked 
resources have progressively 
decreased from a peak of 20 MCHF in 
2009 to 8.2 MCHF on average since 
2014.  Despite unavoidable annual 
fluctuations, both the pool of donors 
and the total size of their contributions 
seems to have stabilised over  the last 
five years.  In 2018, the return of 
Finland as a donor and a 12% increase 
in Sweden's contribution were offset 
by the absence of contribution from 
Japan, the Netherlands and Norway.  
This apparent stabilisation is good 
news.  However, the current  level of 
contribution s is significantly lower 
than the annual target amounts 
approved by Members  for the GTF  and 
lower than the average expenses  they 
finance  (9.7 MCHF since 2012) .  Since 
2014, the WTO has had to tap almost every year  into its cash reserv es to bridge the gap.  Since the 
balance available in the GTF at the end of 2018 was equivalent to the target amount for 2019, the 
WTO will soon reach a point where, in the absence of an increase of non-earmarked contributions, 
it will have to reduce th e ambition of its TA programme.  
3.4.  Since 201 3, the evolution of the voluntary contributions of the various donors has been as 
follows:4 
Global Trust Fund      
 2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  
Australia  2,689,900  61,370  2,162,382   52,756  17,927  
Austria  243,600  241,400  104,900  109,000  215,200  233,200  
Denmark  491,063  482,422  400,028     
Estonia  24,160  24,640  24,120  21,800  21,520  23,320  
European Union  1,232,000  317,592  1,658,552  1,294,800   1,164 ,800 
Finland       1,159,000  
France  617,000  608,500  434,400  433,200  455,600  519,300  
Germany  1,233,000  1,203,000  1,060,000  1,083,000  1,139,000  1,133,000  
Japan  368,744  312,019  267,413  218,634  233,669   
Korea  313,600  336,350  346,500  347,200  331,100  298,800  
                                                
4 The trust funds taken into account here are those under the sole authority of  the WTO which it can use 
to finance its TA activities (GTF and earmarked trust funds financing the Mission Internships, etc.).  Trust funds 
managed by other entities or which finance other programmes than those of WTO (Standards and Trade 
Development Faci lity (STDF), Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) Secretariat and Trade Facilitation 
Agreement Facility (TFAF)) have always been excluded, since these trust funds have their own governance and 
reporting mechanisms.   - 5 10 15 20 25 Millions  CHFGlobal Trust Fund
Contributions
Expenses
GTF Target
Year-end
balance - 5 10 15 20 25 30Millions CHFTechnical Assistance Resources
Earmarked
Trust Funds
Non-
earmarked
Trust Funds
Regular
BudgetWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
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Global Trust Fund      
 2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  
Liechtenstein  40,000  40,000  40,000  40,000  40,000  40,000  
Lithuania      20,273  30,316  
Netherlands   875,000  495,000  490,000  190,598   
Norway  2,287,108  2,163,722  1,161,373  1,059,571  777,180   
Sweden  2,245,600    1,253,700  1,929,722  2,154,955  
Switzerland  800,000       
Chinese Taipei  184,200       
United States  851,885  1,127,392  950,400  529,036  571,172  600,547  
Total GTF  13,619,060  7,793,406  9,105,068  6,879,941  6,169,278  7,375,165 
 
Earmarked Trust Funds      
 2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  
Australia  392,120   112,640    
China  362,800   485,000  485,000  473,000  494,000  
European Union  689,920 144,360   21,520  -55,161  
Finland    102,366    
France  617,000  608,500  651,600  649,800  683,400  923,200  
Ireland  246,400 180,900  156,600 164,250  163,650 227,800  
Netherlands   1,750,000  875,000   875,000  875,000 
New Zealand   78,130      
Norway  251,582  1,300,954      
Sweden  283,300    102,291  -47,919  
Total Earmarked  2,843,122 4,062,844  2,383,206 1,422,861  2,091,970 2,520,000 
3.1.2   Volume of TA activities  
3.5.  Building on the positive trend 
established since 2012 and noted by the 
2016 external evaluation, the management 
of TA has continued to seek effectiveness in 
2018 through a rigorous approval process of 
WTO TA activity requests that places 
significant attention on the relevance of the 
activities and their potential to produce 
results, favouring quality over volume.  
3.6.  The overall volume of WTO TA or TA -
related activities increased by 14 % compared 
to 2017  (359 activities in 201 8 against 315 in 
2017), reaching their highest level since 
2010.  Within that total, the volume of WTO 
TA acti vities stricto sensu  increased even 
more (+18%)  to reach 307 activities in 201 8 
(+46), whilst the number of Other Activities  
was stable at 5 2 (-2). 
3.7.  The number of national activities during 
the year increased by 28% compared to  
2017.  At 12 7, it was close to the average 
level in years 2011 -13.  National activities 
represented 35% of the activities organised 
by the WTO in 201 8, in progression of 3 
percentage points .  As explained in the 
previous annual report on TA , fluctuations  in 
the volume of national activities in absolute 
and relative terms are directly correlated to the evolution of the  demand from Members and, to a 
lesser extent, to limited Secretariat's capacity to satisfy Members' requests for activities.5  For the 
                                                
5 As expressed in previous annual performa nce reports, the Secretariat's capacity to satisfy TA demand 
is finite mainly in certain areas (e.g. trade remedies, TBT) due to heavy workload servicing other WTO functions 
combined wit h the current resource freeze.  050100150200250300
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018National activity requests0100200300400500Number of TA Activities
Other
Regional/
Global
NationalWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
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first time since 201 2, the number of national activity requests received by the Secretariat increased 
in 2018, after five successive years of decline , reaching 1 75 requests.  By the end of 2018 , 62% of 
the activities requested during the year were already implemented and 3 2% were under preparation.   
These rates are marginally above the average since 2011, which shows that the Secretariat had no 
difficulty absorbing this surge in demand.  The various country assessments performed by the 
Secretariat in 2018 noted  that several be neficiaries failed to benefit from national activities out of 
lack of knowledge  that these could  be requested.  
3.8.  The total number of countries presenting at least one request was also on the rise in 2018  
(+11 countries)  and reached 78, its highest level sinc e 2012 .  The turnover among countries 
presenting a request remain ed significant: 42% of the countries that requested an activity in 201 8 
had not done so in 201 7 and approximately a third of the 2017 requesting countries did not submit 
a request in 201 8.  The average number of requests per country rose from 1.8 in 2017 to 2.2 in 
2018, a s a much lower proportion of beneficiaries  submitted only one or two requests (64% instead 
of 80%).  Most of the others submitted 3 or 4 requests .  The regional spread of the requests followed 
closely the distribution  of implemented activities,  described in section 4.2 below.  
3.9.  The number of regional and global activities also increased in 2018  (180 activities against 16 1 
in 2017 ), though at a slower rate than national activities .  They represented  half of the activities of 
the year.  
3.10.   In the meantime, the volume of  Other Activities  was stable in 2018 at 5 2 (-2 compared to 
2017)  and represented 1 5% of the total WTO TA and TA -related activities.  The Secretariat 
participation in the delivery of TA activities organized by other institutions represented just over half 
of the Other Activities .  These activities constitute TA but are not counted as part of the WTO TA 
since the contribution of the Secretariat is insufficient for it to take  full responsibility for the results 
produced.  The other half  included various meetings and conferences in which the Secretariat 
participated and which generally did not constitute WTO TA per se, but frequently lead to 
partnerships that facilitated the su bsequent organization and delivery of WTO TA activities, such as 
missions to identify partners for future Intermediate -level Trade Policy Courses ( ITPCs ), board 
meetings of existing partner institutions (Middle -East Centre for Economics and Finance, Joint Vienna 
Institute) and onsite evaluation missions.  In 201 8, expenditure on Other Activities was CHF 0. 9 
million, i.e. 25% less than in 201 7.  In total, this expenditure represented approximately 6% of the 
total TA expenses compared to 7% in 201 7.  This con firms the sustained focus on spending TA 
resources on those activities for which the WTO can claim results.  
3.11.  TA expenditure in 201 8 
decreased by 8%  compared to the 
previous year.  A 7% increase in the 
expenses financed by the regular 
budget was offset  by a 13% reduction 
of those financed by trust funds.  The 
expenses financed by non-earmarked 
trust funds were stable ( -1% 
compared to 2017), wh ile those 
financed by earmarked trust funds 
dropped by 60%: because of the late 
payment of the earmarked 
contributio n financing the Netherlands 
Trainee Programme (NTP) , no intern 
could be recruited under this 
programme in 2018 ; and only one 
round table o n accessions was financed 
by the earmarked Chinese fund instead of two in 2017 .  The absence of the se activities had a  
disproportionate impact on the overall expenses and more than offset the increase in costs resulting 
from the higher volume of much cheaper activities (e.g. online courses and national activities).  
However, despite these unavoidable annual variations, th e TA expenses have been rather stable 
since 2012 , when internal measures were introduced to improve the management of TA resources.6 
                                                
6 For the purpose of this report, WTO TA expenses include all the expenses under the chapter of the 
regular budget dedicated to TA activities (Geneva -based training course, TA missions, Academic programme,  - 5 10 15 20 25 30Million CHFTechnical Assistance Expenses
Trust
Funds
Regular
BudgetWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 11 - 
 
3.12.  The proportion of the resources 
allocated to TA from the regular budget 
that was actually spent on TA activities 
in 201 8 reached 97%, its highest share 
for more than a decade .  The capacity 
of the Secretariat to fully use the funds 
provided for TA in the regular budget 
was boosted by Members' decision in 
2015 to manage this part of the budget 
around four main envelopes instea d of 
activity by activity.  The Secretariat 
also undert ook to maximiz e the use of 
the part of WTO's regular budget that 
was approved by Members for TA 
purposes.   The proportion reached in 
2018 will probably constitute a 
maximum difficult to surpass in the future, as overspending risks must be minimised in the current 
context of zero budget nominal growth.  
3.2  External Evaluation Follow -up 
3.13.   This section provides an upd ate on the status, as of 31 December 2018, of the 28 
recommendations made by the 2016 external evaluation of the TA provided by the WTO in 2010 -15.7  
Annex I summarises the implementation status of each of the recommendations.  The same codes 
as in 2017 ha ve been used:  
a. Implemented/ongoing : recommendations calling for a specific action limited in time 
and fully implemented by end of 2018; and open -ended r ecommendations of an ongoing  
nature implemented by end of  2018 and which  will be subject to continuation  and 
monitoring in the future.  This category also includes recommendations closed with no 
further action, for reasons explained in Annex  I. 
b. In progress:  recommendations calling for a specific action limited in time and for which 
implementation had begun by  end of 2018 and will continue in the following years until 
completion.  
c. Pending:  recommendations  of all types  for which implementation had not begun yet by 
end of 201 8. 
  Implementation Status  
3.14.   As of 31 December 2018, all the recommendations made by the 2016 external evaluation 
were either implemented (7 1%) or in course of implementation (2 9%).  Among the 2 0 
                                                
Geneva Weeks, etc.) and all the expenses financed by the trust funds under the sole autho rity of the WTO, which 
it can use to finance its TA activities (including the staff costs registered in these funds).  The EIF, STDF and 
TFAF trust funds are consequently excluded.  
7 WT/COMTD/89 , viewed at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/233110/q/WT/COMTD/89.pdf  0%20%40%60%80%100%
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018TA Regular Budget Spending
50%
29%21%December 2017
Implemented/
ongoing
In progress
Pending71%29%December 2018WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 12 - 
 
recommendations grouped in the " implemented/ongoing " category, 3 were closed with no further 
action based on consultations with Members.  No recommendation was left with no action 
undertaken.  Recommendations of an ongoing nature continued to be monitored in 2018.  Examples 
related to these recommendations were integrated in section 3.4 below.  
3.15.   During the review of the 2017 TA annual performance  report at the 106th Regular Session of 
the CTD held on 5 July 2018, Members shared feedback on the actions undertaken by the Secretariat 
in 2017 to follow -up on the 2016 external evaluation (recommendation 1).  The Secretariat invited 
Members to further d isseminate the information on upcoming or past TA activities available online 
through the e -Dashboards and calendar of upcoming TA activities (recommendation  8).  The meeting 
also discussed constraints and opportunities in the delivery of WTO TA (recommend ation 4).  
Challenges faced in the organization of national activities, ways to circumvent the language barrier 
in national activities for officials with insufficient knowledge of WTO working languages, and support 
to Geneva -based Missions with limited cap acity were among the issues discussed.  
3.16.   Four of the recommendations made by the 2016 external evaluation aimed to enhance the 
Result -Based Management (RBM) system (5, 26, 27 and 28).  Efforts continued in 2018 to upgrade 
RBM tools and procedures as describe d below ( section 3.3).   The TA Coordination Task Force (TACTF) 
provided useful guidance to ensure the practicality and efficiency of the revised workflows and 
several of its members tested the new TA management system (recommendation 5).  
3.17.   In accordance with  recommendation 18 , an independent external consultant was selected in 
2018 to conduct  the ex -post evaluation of the WTO Chairs Programme (WCP) since its inception 
(2010 -18). 
3.18.   Options to integrate gender -related issues in the TA curriculum (recommendation 1 9) were 
explored by the Secretariat; relevant training materials developed by other organizations (e.g. 
UNCTAD, WB, etc.) were reviewed to seek synergies and avoid duplication; and the needs of the 
various target groups in TA beneficiaries were assessed th rough fact -finding missions in India, Nepal 
and Russia and through e-Learning chat sessions.  This led to the design of a step -by-step approach: 
two modules (introductory and intermediate) would be developed and tested in 2019 before their 
deployment in al l generalist face -to-face activities and in relevant specialized activities ; and a 
standalone online course would be offered separately.  Information on trade and gender issues was 
disseminated through e -Learning social media accounts ( see section  3.4.1).   Gender -related issues 
featured in various GPA -related activities held in 2018 including the a dvanced global workshop held 
in September, the regional workshop for CEECAC held in Moldova in October  and the national 
workshop held in  Belarus in September .  The Secretariat in cooperation with Moldova, ITC and EBRD 
organized a workshop on Enhancing the Participation of Women Entrepreneurs and Traders in 
Government Procurement  in June in Geneva .  Finally, in the eighth Triennial Review of the TBT 
Agreement, the C ommittee decided to include as part of its 2019 -20 workplan a workshop on the 
role of gender in the development of Standards.8  Such a workshop is likely to guide Members' 
interest in TA activities in this area in the future.  
3.19.   To develop new training options to follow ‑up on TPR recommendations , the Secretariat carried 
out two  onsite evaluation s in Colombia and the Philippines (see section 3.3  below)  as part of a meta -
evaluation of TPR follow -ups (recommendation 15).  The meta-evaluation will analys e the trends 
observed  over the past years in these activities according to the geographic and economic context 
of the beneficiar ies, and undertak e several onsite evaluations of TPR  follow -ups in  various regions.  
The main findings will be documented in future annual reports.  The Secretariat took TPR reports 
into account when elaborating course materials for national, regional and global TA activities to tailor 
them in those specific areas targeted by TPR recommendations (thereby equally contributing to the 
implementation of recommendation 16).  For instance, when designing the module on Trade & 
Gender, over 100 TPR reports were analysed to identify the prevailing patterns amongst Members 
in addressing gender issues in trade policies.  The findings will be integ rated into the course material 
under development.  Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) activities also assessed the observance of this 
good practice and encouraged TA beneficiaries to prioritize in their training requests their capacity 
gaps hindering the implem entation of policy reforms recommended in their TPR.  
                                                
8 G/TBT/41, viewed at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/249743/q/G/TBT/41.pdf  WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 13 - 
 
3.20.   To promote language diversification in WTO regular courses (recommendation 23), the 
Secretariat continued to assess the feasibility of offering Geneva -based courses in French and 
Spanish.9  The course on Priority Issues of LDCs in the Multilateral Trading System (MTS) held in 
Geneva in June was offered in English and French, with interpretation.  The effectiveness of the 
course was assessed through questionnaires and interviews with organizers , trainers and 
participants.  Approximately 20% of the sessions were delivered in French as original language.  
Most course materials were available in both languages.  The course included group exercises where 
participants from both languages worked toget her.  Some 60% of the participants learned more 
from the course with interpretation than if the course had been in English only.  Interpretation made 
it possible for French speaker s to participate in the course and gave them the opportunity to interact 
with participants from other regions.  Several recommendations were made to overcome the 
challenges inherent to the bi -lingual delivery of future courses.  Other Geneva -based TA activities 
such as the a dvanced global Workshop on Government Procurement and the  thematic activities on 
NAMA, SPS and Fisher ies Subsidies described in section 3.4.3 below were offered with interpretation 
into French and Spanish.  
3.21.   The Secretariat continued to seek ways to improve the learning experience of TA participants 
(recommendatio n 25).  As documented in previous annual reports,10 courses based on blended -
learning approaches (using a combination of online and in -situ modules, self -study and practical 
follow -up work) continue d to be encouraged.  The Secretariat started collecting det ailed information 
on existing blended courses to assess their added -value and the applicability of this approach to 
other courses: for example, regional and global face -to-face activities on TRIPS and public health 
could include a module from the WHO-WIPO -WTO online course on Promoting Access to Medical 
Technologies and Innovation ;11 building on the success of i -trADe,12 the web-based training platform 
and reference package for anti -dumping investigators  (558 registered users in 2018 who spent over 
8.600 hours training on the system), it has been  increasingly used as a pre -requisite to apply for 
advanced activities and could become part of a blended course.  
3.22.   The Secretariat M&E of TA activities also assess ed the proper functioning of the Progressive 
Learning Strategy (PLS).  In addition to the various examples on the PLS application in section 3.4 
below, highlights on the implementation of recommendation 22 include: (i) the introduction of pre -
tests in the Advanced Trade Policy Courses (ATPCs) held in 2018; (ii) the improved progressivity of 
the curriculum of the intermediate and advanced TPCs (e.g. elimination from the I ntermediate Trade 
Policy Courses (ITPCs)  of modules on trade negotiations and internatio nal trade theory and 
replacement by a module on transparency and notifications); and (iii) the revision of the ITPC final 
exam questions as of 2019 to make their level of difficulty commensurate to an intermediate level.  
In-country TA effects and impact a ssessments allow ed the Secretariat to collect anecdotal evidence 
on the use by former participants of the skills developed through their participation in TA activities 
(recommendation 22), as described in section 3.3 below.  For example, t o follow -up on th e advanced 
TBT Course held in March 2018, a questionnaire asked participants six months later how they used 
the skills gained in their areas of priority identified during the course.  
3.3  Implementation and enhancement of Results -Based Management  
3.23.   Further to the in-depth assessment of TA process es and as recommended by the 2016 
external evaluation ,13 the reengineer ing of the  TA workflows and procedures continued in 2018.  The 
electronic Staff Requisition workflow launched in October 2017 to facilitate the recruitm ent of 
external trainers was fully deployed in 2018.  The system was further improved to integrate contract 
payment into the workflow, thus centralizing all the information on one single platform.  
3.24.   Pending the deployment of a new generation of management to ols better tailored to the WTO 
needs, e -Dashboards were developed using off -the-shelve software to enhance external access to 
                                                
9 As recommended in WT/COMTD/W/229, viewed at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/238719/q/WT/COMTD/W229.pdf . 
10 See Section 3.4.2.1 in WT/COMTD/W/235, viewed at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/246143/q/WT/COMTD/W235.pdf  and 
Section 3.3.3.2 in WT/COMTD/W/225, viewed at 
https://docs. wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/237541/q/WT/COMTD/W225.pdf . 
11 This course was described in previous TA annual performance reports.  
12 See Section 3.3.3.2 in WT/COMTD/W/225.  
13 Recommendations 5, 26,27 and 28  WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 14 - 
 
information on TA activities.  These interim e -Dashboards were presented to Members at the CTD 
on 5 July 2018.  
3.25.   The definition of t he requirements for a new RBM application integrat ing the entire TA business 
process in to one single management system were finalized in 2018 and a software was selected to 
develop its infrastructure.  The data model and structure for the application were also completed.  A 
real-scale test of the Activity Request  segment of the TA workflow  was launched in November 2018, 
leading to the creation in the new system of all the 2019 TA activities.  T he development of the other 
streamlined segments of the workflow  continued for the evaluation of, and reporting on , TA activity 
results, management of recommendations, use and management of external experts, requests for 
national activities by beneficiaries, registration of individual applications, selection of partici pants 
and Members' online access to TA data.  A dditional more agile functionalities are being progressively 
added to simplify the work of the users and facilitate monitoring at every stage of the process . 
3.26.   The new format of the quarterly extra -budgetary fun ds report to the Committee on Budget, 
Finance and Administration (CBFA) was introduced for the third quarter of 2018 and presented  to 
Members in the meeting held on 13 November 2018 .14  The new report structure , organized 
according to the Key Results of the TA Plan , allows Members to compare financial movements against 
the agreed TA budget  (recommendation 27).  
3.27.   A total of 13 evaluations of TA activities were carried out in 2018 including: onsite evaluation 
of four  regional activities (1 in Africa,  1 in the Caribbean, 1 in CEECAC and 1 in the Middle East) and 
two national activities (Colombia and Philippines); six country assessments of the effects and 
impacts of the TA provided to Colombia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwai t, Philippines and Saint Lucia 
over the 2014 -18 period; and one ex-post evaluation of the Introduction Course for LDCs for the 
period 2011 -17.  These evaluations identified several good practice s that were subsequently 
disseminated in the Secretariat  and recommendations for improvement (e.g. greater use of blended 
learning, online registration of participants and further dissemination of information on upcoming 
activities).  Country visits identified  examples of the benefits which accrued to TA beneficiarie s: a 
20-30% reduction of the time required by junior and mid -level staff to complete a work  assignment  
after a training  on trade information systems and databases ; use of WTO online courses as part of  
the compulsory training curriculum of Trade Ministries for their new recruits or for staff deployment 
on specific topics.  Feedback collected from country assessments also confirmed the relevance of 
the TA provided and identified  some  areas where further training is needed by the countries visited.  
3.28.   As in 2017,  the Secretariat monitored the  implementation of the recommendations formulated 
in BTOR s (recommendation 28) .  The exercise conducted in 2018 showed some marked 
improvements compared to the previous year.  Since then, 231 new recommendations had been  
issued, of which  only 3% were comments which  did not call for a specific action .  The percentage of 
these " non-recommendations " dropped significantly compared to last year (24% in 2017) , as 
trainers learnt from the 2017 exercise . 
3.29.   A pool of 361 recommendations comprising 223 recommendations from the 2017 -18 period15 
and 138 recommendations that were marked either as pending or work -in-progress at the end of 
the 2017 exercise were analysed to determine their status of implementation .  This second 
monitoring exerci se confirmed the need to develop a specific workflow to validate and follow -up on 
the recommendations emerging from the Secretariat's experience when implementing TA activities.  
This new workflow should be integrated into TAMS in the future.  
3.30.   The Secretari at continued to monitor the reporting on TA activities and to implement 
measures to encourage systematic reporting.  As in previous years, nearly all TA and TA -related 
activities in 2018 were followed by a report (only 6 reports were missing out of 359 act ivities).  
                                                
14 WT/BFA/W/46  viewed at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/16690/Q/WT/BFA/W46.pdf  
15 October 2017 - October 2018  WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 15 - 
 
3.4  Improving the WTO TA offer  
3.4.1   Improvements in the e -Learning offer  
3.31.   The new e -Learning cloud -based platform was configured, populated with the entire content 
of the e -Campus in the three WTO languages and its functionalities tested prior to its deplo yment 
during  the last quarter of 2018.  Further pre -release -testing in the production environment took 
place and the platform was open for registration mid -January 2019.  
3.32.   Efforts continued in 2018 to enhance the e -Learning course offer through the developme nt of 
new training material and the update, upgrade and revision of existing courses.  As a result, a  total 
of 81 e-Learning courses were available for registration in 201 8.  Five new interactive courses were 
launched  in English  during the year : (i) "Trade  Facilitation Agreement"  (TFA) ; (ii) "CITES and the 
WTO – Enhancing Cooperation for Sustainable Development";  (iii) "Mainstreaming Trade – The 
Fundamentals" ; (iv)  "Agriculture Information Management System";  and (v)  "Documents Online 
e-Subscriptions" .  The  last two courses are short  and practical  courses that aim to  guide the 
participants on how to use the two information systems in question .  A second part of the course on 
Mainstreaming Trade is expected to be available for registration in 2019.  
3.33.   With the release in August 2018 of the French and Spanish versions of the course "Agriculture 
Xpress", the entire 2017 catalogue became available in the three languages.  However, the six to 
ten-month time -lag between the release of a new course and the release of its French and Spanish 
version meant that  the language coverage of the e -Learning portfolio drop ped from 92% at the end 
of 2017  to 74% at end of 2018.  The higher the number of new or upgraded courses in a given year, 
the lower the language coverage at the  end of the year.  
3.34.   Significant progress in the update and/or upgrade of courses was recorded in 2018: the 
content in English, French and Spanish of the courses "Introduction to the WTO" and "The Multilateral 
Trade Agreements" was updated with the relevant i nformation on MC11 ; the "Trade and 
Environment" and " Accession to the WTO"  course s in English were upgraded to  SCORM standards . 
3.35.  By the end of 2018, the share of the 
e-Learning portfolio respecting the SCORM 
standard had increased by a third compared 
to 2017, as 55% of the courses complied with 
this standard  against 36% the previous year.  
This improvement owes much to the 
development of new courses in the SCORM 
standard, which is a priority.  Existing pre -
2014 courses based on reading materials will 
be pro gressively upgraded, resources 
permitting, but progress will remain slow. 
3.36.  The e -Learning offer by level and 
subject is presented in the table below and 
can be consulted under  
https://wtolearning.csod.com : 
  4536e-Learning portfolio in 2018 by 
course type
Interactive
courses (SCORM
format)
Courses with
reading materialWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
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Leve l Generalists  Specialists  
Outreach and 
Other  Agriculture Information Management System (E)16 
Agriculture Xpress (E, F, S)17 
 Documents Online (E)18 
 Tailored Course (E)  
 WTO in 10' (E, F, S)  
Introduction  Introduction to WTO (E, F, S)  
Intermediate  Accession to WTO (E, F, S)19 Agriculture & WTO (E, F, S)  
 Multilateral Trade Agreements (E, F, S)  Copyrights (E, F, S)  
 Legal Underpinnings (E, F, S)  CITES & WTO (E)20 
 Mainstreaming Trade (E)21 Dispute Settlement System (E, F, S)  
 Regional Trade Agreements (E, F, S)  Made in…: understanding Rules of Origin 
(E, F, S)   Trade & Development (E, F, S)  
 Trade Finance and WTO (E, F, S)  Market Access for Goods and NAMA 
negotiations (E, F, S)   Transparency – Notifications (E, F, S)  
 Trade Economics - Theory & Policy (E, F, S)  Market Access Intelligence (E, F, S)  
  Patents (E, F, S)  
 SPS Measures (E, F, S)  
  TBT (E, F, S)  
  Trade & Environment (E, F, S)22 
  Trade Facilitation (E)23 
  Trade in Services (E, F, S)  
  Trade Remedies (E, F, S)  
  TRIPS (E, F, S)  
  TRIPS – Short Trip (E, F, S)  
3.37.   Interactivity in online courses supports the effective transfer of knowledge and keeps 
participants engaged, which are two of the main challenges in this form of training.  It  enhances 
course attractiveness and provides the trainees with up -to-date information on current 
developments and hence reduces the digital gap.  Interactivity continued to be an area of significant 
focus in 2018, be it in the development or revision of courses (by including multimedia eleme nts) 
and during their delivery (organizing Chat sessions and maintaining an active presence on social 
media).  
3.38.   A significant number (214) of multimedia 
elements were developed in English for the new 
and/ or revised courses in 2018 (the highest 
recorded sin ce 2011).  They included 10 
animations, 53 audio, 21 computer -based 
character videos with audio, 4 downloadable 
take-aways, 103 Interactive exercises, 1 trailer, 
1 screen -capture video, 1 video and 20 
videoclips.  Three types of multimedia 
components were introduced for the first time in 
2018: i) the video clips that show the objectives 
of a course; ii) computer -based character videos 
with audio, which are characters used to guide 
participants throughout their learning process and give them further inf ormation and tips; and iii) a 
trailer featuring the concepts covered by the course on TFA.  This course contains the highest number 
of multimedia elements (60)  and was the first one using  a computer -based character (Avatar).  
3.39.   The 20% increase in the number of chat sessions held in 2018 (105 against 85 in 2017) was 
offset by the absence of new News Forum discussions due to competing priorities within the 
                                                
16 Released o n 9 September 2018.  
17 Released in Fren ch and Spanish on 23 August 2018.  
18 Released o n 7 March 2018.  
19 A new interactive version of the course was released in English on 6 March 2018.  The old and new 
English versions of the course were both available on e -Campus until the old one was removed i n May 2018.  
20 Released o n 6 November 2018.  
21 Released on 24 October 2018.  
22 A new interactive version of the course was released in English on 2 November 2018.  The old and 
new English versions of the course were both available on e -Campus until the end of  the year.  
23 Released on 28 June 2018.  050100150200250
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018Multimedia ComponentsWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 17 - 
 
e-Leaning programme (new e -Learning platform and course development/update).24  As a result, 
the total volu me of interactive activities dropped by 46% compared to 2017.   Existing interactive 
activities were progressively phased out to prepare for the launch in 2019 of  larger and more diverse 
types of interactive activities on the new e -Learning platform (e.g. t hrough learning communities 
that foster networking, provide news updates on WTO and related issues, and facilitat e exchange s). 
3.40.   Three types of chat sessions were 
organised in 2018: 47 on e -Learning, which 
focused on matters such as registration, 
certificat es, pre -and post -tests and promotion 
of new courses ; 44 on substantive matters , to 
update participants on the latest news from 
the WTO and discuss on -going issues with 
WTO experts ; and  14 of a new type entitled 
"e-Learning On Call"  to respond to 
participan ts' growing demand for chats 
addressing both substantive and e -Learning 
process matters.  Approximately 60% of the 
chat sessions were conducted in English, 
French and Spanish simultaneously.  The others took place in one of the three languages depending 
on the expert and the timing of the session, since attendance from the various regions and hence 
the language of most participants depended on the time zone.  
3.41.   The e -Learning programme maintained an active presence on social media ( Twitter, 
Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube)  throughout the year.  Social media helps to reach out to non -
government officials such as academia, journalists, NGOs, private sector and MPs .  An Instagram 
account was launched in June to diversify outreach channels and features,  and hence the profile of 
subscribers .  The number of followers increased througho ut the year for the five accounts: 779 new 
followers on LinkedIn, 400 new followers on Twitter, 732 new followers on Facebook, 440 new 
followers on YouTube and 175 new follow ers on Instagram.   To balance and harmonize the level of 
activity across the various social media, and in view of lack of resources to increase the activity on 
LinkedIn and YouTube, the number of posts on Facebook and Twitter was substantially reduced in 
2018.  At the end of 2018, 510 posts were available on Facebook, 885 tweets were shared, 267 
posts were published on LinkedIn, 30 videos posted on YouTube and 29 posts on Instagram.  
3.42.   Social media accounts were used to promote  e-Learning activities such as fo r launching new 
or revised courses, advertise  chat sessions and disseminate statistics on e-Learning achievements.  
They were also used to support participants' learning process (e.g. study tips to guide participants) , 
to deliver substantive information on  chat sessions topics and as a vehicle for micro -learning.  
130 infographics were developed to deliver information that learners could easily find, understand 
and memori se to achieve their learning objectives.   WTO events and trade -related issues were 
regularly addressed  on the e -Learning social media accounts (e.g. highlights from the Public Forum,  
from the Trade & Gender Conference on Closing the Gender Gaps, etc.).  
3.43.   Synergies were achieved between e -Learning and face -to-face training activities.  For 
exam ple, participants in the three ATPCs used  a virtual classroom in e-Campus to: i) access and 
download the training material for each module , documents on the WTO and administrative 
information; and ii) complete the weekly and final evaluation forms.  Quotes  and video -recorded 
interviews of participants in WTO Internships Programmes, the Young Professionals Programme 
(YPP) and various face -to-face TA activities or WTO events were posted on the e-Learning  social 
media accounts  to promote these activities and connect them to the  relevant e -Learning courses  
(e.g. online course on TRIPS and participants' feedback on the WIPO -WTO Colloquium for IP 
Teachers in June, online course on Mainstreaming Trade  and the adoption of by the E IF Steering 
Committee of the EIF’s Strategic Plan 2019 -22 in December).  Other p osts underscore d the diversity 
of the learning experience offered by the  WTO (e.g. Instagram posts in November on an ATPC moot 
court session or the trade negotiation module of the ITPC  in Bangkok).  
                                                
24 The discussions developed in 2016 and 2017 remained available and 2018 participants took part in 
them and added comments.  020406080100120
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018Chat SessionsWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
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3.44.   The e-Learnin g programme continued to make  training material available for self -study to TA 
non-beneficiaries upon request .25  In 2018, 4,915 training material requests  (TMR)  were made , 
slightly less than in 2017 ( -8%) but more than 2016 (+9%).  The profile of the audie nce requesting 
training material remained relatively stable compared to 2017:26 57% public sector (63% in 2017) ; 
26% academics (25% in 2017) ; 8% private sector (7% in 2017) ; and 6% other s (4% in 2017) .27 
3.4.2   Improvements in the face -to-face offer  
3.45.   The Secretariat regularly adjusts  its curricula, the content of its trainings, it s pedagogical 
approach , its learning aids and materials based on the feedback received from participants , the 
priorities identified by Members (including those highlighted in WTO regular committees and 
negotiating groups)  and the evaluations conducted by the Secretariat itself .  The purpose of these 
adjustments is to continuously enhance the service and response to Members' needs.  This section 
highlights major  improvements introdu ced in 2018  into the TA face -to-face offer.   Following the 
practice in previous TA  annual reports , this section does not aim to provide an exhaustive list of 
adjustments but rather  seeks to highlight  the variety of the evolutions through illustrative examp les. 
3.4.2.1   Holistic approach to trade issues  
3.46.   Demand for activities cutting across various WTO Agreements continued to grow in 2018 
leading to increased TA integration .  SPS and TBT remained the topics most frequently combined ( in 
4 national and 1 regional seminar s), with or without elements related to TF.  GPA provisions were 
presented in  trainings on Public Health ( global workshop on Trade and Public Health in October  and 
IMF-CEF-WTO Middle East r egional seminar on TRIPS in Novem ber in Kuwait ).  Agriculture and SPS 
were also combined in a regional workshop in Benin in June  for French -speaking Africa n countries . 
3.47.   Efforts were made in the TRIPS area to address the growing need of policymakers to 
understand in practical terms the interface between the TRIPS Agreement and other WTO 
Agreements, such as Agriculture, GATS, GPA, SPS and TBT.  Interdisciplinary case studie s (e.g. on 
Market Access for Goods covering tariffs, tariff negotiations, schedules, GATT Article XXVIII 
procedures, quantitative restrictions, licenses and TF ) were developed and used in several activities 
such as the ATPCs and the global workshop on Trad e and Public Health.  The latter also comprised 
sessions addressing health services from the GATS perspective and tariff and non -tariff measures 
affecting access to medicines.  The global thematic seminar on Competition Policy held in Geneva in 
June discus sed the  competition policy elements in the TRIPS, GPA and GATS Agreements, and 
reflected on ways to streamline national regulatory frameworks facilitat ing law enforcement  and 
promoting an enabling business environment.  The seminar addressed the growth of the digital 
economy and the widespread incorporation of competition policy chapters in recent RTAs. 
3.48.   As reported in the previous annual report, e -Commerce is also at the intersection of various 
WTO A greements.  Four national activities on e-Commerce were or ganized in 2018  and several 
others addressed it as part of the broader agenda on emerging trade issues .28  Participants learnt 
about the aspects of e -Commerce directly or indirectly relating to various WTO Agreements (GATS, 
TRIPS, TFA, etc.) and were update d on e -Commerce related discussions at the WTO.  
3.4.2.2   Connecting trade issues with the global economic and policy agenda  
3.49.   In June, t he first ever Agriculture Policy Landscape Symposium was organised  in Geneva 
back-to-back with the Regular Committee on Agriculture .  Policy -makers and experts from academia, 
international organizations and think -tanks exposed  participants to new perspectives and discussed  
current and future global trends in the agri -food system s and how they interact with  domestic 
priorities.  The Symposium allowed  Members to engage on substantive issues related to agriculture 
and trade .  While WTO rules on agriculture have reduced  distortions in production and trade, the  
                                                
25 Following the Training material Request (TMR) procedure launched in 2015 as described in previous 
TA annual reports.  
26 For 3% of the TMRs, the applicants do not specify the sector they belong to.  
27 Include NGO, civil society, various professional groupings, etc.  
28 In Cuba in June, Indonesia in July, Kazakhstan and Russia in September, Turkey i n November and 
Saudi Arabia in December . WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 19 - 
 
Symposium concluded that there was room for improvement to enable the MTS to respond 
effectively to the transformation of the sector.  
3.50.   Several new or updated TRIPS -related activities responded to increasing demand for training 
addressing the implication of the recent technological developments on global trading patterns and 
on the d esign and implementation of national IP policies:  
a. In March , the Joint WIPO -WTO advanced course on Intellectual Property in Geneva 
explore d cutting -edge issues through interactive debate and case studies .  The course 
covered emerging issues such as "IP and e-Commerce - A Discussion on Regulatory 
Responses at the International Level" , copyright in the digital environment, biotechnology 
patents, IP and economic development, climate change and competition policy.  
b. In June, the WIPO -WTO Colloquium for IP teacher s in Geneva addressed  the implication 
of technological advancements on IP policymaking for Artificial Intelligence.  
c. In October, the national  workshop  on Global Trade, Technology Innovation and Intellectual 
Property in China addressed  IP policy and practice relating to innovation and trade within 
two sectors: the public health sector and the information and communication technology 
sector.   The workshop promoted active dialogue, greater practical understanding of the 
contemporary context for the use of IP in innovation -based industries and the exchange 
of ideas on current policy issues, based on the lessons of practical experience.  
d. In November , a workshop on Trade in Knowledge Products in Geneva  update d developing 
country Members  on cross-border flows of knowledge, how digitisation is transforming 
trade, innovation and knowledge diffusion, international knowledge spill -overs through 
global value -chains and the economic implications of digital technologies on cross -border 
trade and kn owledge flows.  
3.4.2.3   Supporting the implementation of Members' commitments  
3.51.   Transparency in SPS and TBT remained a strong interest for TA beneficiaries in 2018.  Training 
on ePing, the  SPS/TBT  notification alert system launched in 2016, was regularly requested for 
national and regional activities.   Activities with a strong focus on notifications included national 
activities in Moldova in August and Chile in November , and a regional workshop in October in the 
Middle East  with the Gulf Cooperation Council Standardiz ation Organization (GSO).   GSO 
implement ed a mechanism for the joint submission of TBT and SPS notifications (one GSO m ember 
notifies regionally harmonized measures on behalf of all seven Members, and coordinates comments 
received) .  The  workshop presented  online notifications to relevant officials in GSO member s.  
Considering the high demand for joint SPS/TBT trainings, an exercise was developed t o address 
transparency provisions of Agreements in an integrated manner.  
3.52.   The implementation of Article 8 and An nex C of the SPS Agreement gained significant interest 
amongst Members since the adoption of the TFA , as it would  reduce trade costs and facilitate trade.  
A thematic workshop on Control, Inspection and Approval Procedures was held back-to-back with 
the SP S Committee in July to share experience on national application of international rules and 
standards , and to identify ways to facilitate safe trade through streamlined and efficient SPS controls.  
3.53.   In November, a global GPA seminar on governance issues was organised in Geneva for the 
first time to enhance Members' capacity to implement efficient anti -corruption measures in the 
government procurement sphere.  It examined the role of domestic review systems and the 
relevance of the revised GPA in this respect,  and how competition policy instruments can contribute 
to the efficient functioning of government procurement markets, including in deterring supplier 
collusion.  It discussed synergies and complementarities between the GPA and tools from other 
internation al organizations in this area.  In April, a national workshop supported Seychelles'  internal 
dialogue on its GPA accession commitment.  It included three practical group sessions to assess  the 
modalities, benefits and costs of GPA accession ; review the ali gnment of existing domestic legislation 
with the GPA ; and prepare  a mock GPA accession initial market access offer.  
3.54.   Demand for TA on  the implementation of the system of compulsory licensing for the export 
of pharmaceutical  product s for countries in particu lar need increased substantially with the entry WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
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into force in 2017  of the Protocol Amending the TRIPS Agreement.   For example, a national workshop 
held in Georgia in June provided guidance to the Patent Office for the drafting of implementing rules 
for the  grant of compulsory licences, as required under the amended Patent Law of December 2017.   
Another  national workshop held in Jordan in July focused on IP Rs related to agriculture, geographical 
indications and plant variety protection.  
3.55.   Training on NAMA -related notifications was a  priorit y of the Committee s on Import Licensing 
Procedures and on Quantitative Restrictions.  The second w orkshop on Import Licensing Notifications  
and the first w orkshop on Quantitative Restrictions (QRs) were held in April to  impro ve the number 
and quality of notifications.  On QRs, applicants had to respect the following pre -requisites: i) be 
responsible for the preparation/coordination of QR notifications to the WTO; ii) describe  the type of 
work they had already undertaken to pre pare a QR notification; and iii) indicate  in advance  what 
steps they would take upon their return to finalize a QR notification .  Selected participants had to 
gather specific information prior to the workshop  on the notifications selected for their practic al work  
so that draft notifications could be prepared during the workshop.   The programme included 
individual coaching to prepare draft notifications.  By the end of the workshop, 70% of participants 
had prepared advanced draft notifications.  
3.56.   At the request of the Council for Trade in Services, a thematic seminar on “Mode 4 at work”  
was held in October in Geneva.  It discussed the scope of Mode 4 , took stock of Members' 
commitments and MFN exemptions and of relevant RTA disciplines, and conside red the main 
challenges to measur e Mode 4 trade and its economic impact.  Participants discuss ed regulatory 
measures that may have a bearing on scheduled Mode 4 commitments and addressed the challenges 
to realising the benefits of existing Mode 4 bindings.   A national seminar  on the GATS  was held in 
St Kitts & Nevis in March.  It  mapped-out the trade policy applied in services sectors  by identifying 
market access and national treatment limitations  with local sectoral experts .  A separate session 
with the pr ivate sector also considered the opportunities offered by services trade , including through  
electronic supply.  Another national seminar in Ecuador in December examined how key GATS 
disciplines applied to investment in services ( Mode 3) , following the merg er of t he Ministries of Trade 
and Investment  and the adoption of a new model for international investment treaties . 
3.57.   Three technical sessions on fisheries subsidies (to fishing on overfished stocks, to IUU fishing 
and on the social and economic role of arti sanal and small -scale fisheries in developing countries) 
were organized in Geneva in June, July and December  to support the negotiations in this domain .  
World-class experts clarif ied complex technical concepts , explained how  existing 
international/regiona l/national instruments and agreements worked in practice and provided new 
input to negotiation s. 
3.4.2.4   Promoting g ood training practice s 
3.58.   Efforts continued in 2018 to improve the design of course programmes  and training materials 
(presentations, exercises, case  studies, etc.), the choice of training approaches  and the 
implementation of the PLS .  Good practice s identified in the past  are gradually spreading across TA 
activities .  This process is facilitated by  a progressive change of generation in the Secretariat.  
3.59.   In the ATPCs, participants were asked  to write a report on the committee meetings they 
attended, so they would reflect on their expectations from the meeting and then structure and 
internalize their new knowledge (in terms of substance and procedures) gai ned from the experience.  
In the advanced thematic course on Trade & Environment , participants appl ied the skills acquired 
through attendance to a CTE meeting in a simulation on environmental goods.   A visit to Medtronic 
(a world leading manufacturer of me dical devices ) featured in  the global workshop on Trade & Public 
Health .  It showed participants  how WTO IP rules can provid e certainty to manag e global R&D 
partnerships, cutting -edge manufacturing and distribution .  It also illustrated the  current challenges 
on the availability and use of patients' data for further development s. 
3.60.   The new  case studies and exercises developed during the year include d: (i) two case studies 
covering TRIPS -related issues, one on Stakeholders, Advocacy, Politics a nd Coherent Policies; and 
the second on Encouraging Research, Access, Pooled Procurement and Policy Interaction ; (ii) an 
interactive booklet (true/false) exercise on TBT Transparency provisions ; (iii) a case study on new 
substantive  issues (TBT, SPS and ba sic principles) and procedural aspects (multiple terms of 
reference)  better tailored to the level of complexity expected by participants i n advanced Dispute WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 21 - 
 
Settlement courses; (iv)  an exercise on GPA accession decision support tool s showing  the potential 
impact of various factors, thus facilitating a cost/benefit analysis attuned to local conditions . 
3.61.   Experts from regional institutions and former TA participants were regularly involved in the 
delivery of TA activities to illustrate local and regional contex ts and share their experience .  For 
example, between one quarter and one third of the training days were taught by regional experts in 
ITPCs ; former participant s contributed to  the national SPS/TBT seminar in Moldova in August , the 
advanced TBT Course in M arch and the regional Trade Negotiation Skills Course for CEECAC held in 
Austria in August.  
3.62.   An increasing number of TA activities now include experience sharing sessions in the form of 
group discussions or structured presentations by participants.  For exa mple, the r egional seminar 
on TRIPS in Kuwait in November  included presentations from the Egyptian, Lebanese and Omani 
participants; and in the 7th Round Table on Accessions in Kazakhstan in September , Article XII 
Members shared the strategies they used to  reinvigorate bilateral and multilateral negotiations  and 
boost their accession process.  
4  IMPLEMENTATION OF TA  PLAN AND MAIN FEATU RES OF THE TA PROVID ED IN 201 8 
4.1.  In 201 8, excluding Other Activities which did not constitute WTO TA per se or which contributed 
to the TA provided by other institutions, the WTO undertook a total of 307 TA activities, both in 
Geneva and in other locations .  Following a now well-established  practice, t his chapter analyses this 
portfolio of activities a ccording to the following criteria: participation of LDCs, geographical 
distribution, product mix, subjects covered, language mix, progressivity of training, gender mix 
amongst participants and Key Results pursued.  For each of these elements,  the chapter considers 
the distribution of the various types of activities (global, national, regional and e -Learning) measured 
in terms of number of activities, participants, days of training and expenditure.  
4.2.  No data on the duration (in days or hours) of the online courses is presented.  This is due to 
the self -paced nature of e -Learning.  Online courses are available throughout the year and 
participants can register any time.  Online training courses must in principle  be completed within 
two months of the  date at which they are started, but the actual number of hours or days that 
participants dedicate to a given course is not known to the Secretariat.  
4.3.  In view of the specificities of the long -term internships hosted in Geneva in terms of duration 
(10 months  on average  when the duration of most other TA activities is counted in days ), cost 
(CHF 2 million per year on average over 2012 -18 when the average cost of other TA activities is 
CHF 40,000 ) and number of participants (4 5±3 a year on average over 2012 -18 out of 16,500 
participants per year on average over the same period ), they have been excluded from the analysis 
presented in section 4.4 (distribution by subject) onwards.  This will avoid distorting the analysis of 
other face -to-face activities and repeat ing the same explanation to justify the discrepancies that 
may arise.  
4.4.  Analysing the cost of the various activities implemented in 201 8 aims to provide Members with 
a cost -efficiency and effectiveness perspective.  Whilst confirming the very high cost -efficiency of 
e-Learning, this information also gives a better understanding of the relative costs of the various 
programmes run by the Secretariat and of the financial equilibrium between them.  It is hoped that 
this will help Members make more informed decisi ons related to the TA offered by the WTO.  
4.1  Participation of least developed countries (LDCs )29 
4.5.  LDCs continue to be a priority for the WTO TA offer.  They were invited to 6 2% of all WTO TA 
activities organised in 201 8 (68% in 2017, 72% in 2016, 61% in 2015) a nd approximately one 
quarter  of the face -to-face activities were specifically directed towards them.  The fact that Africa 
and Asia -Pacific received the highest number of TA field activities in 201 8 (see section 4.2) reinforced 
this priority, as all the  LDCs except  one are in  these two regions.  In Africa, LDCs accounted for 32% 
of the participants in regional activities and 46% in national ones.  However, only 28% of the 
                                                
29 LDCs represent less than a third of all potential TA beneficiaries.  WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 22 - 
 
requests for national activities came from LDCs in 2018 against 31% in 2017 , as demand  from these 
countries grew at a slower pace than from non-LDC beneficiaries.30 
4.6.  Participants from LDCs represented 3 1% of 
the total e -Learning audience in 201 8, in line 
with the average in 2012 -18 (32%±3%).  T his 
means that the participation of LDCs gr ew in 
absolute terms at the same pace as the overall 
audience of the WTO online courses .  This  also 
shows that, on average, these countries have 
today the same online learning capacities as 
their non-LDC counterparts.   Statistics for face -
to-face activities are  less precise, as participants 
are not systematically registered in the database 
when they are not financed by the WTO (e.g. in 
national activities).  Overall, a quarter of the 
participants in face -to-face activities were from 
LDCs in 2018 . 
4.7.  Several TA programmes are designed to 
respond more specifically to  the needs of LDCs.  
Excluding the Young Professionals Programme 
(YPP), which does not prioritise LDCs , in 201 8, 
LDC nationals represented 58% of the total 
participants in the other long-term internship 
programmes in Geneva ( 4 percentage points 
more than in 201 7).  This proportion has been 
fluctuating between 50 and 60% since 2010.   
The 2018 good result was achieve d despite  the 
cancelation of the NTP, which ha s traditionally 
recruited two thirds of its interns from LDCs.  The 
breakdown of LDC representation in each of the 
internship programmes in 201 8 was the 
following: 83% in the Regional Coordinator Internship Programme (RCI)  and 50% in the Accession 
Internshi p Programme (AIP) and the Mission Internship Programme (FIMIP) . 
4.8.  Participants from LDCs accounted for 3 0% of the participants in Geneva -based courses in 201 8 
and 3 of the 4 3 global activities were specifically designed for LDCs.  The three -week introduction  
course for LDCs was held in English  and gathered 2 4 participants ; the thematic course on priority 
issues of LDCs in the Multilateral Trading System ( MTS), 29 participants ; and the South -South 
dialogue on LDC and development, 48 participants from LDCs.  
4.9.  The TA Plan also considered LDCs a s a priority target for TPR follow -up activities.  However, 
these activities depend on the prior review of the trade policy of LDCs and are based on national 
requests and very few of the m emanate d from LDCs  in 2018 .  The TPR of 10 and 5 LDCs took place 
in 2017 and 2018 respectively.31  Two TPR follow -ups (Angola and Myanmar) out of nine carried out 
in 201 8 were held in an LDC, a lower  proportion than in 201 7.  These follow -ups focused on the 
dissemination of the findings of the TPR and the reforms required to remove the concerns and 
inconsistencies the TPR  had raised.  
4.10.   Whilst the Secretariat continued to prioritise LDCs in the provision of TA  in 2018 , factors such 
as the cancellation of a programme or lower demand from LDC governments led to a decrease in 
the proportion of  participa nts from  LDC representatives in face -to-face activities during the year  
compared to 2017.  
                                                
30 Also see the comments on the impact of administrative measures on African LDCs in section 4.2.  
31 In 2017 , the TPR of WAEMU WTO Members covered at once 7 LDCs.  Since 2009, 5 LDCs are reviewed 
annually on average.  0%10%20%30%40%LDCs in e -Learning courses
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%LDCs in Long -term InternshipsWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
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4.2  Geographical distribution  
4.11.   Global activities, whether online or face -to-face, represented 4 3% of the  WTO TA activities 
organized in 201 8, marginally lower than in 2017 .  The 11% growth of  the number of online courses , 
which are global activities by design,  and the 18% growth of global face -to-face activities held in 
Geneva were more than compensated by a 21% growth of the activities held in the field and in 
particular of national activities (+27%).  As a result, the  share of online courses in the total WTO TA 
activities went down from 28% in 201 7 to 26% .  Meanwhile, the spread of the face -to-face activities 
across regions continued to evolve in 2018 .  The share of activities held in Africa continued to decline 
and represented 19% of the face -to-face activitie s, as their growth (+11%) was less than in other 
regions.  This was essentially due to a stagnation of the number of national activities.  The share of 
Asia-Pacific (17%) went back to its average since 2012 , with a marginal reduction of the number of 
activities held there.  The share of Latin America (15%) was stable , whilst the Caribbean (5%),  
CEECAC (13%) and the Middle East (8%) grew significantly.  
4.12.   As in previous years, Africa remained disproportionately affected in 201 8 by the 
administrative measures ta ken regarding Members and Observers in arrears on their contribution to 
the WTO: out of the 1 1 Members and 2 Observer s in category III at the beginning of the year , 12 
were African countries (of which 11 were LDCs) and lost access to WTO TA.32  This meant t hat 23% 
of the African Members (34% of African LDCs) and 22% of the African Observers were not eligible 
for TA during at least part of the year.  Only half of the Members concerned were able to regularise 
their situation during the year, sometimes at the very end.  This meant that the twelve African 
countries concerned  could not benefit from WTO TA during 80% of the year on average.  Except for  
Côte d'Ivoire, which traditionally pays its contribution  within one month into the subsequent year , 
all the other  African LDCs affected by the administrative measures have lost access to  TA almost 
without interruption  since the reform of these measures implemented on 1 January 2013.  These 
figures show the actual impact of the administrative measures on some of the A frican LDCs. 
                                                
32 Members: Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea -Bissau, 
Mauritania, Niger and Sierra Leone.  Observers: Libya and Sao Tomé & Principe.  
  National  
   Regional  
   Global  
   e-Learning  
  -  50  100GlobalMiddle EastLatin AmericaCEECACCaribbeanAsia-PacificAfricaNumber of Activities by Region
 -  2,000  4,000  6,000GlobalMiddle EastLatin AmericaCEECACCaribbeanAsia-PacificAfricaParticipants by Region
 -  2  4  6  8GlobalMiddle EastLatin AmericaCEECACCaribbeanAsia-PacificAfricaExpenses by Region (MCHF)
 -  500  1,000  1,500  2,000GlobalMiddle EastLatin AmericaCEECACCaribbeanAsia-PacificAfricaDays of Training by RegionWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
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4.13.   The number of global face -to-face activities held in 201 8 increased by 18%  compared to 201 7.  
It reached 52 activities , significantly above the average since 2012 (4 3±5).  Th is growth was 
achieved despite current physical limitations imposed o n the availability of proper training rooms  on 
the WTO campus , which obliged several activities to take place in meeting rooms instead .  Whilst 
activities with a global geographical reach held in Geneva represented 23% of face -to-face activities, 
they acco unted for 26% of the participants, 7 3% of the training days delivered by the Secretariat 
and 54% of the TA costs.  As in previous years, these activities tended to benefit individuals who 
stayed for extended periods of time in Geneva , as is the case for lo ng-term internship programmes 
(see above).  
4.14.   Participation in activities held in Africa (1, 995 participants) was back above its average since 
2012 ( 1,909 participants), as it grew by 47% in 2018.   The growth in the other regions was equally 
significant : +26%  in Asia -Pacific (2,204 participants), +105% in t he Caribbean ( 303 participants), 
+166% in CEECAC ( 1,531 participants) , +33% in Latin America (1,623 participants)  and +45% in  
the Middle East ( 542 participants).  Overall, participation in face -to-face activ ities increased by 66% 
to reach 11,108 in 2018  after eight years of stagnation at an average of 7,800.  
4.15.   A total of 11, 769 participants from all regions (1 53 countries) followed e -Learning courses in 
2018, representing an increase of 2% compared to 201 7.  Participation in Africa boomed and 
accounted for 41%  of the total number of participants ( 8 percentage points more than in 201 7), 
more than erasing the previous year's decline .  Latin America was the only other region in which 
participation also grew (+7%), leading it to become the second biggest region for online courses 
(24% of total participants).  The relative importan ce of the Caribbean, Middle East, and CEECAC  was 
stable (5%, 2% and 6% respectively) .  Finally, Asia -Pacific registered a 29% decrease in 
participation, as the significant growth seen in 2017 proved short -lived.  It accounted for 22% of 
total participation ( -9 percentage points) in e -Learning in 2018, close to its 2016 level.  
4.16.   As far as days of training are concerned, global face -to-face activ ities represented 7 0% of the 
total in 201 8, as in 2017.  This is due to the long duration of some Geneva -based activities, such as 
long-term internships that exceed the average duration of training courses (they last between six 
and twelve months, i.e. app roximately 20 8 working days each on average).  The share of each 
region in the remaining 30% of training days was closely correlated with the share of each region in 
the total number of activities.  
4.17.   The total expenditure of 1 4.2 MCHF was distributed followi ng the same pattern as in 201 7.  
Activities held in Geneva, categorized as "Global" in the graph, accounted for 5 4% of the total TA 
costs (50% excluding e -Learning).  This is mainly attributable to the high cost of the various long -
term internship programm es, owing to their extended duration (on average 10 months in 201 8).  
The distribution of expenses by region in 201 8 was proportional to the number of activities and 
participants per region.  
4.3  Product mix  
4.18.   This section considers  the share of the various categories of activities in the total volume of 
TA activities delivered in 201 8, and the evolution of this breakdown since 2012 .  It also considers 
the evolution of the main features across categories (such as participation and du ration).  The 
categorization of the product mix is based on the reach of the activities (global, regional or national), 
except for  e-Learning which is a standalone category owing to its distinct delivery mode.  WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 25 - 
 
4.19.  The graph shows that, the evolution  
of the TA portfolio mix is a slow process 
taking years to produce significant changes.  
The slow decline of the number of national 
activities stopped in 2018.  They keep 
representing more than 41% of the total TA 
activities, in line with the average since 
2012.  On line courses are the second largest 
category of activities accounting for just 
over a quarter of the total.  Their relative 
importance was marginally reduced in 2018 
as a result of the significant growth of the 
number of face -to-face activities  (+22%) .  
The rest of the TA portfolio was split almost 
equally between regional and global face -
to-face activities, whose relative importance remained broadly in line with past averages.  All the 
regions displayed the same preference for national activities in 201 8.  The "simplicity" of their 
organization (the process is less resource -intensive for the Secretariat) and the flexibility of their 
programme (can be tailored to the very specific needs of the requesting authority and to the desired 
level) and audience (the requesting authority has total discretion in selecting the participants) are 
factors which explain their high popularity.  
4.20.   National activities gathered 79% of the participants in activities held outside Geneva, broadly 
in line with the proportion in previous years.  Since they were shorter than regional/global activities 
on average, they represented only 55% of the training days.  
4.21.  The duration of the various  TA 
activities is highly variable across groups 
of products and in some cases within the 
same group.  As explained above, the 
self-paced nature of online courses 
makes it difficult to measure their 
duration.  Regional and g lobal activities 
tend to include a wide array of products 
(workshops of 1 or 2 days, long -term 
internships and advanced courses lasting 
between one and eight weeks).  
Therefore, annual variations in the 
average duration of regional and global 
activities depend on the type of activities 
on offer each year.  Within regional and 
global activities at intermediate or advanced level, the average duration of training is significantly 
longer for generalists (26.3 days) than for specialists  (4.4 days) .  Overall, excluding the longer trade 
policy co urses (3 weeks or more), the average duration of regional and global activities was 
marginally longer  in 201 8 than in  2017 (3.8 days).  
4.22.   The average duration of national activities was more uniform in 201 8 (3.1 days), marginally 
above  the average since 2014.   Increas ing the duration of national activities, as often requested by 
the participants themselves and repeatedly reported in the past, remains a  persistent difficulty.  Proportion of National/Regional Activities  
 Africa  Asia-Pacific  Caribbean  CEECAC  Latin America  Middle East  
National  69% 77% 73% 70% 85% 58% 
Regional  31% 23% 27% 30% 15% 42% 0%20%40%60%80%100%
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018Evolution of TA Mix
e-Learning
Global
Regional
National
 - 1 2 3 4DaysAverage Duration of Activities
National RegionalWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 26 - 
 
4.23.   The balance between national and regional activities has an incidence on the distribution of 
TA expenditure across regions.  Regional activities cost on average close to 5  times more than 
national ones, since the WTO finances the travel and subsistence for  both trainers and participants.  
This is also influenced by the cost -sharing arrangements in place with partner institutions that can 
be more favourable in certain regions than in others.  In national activities, the WTO covers only the 
trainers' expenses . 
 
4.24.  Last year's pause was just a dent in 
the otherwise uninterrupted growth of the 
number of individuals trained annually by 
the WTO.  T he WTO trained 2 5% more 
participants in 2018 than in 201 7 (22,826 
persons in total).  Participation in face -to-
face acti vities grew by 6 5% to reach its 
highest level in a decade (11, 057).  The  
e-Learning audience progressed marginally 
(+2%) and reached 11,769 participants .  
The 22% growth  in face -to-face activities 
coincided with  a simultaneous 36% increase  
of the average n umber of participants per 
activity.  In 201 8, just over half  of the 
participants were trained online as a result , 
well below the 2014 -17 average of 55% .  
The cost -effectiveness of e -Learning 
remained very high in 201 8, as it trained 
51.5% of the participants for 7% of the total WTO TA expenditure.  
4.25.   Analysing the correlation between the number of activities and of individuals trained under 
each TA product demonstrates that e -Learning has the highest participation  per activity  ratio of the 
TA mix.  Therefore, an increase in the number of e -Learning courses has a disproportionate impact 
on the overall volume of beneficiaries of WTO TA.  With their recommended maximum number of 
participants of 30 to facilitate interactivity and h ands-on work, face -to-face activities do not have a 
similar multiplier effect.  The average number of participants in regional/global activities ha d been 
stable  since 20 09 (30.5 persons) .  In 2018, it reached 34 participants, its maximum since such 
statist ics are kept . 
4.26.   Long-term internship programmes are part of the global face -to-face activities held in Geneva  
and cover five different programmes: the Accession Internship Programme (AIP), French & Irish 
Missions Internship Programme (FIMIP), Netherlands Tra inee Programme (NTP) , Regional 
Coordinator Internship  (RCI) and the Young Professional Programme (YPP) .  Each of them benefit s 
a small number of participants hosted in the Secretariat or a mission for extended periods of time 
during which they learn  by doing.  Long-term interns represented 0. 4% of the total participants in 
face-to-face activities and 1.4% of those in global ones in 201 8.  They spent 10 months in Geneva 
on average  (8 months for RCI, 11 months for YPP) .  No trainee was recruited under the NTP  in 2018, 
as the earmarked contribution financing the programme was received towards the end of the year.  
This programme will resume in 2019.  The absence of NTPs was partially compensated by the tripling  - 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000Participation in WTO TA activities
e-Learning
Face-to-face28%
7%
13%52%Participation TA Mix 2018
National
Regional
Global
e-Learning
01020304050Average Number of Participants in 
Regional/Global Activities
  Standard deviationWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 27 - 
 
in 2018 of the number of interns 
in the YPP.  T he number of 
participants in the various other 
long-term internship programmes 
was stable compared to the 
previous three years.   The total 
number of long-term interns went 
down by 11% compared to the 
previous year.  
4.27.  Except for the RCI and YPP 
funded entirely through the GTF, 
the number of long -term interns 
in any given year depends on the 
level of voluntary contribution 
received from donors for these 
specific programmes (China for 
AIP, France and Ireland for FIMIP, 
Netherlands for NTP) and on the timing of the se contributions in the year.  These factors also 
influence the duration of the internships.  
4.28.   Long-term internships represented a significant share (1 2%) of the total WTO TA expenditure 
in 201 8, marginally below the  level in previous years  (-2 percentage points) .  However, they  have 
a more efficient cost/day ratio than other face -to-face activities.  The analysis of costs per 
programme shows that the individual cost of each programme mirrored the evolution of the number 
of participants, as the average cost per intern per month has been stable  since 2012.  
    Videoconferences  
4.29.   Videoconference is one of the media used from time to time by the Secretariat to deliver some 
of its TA activities or part of them , in Geneva and in the field .  Records on videoconferences are not 
always systematic and are mainly available for Latin America.  These sessions provided a timely and 
very efficient response to specific requests received from Members.  In 201 8, 12 videoconferences 
(-4 compared to 201 7) were held with five different partners ( Latin American Integration Association 
(ALADI) , Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Inter -American 
Development Bank (IADB), Peru and UNCTAD ).  They gathered at least 1,500  participants in total  
(twice the number in 2017 ),33 sometimes in more than 30 countries at the same time through the 
IICA network and  had a cumulated duration of 1 6.5 hours ( +3.5 compared to 201 7).  As in previous 
years, several  videoconferences were held during the short trade  policy course held for ALADI 
members in Uruguay in November  on Environment, RTAs, Trade Facilitation  and the world trade 
report, to avoid flying a WTO official for half a day only.  
                                                
33 For the sessions organised with IICA, it has been assumed that on average ten persons in each country 
followed each session.  Most of these have not been counted in the figures on participation mentioned above in 
this section.  05101520253035404550Long -term Interns
YPP
AIP
RCI
MIP
NTP
Months in
Geneva
8%
8%
17%
17% 17%25%8%Sessions
20%
2%
3%
39%22%12%2%Participants
9%
9%
18%
18%18%19%9%Duration
Agriculture
RTAs
R of Origin
SPS
Environment
T Facilitation
T ReportWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 28 - 
 
4.4  Distribution by subject  
4.30.   The erosion initiated last year of the share of activities with a general scope covering, if not 
all WTO subjects, at least several of them , continued in 2018.  Excluding the long-term interns hip 
programmes, 36% of the TA activities ( -4 percentage points compared to 201 7) fell in this category.  
They included all the activities for generalists (3 ATPCs, 4 ITPCs, 1 introduction course for LDCs, 1 
Introduction Day, etc.) and other activities addr essing more than one WTO subject or focus ing on 
skills ( 8 activities , double the number in 2017 ) or themes cutting across several (if not all) WTO 
subjects such as TPR follow -up (11 activities); outreach activities for MPs, journalists and civil society 
(7 activities); etc.  
4.31.   Activities with a general scope gathered 4 2% of the total participants that benefitted from TA 
in 201 8.  National and global activities tended to be more subject -specific (only 34 % and 20% of 
participants in activities  with a general scope ), and online courses and regional activities less so 
(54% and 5 1% of participants in activities  with a general scope ).  This is again a c ontinuation of the 
situation in 2017 .  Activities with a general scope accounted for 65% of the total training da ys (+7 
percentage points compared to 201 7) and 5 3% of the total expenditure ( -6 percentage points 
compared to 201 7).  45% of t he expenditure on general -scope activities was spent on regional 
activities, followed by global (3 6%), national (1 4%) and e -Learni ng (5%) activities.  
4.32.   Since last year , as an increasing  number of activities address both SPS and TBT at the same 
time, these two subjects have been grouped together in 201 8 under the "Standards" denomination.  
Standards continued to be  the most popular subj ect in 201 8 (thanks mainly to a high number of 
national activities), followed by Services (also due  to a high number of national activities ) and Market 
  National  
   Regional  
   Global  
   e-Learning  
  -  20  40  60  80  100  120TRIPSStandardsServicesRulesMA for GoodsGov. ProcurementGeneralEnvironmentDispute SettlementAgricultureAccessionActivities by Subject
 - 2,000  4,000  6,000  8,000  10,000TRIPSStandardsServicesRulesMA for GoodsGov. ProcurementGeneralEnvironmentDispute SettlementAgricultureAccessionParticipants by Subject
 -  2  4  6TRIPSStandardsServicesRulesMA for GoodsGov. ProcurementGeneralEnvironmentDispute SettlementAgricultureAccessionExpenses by Subject (MCHF)
 - 200  400  600  800  1,000TRIPSStandardsServicesRulesMA for GoodsGov. ProcurementGeneralEnvironmentDispute SettlementAgricultureAccessionDays by SubjectWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 29 - 
 
Access (MA) for Goods,34 TRIPS ( due to a relatively high number of different online courses) and 
Agricult ure.  The hierarchy was similar in terms of number of participants.  
4.33.   Measured by number of days, the leading position was held by activities dedicated to Dispute 
Settlement ( 8% of the total for only 4% of the total share of activities), as in 201 7.  This re sults 
from the offer under Article 27.2 of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) of the services of 
two consultants throughout the year, at a relatively modest overall cost ( 89 days in 201 8, i.e. 23% 
less than in 201 7).  Setting this aside, the hierarchy of subjects was the same as for the number of 
activities and participants.  As in 2017, Standards, MA for Goods and TRIPS represented the three 
subjects on which the WTO spent the most in 201 8, followed by Government P rocurement , 
Agriculture  and Services.  
4.34.   Participation in  online courses by subject in 2018 confirms the pattern observed in previous 
years.  The WTO introduction course continued to be the most popular course among e -Learning 
users (2 4% of the total e -Learni ng audience in 201 8, 2 percentage points more than  in 201 7).  SPS 
was the second most attended online course with 633 participants ( -19% compared to  2017), 
followed by RTAs (+4%), Multilateral Trade Agreements (+246%), Services  (+13%), Rules of Origin  
(+7%), etc.  Together, the various TRIPS courses attracted 964 participants ( -5%), making it the 
area with the highest number of participants .  These evolutions must be assessed against the 
average increase of 2% in the participation in online courses in 201 8. 
4.5  Language mix  
4.35.   The main evolution in 2018 was a small increase of the  proportion of face -to-face activities 
held in at least two of the three WTO languages (and in most cases in all three languages), using 
interpretation services.   These multilingual activities were generally global ones held in Geneva.  
They represented 8%  of the total face -to-face activities (+1 percentage point compared to 2017).  
Otherwise, the pattern observed in previous years about  the distribution of activities by language 
persisted in 201 8.  Face-to-face activities in English only represented  66% of the total  (excluding 
long-term internships), consistent with the 2012-17 average  of 64%.  The proportion of the 
audiences trained face -to-face in English only (59%), of the days of training (69%) and of face -to-
face expenditure (66%) was similar.  
                                                
34 What is meant by Market Access for Goods includes: general GATT obligations, Schedules of 
concessions, tariffs and non -tariff measures, the modification of tariff concessions, the Information Technology 
Agreement, customs valuation, pre -shipment inspectio n, rules of origin, import licensing procedures and TF. 
  National  
   Regional  
   Global  
   e-Learning  
  -  50  100  150MultilanguageSpanishFrenchEnglishActivities by Language
 -  5,000  10,000MultilanguageSpanishFrenchEnglishParticipants by Language
 -  200  400  600  800MultilanguageSpanishFrenchEnglishDays of Training by Language
 -  2  4  6  8MultilanguageSpanishFrenchEnglishExpenses by Language (MCHF)WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 30 - 
 
4.36.   The share of activities delivered only in French and Spanish in the total face -to-face activities 
implemented in 201 8 reached 1 2% and 1 4%, respectively , a further reduction compared to previous 
years .  This is the consequence of the continued reduction of the share of face -to-face activities held 
in Africa already discussed in section 4.2 above.  
4.37.  As a result, the distribution of the TA offer by language 
in 201 8 was not entirely consistent with the distribution of 
working languages amongst WTO Members, even if the 
current WTO TA offer in terms of languages continued to 
match by and large beneficiary's preferences.  
4.38.  The size of the audience , number of training days and 
expenses in face -to-face activities held in French and Spanish 
was roughly proportional to th eir relative share of activities 
in 201 8.  Participation in multilingual activities was 
proportiona tely much higher and represented 15% of the 
total for face-to-face activities , whereas these activities were 
shorter  (representing only 3 % of the total training days).  Their cost was 7% of the total for face -
to-face activities, knowing that i n Geneva, interpretation services – the highest extra cost item of 
these activities compared to monolingual activities – are not systematically charge d to the TA budget 
but are frequently absorbed by the interpretation budget of the WTO.  
4.39.   Analysing the breakdown of e -Learning participants by language provides an accurate 
snapshot of beneficiary's actual language preferences.  Except for  the tailored cour se and the new 
courses released during the year , online courses were equally available in each the three languages 
throughout the year.  Participant s could choose their training language on a case by case basis.  In 
2018, the breakdown was similar to w hat was observed for face -to-face activities: 59% of 
participants followed courses in English, 21% in French and 2 0% in Spanish.  The average share of 
the three languages since 2011 has been remarkably stable (English: 60%±1%, French: 20%±1%, 
and Spanish: 20%± 2%). 
4.6  Progressivity of training  
 
  National  
   Regional  
   Global  
   e-Learning  
  - 20 40 60 80 100 120Not SpecifiedSpecialists - AdvancedSpecialists - intermediateGeneralists - AdvancedGeneralists - IntermediateIntroductionNumber of Activities by Level
 - 2,000  4,000  6,000  8,000Not SpecifiedSpecialists - AdvancedSpecialists - intermediateGeneralists - AdvancedGeneralists -…IntroductionParticipants by Level
 -  100  200  300Not SpecifiedSpecialists - AdvancedSpecialists - intermediateGeneralists - AdvancedGeneralists - IntermediateIntroductionDays of Training by Level
 -  1  2  3  4Not SpecifiedSpecialists - AdvancedSpecialists -…Generalists - AdvancedGeneralists -…IntroductionExpenses by Level (MCHF)70%18%12%Members' and Observers' 
language preference
English
French
SpanishWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 31 - 
 
4.40.   Following the adoption of the Progressive Learning Strategy (PLS) in 2010, a set of guidelines 
on the substantive content of each of the three training levels (introduction, intermediate and 
advanced) was developed at the end of 2013.  These guidelines define the core substantiv e elements 
that should be mastered by the participants.  Efforts to introduce progressivity in the training courses 
concentrated so far on regional, global and online courses, especially for generalists.  Identifying  an 
emerging pattern in the implementati on of PLS proved difficult in previous reports, as its full 
integration across different  TA programmes  is not always possible.  Several  activities are conceived 
more as isolated training events than as a component in a longer programme , even when such 
activities are ascribed a specific level.  The analysis excludes the long -term internships considered 
as advanced activities for generalists.  
4.41.   The share of activities without a defined level was 9%  in 201 8, back to their average share in 
2015-16 (4% in 2017) , as the Secretariat refrained from systematically allocating a level to the 
activities which did not fit easily into the PLS .  Such activities gathered 10% of the participants ( 2% 
in 2017, 8% in 2016) for 6% of the total TA training days (11% in 2017, 29% in  2016) and 
expenditure ( 5% in 2017, 4% in 2016, 8% in 2015).  
4.42.   Activities at introductory level continued to represent a small proportion of the total TA 
activities, as their share in 201 8 remained within the range observed since 2012 (on average 
14%±3%).  T he number  of participants trained at introductory level ( 4,874 persons) and the 
financial resources allocated also remained proportionately  stable in 201 8 (21% and 1 1% 
respectively) , even if the share of days dedicated to this level  grew to 16% (+6 percent age points) . 
4.43.   The share of activities provided at intermediate level (57%) was lower  in 201 8, as it went 
back to its 2016 level  (-13 percentage points) .  They also accounted for 57% of participants (12,8 89 
persons  as in 2017 , -13 percentage points), 45% of training days ( -9 percentage points compared 
to 201 7, but in line with 201 6) and 4 1% of expenditure (as in 2016).  
4.44.   This means that most of the growth in TA activities came from advanced activities in 2018.  
Their relative importance grew  compared to 201 7, almost regardless of the indicator considered: 
18% of activities ( +5 percentage points , back to their 2016 level ), 12% of participants ( 2,700 
persons, +6 percentage points) , 33% of training days (+8 percentage points) and 42% of expenses 
(+9 percentage poin ts).  As in previous years, most of advanced level trainings ( 77% as in 2016) 
were delivered through global or regional activities for both generalists and specialists in 201 8. 
4.45.   Most e-Learning courses continued to be offered at intermediate level ( 85% of t he total) as 
in previous years , even if the emergence of new online course outside of the PLS structure reduced 
this proportion compared to 2017 ( -5 percentage points) .  The remainder were at introductory level  
(6%) or with no specified PLS level (9%) , since no advanced training is offered online.  Participants 
in e-Learning courses were split between intermediate ( 69%, -5 percentage points too ), introductory 
(24%, -2 percentage points) and unspecified (7%, +7 percentage points) levels in 201 8. 
4.46.   In 201 8, 37% of the activities targeted generalists, as in 201 7 (16% at introductory level, 
19% at intermediate level, and 2% at advanced level), and 5 4% targeted specialists ( -3 percentage 
points , 38% at intermediate level and 1 6% at advanced level).  For participants, the split between 
generalists and specialists was 4 2%-48%, as the original imbalance in favour of specialists is 
progressively erased over the years.  Training days were shared 5 2%-42% between generalists and 
specialists, since the activities  for generalists tended to be significantly longer than for specialists on 
average.  Expenses were shared 43%-52% between generalists and specialists , in line with the 
distribution of activities and participants . 
4.7  Gender mix  
4.47.   In 201 8, female participation in  WTO TA (4 7% of the total TA audience) continued to rise (+1 
percentage points).  It was higher than the 2010 -17 average (4 4%±1%).  WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 32 - 
 
4.48.  Variations across 
regions of the share of 
women amongst WTO TA 
participants in 201 8 
followed the same pattern 
as in previous  years: gender 
parity, if not female 
predominance was 
observed in the Caribbean, 
CEECAC and Latin America 
regions, even if the share of 
women amongst their 
participants decreased a bit 
(the share of female 
participation in activities in 
these regions was 53% on 
average  in 2010 -18); 
women's participation in activities held in Asia -Pacific increased to 46% (3 percentage points above 
its average share in 2010 -17); the participation rate of women in Africa and the Middle East, already 
the lowest, decreased furt her (39% and 38% respectively ); the proportion of women in global 
activities reached 48% (3 percentage points above the 2010 -17 average) . 
4.49.  Information on gender distribution 
among e -Learning audiences does not 
give a materially different picture 
compared to face -to-face activities.  
Indeed, the proportion of women amongst 
WTO TA participants is similar regardless 
of the training medium (face -to-face or 
e-Learning).  In 201 8, women 
represented 4 8% of total beneficiaries of 
e-Learning courses, in line with the 2012 -
17 average (47%±2%).  Despite  minor 
fluctuations, female participation in 
e-Learning has been relatively stable since 
2010.  The bre akdown of gender data per 
training language points to a quasi -
equality  between female and male participation in e -Learning courses in English and Spanish ( 51% 
and 54% of women  respectively ), in progression in 2018 (+5 and +2 percentage points 
respectively) .  The share of women in French -speaking online courses went down by 3  percentage 
points in 201 8, reversing part of last years' growth and now stands below the 2010 -18 average .  
These language specificities mirror the gender preferences of the regions wher e French and Spanish 
are mainly spoken.  
4.8  Key Result mix  
4.50.   To facilitate performance analysis in chapter 5, this section describes the main features of 
WTO TA (number of activities, participation, duration and expenses) by Key Result.  Key Results are 
the outcomes around which the TA Plan is structured.  Four Key Results, each comprising several  
outputs, have been identified in the TA Plan for 201 8-19: 
a. Key Re sult 1:  Government officials are implementing WTO  Agreements and fully realising 
Members' rights and obligations  
b. Key Result 2 : Acceding governments are participating in accession negotiations  
c. Key Result 3:  Academic institutions and other stakeholders are a nalysing WTO issues and 
reaching out to policy makers  
d. Key Result 4:  Non-governmental stakeholders and legislators are aware of and 
knowledgeable about WTO work and issues  0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%Rate of Women among Participants
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
English French Spanish TotalWomen in e -Learning Courses
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 33 - 
 
4.51.   The TA Plan 2018 -19 introduced some changes in Key Results 3 and 4 compared to the 
previous two TA Plans.  As recommended by the 2016 e xternal evaluation, the former Key Result 3 
on the access and use of WTO -related information, which had met with a low rate of success (25% 
on average), was discontinued.  What had been covered under Key Result 4 was then divided in two, 
to segregate the programmes  targeting the academic world under a new Key Result 3 from those 
targeting other non -governmental publics under a new Key Result 4.  
4.52.   In 201 8 as in previous years , the overwhelming maj ority of activities (8 6%, +4 percentage 
points) contributed to Key Result  1.  That proportion was higher in e -Learning courses (9 6%, +4 
percentage points), as most of them focus on the text of the Agreements and their provisions, and 
lower for national act ivities ( 81%, +4 percentage points), in which beneficiaries have a greater 
freedom to enlarge the agenda , and for regional activities ( 79%, as in 2017) .  Key Result 1 also 
gathered 88% of the participants ( as in 2017 ), represented 63% of the training days (-19 percentage 
points) and 8 8% (+5 percentage points) of the total TA expenses.  The general pre -eminence of Key 
Result 1 is entirely consistent with Members' needs and priorities identified in the TA Plan and the 
comparative advantage of the WTO.  
4.53.   Further  to the reorganisation of Key Result s in the TA Plan, Key Result  2 became the second 
most important one in 201 8, whether measured in terms of number of activities ( 7%, +2 percentage 
points)  or participants ( 6%, +2 percentage point) .  Its share of  training days (5%, + 3 percentage 
points) and expenses ( 4%, as in 2017 ) was marginally smaller than for Key Result 3 .  Most of these 
activities ( 57%) were implemented nationally, since the needs of acceding countries are very specific 
and depend entirely f rom the particularities of their negotiating situation.   National activities 
gathered only 31% of those who were trained under this Key Result, as 48% of them followed the 
online course on accessions.  
4.54.   The new  Key Result s 3 and 4 represented 5% and 2% of the activities implemented in 201 8 
respectively  (12% for the old Key Result 4 in  2017), 5% and 1% of the participants (7% for the old 
Key Result 4 in 2017), 5% and 2% of the training days (4% for the old Key Result 4 in 2017)  and 
5% and 3% of the total expen ses (10% for the old Key Result 4 in 2017) .  A majority of the activities 
under Key Result 3 were national (56%), which gathered 77% of the participants, when regional 
activities were preferred under Key Result 4 (71%), gathering 89% of the participants.  
  National  
   Regional  
   Global  
   e-Learning  
  -  50  100  150  200  250  300Key Result 4Key Result 3Key Result 2Key Result 1Activities by Key Result
 -  5,000  10,000  15,000  20,000Key Result 4Key Result 3Key Result 2Key Result 1Participants by Key Result
 -  500  1,000Key Result 4Key Result 3Key Result 2Key Result 1Days of Training by Key Result
 -  5  10Key Result 4Key Result 3Key Result 2Key Result 1Expenses by Key Result (MCHF)WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 34 - 
 
5  EVALUATION OF PERFORM ANCE IN 2018  
5.1.  This section focuses on the elements that could be measured during the year and which 
constitute evidence of the immediate, medium -term or progress towards long -term results produced 
by the TA provided by the WTO to its Mem bers and Observers, based on the indicators identified in 
the TA Plan 2018 -19.  As in previous years, this section is presented according to the structure of 
the TA Plan to make it easier for Members to assess the results produced against the Plan they 
initially approved.  To that effect, each section starts with a short table summarising the situation 
at the end of 2018 for each of the indicators and targets retained in the logframe annexed to the TA 
Plan 2018 -19. 
5.2.  The following codes have been used in this  section:  
• Target met:  the target identified in the TA Plan logframe has been fully met or has been 
exceeded ; 
• Target partially met:  the target identified in the TA Plan logframe has been missed 
by a small margin, as significant progress has been made toward s its achievement ; 
• Target not met:  the target identified in the TA Plan logframe has been largely missed 
and progress towards its achievement has been limited ; 
• Data not available:  the data available to the Secretariat is incomplete, if not 
missing complete ly, or is not reliable or strong enough to support any conclusion one 
way or the other . 
5.3.  Indicators used to measure the results of the TA provided by the Secretariat in 2018 were 
somewhat different from those used in 2017.  Some changes in the set of TA per formance indicators 
were introduced in the 2018 -19 TA Plan compared to the previous biennium.  These changes were 
aimed at addressing the shortcomings observed over the 2016 -17 biennium in terms of suitability 
of indicators and availability of data.  Compa red to the previous TA Plan, three indicators were 
discontinued, and seven new ones were introduced in Key Result 1.  One out of the four indicators 
under Key Result 2 was discontinued and replaced by a new one.  Key Result 4 was completely 
overhauled with  some indicators being moved under Key Result 3 and others discontinued, leading 
to only five remaining indicators.   The TA performance analysis presented below confirms the 
effectiveness of the changes introduced in the logical framework of the current TA  Plan and the 
positive impact of the Secretariat's effort to continuously adjust its offer to better respond to 
Members' needs.  
5.4.  Year 2018 was very successful for 
the WTO TA.  The overall success rate 
reached the unprecedented level of 76% 
(vs. 62% in 2017  and 57% in 2016) , 
whilst the percentage of targets not met 
was only of 4% against 19% on average 
during  the previous three years.  A 
significant improvement in data 
availability was also recorded in 2018 , as 
the proportion of indicators for which no 
data was available dropped to 5% from 
10% in 2017 and 18% in 2016.  Eight 
targets were partially met (i.e. missed by 
a small margin) which represented 15% 
of the indicators (vs. 7% in 2016 and 8% 
in 2017).  0%20%40%60%80%100%
Target met Target
partially
metTarget not
metData not
availableSuccess rate
2015
2016
2017
2018WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 35 - 
 
5.5.  The a nalysis of Key Results individually showed  major improvements both in terms of ability 
to meet the objectives and in the availability of data.  Key Result s 1 and 4  met at least 80% of their 
targets  and Key Results 2 and 3 at least 50% .  Under Key Result 1, 83% (against 69% in 2017) of 
the targets were met, 8% of the targets were partially met (11% in 2017), 3% (corresponding to 
one target only) were not met, while data was not available for 6% of th e targets.  This Key Result 
encompasses 65% of the indicators, therefore its performance accounts for a major part of the 
overall TA performance.  
5.6.  Under Key Result 2, the success rate went down from 75% in  2017 to 50% in 2018.  Targets 
were partially met fo r the other half  of the indicators .  The change of indicator s introduced in the TA 
Plan 2018 -19 also meant that data was entirely available under this Key Result.  
5.7.  Though less impressive than for Key Result 1, performance was also better in 2018 for Key 
Result 3 than in the previous two years , as 50% of the targets were met (against 25% in 2016 and 
2017), and the rest of the targets were either partially met (25%) or not met (25% against 50% for 
both 2016 and 2017).   This is the direct consequence of the cha nge in the substance of this Key 
Result introduced in the TA Plan 2018 -19. 
5.8.  The success rate  improved by 24  percentage points under Key Result 4 (from 56% in 2017 to 
80% in 2018).   Key Results 2 and 4 involved few indicators (respectively 4 and 5), which me ans 
that any change registered during the year on any of the indicators has a disproportionate effect on 
the overall performance  under the se Key Result s. 
5.1  Impact: Developing and LDC Members are benefiting from their active participation 
in the WTO  
Indicator s Target  2018  
Share of developing Members' total trade 
(imports and exports) in world trade  > 40%  Target met  
Share of LDC Members' total trade (imports and 
exports) in world trade  > 1.00%  Target met  
5.9.  This is the first time since the introduction of RBM in 2012 that an attempt is made to measure 
the impact of WTO TA on the trade share of its developing and LDC Members.  Any success at that 
level is first and foremost the result of the work of the Member s themselves.  However, the 2016 
external evaluation illustrated through a multiplicity of anecdotal evidence that the TA provided by 
the WTO had a real and tangible widespread impact on the human and institutional capacities of 
beneficiary countries in te rms of trade policy -making, legislative compliance, multilateral/regional 
trade negotiations and implementation of international trade agreements.  Over time, this certainly 
supports the growth of the share of beneficiary Members in world trade.  
  Target met     Target 
partially met     Target not 
met    Data not 
available  
 0%20%40%60%80%100%Key Result 4
0%20%40%60%80%100%Key Result 1
0%20%40%60%80%100%Key Result 3
0%20%40%60%80%100%Key Result 2WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 36 - 
 
Share in world trade (excl. HK RX)  2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 
Developing economies WTO Members, excl. HK RX  
Exports  41.6%  41.8%  42.2%  41.4%  41.6%  
Imports  39.4%  39.4%  39.4%  38.4%  39.2%  
Turnover (Exports + Imports)  40.5%  40.6%  40.8%  39.9%  40.4%  
LDC WTO Members  
Exports  1.00%  0.97%  0.87%  0.89%  0.94%  
Imports  1.14%  1.21%  1.25%  1.22%  1.23%  
Turnover (Exports + Imports)  1.07%  1.09%  1.06%  1.06%  1.09%  
5.10.   The latest year for which comprehensive trade data is available is 2017.  Excluding re -exports 
of Hong Kong, China, the share of developing -economy Members of the WTO in world trade was 
40.4%, marginally above the minimum threshold targeted by the TA Plan.   Target met  
5.11.   The share of LDC WTO Members in world trade in 2017 was 1.09%, also above the minimum 
threshold targeted by the TA Plan.  Target met  
5.2  Key Result 1: Government officials are implementing WTO Agreements and fully 
realising Members' rights and obl igations  
Indicators  Target  2018  
Number of documents submitted by developing 
and LDC Members in WTO Bodies  Increase in participation / 
submissions of documents  Target met  
Number of outstanding notifications of TA 
beneficiary Members  5% decrease of outstanding 
notifications  Target met  
5.12.   As seen under section 4.8 above, this Key Result represents the bulk of the TA provided by 
the WTO to its Members and Observers.  
5.13.   To extract statistics from DocsOnline , the 
Secretariat focused on substantive documents 
(i.e. excluding the contributions from the 
Secretariat and documents of a procedural 
nature such as agendas, minutes, reports, etc.) 
to the preparation of which at least one 
developing or LDC Member had be en associated.  
In the case of documents submitted by more 
than one Member, this frequently meant that 
developed Members or Observers had also been 
associated with their preparation.  Notifications 
and documents submitted to the DSB were 
excluded, since th ese are discussed separately 
below.  The statistics show that, the number of 
substantive documents submitted by developing and LDC Members in WTO bodies tended to grow 
during Ministerial years (2015 and 2017) and to recede the following year.  The overall trend pointed 
towards growth, as the total was higher in 2017 than in 2015 (+4%), and higher again in 2018 than 
in 2016 (+9%).  However, the evolution of the number of substantive documents submitted by LDC 
Members was more erratic: it was lower in 2017 th an in 2015 ( -12%).  The TA Plan 2018 -19 did not 
provide for a clear baseline and targeted an increase in the submission of documents.  Target met  
5.14.   As far as beneficiary Members' outstanding notifications are concerned, according to the 
Central Registry of N otifications (CRN) the figure stood at 3,434 at the end of 2018, which is 20 
notifications less than at the end of 2017.  This apparent stability hides a significant decrease in un -
complied notification obligations by beneficiary Members, as the annual agr icultural notifications 
mechanically increase annually the volume of notifications due during the year.  Once this is 
neutralised and focusing on those notifications which were already outstanding at the end of the 0100200300400500600700
2015 2016 2017 2018Substantive Documents
LDCs
Developing
CountriesWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 37 - 
 
previous year, there was a 7.6% reduction  in 2018.  The target was an overall reduction of 5%.  
Many externalities may also have played a role in these results.  Target met  
5.15.   Outstanding agriculture notifications represented 58.5% of the total outstanding notifications 
at the end of 2018.  Focusing  exclusively on those notifications already outstanding at the end of 
2017 to neutralise the mechanical increase due to the annual notification obligations, 2018 
registered a 11.4% reduction of outstanding agriculture notifications, which confirms the prog ress 
registered in previous years .  2018 has been the year with the highest number of submitted 
agriculture notifications since the creation of the WTO, with a total of 280, when the average over 
the past decade was well below 200.  As agriculture has alwa ys represented the lion's share of 
outstanding notifications and given the complexity of notifications requirements on domestic 
support, an advanced workshop on agriculture notifications is offered annually in Geneva since 2009.  
The workshop forms part of  a broader work programme aimed at improving the timeliness and 
completeness of notifications under the Committee on Agriculture.  Its fourth day is now 
systematically devoted to individual sessions with staff ("notification clinic") to allow participants to 
discuss country -specific notification issues.  Participants are also familiarised with the Ag -IMS 
functionality launched in 2017  for the online submission of Agriculture notifications.  
5.16.   Members with many outstanding agriculture notifications, LDCs and re cently acceded 
Members are given priority in the selection for the workshop.  However, the workshop can only 
address the knowledge gap which might impact their notification compliance.  For many Members 
the main challenge when preparing domestic support no tification is proper data collection, as many 
agencies and ministries are responsible for actions in the notifiable domain.  It is only once annual 
data and information on the entire domestic support system for agricultural producers is available 
that the Secretariat may help in presenting and analysing that information for the finalisation of a 
notification.  For these reasons, the correlation between improved compliance and usefulness of the 
workshop may not be direct and simple.35 
5.17.   In 2018, five national a ctivities focused on notifications and transparency provisions of the 
WTO Agreements.36  These activities associate numerous stakeholders who have a role to play in 
gathering the data or information needed by the authorities to fulfil their notification obl igations, or 
who may be interested in benefiting from  other Members' notifications.  In addition, all the 16 
national and 10 regional/global activities organised on SPS or TBT included a session on transparency 
and the ePing platform to take advantage from  notifications in these domains.  As ePing becomes 
increasingly popular amongst Members, training demand grows to help users reap its full benefits.  
And the more users  know, the more they use ePing and value transparency.37  In 2018 alone the 
number of reg istered users in ePing increased by 80% and reached 5,569 in 175 countries.  
5.18.   In addition to the above, one regional 
activity for Asian investigating authorities 
focused on the notification of subsidies and two 
global activities concentrated on notification  
obligations on Import Licensing (annual activity 
since 2017) and quantitative restrictions (first 
ever).  
5.19.   Upon entry into force of the TFA on 
22 February 2017, developing Members who had 
ratified it had to notify their category A, B and C 
measures.38  LDCs had one extra year to do so.  
By the end of 2018, 76 developing Members and 
27 LDCs had ratified the TFA.  57 Developing 
                                                
35 See the report on compliance with agriculture notification requirements in G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.34, 
viewed at https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/251596/q/G/AG/GEN86R34.pdf .  
This report is updated several times per year.  
36 They took place in Belize, Gambia, Maldives, Saudi Arabia and Togo.  
37  See section 3.1.8.2 in document G /TBT/42 (viewed at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/251752/q/G/TBT/42.pdf ) for more details 
on ePing, and in particular footnote 39.  
38  Category A: Measures that the Members will implement by the time the TFA enters into force;  
 Category B: Measures which the Member will need additional time to implement;  
 Category C: Measures for the implementation of which the Member will  need TA and time.  02468
0-25% 25-50% 50-75% 75-100%Developing MembersTFA Outstanding Notifications
2017
2018WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 38 - 
 
Members (75%) and 17 LDCs (63%) had fully 
complied with their notification obligations.  The 
graph shows that despite 7 new ratificatio ns in 
2018, the number of developing Members with 
outstanding TFA notifications went down by 14% 
compared to 2017.  However, the remaining 19 
developing Members had not yet complied with 
62% of their notification obligations (45% in 
2017).  For LDC Member s, 2018 was the first 
year in which their TFA notifications were due.  
The ten of them with outstanding TFA 
notifications will constitute a baseline to 
measure future progress.  On average, they had 
not yet complied with 87% of their notification obligatio ns.  In 2018, four activities (1 national and 
3 regional) were organised on the TFA and addressed, inter alia , notifications requirements.  Several 
other activities were financed by the TFAF and are not covered by this report.39  Together, these 
activities contributed to helping beneficiary Members comply with their TFA notification obligations, 
irrespective of the origin of the funding for the activities . 
5.20.  In 2018, in a context 
in which requests for DS 
consultations more than 
doubled compared to the 
previou s year, the number of 
TA beneficiary Members 
involved, whether as 
complainant, respondent or 
third party remained high.  
There was not a single 
request which did not involve 
at least one TA beneficiary 
Member and for the fourth 
year in a row a majority of 
the Members involved during 
the year were TA 
beneficiaries.  Out of 38 new 
requests received in 2018 which led to the establishment of 25 panels:  
a. 15 beneficiaries requested consultations on 20 disputes;  
b. 12 beneficiaries were respondents in 17 disputes;  
c. beneficiaries presented 58 requests to join consultations and 7 were accepted;  
d. 33 beneficiaries reserved their third -party rights on 371 occasions (i.e. in more than 11 
cases each on average), 8 of them in more than three quarter of the 25 cases for which 
a panel was established;  
e. The UAE and Tunisia participated for the first time in a dispute as complainants, and the 
Kyrgyz Republic and Qatar as respondents.  
5.21.   This demonstrates that TA beneficiaries have become increasingly confident and capable of 
defending t heir rights in the WTO, including through the DS mechanism.  
                                                
39  See footnote 3 above.  020406080100Requests for DS Consultations
Developing
Developed02468
0-25% 25-50% 50-75% 75-100%LDCsTFA Outstanding Notifications
2017
2018WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 39 - 
 
5.22.  The Secretariat continued 
to provide to developing Members 
the kind of additional legal advice 
required under Article 27.2 of the 
DSU.  As seen for many years, 
demand for such services 
fluctuates  from one year to the 
next.  In 2018, 13 new requests 
for these services were presented 
by seven Members, which was 
above the annual average (4.6) 
and the highest level ever 
registered since the creation of the 
WTO.  Two of the requesting 
Members had never  used this 
service before.  
5.23.  Since 2002, the 32 
Members and 3 regional groups 
who have used the services 
provided by the Secretariat under 
Article 27.2 of the DSU have 
requested legal opinions in 
approximately half of the cases.  
These legal opinions may or  may 
not (e.g. on the DSU review) be 
related to a potential dispute.  
Close to a quarter of the requests 
came from third parties to a 
dispute, and the last quarter 
(24%) benefited litigating parties 
(a complainant in two thirds of the 
cases).  
5.2.1   Output 1.1: G overnment officials have enhanced knowledge about the WTO 
Agreements, formulation of trade policies and conduct of trade negotiations  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of participants completing each PLS 
level Annual stability  Target met  
Number of participants in WTO TRTA activities  Annual stability  Target met  
Interactive training methods' share of time in 
each activity  Annual decrease in share of 
lectures  Target met  
5.24.   Section 4.3 above explained that the overall participation in TA activities incre ased by 25% 
in 2018, in line with the trend set since 2011.  Target met  
5.25.   Section 4.6 then analysed the number of participants trained at each of the three levels 
(introduction, intermediate, advanced) in 2018.  Since 2012, the graphs below show that the 
proportion of participants in each of the three levels fluctuated and that the decline in the proportion 
of participants in advanced activities was reversed in 2018.  The relative importance of the 
introduction level was stable (22% on average).  10% of the activities had no specific level (e.g. 
activities for academia, symposia requested by WTO bodies, some accession activities, outreach 
online courses, etc.), since they did not fit into the PLS logic.  In a context in which the overall 
participation in TA activities increased significantly in 2018, these evolutions mean that, in  absolute 
terms, the number of participants in each of the three PLS levels also grew during the year: from 
3,957 to 4,950 in the introduction level (+25%) and from 1,060 to 2,541 in the advanced level 
(+140%), when it decreased marginally from 12,849 to 1 2,772 in the intermediate level ( -0.5%).  
These figures were largely above 2016 levels which were identified as the baseline in the TA Plan.  
The TA Plan had anticipated annual stability compared to 2016.  Target met  024681012Assistance under DSU 27.2
Respondent
Complainant
3rd Party
Legal opinion
52%
24%16%8%Assistance under DSU 27.2
2002 -2018
Legal opinion
3rd Party
Complainant
RespondentWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 40 - 
 
5.26.   While acknowledging that people learn  in different ways and use different means of receiving 
information, the use of interactive training methods continued to be recommended when delivering 
TA activities at all three PLS levels to stimulate learning and increase the rate of knowledge retentio n 
by the participants (i.e. how much they remember after a while).  Data on the various training 
methods used in the WTO TA face -to-face activities are collected by the trainers themselves and 
constitute an estimate.  It may indeed be difficult to always i dentify with precision the share of the 
time dedicated to each training method.  For example, different trainers may measure differently 
inside a lecture the time dedicated to the questions of the participants, which clearly increase the 
interactivity of t he session.  
5.27.  There was no significant change in 
the relative importance of the various 
training methods used by the Secretariat 
in the face -to-face activities in 2018.  
Lectures remained the predominant 
medium used by trainers to deliver TA 
activities . Since 2014, the share of the 
lectures provided by the participants 
themselves (as opposed to by the 
Secretariat staff) is measured separately.  
Lectures provided by the Secretariat 
represented approximately 40% of the 
time on average (6 percentage points less  
than in 2017), and those provided by the 
participants 9% (as in 2017).  As in the 
past, these averages hide significant differences between certain types of activities, but the general 
trend in 2018 points towards a rebalancing of the programme of TA acti vities in favour of a higher 
level of interactivity overall, as total lecture time (Secretariat + participants) was back below 50% 
for the third time in a decade.  The number of activities almost entirely based on lectures was 
stable.40 
5.28.   The use of other tra ining methods increased overall in 2018.  Exercises or case studies 
represented 21% of the time on average (+1 percentage point), Question & Answer 20% (+1 
percentage point) and other methods 10% (+4 percentage points).  The share of the activities for 
which statistics were available and which did not use any exercise or case study was higher (38%, 
i.e. -2 percentage points).  A majority of the time was dedicated to exercises or case studies in 11% 
of the activities only (e.g. on Trade Negotiating Skills an d in several national activities).  Other 
miscellaneous training methods used in TA activities included group work or group discussions and 
panels among others.  Target met  
                                                
40 In 2018, lectures (Secretariat + participants) represented more than 80% of the time in 19 activities 
for which statistics were available, in line with the average over the last few years.  0%20%40%60%80%100%Share of training methods in TA face -
to-face activities
Misc
Quiz
Q&A
Exercises
Participants'
Lectures
Lectures - 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000Participants in Advanced 
Activities
0%20%40%60%80%100%Evolution of the PLS Participants Mix
N/A
Advanced
Intermediate
IntroductionWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 41 - 
 
5.2.1.1   e-Learning  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of participants in WTO TRTA activities  Annual Stability  Target met  
Spread of level of development of Members' participation 
in e-Learning courses  Annual stability in the 
participation of LDCs  Target met  
Spread of geographical coverage of Members' 
participation in e -Learning courses  Maintain spread annually  Target met  
New and revised online courses released each year  3 new or revised courses/year  Target met  
% of participants rating the balance between theory and 
practice as good or excellent in online courses  70% during the biennium  Target m et 
% of participants rating the quality of the user -
friendliness of the e -Campus and the rate of availability 
of the website throughout the year in the online courses 
as good or excellent  70% during the biennium  Target met  
e-Learning success rate  Annual increase  Target met  
e-Learning drop -out rate  Annual stability  Target met  
e-Learning rate of correct answers in the exam  Annual stability  Target met  
e-Learning distinction rate  Annual stability  Target met  
5.29.   The various country assessments conducted in 2018 confirmed that the e -Learning courses 
are very effective as a low -cost entry portal to equip large numbers of learners with the necessary 
basic information on WTO, its legal texts and other key trade -relate d issues.  Their permanent 
availability throughout the year is seen as a big advantage by Members and Observers, as it 
minimises work disruptions.  At the same time, the consensus amongst beneficiaries is that there is 
a limit to what  can be learnt online.  Physical interaction with the trainers in a face -to-face activity 
is indispensable to go beyond that limit.  This confirms the validity of the approach adopted for many 
years to focus online courses on the first two PLS levels (intr oduction and intermediate) and to offer 
advanced training exclusively through face -to-face activities.  
5.30.   Several of the above indicators have already been examined in different parts of this report:  
a. Sections 4.1 and 4.2 explained that participation in e -Learning courses increased by 
2.4% in 2018 compared to 2017 and reached a total of 11,769.  The TA Plan target ed 
annual stability using 2016 as a baseline (10,279 participants).  Target met  
b. The share of the participants originating from LDCs in e -Learning cour ses is discussed 
in section 4.1, which showed that this indicator was stable for four years, as the 
participation from these countries has been growing at same rate as the participation 
in e-Learning courses in general.  The TA Plan was targeting annual st ability.  Target 
met 
c. The geographical spread of e -Learning participants analysed in section 4.2 remained 
comprehensive despite some rebalancing of the regional origin of the participants in 
2018.  Target met  
d. As indicated in section 3.4.1 above, five new online courses, "Agriculture Information 
Management System", "CITES and the WTO", "Documents Online", "Mainstreaming 
Trade – the Fundamentals" and "Trade Facilitation" were finalised and released in 
English in 2018.  The course "Agriculture Xpress" launched at the very end of 2017 
registered its first participants during the year.  On top of this, a new version of the 
courses on Accession and Trade & Environment was released in English in 2018 to 
upgrade the old er versions to SCORM standards.  This indicator as defined in the TA 
Plan fail ed to acknowledge the importance of the work required to translate the course 
content – in particular the videos and other interactive components – initially developed 
in English  into the other two languages.41  The TA Plan targeted the release of 3 new or 
revised courses per year.  Target met  
5.31.   Feedback from e -Learning participants revealed that 86% of them rated the balance between 
theory and practice in online courses as good or e xcellent, and 93% rated the quality of the online 
                                                
41 One course was tran slated into Spanish and French in 2018.  WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 42 - 
 
courses content as good or excellent.  These figures are in line with averages from previous years.  
The TA Plan targeted a rate of satisfaction of 70% or above for each indicator.  Targets met  
5.32.   Concerning t he remaining indicators, measuring the immediate results of e -Learning courses 
is much easier than for most other activities, since the results of each participant can be monitored 
individually and completion of an online training always requires taking an  exam at the end.  As in 
previous years and as foreseen in the TA Plan 2018 -19, the performance indicators below were used 
to measure the immediate results of a course:  
• Success rate (proportion of those who passed the exams amongst those who attended 
the course) - the passing rate was 60% on average of correct answers in the final exam.  
• Distinction rate (proportion of participants who passed the exams with more than 90% 
of correct answers on average amongst successful participants).  
• Rate of correct answers in the exams of successful participants, knowing that the 
passing rate is 60% on average in the courses.  
• Dropout rate (share of those who did not complete the course within two months).  
Immediate results of online courses  
Course  Attended  Successful  Success  
Rate Dropout  Dropout 
Rate Correct 
Answers  Distinction  Distinction 
Rate 
Accessions  392 281 72% 80 20% 86% 182 65% 
Agriculture  484 262 54% 197 41% 78% 63 24% 
Agriculture IMS  35 29 83% 6 17% 100%  29 100%  
Agriculture Xpress  204 184 90% 18 9% 93% 132 72% 
CITES & WTO  22 22 100%  0 0% 96% 16 73% 
Copyright  199 138 69% 44 22% 83% 74 54% 
Development  367 249 68% 111 30% 85% 109 44% 
Dispute Settlement  346 203 59% 118 34% 77% 39 19% 
Doc Online  42 37 88% 4 10% 97% 35 95% 
Environment  270 185 69% 77 29% 82% 63 34% 
Introduction to WTO  2,791  1974 71% 795 28% 93% 1,518  77% 
Legal Underpinnings  220 153 70% 63 29% 88% 104 68% 
Mainstreaming Trade  21 21 100%  0 0% 93% 14 67% 
MA Intelligence  174 89 51% 55 32% 73% 25 28% 
Market Access Goods  254 154 61% 80 31% 77% 39 25% 
Multilateral Trade Ag  550 366 67% 170 31% 81% 106 29% 
Notifications  214 157 73% 46 21% 81% 41 26% 
Patents  140 106 76% 20 14% 79% 39 37% 
RTAs 561 450 80% 104 19% 90% 317 70% 
Rules  308 216 70% 85 28% 82% 70 32% 
Rules of Origin  505 341 68% 93 18% 74% 126 37% 
Services  546 310 57% 211 39% 81% 96 31% 
SPS 633 355 56% 259 41% 82% 111 31% 
Tailored Course  110 77 70% 15 14% 75% 39 51% 
TBT 481 293 61% 170 35% 81% 102 35% 
Trade Economics  387 291 75% 77 20% 88% 207 71% 
Trade Facilitation  202 170 84% 32 16% 90% 114 67% 
Trade Finance  228 191 84% 32 14% 91% 133 70% 
Short Trip to TRIPS  302 212 70% 79 26% 84% 100 47% 
TRIPS  323 176 54% 130 40% 79% 60 34% 
WTO in 10'  458 413 90% 43 9% 95% 333 81% 
Total  11,769  8,105  69%  3,214  27%  86%  4,436  55%  WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 43 - 
 
5.33.  The average success rate 
resumed its growth in 2018 after last 
year's pause, reaching 69%.  The TA 
Plan had targeted an annual increase 
on the 2016 baseline of 67%.  The 
current rate of success is highly 
satisfactory compared to the results 
measured in the rest of the  online 
training industry.42  In 2018, the 
number of successful participants 
increased by 6% compared to 2017 to 
reach a total of 8,105.  Target met  
5.34.  As explained in the report for 
2017, the dropout rate had to be 
rebased a year ago, following the 
identific ation of a methodological error 
in the analysis of statistics on 
unsuccessful candidates.43  This means 
that the 2016 baseline dropout rate 
identified in the TA Plan was incorrect 
and should have been 28%.  Annual 
stability had been targeted in this 
domain.   The average rate across 
courses was 27% in 2018, well below 
the average since 2015.  The average 
rate of failure was also stable over the 
last four years and stood at 4% in 
2018.  Target met  
5.35.   At 86%, the average rate of correct answers was two percentage points lower than in 2017 
and in line with the 2015 -18 average.  The TA Plan had targeted stability on the 2016 baseline of 
85%.  Target met  
5.36.   The rapid growth of the distinction rate observed since 2011 continued almost at the same 
pace in 2018.  This rate was 55% on average (+3 percentage points compared to 2017).  As 
explained last year, this could be the result of the Secretariat's efforts to increase e -learners' success 
rates by promoting interactivity and improved pedagogy in online courses.  The introd uction of 
shorter, more focused, courses may also have played a role.  The new courses of the year were 
amongst the most successful ones in terms of distinction rate s in 2018: Agriculture IMS (100%), 
DocOnline (95%), CITES & WTO (73%), Mainstreaming and TF A (67%).  Target met  
5.37.   The very same courses as in previous years had consistently lower than average results under 
each of the four indicators: Agriculture, Dispute Settlement, MA Intelligence and TRIPS.  These are 
old generation courses in several respects .  Their pedagogy involves a limited level of interactivity 
and hardly relies on any multimedia component, and they cover a vast field of knowledge in one 
single course which makes them long and bulky.  At the other end of the spectrum and as in previous 
years, Agriculture IMS, Agriculture Xpress, CITES & WTO, DocOnline, Mainstreaming Trade, Trade 
Finance and WTO in 10' consistently exceeded the average results for the four indicators.  These are 
much shorter, better focused new generation courses with a hi ghly interactive pedagogy relying on 
many multimedia components.  The course on Introduction to the WTO also had very high distinction 
rate and rate of correct answers, as in 2017.  These consistent results over the years confirm the 
validity of the analys is presented in last year's report and vindicates the approach pursued for 
                                                
42 This rate is high compared to what can be observed elsewhere in the e -Learning industry.  Although 
the average completion (successful or not) rate remains highly confidential for most e -Learning providers, in 
most Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs – i.e. courses which charge no fees, provide no tutoring and are 
open to large amounts of students for long periods of time) it does not exceed 10%.  W ith a completion rate of 
73% (69% successful + 4 % unsuccessful), WTO e -Learning courses are as successful as the best short online 
courses with fixed -dates, close tutoring, a limited number of students and charging high fees, which are the most 
successful of all online courses.  
43 See §§ 5.32 and 5.33 in WT/COMTD/W/235, viewe d at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/246143/q/WT/COMTD/W235.pdf . 0%20%40%60%80%100%e-Learning Results
Success Rate
Dropout Rate
Correct
Answers
Distinction Rate
 - 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000e-Learning Successful Participants
Distinction
CertificateWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 44 - 
 
several years to upgrade existing courses to SCORM standards, make them more interactive and 
slice them into shorter more focused pieces which the participants find easier to absorb , complete 
and digest.  
5.38.   The same performance indicators can also be used to analyse the results of the courses by 
linguistic version, since they reach different audiences/participants.  
Language  Attended  Successful  Success 
Rate Dropout  Dropout 
Rate Correct 
Answers  Distinction  Distinction 
Rate 
English  6,968  4,888  70% 1,850  27% 87% 2,753  56% 
French  2,409  1,613  67% 657 27% 83% 788 49% 
Spanish  2,392  1,604  67% 707 30% 86% 895 56% 
Total  11,769  8,105  69%  3,214  27%  86%  4,436  55%  
5.39.   The year 2018 saw a similar pattern as in previous years, with a relatively high homogeneity 
of the results across language versions of the same course.  The exception was the lower rate of 
correct answers and of distinction for courses in French language versions, as in the past, ev en if 
the gap with the English and Spanish versions narrowed during the year.  The improvement 
registered by French versions is even more remarkable since they were the only ones to register 
more participants than in 2017, when the English or Spanish versi ons stagnated or receded.  
5.40.   An analysis of these results by gender showed that since 2010 women's average success rate 
has always been a few percentage points higher than men's one.  The average difference fluctuated 
between 2 percentage points in 2010, 2013  or 2015 and 3.6 percentage points in 2012 or 4.5 in 
2011.  After almost disappearing in 2016, this gap is again close to 3 percentage points since last 
year (2.8 percentage points in 2018).  The gap is larger for the distinction rate (5 percentage points 
difference: 57% for women against 52% for men), meaning that the proportion of women was higher 
amongst high performers.  However, these averages hide significant variations between the courses.  
5.41.   In conclusion, with the sustained improvements in most of the  indicators, 2018 was another 
successful year for e -Learning results.  All of the targets assigned for 2018 have been reached.  This 
run of good news is highly rewarding and vindicates the e -Learning strategy followed for several 
years.44 
5.2.1.2   Internship program mes 
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of interns in FIMIP, NTP45 and 
RCI Per year: RCI: 8; FIMIP: 
15 FIMIP: target met  
RCI: target partially met  
Final evaluation rate of each intern  100% fully satisfactory  AIP: data not available, FIMIP: target 
met, RCI: target met  
5.42.   "Learning -by-doing" is the essence of an internship.  Since measuring how much was actually 
learnt by the interns is a real challenge, a proxy indicator is to measure how much the interns did 
during their stay in Geneva.  To that effect, the in terns were requested in 2018 to report monthly 
how their time had been allocated between five broad categories of outputs: i) WTO meetings; 
ii) meetings of regional groups; iii) training sessions; iv) research, briefing notes, needs' 
assessments; and v) ot her activities.  The compilation of the monthly reports gives a snapshot of 
the interns' work in Geneva.  These data form the basis of this analysis.  As indicated in Chapter 4 
above, no intern was recruited under the NTP in 2018, as the earmarked contribu tion financing this 
programme was received towards the end of the year.  
                                                
44 See section 5.4 in WT/COMTD/W/227/Rev.1, viewed at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/239616/q/WT/COMTD/W227R1.pdf . 
45 This activity was postponed to 2019 due to late receipt of  funds  WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 45 - 
 
5.2.1.2.1   Accession Internship Programme (AIP)  
5.43.  Since its inception in 2012, 28 
interns have participated in this 
programme, of which 13 (46%) were from 
LDC Members or Observers.  28% of them 
were from acceding governments and 68% 
were women.  Most interns came from 
Africa or CEECAC, the two regions with the 
highest concentration of acceding 
governments . 
5.44.  Internships under the AIP generally 
last 10 months and may spread over two 
calendar years.  In 2018 , four new interns 
were recruited under this programme,46 as 
in the two previous years, and four interns 
recruited in 2017 completed their internships.  Participants in the AIP are either nationals of acceding 
governments  or developing, LDC and Article XII Members.  They were hosted in the Secretariat 
during their stay in Geneva .  Participation in the AIP has remained steady since 2013 with an average 
of four new recruitments per year.  No numerical target was assigned to the AIP in the TA Plan.  
Howev er, its smooth implementation over the years is a clear sign of success.  
5.45.   Each intern was supervised by a professional staff member who provided day -to-day 
guidance, coaching and training.  At the beginning of their internship, objectives were set with each  
intern, in consultation with the supervisor and the Director of the division.  Accession interns reported 
weekly to the Director on their activities and the achievement of their objectives.  
5.46.   Unfortunately, no information on the final evaluation of the four interns who completed their 
internships in 2018 is available for this programme.  Data not available  
5.2.1.2.2   French -Irish Mission Internship Programme (FIMIP)  
5.47.   In 2018, 16 interns were selected out of the 133 applications received for this programme.  
During the period 2012 -18, the Secretariat recruited 17 interns per year on average.  The target in 
the TA Plan was to recruit at least 15 interns per year.  Target  met 
5.48.  The interns' stay in Geneva lasted 
9.5 months.  The availability of their 
monthly reports improved compared to 
2017 (+ 2 percentage points to reach 
91%), as did the reliability and coherence 
of these reports.  Only one of their final 
reports was miss ing.  On average, the 
interns spent 56% of their time on 
meeting -related work (WTO bodies or 
Regional Groupings), including attend ing 
and performing the underlying 
preparatory and follow -up work.  This task 
is particularly important for small 
understaffed missions, as it supports their 
ability to attend such meetings.  The 
interns spent 8% of their time attending training sessions, including monthly meetings with the 
Secretariat, e -Learning courses, presentations by divisions, etc.; and another 8% of their time 
preparing research, briefing notes and notifications.  A substantive share of the interns' time was 
devoted to other activities (28% on average), such as administrative tasks, attending bilateral 
meetings with other delegations or meetings o f other Ge neva-based organisations, networking, etc.  
                                                
46 From Azerbaijan, Serbia, Somalia and Uganda.  29%
39%21%4%
7%AIP interns by region
CEECAC
Africa
Asia
Middle East
Latin America
43%
13%8%8%28%FIMIP Time Allocation
WTO Meetings
Regional Group Meetings
Training Sessions
Research, briefing notes
needs assessment,
notificationsOtherWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 46 - 
 
5.49.   Several interns were also involved in the coordination between the Secretariat and relevant 
government agencies in capital regarding WTO obligations in different areas such as notifications or 
the ratification of the TFA.  As in previous years, the interns had the opportunity to visit the 
permanent mission of France to get a better understanding of the formulation of trade policy in the 
European Union, and to meet with Ireland's representatives to discuss various t rade issues and 
concerns.  For the first time, a two -day visit to Paris was organised for the interns to meet with 
different senior French government officials to discuss various trade negotiating topics and 
development and capacity building issues.  
5.50.   At the  end of their stay in Geneva, the interns were evaluated by their supervisor at the 
mission , who  praised the interns for their hard work and considered that their performance had 
either fully met expectations or even exceeded them in some cases.  Ten inter ns were evaluated as 
"fully satisfactory", and five "significantly exceeded performance requirements".  Target met  
5.2.1.2.3   Regional Coordinator Internship programme (RCI)  
5.51.   In 2018, six interns, including five from LDCs, were selected to work for the mission of 
Memb ers or regional secretariats acting as regional coordinators for the C4, ACP, CARICOM, PIFS 
and the LDC group.  This was the lowest RCI intake since 2010, below the annual average of 7.5  
interns.  The TA Plan retained the 2016 level as a baseline (7 intern s) for this indicator and identified 
a target to recruit 8 interns per year provided sufficient requests were received from those Members 
or regional secretariats who act as coordinators for a region or a group of Members; and that suitable 
candidates were presented.   In 2018, the number of interns was below the target and the baseline 
as only six requests were received and all of them were granted.  Target partially met  
5.52.  The monthly reports of the interns 
were received in a timely manner in 2018.  
These re ports show that on average 45% 
of the interns' time was dedicated to 
regional group and WTO meetings and the 
related work (preparation or follow -up).  
The interns spent the same proportion of 
their time training and working on 
research or briefing notes as  their FIMIP 
counterparts.  The remaining 36% of their 
time was used for other tasks and 
requests made by regional coordinators.  
These figures confirm that the RCI 
reinforces the capacity of the Missions 
acting as regional coordinator to 
participate in th e meetings of WTO bodies and regional groupings, and to perform the related work.  
5.53.   The assessment of the programme in 2018 considered all internships completed during the 
year regardless o f the date of their recruitment.  Four interns completed their intern ship in 2018 
(two recruited in 2017 and two in 2018).47  Three interns were evaluated as "fully satisfactory " and 
one "significantly exceeded performance requirement ".48  Target met  
5.2.1.3   Intermediate Trade Policy Courses (ITPCs)  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Success rate in 8 -week ITPC final exam  At least 90% annually  Target met  
% of participants giving an excellent rating to 
ITPCs' overall content and results  Annual increase  Target met  
                                                
47 The remaining 4 interns recruited in 2018 will complete their internship in 2019.  Their evaluation will 
be considered in the 2019 report.  
48 The final evaluation of one intern is missing.  25%
20%
10%9%36%RCI Time Allocation
WTO Meetings
Regional Group Meetings
Training Sessions
Research, briefing notes
needs assessment,
notificationsOtherWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 47 - 
 
5.54.  In 2018, the Secretariat 
implemented four ITPCs, two less than 
in the previous two years.  Since 2012, 
ITPCs have been offered in all seven 
regions only twice (i.e. 29% of the 
time) and the average availability of 
ITPCs has been 80%.  Asia -Pacific is the 
only region which did not miss a single 
course.  Elsewhere, a course has 
generally been missed at the end of 
each four -year partnership.  The o verall 
participation in the ITPCs was 
consequently 26% lower in 2018, even 
if the average number of participants 
per course increased from 24 to 27 
compared to 2017.  
5.55.   Since 2013, a final exam is used to evaluate the participants in all ITPCs.  Participants take 
the exam at the end of a three -day revision workshop in which they revisit the entire content of the 
ITPC in a horizontal manner.  Participant s' final grade s were comprised of an assessment of their 
participation during the course (30%) and the ir final exam results (70%).  A final grade of 90% or 
above merited a certificate with distinction, whilst a grade below 60% received a certificate of 
attendance.  Since 2016, the criteria and procedure to evaluate the participation was reviewed and 
reformul ated to also take the opinion of the trainers into account and move to a weekly system.  The 
final participation grade of each participant is then the average of the weekly grades.  The results 
measured in 2018 were the following:  
 Africa (French)  Africa (English)  Asia-Pacific  CEECAC  Average  
Attendance  29 31 28 19 27 
Passed  28 31 26 18 26 
Distinction  4 6 7 8 6 
Success  24 25 19 10 20 
Success Rate  97% 100%  93% 95% 96% 
Distinction Rate  14% 19% 25% 42% 23% 
Correct Answers  68% 79% 84% 84% 79% 
Participation  90% 74% 75% 84% 81% 
Excellent opinion  27% 62% 72% 82% 61% 
Good opinion  73% 38% 28% 18% 39% 
5.56.  All four ITPCs were 
successful, and one of them very 
successful, in transferring an 
appropriate level of knowledge and 
skills on WTO matters  to their 
participants , especially on the WTO 
Agreements and the way to use the 
WTO legal texts.  The average 
success rate of the participants was 
96%, (one course had a success rate 
of 100%) with 79% of correct 
answers to the final exam on 
average and a d istinction rate (i.e. 
final mark above 90%) of 23%.  
These results demonstrate that, for 
the most part, the objectives of the ITPCs (i. deepened understanding of WTO Agreements and 
functioning; ii. better understanding of relevant trade policy issues in th e regional context; iii. 
increased autonomy in using WTO information and documentation; iv.  strengthened network of 
contacts) were satisfactorily achieved in 2018.  They are also superior to the 94% success rate 
achieved in 2016 (TA Plan baseline) and to t he 90% targeted by the TA Plan.  Target met  0%20%40%60%80%100%
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018ITPC Results
Success Rate
Distinction Rate
Correct Answers
Participation01234567
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018ITPCs Availability
Africa Asia Pacific Caribbean
CEECAC Latin America Middle EastWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 48 - 
 
5.57.   There were some limited revisions of the course curriculum in 2018: to eliminate the overlap 
with the Advanced Trade Policy Course, the module on trade negotiation skills was reviewed.  
Generally, the course cont ent of the ITPCs was highly appreciated by the participants.  
5.58.   In 2018, regional experts taught 23% of the course time on average (i.e. between 8 and 12.5 
days out of 40, depending on the regions), a third less than in the previous year.  Efforts continued 
to involve regional institutions who are often better positioned to present a balanced practical 
regional perspective than academics or government officials.  
5.59.   The use of interactive training methods in 2018 was characterized by a return to 2016 levels.  
After the decrease noted in 2017, the percentage of pure lectures grew back to 61% (while it was 
52% in 2015 and 55% in 2017), whilst the use of case studies and exercises decreased to 22% and 
Q&A sessions to 8%.  The remainder of the time involved quizzes, pr ofessional visits and other 
discussions.  
5.60.   The participants in the ITPCs for Asia -Pacific, CEECAC and English -speaking Africa  gave 72% 
of top marks, when those in the ITPC for French -speaking Africa  gave only 27%.  On average, 61% 
of the participants conside red that the courses were generally excellent, and the remaining 39% 
that they were generally good.  Hence in total, ITPCs gathered 100% of top two marks from the 
participants.  The TA Plan had targeted an increase on the 2016 baseline of 93%.  Target met  
5.2.1.4   Other face -to-face activities  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Spread of geographical coverage of Members' 
participating in face -to-face TA courses  Maintain spread 
annually  Target met  
Spread of level of development of Members' 
participating in face -to-face TA courses  Annual stability in the 
participation of LDCs  Target met  
% of participants giving an excellent rating to 
ATPCs' and advanced thematic courses' 
overall content and results   Annual increase  Target met  
Number of revised modules or case studies in 
ATPCs Two per year  Target met  
Number of participants trained on trade 
negotiating skills  Annual stability  Target partially met  
Advanced thematic courses focused on 
implementation  Three in 2017 and 
four in 2018  Target met  
Implementation of Action Plans within 12 
months  Annual stability  Advanced SPS course: Target 
partially met 
Advanced TBT course: Target not 
met 
5.61.   The geographical spread of participation in face -to-face TA activities was analysed in section 
4.2 above.  It showed  a moderate reshuffling of participation levels across TA beneficiary regions.  
Despite this variation, and except for  Africa, the share of each region in the total participation in 
face-to-face activities remained above its corresponding level for 2016 , identified as the baseline f or 
this indicator in the TA Plan.  The TA Plan targeted a stability of the geographical spread of 
participation in face -to-face activities.  Target met  
5.62.   Participation of LDCs in WTO TA was analysed in section 4.1.  Whilst the Secretariat continued 
to prioritise LDCs in the provision of its TA, the decreasing demand for national activities and the 
cancellation or postponement of some  activities targeting or prioritising LDCs negatively affected the 
share of participat ion from this category of countries.49  Only one quarter of face -to-face activities 
were directed towards them against one third in the two previous years resulting in a slight decrease 
of participation from LDCs in 2018 compared to 2017 (25% and 29% of tot al participants, 
respectively).  Nonetheless, LDCs' participation in face -to-face activities in 2018 remained above the 
baseline identified in the TA Plan for this indicator (22% of total participants in 2016).  Target met  
                                                
49 One nation al activity was cancelled in Ethiopia and two in Togo.  The NTP which gives priority to 
participants from LDCs did not take place in 2018.  WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 49 - 
 
5.63.   The TA Plan identified several proxy indicators related to training methodology and described 
in the table above to assess the extent to which face -to-face activities other than those covered in 
previous sections have achieved their objectives and enhanced Members' knowledge in the area s 
identified under Output 1.1.  
5.64.   No final exam is administered to measure participants' learning  in most face -to-face 
activities .50  The overall success of the activity and the extent to which it has met its stated objectives 
is evaluated by the trainers them selves in the Back to Office Report (BTOR).  BTORs constitute  the 
core evaluation tool for these activities .  As their availability is critical, the Secretariat  invested 
significant time and energy to make reporting on face -to-face activities systematic, c omprehensive 
and structured.  These efforts have brought the reporting rate up to nearly 100% since 2016.  
5.65.  Enhancing the  
understanding of 
beneficiaries on one or 
several WTO Agreements 
represented 40% of the 
objectives of TA activities in 
2018 (this was sl ightly less 
than in the two previous 
years: 43% in 2017 and 
47% in 2016).  The 
improvement of analytical, 
communication or 
negotiating skills and of the 
capability to assess the 
implications of, and deal 
with, a given WTO subject came next (21% in 2018 vs.  16% in 2016 and 15% in 2017).  The 
remaining 39% were related to strengthening a diversity of skills such as capacity to access WTO 
data, ability to work in teams and the development of  network of contacts.  The proportion of 
objectives targeting the enha ncement of  participants'  soft skills and analytical capabilities have 
increased in 2018 compared to 2017 (35% against  26%) reflecting the Secretariat's efforts to 
enhanc e TA's relevance and usefulness for participants.  Most TA activit ies have several obje ctives, 
with an average of approximately 3 objectives per activity in 2018 .  This average  has remained 
stable over the years.  
5.66.  When evaluating the achievement of 
the immediate objectives of the activities, 
trainers gave an average mark of 4.7 out of 
a maxi mum of 5, in line with the figures from 
the previous years.  Amongst the 597 
immediate objectives of TA activities for 
which data were available in 2018, only six 
objectives were given a mark of 3, two a 
mark of 2, and none a mark of 1.  Therefore, 
the achievement of 98% of the objectives 
was rated as satisfactory or outstanding  in 
2018.  These figures show a continuation of 
the high performance observed since 2016.51  
Nevertheless, they are to be interpreted with 
caution as they are based on the trainers ' 
subjective self-evaluations.  The assessment by an independent evaluator, whenever it is available, 
generally gives more nuanced results .  For instance, six activities were subject to an onsite 
evaluation by the Secretariat's internal TA Monitoring & Eva luation team (TAME)  in 2018 .  In their 
BTOR, the trainers had considered that a ll but one of the sixteen objectives of these activities were 
fully achieved , when TAME  assessed that  only five out of the 16 objectives were fully achieved, the 
remaining 11 being either achieved to a large extent (7) or only moderately achieved (4).  On 
                                                
50 To date, only the ITPC and since 2017, the Introduction Course for LDC include a final exam to assess 
knowledge acq uisition by participants.  
51 The achievement of 9 8% of the objectives was rated as "Satisfactory " or "Outstanding " in 2017.  In 
2016, this rate was 92% . 0%20%40%60%80%100%
1 2 3 4 5
Success RateAchievement of objectives40%
21%11%8%7%5%8%Objectives of TA activities 
 Explanation of WTO Agreements
Development of analytical skills
Accessing WTO  information
Identify TA needs
Implementation of WTO
Agreements
Improve general understanding of
the WTO
MiscellaneousWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 50 - 
 
average, this meant that trainers were 0.9 point (on a five -point scale) more optimistic about the 
results of the TA activities than a more independent observer.  Assuming that this discrepancy is 
indicative of the situation across the entire WTO TA portfolio, this would mean that the success rates 
reported above were inflated by 18% on average, as the achievement of almost two thirds of the 
objectives was probably lower than rep orted by the trainers, in 25% of the cases by a good margin.  
5.67.  Another element of performance of 
face-to-face activities that can be extracted 
from the BTORs is the  quality of participation.  
2018's data showed that the Secretariat kept 
up the pace of high performance achieved on 
this front since 2016.  In 91% of the BTORs, 
the quality of participation was considered 
generally satisfactory (66% fully and 25% to 
a large extent).  This assessment was even 
better for the advanced activities for which 
data are a vailable , as 98% of them had a 
satisfactory level of participation.  
5.68.  Trainers were mostly positive when 
assessing the overall content and results of 
the activities as 72% of the activities were 
deemed fully satisfactory and the remaining 
satisfactory to a large extent.  Advanced 
activities received a slightly lower rating as 
only 62% of them were considered by 
trainers as fully satisfactory.  
5.69.  Participants were generally more 
enthusiastic than the trainers in their 
assessment of activities' overall content a nd 
results.  As in previous years, only the top 
two ratings were used in 2018.52  The content 
and results of the activities, regardless of 
their level, were considered fully satisfactory 
in 85% of the cases and to a large extent the 
rest of the time.  Participants' assessments of 
advanced activities followed the same trend 
with a higher level of satisfaction in the other 
advanced activities compared to the ATPCs.  
In the ATPCs, courses' overall content and 
results were fully satisfactory in 67% and to 
a larg e extent in 33% of cases.  Results in the 
advanced thematic activities were slightly 
better with 89% fully satisfactory and 11% to 
a large extent.  For both categories of 
activities, participants gave an excellent 
rating in 100% of cases.  The baseline 
identified in the TA Plan was 100% of 
excellent rating by participants for the ATPCs 
and 91% for the advanced thematic courses.  
Target met  
5.70.   Revision of modules and case studies in the ATPCs was identified as another proxy indicator 
for face -to-face activities ' performance. Efforts initiated in 2017 to reform the Trade Policy 
Presentations (TPP) project continued in 2018.  This module was repackaged over four weeks and 
was delivered in the middle of the course.  A new case study was developed for the module on 
market access.  The case study is based on a real-life scenario and gives participants the opportunity 
to test their knowledge on tariffs, tariff negotiations, schedules, GATT Article XXVIII procedures, 
quantitative restrictions, licenses and TF.   It made the module more concise, practical and 
                                                
52 "Fully satisfactory" and "Satisfactory to a large extent", which are considered as excellent ratings.  0%20%40%60%80%100%
Not at all To a
limited
extentAverage To a large
extentFullyParticipation Quality
All activities Advanced activities
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Not at all To a
limited
extentAverage To a large
extentFullyParticipants' assessment
All activities Advanced activities
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Not at all To a
limited
extentAverage To a large
extentFullyTrainers' assessment
All activities Advanced activitiesWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 51 - 
 
interactive.   The case stud ies on Agriculture and on Intellectual Property were also revised.   In 2018, 
participants were required to submit a written report on each committee meeting they attended.  
Though these reports were not graded, they were u sed as the basis for discussion during the weekly 
evaluation sessions.   A pre-test was administered at the beginning of the course to identify 
participants' knowledge gaps and adjust  the course accordingly.  The TA Plan targeted the revision 
of two  modules or case  studies per year.  Target met  
5.71.  After a significant drop in the 
number of participants trained on  
trade negotiation skills in 2017, year 
2018 saw a  return to 2014 -16 yearly 
average .  The Secretariat delivered 
eight activities (2 nationals and 6 
regionals).53  Two other activities 
originally planned in 2018 (a national 
one in Togo and a regional  one in 
Morocco) were cancelled due to 
logistical challenges.  This caused the 
total number of activities to remain 
margina lly below the historical record 
reached in 2016 (9 activities) although 
it surpassed the level in 2017 (5 
activities).  Participation in these 
activities has consequently surged by 56% in 2018 compared to 2017, which exceeded the annual 
stability of partic ipation targeted by the TA Plan.  Despite this increase, participation level in 2018 
was 22% below  the 2016 record, retained as the baseline in the TA Plan.  Target partially met  
5.72.   Whilst the vast majority of the TA provided by the WTO focuses on the impleme ntation of the 
WTO Agreements in a general sense, few activities have explored innovative methodologies 
combining  problem identification, development of an action plan, promotion of leadership, individual 
coaching of participants, simulations, independent study and follow -up over a long period .  As 
acknowledged in the TA Plan 2018-19 and in the 2016 external evaluation,  these latter approaches 
allow participants to learn by doing  and stimulate  their implementation capacity.  Section 3.4.2 
provided various illustrations of the Secretariat's efforts to further expand the focus on 
implementation in its advanced thematic activities.  In 2018, four activities embodied several of the 
above -mentioned approaches: the advanced course on SPS (which also held a follow -up session in 
the 2017 course), the advanced workshop on agriculture notifications, the advanced course on TBT 
and the new advanced course on Quantitative Restrictions (QR) launched in 2018.  The latter 
consisted in a mix of lectures, discussions, round tables and practical exercises.  It strengthened 
participants' problem identification and solving skills by requiring them, since the application stage, 
to identify specific QR notifications ch allenges that they would address during the course; and by 
offering them bilateral coaching for the preparation of draft notifications.  The target identified in 
the TA Plan was to organize four advanced thematic activities focused on implementation in 201 8.  
Target met  
5.73.   Among the activities focus ing on implementation, only the SPS advanced course comprised a 
mix of preparation of an action plan by participants, provision of continuous distant coaching and 
the organization of a follow -up training session.  T he follow -up session of the 2017 advanced SPS 
course took place in July 2018.  Among the 23 participants who attended the main session in 
October -November 2017, only those who had submitted  two progress reports on the implementation 
of their action plans w ere invited to the follow -up activity.   Three of the  22 participants who met the 
requirement could not attend for reasons beyond their control.  The remaining n ineteen participants 
attended the follow -up activity.  They shared a wealth of information on th e lessons learnt and 
experiences in the implementation of their action plans.   Returning participants demonstrated their 
leadership and communication skills, as well as confidence, in their presentation of action plans.  
These are part of the soft skills t hat the Advanced SPS Course aims to transmit.  All participants 
                                                
53 On average, a national activity on TNS gather around 24 participants while a regional has around 42 
participants.  0100200300400
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018Trade Negotiating Skills ParticipationWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 52 - 
 
made efforts to implement their action plans and , as expected, experienced varying levels of success, 
often influenced by the level of support received from their supervisors.  
5.74.   Assessing the ac tual implementation rate of action plans on a yearly basis is difficult because 
these plans may require a longer period for proper implementation and may not be finalized at the 
time of reporting during the Follow -up Session.  This depends on the level of ambition of the action 
plan and the extent to which it is within the sole control of the participant.  Participants are 
encouraged to choose  ambitious action plans and to adapt the m to the circumstances .  For instance, 
some participants target the developm ent of guidelines or training materials, while others target the 
strengthening of specific SPS -related processes or systems.  The latter may require  two years or 
more to be implemented .  These factors lead to significant variation s in the level of implemen tation 
of the action plans among participants during the reporting period.   Six participants (26%) made 
limited progress in the implementation of their action plans  and one participant (4%) did not report 
any progress at all.  The other 70% had either comp leted or made significant progress in the 
implementation of their action plans.  This is seven percentage points less than in 2017 but remains 
above the implementation rate recorded in 2016 ,54 which was identified as the baseline for this 
indicator in the T A Plan.  However, the TA Plan had targeted an annual stability of the implementation 
rate.  Target partially met 
5.75.   The advanced course on TBT had adopted a similar approach in 2015  but was subsequently 
discontinued in 2016 and 2017 .  When it resumed in  2018, it did not include  a fully -fledged follow -
up component nor coaches to support  participants in the development and implementation of their 
action plans.  Instead participants were asked to work in four thematic groups (transparency, 
conformity assessment, regulatory framework and participation in the work of the TBT Committee) 
and to present their action plans within these topics on the last day of the course.  Five months after 
the activity, participants were asked to respond to a follow -up questionnaire  on the extent to which 
they had been able to implement their action plans.  The response rate to the follow -up questionnaire 
was much lower than in 2016 (54% in 2018 versus 76% in 2016).  By the end of this period, 39% 
of participants reported no progress, 17% reported limited progress, 17% reported partial 
completion and 26% full completion of their action plans.   In 2016, at the time of the follow -up 
course, 24% of the participants had reported no progress, 7% limited progress, 34% partial 
completion and 3 4% full completion of their action plans.   In sum, after six months only 43% of 
participants had either completed or made a significant progress in the implementation of their 
action plans in 2018 , while in 2016 the equivalent proportion was of 69%.  At the other end of the 
spectrum, the proportion of those who had made very limited or no progress almost doubled (31% 
in 2016 against 57% in 2018).  These results are also relatively poor compared with those of the 
Advanced SPS course discussed in the previous  paragraph.  This lower  performance demonstrates  
the importance of continued coaching  and of a follow -up training session to maintain  participants' 
motivation for the completion of their action plans.   Target not met  
5.2.2   Output 1.2: Effective partnerships esta blished resulting in substantive 
contributions of human and financial resources for TA activities  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Proportion of activities with the 
involvement of a partner  Annual stability  Target met  
Proportion of partners' contribution to 
the TA activities  Annual increase of substantive contributions  Target met  
5.76.   As foreseen in the TA Plan, in 2018 the Secretariat continued to leverage strategic 
partnerships to deliver better -tailored TA activities in a cost -efficient manner.  The cooperation wi th 
an extensive network of partners was essential for the achievement of the TA outcomes.  Detailed 
data on the contributions of the partners to the WTO TA activities are collected since 2016.   However, 
the Aid for Trade partnerships and trusts funds partl y or entirely administered by the WTO (EIF, 
TFAF and STDF) , which also  contribute substantively and financially to the implementation of TA  and 
the achievement of the objectives of the activities concerned , were not considered as separate 
partnerships for  this indicator  even if, f or instance, the STDF  was involved  in the delivery of most 
SPS TA activities in 2018  and the TFAF in many TA activities on MA for goods.  
                                                
54 Slightly over 60% of participants had made significant progress or had fully implemented their action 
plans at the date of reporting.  WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 53 - 
 
5.77.   In 2018, the Secretariat cooperated with 117 different partners to organize and deliver 169 
TA activities.  In addition, the Secretariat participated as a partner in 30 TA activities organized by 
other institutions.  Together, these 199 activities represent 59% of the TA activities which the WTO 
organized or in which it participated in 2018.  The p roportion was 60% in 2017 and 54% in 2016.  
The TA Plan targeted stability since 2016.  Target met  
5.78.   In 2018, 62% of WTO TA partners were involved in one single WTO TA activity, and 25% in 
two.  92% of the TA activities which involved a partnership were or ganised with one single partner 
and 7% with two partners.  This means that in the vast majority of cases and as already noted in 
previous years, a specific partnership was developed in order to organize one single activity with 
this partner and with this p artner only.  In 2018, a partnership with 8 new p artners was developed 
and the overall number of partners remained stable compared to 2017.  
5.79.  The TA Plan identified four domains in 
which partners could usefully add value to 
the TA provided by the WTO: subst ance, 
cost-sharing, logistics and outreach.  For an 
activity to qualify as WTO TA, it was assumed 
that the Secretariat would need to provide a 
majority of its substance.  This means that 
the contribution of partners to substance will 
be considered as low b etween 0% and 19%, 
as average between 20% and 39% and as 
high above 40%.  No comparable limit exists 
for partners' contribution to costs and 
logistics, which may reach up to 100% 
without compromising the WTO nature of a 
TA activity.  Partners' contribution  to costs 
and logistics will consequently be considered as low between 0% and 34%, as average between 
35% and 69% and as high above 70%.  
5.80.   The partnerships allowed the WTO to reach out to a wider public than its traditional audience 
in 11% of cases.  This is  two percentage points more than in 2017, but in line with recent averages.  
This proportion was considerably higher for the activities under Key Results 3 and 4 (33%, 3 
percentage points less than in 2017).  
5.81.   In terms of substance, the average contribution from partners continued to decrease in 2018.  
The share of partners who did not contribute at all to the substance of TA activities increased from 
23% to 31% compared to 2017, while the share of partners who made a high and average 
contribution shrunk from  11% to 8% and from 22% to 18% respectively.  This evolution illustrates 
how challenging the involvement of partners in TA activities can often be.  
5.82.   In 62% of cases, the partners were the governmental authorities hosting national activities 
who bear the dom estic costs and take care of invitations and the local logistics.  Contribution of the 
host government to the substance of national activities was highly encouraged.  It exceeded 20% 
of the total substance in 14% of the cases.  020406080100120
0% 1%-25% 26%-50% 51%-75% +76%Number of ActivitiesPartners' contribution
Substance Costs Logistics04080120160
1 2 3+Partners per TA Activity
2016 2017 201804080120
1 2 3 4+TA Activities per Partner
2016 2017 2018WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 54 - 
 
  Partners' contribution t o: 
5.83.   Analysing these three dimensions together shows that approximately 40% of the partners 
made a very modest contribution to the 2018 TA activities in any area, against 16% in 2017 and 
26% in 2016.  In 43% of cases, the partner made an average contribution  to WTO's activities 
participating mainly in logistics and cost -sharing.  Like in previous years, logistics is the area where 
the Secretariat received the highest contribution from its partners.  Partners took care of most of 
the logistical arrangements re lated to the implementation of its TA activities in 24% of the cases.  
That proportion was much higher in 2017 (44%) but lower in 2016 (17%).  Partners did not provide 
any logistical support in only 7% of the cases.  
5.84.   Partners' overall contribution in the th ree areas was high in 17% of cases (13% in 2017, 18% 
in 2016).  This was particularly the case for outreach activities and the WCP, and activities with 
WIPO on Intellectual Property Rights.  Contributions were average in 43% of the activities (46% in 
2017,  26% in 2016) and low in 40% of the activities (41% in 2017 and 56% in 2016).  The TA Plan 
had targeted an annual increase of the contribution from partners compared to the 2016 level.  
Target met  
5.2.3   Output 1.3: Members' needs and priorities are identified  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of needs assessments conducted annually, 
either independently or as part of a TPR  Increase during the biennium  Target Met  
5.85.   The successive TA Plans emphasized the importance of assessing Members' TA needs on a 
regular basis to ensure that the WTO TA offer meets their priorities .55  Consultations were held in 
2017 in preparation of the TA Plan 2018 -19 through the circulation of questionnaires to Members.  
In total, the Secretariat received responses from 85 beneficiaries, repre senting approximately 60% 
of total potential beneficiaries.  The information gathered was representative of beneficiaries’ views 
concerning their TA priorities and desired outputs for the 2018 -19 biennium.  It showed that 
beneficiaries' priority needs were , in order of decreasing importance, on the following subjects: 
Trade Facilitation, Services, SPS, TBT, negotiation skills, Trade Remedies, Agriculture, MA for Goods, 
TRIPS, e -Commerce, RTAs, development, Notifications, TPR follow -up and Dispute Settlement .56  
Informal consultations between the Secretariat and Members held in 2018 confirmed these priorities, 
which have been stable for several years.  The analysis presented in section 4 above showed that 
the TA provided by the WTO in 2018 responded to a very large extent to these needs and priorities.  
5.86.   Most of the consultations held with Members and Observers about their needs and priorities 
are informal and not systematically documented.  This was the case when analysing and responding 
to the requests for nati onal activities.  These requests always trigger multiple bilateral exchanges 
between the Secretariat and the authorities of the requesting country, to specify more precisely the ir 
actual needs in order to design the most suited TA activity.  As reported in  previous years, this 
process continued to be a challenge for a number of beneficiaries who f ound it difficult to define 
precisely the shortcomings they s ought  to address or the objectives they wanted to reach at the end 
                                                
55  See section 6.1.3 in documents WT/COMTD/W/211 and WT/COMTD/W/277/Rev.1, viewed at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/239 616/q/WT/COMTD/W227R1.pdf . 
56  See section 4 in document WT/COMTD/W/227/Rev.1.  8%
18%
43%31%Substance
High Average Low None13%
10%
63%14%Costs
High Average Low None21%
57%15%7%Logistics
High Average Low NoneWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 55 - 
 
of the activity.  Another difficult y came from requests seeking the Secretariat's advice on negotiating 
strategies, for example for regional trade agreements.  As such requests fall clearly outside of the 
Secretariat's mandate, they had to be denied and the requests had to be re -focused.  The result of 
these consultations is embodied in the national activity request eventually submitted.  As indicated 
in section 3.1.2 of this report, after five successive years of decline in the number of national activity 
requests and hence a commensurate d ecrease in the number of needs assessments carried -out, 
2018 recorded a 45% increase in the number of national activity requests compared to 2017 , leading 
to a comparable increase  in the number of needs analysis.  
5.87.   The focus of national requests submitted in  2018 showed  that the need for general capacity 
building remained high (20% of the requests ).  This confirms the importance of the challenges 
identified by Members during the 2018 -19 TA Plan consultations (overall weak institutional capacity 
with a high st aff turnover leading to loss of institutional memory ).57  Out of  the 14 most frequently 
requested topics in 2018 , 12 had been identified as  top priorit ies in the TA Plan, although not in the 
same order:  Standards,58 Trade Remedies, Services, TPR follow -up, MA for Goods, Trade 
Facilitation, Notifications, Dispute Settlement, TRIPS, Trade Negotiations, e -Commerce and 
Agriculture.  Topics such as RTAs and development received a l ower priority in national activity 
reques ts in 2018, in favour of topics such as Accession, GPA and environment.  
5.88.   As already noted last year, needs assessment prior to the delivery of advanced activities 
continued to rely frequently on pre -course questionnaires in one form or another.  The respons es 
received were used to tailor the content of the activities to the specificities of the participating 
countries.  In 2018, pre -course questionnaires were used in preparation of the advanced thematic 
courses on RTAs, Services, SPS, Services statistics, et c.  For the workshop on Quantitative 
Restrictions, participants were required as part of the selection process to identify real -case 
notifications which they would finalise  during the workshop.   The SPS course for the Middle East held 
in Kuwait follow ed-up to a 2016 regional workshop.   Its programme was built  on the results of the 
needs' assessment carried -out by the Secretariat among the participants of the 2016 edition .  This 
workshop was more advanced and included sessions on risk assessment and risk ass essment 
techniques, as requested by participants.  
5.89.   As part of the in -country effect and impact assessments carried out by the Secretariat in 
2018, TA needs were discussed with national stakeholders and documented in reports shared widely 
with Secretariat st aff involved in TA delivery, mainly through the TA Coordination Task Force.  Six 
such in -country assessments were undertaken in 2018 as described in section 3.3 above.  
5.90.   The 2018 -19 TA Plan saw the TPR (including both the TPR process and TPR follow -up 
activi ties) as a crucial opportunity to identify TA needs, as it referred  to the TPR in the indicator for 
Output 1.3 .59  In 2018, 17 TPRs were completed, among which 15 concerned TA beneficiary 
Members: Armenia, China, Colombia, Egypt, Gambia, Guinea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mauritania, 
Montenegro, Nepal, Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Uruguay and Vanuatu.  None of these reviews 
analysed capacity building needs of Members .60  The Secretariat carried out 10 TPR follow -up 
activities61 including 9 national workshops in Angola, Benin, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Myanmar, 
Paraguay, Philippines and Togo; and one regional activity for the eight WAEMU Members held in 
Benin.  In all these activities, participants discussed TA needs required for the impl ementation of 
trade policy reforms recommended by the TPR , either as part of a dedicated session or across various 
sessions of the programme.  
5.91.   The TA Plan had targeted an increase in the number of needs assessments conducted during 
the biennium by the Secre tariat.  The number of responses to the questionnaire used for Members' 
consultations during the elaboration of the TA Plan 2016 -17 was used as a baseline (71 responses 
received in 2015) against which the evolution in the needs' assessments for the 2018 -19 biennium 
would be appraised.  In 2017, 85 responses were received for the identification of priority needs for 
                                                
57 See section 4 in document WT/COMTD/W/227/Rev.1, viewed at 
https://doc s.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/239616/q/WT/COMTD/W227R1.pdf . 
58 SPS and TBT were grouped under a single category named Standards to account for activities 
addressing both topics together.  
59 See Annex 1 in document WT/COMTD/W/227/Rev.1, v iewed at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/239616/q/WT/COMTD/W227R1.pdf  
60 This is more frequently done during TPR follow -up activities . 
61 Out of 11 requests for TPR follow -up activities made by Members including one cancelled and one 
postponed to 2019.  WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 56 - 
 
the 2018 -19 TA Plan.  Although it predates the reporting year, this figure is applicable for the entire 
biennium and shows  a 20% increase compar ed to the baseline.  This improvement is also 
accompanied by a consolidation in 2018 of the Secretariat's efforts (documented in previous annual 
reports) to carry -out needs' assessments as part of the preparation of TA activities, as illustrated by 
the ane cdotal evidence mentioned above.  Target met  
5.2.4   Output 1.4: WTO data accessed and used by Members to analyse trade -related 
matter s 
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Visits by Members' logging into the WTO website  Annual stability  Target met  
Number of officials trained annually on what is available 
and how to retrieve the information from WTO databases  Annual increase  Target met  
Number of requests for training on WTO databases  Annual increase  Data not available  
5.92.   Access to relevant and timely data on trade -related matters is key to allow Members and 
Observers to improve their analysis of trade developments and trade negotiating positions.  
According to the responses from the TA questionnaire, the WTO website is the  main source of 
information for most TA beneficiaries.   The WTO website is constantly updated and its main features 
are regularly improved , for example to  periodically review its content and to  include more interactive 
elements such as videos and links to WTO social media accounts.   The public and Members' website 
were merged  in 2017 to facilitate access .  Journalists have subsequently been granted the possibility 
to create a personal account and since 2019, registration is open to any other interested individual.  
The features and functionalities of the website vary according to the category of users.  For instance, 
delegates and government officials have access to some restricted web pages and to documents 
through DocsOnli ne. 
5.93.  Over the last three years, as 
users became more and more aware of 
the benefits of accessing the website by 
logging into the system, the number of 
visits has increased significantly .  Visits 
of delegates and government officials 
from Member s increase d by 19% 
between 2017 (40,452 visits) and 2018 
(49,927) and almost doubled between 
2016 (25,218 visits) and 2018.  Visits 
from Observer s grew from 33 in 2016 
to 326 in 2017 (i.e. x 10).  The upward 
trend continued in 2018 but at a slower 
pace (+127%).  The TA Plan target ed 
stability, which was largely exceeded.  
Target met  
 0100200300400500
010,00020,00030,00040,00050,000
2016 2017 2018Visits on WTO Website
Members (left scale) Observers (right scale)
79%7%14%Visits by Languages
English
French
Spanish14%
14%
10%
4%
4%54%Visits by regions
USA
China
Russia
India
Mexico
OtherWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 57 - 
 
5.94.   Most users (79%) accessed the website in the English language  version .  Access to the  
Spanish and French version s of the website  represented respectively 14% and 7% of the visits.  
Almos t one third of the top users of the WTO website were from developed countries.  Visits from 
the US and China each represented around 14% of the total , followed by  Russia (10%), India and 
Mexico (4% each ).  Other key users in the top -ten included the UK and the Netherlands 
(approximately 4% each), France, Canada and Germany ( approximately 3% each ). 
5.95.  In 2018 , visitors were interested in 
information of a general nature , such as 
WTO news (WTO news gateway accounted 
for 22% of the views) and basic facts about 
the WTO (WTO facts page attracted 10% of 
the views) .62  The topics of most interest in 
2018 were dispute settlement (the archives 
on dispute settlement accounted for 2 1% of 
the views), in particular for those disputes 
on steel and aluminium products and those 
related to the EU energy package; and trade 
in services (17% of the views).   The WTO 
publications (9% of views) and consulting 
restricted documents in the case of 
delegates and government officials ( the 
Members' gateway collected 12% of the 
views)  were also popular . 
5.96.   The Secretariat provides a wide array of online and face -to-face activities to enhanc e 
participants' ability to access WTO data and related informatio n.  In 2018, the Secretariat organised 
73 such activities at the global, regional and national levels, slightly more than in the two previous 
years (62 in 2017 and 58 in 2016).  In 2016-18, these activities represented 23% of the total WTO 
TA portfolio.  Training on information sources and databases was either part of activities for 
generalists including the Introduction Course for LDCs, the Intermediate Trade Policy Courses, the 
Advanced Trade Policy Courses and long -term internships , or addressed to in thematic  activities 
(e.g. on notification s, Agriculture, NAMA, Services, Standards, Trade in Services Statistics, etc. ). 
5.97.   In generalist activities (Introduction Course, ITPCs, Intermediate Course on Priority Issues 
for LDCs and ATPCs) for which building par ticipants' ability to find autonomously WTO -related 
information is one of the main objectives, several sessions were dedicated to presenting WTO 
information tools and resources.  In 2018, 2 81 participants , long-term interns and YPs  were taught 
how to acces s WTO tariff information and trade data, where to find information on the WTO website, 
library and DocsOnline, and how to use other tools such as the Integrated Trade Intelligence Portal, 
databases on non -tariff measures (e.g. ePing, IMS, etc.) and tools f or trade analysis.  
                                                
62 Excluding the homepage which captured 8,971,519 views .  -  0.5  1.0  1.5  2.0  2.5News gatewayDS archivesGATS Q&AMembers gatewaySearch pageWTO facts pagePublications gateway
MillionsMost viewed pages
0 300 600 900 1200NationalRegionalGlobale-LearningParticipation in activities on 
access to WTO information
2018 2017 20160 3000 6000 9000 12000NationalRegionalGlobale-LearningParticipation in all WTO activities
2018 2017 2016WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 58 - 
 
5.98.   In 2018, at least 6 5 subject -specific face-to-face activities covered training on information 
resources.63  For instance, five national activities on notifications obligation  with a total of 179 
participants were held in Belize, Gambia, Maldives , Saudi Arabia and Togo, and  10 TBT activities 
trained 288 participants on the ePing alert system.  
5.99.   Four online courses incorporating specific modules on accessing WTO data and information 
are available : the course s on WTO Market Intelligence and on Transparency and Notification 
Obligations which have long been  part of the  e-Learning portfolio and are available in the three WTO 
languages ; and two new courses launched in 2018 on "Doc Online  e-Subscription " and "Agriculture 
IMS" (see section 3.4.1).  In 2018, 465 participants were trained through these four courses . 
5.100.   In total , these activities benefited 2,542 participants (11.14% of the total participation in all 
WTO TA in 2018).  This figure has improved progressively over the last three years (2,045 in 2016 
and 2,374 in 2017).  The TA Plan target ed an annual increase in the number of officials trained.  
Target met  
5.101.   The TA Plan had also identified the number of requests for training on WTO databases as an 
indicator for this output.  Such information is not available as most of the requests for activities 
received by the Secretariat are not sufficiently detailed  and focus first on the subject rather than the 
means to address it (e.g. through accessing WTO information).  Data not availa ble 
5.3  Key Result 2: Acceding governments are participating in accession negotiations64 
Indicators  Targets  2018 
Number of Acceding governments, including LDCs, with a 
formal or informal Working Party meeting held  Annual increase  Target partially met 
5.102.   The Annual Report on WTO Accessions for 2018 presented the main developments of the 
year on the accession front.65  The focus was on the accessions of Bahamas, Belarus, Bosnia & 
Herzegovina, Serbia, and Comoros, which were 
identified as strategic priorities .  Efforts were 
made in 2018 to reactivate t he accessions of 
Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Iraq, Lebanon, 
Serbia  and Uzbekistan, while work started with 
Somalia, South Sudan and Timor -Leste on their 
first TA activities  after the establishment of 
their respectiv e Working Parties in the last 2 
years.  
5.103.   In 2018, four formal Working Party 
meetings and one plurilateral meeting were 
held.  No informal Working Party meeting took 
place during the year:  
a. four formal Working Party meetings (7 in 2017 for 5 countries; 3 in 20 16 for 2 
countries): Bahamas, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Comoros (one meeting each);  
b. one plurilateral meeting addressing specific technical issues on Agriculture was held in 
the Bahamas, against three in 2017;  
c. no informal meeting (1 in 2017) and no technical verification meeting (as in 2017).  
                                                
63 This refers to only those activities that included a specific obj ective on access to WTO information.  
64 The reporting period for Key Result 2 was adjusted to coincide with the period covered in the annual 
report on WTO Accessions for 2018 (WT/ACC/33), as has been the practice in previous years.  This avoids 
distortions  between different WTO reports, which may result from minor differences in their cut -off dates.  
65 WT/ACC/33 , viewed at 
https://docs.wto.org/dol2festaff/Pages/FE_Search/DDFDocuments/250376/q/WT/ACC/33.pdf . 0510
2015 2016 2017 2018Accession meetings
Plurilateral
meetings
Informal
meetings
Formal
meetingsWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 59 - 
 
5.104.   The TA Plan targeted an annual increase.  However, d espite a lower number of Working 
Party meetings held in 2018 than in 2017, the number remains above the 2016 baseline (three 
meetings) defined in the TA plan.  Target partially met 
5.105.   Four documents were prepared or 
revised during the year as opposed to ten in 
2017: the Memorandum on the Foreign Trade 
Regime of Iraq was updated; a Factual 
Summary of Points Raised was circulated to the 
Working Party on the accessio n of the 
Bahamas; a draft Report of the Working Party 
was prepared for the Working Party on the 
accession of Comoros; and a draft Report of the 
Working Party was revised for the accession of 
Belarus.  
5.106.   The above statistics show that the production of documen ts in the field of accession follows 
the same  pattern  already noted at the beginning of section 5.2 above  for the submission to WTO 
bodies of substantive documents by developing and LDC Members .  The overall trend points towards 
growth in the level of acti vity on accessions.  The number of documents produced and updated was 
higher in 2017 than in 2015 (+30%) and higher again in 2018 than in 2016 (+50%).  
5.3.1   Output 2.1: Acceding governments are familiar with WTO substantive and 
procedural matters  
Indicators  Targets 2018  
Number of participants from acceding governments attending 
Outcome 1 TA activities  Annual stability  Target met  
Number of roadmaps and endgame plans designed  Annual stability  Target met  
5.107.   In 2018, 15 out of the 22 Observers had an active accession  process.  The accessions of 
Algeria, Andorra, Bhutan, Iran, Libya, Sao Tomé & Principe and Syria were inactive.  Acceding 
governments were invited to 104 face -to-face activities (i.e. 46% of the face -to-face activities, 
against 37% in 2017) and to all 81 online activities, i.e. to 185 TA activities in total (142 in 2017: 
69 face -to-face activities and 73 online courses).  Libya and Sao Tomé & Principe were under 
category III administrative measures and could not be invited to TA activities.  On average, th e 20 
other acceding governments were invited to 60 face -to-face activities each (32 in 2017).  
5.108.   In total, 1, 482 participants from acceding countries participated in TA activities in 2018, 
whether online or face -to-face ( +9% and + 35% compared to 2017 and 2016  respectively).  The TA 
Plan had targeted annual stability compared to 2016.  Target met  
  Observers' participation in TA Activities  
5.109.   The balance between Observers' participation in global, regional, national or online activities 
was very different from the two previous years.  Participation in national activities boomed in 2018 
(x2.4 compared to 2017).  14 national activities were held in acceding countries (7 in 2017 and 10 
in 2016).  Azerbaijan and Belarus hosted three activities each; Bahamas, Sudan and South Sudan 051015
2015 2016 2017 2018Accession documents
27%
12%
9%52%2016
National
Regional
Global
E-learning18%
12%
7%63%2017
40%
13%
4%43%2018WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 60 - 
 
two each; and Algeria, Serbia and Uzbekistan one each.  In total, national activities attracted 592 
individuals in 2018 ( 250 in 2017 and 300 in 2016).  Participation to online courses was 25% lower  
in 2018 ( 637 persons vs. 849 in 2017 and 575 in 2016).  Countries who hosted national TA activities 
represented 72% of the total participation from Observers.  Sudan remained the Observer with the 
highest number of participants, followed by Algeria, Belarus and  South Sudan.66  Participation from 
Bhutan, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea and Ethiopia dropped sharply compared to 2017.  
5.110.   Accession was the most popular 
subject amongst Observers  in 2018, 
essentially because of the surge in 
national activities.  Activities with a more 
general scope came second, mainly 
through e -Learning, followed by 
Standards (SPS and TBT), also 
essentially through national activities.  
5.111.   As in previous years, acces sions-
related TA focused on the regions with 
the largest number of ongoing accessions 
(Africa, CEECAC and the Middle East).  In 
2018, the Secretariat launched a new 
initiative on "Trade for Peace" to promote 
WTO accession as a new path towards 
economic gro wth, development and 
stability, thereby contributing to peace, 
leading to the organization of 4 activities 
in Geneva and Africa.  
5.112.   As last year, five roadmaps were 
prepared in 2018: one for each Observer 
who held a Working Party meeting during 
the year (Baha mas, Belarus, Bosnia & 
Herzegovina and Comoros); and one for 
the resumption after ten years of the 
accession process of Uzbekistan.  No 
accession process was mature enough to 
warrant the development of an endgame 
plan.  The baseline in the TA Plan was 4 
roadmaps in 2016 and the target annual 
stability.  Target met  
5.3.2   Output 2.2: Interested Members have expertise on GPA rules, accession 
negotiations, best practices and core access obligations  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of GPA accession -related documents circulated for all 
currently active GPA accessions involving TA -eligible Members  Annual stability  Target partially  met 
5.113.   Accession to the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) remained active in 2018  with 
no GPA accession process completed during the year .  There were five active GPA accession 
negotiations involving TA -eligible Members : China, Kyrgyz Republic, North Macedonia, Russia and 
Tajikistan . 
5.114.   TA provided by the Secretariat in support of the GPA accession process aim s to strengthen 
GPA-acceding Membe rs' capacity to effectively negotiate their GPA accession and build their 
implementation readiness; and to enhanc e the expertise among non -GPA Members to support their 
decision -making regarding possible future GPA accession.  A total of  12 GPA-related acti vities were 
held in 2018 against 7 in 2017.  Among these, two regional activities (in Thailand for the Asia Pacific 
region and in Moldova for the CEECAC region), two advanced global courses, and one national 
                                                
66 The Working Party for the a ccession of South Sudan was established in December 2017 . 0 100 200 300 400 500TRIPSStandardsServicesRulesMA for GoodsGPAGeneralEnvironmentDSAgricultureAccessionObservers' participation by Subject
0 200 400 600 800Middle EastCEECACCaribbeanAsia PacificAfricaObservers' participation by region
National Regional Global E-learningWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 61 - 
 
activity benefitted four of the TA -eligible Memb ers currently in accession to GPA;67 and 6 national 
activities benefitted countries currently considering GPA -accession.  
GPA Documents circulated  2016  2017  2018  
Documents related to GPA accessions ( GPA/ACC/* Series ) 53 25 28 
All other GPA Documents68 4 1 - 
Total 57 26 28 
Average N umber  of documents circulated  per GPA acceding Member  9.5 5.2 5.6 
5.115.   The TA Plan identified the volume of documentation related to GPA accession circulated by 
TA-eligible GPA acceding countries as a proxy  to measure the extent to which TA provided by the 
Secretariat enhanced the capacity of Members to effectively complete their accession negotiations .  
The total number of documents circulated  in 2018 was marginally higher than in 2017 but remained 
nearly half that of 2016.  The average number of documents per GPA acceding Member stood at 
5.6, also well below the 2016 level.  The TA Plan targeted stability  of this indicator and identified the 
2016 level as baseline.  Target partially  met 
5.4  Key Result 3: Academic institutions and other stakeholders are analysing WTO issues 
and reaching out to policy makers  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of consultative processes in which WTO Chairs or 
young professionals have been involved  Annual stability  Target met  
5.116.   For the reasons identified in the 2016 external evaluation and discussed in the 2016 TA 
Annual Report, measuring the actual contribution of the Chairs to their countries' trade policy and 
assessing the sustainability the results achieved remain a challenge.  This is rooted in the long 
gestation of academic programmes' impact, which makes it difficult to report annually or biennially 
on outcomes in terms of policy influence.  It also lies in the attribution dilemma, i.e. the difficulty of 
identifying the results directly attributable to the programme, which can only be addressed through 
extensive independent field -based data collection.  This has led to a systematic unavailability of data 
to assess the performance of the Chairs at the outcome level in the 2016 - 2017 TA annual reports 
for the indicators identified in the 2016 -17 TA Plan.  The results of the WCP independent evaluation 
launched in December 2018 are expected in July 2019.  Meanwhile, the 2018 -19 TA Plan identified 
a new proxy indicator to assess the Chairs' contribution to their c ountry's trade policy formulation.  
5.117.   Several activities carried out during the year by the Chairs under the research and outreach 
pillars were directly related to their government's current trade policy agenda.  For instance, the 
Chair in Oman carried out a research project on dates that identified potential market outlets for 
Omani dates and on investments required to address supply -side constraints.  The results were 
discussed at a workshop involving farmers, exporters, supply -chain operators and policy mak ers.  A 
roadmap and recommendations on how to enhance production, quality and export of dates were 
submitted to the government as input to the elaboration of an export diversification strategy.  The 
Chair in Brazil conducted a research project on regulator y coherence and convergence, voluntary 
standards and the agenda of the national TBT Committee.  The Chair recorded online courses on 
good regulatory practices and regulatory coherence and convergence in international trade for 
government's internal use.  T his had a direct influence on the government's orientations in ongoing 
bilateral talks with several trading partners (see below).  
5.118.   In addition, the Chairs were involved in at least 17 consultative processes on a variety of 
trade -related matters:  
a. The C hairholder in Brazil and another staff of the Chair  were included as official members 
of the Brazilian delegation to MC11  and were involved in Follow -up discussions with the 
Brazilian Government on MC11 -related matters in 2018 ; consultation with the US about 
Brazil's standardization policy and bilateral arrangements; government's consultations on 
the creation of the Regulation Committee for Foreign Trade; several Brazil -Argentina, 
                                                
67 National workshop held in China in December 2018.  
68 This includes documents such as: responses to comments and questions raised, responses to 
questionnaires on specific topics, compilation of submissions, various statistics, etc.  WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 62 - 
 
Brazil -EU, Brazil -US, Brazil -UK, and Brazil -New-Zealand discussions on issues of bilateral 
regulatory convergence; deliberations of the Brazil Committee on TBT, a public body in 
charge of making recommendations to CONMETRO, a ministerial -level council chaired by 
the WCP Chairholder; discussions led by the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management 
on performance of Brazil's foreign trade policy and regulatory coherence; consultations 
with the Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Export (APEX Brazil) on 
SPS and TBT issues; public hearin g at the Foreign Trade Committee of the Brazilian Federal 
Senate to present views on regulatory coherence and convergence; and consultations held 
with the Foreign Trade Chamber (CAMEX) on regulatory coherence and conversion . 
b. The Chair holder  in Turkey provi ded policy advise and was involved in discussions led by 
the government; she was appointed as advisor to the Turkish Minister of Trade for matters 
related to the WTO dispute settlement, WTO reform and arbitration in general; further to 
the workshop on e -Commerce organized by the Chair in 2017, a joint consultation agenda 
was set up by stakeholders and high level officials from the Ministry of Trade to identifying 
revisions required in e -Commerce legislation; it addresses taxation, eligible products and 
sanctions in case of offence; the Chair was heavily involved in these consultations and 
maintained intensive dialogue with the DG of Internal Commerce; a Chair team member 
is acting as a climate change negotiator for the Turkish Foreign Ministry; another team 
member was appointed as advisor for the Turkish Competition Authority.  
c. In Tunisia, the Chairholder was appointed as a member of the Council of Economic 
Analysis, reports to the Head of the Tunisian government and has shared several 
recommendations drawn from the research carried -out under the WCP with the Council.  
d. In South Africa, a member of the WCP team participates in the Economic Research 
Advisory Network led by the Department of Trade and Industry; this Network provides 
advice on policy reform to pro mote competitiveness and foster sustainable industrial 
development; the Chair continued its consultations with the Department of Agriculture, 
Forestry and Fisheries in land resource management to promote pro -poor agriculture 
exports with specific emphasis on vegetables and meat.  
e. The previous Chairholder in Benin was nominated as Head of the Directorate General of 
Coordination and Monitoring of the SDGs at the Ministry of Planning and Development; 
the work carried -out under the WCP will influence the SDG's i mplementation consultations; 
this will strengthen the ties between the Ministry and the Chair in the future.  
5.119.   The 2018 -19 TA Plan targeted an annual stability in the number of consultative process in 
which the Chairs were involved69.  The baseline was  13 pro cesses in 2016 .  Target met 
5.120.   The WCP is structured around 
three main pillars: research, curriculum 
development and outreach.  These 
pillars collectively contribute to Key 
Result 3 either directly for the research 
and outreach pillars or indirectly for the 
pillar on curriculum development, which 
aims to create a sustainable pool of 
expertise to continue analysing WTO 
issues and reaching out to policy makers 
beyond the lifetime of the Programme.  
The relative importance given to each 
pillar is the responsibil ity of each Chair, 
who are expected to tailor the 
programme to the needs of their 
country.  This led to significant variations 
in budget allocation to each pillar among the six active Chairs.  A cursory analysis of budget allocation 
by the Chairs over the 2016-2018 period does not reveal a specific pattern.  Some trends include:  
a gradual increase in the budget allocated to curriculum development by the Chair in Benin; a steady 
                                                
69 Consultative processes involving the Chairs include consultations where one or more staff members of 
the Chair were involved, as well as any studies or policy papers commissioned to the Chair by the Government.  0%20%40%60%80%100%
Benin Brazil Oman South
AfricaTunisia TurkeyChairs Budget Allocation
Research Curriculum Development OutreachWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 63 - 
 
increase in the research budget in Brazil; a consistent decrease in the resourc es dedicated to 
curriculum development by the Chair in South Africa, while giving equivalent importance to the 
remaining pillars; a stabilization of resources allocated to the three pillars after a drastic reallocation 
in 2017 of outreach resources to rese arch by the Chair in Oman; and an increase in both research 
and curriculum development budgets in Turkey, at the expense of outreach.  As explained in previous 
annual reports, there is no systematic nor direct correlation between Chairs' choices in terms o f 
budget allocation in any given year and the output achieved under each pillar that same year, for 
the reason explained above.  Some examples of positive correlation can be occasionally observed 
but remain too anecdotal to draw any useful conclusion.  The y include:  Benin reported significant 
progress in the development of new diplomas; Brazil nearly doubled the size of research outputs 
compared to 2017; outputs under curriculum development have stabilized in South Africa since 
2017; and Oman's research ou tputs grew steadily during the 2016 -18 period.  
5.121.   The WCP teams are comprised of faculty members and PhD students.  The variation in the 
size of WCP teams since 2016 are mainly attributable to the turnover in PhD students.  Overall, the 
size of the teams was stable since 2016, except in Oman in 2017 and in South Africa and Tunisia in 
2018.  
 Benin  Brazil  Oman  South Africa  Tunisia  Turkey  
WCP Team in 2016  18 13 4 24 8 10 
WCP Team in 2017  18 10 10 25 9 8 
WCP Team in 2018  18 13 7 40 16 8 
 
5.122.   A comparison between the 
size of the WCP Team and the 
volume of outputs (sum of number of 
research products, number of 
outreach events and number of 
new/updated courses) produced in 
2018 shows a correlation between 
Chairs' staffing level and their 
productivity, if no proportio nality.  
The WCP Team in Brazil was twice as 
big as in Oman in 2018 and produced 
twice the number of outputs, while 
the team in Tunisia was twice as big 
as in Turkey but produced three 
times more outputs.  This and the 
case of Benin (no output produced in 
2018) indicate that a good staffing 
level contributes to Chairs' 
performance but is not enough.  
5.4.1   Output 3.1: Research on trade policy and WTO -related matters generated by WTO 
Chairs and other academics through provision of grants  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of publications in internationally peer -reviewed journals  Annual increase  Target partially met  
Quality of research papers as measured by SJR and SNIP ratings 
of the journals in which the Chairs' research is published  Annual increase  Target partiall y met  
5.123.   A relatively wide range of trade -related subjects were covered by Chairs' research in 2018.  
Topics related to Non -Tariff Measures (NTMs), Services, Regional Integration (RTAs), Agriculture, 
Environment, Dispute Settlement and GVCs were regularly present on the research agenda of the 
Chairs since 2015, as documented in previous annual reports, although their relative importance 
varied over the years.  010203040506070
Oman Brazil Benin South
AfricaTunisia TurkeyChairs' Performance and Staffling Level
WCP Team Size Total Output Number
Team Size Trendline Output TrendlineWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 64 - 
 
5.124.   In 2018, Dispute Settlement 
and Services (alone or together with 
Tourism -related themes) attracted  a 
higher level of interest than in 
previous years.  Trade Facilitation and 
Non-Tariff Measures remained high on 
the Chairs' agenda: together they 
triggered the highest number of 
researches.  The interest in 
Environment and Climate Change 
grew, in particul ar on renewable 
energy, energy subsidies, etc. (11 
researches in 2018 against 4 in 
2017).  
5.125.   The research conducted by 
the Chairs took different forms and 
was published through a variety of 
channels.  These have traditionally 
been grouped in previous TA ann ual 
reports into:70  Thesis (for Masters' or 
PhD research), Working Papers 
(presented in public fora such as 
seminars or conferences), Books 
(including book chapters) and Journal 
Articles (published in peer -reviewed 
journals).  For this report the name 
Publications  will be used to designate 
research outputs deemed publicly 
accessible, i.e. Books (or book 
chapters), Working Papers and 
Journal Articles.  
5.126.   Since the launch of the WCP 
Phase II in 2014, the most productive 
year for the Chairs' research has been 
2017.71  The total volume of research 
output decreased by 13% in 2018, 
whilst remaining high.  On average, 
each Chair produced 24 research 
outputs in 2018, against 28 in 2017, 
22 in 2016 and 19 in 2015.  The 
average number of research products 
per Chair during  Phase II has been 23 per year.  The 2018 overall decrease resulted mainly from a 
drop in the number of Working Papers.  Brazil produced more Working Papers, but the other Chairs 
less, especially South Africa.  The number of PhD and Master's thesis increas ed by 18% in 2018.  
5.127.   A total of 71 publicly accessible publications were produced by the Chairs in 2018 against 
89 in 2017 ( -20%).  The average number of publications per Chair was 12 in 2018 against 15 in 
2017.  However, the Chairs produced the same number of peer -reviewed articles as in 2017 (11 
articles).  The Chairs in Oman, South Africa and Tunisia published in peer -reviewed journals in 2018.  
While South Africa remains the leading Chair in terms of publication in peer -reviewed journals for 
the third con secutive year, it produced significantly less articles than in 2017 (6 against 10 in 2017).  
Tunisia secured publication in a peer -reviewed journal after an unsuccessful 2017 year and Oman 
increased its number of published articles compared to 2017 (from 1  to 3).  The Chairs reported a 
pipeline of 24 research papers at different stages of submission to peer -reviewed journals (pending 
review, peer -reviewed, being amended, resubmitted after amendment , pending publication ).  The 
                                                
70 For the second consecutive year, no data was available regarding possible Newsletters published by 
the Chairs.  This category was not considered in the analysis of the evolution of publications over time.  
71 Phase II of the WCP started in 2014 and concluded in 2018.  No output was considered for 2014, the 
inception year.  051015202530
Benin Brazil Oman South
AfricaTunisia TurkeyWTO Chairs' Research
Thesis
Books
Working
papers
Journal
Articles020406080100
Journal
ArticlesWorking
papersBooks Thesis TotalWTO Chair's Research
2015
2016
2017
2018024681012Chairs' Research SubjectsWT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 65 - 
 
number of peer -reviewed publica tions remained stable while the TA plan targeted an annual increase 
of this indicator.  Target partially met  
5.128.   The ranking of the peer -reviewed journals in which the Chairs publish their articles has been 
used since 2016 as a proxy to measure the quality of their research.  Two systems of journal ranking 
have been used: SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), which measures the “scientific influence” of scholarly 
journals by accounting for both the number of citations received by a journal and the importance or 
prestige of the journals where such citations come from; and Source Normalised Impact per Paper 
(SNIP) rating, which measures how often a journal is cited taking into account the citation potential 
in its subject field.  The SNIP and SJR scores of the Journal of In ternational Economics, which is the 
primary outlet for theoretical and empirical research in international economics, are provided as 
reference/benchmark.  
Ratings of Journals in which the WTO Chairs published Articles in 2018  
Journal  SJR SNIP  
Acta Commercii  N/A N/A 
Africa Growth Agenda  N/A N/A 
Economics Bulletin  0.21 0.355  
Environmental Science and Pollution Research  0.858  0.942  
International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy  0.465  0.954  
International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance  N/A N/A 
SAGE Open  0.241  0.466  
South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences  0.212  0.42 
South African Journal of Economics  0.329  0.67 
South African Journal of International Affairs  0.466  0.74 
Statéco  N/A N/A 
   
Journal of International Economics  2.67 3.72 
5.129.   Seven out of the 11 articles 
published by the Chairs in 2018 were 
published in journals for which SJR and 
SNIP ratings were available.  For these 
journals, the average SJR was 0.34 and 
the average SNIP 0.61.  These are 
slightly over the average SJR rating 
(0.29) and below the average SNIP 
rating (0.64) of the journals in which 
articles were published in 2017, but 
below the average achieved in 2016 for 
both ratings (0.38 and 0.69).  The TA 
Plan targeted an annual increase in both 
ratings.  The increase was a chieved for 
SNIP only.  Target partially met  
5.130.   The Chairs of Brazil, Oman, 
South Africa and Tunisia are the only 
Chairs who published articles in peer -
reviewed journals during Phase II of the 
WCP.  The SJR/SNIP average ratings 
presented in the charts reflec t more or 
less the evolution of Chairs' access to 
peer-reviewed journal over the years, 
with two exceptions: the peer -reviewed 
journals in which the Chairs in Brazil 
published 2 articles in 2016 and the 
Chair in Oman 1 article in 2017 have no 
SJR and SNIP ratings; they do not 
appear on the chart.  An absence of SJR 
or SNIP scores cannot be equated with 
poor quality, though.  00.20.40.60.8
2015 2016 2017 2018SJR Average Ratings 
Brazil
Oman
South
Africa
Tunisia
00.20.40.60.81
2015 2016 2017 2018SNIP Average Ratings 
Brazil
Oman
South
Africa
TunisiaWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 66 - 
 
5.131.   The evolution of the average SJR and SNIP scores of the publications of the Chairs during 
Phase II is inconclusive.  The Chair in South  Africa was the only one who published in journals with 
SJR/SNIP rankings every year, Tunisia missed a year and Oman two.  Increases have been followed 
by decreases, making it difficult to detect any real trend after five years.  
5.4.2   Output 3.2: Courses develop ed by the relevant academic institutions have WTO 
content and students are being trained on WTO -related subjects by the WTO and its Chairs  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of students in WTO -related courses or getting a degree per 
year Annual increase  Target partially  
met 
 
5.132.   A new generation of 
undergraduate and graduate students 
benefitted from training on WTO -
related topics in 2018.  The overall 
number of students attending courses 
organized by the Chairs (2,445 
students) decreased by 23% compared 
to 2017 but remained above  the annual 
average during Phase II (2 ,185 
students per year).  Increases in the 
number of students in Benin (+50%) , 
Brazil (+3%) and Tunisia (+53%) were 
offset by decreases in Oman ( -72%), 
South Africa ( -34%) and Turkey 
(-48%).  The  Chair from South Africa 
continued to host the largest share of students trained by the Chairs (4 9% of the total in 2018) and 
accounted for most of the decrease in 2018.  The TA Plan targeted an annual increase in the number 
of students in WTO -related cour ses, which was not achieved .  However, the total for 2018 is above 
the 2016 baseline.  Target partially  met 
5.133.   After two consecutive years of 
increase, the total number of newly 
designed or updated courses 
introduced by the Chairs dropped by 
17% in 2018.  Ho wever, it remained 
above the annual average during Phase 
II (40 course in 2018 against 38 on 
average).  The 2018 decrease is 
attributable to the Chair in Benin who 
did not update nor create any new 
course in 2018 and the Chairs in Brazil 
and Oman who devel oped or updated 2 
courses less each than in 2017.  The 
activity of the other Chairs was stable.  
In relative terms, the Chair in South 
Africa remained the best performing Chair in this domain, as it produced one third of the 
new/updated courses released in  2018, followed by the Chair in Brazil (30%), Tunisia (23%) and 
Turkey (10%).  
5.134.   New courses and programmes developed during the year sought to address the latest 
developments and challenges in international trade.  For instance, the Chair in Oman developed a  
course on environment economics with a specific focus on the use of the Multiple Criteria Decision 
Analysis for environmental policy making; the Chair in South Africa updated its course on Advanced 
Research  Methodology covering methods such as GTAP GEMPAC K for policy analysis; the Chairs in 
Turkey and Tunisia each launched a “moot court” course to groom students for the ELSA Moot Court 
Competition.  
5.135.   As in previous years, several partnerships supported curriculum development and 
diversification by the Chairs .  For example, a new partnership between the Chair in Tunisia and the 
Middle East Centre of the London School of Economics led to the creation of the International  Political 01020304050
Benin Brazil Oman South
AfricaTunisia Turkey TotalNew or Updated Courses
2015
2016
2017
2018 - 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500
Benin Brazil Oman South
AfricaTunisia Turkey TotalStudents in WTO -related courses 
2015
2016
2017
2018WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 67 - 
 
Economy (IPE) Minor; the Chair in Benin developed the Master 2 in Law and Managem ent in 
cooperation with l’Université Senghor d’Alexandrie (Egypt); the Chair in Brazil continued its 
collaboration with a large network of national universities or research centres to develop its post -
doctoral programme on Trade Regulation.  
5.4.3   Output 3.3: The  WTO Chairs are reaching out to other stakeholders and key 
decision -makers  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of outreach events per year  Annual increase  Target not met  
Involvement of key decision -makers  Annual increase  Target met  
5.136.   The third pillar of the WCP requires the Chairs to increase the visibility of WTO -related 
academic research and its influence on trade policy formulation by reaching out to decision makers 
and other stakeholders.  
5.137.   The number of outreach events 
organized by the Chairs dropped by 18% 
in 2018, ending the increase seen since 
2015.  It remained higher than the Phase 
II average (55 events per year in total).  
In 2018, each Chair organized 10 events 
on average, against 13 in 2017.  The 
Chairs in Benin and Tunisia organized 
significantly  fewer events than in 2017 
(-80% approximately), when the Chair in 
South Africa held 140% more.  The TA 
plan targeted an annual increase in the 
total number of events.  Target not met  
5.138.   The size of the audience reached 
by the events organized by the Chairs in 
2018 was stable compared to 2017, but 
remained 40% below the 2015 -16 peak 
and 24% below the Phase II average 
(1,400 participants in 2018 against 1,855 
on average).  On average, each Chair 
reached 234 participants in 2018, i.e. 23 
participants per event on average against 
42 in 2016.  The smaller the audience of 
an event, generally the higher the 
interaction among those present, provided 
the event reached its targeted audience.  
5.139.   The participation of key decision 
makers in these events is used as a proxy 
to assess the impact of the Chairs' 
outreach efforts.  Key trade policy makers 
include trade officials and civil servants 
from the various ministries, regulatory 
bodies and other public agencies involved 
in the formulation of the national trade 
policy.  Col lectively, they influence and 
contribute to the decisions affecting the 
trade regime of their country.  A total of 
452 key policy makers participated in the 
outreach events organised by the Chairs 
in 2018, representing 32% of the audience 
on average.  Thes e two figures are higher 
than in 2017.  The most significant increases in the proportion of policy -makers were in Tunisia (x5 
compared to 2017), Turkey (x3.5) and Benin (+78%), whereas it dropped by two thirds in Oman.  0102030Outreach Events
2015
2016
2017
2018
0200400600800Outreach Events Participation
2015
2016
2017
2018
0%20%40%60%80%100%Share of Policy Makers in Outreach 
Events
2016
2017
2018WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 68 - 
 
As in Oman in 2017, the Chair in Tun isia chose in 2018 to organize a limited number of outreach 
events targeting exclusively key policy makers.  The TA Plan had targeted an increase in the 
involvement of key decision -makers during the year.  Target met  
5.4.4   Output 3.4: Young professionals under t he Young Professional Programme are 
exposed to WTO issues and work  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of YPs hosted annually by the WTO  Per year: 15  Target met  
Final evaluation rate of each YP by their supervisor  100% fully satisfactory  Target met  
5.140.   The purpose of the Young Professionals  Programme (YPP) is to help enhance the knowledge 
of WTO issues among Young Professionals (YPs) from developing and LDC M embers .  Priority is given 
to candidates from Members with no professional representation in the Secretariat.  Nationals from 
33 under -represented Members have benefited from th e YPP since its inception in 2017 . 
5.141.   The very positive feedbacks from the supervisors of the first YPs in 2017 led the Secretariat 
to triple its intake in 2018.  The  recommendati ons made by YPs in 2017 were fully implemented in 
2018: organization of a one -day Induction programme and a guided tour of the WTO building; 
creation of an YPP alumni group; and early issuance and wider dissemination of the YPP Vacancy 
Notice .  Following a merit -based recruitment process, fifteen YPs were selected out of an initial pool 
of 1502 applicants.   Selected YPs were nationals of Members with no professional representation in 
the Secretariat.72  Target met  
5.142.   YPs were hosted by 13 Secretariat  divisions for a period of 12 months (January to December 
2018).  The specific objectives of each YP were defined jointly with their respective supervisors at 
the beginning of the programme  and progress towards their achievement was regularly monitored 
thereafter.  All fifteen YPs indicated that they fully achieved their specific objectives; benefited 
tremendously from the Programme; and enhanced their knowledge of the WTO.  They expanded 
their professional network in the WTO community . 
5.143.   The YPs made valuabl e contributions to the work of their respective divisions , under the 
supervision of a senior staff member .  Some of their key achievements include: a substantial 
contribution to the updated Analytical Index; a publication on the WTO contribution to the SDG s; 
contributing to  drafting  several working papers published by the WTO;  assisting in servicing WTO 
bodies, attending meetings and preparing minutes ; and, preparing and co -delivering presentations 
in TA event s held in Geneva.  All fifteen  YPs easily integr ated in the work of the divisions and their 
supervisors were very pleased with the quality of their work as reflected in the final evaluations: 
7 YPs were significantly exceed ed performance re quirements and the 8 others were rated as fully 
satisfactory.   This exceeds the target in the TA Plan of 100% fully satisfactory rating s.  Target met  
5.5  Key Result 4: Non -governmental stakeholders and legislators are aware of and 
knowledgeable about WTO work and issues  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Richness of debates and reports on trade issues, diversity of WTO -related 
topics covered by papers produced by this group of stakeholders  Annual stability  Target met  
5.144.   In 2018, the outreach activities  focused  on the way forward post-MC11  and the impact of 
current trade tensions on  the MTS.  Seven activities were organised at the global and regional levels  
to raise the awareness on trade -related matters of non -traditional audiences, such as legislators, 
journalists and representatives of civil society.   The WTO is also using so -called social media to reach 
out to a larger public of non -specialists.  For example,  the communication on WTO official Twitter 
account about the regional activities for CEECAC and Latin American countries  and about one global 
activity in Geneva registered 6,111; 20,754 ; and 52,294 views respectively . 
                                                
72 The YPs were from: Antigua Barbuda , Armenia, Cameroon , El Salvador, Georgia , Indonesia, Ivory 
Coast , Kazakhstan , Madagascar, Mongolia , Panama, Paraguay , St Vincent & the Grenadines , Thailand, T ogo. WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 69 - 
 
  Public Forum Participation73 
5.145.   The 2018 WTO Public Forum is the WTO largest annual outreach event .  It gathers for three 
days hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds in Geneva.  In 2018, 1,268 individuals  
participated on the theme "Trade 2030"  (1,221 in 2017 and 1,072 in 2016 ), including MPs, leading 
global business people, students, academics and non -governmental organi sations.  Academics and 
students represented 30% of the participants, representatives f rom NGOs and IGOs 27%, 
representatives from the private sector 23%, etc.  With minor annual fluctuations, these proportions 
have been stable since 2016.  
5.146.   The TA Plan had identified the richness of debates and reports on trade issues and the 
diversity of WTO -related topics covered by papers produced by non -governmental stakeholders and 
legislators as the indicator to measure the achievement of the Key Result.  It referred to the diversity 
of participants in the Public Forum, media reports and statements by st akeholders as a source of 
evidence of this richness and diversity.  Unfortunately, data on media reports and the statements 
made by legislators , business associations and NGOs following these activities were not available in 
2018.   The diversity of partici pants in the Public Forum is consequently the only source of evidence 
available.  The TA Plan targeted annual stability .  Target met  
5.5.1   Output 4.1: Specific outreach activities organised for legislators, journalists, 
business and NGOs on WTO issues and trade policies  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of seminars, workshops conducted  Annual stability  Target met  
5.147.   The Secretariat held seven outreach 
activities in 2018, at regional (5) and global 
levels (2).  This was one activity less than in 
2017 but remains within the average of the last 
four years.  Regional activities were held in 
Austria and Serbia for the CEECAC region, in 
Singapore for Asia-Pacific, in Kenya for Africa 
and in Mexico for Latin America.   This year, no 
outreach activity was held for the Middle -East.  
In partnership with the Friedrich -Ebert Stiftung 
(FES), two global seminars for journalists from 
developing countries took place in Geneva: in 
April for French -speaking journalists and in 
December for English -speaking journalists.  The 
TA Plan target ed the stability  compared to the 2016 level .  Target met  
                                                
73 In the absence of media reports and statements made by this category of stakeholders, the diversity 
of participation in the Public Forum  was taken as a proxy although the Public Forum is not a TA activity per se.  17%
15%
15%
14%12%8%5%4%1%
9%2016
16%
15%
15%
12%12%13%5%3%1%
8%2017
18%
14%
17%13%13%10%5%1%1%
8%2018
Business
NGO
Student
Academia
IGO
Government
Lawyer
MP
Journalist
Other
02468
2015 2016 2017 2018Outreach activities
Global
Regional
NationalWT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 70 - 
 
5.5.2   Output 4.2: Improved understanding by journalists, civil society and business of 
WTO issues and trade policies  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of key stakeholders reached during the year  Annual  stability  Target met  
5.148.   The regional activity for CEECAC in Austria gathered 19 legislators and four government 
officials from various countries in the region.  They had the opportunity to gain a better 
understanding of the roles and missions of the WTO, were debrief ed on MC11 and the new issues, 
and held roundtable discussions on the challenges and opportunities for the CEECAC region in  the 
MTS.  The 9th regional workshop for Asian & Pacific MPs took place in Singapore in May  with 53 MPs 
from the  region .  The discussions focused mainly on the agenda p ost-MC11 and on raising trade 
tensions.  The 2nd WTO-PAM regional workshop for Eastern European and Western Balkans Countries 
was held in Serbia in July and was attended by 135 legislators and 12 Ambassadors accredited to 
Belgrade.  Some topics such as WTO accessions and investment facilitation generated a lot of 
interest s and rich debates among participants.  The WTO -FES regional workshop for civil society, 
business and media from Africa took place in Kenya in October  and was attended by 15 journalists 
and 18 representants of the civil society.  The regional outreach work shop for Latin -American 
economics and trade journalists also took place in October in Mexico and was attended by 29 
journalists from 14 countries.   It aimed at contributing to a better press coverage of the WTO and 
its activities in the region.  
5.149.   Two global seminars on international trade policy for African and Asian journalists were 
organised in Geneva in partnership with FES , gathering 15 French -speaking African journalists in 
April and  14 English -speaking journalists from Africa and Asia in December .  Enhancing the volume 
and quality of media coverage o f the WTO and trade issues in developing countries, and in Africa in 
particular , is one of the priorities of the Secretariat in terms of outreach.  These activities built  the 
capacit y of journalists on trade -related matters and t aught  them how to retrieve  autonomously WTO -
related data and information through various sources.  
5.150.   As in 2016, the annual session of the Parliamentary Conference on WTO was held in the 
WTO in Geneva in December.  This event is a joint u ndertaking of the Inter -Parliamentary Union and 
the European Parliament and aims at bringing legislators' perspectives on international trade and 
the WTO to the attention of negotiators and other stakeholders.  More than 400 legislators 
specialized on trad e issues  in their respective parliaments attended the conference.  The theme of 
the 2018 edition was "WTO: The way forward" .  It addressed the challenges and opportunities facing 
the WTO and the role of MPs in supporting sustainable and inclusive growth.   Participants  examine d 
recent WTO developments and obtain ed first-hand information on the state of multilateral trade 
negotiations .  They  consider ed possible parliamentary contribution s to these multilateral processes.  
5.151.   Overall, the seven outreach activities  and the annual session of the Parliamentary 
Conference on WTO reached 607 legislators, 73 journalists and 18 representatives of the civil society 
(NGOs and private sector).  The baseline in the TA Plan w as 492 legislators, 37 journalists and 50 
civil society  reached in 2016.  The target was annual stability .  Target met  
5.5.3   Output 4.3: Improved access to WTO issues through online training material for 
self-study  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of downloaded training materials  Annual stability  Target met  WT/COMTD/W/2 45 
 
- 71 - 
 
5.152.   This Output was introduced by the TA Plan 2018 -19.  It seeks to capture information related 
to the access of WTO online training materials for self -study by individuals not eligible to register for 
WTO online courses.  Access to WTO online courses is rest ricted to government officials from 
developing countries.  Other stakeholders such as academics, the private sector, legislators, etc. or 
government officials from developed countries cannot register for these courses.  Since 2015, the 
Secretariat monitors  the use of the Training Material Request (TMR) facility.  The data collected show 
a continued interest from non -traditional TA audiences.  
5.153.   The received 4,915 TMRs in 2018, 8% less than in 2017 but 9% more than in 2016.  TMRs 
from Africa and the Middle East  decreased progressively since 2016; TMRs from the Caribbean and 
Asia Pacific dropped in 2018 after increasing in 2017; and TMRs from Latin America and developed 
countries stabilised after booming in 2017.  All the TMRs were satisfied, except those from in dividuals 
already registered in the same course at the time of the request.  Those individuals were invited to 
complete the course or to access the training materials directly through their personal profile in the 
e-Learning platform.  In total, 3,976 (i.e . 81%) TMRs were satisfied by the Secretariat in 2018.  This 
shows a marked improvement compared to the two previous years: 32% (or 1,460) in 2016 and 
76% (4,035) in 2017.  The TA Plan had targeted annual stability at the 2016 level.  Target met  
5.154.   More than  half of the TMRs (61%) were 
presented by government officials, 19% of 
whom were even registered in the same course 
at the time they made their request.  Requests 
from developed countries accounted only for 
14% of all the TMRs received.  The satisfaction 
rate of TMRs from developed countries was 
99% and only 75% for their less developed 
counterparts, as the persons concerned were 
encouraged to complete the online courses 
already started.  
5.155.   The origin of TMRs by profiles was different across regions.  In devel oped countries and Asia -
Pacific, government officials accounted for less than half of the TMRs and academia for more than a 
third, whereas in the other regions, the proportion of TMRs submitted by government officials was 
between 66% in Latin America and 8 6% in the Caribbean.  In terms of subject, General training on 
the WTO Agreements (36%), TRIPS (16%), Market Access for Goods (11%), Standards (11%) and 
Agriculture (7%) attracted together 80% of the TMRs.  
5.5.4   Output 4.4: Information on trade -related TA provid ed, including through the ITTC 
Newsletter  
Indicators  Targets  2018  
Number of views  Annual stability  Data not available  
5.156.   The Secretariat uses several channels to disseminate information on its TA activities.  These 
channels include the WTO website, social media and a Newsletter on TRTA.  Access to information  -  500  1,000  1,500AfricaAsia PacificCaribbeanCEECACLatin AmericaMiddle EastDevelopedTMR by Region
2018
2017
2016
 -  500  1,000AfricaAsia PacificCaribbeanCEECACLatin AmericaMiddle EastDevelopedTMR Satisfied by Region
 -  1,000  2,000  3,000  4,000Public sectorPrivate sectorOtherAcademiaTraining Material Sent by Profile
2018
2017
2016WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 72 - 
 
through the WTO website was discussed in section 5.2.4 above.  Soc ial media channels are 
increasingly used by the Secretariat to give visibility to its TA activities.  For instance, promotion 
materials such as short videos and media stories were used to promote the YPP in 2018.  This was 
very effective in disseminating i nformation on this relatively new programme, helping to triple the 
applications received between the first two years.  
5.157.   The Secretariat disseminates information on its TA 
activities through the TRTA Newsletters since 2009.  This 
electronic publication is is sued once or twice a year,74 available 
in the three WTO languages.  In 2018, the Secretariat published 
a Newsletter in August.  It included a summary of the main issues 
discussed during MC11, presented the objectives of WTO TA and 
recalled the importance of  voluntary contributions for TA.  Two 
special focus articles were dedicated to the WTO TA in Latin 
America and Caribe, and to the FIMIP.  A list of TA activities 
planned in the second part of the year was also included.  
5.158.   The European rules for mass distribu tion through e -mails 
changed in 2018, making the 2016 baseline included in the TA 
Plan obsolete.  Addressees are now required to explicitly 
authorise the communication from the sender, which reduced 
considerably the number of Newsletter recipients.  However , the 
proportion of readers among the recipients increased markedly 
between 2016 and 2018 (from 12% to 52%).  Whilst circulation 
figures now look much less impressive, they may be more 
realistic.  In terms of language preferences, most readers 
down loaded the Newsletter in English (60%).  French and Spanish readers shared the rest almost 
equally.  The Newsletter  was also downloaded 568 times from the WTO website  in 2018 .  The stability 
targeted by the TA Plan cannot be assessed, due to the change of the regulatory environment.  Data 
not available  
_______________  
 
                                                
74 Two editions were issued in 2015 and 2017, and one in 2014, 2016 and 2018.  
 WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 73 - ANNEX I  
FOLLOW -UP ON THE REC OMMENDATIONS OF THE TA EX TERNAL EVALUATION  
The details of the WTO Management Response to the various recommendations of the 2016 external evaluation can be found in document 
WT/COMTD/90.  They have not been reproduced here to make the table easier to read.  The true meaning of Agreed  or Partially agreed  in the table 
below refers to the comments contained in the Management Response.  
 
# Recommendation  WTO Response  Action in 2018  Status  
1 Use the review and response to this Evaluation as the 
first opportunity in a decade to consider and 
communicate the Organization's agreed commitment, 
vision and basic approach to technical assistance, taking 
account of the strong base established and remaining 
challenges identified.  Agreed  • Progress of implementation of the 
recommendations of the 2016 external 
evaluation presented to the CTD on 5 July 
2018 as part of the agenda item dedicated 
to 2017 TA Annual Performance Report 
(WTO/AIR/COMTD/14/R ev.1, item C.) . Implemented/ 
ongoing  
2 If justified by the results of this deliberation, re ‑affirm the 
crucial role  and need for sufficiently substantial and 
reliable Regular Budget allocations as the contribution by 
all Members to maintaining the foundations of the TA 
programme and recognise voluntary support to a Global 
TA Trust Fund as the most essential supplementa ry 
funding for TA activities.  This is more 
appropriate for 
Members  • Decrease in GTF carry -over balance since 
2014 highlighted in the 2017 TA Annual 
Report (WT/COMTD/W/235 - section 3.1.1.) . 
• Members strongly supported the need for 
continuous replenishment of  the GTF during 
the CTD held on 5 July 2018 . 
• ITTC enhanced the visibility of GTF donors 
on the WTO TA webpage to encourage 
contributions . Implemented/ 
ongoing  
3 Include a commitment to use WTO's TA activities wherever 
possible to strengthen sustainable training capacities 
within beneficiary countries and regions, e.g., by engaging 
more local trainers, academic centres, and past 
participants in WTO training. In consultation with delivery 
partners, the Secretariat should identify and share existing 
good pr actices and promising candidates for these roles.  Partially agreed – 
This will also  
need to involve 
Members  • Members validated the continuation of past 
approach.  
• Good practice to strengthen sustainable 
training capacity is highlighted in TA Annual 
Performan ce Reports as appropriate.  Implemented/ 
ongoing  
4 Use the reviews of Annual TA Reports and biennial Plans 
as more important strategic openings than in the past to 
take stock of progress and key issues in WTO's TA.  This is more 
appropriate for 
Members  • The 2016 Annual Performance Report on TA 
and Training (WT/COMTD/W/235) was 
discussed in the CTD meeting of 5 July 2018 
(WTO/AIR/COMTD/14/R ev.1, item C.) . Implemented/ 
ongoing     WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 74 - # Recommendation  WTO Response  Action in 2018  Status  
5 Strengthen mechanisms at Senior Management level for 
strategic monitoring, directi on and problem ‑solving in this 
area of shared responsibility across the Organization. It 
should be supported by a clearly ‑mandated 
inter‑divisional task force chaired by ITTC and charged 
with identifying cross ‑cutting problems and opportunities 
and proposi ng appropriate actions.  Partially agreed  • The TACTF provided input and oversight for 
the implementation of the recommendations 
8, 10, 14, 22 and 23.  
• Progress made in the implementation of 
adjusted RBM workflows  that promote shared 
responsibility for TA results across the 
Organization . In progress  
6 Ensure that adequate administrative resources (financial 
and human) are made available to maintain and extend 
the investment to date in WTO's improving TA capacity. 
As the key organising and coordinating centre for TA, the 
longstanding structures and staffing of ITTC should be 
reviewed and if necessary revised to ensure that they can 
meet the needs of a transformed Programme.  Agreed  • Some simplification of ITTC's struc ture took 
place in 2018 as a result of natural staff 
movements (i.e. internal mobility, 
retirement, etc.).  In Progress  
7 Seek agreement and suggestions from beneficiary 
Members for direct focal point contacts in capitals to 
expedite and follow up essential and timely 
communications with all relevant stakeholders in country 
(e.g., on needs assessments, course nominations) while 
keeping Geneva missions fully informed.  Partially agreed – 
This will also  
need to involve 
Members  • In view of Members' decis ion in 2017 not to 
pursue this recommendation, it is considered 
closed with no further action required.  Implemented/ 
ongoing  
8 Re‑double efforts to produce the most user ‑friendly 
information materials possible on course offerings and 
take all available steps to ensure that they reach all the 
appropriate target users in good time (i.e. not just core 
or focal point ministries).  Agreed – This 
will also need to 
involve Members  • An online calendar of events was established 
and is broadly accessible on WTO publ ic 
website.  
• This webpage was presented to Members 
during the CTD meeting on 05 July 2018 and 
disseminated widely through existing 
channels (e.g. through existing Committee's 
distribution lists, ITTC newsletter, e-Learning 
social media accounts, etc.).  Implemented/ 
ongoing  
9 Consider and propose options for opening up at least 
some WTO training courses or topics (e.g., in e ‑learning) 
to wider audiences in all countries, perhaps on a 
fee‑paying basis.  Agreed – This 
will also need to 
involve Members  • In view of Members' rejection of options 
presented in WT/COMTD/W/226, this 
recommendation is considered closed with 
no further action required.  Implemented/ 
ongoing  
10 In collaboration with Members, improve the selection 
process for intermediate and advanced  courses to ensure 
the level of participants is more uniform.  Partially agreed – 
This will also  
need to involve 
Members  • Selection process reviewed by the TACTF at 
its meeting of 8 February 2018 considering 
trainers' experience , participants' feedback  
and input from beneficiary Members.  
• Current selection system is efficient and 
does not require revision.  Implemented/ 
ongoing   WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 75 - # Recommendation  WTO Response  Action in 2018  Status  
11 Continue to monitor and report on participation of women 
and men with a view to addressing remaining gender 
imbalances of participation in WTO TA.  Agreed – This 
will also need to 
involve Members  • Same approach since 2012.  
• Data for 2017 in WT/COMTD/W/235 Section 
4.7. Implemented/ 
ongoing  
12 Study and propose ways to share good practices and 
otherwise help Members grapple with informing and 
engaging private sector actors in WTO ‑related issues 
affecting them. One suggestion was made for a 
specifically designed course for the private sector which 
the government could request as a national level activity.  Agreed – This 
will also ne ed to 
involve Members  • No action suggested by Members in the TA 
Plan 2018 -2019 (WT/COMTD/W/227/Rev.1, 
Section 3,3,5 par. 56).  Therefore, this 
recommendation is closed with no further 
action required.  Implemented/ 
ongoing  
13 Reinforce the staff capacity to  service the interactive 
requirements of the vital e ‑learning courses, including 
accessible service across time ‑zones.  Partially agreed – 
Already partially 
implemented  • No change in staff allocation to e -Learning in 
the context of zero nominal budget growth.  
• This recommendation is considered closed.  
However, it could be revisited should the TA 
regular budget increase . Implemented/ 
ongoing  
14 Examine and report on the pros and cons of discontinuing 
the "Advanced Trade Policy Course" (ATPC) in favour of 
expanded advanced offerings at the regional level, 
allowing for wider participation and deeper 
contextualisation. Also consider the possibility of short 
executive courses suitable for the ministerial or 
permanent secretary levels.  Partially agreed – 
This will also  
need to involve 
Members  • Several improvements in ATPC curriculum 
were highlighted in this report ( chapter  3 of 
this report ). In Progress  
15 Investigate and report on the possibilities for developing 
new training options to follow ‑up on recommendations 
from Trade Policy Reviews (TPR).  Agreed – Already 
partially 
implemented –  
This will also  
need to involve 
Members  • Investigation s and  Members ' consultation in 
2017 did not lead to any other training 
option ( see WT/COMTD/W/227/Rev.1 
Section 3.3.5 and §§ 59 and 133) .  The 
recommendation was closed with no further 
action required.  
• The Secretariat will continue to report on 
approaches used in TPR follow -up activities, 
as appropriate ( chapter  3 of this report).  Implemented/ 
ongoing  
16 Safeguard the credibility and usefulness of national and 
regional courses by ensuring sufficient advance 
consultation in countries so that "off ‑the‑shelf" 
presentations are tailored to specific contexts, and by 
soliciting specific questions or pertinent is sues of 
stakeholders prior to the training.  Agreed – This 
will also need to 
involve Members  • Improvements of course materials and 
curricula are reported in chapter  3 of this 
report.  
• Efforts will continue to expand this positive 
trend through dissemination of good 
practice.  Implemented/ 
ongoing     WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 76 - # Recommendation  WTO Response  Action in 2018  Status  
17 In collaboration with the External Relations Division, 
examine and propose alternative approaches to reference 
centres to help Members provide information and 
outreach on WTO issues to key opinion ‑leaders in tune 
with current technologies.  Agreed – This 
will also need to 
involve Members  • After Members' consultation in 2017 (see  
WT/COMTD/W/227/Rev.1 Section 3.3.5 and 
§ 57), the recommendation was closed with 
no further action required.  Implemented/ 
ongoing  
18 In light of the planned final evaluation of the WTO Chairs 
Programme, which should be an independent external 
evaluation, be prepared to explore and propose 
alternative approaches to building working and 
policy‑oriented links with a wider range of academic 
centres, e.g., through involving them more systematically 
in helping deliver WTO courses wherever practicable.  Partially agreed – 
This will also  
need to involve 
Members  • An external evaluator was selected and 
initiated the evaluation in December 2018.  
• The eva luation is expected to conclude  in 
July 2019.  
• The recommendations contained in the 
report will feed into the preparation of the 
TA Plan for 2020 -2021.  In Progress  
19 Take every opportunity to integrate issues of gender 
equality and the empowerment of women into TA 
programmes and training material in the context of 
emerging initiatives on social and poverty implications of 
trade, including the Sustainable Development Goals.  Agreed – This 
will also need to 
involve Members  • Consultation with Members  
• Training package on Gender & Trade issues 
to be launched  in 2019.  
• Several activities address ed gender issues in 
2018 ( chapter  3 of this report).  In progress  
20 Consider including workshops to explore issues of 
multilateral nature for which Agreements are y et to be 
concluded, for example the Singapore issues.  Agreed – This 
will also need to 
involve Members  • Several activities implemented in 2018 in 
response to Members' requests ( chapter  3 of 
this report) . Implemented/ 
ongoing  
21 In consultation with Human Resources and delivering 
Divisions, ensure that a coherent system of training for 
trainers and trainer ‑evaluation is put in place and applied 
as needed.  Agreed  • ToT remained on offer on a voluntary basis.  In progress  
22 Continue work to apply the PLS and consider introducing 
pre‑tests and examinations in all training courses, in 
addition to following up with a sample of trainees in 
appropriate courses after 6 ‑12 months to establish how 
they are using the skills gained.  Agreed  • The TACTF considered this reco mmendation 
at its meeting on 15 February 2018 . 
• Onsite and ex -post evaluations of activities 
carried out in 2018 gathered useful 
information in this regard to be considered 
by TACTF in future meetings.  
• Actions carried -out in various TA activities in 
relatio n to this recommendation are 
highlighted in chapter  3 of this report.  In progress  
23 Regularly review and report on the availability of 
course‑offerings in French, Spanish and other languages 
relative to the size of the pools of potential trainees.  Agreed  – Already 
implemented  • Language diversification continued to be 
monitored as documented in chapters  3 and 
4 of this report.  Implemented/ 
ongoing   WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 77 - # Recommendation  WTO Response  Action in 2018  Status  
24 Share good TA practices (e.g. on Advanced Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary (SPS) and new Technical Barriers to Trade 
(TBT) courses and thematic approaches) for possible 
inspiration and adaptation by others and ensure that 
innovation is promoted within the TA procedures and 
systems.  Agreed – Already 
implemented –  
This will also  
need to involve 
Members  • The meetings  of the TACTF provide d an 
opportunity to share good TA practices . 
• Onsite and ex -post evaluation of activities 
and country assessments identif ied good 
practice  disseminated through internal 
reports .  Thirteen  such evaluations 
performed  in 2018 ( chapter  3 of this 
report) . Implemented/ 
ongoing  
25 Benchmark WTO courses (including e ‑learning) against 
offerings by other institutions with a view to improving 
the learning experience and increasing interaction and 
interest for course participants, e.g., possibly pilot 
courses blending e ‑learning and in situ participation. 
Ensure that relevant training materials are available to 
participants in advance.  Partially agreed – 
Already partially 
implemented  • Examples of blended -learning approaches 
are described  in TA Annual Reports.  
• Chapter  3 of this report highlights some 
recent developments in this regard.  Implemented/ 
ongoing  
26 Strengthen practical and clearly understandable measures 
to track and improve results, calling on facilitation and 
training attuned  to WTO's business model, work to get 
"buy‑in" across the Organization for a clear and sensible 
logical framework and meaningful indicators to guide the 
Programme; spell out a practicable M&E plan, including 
manageable and useful monitoring and frequency a nd 
levels of evaluation coverage.  Agreed – Already 
partially 
implemented  • Business requirements for new TA 
management system  (TAMS)  finalized and 
software for application development 
selected.  
• TAMS  was launched in 2018 and t he first 
segment  of TA workflows was tested.  
• TAMS simplif ies TA procedures and 
workflows  and track s TA results.  
• TAMS user -friendliness enhances buy -in of 
RBM procedures across the Organization  
• M&E workplan for 2018 implemented 
(chapter 3 of this report)  In progress  
27 Further strengthen  financial reporting on actual 
expenditure against budget by instrument and result 
areas and at portfolio level across all funding sources.  Agreed  • Quarterly CBFA reports linking expenditure 
to Key Results of the TA Plans were 
introduced for the CBFA meetin g of 13 
November 2018.  Implemented/ 
ongoing  
28 Monitor and follow ‑up on issues raised in the participant 
evaluation forms and back ‑to‑office reports. Consider 
introducing a requirement for internal briefing/training of 
colleagues by training participants and interns, with 
country authorities taking responsibility to ensure that 
such sharing takes place.  Partially agreed – 
This will also  
need to involve 
Members  • Follow -up on BTOR recommendations was 
carried -out in 2018.  Implemented/ 
ongoing  
 
_______________      WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 78 - ANNEX I I 
MAIN RESULTS MEASURE D IN 201 8 
The information contained in the Remarks column  in this annex summarises  the analysis presented in section 5 of the report.  Their true meaning can 
only be understood in the light of the comments included in this section.  One should be careful not to read too much in the dry statements included in 
this table.  The assessment  is mainly  based on a desk analysis and was complement ed in 201 8 with only a limited number of  field visit s.  When relevant 
and useful, some of the finding s of the 2016 external evaluation have also been taken into account.  
 
 Results  Indicators  Targets  Remarks  
Impact  Developing and LDC Members are 
benefiting  from their active participation 
in the WTO  Share of developing Members' total trade (imports 
and exports) in world trade  > 40%  Target met  
Share of LDC Members' total trade in the world 
trade > 1.00%  Target met  
Outcome  1: Government officials are implementing 
WTO Agreements and fully realising 
Members' rights and obligations  Number of documents submitted by developing 
and LDC Members in WTO Bodies  Increase in participation/ 
submissions of  documents  Target met  
Number of outstanding notifications by TA 
beneficiaries Members  5% decrease of  outstanding 
notifications  Target met  
Output  1.1: Government officials have enhanced 
knowledge about the WTO Agreements, 
formulation of trade policies and conduct 
of trade negotiations  Number of participants completing each PLS level  Annual stability  Target met  
Number of participants in WTO face -to-face TRTA 
activities  Annual stability  Target met  
Interactive training methods' share of time in each 
activity (e.g. exercises, case studies, simulations, 
Q&A, presentation by participants, participation in 
Committee meetings, etc.)  Annual decrease in share of 
lectures  Target met  
Spread of level of development of Members' 
participation in TA face -to-face courses  Annual stability  Target met  
Spread of geographical coverage of Members' 
participation in TA face -to-face courses  Maintain spread annually as 
indicated in the TA Plan  Target met  
Success rate in 8 -week ITPC final exam  At least 90% annually  Target met  
% of participants giving an excellent rating to 
ITCPs’ overall content and results  Annual increase  Target met  
% of participants giving an excellent rating to 
ATPCs' and advanced thematic courses' overall 
content and results  Annual increase  Target met  
Number of revised modules or case studies in 
ATPCs  Two per year  Target met  
Number of participants trained on trade 
negotiating skills  Annual stability  Target partially met  
Advanced thematic courses focused on 
implementation  Three in 2017 and four in 
2018 Target met  
Implementation of Action Plans within 12 months 
(Advanced SPS course)  Annual stability  Target partially met 
Implementation of Action Plans within 12 months 
(Advanced TBT course)  Annual stability  Target not met   WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 79 -  Results  Indicators  Targets  Remarks  
Number of interns in FIMIP  Per year: FIMIP: 15  Target met 
Number of interns in RCI  Per year: RCI: 8  Target partially met  
Final evaluation rate of each intern by their 
supervisor (FIMIP)  100% fully satisfactory  Target met  
Final evaluation rate of each intern by their 
supervisor (RCI)  100% fully satisfactory  Target met  
Final evaluation rate of each intern by their 
supervisor (AIP)  100% fully satisfactory  Data not available  
Number of participants in WTO e -Learning TRTA 
activities  Annual stability  Target met  
Spread of level of development of Members' 
participation in TA online courses  Annual stability  Target met  
Spread of geographical coverage of Members' 
participation in TA online courses  Maintain spread annually as 
indicated in the TA Plan  Target met  
New and revised online courses released each year  3 new or revised 
courses/year  Target met  
% of participants rating the balance between 
theory and practice as good or excellent in online 
courses  70% during the biennium  Target met  
% of participants rating the quality of the user-
friendliness of the e -Campus and the rate of 
availability of the website throughout the year in 
the online courses as good or excellent  70% during the biennium  Target met  
e-Learning success rate  Annual increase  Target met  
e-Learning drop -out rate Annual stability  Target met  
e-Learning rate of correct answers in the exam  Annual stability  Target met  
e-Learning distinction rate  Annual stability  Target met  
Output  1.2: Effective partnerships established 
resulting in substantive contributions  of 
human and financial resources for TA 
activities  Proportion of activities with the involvement of a 
partner  Annual stability  Target met  
Proportion of partners' contribution to the TA 
activities  Annual increase of 
substantive contributions  Target met  
Output  1.3: Members' needs and priorities 
identified  Number of needs assessments conducted 
annually, either independently or as part of a TPR  Increase during the 
biennium  Target met  
Output  1.4: WTO data accessed and used by 
Members to analyse trade-related matters  Visits by Members' logging in to the WTO website  Annual stability  Target met  
Number of officials trained annually on what is 
available and how to retrieve the information from 
WTO databases  Annual increase  Target met  
Number of requests for training on WTO 
Databases  Annual increase  Data not available  
Outcome  2: Acceding governments are participating 
in accession negotiations  Number of acceding governments, including LDCs, 
with a formal or informal Working Party meeting 
held Annual increase  Target partially met    WT/COMTD/W/245  
 
- 80 -  Results  Indicators  Targets  Remarks  
Output  2.1: Acceding governments are familiar 
with WTO substantive and procedural 
matters  Number of participants from acceding 
governments attending Outcome 1 TA activities  Annual stability  Target met  
Number of roadmaps and endgame plans designed  Annual stability  Target met  
Output  2.2: Interested Members have expertise 
on GPA rules, accession negotiations, best 
practices and core access obligations  No. of GPA accession -related documents circulated 
for all currently active GPA accessions involving 
TA-eligible Members  Annual stability  Target partially  met 
Outcome  3: Academic institutions and other 
stakeholders are analysing WTO issues 
and reaching out to policy makers  Number of consultative processes in which WTO 
Chairs or young professionals have been involved  Annual stability  Target met  
Output  3.1: Research on trade policy and WTO -
related matters generated by WTO Chairs 
and other academics through provision of 
grants  Number of publications in internati onally peer -
reviewed journals  Annual increase  Target partially met  
Quality of research papers as measured by SJR 
and SNIP ratings of the journals in which the 
Chairs' research is published  Annual increase  Target partially met  
Output  3.2: Courses developed by the relevant 
academic institutions have WTO content 
and students are being trained on WTO -
related subjects by the WTO and its Chairs  Number of students in WTO -related courses or 
getting a degree per year  Annual increase  Target partially  met 
Output  3.3: The WTO Chairs are reaching out to 
other stakeholders and key decision  Number of outreach events per year  Annual increase  Target not met  
Involvement of key decision -makers  Annual increase  Target met  
Output  3.4: YPPs are exposed to WTO issues and 
work Number of YPs hosted annually by the WTO  Per year: 15  Target met  
Final evaluation rate of each intern by their 
supervisor  100% fully satisfactory  Target met  
Outcome  4: Non -governmental stakeholders and 
legislators are aware of and 
knowledgeable about WTO work and 
issues  Richness of debates and reports on trade issues, 
diversity of WTO related topics covered by papers 
produced by this group of stakeholders  Annual stability  Target met  
Output  4.1: Specific outreach activities organized 
for legislators, journalists, business and 
NGOs on WTO issues and trade policies  Number of seminars, workshops conducted  Annual stability  Target met  
Output  4.2: Improved understanding by 
journalists, civil society and businesses of 
WTO issues and trade policies  Number of key stakeholders reached during the 
year Annual stability  Target met  
Output  4.3: Improved access to WTO issues 
through online training material for self -
study  Number of downloaded training materials  Annual stability  Target met  
Output  4.4: Information on trade -related TA 
provided including through the ITTC 
Newsletter  Number of views  Annual stability  Data not available  
 
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