RESTRICTED  
  
WT/BFA/W/514  
 
28 February 2020  
(20-1522) Page: 1/9 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
CURRENT EXTRABUDGETA RY FUNDS AT THE WTO SECRETARIAT  
1  INTRODUCTION  
There are currently 14 Trust Funds managed by the WTO Secretariat. Below, is a summary of  
each Trust Fund with information about its origins and management.  
Table 1 contains the fund expenditures and balances for each Trust Fund as at 
31 December  2019.  
Table 1 Trust Fund Balances as at 31 December 2019  
2019 Trust Funds - provisional statement of accounts  
Trust Fund  Expenditure 
2019  
(CHF 000)  Balance 2019 
(CHF 000)  % of All 
Trust 
Funds 
(exp.)  % of All 
Trust 
Funds 
(bal.)  
Global Trust Fund  9,187  9,664  52.22%  32.98%  
French -Irish Mission Internship 
Programme  1,122  1,230  6.38%  4.20%  
Netherlands Trainee Programme  672 1,185  3.82%  4.04%  
China LDCs & Accessions Programme  320 750 1.82%  2.56%  
Standards and Trade Development Facility 
- STDF - 4,728  9,412  26.88%  32.12%  
Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility  1,211  5,126  6.88%  17.50%  
LDC in the 12th WTO Ministerial 
Conference , Kazakhstan  0 406 0.00%  1.39%  
WTO Fisheries LDCs participation  135 34 0.77%  0.12%  
LDC Graduation Fund  80 120 0.45%  0.41%  
Transferring technologies for the 
development  of Cotton  69 78 0.39%  0.27%  
China Development Cooperation Research 
Fund 1 1,286  0.01%  4.39%  
Natural Disasters and Trade*  44 8 0.25%  0.03%  
Data Set on Trade in Services*  23 0 0.13%  0.00%  
Total  17,592  29,299  100%  100%  
* Activities related to these funds were effectively concluded in 2019 and they are no longer active . 
 
2  GLOBAL TRUST FUND (I NCLUDED IN THE BIENNIAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  AND 
TRAINING PLAN)  
The Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF)  was established in 2001 to finance 
technical assistance programmes and training activities for developing and least -developed countries 
as well as economies in transition. Its Terms of Reference (ToR)  and a model Memorandum of 
Understanding (MoU) were developed by the Secretariat in consultation with  Members.  The 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration ( CBFA) reviewed these documents in WT/BFA/W/514  
 
- 2 - 
 
  December  2001 (WT/BFA/56), and they were subsequently approved by the General  Council on 
19 December 2001 (WT/GC/M/72).  
As originally stated in the ToRs and mo del MoU, the purpose of the DDAGTF is to finance 
Technical Assistance  (TA) activities under the WTO Biennial Technical Assistance and Training Plan 
(TA Plan ), alongside the Regular Budget  (RB). The TA Plan is traditionally adopted by the C ommittee 
on Trade and Development  (CTD)  and its funding by the CBFA.  For example, Annex 2 of the TA Plan 
for 2020 -21 (WT/COMTD/W/248/Rev.1) details how the TA Plan will be financed by the RB, Global 
Trust Fund (GTF) and other earmarked Trust Funds managed by the Institute for Training and 
Technical Cooperation ( ITTC).  
Another important purpose for creating a core Trust Fund was to consolidate the numerous 
extra-budgetary funds in a single Trust Fund, to provide a stable financial basis for the delivery of 
the TA Plan adopted by Members. The activities supported by the GTF are intended to: enhance 
institutional and human capacity in beneficiary countries; address trade policy issues and concerns; 
facilitate fuller participation of beneficiaries in the Multilateral Trading System; and encourage 
effective participation in the n egotiations.  
In addition to the GTF, three other funds are included in the Biennial TA Plan prepared and 
overseen by the ITTC.  These are the French Irish Internship Programme, the Netherlands Trainee 
Programme, and the China LDCs and Accessions Programme.  
In 2010, donors requested the Secretariat to start managing the WTO TA activities based on 
results.  The Result -Based Management (RBM) strategy was approved by the D irector -General  on 
12 December  2012 and implemented as of 1 January 2013.  The TA Plan for 20 14-15 
(WT/COMTD/W/200) , adopted by the CTD on 24  October 2013 (WT/COMTD/M/89) , was the first one 
to include a Logical Framework (logframe) structured around four Key Results and presenting by 
Key Result and by output the key performance indicators to be us ed to measure results, their 
baseline, target, source of evidence and assumptions.  Since 2015, TA annual reports presented to 
the CTD follow the logframe structure to assess TA results, Key Result by Key Result, output by 
output and indicator by indicator (see WT/COMTD/W/2 16 for 2015, WT/COMTD/ W/225 for 2016, 
WT/COMTD/ W/235 for 2017 and WT/COMTD/ W/245 for 2018).  This approach was validated by the 
external evaluation of WTO TA performed in 2016 (WT/COMTD/89).  
The WTO launched the TA Management System (TAMS - https://tamis.wto.org/ ) project with 
the objectives of streamlining the TA workflows, reinforcing their controls and security, and 
developing a user -friendly platform to provide real -time information on TA to the Sec retariat and 
Members.  The internal controls built -in in the TA workflows rely essentially on the segregation of 
tasks and the individual responsibility of key staff members in different divisions.  A TA workflow is 
initiated by an Electronic Activity Reques t (eAR). The completion of an eAR requires successive 
contributions, depending of the TA activity concerned. Any given workflow goes through each officer 
involved only once and any piece of information in the eAR is validated only once by the most 
qualifie d officer (e.g. availability of funds by Budget, quality of the RBM approach by Technical 
Assistance Monitoring and Evaluation ( TAME ), etc.).  Every step in the workflow is traceable in TAMS 
and can be subsequently audited. This set -up conforms to best internal control practices.  
The results of TA activities are monitored and assessed by the TAME Section of ITTC.  A 
Monitoring and Evaluation  (M&E)  plan to formalise the approach followed since 2009 is currently 
being finalised and may be presented to the C TD at some point in 2020.  The M&E plan relies on a 
mixture of participants' evaluations; self -evaluations by the trainers delivering TA; onsite 
evaluations, country assessment s, ex-post evaluations and annual assessments performed by TAME; 
and external eva luations by consultants.  The last external evaluation , in 2016 , confirmed the 
robustness of the M&E approach of the WTO (WT/COMTD/89).  
The WTO communicates with Members on the TA coordinated by ITTC through various types 
of instruments:  
a. the TA Plan adopted  by the CTD gathers the TA needs and priorities identified by 
beneficiaries, articulates the various strategies to be followed during the biennium to 
respond to these needs and lists the expected TA Key Results and outputs; it includes the 
TA logframe and an activity matrix;  WT/BFA/W/514  
 
- 3 - 
 
  b. the TA annual report presents to the CTD the main evolutions of the year, the details of the 
activities implemented and an assessment of performance against each of the indicators 
identified in the TA Plan;  
c. the TA page of the WTO websit e includes a list of upcoming face -to-face TA activities with a 
number of details (dates, venue, programme), a link to the e -Learning website where online 
courses can be accessed and TA dashboards to analyse past TA by subject, region, language, 
Key Result , etc.;1 
d. quarterly Extra -budgetary Funds reports present to the CBFA the financial situation of each 
TF and the expenditure by Key Result of the TA Plan (see WT/BFA/W/506 for the Q3 report 
of 2019);  
e. the annual financial report of the WTO analyses , in details , the financial performance under 
the RB and the various TFs;  
f. the TA Newsletter circulated electronically by ITTC in the three WTO languages, twice a year, 
to TA beneficiaries and the WTO TA community at large;  and 
g. for each Ministerial Conferenc e, a leaflet synthesizing some key facts on the WTO TA, its 
funding and results is circulated to Members and M inisterial Conference  delegations.  
3  THE FRENCH IRISH INT ERNSHIP PROGRAMME (I NCLUDED IN THE TA PLAN OVERSEEN 
BY ITTC)  
The Mission Internship Program me (MIP) resulted from the decision of Ireland and 
the United  Kingdom in 2001 , to provide, through the WTO, additional support to the smaller Geneva -
based missions to help them follow WTO -related work.  Denmark joined the programme in 2002 and 
France in 2009; the U nited Kingdom  left it in 2005 and Denmark in 2009.  The programme was 
renamed French -Irish Mission Internship Programme (FIMIP) in 2018 at the request of the donors.  
The programme forms part of the TA Plan, which means that the vetting, governance, reporting 
and internal controls already described above for the GTF are equall y applicable here.  
Under this programme, interns work as delegates in their own country 's mission and represent 
their country on selected WTO committees.  They stay in Geneva for ten months and receive a 
monthly lump sum plus travel expenses.  The programme is open to nationals of developing 
countries, including LDCs and economies in transition with a mission in Geneva.  The selection 
process is conducted by ITTC, Development Division and Human Resources Division, and in close 
consultation with missions.   
The most recent ex -post evaluation of the programme was performed by TAME in 2019.  
4  THE NETHERLANDS TRAI NEE PROGRAMME (INCLU DED IN THE TA PLAN OVERSEEN BY 
ITTC)  
The Netherlands Trainee Programme (NTP) was launched in 1998, when the Netherlands  
decided to financ e, through an earmarked voluntary contribution , an internship programme in the 
Secretariat for junior public officials from selected developing Members and Observers.  The 
programme is open to nationals of LDCs, low -income countries and poor small and vulne rable 
economies.  Particular attention is given to African countries.   
The programme forms part of the TA Plan, which means that the vetting, governance, reporting 
and internal controls already described above for the GTF are equally applicable here.  
The se lection is done by a Committee comprising ITTC, Human Resources Division and 
Development Division. The recruitment and conditions have been harmonised with the FIMIP.  Interns 
stay in Geneva for ten months and receive a monthly lump sum plus travel expenses .  
 
1 https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/devel_e/teccop_e/tct_e.htm . WT/BFA/W/514  
 
- 4 - 
 
  
The most recent ex -post evaluation of the programme was performed by TAME in 2019.  
5  CHINA LDCS AND ACCES SIONS PROGRAMME (INC LUDED IN THE TA PLAN)  
The "China LDCs and Accessions Programme" (hereinafter "the China Programme") was 
established in 2011 under an MoU signed between China and the WTO and renewed yearly ever 
since.  The China Programme is aimed at strengthening LDCs' participation in the WTO and at 
assisting acceding LDCs in joining the WTO.  The China LDCs and Accessions programme is a fully 
earmar ked TF structured around five pillars:  
1. WTO Accessions Internship Programme;  
2. Annual WTO Accession Round Table, generally called China Round Table;  
3. LDC participation in WTO or WTO -related meetings;  
4. South -South Dialogue on LDCs and development; and  
5. LDC TPR follow -up workshops.  
The Accessions Internship Programme is managed by the Accessions division, in collaboration 
with the Human Resources Division; the China Round Table is managed by Accessions division; the 
South -South dialogue is managed by the Developm ent division; and the LDC participation in 
meetings and TPR follow -ups are administered by ITTC.  
An on -site evaluation of the 7th China Round Table held in Kazakhstan in September 2018 and 
an ex -post evaluation of the Accessions Internship Programme in 20 19 were performed by TAME.  
6  STANDARDS AND TRADE DEVELOPMENT FACILITY  (STDF)  
The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) is a global partnership and Trust Fund 
established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal 
Health (OIE), the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO) and t he WTO. The STDF 
supports developing countries in building their capacity to implement international Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) guidelines and recommendations as a means to improve their 
human, animal and plant health status and ability to gain and maintain access to markets.  
Other organizations involved in SPS -related technical cooperation, donors contributing to the 
STDF and developing country experts participate actively in its work.2 The STDF is managed by 
the WTO.  
The STDF launched a n ew strategy (2020 -2024) on 30 January 2020  that creates a  roadmap 
for taking the  STDF's work forward.   
The STDF grew out of a Joint Statement issued by the Directors -General of FAO, OIE, WHO, 
World Bank and WTO at the Doha Ministerial Conference in Novembe r 2001.3 In September 2004, 
the STDF Policy Committee (i.e. STDF founding partners - DDG level) formally established the STDF 
trust fund through the adoption of a Business Plan, including fiduciary responsibilities stipulating:  
"The WTO hereby formally establishes a Trust Fund (hereinafter referred to as "the 
Fund") under the financial regulations and rules of the WTO for the receipt and 
administration of funds and for mobilizing resources needed to enhance the programme 
activiti es of the Standard and Trade Development Facility in the area of SPS (hereinafter 
referred to as “the STDF”)."  
"The WTO will serve as the executing institution to administer the STDF and as the 
Administrator of the Fund. The Fund shall provide a central p oint for the deposit of 
contributions to the STDF. Financial resources pledged to the Fund will be managed by 
the WTO as the Administrator of the Fund. All WTO standard rules, regulations and 
 
2 Further information on the STDF and its activities, background documents, etc. is available on the 
STDF website ( http://www.standardsfacility.org/ ). 
3 Document WT/MIN(01)/ST/97.   WT/BFA/W/514  
 
- 5 - 
 
  procedures will be applied to management reporting and financial  management and 
accounting related to the Fund."  
The Business Plan also stipulated that the STDF Secretariat be located at the WTO, which 
appoints the Secretary from its staff to head the Secretariat and appoints or contracts other staff 
for the Secretaria t as necessary, funded by the budget of the Facility. The Secretariat is bound by 
the legal and fiduciary rules of the WTO and trust funds that support the Facility 's activities.  
The STDF works with implementing partner organizations and consultants to im plement project 
and project preparation  grants (PPGs). On average, approx imately 68% of STDF's annual resources 
are disbursed this way. In terms of overhead fees (13%), approx imately  50% is shared with 
implementing partner organizations, while the other 50 % is retained by the WTO . 
The governance structure of the STDF is set out in the STDF Operational Rules (OR).4 This 
includes a Policy Committee, which decides on strategic direction (see para. 7 of the OR), a Working 
Group that prepares and oversees the im plementation of annual work plans and budgets (see 
para. 10 of the OR), and a Secretariat (housed in the Agriculture and Commodities Division ) 
responsible for actual implementation of the work plan (see para. 16 of the OR).  
The STDF Secretariat reports to members on the implementation of STDF's work plan at each 
Working Group meeting, including all projects and PPGs under implementation. The STDF Secretariat 
also prepares STDF's Annual Report, issued in May/June each year, which reports on activities 
implem ented, highlights results, and identifies lessons and opportunities. The report is discussed in, 
and approved by, the Working Group. All Annual Reports are available on the STDF website.5  
7  TRADE FACILITATION A GREEMENT FACILITY (T FAF)  
The purpose of the TFA F is to help developing countries and LDCs to implement the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement. The objective is to assist developing countries and LDCs to  find the support 
they need  to implement the Trade Facilitation Agreement  (TFA) .  
As presented to the Gener al Council (WT/GC/M/152) on 25 July 2014 the WTO TFAF was a 
response to concerns which the ACP, LDC and African Group Coordinators had raised about LDCs 
and developing Members being able to access the necessary support to implement the Agreement, 
under sec tion 2 of the TFA. It was created to answer those concerns and ensure that those Members 
will receive the support they need in order to reap the full benefits of the TFA. 
One of the roles of the Facility is to enhance coordination and reduce duplication amongst 
partner organizations working to support the implementation of the TFA – the so -called Annex D+ 
Organizations.  In regional and national workshops, external expertise is often sought in the form of 
speakers from Annex D partners when the ir implementation expertise strengthens the program. 
TFAF funds the travel and accommodation costs of such speakers when their funds do not otherwise 
allow.  
As set out in the Operational Guidelines, "The Facility is operated, managed, and monitored by 
the WTO Secretariat."  These Guidelines were drafted in cooperation with WTO donor Members (the 
broader community  of developed countries) and were presented to developing countries for 
input/comment.  Periodically , meetings are held  with the trust fund donors to  provide an update on 
recent and planned activities and receive their input.  
Expenditure in terms of organizing workshops and participating in external events is governed 
by the WTO rules, as agreed by the donors to the trust fund. The anticipated number o f events is 
reported in the annual work plan which is available to all online. The specific cost associated with 
each event, is reported in the annual report which is also available to all online.  
As agreed in the operational rules for the TFAF grant progr am, a selection committee, 
comprised  of two trust fund donors, two developing country Members, an international organization 
(Annex D), and a WTO official will judge the applications for project implementation grants.  (This 
 
4 See: https://www.standardsfacility.org/key -documents . 
5 See: https://www.standardsfacility.org/stdf -annual -reports/ . WT/BFA/W/514  
 
- 6 - 
 
  program is a relatively new prog ram and no project implementation grant requests have been 
received yet.)  
The TFAF reports regularly to the WTO Trade Facilitation Committee on its activities.  It invites 
Members to provide input and announces the availability of its annual work plans and annual reports, 
which are published on the TFAF website. All Members can pose questions or raise any issues 
following the report . 
An annual work plan published in November outlines the available and anticipated activities for 
the year ahead and is develope d based on the requirements of the TFA, information provided at TF 
Committee meetings , and on needs expressed by developing and LDC Members. Operational 
decisions on the allocation of funding and staff time is therefore made according to need and within 
the agreed parameters of the Facilities activities in the annual work plans . 
As agreed in its Operational Rules, TFAF follows the logical framework (log frame) approach to 
project management. All activity requests are judged against their contribution to the  log frame.  
TFAF maintains an activity log which follows the delivery of each activity and tracks outputs, and the 
evidence for progress  in terms of participant feedback, notifications submitted, back to office reports, 
etc. Each activity is then summarize d in the annual report, along with the activity tracker which are 
all available on the TFAF website.  
The operational rules also require an external audit 5 years after the TFA enters into force.  
8  MINISTERIAL CONFEREN CE – PARTICIPATION O F LDCS  
Since the fir st WTO Ministerial Conference held in Singapore in 1996, the WTO has facilitated 
the participation of LDCs in Ministerial Conferences, using voluntary contributions. Costs related to 
travel, accommodation and per diem of LDC delegations, comprised of one M inister and two high 
level Officials, are covered.  
The WTO Secretariat provides the logistical support for organizing travel based on nominations 
from LDC delegations and eligibility for support based on a Member 's status under administrative 
measures. The s tatus of the fund is reported on regularly to the CBFA leading up to each Ministerial 
and financial reporting is included in routine quarterly trust fund and annual year end reporting.  
At the end of a given Mini sterial Conference, the remaining balances in favour of the various 
donors are usually carried forward and added to the new contributions to be utilized for the same 
purpose in the subsequent Ministerial Conference, unless the donor requests a reimbursemen t. 
9  LDC FISHERIES NEGOTI ATIONS TRUST FUND  
The LDC Fisheries Negotiations Trust Fund has the sole purpose of financing the travel costs of 
fisheries officials from LDC capitals to take part in Negotiating Group on Rules fisheries subsidies 
meeting clusters. This fund was established in response to requests from LDCs in open Rules 
Negotiating G roup and HODs/TNC/GC meetings for financial support for this purpose.  
Norway, Australia, New Zealand and Germany agreed to provide funding, and they requested 
the Secretariat to administ er the payments. The trust fund structure was identified as the pract ical 
way to do this. The trust fund was established in accordance with the Secretariat's new guidelines 
for notification of voluntary contributions, such that transparency was provided to the Members from 
the outset.  
In establishing parameters of the fund, it was agreed t hat a maximum of 11 persons would be 
funded for each cluster meeting, that it is for the LDC Group to determine which of its member 
countries will be funded to participate in any given cluster ; and that it is for each individual country 
to name its representative. The nomination form contains professional and language proficiency 
requirements that need to be confirmed and the Rules Division reviews the forms to be sure that 
they contain the requisite information  to be eligible . Thus, the Me mbers themselves nominate their 
capital -based negotiators for these meetings. The Secretariat makes no selection  but provide s the 
logistical support for organizing travel arrangements for nominated individuals . WT/BFA/W/514  
 
- 7 - 
 
  10  LDC GRADUATION TRUST  FUND  
In response to a re quest from the WTO LDC Group, made in the Sub -Committee on LDCs on 
30 October 2018 (WT/COMTD/LDC/M/84) and reiterated in writing through a Note Verbale on 
21 November 2018, the WTO Secretariat has , in collaboration with the EIF Executive Secretariat , 
devel oped a project on LDC Graduation aimed at ensuring a smooth graduation process for the 
12 LDCs in the graduation pipeline.  
The project, along with its objectives, envisaged activities, and estimated budget, was 
considered by the CBFA on 13 November 2018 ( WT/BFA/W/466) and also approved by the EIF Board 
on 16 January 2019. The Trust Fund was established on 19 March 2019 to carry out research and 
analytical work on the trade -related implications of graduation as well as to organize national and 
regional acti vities to enhance capacity of graduating LDCs to better prepare them for graduation 
from LDC status. The principal project outputs and activities are the following:  
a. Analytical reports on LDC Graduation and the WTO (cross -cutting analysis; country -specific 
market access analysis; and country reports) ; 
b. National and regional capacity -building workshops ; and  
c. Dissemination events, including at the WTO . 
The project is being implemented by the Development Division. Project activities are being 
undertaken in line with the approved project proposal. Briefings on progress in the implementation 
of the project are being provided to Members in the Sub -Committee on LDCs, to the LDC Group, to 
the EIF Board, and UNOPS – the Trust Fund Manager. WTO keeps other IGOs wor king on graduation 
informed about the project activities through the UN inter -agency task force on LDC graduation.  
11  COTTON BY -PRODUCTS P ROJECT  
The project on "Technology Transfer for the Development of Cotton by -Products in 8 African 
LDCs", started on 7 Jul y 2019 with a 204,000 USD grant from the EIF and the establishment of the 
relevant "WTO Cotton by -products fund". The project  emanated from the joint -initiative on cotton 
by-products, which was conceived and endorsed by WTO Members in November 2018 
(TN/AG/ SCC/W/30 - WT/CFMC/58). The project is expected to be concluded on 30 June 2020.  
 The trust fund was notified to the CBFA on 16 July 2019 (WT/BFA/INF/4), in line with the 
process set out in the "Guidelines for the receipt and notification of voluntary fund  contributions" . 
This trust fund contributes to the achievement of WTO mandates  on cotton development 
assistance , as recently reflected in the following documents : 
• Nairobi Ministerial Declaration on Cotton (2015):  "We underline the importance of effective 
assistance to support the cotton sector in developing country Members, especially the LDCs 
amongst them. We recognize that the Aid -for-Trade (AfT) initiative, including through the 
Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), should play a key role in strengthenin g the cotton 
sector in LDCs. The linkage between this initiative and the development aspects of cotton 
should be reinforced to help formulate, on the basis of priorities identified by LDC cotton 
producers, multidimensional and integrated programmes and pro jects at the regional and 
sub-regional level, to be submitted to development partners."  (para. 11).  
 
• Bali Ministerial Declaration on Cotton (2013):  [W]e invite the LDCs to continue identifying 
their needs linked to cotton or related sectors […]. We urge th e development partners to 
accord special focus to such needs within the existing aid -for-trade mechanisms/channels 
such as the EIF and the technical assistance and capacity building work of relevant 
international institutions ." (para. 10).  
 
This trust fund  is specifically linked to  the "Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between 
the World Trade Organization (WTO) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) on 
Collaborative Arrangements in the EIF Programme Phase 2", effective as of 12 March 2019.  Pursuant 
to this MoU, the WTO has been working in close collaboration with the ITC, UNCTAD and IFAD.  WT/BFA/W/514  
 
- 8 - 
 
  
Trust fund activities are regularly discussed at the biannual meetings of the Director -General's 
Consultative Framework Mechanism on Cotton ( DGCFMC ), under the standing agenda item 6 on 
"cotton projects" , which was  introduced in 2017, at the request of Members, for the specific purpose 
of, inter alia, reviewing the operation and effectiveness of individual cotton projects 
(TN/AG/SCC/W/28  – WT/CFMC/56 ). The official reports of the meetings of the DGCFMC contain the 
decisions made by this Committee. They can be found in the TN/AG/SCC/W/*  - WT/CFMC/*  
documentation series.  
12  THE CHINA DEVELOPMEN T COOPERATION RESEAR CH FUND  
The Government of the People's Republic of China and the WTO set up this Trust Fund to 
strengthen collaboration in research and research -related technical assistance and capacity building 
for trade. The funding for these projects comes from the South South Cooperation Assistanc e Fund  
(SSCAF) and is pledged to provide up to USD 8 million over several years. The funds only arrive at 
the WTO when a project is identified. E ach project  then leads to the  establish ment of a trust fund  to 
help ensure clear accounting and reporting. Indi vidual projects  are expected to be in the USD 250k-
USD 500k range . The overarching agreement is coordinated by the Economic Research and Statistics 
Division (ERSD).  
Two projects have been approved by the Director -General so  far. An Investment Facilitation 
for Development project, and more recently the Asycuda/TiVA project.  
As the structure of this voluntary contribution agreement is somewhat different from that of 
other initiatives, the exact procedures for how to manage projects has been a learning process  and 
evolved over these first two projects. Additionally, the projects are not intended to be traditional 
WTO technical assistance. They are envisioned to have a strong development and research 
orientation , aiming to fill gaps in capacity and/or capabiliti es for developing country members and 
in areas where the secretariat could provide more useful research, databases, and insights that 
facilitate further participation in the global trading system for developing country members .  
The selection process for p rojects is now overseen by  an informal governing body that 
evaluates project proposals from both a technical needs and a WTO objectives perspective.  The 
informal body is organized by Director of ERSD and includes a representative from Administration 
and Ge neral Services Division ( AGSD ) and the Director -General's Office  (DGO) . All selected projects 
are also reviewed by the DGO, and no project is approved for submission for technical review to the 
SSCAF office in Beijing until the D irector -General  has approved  the project . This is a multi -layered 
approach to project evaluation and approval.  
For the SSCAF projects the Director of the division implementing an approved project is 
responsible for project decisions, which should be consistent with the a pproved project plan.  The 
Director of ERSD provides overall oversight of project implementations against their programmatic 
and financial plans.  A representative of AGSD reviews project financial commitments and 
implementation.  
Three additional projects ar e currently under internal consideration.  
13  NATURAL DISASTER AND  TRADE TRUST FUND  
The Natural Disasters and Trade Fund was established in 2018 to undertake research on the 
trade effects of natural disasters and understand the scope to take measures for resp onse, recovery 
and resilience under WTO Agreements. The project was submitted to the CBFA for consent in 
April 2018 (WT/BFA/W/445).  The research work was funded with a grant from the Mission of 
Australia to the WTO.  Project research activities were underta ken between April 2018 and completed 
in December 2019. The principal project outputs were as follows:  
• Four Symposia on natural disasters and trade held at WTO;  
• Report on trade impacts of natural disasters, including reports on six disaster -affected 
Member s; and 
• Mapping of natural disasters and WTO agreements . 
 WT/BFA/W/514  
 
- 9 - 
 
  
The project was managed by the Development Division and implemented internally without 
implementing partners.  Project activities were undertaken based on a project plan agreed with the 
donor.  
14  DATA SE T ON TRADE IN SERVIC ES BY SECTOR AND MOD E OF SUPPLY (CLOSED)  
The Trust Fund was created in October 2016 by an agreement between the EU Commission 
and the WTO to finance a project aimed at analysing and providing data on goods, services and 
intellectual pro perty by mode of supply, to trade analysts.  The project was submitted to the CBFA 
for consent in September 2016 (WT/BFA/W/401). It also contribute d to the improvement of the 
Global Trade Analyst Project (GTAP) database used for trade analysis, thus enhanci ng transparency 
and the quality of trade analysis in the services domain.   
The activity was managed and implemented by the WTO/ERSD in co -operation with Trade in 
Services and Investment Division ( TISID ). Results were reviewed by academics, data compilers a nd 
various international organizations. Two expert meetings were organized and other international 
organizations, data compilers and academics participated on their own accounts.  Results were 
released on the WTO website as a WTO-established product.  Intermediate and final results were 
presented at various academic meetings and to the Members in the Committee on Trade in Services . 
The work was completed in 2019.  
15  ADMINISTRATIVE EXTRA -BUDGETARY FUNDS WIT HOUT PROGRAMMATIC AS PECTS  
The following three extr a-budgetary funds do not have programmatic or operational elements 
and exist for administrative reasons. They are reported on annually in the WTO Financial Report but  
are not included in the quarterly reporting on programmatic trust funds.  
The Programme Su pport Fund (PSF)  is a mechanism for managing programme support costs 
which are typically charged at a rate of 13% of the direct costs incurred by Trust Funds administered 
by the WTO. The WTO may allocate a portion of the Programme Support Costs to Trust Fu nds that 
it manages with implementing partners. Overhead fees are collected and calculated as of 
31 December of each year.  10% of the expenses in the PSF are statutorily credited back to the WTO 
regular budget to cover some overheads for services used in t he delivery of activities financed from 
the extra -budgetary funds.  
The Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF)  Executive Secretariat was established in 2008 and 
is housed at the WTO. Funding for the EIF is channelled through two sources: the multilateral EIF 
Trust Fund managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and bilateral/regional 
donor support made directly to the beneficiary countries. The EIF Trust Fund makes an annual 
allocation to the WTO to cover the operating expenditures of the  EIF Executive Secretariat.  
Independent Entity (IE)  is a mechanism for settling disputes between exporters and 
pre-shipment inspection companies/agencies. It is constituted by the WTO, International Chamber 
of Commerce and the International Federation of I nspection Agencies. The fund is established under 
Article 4 of the Agreement on Pre -shipment Inspection.  This fund has never been drawn -down since 
its establishment in 1995 and is a subsidiary of the Committee on Trade in Goods.  
16  NOTIFICATION OF NEW TRUST F UNDS  
When the possibility of a new trust fund arises, information on the proposed fund is shared 
with the CBFA consistent with Financial Regulation 19 and the process implemented by the    
Director -General in the "Guidelines for the Receipt and Notification of Voluntary Fund Contributions" 
(WT/INF/219).  
 
__________