WT/COMTD/W/225  
 
11 July  2017 
(17-3739) Page: 1/82 
Institute for Training and Technical  Cooperation    
 
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAIN ING 
 
2016 
TABLE OF CONTENTS  
ACRONYMS  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  3 
1   EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  ................................ ................................ ................................ . 5 
1.1   Main evolutions in 2016 compared to 2015  ................................ ................................ ..... 5 
1.2   Implementation of TA Plan - main features of the WTO Technical Assistance in 2016  ...........  5 
1.3   Evaluation of Performance in 2016 and lessons learnt  ................................ ......................  6 
2   INTRODUCTION  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  7 
3   MAIN EVOLUTIONS IN 2 016 COMPARED TO 2015  ................................ .......................  7 
3.1   Continued tight management of the T A resources  ................................ ............................  7 
3.1.1   Resources for TA decreased ................................ ................................ ...............  8 
3.1.2   Stable volume of TA activities  ................................ ................................ ............  8 
3.2   Implementation of Results -Based Management  ................................ .............................. 10 
3.3   Improving the TA offer  ................................ ................................ ................................ 11 
3.3.1   Continuous improvements in the e -Learning offer  ................................ ............... 11 
3.3.2   Continuous improvements in the face -to-face offer  ................................ ............. 15 
3.3.3   Focus on the Implementation of the WTO Agreements  ................................ ......... 17 
4   IMPLEMENTATION OF TA  PLAN AND MAIN FEATUR ES OF THE TA PROVIDE D 
IN 2016  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  19 
4.1   Participation of least developed countries (LDCs)  ................................ ............................ 20 
4.2   Geographical distribution  ................................ ................................ ............................. 22 
4.3   Product mix  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 24 
4.4   Distribution by subject  ................................ ................................ ................................ 28 
4.5   Language mix  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............ 30 
4.6   Progressivity of training  ................................ ................................ ............................... 32 
4.7   Gender mix  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 33 
4.8   Key Result mix  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 34 
5   EVALUATION OF PERFOR MANCE IN 2016  ................................ ................................ .. 36 
5.1   Key Result 1: Government officials are implementing WTO Agreements and making 
full use of Members' rights  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..38 
5.1.1   Output 1.1: Government officials have enhanced knowledge about the WTO 
Agreements, formulation of trade policies and conduct of trade negotiations ..................... 42 
5.1.2   Output 1.2: Effective partnerships result in substantive contributions of 
human and financial resources, for e -Learning and face -to-face activities  ......................... 58 WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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5.1.3   Output 1.3: Members' needs and priorities are identified annually  ......................... 60 
5.2   Key Result 2: Acceding governments are participating in accession negot iations, in 
line with WTO accession processes and procedures  ................................ ................................ 61 
5.2.1   Output 2.1: Acceding governments have expertise on WTO rules, 
accessions negotiating best p ractices and core accession obligations acquis  ...................... 63 
5.3   Key Result 3: Members are accessing and using the most recent and relevant WTO -
related information and data enabling them to better enforce their rights and obligations  ........... 64 
5.3.1   Output 3.1: The WTO RCs network is operational in targeted 
Member/Observer economies  ................................ ................................ ...................... 65 
5.3.2   Output 3.2: RCs are used by the various stakeholders to access WTO -
related information and data or to follow online courses  ................................ ................. 66 
5.3.3   Trade  in services statistics and supply -use tables are developed and used 
by the various stakeholders to monitor WTO -related trade developments  ......................... 66 
5.3.4   Digital Dispu te Settlement Registry (DDSR)  ................................ ....................... 68 
5.4   Key Result 4: MPs, journalists and civil society interacting with WTO; and students 
or academic institutions supported by W TO are dealing with trade policy and WTO -related 
subjects  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 68 
5.4.1   Output 4.1: Improved understanding by MPs, journalists, civil society and 
businesses of WTO issues and trade policies  ................................ ................................ .70 
5.4.2   Output 4.2: Research on trade policy and WTO -related matters generated 
by WTO Chairs and PhD students through provision of grants  ................................ ......... 71 
5.4.3   Output 4.3: Academic courses on WTO -related subjects introduced and 
updated with WTO support  ................................ ................................ ......................... 74 
5.4.4   Output 4.4: Outreach activities on trade policy and WTO -related matters 
organised by WTO Chairs through the provision of grants  ................................ ............... 75 
5.4.5   Output 4.5: Young professional under the Young Professional Progr amme 
are exposed to WTO issues and work  ................................ ................................ ........... 77 
ANNEX I FOLLOW -UP ON THE MAIN PREVI OUS RECOMMENDATIONS  ............................  78 
ANNEX II MAIN RESULT S MEASURED IN 2016  ................................ ...............................  80 
 WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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ACRONYMS  
ACP  African, Caribbean and Pacific group  of states  
ADB  Asian Development Bank  
AfT  Aid for Trade  
Ag-IMS Agriculture Information Management System  
AIP  Accession Internship Programme  
ALADI   Latin American Integration Association/Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración  
ASEAN  Association of Sout heast Asian Nations  
ATPC  Advanced Trade Policy Course  
BTOR   Back-to-Office Report  
CARICOM  Caribbean Community  
CEECAC  Central and Eastern European, Central Asian and Caucasus  
CAN  Andean Community  
CBD  Conference on Biological Diversity  
CITES   Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora  
CHF  Swiss franc  
CRN  Central Registry of Notifications  
COMESA  Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa  
CRTA   Committee on Regional Trade Agreements  
CTD  Committee on Trade and Devel opment  
CTS  Committee on Trade in Services  
DDA  Doha Development Agenda  
DDSR   Digital Dispute Settlement Registry  
DS  Dispute Settlement  
DSU  Dispute Settlement Understanding  
EBRD   European Bank for Reconstruction and Development  
e-BTOR  Electronic Back-to-Office Report  
EIF  Enhanced Integrated Framework  
ESCAP  Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific  
FAO  Food and Agriculture Organization  
FIMIP  French & Irish Missions Internship Programme  
GATS   General Agreement on Trade in Services  
GPA  Government Procurement Agreement  
GTF  Global Trust Fund  
GVCs   Global Value Chains  
ICN  International Competition Network  
IGDC   Informal Group of Developing Countries  
IGO Intergovernmental Organiz ation 
IMS  Information Management System  
IP  Intellectual  Property  
IPR  Intellectual property right  
IT  Information Technology  
ITA  Information Technology Agreement  
ITC  International Trade Centre  
ITPC  Intermediate -level Trade Policy Course (also called RTPC)  
ITTC  Institute for Training and Technical Cooperati on 
LDC  Least -developed country  
M&E  Monitoring & Evaluation  
MA  Market Access  
MADRE  Managing Anti -Dumping investigations in REal time  
MC9  9th WTO Ministerial Conference  
MC10   10th WTO Ministerial Conference  
MOOC   Massive Open Online Courses  
MP  Member of  Parliament  
MTS  Multilateral Trading System  
NAMA   Non-Agricultural Market Access  
NTP  Netherlands Trainee Programme  
OECD   Organization for Economic Co -operation and Development  
OECS  Organization of Eastern Caribbean States  
PEF  Participant's Evaluation F orm 
PIFS  Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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PLS  Progressive Learning Strategy  
Q&A  Questions & Answers  
RAM  Recently Acceded Members  
RBM  Results -Based Management  
RC  Reference Centre  
RCI  Regional Coordinator Internship Programme  
RTA  Regional Trade Agreement  
RTPC  Regional Trade Policy Course  – see ITPCs  
SADC   Southern African Development Community  
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 Ph ytosanitary  
STC  Specific Trade Concern  
STDF   Standards and Trade Development Facility  
SVEs  Small Vulnerable Economies  
TA  Technical Assistance  
TBT  Technical Barriers to Trade  
TF  Trade facilitation  
TFA  Trade Facilitation Agreement  
TFAF  Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility  
TiVA  Trade in Value Added  
TMR  Training Material Request  
TP  Trade policy  
TPC  Trade Policy Course  
TPR  Trade Policy Review  
TRIMs   Trade -Related Investment Measures  
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  
UNDESA  United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs  
UNECE  United Nations  Economic Commission for Europe  
WB  World Bank  
WCP  WTO Chairs Programme  
WHO  World Health Organization  
WIPO   World Intellectual Property Organization  
WTO  World Trade Organization  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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1  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  
1.1.  This report on the Technical Assistance (TA) provided by  the World Trade Organization  (WTO) 
in 201 6 follows the same logic as in 2015 by focussing on three types of analysis: the main 
evolutions of TA in 201 6 compared to the previous year; an analysis of implemented TA activities 
by region, type, subject, langu age, level of training , gender of the participants and Key Results ; 
and an evaluation of the delivery and results of these TA activities.   Reference to the findings of 
the external evaluation of the WTO TA conducted in 2016 was also included in the relevan t parts of 
the report to provide a comprehensive picture.  
1.1  Main evolutions in 201 6 compared to 201 5 
1.2.  The TA resources available to the WTO (carried forward from previous years  and received in 
2016)  to finance its TA to developing Members and Observers resumed their decrease in 2016 , 
obliging the Secretariat to tap into its financial reserves  and calling into question the long -term 
sustainability of the WTO TA .  The volume of TA activities and related expenses remained stable 
for the fifth consecutive ye ar, due to the tight management policy implemented by the Secretariat.  
1.3.  Progress continued to  be recorded to wards the full implementation of a TA management 
system based on results.  By and large, the 2016 external evaluation validated th is progress , 
whilst  recommending further improvements.  The main developments of the year were the 
significant improvements to the reporting on TA activities, leading to comprehensive records, and 
the performance of an external audit of TA internal workflows . 
1.4.  Work continued in 2016 to improve and enrich the substantive content of the TA offer : one 
new online course (Patents) was introduced and several existing ones were revised to increase 
their interactive and multimedia content; new advanced courses on services statistics f or LDCs and 
on services for acceding countries took place in Geneva; and efforts were made in a number of 
areas (SPS, Agriculture, e -Commerce, Government Procurement, etc.) to better tailor TA to the 
actual needs of beneficiaries.  Overall, these evolution s demonstrate the constant attention paid by 
the Secretariat to the improvement of its TA offer, in terms of both quality and adequacy to the 
actual needs of Members.  
1.5.  During the year, a number of activities focused on the implementation of the WTO 
Agreemen ts, in the field of TBT, Antidumping, TRIPS and Government Procurement.  Whilst not 
necessarily replicating the innovative approach adopted in the field of SPS, these activities relied 
on new e -tools to facilitate Members' notification and their better com pliance with specific 
provisions of the Agreements concerned.  
1.2  Implementation of TA Plan - main features of the WTO Technical Assistance in 201 6 
1.6.  The Secretariat undertook 274 TA activities, both in Geneva and in various Members or 
Observers, and participate d in 40 other TA -related activities (e.g. conferences or activities of 
partner institutions).  A majority of these TA activities were organized  in partnership with other 
international, regional or sub -regional institutions.  Overall, 1 8,600 participants we re trained 
during the year, an increase  of 25% compared to 201 5.  Participation in online course boomed 
during the year (+37%), giving a very positive signal after the website security breach which had 
marred 2015.  As a result in 2016, 55% of the particip ants in WTO TA activities were trained 
online . 
1.7.  During the year the proportion of face -to-face activities held in Geneva increased  compared 
to 2015.   For the  first time, an attempt was made to report on the use of videoconferences.  The 
concentration of the  TA on activities with a general scope (i.e.  multi-topic coverage)  remained 
unchanged .  In 201 6, 47%  of the 2 74 activities had a general scope, when that proportion was 
only one third some three years ago.  T he other activities  were spread across specific Agreements 
or subjects.  Standards -related activities (SPS, TBT) were in high demand, followed by market 
access for goods (including Trade Facilitation) and TRIPS.  
1.8.  Subject -specific regional seminars were conducted in all regions.  Africa and LDCs remained a 
priority in 201 6, in line with the TA Plan .  Overall, approximately half of face -to-face activities were  
held at the national level and half at the regional/global level.  Similar to 2015, n ational activities WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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continued to gather larger audiences for  less than 3 days on average, when regional or global 
activities tended to gather smaller audiences (30 persons maximum)  over close to 4 days on 
average, which facilitate d the use of mo re interactive training methods . 
1.9.  As in previous years  and in line with the T A Plan , approximately  60% of the TA was provided 
in English, 15% each in French and Spanish , and the balance in more than one language .  This 
mirrored  approximately the language preferences of Members and Observers in the WTO .  These 
proportions were fairl y similar in face -to-face activities and online courses.  
1.10.   The balance between the three PLS levels of training - introduction, intermediate and 
advanced - did not change much compared to the previous years .  A majority  of the TA was 
provided at an intermedi ate level .  Fewer  activities were still without a defined  level for a variety of 
reasons including the fact that it is not feasible to allocate a level to all activities (e.g. academic 
support related activities ) since they do not all purport to train thei r participants over several years 
to progressively take them to higher levels of knowledge on WTO issues .  The  offer in favour of  
generalists increase d in 2016 at the expense of specialists compared to 2015.  Overall, 38% of the 
activities were for generalists against 54% for specialists , leaving aside the activities which did not 
fit in the PLS system (8%) . 
1.11.   Overall, the proportion of women amongst participants stayed almost unchanged compared 
to the 2012 -15 average .  In all, women represented approx imately 45%  of the participants in WTO 
activities .  This share was marginally lower in  face-to-face activities than in online courses.  
1.12.   An overwhelming majority of the TA activities (84%) contributed to Key Result 1 
"Government officials are implementing WT O Agreements and making full use of Members' rights", 
a proportion which was even close to 100% for e -Learning courses.  Key Result 4 on outreach to 
non-traditional audiences (MPS, journalists, civil society, academia) was next (10%), followed by 
Key Resul t 3 on access to information (5%) and Key Result 2 on accessions (2%).  
1.13.   In addition to the continuous reduction of its TA resources, the main challenges faced by the 
Secretariat in 2016 came from the unavailability of additional training facilities on the W TO 
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.  
Both challenges are a direct consequence of the WTO budget freeze  and of the priority given to 
negotiations and dispute settlement in the allocation of resources.  
1.3  Evaluation of Performance in 201 6 and lessons learnt  
1.14.   The results shown in 2016 were very  positive overall.  The proportion of targets met 
increased by four pe rcentage points  compared to 2015 , reaching 57%.  Key Result 1 (84% of the 
WTO TA) was the most successful one and met 71% of its targets (47% in 2015), followed by Key 
Result 2 (50% as in 2015), Key Result 4 (39% against 89% in 2015) and Key Result 3 (25% as in 
2015).  These figures confirm the relevance of the changes introduced in the logframe for 2016 -
17.  In particular, the lower level of targets met under Key Result 3 is a fair representation of the 
results achieved so far by the Reference Centre progr amme.  Under Key Result 2, the assumptions 
made when preparing the TA Plan that accession processes would remain active eventually did not 
materialise, or at least not to the extent initially anticipated.  
1.15.   A significant qualitative improvement in the RBM ap proach can be noted in 2016 compared 
to the previous TA Plan.  The number of indicators used increased by 50% overall and the relative 
importance of the indicators dedicated to Key Result 1 which represented 84% of the WTO TA in 
2016 was rebalanced, giving  a more precise and relevant picture in this most important domain.  
Contrary to 2015, the instances when the indicators chosen lacked relevance or the assigned 
targets were unrealistic, given what can reasonably be achieved by the WTO TA, were very few, 
pointing to an improvement in the design of the logframe.  
1.16.   A summary of the indicators included in the 2016 -17 TA Plan logframe, of the targets 
approved by Members and of the results measured in 2016 can be found in Annex II.  One should 
be careful not to re ad too much in the dry statements included in this table.  As frequently 
indicated in the body of the report, unavoidable trials and errors also affect the results presented 
in this report.  The assessment is almost exclusively based on a desk analysis . WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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1.17.   There were still a number of indicators for which the Secretariat was unable to retrieve 
relevant data, in particular at outcome level.  As noted in the external evaluation, this confirms 
that one of the main challenges in RBM remains the limited capacity of  many beneficiary  Members 
and Observers to provide reliable data on the results of TA at national level.  As the Secretariat 
resources were mobilised by the external evaluation, n o field visit was performed in 2016.   The 
external evaluation will mainly inf luence the preparation of the TA Plan for 2018 -19 but, when 
relevant and useful, some of its findings have al ready  been taken into account in the report.  
2  INTRODUCTION  
2.1.  This report follows  the same approach as in 2015 .  It goes  beyond a quantitative account of 
the volume of TA provided during the year by presenting the activities of the Secretariat in a more 
analytical way, and avoid s repeating the description of 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 WTO action s in this field.   As in 2015, significant efforts have 
been made to present the results of TA activities according to the structure of the TA Plan adopted 
by Members for 2016 -17. 
2.2.  Since a comprehensive external evaluation of the TA provided by the WTO in 2010 -15 was 
conduc ted in 2016, reference to the findings of the evaluation was added in many parts of the 
report to give Members as comprehensive a picture as possible.  
2.3.  The WTO continu es to  develop and implement the tools to collect data so as to better 
measure the results produced by its TA activities in the beneficiar ies, with a view to give priority to 
those activities that generate the highest returns.  As in previous years, the report links TA 
activities to their associated costs, to allow Members to assess the value fo r money produced  by 
the WTO in 201 6.  However and as noted by the external evaluation conducted in 2016, one of the 
main limitations in this domain comes from the lack of capacity of many beneficiar ies to gather 
sufficiently representative data to assess t he 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 TA provided in 201 6 compared to the previous year, and their rationale.  This required 
a selection amongst t he 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 level of development of the beneficiaries, by subject covered, language u sed, level 
of training offered  and participants' gender .  An analysis by Key Results was also added this year.  
The last part of the report analyses in detail the  immediate and progress towards long-term results 
of the TA provided by the WTO during the year - and before . 
3  MAIN EVOLUTIONS IN 2 016 COMPARED TO 201 5 
3.1.  During the year under review, a number of changes could be observed  in three  main 
domains : (i) the stabil ization  of the TA resources supported by  continued  tight expense 
management ; (ii) t he implementation of the strategic reforms initiated in the previous two years 
to better manage TA continued in 2016; and (iii) efforts continued to improve the substantive 
content of the WTO TA offer in a variety of domain s.  These main evolutions  are elaborated in 
more detail below.  
3.1  Continued t ight management of the TA resources  
3.2.  The TA Plan for 201 6-17 had anticipated a stability  of the resources available from donors 
compared to previous years  in order to  keep the same objectives for the WTO in this domain.  This 
required a continuation of the policy of tight resources management initiated since 2012.  
  
                                                
1  See document WT/COMTD/W/211  
2  See paragraph 4.12 in WT/COMTD/89 for an illustration.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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 - 5 10 15 20 25 30Millions CHF  Technical Assistance Resources  
Earmarked
Trust Funds
Non-
earmarked
Trust Funds
Regular
Budget3.1.1   Resources for TA  decreased  
3.3.  It had been hoped in 2015 that  
the level of extra-budgetary funding 
was stabilising, though  at its lowest 
level in a decade.  Year 2016 proved 
this prediction as far too optimistic 
since voluntary contributions shrank 
by another 30% compared to 2015.  
After seven years of almost 
uninterrupted reduction, voluntary 
contributions received in 2016 
represented less than 40% of their 
level during the 2006 -9 peak years.  
The pool of donors  also resumed its 
reduction in 2016, as less than 60% 
of its initial donors maintained their 
commitment to the Global Trust 
Fund (GTF) , most of them at a 
significantly  lower level .  Meanwhile, the share of  the regular budget dedicated to  TA remained 
stable  in 2016, in line with  Members' decision .  As a result, the share represented by the regular 
budget in the WTO total TA resources jumped from an average of around 20% over the past 
decade to 34%  in 2016.  
3.4.  In the various trust funds financing TA, a  balance of CHF 20.8 million3 was carried forward 
from the previous year into 201 6.  New contributions of CHF 8.8 million were received during the 
year, more than half  of them in the last quarter  of the year, a continuation of donors' practice in 
previous years .  These resources  made it possible to  implement the TA Plan as approved by 
Members  for 201 6, but  the amount carried forward into 2017 to support the smooth 
imple mentation of the TA Plan  was 10% lower than the previous year: the WTO is now eating into 
its reserves . 
3.5.  The proportion of voluntary contributions earmarked for specific programmes or categories of 
beneficiaries  was again significantly reduced in 2016 .  Ear marked contributions represented on ly 
12% of all voluntary contributions  received by the WTO , as they were 64% lower than in 2015 at 
CHF 1.1 million.  
3.1.2   Stable  volume of TA activities  
3.6.  In 2016, the Secretariat continued the implementation of the TA Plan  with quality control , 
examining potential effectiveness and efficiency of each activity  before approv ing it , in order to 
ensure its relevance for beneficiar ies and its capacity to produce  the desired  results .  The various 
adjustments initiated in 2012 in this regard continued in 201 6.  As in previous years , no activity 
request was approved in 201 6 without a clear definition of the objectives and a draft programme 
designed to achieve them .  Budgets were also examined in details to reduce costs.  The aim of this 
rigorous internal approval process for activity requests  implemented over the past five years is to 
maximise the value -for-money ratio of the TA provided by the WTO to its Members .  This new 
approach has led since 2011 to a relative stability of the o verall number of activities organ ized by 
the WTO, as quality and value are now promoted over volume.  
3.7.  The external evaluation noted clear evidence that the WTO TA has taken a number of steps 
to use time and resources more effectively over the 2010 -15 period , withou t significantly reducing 
its contribution to results.   However, the evaluation also noted that these efficiency measures 
generated significant internal concerns and discontent inside the Secretariat, even i f the situation 
remained  manageable  for th e moment . 
                                                
3  The trust funds taken into account here are those under the sole authority of the WTO which it can 
use to finance its TRTA activities (GTF - 16.9 MCHF - and earmarked trust funds financing the Mis sion 
Internships, NTPs, etc.).  Trust funds managed by other entities or which finance other programmes than those 
of WTO (STDF, Enhanced Integrated Framework Secretariat and Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility) have 
always been excluded, since these tru st funds have their own governance and reporting mechanisms.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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0100200300400500Number of TA Activities  
Other
Regional/
Global
National3.8.  The overall volume 
of TA or TA -related 
activities in 2016 was 
stable compared to 2015, 
and was marginally lower 
than the average levels 
seen since 2011.  The 
WTO organ ized or 
participated in 3 17 
activities in 201 6, when 
the average volume over 
the last six years was 
326.8.  Amongst these, 
the volume of TA activities 
was stable (2 74 in 201 6 
against an average of 272 
since 2011), whilst the 
Secretariat was only 
involved in 4 3 "Other 
Activities" ( 49 in 201 5 and 5 5 on average since 2011).  
3.9.  The number of national activities (1 06 in 201 6) was the lowest since 2011  (and the lowest 
ever since the launch of the DDA) , much below the last six year average (1 23), following its  third 
consecutive annual reduction  (-1% compared to 2015).  The total number of requests for national 
activities received in 201 6 was 10% lower compared to the previous year .4  The total number of 
countries presenting at least one request in 2016 (57) was 8% lower than in 2015, but there was 
a significant t urnover amongst them: 37% of the requests received in 2016 came from countries 
which had not presented a request in 2015 and 42% of those who presented a request in 2015 did 
not do so in 2016.   Four Members  presented four requests or more.  In this domain,  the role of the 
Secretariat is limited to trying to identify as clearly as possible the country -specific priorities 
through discussions with the missions in Geneva and capital -based focal points, and to proposing 
ways to better respond to these.  As in previous years , the heavy  workload of the Secretariat in 
certain areas (e.g. trade remedies , TBT) and the current  resource freeze limited the capacity of the 
Secretariat to respond to all the  requests in 201 6.  By the end of December , 73 requests  (74%) 
received during the year and 25 requests received in previous years had led to the implementation 
of an activity; 6% of the initial requests were eventually cancelled; and 20% remained pending.  
3.10.   Meanwhile, the number of regional or global activities regist ered its third consecutive annual 
increased (+4% compared to 201 5), supported by a 13% increase in  the number of global face-to-
face activities organ ized in Geneva . 
3.11.   The number of  "Other Activities"  in which the WTO participated was 12% lower than in 201 5 
and represented 43 activities .  In 2016, 40% of the Other Activities corresponded to the support 
provided by the Secretariat to the TA  activities organized  by other institutions (e.g.  WIPO and 
other IGOs ).  Although these activities constitute TA, they 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.  Many WTO TA activities benefit from comparable free contributions from TA partners.  
The other 60%  of the Other Activities  included various  meetings an d conferences to which the 
WTO wa s invited to participate and which  generally d id not constitute WTO TA per se , but 
frequently lead to partnerships that faci litated the subsequent organ ization  and delivery of the 
WTO TA activities .  For example, missions to identify partners for future activities f ell in this latter 
category (e.g. partners for future ITPCs) , board meetings of partner institutions such as the J oint 
Vienna Institute, etc .  In 201 6, CHF 0.8 million was spent on Other Activities , i.e. 5% of the total 
TA expenses of the WTO.  This was lower than in 201 5.  In a context where TA is managed on the 
basis of expected results, it is logical to keep to a minimum the resources dedicated to those 
activities which are either not directly producing results  or producing results difficult to attribute to 
the WTO . 
                                                
4  In total, 98 requests were received in 2016, against 109 in 2015, 142 in 2014 and 141 in 2013.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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 - 5 10 15 20 25 30Million CHF  Technical Assistance Expenses  
Trust
Funds
Regular
Budget3.12.  The combination of these 
various factors led to a relative 
stability of the TA expenses in 
2016 compared to  the previous 
four years.5  The internal measures 
implemented in 2012  to better 
control and manage the TA 
expenses continued unabated .  
The stabil ization  of the overall TA 
expenses over the past f ive years  
resulted entirely from the 
implement ation of the higher 
volume of result -generating TA 
activities analysed above.  
3.13.  Further to the changes in 
the management of the regular 
budget dedicated to TA approved by Members for the biennium, the Secretariat was able to make 
a much better use of these f unds than in the previous years.  The share of the regular budget for 
TA used in 2016 was 88%, when that rate had been only 75% on average between 2009 and 
2015.   Some saving measures implemented by the administration to keep the overall budget in 
balance prevented that rate to be even higher in 2016, as TA resources were tapped to 
compensate the overspending in some other areas.  
3.14.   For the first time since 2010 , TA expenses exceeded the TA resources available during th e 
year (see section 3.1.1 above) .  In 201 6, the WTO spent  116% of its TA resources , against an 
average of 95%  between 2007 and 2011 , and of 86% between 2011 and 2015 .  The year -end 
balance of the GTF was 5% lower  than twelve months ago  as a result .  Cumulated with the sharp  
drop in the earmarked contributions received during the year  already mentioned above , this led to 
an even  lower overall year-end balance  in the trust funds administered by the Secretar iat to 
finance TA activities ( -9%), in spite of the effort in 2016 to maximise to use of the r egular budget . 
3.2  Implementation of Results -Based Management  
3.15.   The implementation of the RBM Monitoring and Evaluation system adopted by Management 
in December 2012 was an important  focus of the external evaluation conducted in 2016.  The main 
conclusions reach ed by the evaluators in their report can be summarised as follows:6 
a. Significant progress was made by the Secretariat in initiating a RBM system which has 
brought clearer direction and accountability to the TA activities, even if this remains 
work in progre ss.  There is clear evidence that a number of steps were taken to use time 
and resources more effectively without significantly reducing the results.  
b. However, internally the RBM approach has not yet been fully integrated into the wider 
culture and manageme nt practice of WTO traditionally based on supporting Member -
driven negotiations, rules and dispute settlement.   These changes generated significant 
concerns and even discontent within the Secretariat about bureaucratisation and loss of 
flexibility as well as instances of severe cost -cutting.  
c. The absence of investment in IT infrastructure to manage the new RBM system smoothly 
was identified as one important reason for the still incomplete implementation of RBM for 
TA.  In spite of a number of efforts to rectify the situation, the current IT tools developed 
to support the RBM system are not user -friendly, flexible and secure enough to meet the 
expectations of modern users.  This fuelled the internal discontent noted above . 
                                                
5  For the purpose of this report, 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, Geneva 
Weeks, etc.) and all the expenses financed by the trust funds under the sole authority of the WTO, which it can 
use to finance its TRTA activit ies (including the staff costs registered in these funds).  The EIF, STDF and TFA 
Facility trust funds are consequently excluded.  
6  See document WT/COMTD/89.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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020406080100
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Multimedia Components  3.16.   This diagnostic was a fair reflection of the situation on the RBM front at the end of 2015.  In 
2016, the Secretariat maintained  its efforts to keep improving the situation, especially as far as 
internal issues were concerned .  Three types of actions wer e implemented to that effect:  
a. Significant improvements were regularly made throughout the year to the electronic 
back-to-office -report (e -BTOR) originally introduced  in 2014.  These improvements 
helped reduce authors'  drafting obligations by importing a la rger number of details from 
the e -Activity Request and eliminating certain drafting requirements; facilitate the 
drafting by incorporating a spell -check function in all the fields and adjusting the 
presentation of the form; provide more tailored guidance t o the author through direct 
links to the relevant parts of the user guide and the provision of a facility to report 
issues; improve the quality of the report through the revamping of the section on 
effectiveness and the provision of new options in it; and accelerate the production of  
e-BTORs thanks to targeted automatic reminders to those involved in the workflow.  
These numerous improvements, many of which had been left pending for years, became 
possible thanks to t he recruitment in January 2016 of a new analyst -programmer.  
b. An assessment of the TA delivery process and information system was performed by two 
consultants in the second part of 2016 and led to the formulation of several 
recommendations.  Their implementation should help streamline and speed up  the 
administrative processes  and workflows involved in the organization, delivery and 
evaluation of TA activities.  This may eventually make the RBM system more user -
friendly.  This assessment should feed into the development of the next generation of TA 
management tools called for by the external evaluation  and already mentioned in the 
2015 annual report . 
c. Building on the targeted automatic reminders sent by the system to those involved in 
the workflow, particular attention was paid to the production of an  e-BTOR or a report 
for each and every TA or TA -related activity in 2016.  Th is took quite some  time but 
brought the overall reporting rate for the year very close to 100%, as only three reports 
are still missing out of the 314 activities of the year.  The quality of the information 
captured by the se reports  improved only slightly  in 2016 .  The results of m any TA 
activities continued to be assessed on the sole basis of participants' opinion, despite 
there being  other key performance indicators ha ving been i dentified at the time the 
activit ies were requested and approved.  
3.3  Improving the TA offer  
3.3.1   Continuous i mprov ements in  the e -Learning offer  
3.17.   Further progress was made during the year to continue improving the presentation and 
interactivity of the online courses.  A new interactive version of the course " Legal Underpinnings " 
has been developed with substantial redrafting.  The new training materi al applies the latest 
pedagogical approach making use of instructional design methodologies and  includes a wide 
variety of interactive elements.   The course on "Introduction to the WTO"  and t he "Tailored 
Course"  were also revised in English in 2016  to comp lement them with multimedia elements . 
3.18.  Overall, the number of new multimedia components 
(audio, animations or video) added during the year was half 
as high as in 2015, as a result of a lack of staff in the e -
Learning Unit during most of the year .7  The use  and 
popularity of these components is monitored by the trainers.  
Participants' feedback showed that the quality of the training 
materials was highly appreciated in 201 6, as 86% of 
participants rated the quality of the course content as good 
or excellent, 93% rated the balance between theory, case 
studies and exercises as good or excellent  and 90% rated 
the user -friendliness of the e -Campus as good or excellent . 
                                                
7  On this subject, please see Recommendation 13 and § 5.24 in WT/COMTD/89.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 12 - 
 
020406080100
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Chat Sessions  
020406080100120
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016News Forum Discussions  3.19.   Important differ ences in the characteristics and content of the multimedia elements cannot 
be accounted for in a graphic way, given the large variety of these elements (for example, a 3 or 
15 minutes video, a simple straightforward animation or an elaborated one based on a complex 
scenario would each be counted as one element).  A high number of interactive course 
components, such as exercises and serious games,8 are not counted as multimedia elements.  
Inclusion of such interactive components depends on the course content  and on the best way of 
presenting it to ensure an effective transfer of knowledge.  Not counted either as part of the 
multimedia components are the new courses with interactive navigation.  As a consequence, the 
graph represents essentially the tip of the  iceberg, as the recourse to multimedia in e -Learning 
courses is progressively becoming the new language.  This phenomenon is trans forming 
completely the sector.  
3.20.  Chat sessions are important interactive elements 
of the online courses who play a critical ro le clarifying 
the issues discussed and keeping participants engaged 
in thei r online learning.  The number of Chat Sessions 
organ ized increased by 50% in 2016 .  Most Chat 
Sessions are organ ized with WTO experts to update 
participants on the latest news from  the WTO and 
discuss on -going issues  in any of the three WTO 
languages .  Chat Sessions were held alternately in the 
morning and in the afternoon to cover as many time 
zones as possible in order to maximise the number of 
participants who had a chance to par ticipate live.  A chat 
report is available on the e-Campus for those unable to  
join in live.   The trainers assess the success of each Chat, depending on the variety and range of 
questions raised, clarification achieved, update provided and level of enjoyme nt of the 
participants.  This assessment is then taken into account to plan the next Chat sessions.   Amongst 
the most successful Chats were for example those on e -Commerce, Trade Facilitation, TPR, 
Accessions and SPS.  
3.21.  In total, 109 News Forum topics were launched in 
2016, almost triple the number in 2015 , but none was 
proposed by the participants this time .  As explained in 
last year's report, the News Forum had been one of the 
casualties resulting from the e-Campus  security breach , 
as it had to be removed from the website until the end of 
the year for security reasons.   The new News Forum tool 
reintroduced at the end of 2015 includes gamification 
features (badges linked to interaction level) and links to 
social media in order to bo ost interactivity and 
exchanges.   As shown by the graph, the number of 
online discussions launched in 2016, impressive as it 
may look, is simply a continuation of the trend that 
existed prior to the security breach.  
3.22.   These elements were  complemented by the development of a strategy and specific content 
for Twitter and Facebook.9  These social media are  now fully integrated into the course  delivery  to 
beef-up their interactivity through the provision of  more detailed information on course substance , 
recen t developments on WTO and trade -related issues , micro -learning bites , etc.  More than 100 
infographics were sent via these  social media in 2016, some of them during the night (Geneva 
time) in order to better reach the Asia -Pacific and Latin America regions .  This also encouraged  
participants to interact with each other and the WTO to help them build a network around the 
world.   Social media provide an almost instantaneous feedback to the trainers on the participants' 
                                                
8  Serious games make  use of a game design (e.g. competition, curiosity, collaboration, individual 
challenge), to enhance the motivation of participants to engage in the learning experience.  They facilitate the 
comprehension of difficult concepts and contribute to increasing knowledge transfer.  
9  Approximately 2,200 tweets were sent in 2016 in English, French and Spanish (none in 2015); and 
580 posts were made on Facebook (125 in 2015).  By the end of the year, the Facebook account had more 
than 2,800 "likes" and the Twitter account more than 500 followers.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 13 - 
 
online learning experience.  Reactions t o posts are analysed several times a day, leading to 
adjustments in the communication content and strategy as and when needed.  
3.23.   In 2016 , the catalogue of e-Learning  courses was enriched with one new course on  "Patents  
in the WTO " developed in the latest e -Learning industry standard format called SCORM .10  The 
training material for th is course  was based on a new learning -by-doing and interactive approach 
which featured a variety of multimedia components and animations , and can be  centred on a 
learning story .  However, the release of a course on Trade Facilitation could not be completed by 
the end of the year.  
3.24.   Since 2014, the new courses developed by WTO are shorter and aimed at a more targeted 
learning experience focusing on one subj ect (e.g. copyright , patents ), moving away from the 
horizontal approach adopted so far and which led to the development of long courses covering as 
comprehensively as possible a broad range of issues related to a particular subject (e.g. all IPRs 
covered b y the TRIPS Agreement ).  More courses of this type will continue to be introduced in the 
future , as for example on Import Licensing.  
3.25.   A total of  25 e-Learning  courses, in three linguistic versions,11 were open for registration in 
2016.12  The e-Learning  offer by level  and subject  is presented  in the table below  and can be 
consulted under http://ecampus.wto.org/ : 
Level  Generalists  Specialists  
N/A Tailored Course (E ) 
WTO in 10' (E, F , S) 
Introduction  Introduction to WTO (E, F, S)  
Intermediate  Accession to WTO (E, F, S)  Agriculture & WTO (E, F, S)  
 Multilateral Trade Agreements (E, F, S)  Copyrights (E)  
 Legal Underpinnings (E, F, S)  Dispute Settlement System (E)  
 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)  
 WTO & Trade Economics - Theory & Policy 
(E, F, S)  Patents (E)  
 SPS Measures (E, F, S)  
  TBT (E, F, S)  
  Trade & Environment (E, F, S)  
  Trade in Services (E, F, S)  
  Trade Remedies (E, F, S)  
  TRIPS (E, F, S)  
  TRIPS – Short Trip (E, F, S)  
  WTO Market Intelligence (E, F, S)  
 
3.26.   The courses "WTO in 10'" and "Transparency and the WTO: Notification Obligations" initially 
released in English and then in French were made available in Spanish at the beginning of 2016 .  
The Spanish version included videos and other multimedia material s originally developed in English 
that had to be  redone to change  language.  
                                                
10  SCORM stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model and is the technical standard for 
e-Learning software products.  This format is used to develop courses that are interactive and offer a variety of 
multimedia comp onents.  
11  The French or Spanish version of some of the three most recent courses is still under development 
and should be available in 2017.  
12  Programme available under http://ecampus.wto.org/ . WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 14 - 
 
66% 8% 4% 22% Training Material Requests - 2016  
Public sector
Private sector
Other
Academia22% 
19% 
6% 53% Training Material Sent - 2016  
36% 
30% 4% 8% 7% 5% 10% Training Material Request - 2016  
Africa
Asia Pacific
Caribbean
CEECAC
Latin America
Middle East
Developed18% 
39% 
2% 8% 7% 3% 23% Training Material Sent - 2016  3.27.   Another development in 2016 was the introduction of a Training Material Request (TMR).  As 
part of the WTO outreach policy, i t had always been possible to download freely the e -Learn ing 
course materials without actually registering in any of the online courses.  This option was offered 
in particular to those who were in principle not eligible for WTO TA (e.g. non -government  officials 
or developed country officials).  However, the WTO had never been in a position so far to monitor 
these downloads and had absolutely no idea about how much this facility was used.  The T MR 
introduced at the end of 2015 was designed to remedy this shortcoming by requesting  each 
interested person to complete an online form available in e-Campus  in order to request any course 
materials.  A link to access the requested material is then sent by return of mail.  
3.28.   A total of 4,504 requests were received in 2016.  Thanks to this n ew procedure, it became 
obvious in 2016 that almost two thirds of the requests (62%) originated from the public sector of 
beneficiar ies, i.e. precisely from those who are the primary target of the WTO TA.  Instead of 
simply providing the requested training  material, it was consequently decided to encourage each 
person concerned to register for the corresponding e -Learning course and to restrict the provision 
of training material to those who are normally not eligible for WTO TA.   As a result, the WTO 
satisf ied 1,460 training material requests in 2016.  
3.29.   Outside of the e-Campus, several initiatives were taken by the Secretariat which also 
contribute d to enriching the online training offer of the organization.13  A 10-hour online course 
was jointly developed by W HO, WIPO and the WTO on Promoting Access to Medical Technologies 
and Innovation.14  It addresses the interplay between public health, IP and trade, and  covers more 
specifically the following six issues: (i) Policy context for action on innovation and access ; (ii) 
Issues of access from a public health perspective; (iii) Health systems -related determinants of 
access; (iv) Issues on innovation and public health with a focus on neglected diseases; (v) The 
                                                
13  See also developments in the area of Government Procurement and Antidumping reported under 
section 3.3.3 below.  
14  The course is hosted by the WIPO Academy and can be accessed at 
https://welc.wipo.int/acc/index.jsf?page=courseCatalog.xhtml&lang=en&cc=DL701E%23plus_DL701E . WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 15 - 
 
role of IP in innovation and access; and (vi) Trade -related issues and access to health -related 
products.  The course is available in English only, free of charge.  
3.3.2   Continuous i mprov ements in  the face-to-face offer  
3.30.   As has been customary in the annual reports for previous years, this section gathers a 
limited number of illustrations of how the Secretariat adjusted its TA offer during the year in order 
to better respond to the actual needs of Members.  This involved a mixture of tailored activities, 
pedagogical innovations and experiments, which together show th at, on top of its well calibrated 
institutional training offer, the WTO is constantly listening to its Members to provide them with the 
most suitable service.  These non -exhaustive examples are presented in no particular order.  
3.31.   The Secretariat continue d with the  integrati on of interrelated trade topics in global events 
organised at intermediate or advanced levels.  For example , a workshop on Regulations, Standards 
and Health  was organized for the first time in 2016 to explore trade aspects of health -related 
standards and regulations within the framework of the TBT and SPS Agreements, and was 
delivered in cooperation with WHO and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.  One main the me of 
the workshop was finding ways to enhance policy coherence on trade and health at the national 
level, including better coordination between trade and health officials.  This approach was also 
used for regional SPS activities  in 2016.  
3.32.   The two regional SPS workshops held in Singapore in 2016  had an expanded scope.   One 
focused on Agriculture and SPS issues, while the other focused on Trade Facilitation, TBT and SPS 
issues.  This was the first TA activity addressing jointly the TF, TBT and SPS  Agreements .  It 
allowed participants to gather a well -rounded understanding of issues that often cross the 
boundaries of each of these Agreements.  
3.33.   To facilitate the comprehension by participants of the interconn ection between the SPS and 
TBT A greements, a new SPS/TBT  case study related to specific trade concerns was developed and 
used during the above -mentioned events as well as during national SPS/TBT seminars for which 
demand continued to grow in 2016 ( half of the national seminars combined TBT and SPS).   A 
similar approach was adopted to address the relations between IP, Government Procurement and 
competition policy through another new case study on access to medicines.  
3.34.   In an endeavour to deliver more effective and tailored regional SPS workshops, greater 
focus was placed on cooperation  with regional organizations to specifically address local SPS-
related training needs.   Regional SPS workshops were no  longer  pre-programmed at the start of 
the year, but scheduled at the  request of regional organizations (or a Member in conjunction with 
a regional organization).   Three regional workshops were organized in 2016.   As in the past, the 
activities on SPS continued to benefit in 2016 from the contribution of the STDF team.  
3.35.   Efforts were made in 2016 to place WTO disciplines in their broader context , such as  
Members' commitments under other treaties.  The Advanced Course on Trade and Environment 
included for example  a workshop organized jointly with the Grantham Institute on "Unlocking 
Trade for Clean Energy T echnologies".15  The workshop considered the contribution of existing low -
carbon technology solutions to climate change goals and discussed how the MTS  could help 
Members  gain access to a larger base of technologies and ideas for low carbon development.  A 
project was assigned to the participants  to design a framework to maximize the contribution of 
international trade to the achiev ement of  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the areas of 
biodiversity, forestry and fisheries.  Several expert panels gave participants a broad overview of 
international regulatory instruments and business -led initiatives ; and showed the connections 
between the  WTO Agreements on SPS and TRIPS and other legal, policy and market -based 
instruments in the three sectors considered (e.g. CBD, CITES, FAO Forestry guidelines, and  
sustainability schemes that affect international trade).  
3.36.   In 2016, the Secretariat's efforts to improve trade in services statistics focused on LDCs and 
Africa, where underreporting of services trade flows is of concern to trade negotiators.  For the 
first time, the Secretariat organized a n advanced t hematic course on trade in services statistics for 
LDCs combining a five -week TrainforTrade  e-learning  course  developed  in cooperation with  
                                                
15  The Grantham Institute  – Climate Change and the Environment is part of the Imperial College 
London.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 16 - 
 
UNCTAD and  a one -week face-to-face course in Geneva.   Prior to the course selected participants 
were required to fill in  a pre -course questionnaire  to identify services sectors of trade interest to 
their national authorities  and related  data collection and compilation difficulties.  The agenda for 
the course was then tailored to participants'  feedback.   The activity benefited from the contribution 
of LDC delegates and experts from the central banks of Italy and France,  OECD, UNCTAD, ITC  and 
Paris21 (Partnership for Statistics in Development in the 21st Century).   Recommendations from 
national and international experts  to improve TA to LDCs in the area of trade in services statistics 
included a closer cooperation between the WTO, ITC and UN CTAD with Paris21 to make  the 
compilation of detailed trade in services statistics part of LDCs' National Strategies for  Statistical 
Development.  
3.37.   A new one -week course on Trade in Services for governments in the process of acceding to 
the WTO was offered i n 2016.  This course was meant to assist acceding governments in 
developing substantive knowledge on trade in services and scheduling of commitments across a 
range of sectors in order to allow them to conduct domestic consultations and negotiations in 
Geneva with increased knowledge, and produce offers of technically higher quality.  Materials for 
the course adapted sectoral presentations to issues frequently arising in accession negotiations.  
The Course focused in large part on scheduling in a range of se ctors.   Based on  an analysis of RAM 
commitments, overall and by sector, the activity  addressed issues that ar ose from RAM schedules 
and policy issues frequently  faced by acceding countries.   It was agreed that the most effective 
way of following -up on the course would be to assist acceding governments on an individual basis . 
3.38.   The first ever regional workshop on e-Commerce and the Role of Development for 
government officials and private sector representatives was held in Asuncion, Paraguay in October .  
It focused on the developmental aspects of e-Commerce and included an update on the discussion 
at the WTO, the role of Aid for Trade and the 6th Global Review on promoting connectivity, the 
participation of Latin America in e-Commerce, the e-Commerce provisions in the Trans -Pacific 
Partnership, transportation and logistical challenges in the region and the links to the TFA 
Agreement.  Examination of e-Commerce as a tool for increas ed SME participation in international 
trade , the regulatory fr amework for e -Commerce including data protection and consumer rights 
and a roundtable discussion on priority actions to promote e-Commerce completed the 
programme.   The workshop produced  private sector recommendations for actions to be taken by 
governments  to promote the development of e-Commerce at national, regional and multilateral 
levels.   The recommendations covered : capacity building, regulation and in frastructure, public 
policies, e -Commerce facilitation and means of payment.  Participants felt that the possibility of 
establishing a regular dialog ue between the private sector and governments on e-Commerce was 
one of the most important aspects of the  workshop . 
3.39.   In the field of Government Procurement, t hree regional activities (Caribbean, Africa and 
Middle East ) sought to relate GPA disciplines to inclusive, sustainable development.  A fourth one 
(CEECAC ) sought to enhance awareness of the GPA as it relates to international and regional 
standards.   Among the key features of these activities were the follo wing:  (i) they continued with 
the practice of giving out pre-activity assignments  to be prepared and handed in by participants 
prior to the start of the activity; (ii) they  had daily breakout sessions  to enhance interactivity , 
facilitate the consideration of practical issues drawing on national, regional and international 
experiences and practices , encourage networking and knowledge and experience sharing , and 
foster internalisation of the knowledge gained ; and (iii) they used the e-GPA portal  to provide 
information and facilitate analysis of GPA coverage and related matters, and thus enhance 
understanding of the market access dimension of the Agreement.  G iven the proportionately high 
number of Members  in the region that are either recently acceded GPA Parties or negotiating their 
GPA accession, or have pending GPA accession commitments, the CEECAC  regional activity was, as 
in 2015, delivered at an advanced level . 
3.40.   The Secretariat staff authored several analytical papers in 2016, which updated the 
literature on Government Procurement work relevant to the WTO for use in TA, in response to 
evolving international and related policy developments, such as on RTAs and SME access to public 
procurement markets.  A publication on the interaction between Competition Policy and 
Government Procurement was circulated as reading material in all four regional activities 
undertaken by the Secretariat during the year.   Moreover, the analysis and issue development in 
the pa per was the basis for a new focus on the prevention of corruption and supplier collusion in 
procurement activities which generates universal interest and engagement by participants.   A 
paper  on Infrastructure Provision and Africa's Trade and Development Pr ospects has been used to WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 17 - 
 
illustrate the potential relevance of the GPA and its principles to a much wider set of Members than 
currently participate in it.   Another paper  on RTAs and Procurement Rules was also used as 
reading material , as RTAs frequently  incorporat e chapters on G overnment Procurement that, in the 
majority of cases, are modelled closely on the GPA.  
3.41.   In 2016, the Secretariat carried out two activities in the area of competition policy: (i) an 
advanced thematic seminar on Competition Policy, Tra de & Development in Geneva; and (ii) a 
national seminar on Competition Policy, Trade & Investment in Ecuador.  The thematic seminar 
sought to: (i) e nhance participants' awareness of the role of competition policy in trade and 
development  and build national  capacity ; (ii) familiarise participants with comp etition  policy 
elements in existing  WTO agreements  (for example , the TRIPS Agreement, the GPA and the 
GATS) , and reflect upon related experience at the national , regional and international levels ; and 
(iii) facilitate policy dialogue on comp etition  policy issues among Members .  It highlighted : (i) the 
relevance of comp etition  policy and law as an impo rtant adjunct in trade liberalis ation and IP law; 
(ii) the relevance of competition policy for trade and deve lopment ; and (iii) the role of 
international cooperation in this area  of work – for instance, the work  of the International 
Competition Network ( ICN), the OECD and UNCTAD .  There was strong, broad -based demand  for 
the activity.   With 110 applications received  from 60 countries for the 40 funded places , this 
activity was significantly oversubscribed.  The national seminar had a s trong focus on WTO 's work 
and RTAs regarding comp etition and  investment policy .  It focused  on cross-cutting policy 
discussion , notably on comp etition policy as it relates to trade , and highlighted the importance of 
comp etition  policy and investment as necessary complements to international  trade . 
3.42.   An interactive voting system to enhance participants' real -time engagement in face -to-face 
presentations was introduced in 2016.  This interactive tool allows for dynamic surveys of the 
audience  and provides immediate feedback and res ults to the trainers.  Charts presenting the 
results of a survey can be displayed instantaneously on a sc reen in front of the audience, which 
allows the trainers  to assess participants' learning or opinion on the spot and adapt their 
presentation accordingly.  Each participant is provided with a remote device to send his responses 
and feedback.  The voting sy stem was used three times in 2016 to present e -Learning to the NTPs 
and to LDCs.  This tool increased the participation and interactivity in the sessions and participants 
found the experience enjoyable.  
3.3.3   Focus on the Implementation of the WTO Agreements  
3.43.   The TA Plan had identified this as an important strategic approach to TA during the 
biennium.  The specific approach pioneered in the field of SPS  and replicated for TBT (see section 
5.1.1.3 below) , which is based on a combination of problem identification, a ction plan design, 
participants' leadership, coaching and follow -up, was recommended given the excellent results it 
generated .  The only other activit ies that emulated the design of the advanced course on SPS in 
2016 were financed through the TFAF and, therefore, fall outside of the scope of this report.16  
However, alternative  innovative approaches were adopted in several other areas in which they 
should also support a better implementation of the WTO Agreements.  This was particularly the 
case in the fi eld of TRIPS and Government Procurement.  
3.3.3.1   TBT 
3.44.   Supporting Members in the fulfilment of their transparency obligations under the TBT 
agreement continued to be a high priority in 2016.  A three day workshop on TBT Transparency 
and Transparency Enhancing Tools was organized back -to-back with the TBT Commi ttee in 
November.  Workshop sessions focused on TBT transparency provisions and how to implement 
these in practice, using electronic tool such as the TBT Notification Submission System and the 
TBT Information Management system.  The novelty introduced in 2 016 was the practical session 
dedicated to a new notification -related instrument "ePing SPS & TBT notification alert system", 
which was developed jointly with UNDESA and ITC and launched during the TBT Committee.  ePing 
is a global online tool that enables  private and public stakeholders to access and discuss SPS and 
TBT notifications covering products and markets of interest in a timely manner.  The new system 
triggered a great interest from Members which view ed it as a powerful tool to better take 
advanta ge of the TBT transparency system.  By the end of October , 709 individuals had registered 
and started using ePing.   That figure was 1,305 at the end of the year, which means that the 
                                                
16  See footnote 3 above.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 18 - 
 
November workshop produced an increase of close to 600 registrations.17  Participants developed 
action plans during and after the workshop to address TBT transparency challenges at national 
level.  Whilst the implementation of these action plans is still ongoing, certain results can already 
be seen.18 
3.45.   In anticipation of its immin ent launch, ePing had been the major focus of the session 
dedicated to transparency obligations that took place during the TBT follow -up course of 2016.   In 
total 13 other TA activities organised in 2016 in Geneva or in the field focused specifically on eP ing 
or included a session on it.  
3.3.3.2   Anti-Dumping  
3.46.   In the area of Trade Remedies, a new e -Learning tool known as  "i-trADe" has been 
developed and introduced to Members in the last quarter of 2016.   i-trADe is a comprehensive 
web-based training platform and refe rence package for anti -dumping investigators.  It contains 
detailed explanations on both procedural and substantive aspects of conducting anti -dumping 
investigations, based on the text of the Agreement, DS reports and other available sources.  It is 
compri sed of interactive learning modules, practical exercises, two full -scale dumping calculation 
simulations, online tools and tutorials.  It also offers a suite of tailorable templates that can be 
used in anti -dumping investigations, from questionnaires and k ey correspondence with interested 
parties, to official notices and reports.  i -trADe monitors learning progress and can be used as a 
reference source, allowing users to return to its modules for a refresher.  It became fully 
operational mid-2017. 
3.47.   In addition,  an antidumping case management system, called MADRE  (for Managing Anti -
Dumping investigations in REal time) has also been developed for the use of investigators.  MADRE 
will serve an important training function for staff seeking to keep to the WT O-mandated 
timeframes for investigations.  It offers investigation calendars which can be customised according 
to specific domestic requirements, help manage investigations' workflow and deadlines and can be 
used as a document bank.  With MADRE, investigat ors can create a database of relevant 
information on national investigations and measures.  MADRE also produces automatically the 
various reports required by the WTO, in the required format.  Three beneficiar ies were introduced 
to MADRE in the last months of 2016.  
3.3.3.3   TRIPS19 
3.48.   A national activity on TRIPS for Saint Kitts & Nevis was organised  in October to facilitate the 
conclusion of the review of the IP regime of this Member, which had been pending in the TRIPS 
Council for 15 years.  The programme of this activ ity included the preparation of notifications and 
responses to the 112 questions  received from  Members, which had been outstanding since 2001 .  
After the w orkshop, St. Kitts & Nevis submitted all the outstanding TRIPS notifications by the end 
of the year .  The Secretariat also stayed  in touch with the local authorities to draft the responses 
to the questions  as a follow -up to the national workshop .  As a result, the TRIPS Council was able 
to conclude its review of St Kitts & Nevis in its meeting of 1 -2 Marc h 2017.  This constitutes a 
direct result of the TA provided by the Secretariat to this Member in 2016.  
3.49.   A workshop was  specifically requested by the g overnment of South Africa as part of its work 
on the Consultative Framework on Intellectual Property.  The programme did not focus on  TRIPS 
provisions and their implementation per se, but  proposed instead  a thorough discussion of South 
Africa's current legal framework and the policy options available under the TRIPS Agreement to 
redesign this framework in a way which would  take the country's developmental objectives  into 
account .  As the link between IPRs , public health  and geographical indications were identified as 
priority objectives, much of the programme focused on issues related to these topics.   This led  to a 
very intense and constructive round of discussion s with the Department of Trade & Industry , 
health ministry, competition commission and other relevant government departments .  This 
activity also benefited from the support of  WHO, WIPO and UNCTAD.  
                                                
17  By the end of June 2017, 2,292 individuals had registered to use ePing.  
18  See for example the website of the Bureau of Standards of Trinidad & Tobago: http://gottbs.com/ . 
19  A more detailed report on TA in the area of  TRIPS for 2016 can be found in document IP/C/W/618.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 19 - 
 
3.50.   A national activity was held in the UAE in February  to help the authorities draw a national 
IPR policy in the field of public health.   The workshop involved the ministries of Health and 
Economy, the health authorities, academics and representatives of the in dustry.  This activity 
paved the way for  the acceptance of the TRIPS Amendment .  The UAE  deposited its instrument of 
acceptance in January 2017 , leading to the entry into force of the TRIPS Amendment soon after.  
3.3.3.4   Government Procurement20 
3.51.   Increasing priority is being given to support for implementation of the Government 
Procurement Agreement (GPA) by newly acceded GPA Parties.  Recent examples concern Moldova, 
Montenegro and Ukraine.  The focus here was not merely on general compliance with the 
Agreement, but on empowering government officials to work with stakeholders (e.g.  their supplier 
communities  and relevant civil society groups) to "breathe life" into and realize the benefits from 
the new procedures and market access  possibilities to which they commit th emselves in joining the 
Agreement.   An activity in Montenegro  in May 2016 was a post -GPA accession workshop focused 
on implementation of the Agreement.  Through the very fruitful and productive cooperation with 
EBRD which provided funding for additional pa rticipants from the Balkan  states , this activity was 
transformed into a sub -regional workshop .  The activity thus r eached more than its target 
audience .  As a result of this very successful activity , a promising platform continues to be built 
and strengthe ned for future work on GPA accession s in this sub-region . 
3.52.   As explained below under section 5.2, national activities organised on Government 
Procurement are increasingly designed to help Members to comply fully with their WTO accession 
commitments regarding  accession to the GPA.  
3.53.   In July 2016 the Secretariat released version 2.0 of the e -GPA portal.  This enhanced 
version was used in subsequent TA to facilitate understanding of the market access dimension of 
the GPA.  T he e-GPA portal is both a tool that is used to provid e TA (to illustrate dramatically the 
market access possibilities that flow from GPA participation) and a subject -matter for training in 
the TA  activities.  It is very well received in both respects.  It also has a wider and equally 
important use as a resource for existing Parties and their suppliers in facilitating their successful 
participation in the Agreement.  
4  IMPLEMENTATION OF TA  PLAN AND MAIN FEATUR ES OF THE TA PROVIDE D IN 201 6 
4.1.  In 201 6, excluding Other Activities which did not constitute T A per se, the WTO undertook a 
total of 274 TA  activities, both in Geneva and in the field .  This chapter provides an overview of 
how the landscape of these activities evolved in 2016 compared to previous years.  In an attempt 
to capture patterns in the evolution of TA over  time, and hence to measure progress and/or 
pinpoint points that  require specific attention,  this chapter considers the same axes of analysis 
that were advantageously used in previous reports . 
4.2.  In view of the emphasis placed by the WTO o n enhancing LDCs' technical capacities and 
ability to comprehend and deal with WTO matters, this chapter contains a component specifically 
dedicated to the analysis of their participation in TA activities.  The  regional distribution, product 
mix, lang uage mix, subject  and PLS distribution  are then discussed .  A new  analysis of  the 
distribution of TA across the four K ey Results identified in the 2016 -17 TA Plan  was added this 
year.  For each of the axes of analysis, the distribution among the various types o f activities 
(global, national, regional and e -learning) measured in terms of number of activities, participants, 
days of training and expenditure is considered.  The information on the number of participants, 
number of days and expenditure that is discuss ed in the analysis is illustrated by graphs , to the 
extent t hat a graphical illustration was deemed to add value . 
4.3.  No data on the duration (in days or hours) of the o nline courses  is presented in the graphs 
below.  This is due to the self -paced nature of e -Learning.  Online courses  are available throughout 
the year  and participants can register any time of the year .  Once registered, p articipants are 
required to complete the training within two months of the  date at which they started the cours e.  
Therefore,  the Secretariat cannot determine the actual number of hours or days that participants 
                                                
20  Section 3.7 of the 2016 annual report of the Committee on Government Procurement (GPA/141) 
discusses in more details the TA provided by the Secretariat in this domain.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 20 - 
 
0%10%20%30%40%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Participants from LDCs in  
e-Learning courses  dedicate to a given course .  Attributing a two-month duration by default to all e -Learning activities 
would inflate the results and unnecessarily distort the analysis . 
4.4.  Similarly, in view of the specificity of the characteristics of the long -term internships held in 
Geneva,21 mainly with regard to the ir duration ( 9 months on average), cost (CHF  2 million per 
year on average over 2012 -16) and number of participants (45 a year on average over 2012 -16), 
the analysis presented in section 4.4 (distribution by subject) onward excludes these programmes.  
This will avoid distorting the analysis of face -to-face activities a nd repeating the same explanation 
to justify the discrepancies that may arise.  
4.5.  Analysing the cost of the various activities implemented in 2016 aims to provide Members 
and senior management with a clear overview of expenditure related to the various types of TA 
activities, allowing them to make informed decisions on budget allocation to ensure the cost 
efficiency  and long -term sust ainability of the WTO TA offer.  
4.1  Participation of least developed countries (LDCs22) 
4.6.  LDCs continue to be a priority for the WTO TA offer.  They were invited to 72% of all TA 
activities organised in 2016 (61% in 2015) and a pproximately  one third of the face -to-face 
activities were specifically directed towards them.  The fact that Africa an d Asia -Pacific were the 
two regions that received the highest number of TA field missions in 2016 (see 4.2) facilitated and 
supported the sustained focus placed by WTO TA on enhancing the capacities of LCDs to integrate 
and fully benefit from the MTS , as most LDCs are located in these two regions.  LDCs accounted 
for 42% of the participants  in regional activities and 60% in national activities in Africa and Asia -
Pacific in 2016.  Overall, LDCs represented 22% of the total number of participants who benefitt ed 
from WTO trainings in 2016 . 
4.7.  The same trend as for face -to-face activities was 
observed  for e-Learning courses.  Participants from 
LDCs represented  32% of the total e -Learning  
audience in 2016, in line with  the average in 2010-16 
(30%±4%).  The stability of the participation of LDCs 
in e-Learning confirms that internet access does not 
constitute an unsurmountable hurdle (at least among 
the segment of the population targeted by WTO 
training courses) in these countries.  To see the 
participatio n of LDCs grow at the same high pace as 
the overall audience of the WTO online courses also 
shows that, on average, these countries have today 
the same learning capacities as their more developed 
counterparts, which is a very positive signal.  
4.8.  The 2016 part icipation figures for both e -Learning and face -to-face activities allow us to 
conclude with an acceptable degree of confidence that participants from LDCs represent one third 
of WTO TA beneficiarie s. 
4.9.  Besides the priority given to addressing LDC requests fo r national activities and to ensuring 
that LDC participants have a priority access to regional and global activities, several other 
programmes/activities are specifically designed for and/or geared towards the needs of LDCs, in 
line with the stated targets  of the TA Plan for 2016-17. 
4.10.   In 2016, six out of the seven TA missions to establish or upgrade a Reference Centre (RC) 
took place in LDCs .23  The review of the status of R Cs in 2016 indicated that 50% of th ose 
considered as active are operating in LDCs.  In addition,  24 RC managers from LDCs attended a 
colloquium held on 18 -20 January 2016 in Geneva to  enhance their skills and knowledge o n WTO 
databases and other IT resources and to discuss policy matters related to the functi oning of RCs. 
                                                
21  The long term internship prog rammes include the Accession Internships Programme (AIP) , French & 
Irish Mission Internships Programme ( FIMIP), Nethe rlands Trainees Programme (NTP) and  Regional 
Coordinator Internship  programme  (RCI) . 
22  LDCs represent less than a third of all potential b eneficiaries.  
23  Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 21 - 
 
0%20%40%60%80%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016LDCs in Long -term Internships  4.11.   In 2016, LDC nationals represe nted 
56% of the total participants in the long -
term internship programmes in Geneva (6% 
more than in 2015).  This proportion 
remained stable over the period 2010 -16 
(on average 57%±5%).  The breakdown of 
LDC representation in each of the i nternship 
programmes in 2016 indicates slight 
variations between programmes while still 
confirming the predominance of LDCs in all 
of them.  The proportion of LDCs ranged 
from 40% in the R CI to as high as 67% in 
the AIP. 
4.12.   While participants from LDCs accoun ted for only 9% of the participants in Geneva -based 
courses in 2016 (exclu ding long-term interns), 4 o f the 27 global activities held in Geneva were 
specifically designed for LDCs.  The three -week introduction course for LDCs was held in French 
and gathere d 26 participants.   A total of 23 participants attended an intermediate level course 
aiming at deepening LDC officials' understanding of issues related to trade and development within 
the WTO.  
4.13.   A one -week advanced Trade in Services Statistics course targeti ng statisticians from LDCs 
was organized for the first time in Geneva.  Considering the complexity of the subject matter and 
to ensure that participants have a uniform level of knowledge prior to the course, participants were 
required to complete a five -week online course developed in cooperation with UNCTAD.  To ensure 
that the course was best tailored to the needs of participants and priorities of LDCs in the area of 
Services  statistics , participants also had to complete a questionnaire in advance .  Results were 
used to identify specific sectors of interests and challenges in data analysis.  
4.14.   A workshop that gathered 15 LDC officials specialized in Intel lectual Property Rights was 
organized on 10 -12 November 2016.  The workshop focused on LDC priority needs and the 
regional dimension of needs assessment.  It facilitated the exchange of views and experiences 
between the LDCs present and developed Members .  It benefited from the expertise of other 
organizations includi ng WIPO, UNCTAD, ITC and ICTSD.  
4.15.   LDCs are co nsidered a priority target for TPR follow -up activities.  When carefully designed, 
these activities prove to be a useful resource mobilization exercise.  This is of particular relevance 
for LDCs where the resources needed to implement policy adjustments th at may have been 
suggested by the TPR are sorely lacking.  However, these activities are based on national  requests 
and very few of these usually emanate from LDCs.  Only one TPR follow -up mission out of the four 
carried out in 2016 was held in an LDC .  Following the successful example of Myanmar in 2015, 
Madagascar requested a workshop to discuss priority reforms arising from the TPR and to help 
mobilis e financial and TA from development partners active in the country to address them.  The 
workshop took pl ace on 18 -21 April 2016  and provided an opportunity for donors to coordinate 
their actions and align them with Madagascar's priority needs.  Further to this workshop, 
Madagascar was granted a project preparation grant from the Standards and Trade Development 
Facility (STDF) to implement the prioritization tool developed by the STDF ( Prioritizing SPS 
Investments for Market Access "P -IMA") and fo rmulate concrete proposals to address the priority 
needs identified.  The conclusions of the work shop were subsequently used by g overnment officials 
as a basis for the preparation of their positions in the Donors and Investors Conference for 
Madagascar hel d in Paris on 1 -2 December 2016.  
  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 22 - 
 
 -  300  600  900  1,200GlobalMiddle EastLatin AmericaCEECACCaribbeanAsia-PacificAfricaDays of Training by Region  
 -  2  4  6  8GlobalMiddle EastLatin AmericaCEECACCaribbeanAsia-PacificAfricaActivities Expenses by Region (MCHF)   - 1,000  2,000  3,000  4,000  5,000  6,000GlobalMiddle EastLatin AmericaCEECACCaribbeanAsia-PacificAfricaParticipants by Region  
 -  30  60  90  120GlobalMiddle EastLatin AmericaCEECACCaribbeanAsia-PacificAfricaNumber of Activities by Region  4.2  Geographical distribution  
4.16.    Global activities represented nearly 41% of the TA activities organized in 2016, progressing 
by 2 percentage points compa red to 2015.  Global face -to-face activities accounted for a major 
part for this increase, as their share of the total TA activities reached 22% instead of 20% in 2015.  
They remain second to  the activities carried out in Africa, which  benefitted from the highest 
number of face -to-face trainings (nearly 25% of the total), in line with the priority announced  in 
the TA Plan.  Africa has been consistently the region that received the highest number of activities 
for the past years.  Its share in the total face -to-face activities remained fairly stable (on average 
26%±4% over 2012 -16). 
4.17.   The current physical limitations imposed by the lack of availability on the WTO campus of 
proper training rooms makes it challenging to hold more than one activity in Geneva at a time.24  
As most global face -to-face activities are organised in Geneva  where the current training facilities 
are already used at close to full capacity and where hotel availability is limited during certain peak 
periods , this explains that the relative stability of the number of global activities held each year.  
4.18.   Africa was disproportionately affected in 2016 by the administrative measures taken against 
Members and Observers in arrears on the ir contribution to the WTO: 8 out of the 9 Members in 
category I II and all 4 Observers in categories II and III at the beginning of the year were African 
countries and had to be denied access to WTO TA.25  This meant that 18% of the African Members 
and half of the African Observers had to be denied TA during at least pa rt of the year.  Taking into 
account the date on which some of them regularised their contributions, the countries concerned 
could not benefit from WTO TA during 82% of the year on average.  These figures show the actual 
impact of the administrative measur es on some of the poorest African countries.  
4.19.   The trend remained the same as in 2015 for the other regions, ranked in the following 
decreasing order  in terms of total share:  Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Central & Eastern Europe -
                                                
24  At the moment, one single properly equipped training room is available on the WTO campus.  
25  Members: Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea -Bissau, Mauritania, Niger and 
Sierra Leone.  Observers: Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Sao Tomé & Principe and Sudan.  
  National  
   Regional  
   Global  
   e-Learning  
 WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 23 - 
 
Central Asia (CEECAC) , Middle  East and Caribbean.  The number of activities in Asia -Pacific 
remain ed stable over the period 2012 -16 with an average share established at 18%±1% of the 
total number of face -to-face activities.   The low variability over the years may indicate that the TA 
offer of the WTO matches  the demand in this region.  
4.20.   Latin America remained the third largest recipient of face -to-face activities with nearly 14% 
of the total, in line with the average noted  since 2012 (15%).  The overall share of CEECAC was in 
line previo us years' average (11%±2%) , in spite of a  44% increase in 2016 .  Middle East and 
Caribbean, which are the two smallest regions,  have logically  received a smaller share of  TA 
activities than the other regions.  The 2012-16 average share for the Caribbean was 4%±0.7%  
and for  the Middle East 7%±2%.  The share of the Middle East region  is declining  since 2014, due 
to a lower demand for national activities . 
4.21.   To avoid distorting the analysis of the regional distribution of participa nts in TA activities in 
2016, global activities  have to be considered  separately.  As indicated above, activities such as the 
long-term internships, by their very nature , target fewer individuals  over longer periods and have 
a higher cost .  Global activities,  such as the advanced courses and other thematic activities that 
are held in Geneva usually gather a limited number of participants.  As a result, data from 2016 
show that global activities gathered proportionately less participants than activities held in  the 
regions.  Exclu ding global  activities , the number of TA activities and participants per region in 2016 
were highly correlated.  Activities considered for each region include d both regional and national 
activities.  The latter tend to target a higher n umber of participants.  Except for the Caribbean 
(44%), national activities accounted for more than half of the participation for all regions (80% in 
Latin America;  around 70% in Africa, Asia -Pacific and CEECAC; and about 60% in the Middle East) . 
4.22.   Participa tion in activities held in Africa (2,153 participants)  grew compared to 2015, 
surpassing the annual average (i.e. 1,964 participants ) recorded  for 2012 -16.  Latin America 
(1,410 participants against an average of 1,297) and CEECAC  (1,012 participants against an 
average of 926) followed the same trend .  The Middle East, Caribbean and Asia -Pacific regions 
witnessed a decline in participation compared to 2015 and to the average for 2012 -16. 
4.23.   A total of 10,279 participa nts from all regions (146 countries) followed  e-Learning courses in 
2016.  While there was a significant increase (+ 36%) in the attendance in e-Learning courses in 
2016 compared to the previous year, the geographical distribution amongst participants remained 
fairly simila r with regard to the ranking of the regions.  Africa accounted for 38% of the total 
number of participants, maintaining its position as the first recipient  of e-Learning.  A slight 
decrease was recorded in 2016 in the share of Latin America (17% of the tot al instead of 20% in 
2015) , placing the region marginally behind the Asia -Pacific (21%).  However, the average share 
of these two regions in 2012-16 (20 %±3% each) indicates that the y remain the second most 
important user bases of the e -Learning courses.  The other noteworthy change is the increase in 
the number of participants from the Caribbean (9% in 2016) above the 6% average in 2012-16. 
4.24.   As far as days of training are concerned,  global face -to-face activities represented  61% of 
the total in 2016, following the same pattern as in previous years.  This is due to the long duration 
of some Geneva -based activities, such as long -term internships that exceed the average duration 
of trainin g courses  (they last  between six and ten months , i.e. approximately 170 working days 
each).  The share of each region in the remaining 40%  of training days is closely correlated with 
the share of each region in the total number of activities.  
4.25.   The 2016 tota l expenditure of nearly 13.9 MCHF was distributed following the same pattern 
as in 201 5.  Activities held in Geneva, categorized as "Global" in the graph , accounted for 53% of 
the total TA costs (50% exclu ding e-Learning).  This is mainly  attributable to t he high cost  of the 
various long-term internship programmes, owing to their extended duration (on average 9 months 
in 2016).  The distribution of expenses by region in 2016 was proportional to the number of 
activities per region.  Activities benefiting Afr ica accounted for 34% of the total cost of  face-to-face 
TA activities held outside Geneva.  
  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 24 - 
 
0%20%40%60%80%100%
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Evolution of TA Mix  
e-Learning
Global
Regional
National
25% 
10% 
10% 55% Participation TA Mix 2016  
National
Regional
Global
e-Learning
 - 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000Participation in TA Activities  
e-Learning
Face-to-face4.3  Product mix  
4.26.   This section looks into the share of the 
various categories of activities (referred to as 
product mix) in the total volume of TA 
activities delivered in 2016, and the evolution 
of this share over 2012 -16.  It also considers 
the evolution of the main featur es across 
categories (such as participation and 
duration).  Categorization of the product mix 
is based on the reach of the activities (global, 
regional or national), with the exception of 
e-Learning which  is a standalone category 
owing  to its distinct deli very mode.  
4.27.   The graph shows that, despite a slight 
but steady decline since 2014 in their number, national activities continue to be the main TA 
delivery mechanism, representing 39% of the total TA activities in 2016, in the same  order of 
magnitude as in 20 15.  For the seventh consecutive  year, the share of online courses  increased , 
confirming its position as the second largest category of activities . 
4.28.   While the variation in terms of sheer numbers of national and regional activities between 
2015 and 2016 is t oo small to draw any conclusion, and while the number of global face -to-face 
activities increased in 2016 compared to 2015 (yet remaining below its high  of 2012), it could be 
inferred with a fair amount of confidence that a pattern is emerging in the evolu tion of the TA 
product mix in favour of activities targeting a global audience , be it delivered face -to-face or 
online .  These activities address  topics that are of interest to all Members  and generate useful 
cross-fertilization among st them .  Issues such as the fulfilment of transparency obligations 
(workshops on notifications) under the various Agreements (e.g. Agriculture, TBT , SPS, etc.)  
remained popular with  Members in 2016.  
4.29.   To assess the impact of the current distribution of the TA mix on the number  of participants, 
it is useful to analyse the size of the audience of each type of activities.  The upward trend 
observed since 2011 in the number of individuals trained annually by the WTO continued in 2016 
and even accelerated .  The annual growth  reached  24 % in 2016 (18,621 persons trained in total).  
Over 83% of this growth in audience came from the e -Learning, which captured 36% more 
participants in 2016 than in 2015.  This confirms the prediction made in the 2015 annual report.  
4.30.   Analysing the correlati on between the number of activities and of individuals trained under 
each TA product demonstrates that e -Learning has the highest unit participation ratio of the TA 
mix.  Therefore, a n increase  in the number of e -Learning courses  has a disproportionate imp act on 
the overall volume of beneficiaries of WTO TA.  The security breach experienced in May 2015 by 
the e -Campus was a staggering illustration of this impact, as the resulting stagnation of the total 
number of participants in e -Learning led to an overall  stagnation of the total TA beneficiaries (only 
2% increase in the total number of TA beneficiaries in 2015 compared to 2014 ).  By comparison, 
with their recommended maximum number of participants of 30, face -to-face activities will never 
have a similar mu ltiplier effect.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 25 - 
 
01020304050Average Number of Participants in 
Regional/Global Activities  
Standard Deviation4.31.   In addition to being the most eff ective  means to beef up participation in  WTO TA activities, 
e-Learning is also highly  cost-effective.  In 2016, 55% of the total TA participants were trained 
through e -Learning for only 7% of the total TA e xpenditure.  Keeping up with the constant 
evolution of technology (including on security and interactivity), and expanding and diversifying 
the online offer are c onsequently  critical in the current context of scarce TA resources.  
4.32.   Participation in face -to-face activities reached 8,342 in 2016, well above  the 2011-16 
average (7,724 participants per year).  Global face -to-face activities had a slightly higher unit 
participation  ratio in 2016 than regional ones.  On average, each global face -to-face activity  
gathered 39 participants against only 35 for regional ones.  In addition, the growth of the audience 
in 2016 compared to 2015 was greater for global activities than for the regional on es (34% and 
20% respectively).  
4.33.  Considering that the recommended 
maximu m size of an audience in face-to-
face activities  is around 30 persons  in 
order  to facilitate interactivity and hands -
on work, it proved difficult  for WTO TA  in 
2016 to sta y within this limit ( even for  
regional  and global  activities for which  
the Secretaria t has entire responsibility in 
selecting the participants ).  Given that 
increasing the number of activities 
cannot be considered as an option within 
the current situation of human and 
financial resources freeze at the WTO, 
there seem s to be no other option  to 
respond to the high demand and 
expectations of beneficiaries than 
applying number -of-participants limits 
flexibly in face -to-face activities, with out 
compromis ing the quality of the training.  
4.34.   Looking at the regional "preferences" for national or regional activities in 2016, the data 
shows that the number of the national activities was significantly higher than that of regional 
activities in virtually all the regions.  The notable exception to t his trend was the Caribbean where 
the number of activities held at a regional level was higher than those implemented nationally , as 
a result of a lower demand for national activities, of the late submission of certain requests, of the 
unavailability of th e Secretariat on some subjects or of the application of security rules . 
4.35.   The high variability from one year to another in the distribution among regional and national 
activities for each region makes it difficult to draw a pattern in the evolution of region al 
"preferences" for one or the other product.  National activities remain an important mechanism by 
which TA is delivered to beneficiaries.  The "simplicity" of their organization (the process is less 
resource -intensive for the Secretariat) and the flexib ility of their programme (can be tailor ed to 
the very specific needs of the requesting authority  and to the desired level) and audience (the 
requesting authority  has total discretion i n selecting the participants) make national activities still 
popular reg ardless of the region considered.  
4.36.   Regional "preferences" for national vs regional activities has an incidence on the distribution 
of TA expenditure across regions.  Regional activities cost on average 2.3 times more than national 
ones,26 since t he WTO  finances the  travel and subsistence for both trainers and participants .  In 
national activities , the WTO covers these  only for the trainers.   One would consequently expect  
that regions with the highest proportion  of regional activities would account for the big gest share 
                                                
26  Average calculated for the period 2012 -16. Proportion of National/Regional Activities  
 Africa  Asia-Pacific  Caribbean  CEECAC  Latin America  Middle East  
National  67% 67% 38% 62% 79% 54% 
Regional  33% 33% 62% 38% 21% 46% WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 26 - 
 
 - 10 20 30 40 50Long -term Interns  
AIP
RCI
MIP
NTP
Months in
Geneva - 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0Days  Average Duration of Activities  
National Regionalof the total TA expenditure in any given year.   However, this has to be balanced against  the 
overall number of activities in each  region.  For instance, while national activities represented 67% 
of the total TA received by both Africa and Asia -Pacific, Africa's share of the total TA expenditure in 
2016 was twice that of Asia -Pacific , since  Africa received around 30% more activities in total than 
Asia-Pacific.  In addition, WTO expenditure on regional activities is also influenced by  the cost -
sharing arrangements in place with partner institutions that can be more favourable in cert ain 
regions than in others.  
4.37.   Regional activities represented  92% of the TA expenditure in the Caribbean in 2016 against 
87% in 201 5.  This  slight increase  is commensurate  with the increase in the number of  regional 
activities registered in 2016 for this region.  The opposite is observed for the Middle East, where 
regional activities accounted for 74% of the total TA expenses in 201 6 against 85% in 201 5, 
coinciding with a s light decline in the share of regional activities of the tot al TA delivered to that 
region.  
4.38.   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 -learning nature of online courses  
makes it difficult to measure their duration.  Global activities tend to include a wide array of 
products (workshops of 2 days or less, long -term internships and advanced courses lasting 
between one and eight weeks ).  Therefore , annual variation s in the average duration of global 
activities depend on the type of activities on offer each year.  However, within the global activities, 
a more sensible average duration of training can be calculated by sub -group of activities  accordin g 
to their level.  For instance, activities at intermediate  level for generalists or specialists lasted on 
average 5 days in 2016 as in the previous years, whereas activities at advanced level lasted on 
average 6 days for specialist s and 24 days 
for genera lists.  Overall, excluding the 
longer trade policy courses (3 weeks or 
more), the average duration of regional and 
global activities was stable in 2016 
compared to 2015 (3.7 days ±1.5 day).  
4.39.  The average duration of national 
activities was more uniform in 2016 (3 
days±1.2 day ), marginally higher than in  
2015.  This confirms the persistent  
difficulty faced by the Secretariat and 
reported in previous annual reports to 
convince host countries to increase the 
duration of national  activities , as often 
requested by the participants themselves.  
4.40.   Long-term internship 
programmes are part of the 
global face -to-face TA activities 
held in Geneva.  They benefit a 
small number of participants  
(long-term interns represented 
0.5% of the total participants in 
face-to-face TA activities and 
2.5% of th ose in global ones  in 
2016) hosted in the Secretariat 
or a mission  for extended period s 
of time (6 months on average for 
the AIP and RCI; and 10 months 
for the FIMIP and NTP)  during 
which they learn -by-doing.   
Overall  in 2016 , the number of 
participants in the various long 
term internship programmes  
increased compared to 2015 (2 more for NTP, 1 more for AIP and FIMIP).   The RCI was the  
exception  with only 5 participants (2 less than 2015) , its lowest number sinc e 2009. WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 27 - 
 
5% 
14% 
10% 
10% 
14% 47% Sessions  
3% 7% 
6% 
3% 
7% 
74% Participants  
10% 
10% 
20% 
10% 10% 40% Duration  
Accessions
Services
Rules of Origin
SPS/TBT
Statistics
T Facilitation4.41.   Except for the RCI 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, Ne therlands for NTP) and on the tim ing 
of these contributions in the year .  These factors also influence  the duration of the internships . 
4.42.   Long-term internships represented a significant share (14%) of the total TA expenditure in 
2016, as in previous years .  Despite their considerable share of the annual TA expenditure, long -
term internships have a more efficient cost/day ratio than the re st of face -to-face activities.   The 
analysis  of cost s per programme shows  that the individual cost of each programme mirror ed the 
evolution of the  number of participants and duration of their stay  in Geneva .  Compared to 2015, 
the total bill was higher in 2016 for the FIMIP and NTP (+ 6% and + 13% respectively) , which had 
more interns,  and lower  for the AIP ( -16%), which had one extra intern  but for a much shorter  
average duration , and for the RCI ( -44%) , which had less interns .  This shows that  the variation of 
the number of participants has a higher incidence on expenditure than the duration of their stay (it 
costs more to h ave an additional participant than to extend the duration of a fixed number of 
participants).   This should be kept in mind  when evaluating the results  of these programmes and 
devising strategic orientations for their improvement . 
    Videoconferences  
4.43.   Videoconferences have been used by the Secretariat to deliver some of its TA activities or 
part of them for a long time, but no attempt had been made so far to measure them.  In 2016, ten 
videoconference s were organised with Latin America .  No record was kep t for the other regions.  
These sessions provided a timely and very efficiently response to specific requests received from 
Members.  A  first request  was received from Ecuador to train officials working in the area of Rules 
and International Disputes  on: (i) Accessions (rules and procedures);  (ii) Rules of origin 
(preferential and non -preferential);  and (iii) SPS & TBT.   Four videoconferences (two for RoO) 
were organized during the month of June 2016.   Between 10 -15 participants attended each time 
the video conference sessions  which lasted approximated 90 minutes .  The sessions were quite 
interactive and participants raised questions and made comments during the four presentations.  
4.44.   The second request was rece ived from the Andean Community (CAN) secretariat.   The focus 
was on the TFA in general  and each of the four presentations organized in the autumn  focused on 
one or two specific provisions of the Agreement.   The specificity of these videoconferences was 
that the diffusion covered the four countries of the CAN (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador – Guayaquil 
and Quito, and Peru) and the CAN s ecretariat , i.e. six sites in total , probably with a total audience 
for each session of around 80 -100 people, maybe more (the audience in Colombia was quite 
large).   Obviously th is complicated technically the videoconferences and also reduced interactivity 
(Q&A only at the end).  
4.45.   Finally, two videoconferences were held during the short TPC held for ALADI members in 
Uruguay in November on Services and statistics, to avoid flying a W TO official for half a day only . 
4.46.   In total, the videoconferences trained approximately 500 individuals in 2016.27 
                                                
27  Most of them have not been  counted in the figures on participation mentioned above in this section.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 28 - 
 
 - 2,000  4,000  6,000  8,000  10,000TRIPSTBTSPSServicesRulesMA for GoodsGov. ProcurementGeneralEnvironmentDispute SettlementAgricultureAccessionParticipants by Subject  
 -  200  400  600  800  1,000TRIPSTBTSPSServicesRulesMA for GoodsGov. ProcurementGeneralEnvironmentDispute SettlementAgricultureAccessionDays by Subject   - 20  40  60  80  100  120TRIPSTBTSPSServicesRulesMA for GoodsGov. ProcurementGeneralEnvironmentDispute SettlementAgricultureAccessionNumber of Activities by Subject  
 -  2  4  6  8TRIPSTBTSPSServicesRulesMA for GoodsGov. ProcurementGeneralEnvironmentDispute SettlementAgricultureAccessionExpenses by Subject (MCHF)  4.4  Distribution by subject  
4.47.   The capacity of the Secretariat to offer TA is not equal on all trade related subjects, as it is 
influenced by the workload generated by the negotiations, committees and dispute settlement 
which regularly limit the availability of staff members in certain domains.  
4.48.   Year 2016 saw a continuation of  the tr end noted  in 2015 towards a higher  share of activities 
with a general scope, which accounted for 47% of the total in 2016.  However, the ir growth was 
slower  than in 2015 (9% incre ase between 2015 and 2016 agai nst 30% between 2014 and 2015).   
They included all the activities for generalists (3 ATPCs, 6 ITPCs, 1 introduction course for LDCs,  1 
Introduction Day,  etc.) and other  activities that address ed more than one WTO subject or that 
focused on skills or themes cut ting across several (if not all) WTO subjects such as TPR follow -up 
(4 activities); Reference Centres ( 8 activities); outreach activities for MPs, journalists and civil 
society (4 activities); etc.  
4.49.   Activities with a general scope gathered half of the total par ticipants that benefitted from TA 
in 2016.  The same trend was observed regardless of the type of TA product (national, regional, 
global or e -Learning).  These activities accounted for 67% of the total training days, in the same 
order of magnitude as in 20 15 (only 5% increase).  An increase in the share of these activities in 
the total expenditure was observed in 2016 (63%  increase ) compared to 2015, proportionate with 
the increased share in terms of number and training days.  Nearly half of the expenditure  on 
general -scope activities was spent on regional activities, followed by global (35%), national (11%) 
and e -Learning (5%) activities . 
4.50.   The popularity of  the various WTO  subjects changed  substantially in 2016 compared to 
2015.  Unlike in 2013 and 2014, Tra de Facilitation was no longer the most important individual 
  National  
   Regional  
   Global  
   e-Learning  
 WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 29 - 
 
subject during the year.  As explained above in section 3.1.1 (see footnote 3 in particular), this is 
essentially due to the exclusion of most of the individual activities on this subject from the  scope 
of the general WTO TA Plan and of this report, as a result of the creation of a separate Trade 
Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF) under the authority of the Trade Facilitation Committee.   The 
TFAF has its own separate governance and reporting me chanism, reason why the activities it 
finances are not discussed in this report, to avoid any duplication.28  However, all the activities for 
generalists (e.g. ITPCs, ATPCs) included a module on the new TFA, which underlines the 
complementarity of the activ ities funded through the GTF and the TFAF, irrespective of the 
segregation of reporting.   In the WTO statistics, TF has now been combined with the rest of Market 
Access (MA) for Goods.29  Amongst the many subjects related to MA for Goods, the ITA generated 
more demand from beneficiaries in 2016.  The share of training on TRIPS increased to reach the 
same level as MA for goods (8% of the total  for both subjects ).  Services  came second  in ter ms of 
number  of activities .  SPS was less in demand in 2016  and ranked third , falling by over 70% in 
terms of share in total activities to its lowest since 2013.  The share of TBT activities  increased, 
bridging the gap that had traditionally existed with  SPS (50% more than TBT  in 2015).30  
However, the combined SPS and TBT shares in total activities in 2016 make standards the most 
popular individual subject among Members.   This confirms the ir sustained interest for Non-Tariff 
Measures.  
4.51.   In terms of number of participants, TRIPS and M A for Goods still hold the first position with 
8% each.  However, SPS comes  second with Services , despite its lower number of activities .  This 
is mainly attributed to the higher share among SPS activities of e-Learning and national activities  
that tend to gather more participants.  
4.52.   Measured by number of days, the leading position was held by activities dedicated to 
Dispute Settlement ( 9% of the total for only 2% of the total share of activities), as in 2015.  This 
results 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 (55 days in 
2016, i.e. 27% less than in 2015).  
4.53.   SPS accounted for the second highest shar e days -wise, ahead of  TRIPS and Services.  This 
is mainly attributed to the higher number of SPS national activities, which contributed 30% more 
days to SPS than to TRIPS  (partially offset by a higher proportion of days for TRIPS global 
activities).   Global SPS activities also tended to be longer that those on Services.  The combined 
share of activities related to Standards (SPS and TBT) in terms of days account ed for 6% of the 
total number of days (50% less than its combined share in 2015).  
4.54.   The distributio n by subject within e -Learning  for 2016  confirms the pattern observed in 
2015.  The WTO introduction course continued to be the most popular course among e -Learning 
users.   However, a s observed in 2015, it continued  to draw fewer  and fewer  participants (22 % of 
the total e -Learning audience in 2016 against 28% in 2015).  This is consistent with the growing 
diversification of  the offer of intermediate level courses observed in the past two years (WTO 
introduction course being the only e -Learning course offere d at introductory level while the other 
subjects fall in the intermediate category ).  SPS was the second most attended online  course with 
646 participants (24% more than in 2015), followed by TBT which attracted  71% more 
participants  (the highest increase in 2016 ), followed by Trade & Environment (+70%), MA for 
Goods (+55%), A griculture (+5 4%), etc. .  Together, the various TRIPS courses attracted 912 
participants  (+72%), which validates the new approach based on shorter more specialised 
courses .  These evol utions have to be assessed against the average increase of 36% in the 
participation in online courses in 2016.  Participation in the course on DS launched at the end of 
2015 remained limited, but the course was available in English only.   Course s on Multil ateral Trade 
Agreements, Rules of origin, Regional Trade Agreements, Trade & Development and Services 
attracted  roughly the same number of participants as in 2015 (over 450 participants).   
                                                
28  A similar approach is adopted for the EIF and STDF, for the same reasons.  
29  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 inspection, rules of origin, import licensing procedures and trade 
facilitation.  
30  A growing number of activiti es actually covered both SPS and TBT at the same time in 2016, blurring 
the difference between these two subjects.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 30 - 
 
 -  50  100  150MultilanguageSpanishFrenchEnglishNumber of Activities by 
Language  
 -  2,000  4,000  6,000  8,000  10,000MultilanguageSpanishFrenchEnglishParticipants by Language  
 -  200  400  600MultilanguageSpanishFrenchEnglishDays of Training by Language  
 -  2  4  6  8MultilanguageSpanishFrenchEnglishExpenses by Language (MCHF)  4.5  Language mix  
4.55.   The pattern observed in previous years with regard to the distribution of activities by 
language persisted in 2016 .  English was the language in which 62% of face -to-face activities 
(exclu ding long-term internships) were delivered in 2016, consistent with the average in 2012-16 
estimated at 63%.  Correlated to that was the share of activities in English in total expenditure on 
face-to-face activities (62%) and size of the audience reached  (60% of ben eficiaries of TA 
activities in 2016 attended trainings delivered in English).  Both features were in the same order of 
magnitude as in 2015.  The share of English -speaking activities in terms of days of training was 
slightly lower in 2016 than in previous years (48% against an average of 58% between 20 12 
and 2016).  
4.56.   The share of activities delivered in French and Spanish in the total face -to-face activities 
implemented in 2016 reached 15% and 14%, respectively.  While the share of activities held in 
Spanish decreased compared to 2015 (17%), it remained within the range observed over the past 
five years.  A proportion of 9% of face -to-face activities were held in at least two of the three WTO 
languages (and in most cases in all three languages), using interpre tation services (28% more 
than in 2015).  This increment is consistent with the growth of global reach activities observed in 
2016 combined with the increased share of multi lingual  activities in the  total global reach 
activities.  
4.57.   Overall, the distribution of the TA offer by language in 2016 remained consistent with the 
distribution of working languages amongst WTO Members: 70% English, 18% French and 12% 
Spanish, thereby confirming that the current WTO TA offer in terms of languages mat ches 
beneficiary's pr eferences.  
4.58.   As in 2015, the size of the audience and number of training days for face -to-face activities 
held in French and Spanish was roughly proportional to their relative share of activities in 2016.  
Activities in Spanish that accounted for 14% of the total face -to-face activities represented 16% of 
total participants for 12% of the training days.  For the activities in French, the se share s were 
15%, 15% and 12% respectively.  This means that face-to-face activities in both languages 
gathered proportionately more participants per activity on average in 2016 tha n in 2015 (47 and 
40 participants per activity in 2016 against 36 and 34 in 2015 for Spanish and French).   Activities 
in French maintained the sa me average duration as in 2015 ( just over 5 days), when activities in 
Spanish were on average 38 % longer in 2016 than in 2015.  
  National  
   Regional  
   Global  
   e-Learning  
 WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 31 - 
 
 - 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016e-Learning Participants by language  
Spanish
French
English4.59.   As observed in 2016, participation in multi lingual activities was proportional to their overall 
share of total face -to-face activ ities organized in 2016 (i.e. 9% of the total TA beneficiaries in 2016 
participated in multil ingual  activities).   Conversely, compared to 2015, there was a 
disproportionate increase in the share of days allocated to multil ingual  activities rising from 10% in 
2015 to 29% of the total number of days of training delivered in 2016.  This suggests that the 
duration of multil ingual  trainings has increased in 2016.  
4.60.   The distribution of expenditure by language (all activities including e -Learning) in 2016 
follow ed the same trend as in 2015 and was consistent with the share of the two languages in the 
total number of activities (activities in French accounted for 1 5% expenditure  against 14% for 
activities in Spanish) .  However , the gap betw een the relative  expenditure on activities in Spanish 
as compared to activities in French  was lower in 2016.  In relative terms , unit average cost was 
28% lower for Spanish than for French activities in 2015 and only 8% lower in 2016.  The unit 
average cost of regional activities in Spanish was higher in 2016 than in 2015 , as a result of 
potentially less favourable cost -sharing arrangement s. 
4.61.   The share of multilingual  activities in total expenditure for 2016 remained stable (12 % of 
the total) despite the si gnificant increase in the number of days.  In Geneva, interpretation 
services – the highest cost item of these activities compared to monolingual activities – are not 
covered under the TA budget but are absorbed by  the interpretation budget of the WTO.  Th is 
means  that the cost of  the additional days of subsistence allowance paid to participants  in global 
Geneva -based events  did not have a dramatic impact on total expenditure.  
4.62.   Analysing the breakdown of e -Learning participants by language provides an accura te 
snapshot of beneficiary's language preferences.  Online  courses are generally offered in the three 
languages throughout the year  (only 3 courses were available in English only in 2016)  and the 
registration for a given language is only a matter of personal preference.   In 2016, the breakdown 
was fairly similar to that observed for face -to-face activities: 60% of participants followed courses 
in English, 21% in French and 19% in Spanish.  
4.63.   There was no major change during 
the year in the balance between  the relative  
audiences  of each of the three languages in  
e-Learning , as they each grew at 
comparable rates (English: +34%, French: 
+ 35% and Spanish: +47%) .  Except for 
2013 and 2014 whe n the proportion of 
English -speaking participants w as lower 
(54% in 2014) and of French -speaking ones 
higher (25%), the average share of the 
three languages since 2011 has been 
remarkably stable on average (English:  
60%±1%, French: 20%±1%, and Spanish: 
20%±2% ). WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 32 - 
 
 - 20 40 60 80 100 120Not SpecifiedSpecialists - AdvancedSpecialists - intermediateGeneralists - AdvancedGeneralists - IntermediateIntroductionNumber of Activities by Level  
 -  2,000  4,000  6,000Not SpecifiedSpecialists - AdvancedSpecialists - intermediateGeneralists - AdvancedGeneralists - IntermediateIntroductionParticipants by Level  
 -  100  200  300  400Not SpecifiedSpecialists - AdvancedSpecialists - intermediateGeneralists - AdvancedGeneralists - IntermediateIntroductionDays of Training by Level  
 -  1  2  3  4Not SpecifiedSpecialists - AdvancedSpecialists - intermediateGeneralists - AdvancedGeneralists -
IntermediateIntroductionExpenses by Level (MCHF)  4.6  Progressivity of training  
4.64.   As a result of the Progressive Learning S trategy (PLS) adopted in 2010, a set of guidelines 
on the substantive content of each of the three training levels was developed at the end of 2013.  
These guidelines define the core substantive 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.  This section  aims to identify any emerging pattern 
in the implementation of PLS.  This proved difficult  in previous reports , as the full integration of 
the PLS across the wide array of TA offer is still in progress.  The analysis excludes the long -term 
internships considered as advan ced activities for generalists.  
4.65.   One p ositive aspect to underline (although with a certain caution) i s the improvement in 
assigning a level  to activities.  The number  of activities for which no  specific  level was assigned 
continued to decrease compared to past years (7% in 2016 against 9% in 2015 and  17% in 2014 ), 
as did their share of total expenditure ( 4% in 2016 against 8% in 2015, which represents a 
substantial decrease in proportion to the number of activities for both years) , despite a higher 
share of participants (8%) and days (29%) than in  2015.  These activities are almost equally 
distributed between  national, global and e -Learning ones, which means that regional activities are 
those for which a level  is more systematically  defined . 
4.66.   There was an overall stability in the relative share of each of the three training levels 
(introductory, intermed iate and advanced) in 2016, whether measured in terms of number of TA 
activities, participants, days of training or expenses.  Activities at introduction level continue to 
represent a fairly small proportion of the total TA activities, as their share in 20 16 remained within 
the range observed since 2012 (on average 14%±3%).  The share of participants trained at 
introduction level  (3,988  persons) , the share of days dedicate d to this level and the financial 
resources allocated in 2016 also remained proportion ally stable (2 1%, 9% and 11% respectively ). 
4.67.   Equally stable was the share of activities provided at intermediate level confirming the 
prevalence of these activities within  the TA offer  as a whole .  They accounted for 58% of the total 
  National  
   Regional  
   Global  
   e-Learning  
 WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 33 - 
 
activities in 2016 and 61% of participants  (11,457 persons) with a marginal increase compared to 
2015 for the latter.  Intermediate level activities accounted for 37% of the total training days 
(lower than the 51% recorded in 2015) and for a marginally lower share of expenditure  than in 
2015 (45%  in 2016  against 48% in 2015). 
4.68.   The proportion of advanced activities was also stable compar ed to  2015 regardless of the 
indicator  considered : 18% of activities , 9% of participants  (1,674 persons) , 25% of training days 
and 40% of expenses.   As in 2015, most of advanced level trainings (78%) were delivered through 
global or regional activities for both generalists and specialist s in 2016.  
4.69.   In 2016, the vast majority of e -Learning courses  were delivered at intermediate level (93% 
of the total) as in 2015.  The remainder were mostly delivered at introduction level , since no  
advanced level training is offered online, a rguably due to the level of interactivity and hands -on 
work required.  The share of participants in e -Learning intermediate level activities was 75% in 
2016 (10% increase compared to 2015).  Conversely , the share of e -Learning participants that 
followed  the introduction course d ecreased by 40% compared to 2015 .  Online introduct ion 
courses  attracted more participants per unit in 2015 than in 2016, while the opposite is true  for 
intermediate level courses .  This is the logical consequence of the increasing diversification of the 
online offer at intermediate level.  
4.70.   In 2016, 38% of the activities targeted generalists, in progression compared to 2015 (17% 
at introductory level, 18% at intermediate level, and 3% at advanced level).  This progression was 
accounted for by the 8% increase in the combined share of introduction and intermed iate level 
activities.   TA activities target ing specialists were slightly less numerous in 2016 than in 2015 
(15% decrease) although the proportion of intermediate vs advanced activities  remained fairly 
stable for specialist courses (roughly 70% of the spe cialist courses were de livered at intermediate 
level).  
4.71.   The share of activities for specialists was lower than a year ago  (54%  instead of 61% ) and 
symmetrically higher for generalists (38% instead of 30%).  Activities for specialists continued to 
draw more participants than those for generalists, accounting respectively for 49% and 43% of the 
total in 2016; although the gap between them has significantly decreased compared to 2015 (15  
percentage points difference in 2015 against only 6  in 2016).  As in previ ous years, the reverse is 
observed in terms of training days, as g eneralist activities accounted for 43% of the total training 
days in 2016 against only 29% for specialists  (activities with no training level accounted for the 
remainder, almost triple the p roportion in 2015) .  Expenses related  to activities for generalists 
accounted for 50% of the total TA expenditure in 2016, a 9 percentage points growth compared to 
2015.  This increase can be explained by the 27% increase noted in the share of generalist 
activities (in number), offset by the 23% decrease in their share in terms of number of days.  
4.72.   For generalist s, the proportion of participa nts by training level followed the same pattern as 
in previous years: introductory activities account ed for the bigges t share, followed by intermediate 
and advanced ones (50%, 47% and 3%, respectively).  However, the share of participants 
attending intermediate activities increased significantly compared to 2015, coming close to 
introduction level.   The participation grow th in advanced activities for generalists noted in 2015 
failed to confirm in 2016.31 
4.7  Gender mix  
4.73.   Considering th at only partial  data on gender distribution among participants in face -to-face 
activities was available in previous years (mainly prior to 2013), prudence should govern any  
analysis of the evolution over time of women participation in TA activities.  Continuous efforts over 
the past three years should give access to more comprehensive data .  In 2016, female 
participation in TA (43% of the total TA au dience) was consistent with the 2010-16 average 
(43%±1%).  
                                                
31  The number of participants in 2015 had been distorted by one single ev ent which attracted 350 
participants.  Setting it aside, there was o ne less advanced activity for generalist in 2016 compared to 2015, 
and the average attendance was lower (26 participants instead of 30 in 2015).  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 34 - 
 
0%25%50%Share of Women among TA Participants  
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
0%20%40%60%
English French Spanish TotalWomen in e -Learning Courses  
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
20164.74.  Variations across regions of 
the share of women amongst  TA 
participa nts in 2016 followed the 
same pattern as in previous years: 
gender par ity, if not female 
predominance was observed in the 
Caribbea n, CEECAC and Latin 
America regions (the share of 
female participation in activities in 
these regions averaged 51.5% in 
2010-16); women's participation in 
activities held in Africa and the 
Middle East remained close to the 
average recorded for the past eight 
years (i.e. 35 %±6%) ; whereas in 
Asia-Pacific the level of female 
participation remained the same as 
in 2015, equivalent to its average in 2010-16 (i.e. 43 %±4%) .  The global  average for the same 
period was 43%±1%.  
4.75.   Information on gender distribution a mong  
e-Learning audience s is exhaustive , as it is 
recorded automatically upon registration , but does 
not give a materially different picture compared to 
face-to-face activities .  Indeed, t he proportion of 
women amongst TA participa nts is fairly similar  
regardless of the training medi um (face-to-face or 
e-Learning).  In 2016, women represented 46% of 
total beneficiaries of e-Learning courses , in line  
with the 2010-16 average (47 %±2%).  In spite of 
minor fluctuations, female participation in  
e-Learning has been relatively stable since 2010 .  
The breakdown of gender data per training 
language points to a quasi -strict equality between 
female and male participation  in e-Learning courses 
in English and Spanish (51% of women ).  This is a reduction of the  proportion of women in 
e-Learning courses in Spanish (the 2010-16 average is 57%±5%) and a n increase  in English (the 
2010-16 average is 48%±2%).  The share of women amongst French -speaking online course 
participants  (around one third) continu ed to go down  in 2016, almost without interruption 
since 2010.  
4.8  Key Result mix  
4.76.   In an attempt to facilitate the subsequent performance analysis in the following chapters, 
this year's report introduces a new section that describes the main features of TA (number of 
activi ties, participation, duration and expenses) by Key Result.   Key Results are the outcomes 
around which the TA Plan is structured.  Four Key Results, each  comprising a number of outputs,  
have been identified in t he TA Plan for 2016-17: 
a. Key Result 1:  Government officials are implementing WTO Agreements and making full 
use of Members' rights  
b. Key Result 2 : Acceding governments are participating in accession negotiations, in line 
with WTO accession processes and procedures  
c. Key Result 3:  Members are acces sing and using WTO -related information enabling 
them to raise awareness of WTO matters with all their stakeholders  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 35 - 
 
 -  50  100  150  200
Key Result 1
Key Result 2
Key Result 3
Key Result 4Number of Activities by Key Result  
 -  5,000  10,000  15,000
Key Result 1
Key Result 2
Key Result 3
Key Result 4Participants by Key Result  
 - 200  400  600  800 1,000  1,200  1,400
Key Result 1
Key Result 2
Key Result 3
Key Result 4Days of Training by Key Result  
 -  2  4  6  8  10  12
Key Result 1
Key Result 2
Key Result 3
Key Result 4Expenses by Key Result (MCHF)  d. Key Result 4:  MPs, journalists and civil society interacting with WTO, students or WTO -
supported academic institutions are applying trade po licy and WTO -related topics and 
subjects in their courses and research  
 
4.77.   In 2016, the overwhelming majority of activities (84%)  contributed to Key Result 1.  That 
proportion was higher in  e-Learning courses (96%), as a majority of them focus on the text of the 
Agreements and their provisions, and lower for national activities (73%), in which  beneficiaries 
have a greater freedom to  enlarge the agenda .  If Key Result 1 also gathered 84% of the 
participants, it represented 92% of the training days and 91% of the total TA expenses.  Under 
this Key Result, activities were proportionately longer, which increased their cost.  This shows t he 
impact of long trade policy courses ( 3 to 8 week duration) and long term internships (6 to 10 
months duration).  The general pre -eminence of Key Result 1  is entirely consistent with Members ' 
needs and priorities identified in the TA Plan  and the compara tive advantage of the WTO identified 
in the external evaluation . 
4.78.   Key Result 4 was t he second most important one  in 2016 , whether measured in terms of 
number of activities (10%), participants (8%), training days (5%) or expenses (5%) .  This means 
that under  this Key Result, activities tended to gather proportionately les s participants for shorter 
durations, logically making them cheaper.  Most of these activities (58%) were implemented 
nationally , mainly under the WTO Chairs Programme or Academic Support Pro gramme.  Global and 
Regional activities (3 5% of the total) consisted to a large extent in outreach activities for 
journalists, MPs,  etc. 
4.79.   Together Key Results 2 and 3 represented  7% of the activities implemented in 2016  (2% 
and 5% respectively) .  The vast majority of the activities under these Key Results were n ational 
ones (respectively 60% and 72%).   A regional seminar co -organized with UNECE in Turkmenistan 
in 2016 addressing issues related to accession to the WTO for Observers  in the CEECAC region 
contributed to Key Result 2.  Two Geneva -based global activities were organized in 2016 under 
Key Result 3 (thematic course on trade in Services statistics for LDCs and Colloquium for 
Reference Centres Managers ).  There was more than double the number of partic ipants under  Key 
Result 2 than under Key Result 3 ( 956 and 424 respectively, i.e. 6% and 2% of the total ).  This is 
  National  
   Regional  
   Global  
   e-Learning  
 WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 36 - 
 
mainly accounted for by the higher number of participants attending the e-Learning courses on 
accession compared to courses addressing acces s to information , which better  lend themselves to 
face-to-face activities and hands -on training.  
5  EVALUATION OF PERFOR MANCE IN 201 6 
5.1.  This section will focus 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 Members and Observers, on the basis of the 
indicators identified in the TA Plan 2016 -17.  Whenever useful and relevant, the main conclusions 
of the external e valuation will also be briefly summarised.  As requested by the CTD  and following 
last year's experiment, 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 plans the y had initially approved.  
To that effect, each section starts with a short table summarising the situation at the end of 2016 
for each of the indicators and targets retained in the logframe annexed to the TA Plan 2016 -17. 
5.2.  The following codes have been use d 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 mad e towards 
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 co mpletely, or is not reliable or strong enough to 
support any conclusion one way or the other  
5.3.  The results shown in 2016 were positive overall, as in 2015.  The proportion of targets met 
increased by four percentage points, reaching 57%.  Most of this improv ement came from  Key 
Result 1, which represents approximately 84% of the entire TA provided by the WTO, in a context 
in which the number of indicators included in the TA Plan increased by approximately 50%.  
Measuring results at the outcome level remained a  challenge, as in 2015.   These figures are in line 
with the findings of the external evaluation, and confirm the relevance of the changes introduced 
in the logframe for 2016 -17. 
5.4.  On the evaluation side, the main event in 2016 was the performance of the external 
evaluation of the WTO TA initiated by the donors .32  This mobilised a lot of time and energy in all 
parts of the Secretariat, first to select the consultant according to the WTO procurement rules; to 
complete the paperwork required to establish the  contract; to provide the selected consultant, 
Saana Consulting, with all the data and information needed  to perform the evaluation work; to 
review and make comments on the inception and draft final reports; to coordinate positions with 
the external evalua tion Steering Committee; and eventually to prepare the Management 
Response.33  As a result, no on -site evaluations or country review were initiated during the year, 
for lack of staff availability . 
5.5.  One important value added by the external evaluation was the  capacity of Saana Consulti ng 
to actually measure the long -term impact of the WTO TA.  The Secretariat does not have the 
means to do so on an annual basis and many beneficiaries have great difficulties to provide 
relevant and reliable data to that effect, as noted by the external evaluators.  
  
                                                
32  See document WT/COMTD/89.  
33  See document WT/COMTD/90.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 37 - 
 
0102030
Key
Result 1Key
Result 2Key
Result 3Key
Result 4TA Indicators  
2015
2016
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%
Target
metTarget
partially
metTarget
not metData not
availableSuccess rate  
2015
2016
0%20%40%60%80%100%
2015 2016Key Result 1  
0%20%40%60%80%100%
2015 2016Key Result 2  
0%20%40%60%80%100%
2015 2016Key Result 3  
0%20%40%60%80%100%
2015 2016Key Result 4  5.6.  Compared to 2015, the total number of 
indicators used in the TA Plan 2016 -17 increased 
by 50%, which should contribute to giving a 
more precise picture of the results produced by 
the WTO TA during the year.  This was  
particularly the case for Key Result 1, which 
represents 84% of the total TA provided by the 
WTO, and for which the number of indicators 
increased by 80%.   As the number of indicators 
for Key Result 4 doubled in 2016, the relative 
importance of this Key R esult in the overall mix 
of indicators increased further: whereas Key 
Result 4 only represented 10% of the total TA, it had 30% of the indicators (against 23% in 2015).  
On the contrary, only 57% of the indicators belonged to Key Result 1 (48% in 2015).  I n 2016, the 
number of indicators for Key Results 2 and 3 (7% each against 10% and 20% in 2015) was more 
in line with their relative importance than in 2015 (2% and 5%).  This over -representation of Key 
Result 4 amongst indicators comes from the multiplicit y of indicators used to assess the results of 
the WCP and each of its  three pillars and the comparatively much more limited number of 
indicators used to assess a majority of the face -to-face activities.  
5.7.  The overall rate of success improved in 
2016 com pared to 2015.  The targets were met 
in 57% of the cases (53% in 2015).  However, 
they were partially met in only 7% of the cases 
(18% in 2015) , whilst the cases when targets 
were not met were stable (18%).  The cases 
when data were not available increased  from 
13% to 18%.  These evolutions have to be 
analysed in a context in which a significant 
number of indicators used in the TA Plan 2014 -
15 were replaced in 2016 in order to increase 
their relevance and better measure the true 
results produced by the WTO TA.  The 
Secretariat proved to be optimistic in a number 
of cases concerning the availability of the data , in particular concerning outcomes .  This means 
that further improvements in the selection of relevant and realistic indicators will be required in 
the TA Plan for 2018 -19. 
5.8.  An analysis by Key Result gives a more nuanced picture.  The success rate under Key 
Result  1 increased significantly from 47% of Targets met in 2015 to 71% in 2016, whilst targets 
partially met were stable (9% instead of 11%).  Only 12% of the targets were not met (16% in 
2015), which means that the improvement in this most significant Key Result came essentially 
from a reduction of the cases when data was not available (9% in 2016 instead of 26% in 2015).  
These evolutions for the most significant Key Resu lt of the WTO TA confirm the marked 
  Target met     Target 
partially met     Target not 
met    Data not 
available  
 WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 38 - 
 
improvement of the quality of the RBM approach in the TA Plan 2016 -17 compared to the previous 
one. 
5.9.  Under K ey Result 2, whilst targets were again met in 50% of the cases, some of the new 
indicators identified by the TA P lan proved difficult to implement.  Under Key Result 3, refocusing 
the TA Plan on a narrower number of more relevant indicators led to less satisfactory results, 
which is in line with the finding of the external evaluation.  Finally, under Key Result 4, th e 
doubling of the number of indicators to introduce more relevant ones also confirmed the difficulties 
noted by the external evaluation in assessing results in this domain .  The apparent deterioration of 
the performance is essentially the consequence of an  approach focusing more on outcomes and 
outputs and much less so on inputs.  
5.1  Key Result 1: Government officials are implementing WTO Agreements and making 
full use of Members' rights  
Indicators  Target  2016 
Compliance of Members with the WTO 
Agreements  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
Number of documents submitted by developing 
and LDC Members  Increase in participation / 
submissions of documents  Target met  
Number of outstanding notifications of TA 
beneficiary Members  5% decrease of outstanding 
notifications  Target partially met  
Publication of trade policies on Member's 
website  Increase during the biennium  Data not available  
5.10.   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.  Logically, the external evaluation focused essentially on 
it.  This report will not attempt to summarise in a few sentences the detailed and sometimes 
contrasted conclus ions of the evaluation  (see the full report in WT/COMTD/89), but will refer to the 
evaluation when useful and relevant.  
5.11.   Overall the report of the evaluators was rather positive about the relevance, effectiveness, 
efficiency, sustainability and impact of th e WTO TA.  The main conclusion was that convincing 
evidence was found in 2010 -15 that WTO training had been effective in contributing to the 
development of beneficiaries' capacity to work with multilateral trade rules and negotiations.   The 
comprehensive i nvestigation conducted by the evaluators over a six -year period constitutes a 
much more solid basis than any one-year assessment by the Secretariat on the basis of the 
indicators identified in the TA Plan to assess whether Members are indeed implementing t he WTO 
Agreements and making full use of their rights.   Target met  
5.12.   The evaluation found that the WTO TA was highly relevant and well -attuned to the 
professional needs, priorities and responsibilities of the individual beneficiaries and their national 
system, which reflected its demand -driven nature in a broad sense.  It noted significant evolutions 
over the 2010 -15 period: the coverage of TA programmes was adjusted to shifts in policy priorities 
and training methods have been reformed to introduce progressi ve learning and e -Learning 
courses.  The evaluation identified several important areas needing further improvement and 
formulated recommendations in this regards ( e.g. training of trainers, evaluation of participants, 
language balance, etc.).  
5.13.   The evaluatio n also found both direct evidence and plausible chains of contribution to the 
effect that WTO TA in the aggregate produced sustainable benefits in beneficiar ies in terms of 
enhanced capacity to engage in the MTS.  The widespread impact of the WTO TA on the  human 
capacities of beneficiar ies was seen as real and tangible, as the evaluation found highly plausible 
evidence that the WTO TA contributed to capacities at institutional levels in trade policy -making, 
legislative compliance, trade negotiations and imp lementation of trade agreements.  
5.14.   As 2016 was not a ministerial year, the negotiating activity of the WTO was more diluted 
during the year across a number of different bodies, making it more difficult to assess the level of 
engagement of beneficiary Members  and to measure their contribution through the submission of 
documents.  As in 2015 , the involvement of developing Members  in the regular work of the SPS 
Committee can be used as a  proxy indicator  or an illustration of a more general pattern across 
WTO bod ies.  Three indicators can be used for that purpose:  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 39 - 
 
020406080100120Requests for Consultations  
Developing
Developeda. An increasing number of developing Members  taking the floor in the SPS Committee to 
provide SPS -related information.  On the basis of the items included in the agenda for 
the SPS meetings (excluding STCs), a comparison between 2010 and 2016 showed that 
17 developing Members  (including 3 LDCs) submitted information items in 2016 
compared to only 8 (1 LDC) six years ago.34 
b. Specific Trade Concerns (STCs) were raised in the SPS Committee by developing 
Members  who previously either did not  or rarely  use this avenue to address ongoing 
SPS-related trade concerns.   In 2016, Namibia raised a STC for the first time (STC No. 
404) agai nst South Africa,35 and eight other African countries who were not previously 
active in this domain  supported some specific STCs.36 
c. In 201 6, 24 SPS-related documents were submitted to the SPS Committee by 1 6 
developing Members  (1 was  submitted jointly with a developed Member ).  Several of 
these Members  previously did not regularly submit documents to the Committee.37  In 
comparison, in 201 6 there were 9 submissions from 5 developed Members  to the SPS 
Committee , which means that developing Members  submitted 63% of the documents . 
5.15.   Overall, these various indicators show that an increasingly large number of developing 
Members  participate in the work of WTO bodies and contribute to it through the submission of 
agenda items, documents  and the use of mech anisms such as STCs.  Target met  
5.16.  In 2015, one of the 
indicators used was  the 
number of TA beneficiary 
Members participating in 
dispute settlement, whether 
as complainant, respondent 
or third party .  This was 
based on the statistics 
concerning the requests  for 
consultations initiated in a 
given year, since similar 
statistics on the subsequent 
stages of the procedures do 
not exist.  In 2015 , no 
aggregated data were 
collected on third parties.  
But since getting involved in 
a procedure as a third party is fre quently used by developing Members as a learning ground, an 
effort was made in 2016 to plug this gap.   Members agreed in the TA Plan 2016 -17 not to keep 
this indicator as increasing dispute settlement volume was not  one of the aims of TA , and since t he 
involvement of beneficiary  Members in dispute settlement wa s highly dependent on a number of 
externalities.  Nevertheless, this information is provided again this year for the sake of consistency 
and continuity.  
5.17.   In 201 6, 18 beneficiary Members got involved in  consultations initiated under the DSU, 
whether as complainants ( 9) or respondents (9).  This is higher than in 2014  and 2015 , but in line 
with the average noted over the past decade  (17).  In addition, 27 beneficiaries registered their 
interest as third p arties in the disputes involving other Members.  A number of those with third 
parties interests have not yet been party to a dispute in the WTO.  Even if  no conclusion can be 
reached from these figures , they tend to confirm that developing Members  regularl y use the "third 
                                                
34  In 2010: Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya, Moro cco, Paraguay, Philippines and Zambia.  In 2016: 
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Rep, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Madagascar, Mexico, 
Nigeria, Peru, Russian Fed, Senegal, Ukraine and Zambia.  
35  For additional details on the active use o f STC by developing countries, see paragraphs 1.3 and 1.4 
(including charts 1.3a and 1.3b) in document G/SPS/GEN/204/Rev.17.  
36  Burundi (on behalf of the African Group), Central African Republic, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, 
Senegal, Togo and Zambia.  
37  Guinea (G/SPS/GEN/1508 – first ever submi ssion to the SPS Committee) , Israel (G/SPS/GEN/1502 ), 
Nigeria (G/SPS/GEN/1475 ), Senegal (G/SPS/GEN/1451 and G/SPS/GEN/1473 ), Turkey (G/SPS/GEN/1509 ) and 
Viet Nam (G/SPS/GEN/1485 ). WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 40 - 
 
01234567Assistance under DSU 27.2  
Respondent
Complainant
3rd Party
Legal opinion
46%  
30%  17%  7% Assistance under DSU 27.2  
2002 -2016  
Legal opinion
3rd Party
Complainant
Respondentparty right" avenue as a low risk learning ground in the field of dispute settlement .  The TA 
provided by the WTO may help them to feel confident enough to make such a move.  
5.18.  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, d emand 
for such services fluctuate s from 
one year to the next .  In 201 6, 
six new requests for the se 
services were presented by five 
different Members  and one 
regional group , which was 
above  the annual average (3. 8).  
Three  of the requesting 
Members had never used this 
service before.  
5.19.   Over the past 15 years, th e 
26 Members and 3 regional groups 
who ha ve used the services provided 
by the Secretariat under Article 27.2 
of the DSU have requested legal 
opinions in almost 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 
third of the requests came from third 
parties to a dispute, which means 
that only a minority of the support 
provided under Article 27.2 of the 
DSU (24%) benefited litigating 
parties to a dispute (a complainant 
in 71% of the case).  
5.20.   As far as beneficiary Members' out standing notifications are concerned, according to the 
Central Registry of Notifications (CRN) the figure stood at 3,272 at the end of 201 6, which is 4 .3% 
lower than at the end of 2015 .  This overall reduction was achieved in spite of the accession of two 
new Members in 2016 (Afghanistan and Liberia) which mechanically increased the volume of 
notifications due during the year in a number of domains (TRIPS, TRIMs, tariffs, trade remedies, 
etc.).  Excluding the effect of accession to the WTO, the reduction in  outstanding notifications was 
4.8% in 2016.  The target was a n overall  reduction of 5%.  As for dispute settlement, many 
externalities may also have played a role in these results.   Target partially  met 
5.21.   Outstanding agriculture notifications represented 56% of the total outstanding notifications 
at the end of 2016, i.e. five percentage points less than one year ago, which represents an 11% 
reduction in twelve months.  Three  developing Members  (Afghanistan,  Congo DR and Kazakhstan ) 
submitted SPS notifica tions for the first time in 2016.   As discussed below in section 5.1.1.4, an 
NTP intern from Afghanistan played a significant role in 2016 in expediting the submission of his 
country's first notifications aft er its accession to the WTO at the end of July.  
5.22.   As agriculture has always represented the lion's share of outstanding notifications  and given 
the complexity of notifications requirements in the area of 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.  The workshop was carried out in English , but 
presentations and exercises were made available in all three languages  to make th e activity 
accessible to all Members.  The workshop relied for the first time on an online survey sent to 
selected participants in advance.  The survey results led to the a djustment of the workshop to the 
participants' needs/issues of interest.  Its fourth day is now  systematically devoted to individual WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 41 - 
 
sessions with staff ("notification clinic") in order to allow participants to discuss country -specific 
notification issues.   The Ag-IMS functionality for the online  submission of Agriculture notification s 
is expected to be available during 2017.  
5.23.   Members with a large number of outstanding agriculture notifications , LDCs  and recently 
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.  But for m any 
Members the ma in challenge when  preparing domestic support notification is prop er 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 he lp 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.38 
5.24.   In 2016, seven national activities focused  on notifications and transparency provisions of 
the WTO Agreements.39  These activities associate in principle the 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 exploiting other Members' notifications.  At 
regional level, another workshop focused with African Members on the new ePing platform to 
exploit SPS and TBT notifications.  
5.25.   The TFA which entered into force early 2017 req uires developing and LDC Members to notify 
their category A, B and C measures.40  Logically, t hese notification requirements have not yet been 
taken into account by the CRN at the end of 2016.  They  also depend on the ratification of the TFA 
by the Members  concerned  and of its LDC status .  As reported in the past,  the Secretariat 
implemented between 2007 and 2014 a vast programme of national needs assessments in the 
area of TF.  One of the aims of the programme was to help beneficiaries identify the three 
categories of measures covered by the TFA through an assessment of the conformity of their 
current regulation with the specific provisions of the Agreement.  In total, 9 8 Members benefited 
from this programme of needs assessment.  The annual report on TA for  2014 had established that 
this programme was helping  beneficiaries comply with their notification obligations.41  The most 
recent data confirm that a higher proportion of Members who participated in the needs assessment 
programme have notified their Catego ry A and C measures: whereas 78% of the beneficiaries 
performed a needs assessment and ratified the TFA, these Members  represent 84% and 88% of 
the Category A and C measures notified so far, but only 73% for Category B.  
5.26.   The Secretariat did not have the tim e and resources to specifically check the availability of 
trade policy information and documents on  beneficiary Members' websites and compile statistics in 
this domain.  TPRs rely heavily on these information sources, knowing that significant differences 
exist between Members (the availability is generally correlated with the level of development), and 
for each Member between the many domains covered by their trade policy.  Furthermore, 
variations and improvements in this domain are almost impossible to me asure on an annual basis; 
only long -term trends can be detected.  It is a fact that the volume and depth of information and 
data freely available today on the internet for most beneficiary Members increased significantly 
over the past two decades, but it i s also clear th at this phenomenon is unlikely to be the result of 
any of the TA provided by the WTO.  Consequently, the relevance of the indicator identified in the 
TA Plan is at best questionable.  Data not available  
  
                                                
38  See the report on compliance w ith agriculture notification requirements in G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.28.  
This report is updated several times per year.  
39  These took place in Angola, Brunei Darussalam, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Papua New Guinea 
and Tajikistan.  
40  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.  
41  See section 5.7 in WT/COMTD/W/209 for the latest such report.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 42 - 
 
0%20%40%60%80%100%
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Evolution of the PLS Participants Mix  
N/A
Advanced
Intermediate
Introduction
 - 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Participants in Advanced 
Activities  5.1.1   Output 1.1: Government officials hav e enhanced knowledge about the WTO 
Agreements, formulation of trade policies and conduct  of trade negotiations  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Number of participants at each PLS level  Increased % of participants in 
advanced training by end of 2017  Target not met  
Number of participants in WTO TRTA activities  Stability during the biennium  Target met  
Interactive training methods' share of time  Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
5.27.   Section 4.6 above has analysed the number of participants trained at each of the three 
levels (introduction, intermediate, advanced) in 201 6.  Over the past five years, the graph below 
shows that the proportion of participants in each of the three levels fluctuated and that the 
proportion of participants in advanced activities decr eased in 2016 , as the growth of the previous 
three years was entirely reversed.  As the relative importance of the introduction level was more 
or less  stable, this means that the proportion of participants in the intermediate level grew 
significantly (+5 p ercentage points).  The TA Plan had anticipated an increase of participation in 
advanced -level activities by the end of the biennium.  The decrease seen in 2016 will make it more 
difficult to reach this target by the end of next year.  Target not met  
5.28.   This evolution is the direct consequence of the growing number of participants who are 
trained online since, as explained in section 3.3.1 above, e -Learning courses focus exclusively on 
the first two levels of training (Introduction and intermediate).  The  combination of these two 
factors is bound to lead mechanically to a decrease in the relative importance of the number of 
particip ants trained at advanced level.  This phenomenon has been reinforced in 2016 by a marked 
decrease in the number of participant s trained in advanced face -to-face activities  from 2,246 to 
1,674 ( -25%), without a corresponding reduction in the number of advanced face -to-face activities 
organised (only -9% between 2015 and 2016) , in a context which saw the overall participation in 
face-to-face activities grow by 2.5% .  This means that the impact of the lower number of face -to-
face advanced activities in 2016 (51 against 59 in 2015) was heightened by the reduction of the 
average number of participants in these activities from 39  in 201 5 to 32.5 in 2016 ( -17%), closer 
to the recommended maximum number of participants to promote a higher level of interaction and 
hence a better learning experience.  
5.29.   As discussed above in section 4.3, the total number of participants in WTO TA activities 
grew by 2 4% in 2016 compared to the previous year, mainly due to the 37% growth of the 
participation in e -Learning courses.   Target met  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 43 - 
 
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%
Lectures Participants'
LecturesExercises Q&A Quiz MiscShare of training methods in TA face -to-face activities  
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
5.30.   The use of i nteractive training methods continued to be recommended when delivering TA 
activities at all three PLS levels  to stimulate learning  and increase the rate of knowledge retention 
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 since the end of 2009 , but was 
not systematically provided by the trainers in the past.  It  is not always reliable  either .  For 
example, it can be difficult to distinguish inside a lecture the time dedicated to the questions of the 
participants, which clearly increase the interactivi ty of the session.  
5.31.   In 2016, l ectures remain ed the predominant medium used by WTO 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 separate ly.  Lectures provided by the Secretariat 
represented  approximately 45 % of the time on average , and those provided by the participants 
9%.  As in the past, these averages hide  significant differences between certain types of activities , 
but the general tre nd points towards a return to a lower level of interactivity overall, as total 
lecture time  (Secretariat + participants)  is again exceeding 50% in 2016.  The  number of activities  
almost entirely based on lectures  was also rising again .42 
5.32.   Leaving aside t he use of Question & Answer which increased by 50%, other training 
methods were logically less prevalent in 2016.  E xercises or case studies saw the average share of 
their time reduced by 25% .  The share  of the activities for which statistics were available and 
which did not use any exercise or case study  grew from 25 to 35% .  A majority of the time was 
dedicated to exercises or case studies in 14% of the a ctivities (e.g. on Trade Negotiating Skills ).  
Other m iscellaneous  training methods used in TA activities include d group work or group 
discussions and panels among others.   Their relative importance was reduced by 57% in 2016.  
5.33.   These findings are in line with the moderate but repeated critique raised in the external 
evalu ation that WTO training activities could benefit from applying a greater share of more 
innovative and interactive techniques.  However, the situation may actually not be as bad as its 
sounds.  Indeed, this apparent deterioration of the level of interactivi ty in the TA activities  might in 
fact be the unintended consequence of the higher reporting rate in 2016, and more specifically of 
the much higher rate of BTOR received which captured interactivity statistics for activities which 
had remained so far under the radar: whereas the overall volume of TA activities was stable in 
2016 (see section 3.1.2), the number of activities for which interactivity statistics were available 
increased by 45% compared to 2015.  Although disappointing, the 2016 statistics are ho wever 
more representative of the wider portfolio of activities implemented during the year.   
Consequently, they constitute a new baseline to measure future performance in this domain.  
Target not met  
  
                                                
42  In 2016, lectures represented more than 80% of the time in twelve activities for which statistics were 
available, as opposed to only four in 2015.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 44 - 
 
5.1.1.1   e-Learning  
Indicators  Targets  2016  
Geographical spread of participation in e -
Learning courses and % of LDCs  Stability during the biennium  Target met  
New online courses released each year  3 courses/year  Target not 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 
online course content as good or excellent  70% during the biennium  Target met  
e-Learning success rate  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
e-Learning drop-out rate  Stability during the biennium  Target met  
e-Learning rate of correct answers in the 
exam  Stability during the biennium  Target met  
e-Learning distinction rate  Stability during the biennium  Target met  
Total participation in e -Learning courses  Stability during the biennium  Target met  
5.34.   The external evaluation classified the e -Learning courses amongst the TA instruments 
showing stronger evidence of effectiveness.  They have become recognised by all stakeholders and 
rated very effective as an indispensable and relatively low -cost entry por tal, equipping large 
numbers of learners with the necessary basic information on WTO, its legal texts and other key 
trade -related issues.  
5.35.   Several of the above indicators have already been examined in differe nt parts of this report:  
a. The share of the partici pants originating from LDCs in e -Learning courses  was discussed 
in section 4.1, which showed that this indicator had indeed stabilised in 2016 after 
shrinking for two years.  Target met  
b. The geographical spread of e -Learning participants analysed in section  4.2 remained 
comprehensive  and the balance between the regional origins of the participants was 
fairly sta ble in spite of unavoidable variations.  Target met  
c. Only one new online course was released in 2016 (on Patents), for the reasons explained 
in sectio n 3.3.1.  However, this indicator fails to acknowledge the importance of the work 
required to either translate the course content – in particular the videos and other 
interactive components – initially developed in English into the other two languages,43 or 
upgrade older versions of a course to SCO RM standards .44  This indicator would have to 
be adjusted, since the contribution of this work to the e -Learning results is equally 
important and competes with the production of new courses at a time of budgetary 
freeze.  Target not met  
d. Section 3.3.1 reported that 93% of the e -Learning participants rated the balance in 
online courses between theory and practice as good or excellent  in 2016 .  Target met  
e. Finally, Section 3.3.1 also stated that 86% of the participants r ated the quality of the 
online courses content as good or excellent in 2016.  Target met  
f. The 37% growth of the participation in online courses in 2016 was analysed in 
section  4.3.  Target met  
5.36.   Concerning the remaining indicators, m easuring 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 on -line training always requires taking  an exam at the end.  As in 
previous years and foreseen in the TA Plan 2016 -17, the performance indicators below were used 
to measure the immediate results of a course:  
                                                
43  Two courses were released in Spanish in 2016.  
44  A new versi on of three courses was released in 2016.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 45 - 
 
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016e-Learning Results  
Success Rate
Dropout Rate
Correct Answers
Distinction Rate Success rate (proportion of those who passed the exams amongst those who 
attended  the course) - the passing rate wa s 60% on average of correct answers in 
the final exam, without failing more than one 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 t wo months) . 
Immediate results of online courses  
Course  Attended  Successful  Success 
Rate Dropout  Dropout 
Rate Correct 
Answers  Distinction  Distinction 
Rate 
Accessions  361 248 69% 40 11% 93% 166 67% 
Agriculture  509 247 49% 146 29% 80% 51 21% 
Copyright  110 83 75% 17 15% 89% 51 61% 
Development  465 288 62% 58 12% 84% 103 36% 
Dispute Settlement  210 148 70% 41 20% 83% 49 33% 
Environment  366 230 63% 57 16% 80% 54 23% 
Introduction to WTO  2,273  1,500 66% 126 6% 89% 926 62% 
Legal Underpinnings  229 174 76% 36 16% 82% 71 41% 
MA Intelligence  147 86 59% 33 22% 83% 35 41% 
Multilateral Trade Ag  464 349 75% 93 20% 84% 94 27% 
Market Access Goods  223 152 68% 46 21% 82% 45 30% 
Notifications  227 177 78% 28 12% 83% 51 29% 
Patents  125 81 65% 29 23% 83% 20 25% 
RTAs 469 376 80% 61 13% 86% 251 67% 
Rules  303 209 69% 69 23% 83% 65 31% 
Rules of Origin  495 322 65% 102 21% 84% 129 40% 
Services  473 277 59% 127 27% 80% 59 21% 
SPS 646 422 65% 94 15% 85% 152 36% 
Tailored Course  69 65 94% 0 0% 88% 39 60% 
TBT 552 379 69% 97 18% 84% 127 34% 
Trade Economics  327 253 77% 37 11% 90% 175 69% 
Trade Finance  202 162 80% 19 9% 91% 104 64% 
Trip to TRIPS  331 194 59% 51 15% 87% 75 39% 
TRIPS  346 202 58% 81 23% 83% 58 29% 
WTO in 10'  357 308 86% 20 6% 92% 229 74% 
Total  10,279  6,932  67%  1,508  15%  85%  3,179  46%  
5.37.  The average success rate 
increased by five percentage 
points in 2016  compared to the 
previous year and stood at 6 7%.  
This significant improvement is 
partially reversing the trend seen 
over the previous three years and 
meets the target mentioned in the 
TA Plan .  The standard deviation 
from this average ( 10%) did not 
change compared to previous  
years, which means that the 
success rate increase  must have 
been fairly general in most 
courses .  Registering such an 
improvement at the same time as a 37% increase in the number of participants is even more 
impressive, as the law of diminishing returns would have suggested exactly the reverse.45  Target 
met 
                                                
45  This rate is fairly 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 WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 46 - 
 
 - 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016e-Learning Successful Participants  
Distinction
Certificate5.38.  The average dropout rate 
was 15% in 2016, two percentage 
points lower than in 2015, but in 
line with the average of the last six 
years.  Target met 
5.39.  At 85%, the average rate of 
correct answers was one 
percentage point higher than in 
2015 or than  the six year average.  
Target met  
5.40.  The most remarkable 
evolution since 2011 has been the 
regular growth of the average distinction rate (more than 90% of co rrect answers) from 26% six 
years ago to 46% in 2016 (+9 percentage points compared to 2015).  This confirms the high 
quality of the WTO e -Learning courses as instruments to transfer knowledge to the participants.  
The higher level of interactivity and imp roved standards of new or revised courses have certainly 
supported this evolution.  The introduction of shorter, better focused, courses may also beef -up 
the distinction rate: WTO in 10' had the highest one (74%) and the new course on Copyright 
(61%) and r evised Introduction one (62%) were amongst the best.  Target met  
5.41.   The main causes behind th ese evolution s are as difficult to identify as ever.  The 
programme of online course revisions implemented for several years to upgrade them to SCORM 
standards and ma ke them more interactive, or the efforts made to keep the participants engaged 
in the courses through more chats, news forum topics and the greater use of social media might 
all start to produce  some concrete results .  The  feedback from participants confir ms that non -
interactive courses always attract comment to improve interactivity when the new courses always 
get praised for their interactivity.  More concretely, when looking at individual courses, one see s 
that the non -interactive ones regularly have a drop-out rate of more than  20%, well above the 
general average of 15%.  In 2016, a comparison between the results in the old and revised 
versions of the "Tailored Course" and course s on "Legal Underpinning" and "Introduction to WTO" 
shows a significant im provement for all four indicators , as m ore participants stay ed in the revised 
course s and ha d much  better results.  
Indicator s Legal Underpinnings  Tailored Course  Introduction to WTO  
Old Revised  Old Revised  Old Revised  
Success Rate  55% 88% 88% 96% 64% 67% 
Dropout Rate  45% 7% 0% 0% 5% 6% 
Correct Answers  82% 89% 84% 91% 86% 93% 
Distinction Rate  18% 56% 47% 64% 54% 68% 
5.42.   The course on Agriculture  had the lowest success rate (49%), distinction rate (21%) and 
level of correct answers (80%), and the highest dropout rate (29%).  This confirms  the need for 
the upgrade  which was launched in 2016 and is expected to be completed in 2017 .  Other courses 
with consistently lower th an average results included Services, TRIPS, MA intelligence and , to a 
lesser extent, the new course on Patents.  At the other end of the spectrum , the Tailored Course 
(94%), WTO in 10'  (86%), Trade Finance (80%) and RTAs (80%) had the highest success rate  and 
consistently exceeded the average results for the other indicators.  The courses on Trade 
Economics and on Accession also had very high distinction rates and rates of correct answers, and 
no one dropped out of the Tailored Course in 2016 . 
5.43.   Overall, thi s analysis confirms many of the differences between the courses  already noted in 
previous years.  Some of them have traditionally had higher rates of success (e.g. WTO in 10', 
Accessions, Trade Finance and Copyright ), whereas some others have been more challenging for 
participants (e.g. Agriculture, Services  and Trip to TRIPS ), even if they remained successful  
                                                                                                                                                  
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%.  With a 
completion rate of 85% (67% successful + 18% unsuccess ful), 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.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 47 - 
 
overall .  These relatively constant results demonstrate that the average level of difficulty of online 
cours es is not homogeneous  and, as argued  above, may be influenced by the quality of their 
design and level of interactivity.  
5.44.   The same performance indicators can also be used to analyse the results of the courses by 
linguistic version, since they reach differen t audiences/participants . 
Language  Attended  Successful  Success 
Rate Dropout  Dropout 
Rate Correct 
Answers  Distinction  Distinction 
Rate 
English  6,116 4,218 69% 926 15% 86% 2,028 48% 
French  2,181 1,433 66% 362 17% 83% 524 37% 
Spanish  1,982 1,281  65% 220 11% 86% 627 49% 
Total  10,279 6,932 67% 1,508 15% 85% 3,179 46% 
5.45.   Year 201 6 saw the same pattern as the previous year, with a relatively high homogeneity of 
the results across language versions of the same course.  The only French language exception  was 
the lower rate of distinction, as in the past.  
5.46.   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 po ints as in 2010 , 2013 or 2015 and  3.6 percentage points  in 
2012 or 4.5 in 2011.  In 2016, this gap almost disappeared, as women's success rate was only 1.3 
percentage point higher than men's.  However, these averages hide significant variations between 
the courses.  
5.47.   As pointed out by all the indicators used, 2016 was a great year for e -Learning results, 
which showed improvements on all fronts, sometimes by a significant margin.  All of the targets 
assigned for 2016 but one have been reach ed, and in many cases even surpassed by a very 
significant margin.  After the security breach experienced in 2015 and its devastating 
consequences on this important component of the WTO TA, this run of good news is highly 
rewarding and vindicates the e -Learn ing strategy followed for several years.46 
5.1.1.2   Intermediate Trade Policy Course s (ITPCs)  
Indicators  Targets  2016  
Changes in 8 -week ITPCs' curriculum  Implementation of the 2014 
recommendations  Target met  
Success rate in 8 -week ITPC final exam  90% during the biennium  Target met  
5.48.   The external evaluation considered that the ITPCs were a TA instrument showing stronger 
evidence of effectiveness, as they offered a deeper exploration of some of the issues covered in e -
Learning, with a practical orientation in region al contexts.  There are clear impacts on the capacity 
of participants to take on increased responsibilities in their professional work and advance in their 
careers.  
5.49.   In 2016, the Secretariat implemented six ITPCs, i.e. one less than in 2015 .  A new partner 
to host the course for the CEECAC region was identified in the middle of  the year, following the call 
for candidates launched at the end of 2015, but this did not give sufficient time to organize the 
course before the year end.  And since the number of par ticipants in each course also went down 
(2 participant s less per course on average), the total number of ITPC participants was 20% lower 
in 2016 compared to the previous year.  
5.50.   During 2016, new course curriculum was developed and training materials were upd ated in 
the area of International Trade Theory .  This revision was meant to reflect participants' views that 
the module was too theoretical and covered too much material for a course meant for generalists.  
In line with the PLS guidelines, the module now focuses on one or two trade theories.  The 
Development module was revised  to include more case studies and simulations.   The module on 
Tariffs and Databases was also redesigned to provide  greater depth.  
                                                
46  See section 5.6 in WT/COMTD/W/211.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 48 - 
 
5.51.   Generally, the course content of the ITPCs is highly appreciated by the participants.  While 
the participants' evaluation forms do not contain a question to rate the balance between theory, 
case studies and exercises, the evaluations do contain a question to rate the overall satisfaction 
with the quality of the sessions and presentations.  On average, over the s ix courses, 9 3% of the 
participants rated the quality of the sessions and presentations very good or excellent  (90% 
in 2015).  
5.52.   A number of the 2014 recommendations for the ITPCs were already implemented  in 2015 to 
reformulate and simplify their objectives, harmonise the course programme across regions in order 
to provide a truly progressive training path and simplify their organization to make them more 
effective and efficient.47  Other recommendations wh ich still had to be implemented were designed 
to improve the pedagogy of the courses.  In 2016, the attention focused on the involvement of 
regional experts who taught 38% of the course time on average (i.e. between 13 and 17 days out 
of 40, depending on t he regions).  Whereas ITPCs used to rely essentially  on academics in the 
past, the Secretariat tried to increase the involvement of regional institutions that are better 
positioned to represent a balanced regional perspective.  This initiative was particul arly successful 
in the Caribbean, English -speaking Africa and Asia -Pacific, thanks in part to the geographical 
proximity of CARICOM, COMESA and ESCAP respectively.  
5.53.   As seen in section 5.1.1 above, progress in the use of interactive training methods has been  
limited in 2016.  The same was also true in ITPCs, which still rely too heavily on pure lectures.  
Over the 6 courses, slightly more than 6 0% of the teaching was pure lecture .48  While a reduction 
in the use of pure lecture s was evidenced in Barbados, Bots wana, Ecuador and Oman (albeit a 
small decrease), the use of pure lectures increased in Thailand and in Tunisia.  On average, 2 2% 
of the teaching was done using case studies and exercises  which represent an increase from 2015.  
An additional 9 % of time, on  average, was question and answer sessions ,49 and the remainder was 
quizzes and other discussion.  Overall, the improvements registered in certain domains or regions 
are balanced out by less positive developments in other areas or regions.  
5.54.   Without going int o the fine details of the recomm endations formulated in 2014, the two 
examples mentioned above (regional experts and interactivity) show that certain significant 
improvements have been registered in most of the ITPC -specific domains.  Meanwhile, the applie d 
pedagogy needs to remain a constant focus of the Secretariat, as should be the case for any of its 
other programmes and activities.  The recommendation to start organising an ITPC specifically 
tailored for the small island states  that would group togethe r the islands of the Caribbean and of 
the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, which had been enthusiastically received by those 
concerned, is to date the only main recommendation which did not see any implementation 
attempt.  This means that most of the I TPC-specific recommendations can now be considered as 
implemented.  Target met  
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 ent ire content of 
the ITPC in a horizontal manner.  Each participant 's final grade  was comprised of an assessment of 
his participation during the course (30%) and the final exam results (70%).  A final grade of  90% 
or above merited  a certificate with distinct ion, whilst a grade  below 60% received a certificate of 
attendance.  In 2016, the criteria and procedure to evaluate the participation was reviewed and 
reformulated to also take the opinion of the trainers into account and move to a weekly system.  
The fin al participation grade of each participant is then the average of the weekly grades.  The 
results measured in 201 6 were the following:  
 Oman  Thailand  Ecuador  Botswana  Barbados  Tunisia  Average  
Attendance  23 25 20 27 23 26 24 
Passed  17 18 12 24 16 22 18 
Distinction  3 4 7 3 7 2 4 
Success  20 22 19 27 23 24 22 
                                                
47  See Annex I in WT/COMTD/W/216.  
48  Pure lectures made up, on average across all modules, 54% of the Barbados course, 74% in 
Botswana, 62% in Ecuador, 47% in Oman, 67% in Thailand, and 64% in Tunisia.  
49  Exercises and case studies made up, on average across all modules, 27% of the Barbados course, 
19% in Botswana, 25% in Ecuador, 22% in Oman, 18% in Thailand, and 23% in Tunisia.   Question and 
answer sessions made up, on average across all modules, 9% of the Barbados, 6 % in Botswana courses, 10% 
in Ecuador, 20% in Oman, 5% in Thailand, and 6% in Tunisia.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 49 - 
 
0%20%40%60%80%100%
2013 2014 2015 2016ITPC Results  
Success Rate
Distinction Rate
Correct Answers
Participation Oman  Thailand  Ecuador  Botswana  Barbados  Tunisia  Average  
Success Rate  87% 88% 95% 100% 100%  93% 94% 
Distinction Rate  13% 16% 35% 11% 30% 8% 19% 
Correct Answers  65% 78% 85% 76% 84% 69% 76% 
Participation  76% 74% 88% 68% 78% 72% 76% 
5.56.  All six ITPCs were successful, 
some of them very successful, in 
transferring an appropriate level of 
knowledge and skills on WTO matters, 
especially on the WTO Agreements 
and the way to use the WTO legal 
texts, to their participants.  The 
average success rate of th e 
participants was 9 4%, with 76% of 
correct answers to the final exam on 
average and a distinction rate (i.e. 
final mark above 90%) of 19 %.  After 
the rather exceptional results seen in 
2014 and 2015, these lower results 
were expected.50  They remain entire ly 
satisfactory  and seem about right.  
5.57.   At 94%, the average success rate remains  high and exceed s by far the average success rate 
in e-Learning activities, although the average distinction rate is lower .  Two course s had a success 
rate of 100%  (against five in 2014  and three in 2015 ), which is also impressive.  These results 
demonstrate that, for the mo st part, the objectives of the I TPCs (i . deepened  understanding of 
WTO Agreements  and functioning ; ii. better  understanding of relevant trade po licy issues in the 
regional context;  iii. increased  autonomy in using WTO information and documentation; 
iv. strengthened  network of contacts) have been satisfactorily achieved in 201 6.  Target met  
5.58.   In 2016, a final exam was also introduced in the Introduct ion course for LDCs.  Even if the 
participation in the course was not taken into account this time, t he same other indicators as for 
the ITPCs can consequently be used to measure the results of this course .  In 2016, the success 
rate in the course was 56%,  the distinction rate 8% and the rate of correct answers in the final 
exam 64%.  By comparison, the ITPCs and the equivalent online Introduction course respectively 
had the following results in 2016:  success rate of 94% and 67%; distinction rate of 19% and 46%; 
and rate of correct answers of 76% and 85%.  The results of the introduction course for LDCs are 
significantly lower than these two benchmarks leading to the conclusion that it was only partially 
successful in transferring the required knowledge and skills to the participants.  
5.1.1.3   Other Face -to-face activities  
Indicators  Targets  2016  
Geographical spread of participation in face -
to-face courses  Geographical balance during the 
biennium  Target met  
Quality of participation in interactive parts of 
advanced activities  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
% of participants giving an excellent rating to 
ATPCs' and advanced thematic courses' 
overall content and results  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
Revised modules or case studies in ATPCs  Two per year Target met  
Number of participants trained on trade 
negotiating skills  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
Advanced thematic courses focused on 
implementation  Three in 2016 and four in 2017  Target not met  
Implementation rate of Action Plans within 12 
months  Stability during the biennium  Target met  
                                                
50  Back in 2013, participation was not graded separately in most ITPCs, even if taken into account in 
their final grade.  The rate of correct answers is not available ei ther for that year.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 50 - 
 
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%Rate of Activities with a BTOR or a Report  
0%20%40%60%80%100%
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Reporting Tools  
Memo
BTOR5.59.  The performance indicators 
available to monitor the results of 
other face-to-face activities remain  
less precise than in the case of 
e-Learning , ITPCs and the 
Introduction Course for LDCs,  in the 
absence in 2016 of a final exam to 
measure the performance of their 
participants.  The immediate results 
of the other activities had to be 
measured in the BTOR by the 
trainers themselves.  As BTORs 
continue to be the main evaluation 
tool for face -to-face activities, an 
effort was made since 2009 to make 
them systematically available  for 
every activity .  In 2016  and as explained in section 3.2 , the Secretariat introduced automatic 
targeted reminders and invested a significant amount of time to stimulate the production of the 
missing reports.  These actions  led to the production of all the required reports but three, i.e. an 
unprec edented reporting rate of 99%.  
5.60.  The generalisation of electronic 
workflows to request TA activities and 
report on them since 201 5 also led to 
the submission of a much high er rate of 
BTORs (as opposed to notes or simple 
memos), which now represent more than 
89% of the reports received as opposed 
to 83% on average before 2015.   This 
led to the availability of a more 
comprehensive set  of essential data on a 
larger pool of activities, in particular on 
the identification and achievement of 
their immediate objectives.   However, 
the quality of the reporting on all TA 
activities , and in particular the  
measurement of the immediate results a chieved , remained weak in 201 6, for the reasons already 
explained in section 3.2 above . 
5.61.   The external evaluation repeated the r ecommendations  to improve the means used by the 
Secretariat to measure the immediate results of its TA activities in a more objective manner  
regularly presented  for several  years .51  These included the reliance on  new means of testing 
participants’ knowledge at the end of face to face TA activities organ ized by WTO .  Evaluat ing face-
to-face activities predominantly  on the basis of the feedback from p articipants  through the 
Participants ' Evaluation Forms (PEFs) , as currently done, is not sufficient.  One of the main 
purposes of BTORs is to report on the achievement of each activity's immediate objectives  on the 
basis of the key pe rformance indicators identified.  
5.62.   In 2016, TA activities had on average  2.8 distinct objectives each , a level which has been 
relatively stable over the years in spite of some annual fluctuations .  To improve the knowledge of 
participants about one or severa l of the WTO Agreements  represented 47% of all the objectives .52  
The improvement of analytical, communication or negotiating skills and of the capability to assess 
the implication s of, and deal with , a given WTO subject  came next ( 16%), followed by the 
development of the  capacity to find, use or disseminate information and document on WTO -related 
issues  (13%), the improvement of the general understanding of the WTO  (8%), the improvement 
of the capacity to i dentify , analyse  and address technical assistanc e needs, implementation 
problems or other aspects of the local context  (7%), and the establishment or strengthening of a 
network of contacts  (6%).  These figures show a continuation of the  diversification of the types of 
                                                
51  See Recommendation 26 in WT/COMTD/89.  
52  Overall, 57%  of the activities for which a BTOR was available had at least one such objective  (66% in 
2015, 75% in 2013 and 2014).  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 51 - 
 
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
1 2 3 4 5
Success Rate  Objectives' Achievement in BTORs  
0%20%40%60%80%
Not at
allTo a
limited
extentAverage To a
large
extentFullyParticipation Quality  
All Activities
Advanced
Activitiesobjectives assigned to the TA activ ities in 201 6, and a reduced focus on  the legal provisions of the 
WTO Agreements . 
5.63.   When evaluating the achievement of the 
immediate objectives of the activities, 
participants gave an average mark of 4. 55 out 
of a maximum of 5 , in line with the figures of 
previous years .  Amongst the 562 immediate 
objectives of TA activities for which data was 
available in 201 6 (against 364 in 2015) , only 
12 were given a mark 1, 4 a mark 2  and 19 a 
mark 3 (5 being  the maximum and 1 the 
minimum).  This means that , as in previous 
years , the achievement of 9 2% of the 
objectives was rated as satisfactory or 
outstanding in 201 6.  Consequently, the same 
comment needs to be repeated: w hilst there is 
no doubt that the TA provided by the WTO was 
of the highest quality and that pa rticipants got the most out of it,  and even if they correspond to 
the success  rate seen in the ITPCs in 201 6, these figures look too good to be entirely true.  As 
demonstrated when more objective testing methods are used across the board (for e-Learning 
courses), the actual success rate must probably be somewhere between 70% and 80% on 
average.  
5.64.   Section 4.2 above analysed the geographical spread of the participation in TA activities in 
general and in face -to-face activities in particular.  Beyond the unavoidable annual variations, it 
showed a satisfactory balance between the regions which reflecte d their relative importance and 
the priority given by Members to Africa.  Target met  
5.65.  The quality of the participation 
in face -to-face activities reported in 
the BTORs was generally satisfactory 
in 90% of the cases (56% fully and 
35% to a large extent).  T his 
assessment was even better for the 
advanced activities for which data 
are available: 70% of them had a 
fully satisfactory participation and 
25% to a large extent.  In the 
absence of a precise baseline in the 
TA Plan, no progression can actually 
be meas ures in 2016.  However, 
given the very high level already 
reached during the year, the margin 
for further progression is certainly 
limited.   Target met  
  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 52 - 
 
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Not at
allTo a
limited
extentAverage To a
large
extentFullyParticipants' Assessment  
All Activities
Advanced
Activities
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Not at
allTo a
limited
extentAverage To a
large
extentFullyTrainers' Assessment  
All Activities
Advanced
Activities
0100200300400
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Trade Negotiating Skills Participation  5.66.  Participants were generally 
very positive when assessing face -
to-face activities ' overall content 
and results.  When this information 
was available, only the top two 
rates were used in 2016 .  The 
content and results of the activities 
was considered fully satisfactory in 
81% of the cases and to a large 
extent the rest of the time.  The 
level of satisfaction was higher in 
advanced activities, as participants 
declared to be fully satisfied in 91% 
of them.  And in ATPCs, that rate 
went even up to 100% of fully satisfied participants.53  The baseline identified in the TA Plan was 
64% for ATPC s and 52% for advanced thematic courses.  The increase in the level of satisfaction 
with the content and results of advanced face -to-face activities noted in 2016 is very significant.  
Target met  
5.67.  Trainers, whilst remaining 
very positive on average  and well  
over the baseline too , were 
somewhat less enthusiastic  in their 
assessment of the overall content 
and results of the activities and did 
not make much of a difference 
between advanced and other 
activities.  They considered that the 
content and results of t he activities 
were fully satisfactory in two thirds 
of the cases, and to a large extent 
the rest of the time.  
5.68.   Some changes were introduced in the programme or curriculum of the ATPCs in 2016.  This 
involved fine -tuning of certain sessions like the Trade Po licy Presentations project which was 
reshuffled to require participants to analyse trade -related information from a variety of sources, 
identify the key policy elements, and formulate recommendations for improved policies in a given 
sector from three diffe rent perspectives (producers, consumers and government).  A revised trade 
data and analytical tools project was also introduced during the year.  Target met  
5.69.  In 2016, nine activities on trade 
negotiating skills were organised  (3 
national and 6 regional ones) against 
seven in 2015 and nine in 2014.  These 
activities gathered 383 participants, i.e. 
15% more than in 2014.  The baseline 
indicated in the TA Plan for 2014 was 
erroneously inflated, as the number of 
participants trained on trade negotiating 
skills was actually 334 that year.  The 
increase in the number of participants 
registered in 2016 is consequently 
satisfactory and responds to the 
objective of the TA Plan.  Target met  
5.70.   Whilst the vast majority of the TA provided by the WTO is focusing on the impl ementation of 
the WTO Agreements in a general sense as foreseen under Key Result 1, the TA Plan promotes in 
                                                
53  In spite of these good results, the external evaluators th ought that the ATPC was a TA instrument 
showing mixed or weaker evidence of effectiveness, whilst acknowledging that this was the subject of some 
controversy.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 53 - 
 
section 5.2 a different  approach through the adoption of a distinctive methodology based on five 
key success factors: problem identification, develo pment of an action plan, promotion of 
leadership, coaching of each participant and follow -up over one year.  This approach was validated 
by the external evaluation, which recommended its wider use within the TA procedures and 
systems.54  In 2016, two activi ties embodied such a methodology or part of it: the advanced 
course on SPS and the advanced workshop on Agriculture notifications.  This was one activity less 
than in 2015, when an advance d course on TBT had also adopted a similar methodology.  In 2016, 
two activities also followed -up on the advanced courses on SPS and TBT held the previous year.   
These facts illustrate the difficulty faced by the Secretariat in "selling" this innovative pedagogical 
approach.  If most people would agree about the very signi ficant results it produces in the end, 
very few seems ready to make the investment required to develop and implement an activity of 
this kind at a time of scar ce resources.   Demand from Members was also limited.  Target not met  
5.71.   Section 5.1 already discussed the results obtained in 2016 concerning outstanding 
agriculture notifications.  This activity provided individual coaching to the participants but did not 
require them to develop an action plan.  The indicator identified in th e TA Plan is consequently not 
relevant for this activity.  
5.72.   The original advanced TBT course held early 2015 had 24 funded and 5 self -funded 
participants for a total of 29.  By the end of 2015, 22 of these participants (76%) had submitted 
two progress report s and were hence invited back for the follow up but two of them could not 
participate in the end.  So, t wenty participants returned to Geneva for a follow -up session to share 
experiences and report on progress made in the implementation of their action pla ns, which had 
focused on themes such as transparency, market access, national coordination and outreach.   The 
new approach adopted for the advanced TBT course, in particular the development and 
implementation of action plans over a one -year period, with in dividual attention and support from 
coaches, has served as a catalyst for change and given course participants the tools and 
confidence to make a difference in their countries.   Examples of concrete  results include: first -ever 
notifications from a  Member ( Nigeria,  Tajikistan), establishment of national coordination 
committees (Pakistan,  Jordan, Seychelles), brochures on the TBT Agreement in Arabic (Egypt), 
training and outreach events for government officials , businesses  or students (Bahrain, Philippines, 
Myanmar) and  developm ent of TBT website (Indonesia).   Most of the participants were quite 
advanced in the implementation of their action plans.  A few had  not yet fully implemented their 
plans, mainly due to external factors, such as  frequent elections, cha nge in management, etc.   
Nevertheless, all expressed their commitment to continue with their plans even after the follow up 
session.  
5.73.   The 2015 advanced SPS course had 23 participants who had all submitted the required 
progress reports on the implementation of their action plan.  However, three of them were not 
able to attend the follow -up activity in 2016 due to health or personal reasons, and another one 
could not be invited as her country had moved into  Category II and was subject to Administrative 
Measure s, in spite of the significant investment she had made to implement her action plan.   The 
19 participants who returned to Geneva in 2016 shared their experiences in a very open and frank 
manner .  Their experiences in implementing  the action plans varied gr eatly.  Some achieved 
tremendous progress  whilst  others had obs tacles to overcome.  The difference in the skills and 
confidence shown by all the returning participants was very evident as they presented their action 
plans.  Even those participants whose pr ofessional or personal circumstances had radically 
changed compared to 2015 had taken the initiative to revise their action plan and find a new way 
to pursue their objectives.  
5.74.   Assessing the actual rate of implementation of the various action plans is a mat ter of 
judgement and requires a detailed analysis of the various objectives pursued which was not 
provided by the trainers in the BTORs.  Nevertheless, the high reporting rate during the follow -up 
period and enthusiasm of the participants to overcome the u navoidable difficulties encountered 
confirm that the baseline implementation rate of 60% has most probably been surpassed in 2016.  
By the end of July 2016, the following progress could be measured for the participants in the TBT 
course: 34% completed, 34%  partially completed -ongoing, 7% limited progress and 25% no 
reported progress.  This meant that 68% of them had either completed or made significant 
progress in the implementation of their action plan.  Target met  
                                                
54  See Recommendation 24 in WT/COMTD/89.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 54 - 
 
5.1.1.4   Internship programmes  
Indicators  Targets  2016  
Number of interns in FIMIP, NTP and 
RCI Per year: NTP: 15; RCI: 8; 
FIMIP: 15  FIMIP and NTP: target met  
RCI: target partially met  
Final evaluation rate of each intern  100% fully satisfactory  FIMIP: target met  
NTP and RCI: data not available  
5.75.   The external evaluation considered that the various long term internship programmes of the 
Secretariat were TA instruments showing stronger evidence of effectiveness, with some minor 
variations between the different programmes.  
5.76.   "Learning -by-doing" is the essen ce of an internship.  Since measuring how much was 
actually learnt by the interns is almost impossible, a proxy measure will be to report how much the 
interns actually did during their stay in Geneva.   To that effect, the interns were requested in 2016 
to report on a monthly basis how their time had been allocated between ten broad categories.  Th e 
compilation of these monthly reports will give for the first time an insight into the work of interns 
in Geneva.  Leaving aside the unavoidable teething problems  of this monitoring mechanism, th ese 
data form the basis on which to adjust the parameters of the various internship programmes in the 
future.  
5.1.1.4.1   Accession Internship  programme (AIP)  
5.77.   Four new interns were recruited under this programme in 2016 as in 2015, and  two interns 
recruited in 2015 completed their stay in Geneva at the beginning of the year.  No numerical 
target had been defined for this programme in the TA Plan, but maintaining the same annual 
intake is certainly a positive result.  
5.78.   As in previous years , Accession Interns have been closely involved in the professional work 
of the Accessions Division.  Working as the Co -Secretary of Working Parties, they assisted the 
Accessions Division and the Secretaries of Working Parties in covering WTO meetings relat ed to 
accessions, including the Informal Group on Accessions, the Sub -Committee on LDCs and the 
General Council; preparing Working Party documents; drafting background notes and memos; 
facilitating Working Party meetings; and updating the Accessions Commit ments Database.  They 
also provided  support to the organ ization  and delivery of accession -related TA activities.  Interns 
have also functioned as research assistants in special ized areas of accessions.  
5.79.   Each intern is supervised by a professional staff in the Accessions Division, who provides 
day-to-day guidance, coaching and training.  At the beginning of their internship, objectives are 
set by each intern, in consultation with the supervisor and the Director of the Division.  Acce ssion 
interns report weekly  to the Director on their activities and achievements o f their objectives.  
5.80.   The performance of the four interns whose stay in Geneva ended in 2016 was assessed by 
their supervisor and was considered as fully satisfactory in all cases.  Even if no target either was 
defined by the TA Plan in the domain, this is clearly also a very g ood result.  
5.1.1.4.2   French -Irish Mission  internship programme ( FIMIP)  
5.81.   In total, 122 applications were received for this programme in 201 6 (a reduction of 20% 
compared to 2015) , leading to the selection of  18 interns who stayed in Geneva  from mid-
February  to mid-December 2016.  Eleven  of them were from LDCs.   Target met  
  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 55 - 
 
36% 
14% 18% 5% 1% 1% 2% 7% 4% 12% FIMIP Time Allocation  -  2016  
WTO Meetings
Regional Group Meetings
Training
e-Learning
Needs Assessment
Notifications
Reference Centre
Work with Divisions
Research, notes, presentations
Others5.82.   Figures on 
the allocation of 
their time were 
available for 
16 interns out of 
18.  In total, 20% 
of the monthly 
reports were 
missing on average 
(two interns 
submitted only two 
reports each).  The 
data available show 
that on average the 
interns dedicated 
half of their time to 
attending meetings 
(WTO bodies in ¾ 
of the cases and 
regional groupings the rest of the time ).  At individual level, five interns spent between 75% and 
85% of their time in such meetings, whilst two interns declared having spent almost no time there 
(less than 5%) and one only 20%.  These differences may show a lack of homogeneity in the way 
interns recorded their time more than a significant difference in their work during the year.  The 
category in which interns recorded the time spent preparing for or reporting on the meeting is also 
unclear.  The Secretariat is already trying to fix th ese problems in 2017 in order to gather more 
reliable data at the end of the year.  
5.83.   Beyond meetings, training sessions were the next most important item on interns' menu 
(18% on average) for whom data was available.  However, one intern declared that 100% of her 
time was spent on training, as she misunderstood the reporting guidelines.  Setting her case aside, 
the average time spent on training by the other 15 interns who reported was only 12%.   Three 
interns spent more than a third of their time working with variou s divisions of the Secretariat, 
when the other thirteen interns declared only 1% on average.   Again, this may result from a 
difference in the way each intern registered his time.  
5.84.   These minor reservations aside, the data confirm that this internship program me first and 
foremost reinforces the capacity of the various missions to participate in the meetings of WTO 
bodies and regional groupings, and to perform the related work.   In the evaluation reports  of the 
interns , the missions considered that the interns had all learnt the ropes of the work in a 
permanent mission and had been of great help to facilitate communication with the capital.  The 
participation in meetings can consequently be understood as the tip of the iceberg, as interns also 
performed much of the underlying preparatory and follow -up work.  
5.85.   From a substantive point of view, the primary issues of interest for most of the interns were 
agriculture  (domestic support, special safeguard mechanism , public stock holding ); fisheries 
subsid ies; trade facil itation ; development and LDCs issues (preferential rules of  origin, services 
waiver , duty- and quota -free market access  for LDCs , the monitoring mechanism for special and 
differential treatment , aid for trade ); and electronic commerce .  Participating in the various 
meetings enabled the interns to follow developments in the implementation of the decisions 
reached at the Bali and Nairobi Ministerial Conference s and to better understand the issues 
addressed in the different WTO for a and the concerns of  Members.  
5.86.   Depending on national interest, the interns participated in the meetings of the following 
bodies : General Council; Committee on Agriculture ; Negotiating Group on Market Access ; 
Committee on S PS; CRTA; Committee on Rules of Origin ; Comm ittee on T BT; Committee on 
Subsidies; CTS and its Special Sessions; Working Party on GATS Rules ; Working Party on Domestic 
Regulation ; Committee on Trade in Financial Services; Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance ; 
Committee on Safeguards ; Committee on  the Expansion of Trade in I T Products ; DSB; informal 
consultation on e-Commerce ; Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation ; Committee on T RIMs;  
M&E Exercise on A fT; CTD and its Dedicated Sessions ; and Council for T RIPS. WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 56 - 
 
18% 
8% 
20% 
10% 6% 3% 3% 19% 6% 7% NTP Time Allocation - 2016  
WTO Meetings
Regional Group Meetings
Training
e-Learning
Needs Assessment
Notifications
Reference Centre
Work with Divisions
Research, notes, presentations
Others5.87.   Several interns had to prepare  their delegation's  statements during the TPR of various 
Members  (e.g. for the TPR of Saudi Arabia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, 
United Arab Emirates and Zambia ).  The interns from newly acceded countries ( Liberia, Tajikistan ) 
helped t heir missions to follow -up on issues relating to the implementation of their countries' WTO 
obligations.  The intern from Sudan took part in the preparation of documents and reports for their  
accession and participated  in working sessions between  the negot iating team from capital and the 
Secretariat  or some Members .  The interns from Benin and Burkina Faso assisted their country and 
the C -4 Group on cotton -related issues and negotiations.  
5.88.   Several interns were involved in the coordination between the Secreta riat and relevant 
government agencies in capital regarding WTO obligations in different areas such as Notifications, 
TRIPs and Trade Facilitation.  For example the intern from Tajikistan assisted his country in the 
submission of t hree TBT notifications, an d the intern from Zimbabwe in the notification of category 
A commitments under the Trade Facilitation Agreement . 
5.89.   The main regional groupings in which interns were involved were  the African Group , LDC 
group, ASEAN,  G33, G90, SVEs, OECS, CARICOM, IGDC and ACP.  These groups met regularly to 
coordina te their positions and devise a common strategy for the post Nairobi negotiations.  
Participation in these meetings enabled the interns to gain a better insight into the views held by 
Members and the different gr oups, as well as the challenges involved in reconciling positions given 
the diversity of interests and the disparity in  Members' development levels.  
5.90.   The interns also had the opportunity to visit the permanent mission of France and Ireland 
for a working ses sion with the permanent representatives and economic counsellors in order to 
learn and have a better understanding of the formulation of trade policy in the European Union.  
5.91.   At the end of their stay in Geneva, the interns were supposed to be evaluated by th eir 
supervisor at the mission, but only eleven evaluation reports were transmitted to the Secretariat 
(60%).  All reports  praised the interns for their hard work  and considered that their performance 
had either met expectations or even exceeded them in som e cases.  The supervisors noted that 
the interns had generally built their c onfidence , improved their decision making  capacity and 
developed their skills to prepar e reports  and minutes , to communicat e, and to analys e WTO 
issues .  They were better able to work in a multi-cultural environment and to  act professionally  in 
the area of duty.  Some even noted a  qualitative change in aptitude of the interns.  Target met  
5.1.1.4.3   Netherlands trainee programme (NTP)  
5.92.   In 2016, 16 interns (+2 compared to 2015) were selected (8  from LDCs) to work in the 
Secretariat from mid-February  to mid-December.   Target met  
5.93.  The information 
on the allocation of 
their time in 2016 was 
very comprehensive, 
as 96% of the monthly 
reports were available.  
On average, the 
interns spent a quarter 
of their time attending 
meetings (WTO bodies 
or regional groups).  At 
individual level, four 
interns spent more 
than 40% of their time 
in such meetings, 
whilst two of them 
spent only 5% or less.  
As already noted for FIMIP, it is not entirely clear whether t hese differences correspond to real 
divergences in the allocation of the time or in the recording approach of the interns.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 57 - 
 
5.94.   The biggest share of the interns' time (33% in total) was dedicated to various training 
activities, either face -to-face (including on  Reference Centres  and a study tour in the Netherlands ) 
or through e -Learning.  This proportion was inflated by the registration under e -Learning of the 
time spent acting as e-Learning assistant tutors by several interns.  This explains why two interns 
spent on average close to 30% of their time on e -Learning, whilst that figure was only 7% for the 
14 others.  Two other interns spent close to half of their time on Training, when the others spent 
on average only 16%.  Here again it is unclear whether this co rrespond s to reality or simply 
reflect s different  recording practices.  Nevertheless, training remained the main activit y of the 
interns under this programme, even once th ese factor s are discounted.  Dedicating so much time 
to training –part of which like e-Learning could be equally followed back home – whilst  in Geneva 
may not make the most effective and efficient use of the internship, especially since it reduces the 
time available to work with the various WTO divisions where the actual learning by doing would 
take place.  Only 19% of the interns' time was eve ntually dedicated to this latter activity which is 
the raison d'être of the programme.  For the five interns who worked the most with divisions, that 
rate was 42% on average, which means that they at least had a real opportunity to make the best 
possible u se of their time in the Secretariat.  The other interns only worked 9% of their time with 
the divisions on average , which limited their opportunity to learn by doing . 
5.95.   The interns also prepared an assessment of their country's TA needs, and an update of the  
notifications outstanding under each of the Agreements for which notification is required.  As in 
previous years, the WTO received in 2016 a number of notifications, which were a direct result of 
the work of the interns during  the year or before.  For exa mple, the intern from Afghanistan  (WTO 
Member  since 29 July 2016 ) coordinat ed with the capital the submission of many notifications by 
the end of the year and the ratification of the TFA.55 
5.96.   In addition to the work as e -Learning assistant tutor in ITTC performed by  ten of the interns 
already mentioned above,56 they also worked in the following divisions , according to their personal 
interest : TPR, Development, Trade & Environment, Services, Market Access, Economic Research, 
Legal Affairs, Intellectual Property and Agriculture (SPS).  
5.97.   Contrary to what was foreseen in the TA Plan, only two  interns received an evaluation of the 
work by their supervisor at the end of their stay in Geneva.57  Whilst these evaluations were 
positive, they are not representative.  This sh ould be remedied in 2017 .  Data not available  
5.1.1.4.4   Regional Coordinator Internship  programme ( RCI) 
5.98.   In 2016, 5 interns (2 less than in  2015) were selected ( 2 from LDCs) to work for certain 
regional  secretariat s (PIFS)  or for the mission of Members  acting as regional coordinators for LDCs 
and the African and Asian Groups.  Their stay in Geneva depended on the duration of the 
coordinator's mandate and was 6 months on average in 2016.  Three of the interns recruited 
towards the end of the year will co mplete their internship in 2017.   The allocation of an intern to a 
regional coordinator is entirely demand -driven and depends on the requests received from those 
Members who act as coordinator for a region or group of Members.  It then also depends on the 
capacity of those Members to present appropriate applications to the Secretariat.   Target 
partially met 
                                                
55  See G/LIC/N/1/AFG/1, G/SG/N/1/AFG/1, G/TBT/CS/N/187, G/MA/QR/N/AFG/1, G/STR/N/16/AFG, 
G/TBT/N/AFG/1, G/TBT/N/AFG/2, G/AG/N/AFG/1, G/AG/N/AFG/2, G/SPS/N/AFG/1, G/SPS/N/AFG/2, 
G/SPS/N/AFG/3, G/RO/N/143, G/SCM/N/284/AFG and WT/COMTD/N/50.  These 15 documents respond to 
more than half of the notification obligat ions of Afghanistan.  Only a dozen of them were left pending at the 
end of 2016.  
56  The interns were involved in the courses on Introduction to WTO (E, F, S) and Multilateral Trade 
Agreements (E) in which they monitored participants' progress; answered que stions on the course substance, 
exams or administrative aspects; prepared and participated in the Chat sessions; suggested discussion 
subjects for the News Forum; etc.  
57  One intern received two evaluations, as she worked for two different divisions in the  Secretariat 
(Services and TPR).  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 58 - 
 
55% 33% 1% 3% 
8% RCI Time Allocation -  2016  
WTO Meetings
Regional Group
Meetings
Training
E-Learning5.99.  No monthly report of the interns 
on the allocation of their time is 
missing for 2016.  These reports show 
that on average 88% of the interns' 
time was d edicated to meetings and 
the related work (preparation or follow -
up), whether for WTO bodies (55%) or 
regional groupings (33%).  Two interns 
even declared that the totality of their 
time had been employed on this, which 
is certainly excessive and neglects the 
time spent for example on unavoidable 
administrative matters.  The interns 
who worked for Sri Lanka spent only 
9% of their time on the meetings of 
the Asian Group and 67% on the meetings of the WTO bodies, when these proportions were 49% 
and 47 % resp ectively for the other three interns.  This may reflect the different dynamics at work 
in different regions.  
5.100.   Even more so than already explained above for the FIMIP, these figures confirm that this 
internship programme first and foremost reinforces the cap acity of the missions acting as regional 
coordinator to participate in the meetings of WTO bodies and regional groupings, and to perform 
the related work.  
5.101.   Contrary to what was foreseen in the TA Plan, no evaluation of the work of the interns was 
requested of their supervisor at the end of their stay in Geneva.  This should be remedied in 2017.  
Data not available  
5.1.2   Output 1.2: Effective partnerships result in substantive contributions of human  
and financial resources, for e-Learning and face -to-face activities  
Indicators  Targets  2016  
% of activities held with a partner 
adding value  Increase during the biennium  Target partially met  
% of partnerships contributing to the 
substance of the TA activities  Increase substantive contributions 
during the biennium  Target met  
5.102.   As announced a year ago, more systematic data were collected on the contributions of 
WTO partners to the TA activities held in 2016.  In the absence of sufficiently robust comparable 
data for previous years, the scope for comparison wi ll necessarily remain limited.  
5.103.   In 2016, the WTO cooperated with 14 4 different partners to organize and deliver 141 TA 
activities .  In addition, the WTO participated as a partner in 17 TA activities organised by other 
institutions.58  Together, these 1 58 activities represent 5 4% of the TA activities which the WTO 
organized or in which it participated in 2016.  
5.104.   Due to the lack of comprehensive data for 2015, any comparison should involve a fair 
amount of caution .  As explained in previous years' annual reports, the Secretariat relies on an 
extensive network of partnerships to deliver better tailored TA to beneficiaries in a cost -efficient 
manner.  For example, under Key Result 1, most TA activities in the field of T RIPS benefit from the 
involvement of long -time partners such as WIPO and WHO , and in the field of Government 
Procurement of the EBRD ; under Key Result 4, outreach activities for academia, MPs, civil society 
and media were organized quasi -exclusively throug h longstanding partnerships with various 
academic institutions, foundations, parliamentary ass ociations , etc.  National activities are also 
systematically organised in partnership with the local authorities and ITPCs in their current format 
would not be po ssible w ithout a strong local partner.  
                                                
58  See section 3.1.2 above.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 59 - 
 
020406080100Number of Activities  Partners' Contribution  
Substance
Costs
Logistics020406080100120
1 2 3+Number of Partners per TA 
Activity  020406080100
1 2 3 4+Number of TA Activities per 
Partner  5.105.   Over t wo thirds of the WTO partners 
were involved in one single activity in 2016  
and a small quarter in two activities.   
Similarly, 8 4% of the TA activities which 
involved a partnership were organised with 
one singl e partner and 1 3% with two partners.   
This means that in the vast majority of cases, 
a specific partnership was developed in order 
to organize one single specific activity  with 
this partner and with this partner only .  As the 
negotiation and organization o f a partnership 
is a resource intensive process for the 
Secretariat, economies of scale in such a 
system can only be pursued over several 
years, as and when other activities may be 
organised with the same partner in 
subsequent years (or might have been in 
previous years).   The economies that can be 
tapped over such long periods of time will 
remain limited.  This confirms that relying on 
partneships can only very partially aliviate the 
current resource limitations of the Secretariat, 
as what it saves in some  areas i s lost  for the 
most part in others.  The main value added by 
partnerships is consequently to better tailor 
the activities to the requirements of the 
beneficiaries and to assist with the local 
organization and logistics for a smooth 
delivery of the training.  
5.106.   The TA Plan 2016 -17 identified four 
domains in which partners c ould usefully add 
value to the TA provided by the WTO: 
substance, cost -sharing, logistics and 
outreach.59  Year 2016 was the first one in 
which detailed data were systematically 
collected on  the contributions made by the 
WTO partners to its TA activities.   In one third 
of the activities, the partner did not contribute 
at all to the substance; it either shared part of 
the costs or provided logistical support.  At the 
other end of t he spectrum, a majority of the 
substance came from the partner in 20% of 
the activities.  This was particularly the case 
under Key Result 4 for certain outreach 
activities or under the WCP, and for some activities with EBRD on Government Procurement.   The 
TA Plan had targeted an increase in the substantive contribution of partners compared to 2014 
when the distribution was 20% high, 18% average and 62% low.  Even if the figures for 2014 
were based on partial data, there was a marked improvement in 2016.  Target met  
5.107.   Only 10% of the activities organised with a partner did not involve any sharing of the 
costs; in a quarter of them the partner covered more than half of the costs.  Logistics was the area 
in which the contribution of partners was the highest, as they provided more than half of it in 43% 
of the activities and only a couple of activities did not receive any  logistical support at all.  
5.108.   Analysing these three dimensions together shows that approximately 20% of the partners 
make a very modest contributio n to the activities in any area.  Conversely, all the other partners 
contribute in a meaningful way to the substance, budget or logistics of the activities.  The TA Pla n 
had identified as a baseline  that in 2014 87% of the partners added value to the activ ities.  This 
figure was based on partial data and probably overstated the contribution of partners, since there 
                                                
59  See section 5.7 in document WT/COMTD/W/211.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 60 - 
 
was no major shift in this domain over the past two years.  There was probably no increase either 
in the proportion of partners adding significa nt value to the WTO TA activities in 2016, pointing to 
a rather stable situation  during this first year of the biennium.  Target partially met  
5.109.   Amongst the partners making a significant contribution to the TA activities, 29% made a 
relatively high contribut ion, generally in all three domains  (substance, costs and logistics) , 17% 
made a more average such contribution, 26% contributed essentially to costs and logistics 
sometimes at a fairly high level (close to 100%), 5% contributed only to logistics  and 4% on ly to 
substance .  In 12% of the cases, the partner allowed the WTO to reach out to a wider public than 
its traditional audience of government officials in developing Members and Observers . 
5.1.3   Output 1. 3: Members' needs and priorities are identified annually  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Number of needs assessments conducted  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
5.110.   The TA Plan states that the assessment of the TA needs of the beneficiaries was essential 
and that consultations would be held with them to that effect.60  The consultations held in 
preparation of the Plan had shown that beneficiaries' priority needs were, in order of decreasing 
importance, on the following subjects: Trade Facilitation, Services, TBT, SPS, TRIPS, Trade 
Remedies, Agriculture, M A for Goods, n otifications , negotiation  skills and  Dispute Settlement.61  
The informal consultations between the Secretariat and Members held regularly during the course 
of 2016 confirmed these priorities.  The analysis presented in section 4.4 above showed that the 
TA provided by the Secretariat in 2016 responded to a very large extent to the needs and priorities 
identified by Members.  
5.111.   Overall, t he external evaluation found  the WTO TA programmes highly relevant and well -
attuned to the professional needs, priorities and r esponsibilities of the individual beneficiaries and 
their national systems.  They were demand -driven in a broad sense , and according to the 
evaluation report "… the WTO staff s make  considerable efforts to obtain the views of current 
stakeholders in the act ivities on the design of programmes ". 
5.112.   Most of the consultations regularly held with Members and Observers about their needs 
and priorities during the course of the year were informal and have not been systematically 
documented.  This was the case in partic ular when analysing and responding to the requests for 
national activities .  These requests  always trigger ed multiple bilateral exchanges between the 
Secretariat and the authorities of the requesting country , with the aim of  specify ing more precisely 
the a ctual needs of the requesting authorities  in order to design the most suited TA activity.  
Engaging in this process was a challenge for a number of beneficiaries who had difficulties in 
defining precisely the problem they wanted to fix or the objectives th ey wanted to reach at the end 
of the activity.  Another difficulty came from requests seeking the Secretariat's advice on 
negotiating strategies, for example for regional trade agreements .  As such request s fall clearly 
outside of the Secretariat 's mandate , they had to be denied and the request s had to be re -focused.  
The result of these consultations is embodie d in the national activity request eventually submitted.   
However, as the number of national request s for TA received by the Secretariat is progress ively 
declining for several years,62 the number of deeper needs analysis that they trigger ed is also going 
down.  
5.113.   Needs assessment prior to the delivery of an activity rely increasingly on p re-course 
questionnaires , which were used for the first time in several activities  in 2016, leading  to 
substantial improvement s in their content .  For example,  a pre -course questionnaire was sent to 
the participants selected for the agriculture notificat ions workshop to enquire about  the specific 
challenges encountered to prepare and submit notifications.  The content  of the workshop was 
adjusted to address participants' identified needs more accurately.  Likewise, a preliminary needs 
assessment was used to prepare the advanced thematic course on Services Statistics for LDC s, to 
identify the services sectors of trade interest to them and related data collection and compilation 
difficulties; or the TPR follow -up workshop that took place in Madagascar in 2016, leading to focus 
                                                
60  See section 6.1.3 in document WT/COMTD/W/211.  
61  See section 4 in document WT/COMTD/W/211.  
62  See section 3.1.2 above.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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a full session on SPS issues.63  The advanced cours e on the GATS and the new workshop on 
Regulations, Standards and Health, jointly organized by SPS and TBT  followed a similar approach . 
5.114.   Meanwhile, the TPRs completed in 2016 for Morocco and Tunisia have incorporated an 
analysis of the TA needs and prioritie s of the se countr ies, taking into account the TA they had 
received from the WTO since the previous review.  This was also done for  Botswana, El Salvador 
and Guyana,  which requested a follow -up to their TPR in 2016 .  In El Salvador, a national 
workshop on TRIPS held subsequently  raised many points which followed -up on the findings of the 
TPR in order to consider how to best use IPRs in the wider context of the country's economic 
development.  
5.115.   During the mission to Ti mor-Leste early November, an extensive discussion on technical 
assistance and capacity building needs was held.  Capacity building will have to play an 
indispensable part in this LDC accession process.  In this context, in parall el to the WTO mission, 
the EIF s ecretariat undertook a mission, to generate the synergies between the WTO accession 
process and EIF support.  The two secretariats together met with development donors, which are 
active in Dili, including the WB, ADB and UNDP.  
5.116.   The TA Plan had targeted  an increase in the number of needs assessments conducted 
annually by the Secretariat.  In the absence of a comprehensive record of all the initiatives and 
actions of the Secretariat in this domain, no definitive conclusion can be reached concerning this 
target.  However, the anecdotal evidence mentioned above suggests that significant improvements 
were implemented, even if they cannot be quantified with certainty .  Target met  
5.2  Key Result 2: Acceding governments are participating in accession negotiations, i n 
line with WTO accession processes and procedures  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Number of acceding governments, including LDCs, 
with a Working Party meeting held  Stability during the 
biennium  Target not met  
5.117.   The main conclusion of the external evaluation concerning Key Result 2 was that the 
contributions of TA to accession were harder to assess  because of the extended and complex 
progress of what remains a negotiation, and because a share of the accession TA i s provided 
outside the TA Plan.  But the available evidence was that this support is appreciated and effective , 
as it has been over the period for accession to the GPA .  Support for accessions was classified 
amongst the TA instruments showing stronger evid ence of effectiveness.  As a result, the 
evaluators did not formulate any specific recommendation concerning the assistance provided to 
acceding governments.  
5.118.   The Annual Report on WTO Accessions for 201 664 presented  the main developments of the 
year on the accession front .  Without repeating them here, it is worth recalling that there were 
some movements amongst acceding countries in 2016, since they influence the level of TA that 
could be provided during the year.  Afghanistan and Liberia became Members in July and Timor -
Leste was granted Observer status in December.  Excluding Andorra, whose accession process is 
inactive, and Libya and Sao Tome & Principe, who were respectively under category II and III 
administrati ve measures and could not be invited to TA activities, 18 acceding countries benefited 
from the TA provided by the Secretariat in 2016, against 20 in 2015 .  Consequently, the stability 
of the indicators targeted by the TA Plan for this Key Result meant de facto an increase, as similar 
results had to be reached on the basis of a smaller pool of beneficiaries ( -10% compared to 2015).  
5.119.   The Accession Annual Report states that t he following meetings were held during the year:  
a. Two formal Working Party meetings (Azerbaijan and Comoros ), against 6 in 2015 ; 
b. one plurilateral meeting addressed specific technical issues in the area of agriculture 
(Azerbaijan), against 3 in 2015 ; and 
                                                
63  See section 4.1 above concerning subsequent developments in Madagascar.  
64  WT/ACC/28.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 62 - 
 
c. no informal meeting or consultations (3 in 2015) and no  technical verification meeting (2 
in 2015).  
5.120.   Draft reports were revised and updated for two Working Parties  (Azerbaijan and Bosnia -
Herzegovina), against four in 2015.  
5.121.   This points to a somewhat lower level of activity in 2016 compared to the previous year , 
since only three meetings in total were held during the year against 14 in 2015 and only half the 
number of draft reports were revised .  The discussions held in the context of national TA activities 
with the authorities in Bosnia -Herzegovina, Bhutan, Leban on and Sudan to try to reactivate their 
accession process did not automatically lead to formal meetings or the submission of new 
documents.65  The assumptions made when defining the TA Plan targets were that accession 
negotiations would remain active, which  was clearly not the case for most of the Observers, and 
that acceding governments would submit the required documentation to their Working Parties, 
which again did not happen in 2016 for many  Observers.  Target not met  
5.122.   Accession to the Government Procurem ent Agreement (GPA) is another area in which the 
Secretariat provides support for many years, even if  the TA Plan failed to define specific indicators 
and target s in this regard.  In 2016, Moldova and Ukraine completed their GPA accession ( one 
accession in  2015: Montenegro).   Both countries had received extensive support from the 
Secretariat in the past (two national activities each, three regional workshops and one global one 
held in Geneva), in particular in 2015.  A national seminar in Ukraine  in Februar y facilitated the 
submission by Ukraine of its Instrument of Accession to the GPA  in April 2016.  Ukraine 
subsequently became a full -fledged GPA Party in May 2016.  
5.123.   The support to the GPA accession process es of China , Georgia and Kazakhstan  continued 
in 2016, as in previous years, and three other processes were re -energised (Kyrgyz Republic, 
Russia and Tajikistan) .  A multi-agency activity  focused on assist ing Georgia  at a time when it was 
re-evaluating – and considering re -launching – its GPA accession process .  A national seminar in 
Russia  in June was a pre-GPA accession activity  designed to enhance participants' awareness of 
the provisions and obligations of the GPA.66  Subsequently, Russia  submitted its request for GPA 
accession.67  China  benefited from multiple TA activities both before and since the launch of its 
GPA accession process.  In August, a  national seminar delivered in a r oundtable discussion format , 
focused  on negotiation -related issues with the aim to further enhance the knowle dge of key 
officials responsible for China's GPA accession process , based on  pre-prepared answers by the 
Secretariat to specific  written  questions posed in advance by China .  The seminar addressed legal 
issues  and covered both the text and coverage of the Agreement .  It took place 'at a critical 
juncture' in China's GPA accession process when  China and the Parties are exploring ways to 
narrow gaps in their respective negotiating positions.   In terms of outcomes, China indicated at the 
end of the seminar tha t the i nformation imparted and knowledge gained by participants would  be 
further disseminated by incorporation in an official Guide on Understanding the GPA that it was 
preparing for issue in 2017.   In a subsequent GPA Committee meeting , China stated  that the TA 
had helped to address long -term unsolved technical questions on the GPA , and would facilitate 
China's future legislative adjustment .68  Following a national seminar in November, Kazakhstan  
confirmed its intention to fully comply with its WTO accessio n commitment regarding accession to 
the GPA and initiated  its accession preparatory work at the capital with support of the EBRD . 
  
                                                
65  In the case of Sudan, the ten -day national activity held in September eventually led to a meeting of 
their Working Party on 31 January 2017, once the required documen ts had been submitted.  
66  Russia , in its 2012 WTO Accession Protocol, undertook a commitment to initiate accession to the GPA 
(WT/ACC/RUS/70, dated 17  November 2011, paragraph 1143 ).  The accession of  Russia  to the GPA is 
expected to add an estimated $100 billion or more to the value of the market access covered by the 
Agreement.  
67  See RD/GPA/40, dated 19 September 2016, paragraph 5.7.  In August 2016, Russia  submitted its 
application for accession to the Ag reement  (GPA/140, dated 19 August 2016).  
68  RD/GPA/46, dated 21 November 2016, paragraph 4.4.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 63 - 
 
0 100 200 300 400 500AfricaAsiaCaribbeanCEECACMiddle EastObservers' Participation  
National
Regional
Global
E-learning
27% 
12% 
9% 52% Observers' TA Mix  
National
Regional
Global
E-learning
0 100 200 300 400 500TRIPSTBTSPSServicesRulesMAGPAGeneralEnvironmentDSAgricultureAccessionsObservers in TA by Subject  
National
Regional
Global
E-learning5.2.1   Output 2.1: Acceding governments have expertise on  WTO rules, accessions 
negotiating best practices and core accession obligations acquis  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Share of acceding governments in Outcome 1 indicators  Stability during the 
biennium  Target met  
Roadmaps and endgame plans  Stability during the 
biennium  Target met  
Use of Secretariat advice and accession tools  Stability during the 
biennium  Data not available  
5.124.   In 2015, Acceding governments 
had been invited to 79 TA face -to-face 
activities (i.e. 30%)  and ha d the same  
access to the 65 online courses as 
Members , which brought the total for that  
year to 144 TA activ ities.  In 2016, 
Acceding governments were invited to 87 
TA face -to-face activities and had access 
to 67 online courses, building up a total 
of 154 TA activities.  This means that the  
18 active acceding governments were 
each invited on average to 37 face-to-
face TA activities.  
5.125.   In total, 1,101 participants from acceding countries are registered in the TA database as 
having participated in TA activities in 2016, against 707 in 2015 (+56%), whether online or face -
to-face.  Some of them participated in more than one activity.  Ten of the most dynamic acceding 
countries saw their participation in TA 
activities grow on average from 31 
individuals to 86 between 2015 and 
2016.69  The target included in the TA 
Plan for the year was to maintain a stable 
level of par ticipation.  Target met  
5.126.   With some minor variations, the 
balance between participation of 
Observers in national, regional, global or 
online TA activities was fairly similar to 
Members' own mix.  A majority of the 
participants followed o nline courses ; a 
quarter were trained in ten national 
activities ; and the rest through some 
regional or global activities.  
5.127.   In terms of subjects, acceding 
governments logically had the very same 
predilection for activities with a general 
scope as Members, since their people ha ve 
the same needs to learn about the MTS in 
general.  Quite predictably, activities focused 
on the accession process came second  and 
involved a much higher proportion of 
national activities .  The high level of interest 
for SPS was the result of two nationa l 
activities held in Comoros and Iran which 
attracted a large number of participants.  
                                                
69  Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Bosnia -Herzegovina, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iran, 
Lebanon and Serbia.  Belarus and Sudan were also fairly active in 2016, even if their level of participation was 
lower than in 2015.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 64 - 
 
5.128.   In 2016, four national activities were held in Bosnia -Herzegovina, Lebanon, Sudan and 
Timor -Leste to stimulate the national work required by the accession process.  Takin g the 
specificities of the  national situation s into account , these activities allowed the authorities to take 
stock of the progress made so far  in the accession process; to meet with national stakeholders and 
consider with them the pros and cons of their country's accession to the WTO;  and to identify the 
outstanding issues that required decision -making , whether in Parliament or by the government .  
They each led to the production of a n accession roadmap or to the revision of the existing one.70  
However, none of these four accession process es was mature enough to warrant the deve lopment 
of an end -game scenario, against two in 2015.  Target met  
5.129.   Concerning the use of the Secretariat advice and accession tools, Sudan and Timor -Leste 
were the only Observer s to actually submit new documents in 2016 .  In Sudan, the memorandum 
on the Foreign Trade Regime and Legislative Action Plan were reviewed and redraf ted and the 
market access offers on goods and services were reviewed for technical conformity during the 
national activity held at the end of September.  The 14 new negotiating inputs in total submitted 
by the government of Sudan were a direct result of , and may have relied upon, the advice and 
accession tools provided by the Secretariat  on this occasion.  This reactivated Sudan's  accession 
process, which had been dormant for 12 years , and led to the scheduling of a new Working Party 
meeting at the end of J anuary 2017.  Timor -Leste released its Foreign Trade Regime memo and 
sent its application for WTO Accession on the second day of the Secretariat visit early November, 
leading to the establishment of a Working Party one month later.  The results of the nati onal 
activity held in Comoros early December produced results in 2017, which will be discussed in next 
year's report.  Since  the TA Annual Report for 2015 did not provide a clear baseline in this domain, 
one cannot state whether the results measured in 201 6 were stable compared to the previous 
year.  Data not available  
5.3  Key Result 3: Members are accessing and using the most recent and relevant WTO -
related information and data enabling them to better enforce their rights and obligations  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Members' satisfaction with data availability  Increase during the biennium  Target partially met  
5.130.   The external evaluation found it even more difficult to assess the non -training components 
of the WTO TA programme, such as the WTO Reference Centre Programme (RCs).  Since they are 
so small and scattered the evaluators did not see how they offered a significant response to the 
overall needs among beneficiar ies.  The evaluators questioned the  continuing relevance of the 
existing pattern of support for RCs, particularly in light of rapid technological developments around 
electronic access to documentation.   Today, they felt that the benefits of  a dedicated Centre and 
rapidly -outdated computer equipment have been greatly diminished .  The evaluation classified the 
RC programme amongst the TA instruments showing mixed or weaker evidence of effectiveness , 
since it emerg ed as a technologically dated and ineffective way to respond to an objective which is 
increasingly important and urgent to the WTO .  RCs have not been effective in enabling Members 
to access and use WTO -related information to raise awareness of WTO matters with all their 
stakeholders.  Increasingly, these must be seen as key strategic issues for WTO as a whole, and 
the TA role can only be part of a much wider WTO communications effort .  They then concluded 
that the conceptual expectations of how the scattered support provided under the RC programme 
will achieve strategic impact are unclear and that there was no significant evidence of it making 
strategic contributions to the whole WTO TA programme to date.  
5.131.   The external evaluation also noted that the WTO website was generally the main source of 
information of most beneficiaries, and did not identify any particular problem concerning Members' 
level of satisfaction with the availability of WTO -related data.  However, this wa s unlikely to be 
correlated with the results  of the RC programme.  Any evolution in the level of satisfaction of 
Members in this domain would be extremely difficult to measure and the availability of the data in 
many WTO databases is frequently dependen t on Members' own submissions.  
5.132.   The Geneva Week for non -resident was another activity designed to disseminate WTO 
information which attracted the criticism of the external evaluation, even if the evaluators did not 
visit any non -resident Member.  This programme was classified amongst the TA instruments 
                                                
70  Only one activity leading to the revision of the accession roadmap had taken place in 2015.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 65 - 
 
0%20%40%60%80%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Operational Reference Centres  showing mixed or weaker evidence of effectiveness in the absence of positive feedback from 
beneficiaries, in view  of the very general scope of the Geneva Week, limited participation and 
considerable associated travel costs.  In view of the falling demand a nd significant resources 
absorbed, Geneva Weeks were seen as not efficient.  However, the evaluation did not formulate 
any recommendation on them.  
5.133.   The conclusions of the external evaluation were discussed with the non -residents during 
the second Geneva Wee k of 2016.  Participants were unanimous in disagree ing strongly  with these 
conclusions, as  their needs concerned receiving information on what was happening in Geneva, 
having an opportunity to interact with Members, Secretariat staff, regional and group co ordinators, 
as well as, staff from other organizations in Geneva.  Geneva Week s were very important to 
address those needs  and had  a real impact on the  ability of non -residents to participate in the 
work of the WTO.   Several suggestions were made to improv e the effectiveness and efficiency of 
Geneva Week s and improve the access of non -residents to WTO -related information .  These 
comments from the small community of non -resident Members and Observers may not be fully 
representative of the opinion of the enti re membership but show that the WTO has been 
responding appropriately to the needs for information of at least some of them.  Target partially 
met 
5.3.1   Output 3.1: The WTO RCs network is operational in targeted Member/Observer 
economies  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Rate of operational RCs  Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
5.134.   Since its inception in 1997, more than 150 RCs have been established in beneficiar ies.  
Over the years, due to the rotation of staff and the obsolescence of equipment, the WTO lost 
contact with many RCs, which means that the Secretariat never operated a network of 150+ RCs.  
RC reporting rate on their activities has always been low, which prevented the Secretariat from 
properly measuring the results produced by the programme.  
5.135.    At th e end of 2016 , the Secretariat 
had a registry of 1 20 RCs, many of which 
established more than 10 years ago in 
developing Members and Observers .  More 
recent RCs are predominantly , though not 
exclusively,  in LDCs which have become the 
main target of the pro gramme.  Within the 
universe of 1 20 RCs, 31 (26%) responded to 
the annual evaluation survey and can therefore 
be considered as active .  That rate was 49% at 
the end of 2015 .  Amongst the active RCs, 15 
(48%) were in 14 LDCs.   Restricting the 
analysis to th e RCs that were installed or 
upgraded in the last three years shows the very same trend.  In 2015, out of the 17 RCs installed 
or upgraded in 2014 and 2015, 15 (88%) had responded to the annual survey.  At the end of 
2016, 24 RCs had been installed or upgr ade since 2014, and only 12 of them (50%) responded to 
the survey.  Consequently, there does not seem to be any correlation between the recent upgrade 
or installation of a RC and its operational status.  On the other hand, a certain correlation was 
found b etween the long -term internship programmes (see section 5.1 .1.4 above) and the 
operational status of a RC: 77% of the RCs who responded to the survey were in beneficiaries  who 
had at least one long term intern in Geneva in 2014, 2015 or 2016.  Target not met 
5.136.   Four fifth  of operational  RCs indicated that they were open all the time  (75% in 2015) .  
The obsolescence of the equipment was the main reason given by the others for not being always 
operational.  Two thirds of the RC managers do this on a full -time b asis, although only half of the 
managers received a specific training.  As a result, one quarter of the RC managers were not 
confident to navigate and use the IT resources available on the WTO website.  Most RCs (86%) 
worked in close collaboration with the  department directly responsible for WTO issues inside their 
institution.  Each of them organized approximately eight activities during the year on average.  
These included  technical meetings, seminar s and courses for colleagues from  the Ministry or WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 66 - 
 
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%0-3030-6060-9090-120120+RC Visitors per Month  Univer sities.   Some RCs also cooperat ed and exchanged information with each other, like th ose in 
regional organisations (IICA in Costa Rica and ALADI in Uruguay) .  The target had been that RCs 
would organise at least one activity on average per year.  Target met  
5.3.2   Output 3.2: RCs are used by the various stakeholders to access WTO -related 
information and data or to follow online courses  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Requests or visits to the RCs during the year by 
category of stakeholders and type of needs  Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
5.137.   As already seen in 2015, 72% of the 
reporting  RCs had a relatively small number of 
visitors every month (less than 60, and even 
much less for 50% of them), and 17% had a 
high number (more than 120).  This means that 
a relatively small number of RCs (6) are 
dynamic and seem to respond to a real need in 
their country, whilst the relevance of the others 
is more limited.  If the pattern is the same as in 
2015, there was an increase in 2016 in the 
proportion of RCs with fewer  visitors and a 
reduction of the share of those with a high 
number.71  Only half of the visitors were  from 
the government sector  (two thirds in 2015), as 29% were academics and 14% came from the 
private sector .  As in 2015, the visitors came mainly for rese arch purposes (42%), to follow an  
e-Learning course (25% ) and to seek advice on the WTO (11%) or retrieve a WTO document (8%) 
to a lesser extent.  In 2016, 58% of the RCs coordinated WTO online courses against only 33% in 
2015.  T wo thirds of t hose who di d hosted between 10 and 30 e -Learners during the course of the 
year, 19% between 30 and 100 and the remaining 14% between 100 and 200.  The TA Plan had 
targeted an increase in the overall number of visits, by category of stakeholders and types of 
needs.  Target not met 
5.138.   In 2016, a much higher proportion of the reporting RCs produced and disseminated a 
newsletter  (58% instead of 23% in 2015) , but at a lower frequency (10% daily, 14% weekly, 24% 
monthly, 52% other) .  Approximately half of these newsletters were circulated to less than 100 
persons, and a third to more than 250.  No obvious correlation could be observed between the 
number of visitors and the existence and circulation of a newsletter.  
5.3.3   Trade in services st atistics and supply -use tables are developed and used by the 
various stakeholders to monitor WTO -related trade developments  
Indicators  Targets  2016  
Availability of detailed trade in services 
statistics and broader coverage of databases on 
trade in value added  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
5.139.   As already explained above in section 3.3.2, the Secretariat focused in 2016 on the 
improvement of trade in services statistics in LDCs and in Africa, and new tools and training 
courses were developed to that effect.  
5.140.   SADC had launched a programme in 2014 to improve the availability and quality of trade 
in services data in its members with the assistance of the WTO and other international 
organizations.  Harmonized draft templates for data collection and compilation wer e developed, 
but some confusion emerged subsequently regarding the respective responsibilities of the Central 
Bank, National Statistical Office, Ministry of Trade and other ministries.  The WTO organised a 
follow -up workshop in February 2016 to straighten things up.  The workshop led to the formal 
approval of the harmonised templates for data collection and compilation and of  guidelines on 
institutional arrangements on data collection  in June 2016.   The SADC Secretariat initiate d pilot 
                                                
71  In 2015, 20% of the RCs had more than 200 visitors per month.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 67 - 
 
implementation of the  templates in volunteer countries  and a  national workshop was held in 
Tanzania at the end of  2016 for that purpose . 
5.141.   The Secretariat  continued to provide technical assistance to SADC  to improve the 
availability and quality of trade in services data to suppo rt SADC members in negotiations.  
5.142.   The Secretariat also worked  with the OECD on a project to develop estimates  on bilateral 
trade in services on the basis of available official data.  The objective is to develop a dataset that 
forms the international benchma rk tool for bilateral trade in services statistics.  With new data 
becoming available, the tool will be constantly improved.  This project aims at addressing the 
widespread lack of bilateral statistics on global trade in services needed by M embers to analy se 
trade in services to formulat e trade negotiating positions.  
5.143.   Similarly, a new project to improve trade in services statistics was launched in 2016.  It is 
financed by a voluntary contribution of  the European Union.  The goal is to develop and maintain a 
global dataset on trade in services statistics by modes of supply  by the end of 2018.  
5.144.   In January 2016, the Secretariat  released  the first statistical country profiles  on "Trade in 
Value Added (TiVA) and Global Value Chains (GVCs)" .  They provid e insights t o trade analysts and 
policy makers on trade taking place within GVCs a nd the impact of the services sector on trade.  
Meetings were held with several delegations to improve their understanding of TiVA indicators and 
GVC statistics.72  A TiVA data day was then organized on 2 4 November 2016 for all  Members to 
improve their understanding of the TiVA approach, underlying concepts and data, and  to convey 
key policy messages arising from it.73  The meeting was followed by a TiVA Workshop presenting 
the TiVA databas e, indicators and statistical profiles in details and addressing technical questions 
from delegations.   Further training on this will take place in 2017.  The coverage of the OECD -WTO 
TiVA database was also expanded in 2016 to include  two additional  developing economies, Tunisia 
and Peru.  
5.145.   These various initiatives will clearly take time to produce measurable results in terms of 
services statistics, but some progress can already be seen in the content of the various databases 
mentioned (e.g. TiVA, bil ateral services statistics, statistics by modes of supply, etc.).  According 
to the TA Plan , only  one African country was covered in the OECD -WTO database in 2015.  As 
explained above, there was a noticeable improvement in 2016.  Target met  
  
                                                
72  Meetings were organized wi th the delegations of Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines  and Chinese Taipei . 
73  See https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/reser_e/xreser_e/dataday2016_e.htm . WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 68 - 
 
0123456Party filings in DDSR pilot  
2016
2015
0246810Third Party participation in DDSR pilot  
2016
20155.3.4   Digital Dispu te Settlement Registry (DDSR)  
5.146.   The DDSR 
should progressively 
replace the current 
paper -based filing 
system for dispute 
settlement cases.  
The DDSR was not 
explicitly identified in 
the TA Plan for 201 6-
17, as the DDSR 
pilot phase was 
launched during the 
summer 2015.  The 
TA annual report for 
2015 already 
acknowledged the 
need to assist Members in the transition 
from paper to digital filings .  In 2016 , 
training on the DDSR continued to be a 
part of the Geneva -based TA  pursuant to 
Article 27 of the DSU .  A half-day run-
through of the DDSR was added to the 
Advanced DS Course in English .  All 
Geneva -based delegates were also invited 
to a half -day training course offered at 
three different times in December 2016.  
During the course of the year, the DS and 
AB Regi strars provided one -to-one training 
to the delegates who requested assistance 
in uploading documents in on -going 
disputes.  
5.147.   The direct costs of the above -mentioned activities was negligible (they represent an 
opportunity cost for the Secretariat) .  Their results can be difficult to measure as participation in 
the pilot is dependent not only on willingness, but also on the existence of a dispute involving that 
Member.  Feedback for participants suggests that these activities have been effective in achiev ing 
their intended objectives.  
5.148.   Some of the disputes which were part of the pilot in 2015 have been concluded during the 
course of 2016, whilst others began.  At  the end of 201 6, 15 disputes involving 2 0 Members 
(whether as a party or third party) were active in the DDSR pilot phase.   Of these 20 Members, 17 
have attended a training session and 12 are TA beneficiaries . 
5.4  Key Result 4: MPs, journalists and civil society interacting with WTO; and students 
or academic institutions supported by WTO are de aling with t rade policy and WTO -
related subjects  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Chair's contribution to their country's trade 
policy formulation  Increase during the biennium  Data not available  
Sustainability of Chair's results  Increase during the biennium  Data not available  
Exposure of MPs, media and civil society to 
WTO-related issues and work  Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
Articles, discussions and positions on WTO -
related matters  Increased quality during the 
biennium  Data not available  
5.149.   Other non-training components of the WTO TA programme that t he external evaluation 
found far more difficult to assess include  the outreach programme and the WTO Chairs Programme 
(WCP).  Since they are so small and scattered the evaluators did not see how the se different 
programmes  offered a significant response to the overall needs among beneficiar ies.  The WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 69 - 
 
0%20%40%60%80%100%Chairs Budget Allocation  
Outreach
Curriculum
Development
Researchevaluation classified the outreach programme  of the WTO  and the WCP amongst the TA 
instruments showing mixed or weaker evidence of effectiveness.  It found no  indication of any 
influence of either programme  on trade policy making . 
5.150.   Concerning the WCP , the evaluation  noted  a few interesting and promising examples  of 
how th is programme  could potentially contribute to widening and deepening relevant research and 
training strengths , but the evaluators felt that th e policy results produced were difficult to assess, 
partly because reporting built on self -reporting by the Chairs and partly because of the inherent 
difficulty in assessing the effectiveness  of academic wor k.  They acknowledged that bridging the 
gap between research and policy -making was a particular challenge since the two spheres operat e 
under such different logics.  
5.151.   The evaluators found it equally challenging to assess the effectiveness of the outreach 
programme  and its policy results .  They then concluded that the conceptual expectations of how 
the scattered support provided under the WCP or outreach programme will achieve strategic 
impact are unclear and that there was no significant evidence of them making strategic 
contributions to the whole WTO TA programme to date.  
5.152.   For the reasons identified in the external evaluation, measuring the actual contribution of 
the Chairs to their countries' trade policy and the sustainability of the Chairs' results is diffi cult.  
This is one of the challenges that the final evaluation of the programme will have to face.  
Meanwhile, it seems presumptuous to pronounce on the two indicators identified in the TA Plan 
without having a sufficiently robust factual basis.  Consequently, it is more appropriate at this 
stage to differ any judgement on this until after  the final evaluation of the programme has been 
completed.  Data not available  
5.153.   In 201 6, the WTO Chair in Indonesia, one of the seven Chairs selected for the second 
phase of the programme , had to be terminated after one year of operation due to unsatisfacto ry 
performance and  non-compliance with its obligations under the signed implementation agreement .  
Various warnings, extensive support from the Secretariat and a fact -finding visit by one of the 
Advisory Board member s to straighten things up and put the Ch air back on track had failed to 
produce the required improvements.  This decision reduced the overall scope of the programme.  
This should be kept in mind when interpreting the results presented under this Key Result.  
5.154.   The WCP is structured around 
three ma in pillars: research, curriculum 
development and outreach.  The 
definition of the relative importance 
given to each pillar is the responsibility 
of each Chair .  This  led to significant 
variations  in budget allocations between 
the six remaining Chairs, whic h may 
then explain the differences in the 
volume of output produced by the Chairs 
under each of the pillars.  There is for 
example a direct correlation between the 
priority given to research by the Chair in 
South Africa (more than twice the 
average budget of the other five Chairs) 
and its significantly higher level of research output in almost all categories  (see section 5.4.2 
below) .  Similarly, the priority given by Tunisia to curriculum development is correlated to its high 
level of results under this pi llar (see section 5.4.3 below).  However, under the outreach pillar no 
correlation seems to exist between measured results and the level of resources allocated by the 
Chairs (see section 5.4.4 below).  
5.155.   The Secretariat held s even outreach activities in 2016 at national (1), regional (4) or 
global level (2).   This is less than in 2015 during which the S ecretariat organised or participated in 
1 national, 8  regional and 1 global outreach activities.   The geographical spread of these activities 
was also larger in  2015 than in 2016 , in the absence of activities in the Middle East and for Central  
& Eastern Europe and Central Asia .  The preparation of MC10 held in December 2015 had 
generated a high level of interest amongst stakeholders and beefed up demand for brief ings and 
discussions.  Even if the TA Plan had anticipated an increased exposure to WTO -related issues and WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 70 - 
 
work in 2016, in the absence of a Ministerial Conference during the year, demand from the media, 
MPs and civil society was apparently less pressing.  Target not met  
5.156.   A number of newspaper articles were collected by the Secretariat in 2015 and 2016 after 
the various outreach activities organised by the WTO, in particular those for French -speaking 
African countries, but the WTO records are unlikely to be exhaustive in this domain.  Furthermore, 
newspaper articles, position papers  or parliamentary proposals of law or regulation may not be 
automatically  produced as a result of the various outreach activities.  In 2015, official conclusions 
and recommendations were adopted at the end of a regional event held in Dakar for French -
speaking African MPs, business, civil society and media , in preparation for MC10 .  The TA Plan 
targeted an increase in the quality of articles and position papers, and of the discussions in the 
activities.   The organisers refrained from expressing any opinion in this regards, as it was felt that 
the most important was to create the conditions for a dialogue on WTO issues based on facts and 
to explain complex rules to non -specialist audiences.  The existence of a dialogue, including with 
the most vocal WTO detractors, was already a significant achievement .  Data not available  
5.4.1   Output 4.1: Improved understanding by MPs, journalists, civil society and 
businesses of WTO issues an d trade policies  
Indicators  Targets  2016  
MPs reached during the year  Stability during the biennium  Target met  
Journalists and civil society members reached 
during the year  Stability during the biennium  Target met  
5.157.   A national activity in Comoros in September targeted different stakeholders in the context 
of their accession to WTO: MPs and the local media.  The activity offered them an opportunity to 
also interact with the national committee in charge of the accession process.  
5.158.   At regional level, activ ities were held in Singapore in May, Colombia in June, and in 
Madagascar and Trinidad & Tobago in November.  In Singapore, the activity gathered 52 MPs of 
the Asia Pacific region.  The discussions were dominated by some of the  new factors that are 
changing  world t rade such as ITA, e-commerce , the role of SMEs  and Trade and Climate Change.  
Meetings also took place with the local  business federation and media.  The activity in Colombia 
targeted Latin American businesses and media and gathered 17 journalists and 23 representatives 
from the private sector.  In Madagascar, the 77 participants were MPs and representatives from 
the business sector, civil society and the media from French -speaking African countries.  This 
diversity generated multi -dimensional debat es on WTO and the MC10 follow -up.  In Trinidad & 
Tobago, 16 MPs from the Caribbean region discussed with representatives of governments, 
academia and the private sector a wide range of topics, including  the outcome of MC10 , possible 
new issues for the WTO negotiating agenda, business outreach at the WTO, the T FA, regional trade 
agreements  and managing disputes over trade . 
5.159.   Twelve English -speaking journalists from Africa and Asia gathered for five days in Geneva 
in April.  They were briefed on a multiplicity of subjects, including MC10 , dispute settlement, trade 
facilitation, global value chains , etc.  Finally, the WTO hosted in June the 11th Parliamentary 
Conference on WTO, which gathered 407 MPs from all around the world.  The theme of the 
conference was "What future for the WTO?" and issues as diverse as making trade work after 
MC10, the current state of play in WTO negotiations, mega RTAs, gender perspectives in trade, 
etc. were addressed.  The Conference adopted  a Document  supporting  the MTS and call ing for the 
implementation of MC9 and MC10  decisions, including swift ratification of the TFA, creation of new 
export opportunities for LDC ser vice-providers under the LDC services waiver and simplification of 
regulations governing rules of origin.  It also called  for the extension of the ITA . 
5.160.   In terms of numbers, 492 MPs  (including 407 MPs during the Parliamentary Conference on 
WTO) , 37 journali sts, 50 civil society organisations (including the private sector) were reached 
during the course of the year.   The baseline in the TA Plan was the 80 MPs, 56 journalist and 24 
civil society organisations reached in 2014.  The TA Plan had targeted stabilit y in this domain, 
which was the case for MPs.  The decrease in the number of journalists was compensated by a 
corresponding increase in the number of civil society organisations reached, which points to an 
overall stability in the number of persons reached .  Targets met  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
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05101520253035WTO Chairs' Research  
Thesis
Newsletter
Books
Working papers
Journal Articles
01020304050WTO Chair's Research  
2015
201617% 
15% 
15% 
14% 12% 8% 5% 4% 1% 
9% Public Forum Participation  
Business
NGO
Student
Academia
IGO
Government
Lawyer
MP
Journalist
Other5.161.   Another way to enhance outreach is 
ensuring visibility for the activities through 
social media.  As an illustration, the activities 
in Colombia and Trinidad & Tobago have 
respectively reached over 9 ,000 and 4 ,000 
people through the WTO offi cial Facebook 
and Twitter accounts.  T he WTO also 
organises every year a Public Forum 
gather ing in Geneva hundreds of people over 
three days to share their views on the WTO 
issues related to a specific theme.  In 2016, 
1,072 persons participated in the Pub lic 
Forum on " Inclusive Trade", more than half 
of who were MPs or representatives of the 
private sector, civil society or academia.  
5.4.2   Output 4. 2: Research on trade policy and WTO -related matters generated by  WTO  
Chairs and PhD students through provision of grants  
5.4.2.1   WTO Chairs Programme  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Number of publications in internationally 
peer-reviewed journals  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
Number of research papers per year  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
5.162.   Research is one of the three  
pillars of the WTO Chairs Programme 
(WCP).  It may eventually influence trade 
policy (see output 4. 4 below).  Following 
past practice, the main indicators 
identified in the TA Plan in this domain 
were related to the volume of research 
produced or  published annually by each 
Chair.  Whilst volume remains relevant, 
as without any research from the Chairs 
the programme would fail, an attempt is 
made this year to also assess the quality 
of this production.  The TA Plan targeted 
a research volume  increa se by the end of 
the biennium .  In 201 6, the six remaining 
Chairs have collectively published 50 
working papers and 13 articles in peer -
reviewed journals.74  This represents an 
overall 9% increase compared to 2015  
and an increase of  the average number 
of publications per Chair from 8.3 in 2015 
to 10.5 in 2016.  However, the Chairs in 
Benin and Turkey have not yet published 
their first article in a peer -reviewed 
journal.  This means that the increased  
volume of research of the other  Chairs 
more than compensated for the 
termination of the Indonesian Chair .  The 
number of articles published in 2016 was 
stable and the number of working papers 
10% higher  compared to 2015.  Target s 
met 
                                                
74  Working papers are generally presented in seminars or conferences, whilst articles are published in 
journals or other research publications.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 72 - 
 
0246810Chairs' Research Subjects  
5.163.   Beyond articles and working papers, the Chairs also rel eased in 2016 several books, 
newsletters and PhD or Master's thesis.  These clearly contributed to the overall research 
production of the Chairs, even if the attribution of these other publications to the WCP is not 
always certain.  Together with the journ al articles and working papers, these other publications 
contribute to increase the visibility and standing of the Chairs in the academic world and vis -à-vis 
governments, in a context where image is critical.  
5.164.    A relatively wide range of trade -
related subj ects were covered by the 
research of the Chairs, as can be seen 
from the graph .  The interests of the 
Chairs were logically influenced by their 
local context and the government 
policies that they tried to influence.  
Subjects related to general economic 
policy, such as inflation, taxes, 
inequalities, global value chains, etc. 
attracted the highest level of interest, 
followed by market access issues, 
including non -tariff barriers and trade 
facilitation, and regional integration.  
This is somewhat wider than the WTO 
agenda, which should not come as a 
surprise.  
5.165.   Beyond this quantitative assessment, efforts were also made to increase the quality of the 
research produced by the Chairs, for example through a better connection to the national trade 
agenda.  The Chair in Oman produced papers on food security related issues which are one of the 
main concerns of the government and generated the interest of various ministries.  
5.166.   To maintain the connection between the research of the Chairs 
and the WTO agenda  and further to previous years'  positive experience, 
the WTO launched in 2016 the preparation of a nother  book on "Trade 
Costs and inclusive Growth: Case Studies from the WTO Chair  Holders ".  
The main purpose of the book was to assess the benefits of the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement recently concluded by Members through studies of 
past TF reforms or ex ante simulations.  Contributions were received 
from the Chairs in Benin, Brazil, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Jordan, 
Oman, Tunisia, Turkey and South Africa.   The book wa s launched mid -
November  in marg in of the WCP annual conference .  Building on the joint 
report written by the World Bank and the WTO on “The Role of Trade in 
Ending Poverty", both institutions organized in May 2016 a forum on 
“Connecting to trade: Policies and programmes for maximi sing poverty 
reduction impact”  in which the  Chairs in Benin, Jordan and Tunisia 
present ed their research on how trade is helping alleviate poverty  in their 
respective countries.   In a WCP side event held during th e Public Forum 
on "Inclusive Trade", the Chairs in Brazil, South Africa and Turkey  presented papers and case 
studies showing how trade policy is contributing to poverty reduction in their countries.  
5.167.   Another way of assessing the quality of the research produced by the Chairs  is, for the 
articles published in peer -reviewed journals, to factor in the ranking or rating of the journals.  Two 
systems  of journal ranking can be  used: SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), which measure s 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 Normali sed Impact per Paper  (SNIP) rating , which measure s how often a journal is cited 
taking into a ccount the citation potential in its subject field.  The SNIP and SJR scores of the 
Journal of International Economics, which is the primary outlet for theoretical and empirical 
research in international economics, are provided as reference/benchmark.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 73 - 
 
00.20.40.60.81
Brazil Oman South
AfricaTunisiaAverage Publication Rating - 2015  
SJR
SNIP
00.20.40.60.81
Brazil Oman South
AfricaTunisiaAverage Publication Rating - 2016  
SJR
SNIPRatings of Journals in which the WTO Chairs published Articles in 2015  or 20 16 
(as at March 2017)  
Journal  SNIP  SJR 
Agrekon  0.653 0.314 
Brazilian Review of Finance  N/A N/A 
Canadian Journal of Development Studies  0.827  0.737  
International Business and Economics Research Journal  N/A 0.1 
International Economics  0.825  0.237  
Journal of Applied Business Research  0.434  0.183  
Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences  N/A N/A 
Journal of Economic Integration  0.37 0.246 
Journal of International Trade and Economic Development  0.65 0.632  
Politica Externa  N/A N/A 
Review of Middle East Economics and Finance  N/A N/A 
Social Work  1.236 0.417  
South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences  0.544 0.162 
Southern African Business Review  N/A N/A 
   
Journal of International Economics  2.67 3.72 
 
5.168.   In 2015, five of the journal articles had been published in peer -reviewed periodicals.  In 
2016, no SJR or SNIP rating was available for the national periodicals in which the Chair from 
Brazil published its 2 articles.   Such periodicals are important to disseminate the  research at 
national level, especially in non -English speaking countries.  This means that an absence of SJR or 
SNIP rating cannot be equated with poor quality , especially as far as national relevance is 
concerned .  Whilst the average ratings of the Chair s may look relatively modest so far, they hide 
some promising  ratings for certain articles: the publication of the South African Chair in "Social 
Work" in 2016 and the two publication s of the Tunisia n Chair  in 2015 in "International Economics" 
and "Canadia n Journal of Development Studies".   Like any other work based on reputation, it will 
take time for the Chairs' notoriety to grow and to gain access to better rated journals.  Between 
2015 and 2016, a positive evolution can already be seen in the average SJ R ratings of the Chairs 
in South Africa and Tunisia.  Even if the Chairs in Benin and Turkey still have to publish their first 
article in a peer -reviewed journal, t he current results can consequently be considered as 
satisfactory first steps from a qualita tive point of view.  
5.169.   One of the objectives under  the research pillar is also to develop the Chairs' research 
capacity through the involvement of junior researchers.  To this end, the Chairs hir ed new faculty 
members  or had existing staff acquire higher degr ees and broaden the scope of their research .  In 
the long term, this should increase the sustainability of the results of the WCP.  The figures 
provided below for 2016 will constitute the baseline to measure any future evolution.  
 Benin  Brazil  Oman  South A frica Tunisia  Turkey  
WCP Team  17 5 3 21 6 7 
PhD students in WCP Team  1 8 1 3 2 3 
5.170.   At the end of 2015, the WTO launched a call for proposals in order to identify specific 
research projects submitted by Phase I Chairs only.  The W TO provided scientific guidance  and 
contributed up to CHF 10,000 to the selected projects .  Ten proposals were submitted, including 
two joint proposals , and 8 of them were retained .  The results measured in 2016 show  a high level  
of activity under each of the three pillars.  The selected projects contributed to sustain Phase I 
Chairs ' activities and consolidate their national and international standing  on trade and WTO -WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 74 - 
 
051015PhD Students  related matters  vis-à-vis government, academia  and business communities .  Four books were 
published by the Chair s in Morocco, Kenya,  Chile, Argentina and Jordan.  The selected  Chairs used 
the funds to produce new research  and organise  outreach events to disseminate their work .  The 
research was also used as inputs to develop new course  materials.  
5.171.   The first phase of the WCP (2011 -14) showed that the attribution dilemma was potentially 
the most serious challenge when trying to measure the results of the programme .  Since the WCP 
relies on academics already active in the field of trade issues and is not the only show in  town, it is 
not easy to identify  the research which  can be confidently ascribe d to the programme .  Since the 
beginning of the second phase at the end of 2014 , the Secretariat has tried to mitigate this risk 
through monthly contacts with the Chairs and thr ough a regular monitoring of their activities.  The 
monthly videoconference s helped  tell what resulted  directly from the WCP from what was produced 
only indirectly.  The attention of the Chairs has been re gularly raised to this issue . 
5.4.2.2   PhD Support programme  
Indicators  Targets  2016  
Number of PhD students per year  Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
Completion of their PhD by the students  Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
5.172.   The PhD support programme assist s 
doctoral students from developing countries 
to conduct advanced research for the final 
stage of their thesis at the WTO for periods 
between three and six months and to provide 
them with mentoring/advice.75  In 2016, a 
total of eleven  applications from developing 
country PhD students were received, out of 
which only three could be  admitted to the 
programme , as the others did not meet the 
requirement to be at an "advanced research 
or writing stage of their thesis ".  In spite of a 
higher  number of applications, this is lower 
than in 2015 .  The target in the TA Plan was 
to have an increase .  Target not met 
5.173.   A major benchmark of the programme is whether the mentors assigned to the students 
judged they had made satisfactory progress to presen t their work to the Geneva trade policy 
community in a seminar organized by the Secretariat.  The admitted PhD students were able to 
reach this benchmark in 201 6.  The responses to the evaluations filled up by the students and 
their mentors suggest that th e programme significantly improved the dissertations of the students.  
5.174.   As the three students admitted in 2016 just completed their stay in Geneva at the 
beginning of 2017, none of them has yet received their degree.  However and as already 
mentioned in last year's report, t hree of the four students who benefitted from the progr amme in 
2015 have now obtained their PhD .  Target not met  
5.4.3   Output 4.3: Academic courses on WTO -related subjects introduced and updated 
with WTO support  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Number of students in WTO -related courses or getting a 
degree per year  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
 
  
                                                
75  See section 6.4.2 in WT/COMTD/W/2 11. WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 75 - 
 
051015New or Updated Courses  
2015
2016
 - 500 1,000 1,500Students in WTO -related Courses  
2015
20165.175.   In 201 6, the Chairs contributed to 
educate on WTO -related subjects a new 
generation of students, both at the graduate 
and undergraduate level.  Collectively , they  
designed or updated  39 new or existing 
courses , which represents a 56% increase 
compared to 2015 for the remaining six Chairs .  
This positive result was mainly driven by the 
strong  performance of the Chairs  in South 
Africa and Tunisia, who developed three 
quarters of all the new or updated courses in 
2016 aga inst two thirds in 2015 .  In Tunisia  for 
example , a new major on Global Affairs for the 
Bachelor degree in business administration 
delivered by the Tunis Business School  and four 
new courses (Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory, International Trade Theory, International 
Relations and Policy and Practice Seminar Series) were created ; in South Africa, ten existing trade -
related modules were upgraded by adding more elements on the W TO Agreements; the Chair in 
Oman organised a course on the use of futures prices and options to manage price variability risk; 
in Brazil, the Chair enhanced an online course 
on international trade regulation and a course 
on Taxes and Trade; in Turkey, a co urse on 
International Trade and Business Law and a 
course on unfair trade and completion were 
revamped; and in Benin, the Chair finalised the 
creation of two masters on international trade 
and on international trade negotiations.  
5.176.   Several partnerships help ed the Chairs 
achieve these results  and will support their 
sustainability over time .  For example,  the 
Tunis ian Chair  worked  with the Tunisian 
Institute of Competitiveness and Quantitative 
Studies and the Ministry of Development 
Investment and Internationa l Cooperation ; the 
Chair in Brazil worked with the FGV Business School and the University of São Paulo ; the Chair in 
Benin worked with the University of Purdue ; etc. 
5.177.   In 201 6, 2,091  students participated in courses organ ized by the Chairs , which is double 
the number seen in 2015 .  The Chair from South Africa was again  the most active as the courses 
offered were mandatory and targeted a large cohort of both undergraduate and graduate  students .  
The other Chairs proposed special ised courses for graduate and post graduate  students only, 
which explain s why th eir figure s look modest compared to th ose of South Africa where all students 
had to follow the courses developed by the Chair.   Compared to the previous year, the number of 
students of the Chairs was multip lied by almost seven in Turkey, and by close to three in Tunisia 
and Brazil.  Target met  
5.4.4   Output 4. 4: Outreach activities on trade policy and WTO -related matters organis ed 
by WTO Chairs through the provision of grants  
Indicators  Targets  2016 
Number of outreach events  per year  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
Involvement of key decision -makers  Increase during the biennium  Data not available  
Availability of a Chair public website  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
Content of the Chair website  Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
Number of visitors to and downloads from 
the Chair website  Increase during the biennium  Data not available  
 WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 76 - 
 
05101520Outreach Events  
2015
2016
0200400600800Outreach Events Participation  
2015
2016
0200400600800Policy Makers in Outreach 
Events  
Others
Policy
Makers5.178.   Under the third pillar of the WCP, t he Chairs 
have to increase the visibility and infl uence of 
academic WTO -related research, in particular on 
trade policy formulation, by  reach ing out to decision 
makers  and a wider public of interested individuals .  
The TA Plan  targeted a n increase in  the number of 
outreach events  and persons reached .  In 2016, the 
remaining six Chairs organ ized 54 events, i.e. 
double the number of 2015 .  The se events included  
6 conferences, 13 roundtables, 14 workshops, 18 
seminars and 3 essay award ceremonies.  They 
gathered 2,288 participants , which was 2% less than 
in the previous year and logically means that the 
average size of each event was cut in half.  The 
focus of the events was also narrower than in 2015.  This increased t he potential for targeted 
interaction between the Chairs and the participants to maximise the impact of the events .  Target 
met 
5.179.   Assessing  the quality of the outreach in 
which the Chairs engage is not easy.  A proxy 
indicator in the TA Plan is the level of participation of 
key decision makers in these events, such as trade 
policy makers.  These are the trade officials and civil 
servants from the various ministries, regulatory 
bodies and other public agencies i nvolved in the 
formulation of the national trade policy.  Whilst each 
and every one of them  may not  individually be 
responsible for the decisions affecting trade, 
collectively they certainly influence the national 
decision making process.  Overall, 383 key  policy 
makers participated in the outreach events 
organised by the six remaining Chairs in 2016, 
representing 17% of the total participants on 
average.  That proportion was approximately double 
this rate in the events held in Benin and Oman, and 
lower in Brazil and Turkey.   The TA Plan targeted an 
increase in the involvement of key decision makers 
in the outreach events organised by the Chairs.  But 
since no baseline data are available for previous 
years, no progression can be measured at this stage.  
The 2016 data will serve as a reference in the future.  
Data not Available  
5.180.   The Chairs have created their own dedicated 
websites  that they are supposed to maintain 
regularly.  At the end of 2016, all six Chairs had a 
dedicated webpage.  Target met  
5.181.   However, a re view of the content of the webpages  conducted at the beginning of 2017 in 
preparation of this report gave mixed results.   The web pages  of the Chairs in Benin and Brazil 
were rather basic and did not display much up -to-date information on their latest activ ities, if any; 
those of Oman and Turkey were equally basic, but at least did not look outdated  since they did not 
display much information at all on any of their activities ; the web pages  of the South African and 
Tunisian Chairs were consequently the only o nes of what looked a priori fair quality.  Absent any 
baseline in the TA Plan in this domain, a look at Phase I Chairs' web pages  as a reference 
evidenced the very same pattern, if not worse  as some of the dedicated webpages were no longer 
available .  It seems difficult on that basis to consider that a website of an appropriate level of 
quality is available for each of the Chairs.  The general impression is that after a minimum initial 
investment in the early days of the WCP, the maintenance of the dedicated  webpage s was not 
given much priority by most Chairs.  Target not met WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 77 - 
 
5.182.   No data is available on the number of visitors  to and downloads from the various Chairs' 
webpages, as it does not seem technically possible to monitor this.  Data not available  
5.183.   Some Chairs (e.g. Oman, South Africa and Tunisia) also use social network s like Twitter or 
Facebook  to update interested parties on the latest activities of the Chair.  Those Chairs who 
tracked their website's traffic insisted on  the value of these media i nstruments  for the  promotion 
for their research and their work more generally.  In 201 6, the South African Chair  engaged in 2 
radio interviews, posted 9 videos on YouTube and released 3 newspaper articles.  Four articles on 
the Chairs ' activities appeared in national Omani newspapers.   The Chair in Turkey provide d expert 
analysis on WTO issues on TV and in newspaper articles.  
5.4.5   Output 4.5: Young professional under the Young Professional Programme are 
exposed to WTO issues and work  
Indicators  Targets  2016  
Number of YPPs enrolled per year  No less than 5 per year  N/A 
Final evaluation rate of each intern  100% fully satisfactory  N/A 
5.184.   To launch this new programme of the WTO, a vacancy notice was posted on the WTO 
website on 19 May 2016.  By the application deadline of 30 June, a total number of 848 
applications had been received.  The selection process was carried out in three stages, in line with 
the WTO recruitment policy.  The first stage involved the screening of all application s based on the 
requirement s specified in the vacancy notice.  As a result, 798 applications were not retained for at 
least one of the following reasons:  
a. the applicant came from a Member  already represented in the WTO;  
b. absence of a letter of motivation;  
c. the applicant was 32 years or  older;  
d. the applicant did not possess an advanced university degree;  
e. the applicant had irrelevant or insufficient work experience;  
f. the applicant had inadequate language skills;  
g. the applicant had already benefited from another WTO internship programme.  
5.185.   In the second stage, the remaining 50 candidates were further screened , exclusively on 
the basis of merit,  to come to a shortlist of 17 candidates (8 men, 9 women) for consideration by 
the relevant divisions of the Secretariat.  During the final stage of the process, the shortlisted 
candidates were interviewed by interested divisions in October 2016, leading to the final selection 
of 6 participants to the YPP.  Five of t he selected participants started to work in the Secretariat 
early January  2017.76 
5.186.   As a resul t, no Young Professional actually worked in the Secretariat in 2016.  The targets 
defined in the TA Plan will only become relevant in 2017.  During that year, a new batch of Young 
Professionals wi ll also be recruited to start work in the Secretariat in 201 8.  Targets not 
applicable  
 
_______________  
                                                
76  One selected participants requested to differ her internship for persona l reasons.  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 78 - 
 
ANNEX  I 
FOLLOW -UP ON THE MAIN PREVIOUS  RECOMMENDATIONS  
Previous recommendations found to be fully implemented or non -longer relevant in previous  
report s have not been repeated here.  Only the recommendations which remained pending or 
whose implementation was still in progress at the end of 2015 are mentioned.  
# Recommendation  Action in 201 6 Status  
2012  
6 The Secretariat should define the substantive 
content of each of the three training levels instituted 
by WTO subject by subject.  It should then adjust 
the content of the training offered by WTO, on -line 
and face -to-face, accordingly.  It should inform 
future participants about the substantive knowled ge 
required in any activity to which they are invited, so 
they can undertake to bridge in advance any gap 
they would detect.  Some progress in ITPCs 
and ATPCs in 2016 for 
the generalists.  Work in progress  
8 The immediate results achieved by the TA activiti es 
delivered by the WTO should be measured as 
objectively as possible by the Secretariat.  Credible 
performance indicators should be identified in 
advance by the trainers to that effect, such as 
exams, quizzes, exercises results, etc.  BTORS 
should report systematically the measure shown by 
the indicators chosen.  The opinion expressed by the 
organisers in the BTOR should be grounded on these 
measures.  No material 
improvement in 2016  Pending  
9 For 2014 -15 TA activities, the Secretariat should 
recommend the  introduction of new means of testing 
participants' knowledge at the end of face -to-face TA 
activities organ ized by WTO.  Such means could take 
into account the engagement by each participant in 
the activity and be based on objective evaluation 
methods as far as possible (e.g. quiz, test, exercise, 
exam, etc.).  They should focus on the essential 
content of the activity according to the benchmarks 
to be developed for each subject at each of the three 
levels of progressive learning.  Limited improvement in 
the Introduction Course 
for LDCs  Work in progress  
 
Covered by 
Recommendation 22 
of the external 
evaluation  
10 A BTOR from the organisers should become 
systematically available for each and every TA 
activity delivered by WTO staff members.  The BTOR 
should include the information required by the WTO 
reporting guidelines, such as immediate objectives, 
performance indicators, assessments of the 
immediate results, etc.  Very significant 
improvement in 2016 in 
which the reporting rate 
reached almost 100%  Implemen ted 
11 Members should consider including future country 
reviews designed to measure the longer -term results 
of the TA provided by the WTO as part of the TPR of 
these countries.  None Pending  
2013  
2 More systematic means of monitoring the 
functioning of RCs need to be devised to 
provide a comprehensive picture of the state of 
the network, of its functioning and of its use.  
Current actions on the training of RC managers 
and the development of the functionalities of 
RC should be reinforced.  New survey 
performed in 2016.  
Assessment by the 
external evaluation.  Implemented  WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 79 - 
 
# Recommendation  Action in 201 6 Status  
3 Reassess Members' needs in the area of SPS 
ten years down the road; revisit the objectives 
of the various phases of the SPS advanced 
programme and stabilise their formulation; try 
to lowe r the hotel accommodation costs of the 
programme; improve archiving; produce 
BTORs systematically; measure the immediate 
results of the activities through the use of a set 
of objective performance indicators; and 
develop ways of better measuring the longer -
term results of the programme, including those 
not directly related to the implementation of 
the action plans.  The 2013 
recommendations 
were further 
implemented during 
the year.  
Progress monitored by 
the SPS Committee.  
Assessment by the 
external evaluation.  Implemented  
5 In the SPS advanced programme, increase the 
use of real -life case studies; explore ways of 
involving the private sector and developed 
countries in the programme; have a larger pool 
of coaches; set -up a user -friendly e -platform 
to support participants' network, exchange 
documents, advice and information, and 
follow -up on the implementation of 
participants' action plans; reassess the 
usefulness of giving selected participants and 
early access to relevant documents through 
the e-Camp us; provide coaching to the 
participants during the full duration of the 
follow -up activity and increase the involvement 
of the Geneva -based permanent missions; 
promote a greater focus of the participants' 
action plans on addressing market access 
challenge s. The 2013 
recommendations 
were further 
implemented during 
the year.  
Assessment by the 
external evaluation.  Implemented  
 
Covered by 
Recommendation 
24 of the external 
evaluation  
6 In the advanced SPS programme, target 
groups of participants from the same country; 
recruit participants on the basis of a project; 
extend the duration of the follow -up through 
innovative means.  The 2013 
recommendations 
were further 
implemented during 
the year.  Implemented  
7 Extend on -line registration possibilities to all 
WTO T A activities and replicate the innovative 
approach of the SPS advanced programme in 
other areas, such as TBT.  The first advanced TBT 
course focusing on the 
implementation of the 
agreement took place 
in 2015.  
Online registration 
facility postponed until 
2017 Implemented  
 
 
 
 
Work in progress  
2014  
5 Require all WTO trainers to follow a Training of 
Trainers and regular refreshers afterwards.  Remains voluntary  
Some progress in 
2016 Work in progress  
 
Covered by 
Recommendation 
21 of the external 
evaluation  
9 Improve the pedagogy, trainers' capabilities 
and logistics  for ITPCs.  Greater involvement 
of experts from 
regional institutions in 
the delivery of the 
courses who are 
better positioned to 
represent a balanced 
regional perspective  Implemented  
 
_______________   WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 80 - ANNEX  II 
MAIN RESULTS MEASURE D IN 201 6 
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.  As frequently i ndicated in the body of the report, unavoidable trials and errors also affect the results presented in this report.   The 
assessment  is almost exclusively based on a desk analysis and was not complemented in 201 6 with any field visit.   When relevant and use ful, some of 
the finding s of the external evaluation conducted in 2016 have also been taken into account.  
 
 Results  Indicators  Targets  Remarks  
Outcome  1: Government officials are 
implementing WTO Agreements 
and making full use of Members' 
rights   Compliance with WTO Agreements   Increase during the biennium  Target met  
 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 beneficiaries 
Members   5% decrease of  outstanding 
notifications  Target partially met  
 Publication of trade policies on Member's website   Increase during the biennium  Data not available  
Output  1.1: Government officials have 
enhanced knowledge about the 
WTO Agreements, formulation of 
trade policies and conduct of trade 
negotiations   Number of participants at each PLS level   Increased % of participants in 
advanced training by end of 2017  Target not met  
 Number of participants in WTO TRTA activities   Stability during the biennium  Target met  
 Interactive training methods' share of time   Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
 Geographical spread of participation in face -to-face 
and e -Learning courses   Stability during the biennium  Target met  
 Geographical balance during the 
biennium  Target met  
 Changes in 8 -week ITPCs' curriculum   Implementation of the 2014 
recommendations  Target met  
 Success rate in 8 -week ITPC final exam   90% during the biennium  Target met  
 Quality of participation in interactive parts of advanced 
activities   Increase during the biennium  Target met  
 % of participants giving an excellent rating to ATPCs' 
and advanced thematic courses' overall content and 
results   Increase during the biennium  Target met  
 Revised modules  or case studies in ATPCs   Two per year  Target met  
 Number of participants trained on trade negotiating 
skills  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
 Advanced thematic courses focused on implementation   Three in 2016 and four in 2017  Target not met  
 Implementation rate of Action Plans within 12 months   Stability during the biennium  Target met  
 Number of interns in FIMIP, NTP and RCI   Per year: NTP: 15; RCI: 8; MIP: 15  FIMIP and NTP: 
target met  
RCI: target partially 
met 
 Final evaluation rate of each  intern   100% fully satisfactory  FIMIP: target met  
NTP and RCI: data 
not available   WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 81 -  Results  Indicators  Targets  Remarks  
 New online courses released each year   3 courses/year  Target not 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 online 
course content as good or excellent   70% during the biennium  Target met  
 e-Learning success rate   Increase during the biennium  Target met  
 e-Learning drop-out rate   Stability during the biennium  Target met  
 e-Learning rate of correct answers in the exam   Stability during the biennium  Target met  
 e-Learning distinction rate   Stability during the biennium  Target met  
 Total participation in e -Learning courses   Stability during the biennium  Target met  
Output  1.2: Establishment of effective 
partnerships resulting in 
substantive contributions   % of activities held with a partner adding value   Increase during the biennium  Target partially met  
 % of partnerships contributing to the substance of the 
TA activities   Increase substantive contributions 
during the biennium  Target met  
Output  1.3: Members' needs and priorities 
are identified annually   Number of needs assessments conducted   Increase during the biennium  Target met  
Outcome  2: Acceding governments 
participate in accession 
negotiations   Number of acceding governments, including LDCs, 
with a Working Party meeting held   Stability during the biennium  Target not met  
Output  2.1: Acceding governments are 
familiar with WTO substantive and 
procedural matters   Share of acceding governments in Outcome 1 
indicators   Stability during the biennium  Target met  
 Roadmaps and endgame plans   Stability during the biennium  Target met  
 Use of Secretariat advice and accession tools   Stability during the biennium  Data not available  
Outcome  3: Members are accessing and 
using WTO -related data to better 
enforce their rights and obligations   Members' satisfaction with data availability   Increase during the biennium  Target partially met  
Output  3.1: WTO RCs network is 
operational in targeted countries  Rate of operational RCs   Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
Output  3.2: RCs are used by stakeholders 
to access WTO -related data or 
online courses   Requests or visits to  the RCs during the year by 
category of stakeholders and type of needs   Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
Output  3.3: Improved analysis of trade 
developments for policy making   Availability of detailed trade in services statistics and 
broader cove rage of databases on trade in value added   Increase during the biennium  Target met  
Outcome  4: MPs, journalists and civil society 
are interacting with WTO; and 
students or academic institutions 
supported by WTO are dealing with 
trade policy and WTO -related 
subjects   Chair's contribution to their country's trade policy 
formulation   Increase during the biennium  Data not available  
 Sustainability of results   Increase during the biennium  Data not available  
 Exposure of MPs, media and civil society to WTO-
related issues and work   Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
 Articles, discussions and positions on WTO -related 
matters   Increased quality during the 
biennium  Data not available  
Output  4.1: Improved understanding by 
MPs of WTO issues and trade 
policies   MPs reached during the year   Stability during the biennium  Target met   WT/COMTD/W/2 25 
 
- 82 -  Results  Indicators  Targets  Remarks  
Output  4.2: Improved understanding by 
journalists, civil society and 
businesses of WTO issues and 
trade policies   Journalists and civil society members reached during 
the year  Stability during the biennium  Target met  
Output  4.3: Research on trade policy and 
WTO-related matters generated by 
WTO Chairs and PhD students 
through provision of grants   Number of publications in internationally peer -
reviewed journals   Increase during  the biennium  Target met  
Number of research papers per year   Increase during the biennium  Target met  
Number of PhD students per year   Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
Completion of their PhD by the students   Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
Output  4.4: Academic courses on WTO -
related subjects introduced and 
updated   Number of students in WTO -related courses or getting 
a degree per year   Increase during the biennium  Target met  
Output  4.5: Outreach activities on trade 
policy and WTO-related matters 
organised by WTO Chairs through 
provisions of grants   Number of outreach events per year   Increase during the biennium  Target met  
 Involvement of key decision -makers  Increase during the biennium  Data not available  
 Availability of a Chair public website  Increase during the biennium  Target met  
 Content of the Chair website  Increase during the biennium  Target not met  
 Number of visitors to and downloads from the Chair 
website  Increase during the biennium  Data not available  
Output  4.6: YPPs are exposed to WTO 
issues and work   Number of YPPs enrolled per year   No less than 5 per year  N/A 
Final evaluation rate of each intern   100% fully satisfactory  N/A 
 
__________