WT/COMTD/AFT/W/85  
 
4 February  2021 
(21-0694) Page: 1/5 
Committee on Trade and Development  
Aid for Trade    
 
AID-FOR-TRADE STOCKTAKING EVENT  
23-25 MARCH 2021  
INFORMATION NOTE FOR SESSION ORGANIZERS  
1  BACKGROUND  
1.1.  This information note provides guidance to the organizers  of sessions at the Aid -for-Trade 
Stocktaking Event that will be held on 23 -25 March 2021. The purpose of the event is to collect, 
discuss and disseminate information concerning Members' Aid -for-Trade needs and responses to the 
trade -related challenges trig gered by the COVID -19 pandemic. This Stocktaking Event is being 
organized pursuant to the Addendum to the Aid -for-Trade Work Programme for 2020 -2022 circulated 
on 12 October 2020 in document WT/COMTD/AFT/W/81/Rev.1/Add.1.  
2  AGENDA  
2.1.  The agenda for the Stockta king Event will be posted on the WTO website . Each session will be 
listed in the agenda. The agenda will provide the day and time of the event (all times listed in Central 
European Time – CET), the title of th e event, the organizer(s), and a short description of the session. 
It will also give a hyperlink to a dedicated session webpage and a link to register for the session. On 
this dedicated session webpage, further details on the session , such as information o n speakers and 
a registration link , will be provided. The box below provides an example for how the Opening Session 
will be listed in the online agenda.  
Session 1:  OPENING SESSION  
Day and time: Tuesday, 23 March  – 14.00 -15.00 (CET)  
Organizer(s):  WTO 
Dedic ated session webpage:  www.wto.org/aidfortrade /stocktaking  
Registration link:  http://wto.zoom.us/[...]  
Short description:  Over the past 25 years, trade has generated sustained global economic 
growth, higher inc ome levels and reduced poverty. COVID -19 threatens to stall, if not reverse 
progress etc […]  
 
2.2.  Essential for the success of the Stocktaking Event and each session within the event is that 
session organizers create a session webpage and registration link for their session.  The session  
webpage  will be hosted on a website of the organizer(s). It will not be hosted on the WTO website. 
Once created , these links should be communicated to the Secretariat for insertion into the 
Stocktaking Event online  agenda . An example is given overleaf:  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/85  
 
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  Session:  X  
Day and time: e.g. Wednesday, 24 March  – 11.00 -12.00 (CET)  
Title: Impact of COVID -19 on women traders  in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal  
Organizer(s):  CUTS International  
Dedicated session webpage:  [Add page link]  Registration link : [Add registration link]   
Short description:  Women's participation in trade and trade -related activities in Bangladesh, 
Bhutan, India and Nepal is an issue that needs special attention in the wake of the COVID -19 
pandemic as micro, small and medium -sized enterprises are bearing the brunt of the crisis. […]  
 
2.3.  We recommend that the dedicated session webpage  and registration link should be 
communicated to the Aid -for-Trade unit  by Friday 1 2 February  at aft.wto@wto.org . In the 
event that no dedicated session webpage is received, the session may be removed from the online 
agenda.  
2.4.  Please note that  session organizers are responsible for all aspects of the sessions 
they organize . This includes contacting, confirming and managing speakers, the choice of 
video -conferencing platform, troubleshooting connection, video or audio pro blems during their 
sessions, IT and data security, etc. The attention of session organizers is drawn to ensuring 
geographic and gender  balance in speakers .  
2.5.  In view of the sanitary restrictions in force, the Stocktaking Event will be held exclusively onlin e 
with no physical access to the WTO premises required . 
3  EVENT & SESSION PUBLICITY  
3.1.  Session organizers are encouraged to publicize the Aid -for-Trade Stocktaking Event and their 
session(s) through social media and email invitations to their own networks. The WTO will publicize 
the event on the WTO website, through social media and in communication with Members. Please 
note that the Twitter hashtags that will be used are: #A4T, #AidforTrade and #WTO. Additional 
hashtags may also be added. Session organizers are invited to use these hashtags in their tweets.  
3.2.  The logos for the event are reproduced below. We encourage session organizers to use this 
logo in their sessions so as to ensure a consistent visual identity. A high -resolution version of the 
logo image can be requested by email from the AfT unit at: aft.wto@wto.org .   
   
3.3.  A standard backdrop  has also been developed for use on video conference platforms. We 
encourage session organizers to use this backdro p in their sessions. A high -resolution version of the 
backdrop  image can be requested by email from the AfT unit at: aft.wto@wto.org  
 
WT/COMTD/AFT/W/85  
 
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  4  REPORTING  
4.1.  A brief report of the session should be communicated to the Secretariat shortly after 
the event.  This report should be submitted using this link or by using the form replicated in the 
Annex to this document. The summary report  of the 2019 Global Review of Aid for Trade provides a 
good example of the session reporting required. Session reports should be submitted before 
Monday  5 April 2021 . 
4.2.  If session organizers record their sessions and place the video on the internet (e.g. on YouTube 
or another video hosting site), a link to the video should also be communicated to the 
WTO Secretariat. The video link will be posted on the event webpage on t he WTO Aid -for-Trade 
website and YouTube account.   
4.3.  Questions about the event and information note should be addressed to the Secretariat at the 
following email address: aft.wto@wto.org  
_______________  
  WT/COMTD/AFT/W/85  
 
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ANNEX  
 
SESSION REPORTING FORM  
 
 
Submissions should be made online only at the following link:  
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021AfTStocktakingReportingEN  
(In the case of a technical difficulty, forms can also be emailed back to aft.wto@wto.org ) 
Please note that the information  relating to the event and  provided hereunder will be made 
publicly available on the WTO websi te. 
 
1. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR  SESSION  ORGANIZER  
(Please include one focal point only) : 
 
Full Name  
 
 
Title  
 
 
Ministry/International Organization or Institution  
 
 
Member State or Customs Territory  
 
 
Email Address  
 
 
Phone Number (with international code)  
 
 
2. SESSION NUMBER  
 
 
3. TITLE OF SESSION  (As submitted in the session request form) : 
 
 
 
4. TOTAL NUMBER  OF ATTENDEES : 
 
Registered Participants  
 
Actual Participants  
 
 
 
5. BREAKDOWN OF ATTENDEES BY GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION  
(e.g. X in Afghanistan, […], Y in Zimbabwe) : 
 
 
 
  
 
WT/COMTD/AFT/W/85  
 
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6. BREAKDOWN OF ATTENDEES BY GENDER : 
 
Female  (%) 
 
 
Male  (%) 
 
 
7. MODERATOR (Please indicate their name, full title, institution /countr ies or custom 
territory ): 
 
 
8. PANE LLIST S (Please indicate their name s, full title s, institution s/countr ies or custom 
territory ): 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. SHORT SUMMARY (Please do not exceed 100 words) : 
 
 
10. LONG SUMMARY (Please do not exceed 1000 words) : 
 
 
11. HYPERLINK TO VIDEO RECORDING OF SESSION : 
 
 
12. ANY  ADDITIONAL DETAIL YOU WISH TO HIGHLIGHT (e.g. figures, power quotes, 
interesting statistics, etc.) : 
 
 
__________