WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/W/148 
1 May 2006 
 
 (06-2076) 
  
Committee on Trade and Development  
 
 
 
 
 
 
TECHNICAL COOPERATION AUDIT 
REPORT FOR 2005 
 
Note by the Secretariat  
  
 
    
 
   
  WT/COMTD/W/148 
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  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
I. BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................... ...5 
II. PLANNING AND DESIGN OF WTO TRTA ACTIVITIES IN 2005 ......................................7  
A. NEEDS ASSESSMENT ....................................................................................................................7  
B. TRTA  PLANNING ........................................................................................................................9  
C. SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS ...................................................................................................10  
D. DESIGN OF TA ACTIVITIES ........................................................................................................11  
III. IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ...................12  
A. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................................12  
B. PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT ................................................................................................14  
1. Contribution to strengthening Members'  trade-related human resources .................................14  
2. The proportion of women among the beneficiaries of WTO TRTA in the period under 
review......................................................................................................................... ...............15  
3. Broad representation of Members' organisations (ministries, agencies, etc) in WTO 
TRTA........................................................................................................................... .............15  
4. Substantive areas addressed by WTO TRTA reflect Members' demand..................................16  
5. Percentage of BTORs that show high satisfac tion of the participants with the results 
of the attended TRTA event..................................................................................................... .16 
6. Percentage of BTORs demonstrating that  TRTA objectives were fully achieved....................18  
7. Evidence on feedback, effects and impact................................................................................20  
8. Percentage of BTORs demonstrating hi gh efficiency of TRTA activities ...............................21  
IV. OBSERVATIONS ON R EPORTING TRTA...........................................................................25  
V. TCA'S SUPPORT TO EXTERNAL EVALUATION ACTIVITIES.......................................26  
VI. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (TAMC) .............................26  
VII. SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND LESSONS 
LEARNED........................................................................................................................ ........27  
VIII. ANNEX 1 ........................................................................................................................ .........30  
IX. ANNEX 2 ........................................................................................................................ .........31  
 WT/COMTD/W/148 
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  ACRONYMS
 
 
 BTOR  Back to Office Report 
 COMTD  Committee on Trade and Development  DDA  Doha Development Agenda  IDB  Integrated Database 
 IF  Integrated Framework 
 ITTC  Institute for Training and Technical Co-operation  JITAP  Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme  M&E  Monitoring and Evaluation  MTS  Multilateral Trading System  
 OD  Operational Divisions 
 PEF  Participant's Evaluation Form  RTA  Regional Trade Agreements  RTPC  Regional Trade Policy Course 
 RB  Regular Budget 
 RC  Reference Centre  SPS  Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  STPC  Short Trade Policy Course 
 TA/TRTA
1  Trade-related Technical Assistan ce and Training (includes workshop, 
seminars, courses, conferences, etc) 
 TAMC  Technical Assistance Management Committee  TBT  Technical Barriers to Trade  TCA  Technical Cooperation Audit 
 TPC  Trade Policy Course 
 TPR  Trade Policy Review 
                                                     
 
1 Used as synonym.  WT/COMTD/W/148 
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  I. BACKGROUND 
1. This is the Technical Cooperation Audit's (TCA ) fifth annual report on trade-related technical 
assistance (TRTA) activities of WTO.  It includes the assessment of the TRTA provided to Members 
during the period 1 January to 31 December 2005.  The report draws on the views of the TRTA providers and the beneficiaries of TRTA and the observations made by TC A during twelve on-site 
evaluations
2. 
2. WTO provides training and disseminates vital in formation on the multilateral trading system 
(MTS) and helps Members to bring about lasting tr ade-related capacities.  A better performance and 
effectiveness in the implementation of the Doha De velopment Agenda (DDA) is at the core of the 
Members' and the Secretariat's commitment to a sustained institutional culture of accountability, 
transparency and quality improvement. 
3. In 2005 TRTA continued to be guided by the DDA and the "July package" of 2004, and 
promoted a more effective participation of de veloping country Members in the MTS and their 
contribution to the on-going trade negotiations.  It was channelled to the Members through a number 
of products3 outlined in the Technical Assistance and Training Plan 20054 and implemented by the 
Secretariat alone or together with other partners, where appropriate.   
4. In 2005, TRTA was delivered in the form of  courses, seminars, workshops, conferences and 
contributions to other organisations' or WTO-rela ted meetings. The results were comparable to 
previous years' achievements, (488 TRTA activities in 2002; 451 in 2003;  501 in 2004;  and 4625 
carried out in 2005).  Broadly speaking, the TA programme in 2005 benefited more than twelve 
thousand participants.   
5. The great number of TRTA activities, coupled with the continuously high number of 
beneficiaries, and their short duration (about three days, on average) is not a new observation.  It 
would seem that the Secretariat, at the request of  the Members, continues to deliver TRTA activities 
for the benefit of as many Members as possible a nd with a view to satisfying the maximum possible 
number of requests6.  Nevertheless, TCA is convinced that consideration should be given to reduce 
the great number of TRTA activities, increase duration and make them more specialised and in-depth.  
6. Regarding the need for improved preparation and design, the flexibility built into the 
implementation of the Plan helped tailor TRTA ac tivities to address specific needs of the Members.  
While making this observation it should be noted th at, although the current planning approach allows 
                                                      
2 Annex 1. 
3 Trade Policy Courses;  Introduction Courses;  Regional and Sub-regional Short Trade Policy Courses 
(STPCs);  Geneva-based Specialised Courses;  Nationa l Technical Assistance Activities;  Regional Seminars;  
Trade Negotiations Skills and Techni ques;  Outreach Activities for Parliamentarians and Civil Society;  
Academic support for training and cap acity-building (Workshops for Univers ity Professors on WTO matters;  
Support programme for doctoral studies;  Programme for visiting Academics;  Research collaboration, 
Document dissemination programme for Universities);  Geneva-based activities (Topic-Specific Symposia;  
WTO Introduction Days;  Other forms of Geneva-based support;  Trainee Programmes and Internships);  
Activities held in the field (Trade Policy Clinics;  Refe rence Centres;  TA within the Trade Policy Review 
Mechanism (TPRM framework);  Othe r Activities (Assisting Beneficiaries in Conducting Needs Assessment;  
Distance Learning and Information Technology;  CBT Modules;  TA through the use of CD-Roms combined 
with video-conferencing;  E-Training);  and Inputs into activities organised by other bodies. 
4 WT/COMTD/W/133/Rev.2. 
5 The higher figures for previous years also incl uded the number of inte rns and researchers for 
academic programmes.  In 2005 su ch activities benefited 59 persons. 
6 It should be noted that LDCs did not fully take up the TRTA opportunities offered to them in 2005. WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 6  
 
  for freedom in the design and delivery of more in-depth, participative and inter-active TRTA 
activities, an improvement does not take place overnight.  
7. However there are many initiatives already take n by individual TRTA providers to improve 
design, delivery and results, i.e.:   
 - tailoring the programmes, training materi als and methods, monitoring and evaluation 
practices to the specific needs of the regions, countries and participants; 
  - a more systematic selection beneficiaries to ensure a more homogeneous 
composition, which in return facilitates hi gher effectiveness in capacity-building;   
 
 - limiting the number of participants to around thirty;   
  - increasing the number of hands-on and simulation exercises, tests, group-works, case 
studies, etc.  
 
In other words, there has been a continuous change  in the planning and delivery of TRTA activities. 
 8. The Institute for Training and Technical Co-operation (ITTC) initiated an Office-wide 
identification of the qualitative changes, improveme nts and results and incl uded them in the Annual 
Report about the implementation of the 2005 TRTA Plan
7.  Such information made that report more 
analytical, containing more qualitative information than earlier.  The annual stock-taking by ITTC 
sensitized the TRTA providers to go beyond the in dividual workshops and seminars and make a kind 
of an inventory of the annual achievements, and ma de them more aware of the importance of making 
continuous improvements and ach ieving effects and impact. 
9. Nevertheless, TCA continues to believe that having delivered some two thousand activities, 
of small size and short duration,  benefiting a very respectable group of more than 54,000 persons8 in 
the last four years, the ti me seems to be right for a global stock-taking.  Such an exercise should verify 
the validity of the current TRTA approach and st rategy and confirm whether the Secretariat is 
efficiently utilizing the organisation's comparative advantages in delivering TRTA and what is delivered is fully relevant to the Members' need s.  The on-going Strategic Review of WTO TRTA 
may throw light on these issues. 
10. The ITTC, established in 2003, has become a recognised centre of coordination, planning, 
monitoring and delivering TRTA activities.  The IT TC also continued to organize the discussion of 
outstanding issues related to TRTA with the Members within the framework of informal 
consultations.  Inter alia , the issues included Geneva-based sy mposia, needs assessment;  academic 
partnership;  the Dutch internship programme;  pe rformance indicators, etc. to mention a few.  The 
implementation of the Plan would not have been possible without the Operational Divisions (OD), 
which continued to act as the main providers of  TRTA.  Within the Secretariat, the Technical 
Assistance Management Committee (TAMC) has functioned as a forum for dialogue between the 
ODs and ITTC and helped to disseminate info rmation and discuss pertinent issues of TRTA. 
11. Collaboration with other agencies in delivering TRTA activities has continued in the period 
under review.  From among the many cooperating partners one may mention ITC;  UNCTAD;  
                                                     
 
7 WT/COMTD/W/146. 
8 Although some participants have certainly bene fited from many more than one course, seminar, 
workshop, etc., which is particularly feasible in the case of small countries which have limited number of staff 
dealing with WTO matters.  
  WT/COMTD/W/148 
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  UNIDO;  IMF;  WIPO;  the World Bank;  the regional banks;  the donors' organisations;  the JVI in 
Vienna;  IDLO in Rome;  the host universities of regional TPCs in Chile, Hong Kong, Jamaica, 
Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, etc. 
12. This report is based on the review of 206 in ternal evaluation reports and 21 memoranda 
copied to TCA in 2005, which represent about 68 per cent of the total reports due.  In accordance with 
established procedures, some activities were not ta ken into consideration because they were not 
subject to or did not lend themselves to self-evaluatio n.  For example, technical consultations;  larger 
programmes that have their own independent ev aluation mechanism (JITAP, IF, STDF);  TRTA 
events where WTO's only role was to deliver a presentation or attend a conference or symposium 
organised by other agencies. 
13. The report includes TCA's observations on the progr ess, or lack of it, made in the planning, 
design, implementation and evaluation phases of the TRTA delivered within the framework of the 
TRTA Plan for 2005.  TCA firmly believe that th e desk-review of the large number of documents 
copied to TCA, the frequent feedback from partic ipants, and TRTA providers  have provided a solid 
basis for the assessment included in this report.  Overall, the results demonstrated that the 
overwhelming majority of the beneficiaries of th e TRTA activities continued to be highly satisfied 
with the knowledge and skills transferred.   
14. The main body of this report is structured around the implementation of TCA's 
recommendations last year.  This approach facilita ted the comprehensive coverage of the different 
phases of the TRTA development cycle.  It was found that some of the last year's conclusions or recommendations appear to be still valid.  Therefor e, where appropriate, the sections below include 
TCA's last year recommendations followed by co mments on the status of their implementation.  
References are also made to the ITTC report in order to emphasize the relevant evaluation aspects.  
This year TCA selected two main products of TRTA  activities i.e. the regional and national TRTA 
activities, which to a certain extent lent themse lves to comparisons from the point of view of 
performance (effectiveness and efficiency).  Fina lly, the report highlights in text-boxes, in the 
appropriate sections, observations, comments, r ecommendations made by TRTA providers, which 
TCA supports and uses to demonstrate how the first- hand providers of TRTA approach effectiveness 
and efficiency.   
II. PLANNING AND DESIGN OF WTO TRTA ACTIVITIES IN 2005
9 
A. NEEDS ASSESSMENT  
15. WTO TRTA plans built on the basis of conso lidated and agreed-upon assessments of all the 
Members' needs for TRTA, would certainly consti tute the ideal situation.  Although the current 
situation is different, it is improving and needs asse ssment efforts are gaining ground.  TCA welcomes 
the Secretariat's continued actions in 2005, as outlined  in the ITTC report, to place TRTA as a whole  
on the solid basis of the systematic identification of the needs of the recipient organisations and 
adapting the individual TRTA activities to the expecta tions of the targeted participants.  TCA believes 
these efforts evidence progress.  Encouragement of  the use of the needs assessment guidelines 
developed by the Secretariat should continue despite th e fact that ultimately it is the exclusive right of 
the Member to decide if the guidelines are used in  asking for WTO TRTA or the requests are based on 
other considerations and priority settings.   
                                                      
9 The TCA recommendations quoted in these sections were listed in paragraph 132 of TCA Annual 
Report 2004.  WT/COMTD/W/148 
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  16. There are however specific areas which are more under the control of the Secretariat.  In order 
to place TRTA on the solid basis of systematica lly identified needs and capitalize on all available 
means within the Secretariat TCA recommended that: 
 "If on the basis of prior knowledge, the target ed country needs specific TA, a staff member of 
ITTC or an OD should join the TPR mission with a view to helping in the identification and 
formulation of TA needs.  ITTC should set up a follow-up mechanism to discuss those needs 
and decide upon the modalities of addressing th em in the most appropriate manner". 
 
Status:
  From among those initiatives it is worth mentioni ng  here ITTC's collabo ration with the Trade 
Policy Review Division (TPRD) to elaborate a methodology to use TPRs more systematically as a 
tool for Needs Assessments.  There was also a more frequent involvement of ITTC staff in the TPR 
activities.  Resulting from this cooperation, needs ass essments were more systematically incorporated 
in the TPR process including specific references to TRTA needs e.g. TPRs on Angola, Ecuador, 
Mongolia, Nigeria, Paraguay, Philippines, Sierra-L eone, Trinidad and Tobago.  It is now on the 
Secretariat to follow up and establish a priority order together with the particular country of how and 
when the TRTA needs could be best met.  TCA recommends  that the joint missions between TPR 
Division and ITTC should continue to be carried  out where appropriate, that the TPRs include a 
section of the TRTA needs of the country concer ned and that ITTC establish a mechanism to 
systematically follow up those TRTA needs. 
17. Generic country-level TRTA needs, however, have to be further refined with a view to enable 
TRTA providers to fine-tune the programme of the wo rkshops, courses, etc, to the actual needs of the 
targeted participants.  This may necessitate the co llaboration of all the units or organisations which 
are involved in the planning, design and delivery of a TRTA.  By way of example, the comprehensive Specialised Course on Sanitary and Phytosanitary  Measures (31 October - 11 November 2005) was 
planned, organised and delivered, in close c ooperation with the Agriculture and Commodities 
Division (ACD), and a regional body, the Inter-Ame rican Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture 
(IICA).  Inter alia it included a sp ecial needs assessment tool (a questionnaire sent in advance to 
participants), which helped participants to identif y weaknesses and strengths of their national sanitary 
and phytosanitary services, and to establish their own priorities.  On this basis the course took full 
advantage of the knowledge and expertise of all partic ipants.  All of them led at least one training 
session in the course.   
18. At the operational level, another example is  drawn from the Integrated Framework (IF) 
programme.  It refers to the required follow-up both  by the Secretariat and the recipient countries to 
the outcome of needs assessments included in a series of Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS) 
and the related Action Matrices that were completed in twelve countries
10.  Within WTO the effective 
follow-up to the DTIS would require that the S ecretariat continuously encourage the multi-and 
bilateral development partners to respond positively to the TRTA needs identified in those DTIS 
studies on the one hand, and ensure greater synerg ies and improved coordination between the IF and 
the JITAP programmes in those c ountries where both are operational, on the other.  Another example 
of how the Secretariat increased its capacity to co nduct and promote needs assessments refers to the 
Netherlands Trainee Programme (NTP).  It was noted and welcomed that most of the beneficiaries of the NTP are also assigned to complete an identi fication of their national needs for technical 
assistance.   
19. Furthermore, still at the operational level, th e JITAP programme also included specific needs 
assessment missions to Botswana, Cameroon, Malawi , Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, and 
Zambia to determine how existing National Enquiry Points and Refere nce Centres could better meet 
                                                     
 
10 Burundi, Cambodia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Guinea, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, 
Nepal, Senegal and Yemen.  WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 9 
 
 
  the needs of the end users, whether the space allo cated was adequate for providing services to the end 
users;  and if the equipment and tools needed  by each country were adequate for the smooth 
implementation of the programme.   
20. One should not leave out mentioning among important sources of TRTA needs, the WTO 
committee meetings and consultations regularly held between the different divisions of the 
Secretariat, donors, and potential beneficiary (recipien t) countries or groups of countries.  Suggestions 
for needed TAs are noted by the Secretariat, wh ich, after analysing these needs, take follow-up 
actions and refine the programme of TRTA activities.   TCA cannot but repeat that in tailoring TA to 
country needs, Operational Divisions continue to have  a particularly important role to play because of 
their in-depth knowledge of each country's situation with respect to each Agreement.  This in-depth 
knowledge, should be shared out with  other divisions concerned.   
21. Other sources of TRTA needs are the participan ts of individual workshops, courses, seminars, 
etc, from whom feedback is usually obtained through  the Participant's Evaluation Forms, as well as 
through informal consultations.  TCA recognises that  such information carries value but it is on the 
whole indicative only, and cannot make up for the lack of a systematic country level needs 
assessment.   
22. As was mentioned last year – despite the non-av ailability of a detailed analysis of needs for 
training, knowledge and skills prior to the TR TA being delivered – it was recommended that: 
 "The participants' expectations should be identified possibly during the design phase of the 
 TA or, as a bare minimum, at the beginning of the course, workshop, etc. Then the course
 programme could be tailored to meet the expectations." 
Status:   It is being done more frequently by organi sing introductory sessions in which the participants 
spell out their specific needs and the TA provider(s) , to the extent possible, adapt the particular 
sessions of the programme or discuss the required issues on a bilateral basis.  23. In summary, TCA has noted that progress was made in more systematically linking needs 
assessments to TRTA planning and implementation.  While such efforts should continue, some 
constraints should also be noted.  For example,  the DTIS of the IF programme is the most 
comprehensive tool of needs identification, but fo r financial, organisationa l and priority reasons it 
cannot realistically be expected to be carried out in all 120 countries that receive WTO TA.  The 
JITAP programme is also a good source for determ ining TRTA needs, but cover only a limited 
number of countries in Africa.  Neither can it be assumed that the WTO guidelines for needs 
identification will be used by all the recipient Memb er states within a reasonably short time.  Hence, 
various methods of the assessment of needs for WTO TRTA have to continue to be used for both planning and implementation purposes. 
B. 
TRTA PLANNING  
24. The new planning system has proved to be practical  and flexible.  It has to a large extent met 
the needs of the Members.  The clear product-based  structure of the TA Plan for 2005 facilitated its 
implementation but the changing needs which were largely determined both in substance and timing 
by the actual agenda of the on-going negotiations required prioritisation, very careful planning and 
coordination among the TA providers and the recipients. 
25. The TA and Training Plan for 2005 drew upon the new planning approach for the second 
consecutive year.  It was more consistent in se tting out objectives for each of the products.  The 
objectives are in line with the seven long-term strategic objectives for WTO technical cooperation 
approved by the Members in 2001.  Briefly, the latter aimed at enhanced institutional and human 
capacities of the recipient Members to address trade policy issues and concerns, integrate trade into WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 10  
 
  national development and poverty reduction policies a nd programmes, and facilitated a more effective 
participation in the multilateral trade negotiations.   
26. TCA found it important to emphasize that TR TA product objectives should draw attention on 
the outcome of the implementation of the product ra ther than emphasize what the Secretariat will do 
or produce.  Therefore TCA made last  year the following recommendation:   
"The formulation of the objectives be made more consistent for each product in future TRTA 
 Plans" 
Status:
 In the TA and Training Plan for 2005 there is  evidence of efforts to formulate objectives 
which focused more on outcome and impact at the le vel of the Members.  However, there are still 
some products which aim at Secretariat activities a nd/or outputs.  Therefore, this recommendation 
needs to be repeated  for full implementation in the future. 
 27. Last year TCA suggested that in line with th e biennial budgeting of  the regular programmes 
of WTO there was a reason to bring TRTA planni ng to the same basis.  It recommended that: 
 "Consideration should be given to bringing TA plan ning in line with the biennial planning of 
 the regular budget-financed activities and pre pare two-year TA Plans instead of annual 
 plans." 
 
Status:
  Efforts were made to identify those substa ntive areas which lend th emselves for a longer-term 
planning, e.g. dispute settlement, which are gra dually  developed in a manner that generates 
cumulative benefits to the Members over the year s.  Regional Trade Policy Courses were also 
expanded with a planned cycle of three years befo re the programme enters into its second phase of 
collaboration with the host universities.  However, a formal transition to a biennial TRTA planning 
would require further consultations  and discussion with the Members. 
 C. S
ELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS  
28. An important action before TRTA activities are delivered is the selection of the targeted 
participants.  The often mixed composition, which includes both beginners and experts, often leads to 
undesirable results.  The beginners may find the TRTA  too complex (if their level of knowledge is not 
foreseen or not taken into account in the delivery of the programme)11 and the experts may find the 
same TRTA too boring and low level (particularly if  the TA provider revised the programme with a 
view to deliver benefits at the level of the begi nners).  At the end of the TRTA even the TRTA 
provider may be disappointed since s/he could not deliver the planned programme.  Although a skilful 
trainer can adapt to such a situation, and in capita lizing on the knowledge of the expert participants, 
s/he may involve them in delivering some parts of the course programme, requesting the 
expert/specialist participants to run group-works, make presentations, or share their knowledge with 
the beginners.  Sometimes this approach genera tes good results.  However, "normally" a TRTA 
workshop, course, etc. could be more easily brought to success and made more effective if the 
participants' level of know ledge is about the same. 
29. It is welcomed that for most TRTA activiti es the convocation letters indicate the required 
profile of the targeted participants to ensure  that the prior knowledge and experience of the 
participants is adequate to the workshop, course, seminar, etc. TCA agrees with the TA provider who 
emphasized, that both the agencies and participa ting countries should view the workshops not as 
                                                      
11 As one participant in replying to the question in the Participant's Evaluation Form (PEF), which asks 
if s/he would recommend the workshop, seminars, etc to his/her colleagues, answered NO, because "it is too 
complex".  WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 11 
 
 
  stand-alone activities, but rather as an additional piece in the chain of substantive areas required for 
building capacities.  For this to be achieved, the ri ght participants need to be identified for each of 
such activities.  In response to th e participants' desirable profile in  a workshop the host country acted:  
See Text Box (TB 1). 
TB1 
The Head of the Investigating Authority had carri ed out preparatory sessions with the participants 
before the WTO activity took place in order to ensure  that all officials would have a basic knowledge 
of WTO law, particularly of the GATT 1994 and the AD Agreement.  This preparatory work was very 
useful:  1) it helped smoothing out the different leve ls of knowledge between officials participating in 
the Workshop, and 2) it allowed the WTO Trainer to move  faster into more difficult areas.  In light of 
this experience, it would seem highly advisable that in future activities such a preparatory work is 
routinely done, either by the WTO or by the authorities of the hosting country.  
  30. Within the Secretariat it was the Rules Di vision that addressed the issue of mixed 
composition and achieved a more homogenous one and better results by linking two of WTO TRTA 
products, i.e. e-training with a regional seminar.  The e-training served to bring the participants 
approximately to the same level.  Subsequently, th e participants of the regional intensive workshop 
were selected from those graduated from the e-trai ning.  Thus the regional workshop could address 
the issues more in-depth, capitaliz ed on the more or less equal le vel of knowledge of the selected 
participants and led to better r esults.  Initial conclusions of the experiment was discussed in the 
TAMC with a view to share experience.  TCA we lcomes and supports the intention of the Rules 
Division to contact the participants some six-to eight months after the completion of the regional 
course (ex-post evaluation) with a view to determin e the outcome and impact of the  new approach.  
Details of this initiative are included in paragr aphs 83-87 in the ITTC annual report.  TCA 
recommends  that the Rules Division continue its approach and encourages other divisions to, 
resources permitted, follow the example. 
D. DESIGN OF TA ACTIVITIES  
31. TCA has continued to providing feedback, making comments and suggestions for 
improvements on the designs of TRTA activities and ca lled the providers' attention to the systematic 
use of relevant guidelines and design checklist.  Furthermore, briefing sessions as well as on-site 
evaluations were used to disseminate lessons  learned on how improved design would facilitate 
transparency, accountability and the evaluation of TRTA results.   
32. The following table shows a gradual improvement  in the design of TA activities over the last 
four years: 
 
Results 2005 2004 2003 2002 
Real objective, reflecting benefits to be gained by participants                60.19 55.36% 48.3% 28% 
Activity set out as an objective       34.47 38.84% 51% 65% 
Output set out as an Objective        3.40 4.46% 0% 0% 
No objective indicated             1.94 0.45% 0.7% 7% 
 
The table demonstrates that TA providers increasingl y realise that in designing a seminar, workshop, 
course etc, the objective(s) should focus on what the participants will gain from it in terms of, e.g. 
improved knowledge and skills to do a better work;  become more eff ective in the trade negotiations;  WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 12  
 
  capable of submitting improved notifications;  bette r implement WTO Agreements, etc, and not on 
what TRTA provider(s) intend to do e.g. to train, present, lecture, share and disseminate information 
etc. In other words, the expected  end-results are more frequently reflected in the objective(s) and set 
out prior to the particular TA.  One might concl ude that TA providers are gradually becoming more 
and more effect- and result- oriented. 
 
33. TCA has learned that deciding about how to meas ure the success of a wo rkshop, course, etc. 
before the TRTA takes place, still poses difficulties:   some 27 per cent of the TA providers only set 
out some kind of performance indicators, e.g. percenta ge of successfully resolved exercises, tests, the 
quality of the replies to quizzes, questions, etc. About one-fifth of the total set out some targets that 
were to be achieved by the end of the TA activity .  Experience shows that one can reliably set out 70-
80 per cent satisfaction rate before the TRTA event takes place, assuming that the programme is well conceived and considered to  be relevant to the needs of the participants.   
34. In summary, TCA has found that more care and work were put into the planning and design 
of individual TAs, which made them more transparent.  This is a la udable development.  However, we 
cannot but encourage that these planning/design efforts continue and be consistent.  The difficulties in 
identifying the results and effects of a workshop, semin ar, course, etc. are often rooted in the less then 
full understanding of or inadequa te attention paid:  (i) to the assessment of the needs of the 
participants;  (ii) their selection and (iii) to th e formulation of vital TRTA components, such as 
objectives, performance indicators and targets all assembled within a coherent and logical design framework.  As a TA provider wrote:  See TB 2. 
TB2 
The programme of the workshop should be streamli ned and tailored more to the participants.  The 
different groups should be asked in advance to prep are statements on the respective topics, especially 
national experiences, and submit them in order to ensu re effective participation by all groups.  Also, 
participants should be provided in advance with questions in order to provide for a structured 
discussion.  With regard to topics, it should be evaluated, which of the topics actually fit in the context 
of the workshop.  
 
 
35. While the planning and delivery processes appear to be sufficiently monitored, there is no 
formal quality monitoring mechanism functioning rega rding the quality of TRTA designs.  The latter 
depends to a large extent on the knowledge, capability  and willingness of the TA provider to apply the 
established design and evaluation procedures and ch ecklists.  In some divisions TRTA programme 
designs are fully left to the TA provider responsible for its delivery, while in other divisions a kind of 
a quality control is exercised by a higher level sta ff member(s).  The expansion of latter practice is 
strongly encouraged by TCA.  It goes without sayin g that although TCA is primarily responsible for 
evaluations, it is willing to give advice on the desi gn aspects of TRTA activities.  It is recommended  
that TRTA providers should regularly use TCA's services for assistance in the formulation of TRTA designs, e.g., setting out objectives, performance i ndicators, targets, evaluation procedures, gap-
charts, etc. 
III. IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 
A. P
ERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT  
36. In implementing the TA plan for 2005 the Secretariat carried out some 900 field missions and 
delivered 462 TRTA activities.  The technical  cooperation programme was oriented towards 
delivering quality products for achieving effects and im pact in an effective and efficient manner.  The 
implementation was geographically ba lanced with a justified bias fo r national activities, and within 
that for the LDCs.  Furthermore, it provided fo r a broad and deep coverage of all the WTO  WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 13 
 
 
  Agreements with the degree of detail as determined by the composition and level of the participants.  
All this was done in a relatively simple and flexib le manner.  Evidence gathered through this reporting 
process point to the TRTA activities' continued cont ribution to building and consolidating strategic 
partnerships with regional training institutions, the academic community and strengthening ownership 
by TRTA beneficiaries and the recipient organisa tions.  Continued efforts were made to avoid 
duplication  and overlaps with similar TRTA activities of other providers.   
37. The TA providers, through the regional and na tional TA workshops, seminars, courses, etc, 
have continued to provide opportunities for raising aw areness about what is at stake during the current 
negotiations, what the WTO rules stipulate and what  the different positions are.  Furthermore, WTO 
TRTA activities continued to help developing co untry officials discuss all WTO Agreements and 
other MTS-related matters in the light of their perception of national priorities and interests and 
improve the development and appli cation of trade negotiation skills. 
38. The evaluation reports and feedback received fro m participants continue to confirm that WTO 
staff are considered as experts of explanation a nd implementation of WTO Agreements.  They offered 
a comprehensive, worldwide view of the current issues, which benefited from their possession of the 
latest information on the negotiations and the in-d epth knowledge of the internal mechanism of WTO 
committees.   
39. The ITTC report evidenced that the performance of individual TRTA activities contributed to 
the successful implementation of the Plan.  Howe ver, the evidence submitted by the TA provider 
divisions could have been more comprehensive a nd in-depth had there been  a mechanism that 
systematically collected feedback  and evidence from the recipient or ganisations and the participants 
on the outcome of TRTA at the national level.  Furthermore, the systematic measurement of 
performance at the level of the products in the Plan  would be more reliable if appropriate performance 
indicators (PIs) were identified and used  in defining their achievements.   
Therefore, TCA recommended last year that:   
  "ITTC should establish small task forces for the products in the TRTA Plan for 2005, which 
 would develop performance indicators and targets.  The data collected on performance  indicators would facilitate the assessment of  the progress made in the recipient Members' 
 trade-related capacities during a planning period.  TCA is ready to provide assistance to this 
 work." 
Status:
  This additional and challenging work was not taken on board in the form of task forces.  
Measuring achievements based on PIs at the product le vel does not seem to attract the Secretariat as a 
whole.  On the other hand, with a view to making progress, a preliminary version of planned 
Performance Indicators to measure effectiveness a nd efficiency of TRTA were developed and 
submitted by TCA for consideration to a session of th e Informal Consultations.  In addition, in this 
report TCA ventured to go further, making a first a ttempt to formulate and apply indicators to assess 
the performance of WTO TRTA as a whole, and comp ared that of two major products, i.e. regional 
and national technical assistance activities, where appropriate.  40. TCA is aware of the difficulties involved in the formulation and application of those 
indicators.  The use of such PIs would necessitate not only the systematic collection and analysis of 
related data but also require that all the TA pr oviders within a particular product, e.g. national 
seminars, work together as a team to ensure that there is a coherence in TRTA design, implementation 
and evaluation.  This is certainly not easy since so me of the products, e.g. the one called "National 
Seminar" indeed is a loose term without a specific product manager or "owner" within the Secretariat.  
This product is indeed made up of more than two hundred TRTA activities in a wide variety of 
subject matters in all regions.  The same difficult y also applies to the almost one hundred and seventy 
regional seminars which provide a comprehensive c overage of all substantive areas of work and WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 14  
 
  involve almost all WTO Divisions.  The required coordination and cooperation is easier in the case of 
more homogeneous products with clear  identification of the responsible staff members, e.g. TPCs and 
RTPCs, TRTA activities related to trade nego tiation skills courses, the university programme, 
research, e-training or the reference centres.   
It is recommended
 that ITTC initiate a clear line of respons ibility for the coordination of the activities 
related to the products, including the definition and application of performance indicators to measure 
progress towards product objectives.  TCA is ready to pr ovide assistance to this work.  It is expected 
that the on-going Strategic Review will also result in usable PIs to measure the achievements both at 
the level of the entire WTO TRTA programmes, and the products.  
B. P
ERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT  
41. Below there is an attempt to measure TRTA performance in 2005 by a few preliminary PIs, 
followed by our comments:   
1. Contribution to strengthening Members' trade-related human resources 
42. It has been noted that the TRTA Plan set out one major quantitative target, i.e. 31,188 number 
of participants/days.  This figure is applicable to the regional events only because the Secretariat has 
no control over participation in national events.  Of  those, 28,196 participant/days (about 90 per cent) 
were achieved., which is the same  performance as in 2004.  It appears that a 100 per cent achievement 
is almost unrealistic because of unforeseen events, wh ich may force cancellatio ns or postponement of 
TRTA workshops, courses etc. to th e subsequent planning period.   
43. The ITTC report included quantitative informati on on the number of participants in some 
areas, e.g. RTPCs (130), Government Procurement ( 213).  In this regard it was noted that the 
participants' data was most reliable for the re gional workshops for which the WTO financed the 
attendance of participants (therefore had the fina ncial records); less accurate were regional events 
organised by collaborating agencies.  Finally, the least reliable of the figures seemed to be the number of participants attending national TRTA activities.  The imprecision of the latter not only lies in the 
fluctuating number of participants, which depends on their interest in the subject matters addressed, 
but also the difficulties in registering the particip ants.  However, TCA's own records of 206 TRTA 
events show an aggregate figure of 6,858 persons reached in 2005.  If one takes into account the 
average number of participants (32 per TRTA) and multiplies it by the total number of TRTA 
activities in 2005 (minus WTO participation in conferences, etc. (387)), the total number of beneficiaries amounts to 12,384.  By comparison, the same rough estimate in 2004 totalled 12,000, in 
2003 amounted to 14,000 and in 2002 totalled some 16, 000.  In other words, WTO TRTA activities 
have benefited more than 54, 000 persons in the last four years.  It should be noted that in reality, this 
number may be smaller since many participants attended more than one TRTA event.  These 
estimates are, of course, indicative only but still show a very impressive size of the group of beneficiaries. 
44. To summarise, on the basis of th is performance indicator the Secretariat performed about the 
same numerical level as in the past .  The credit for this should go to more than 200 staff members, 
who delivered a huge TRTA programme.  It is believ ed that if the planning system remains the same 
and more countries join WTO, the number of expect ed TRTA events and their beneficiaries may grow 
even further.  This performance indicator only illust rates the big picture of TRTA and is not at all 
qualitative.  In order to get more refined assessme nt, one has to use other performance indicators.  WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 15 
 
 
  2. The proportion of women among the beneficiaries of WTO TRTA in the period under 
review 
45. TRTA workshops, seminars, etc, should bene fit men and women on the basis of equal 
opportunity and equal treatment.  This is not only an other performance indicator but also a principle.  
TCA encouraged the implementation of this principle and recommended last year that:   
"ITTC and the ODs in inviting people to a particular TA event should encourage the 
Members' recipient organisations  that in nominating particip ants, women should get equal 
opportunity and equal treatment". 
 
Status:   TCA's data shows that women constituted more th an one-third (37%) of the participants in the 
206 TRTA activities reported to TCA in the period under re view;  that is higher than in 2004 (33%).  
It should be noted that six TRTA activities (3.58%) did not detail the gender composition of 262 participants.  The increased participation of wome n in TRTA activities is welcomed.  Furthermore, 
TCA found that gender balance in the selection of pa rticipants was specifically considered in the 
Geneva-based three-month TPCs and other TRTA events.  On the other hand, TRTA providers 
interviewed usually perceived this issue as follows  "our workshops, courses, seminars are open to 
anyone, independently from whethe r the person is a man or a woman".  We believe that more 
systematic efforts are needed in order to achieve an increased participation of women both in regional 
and national seminars, workshops, courses, etc. It is recommended
 that convocation letters for any 
WTO TRTA activity emphasize this.  3. Broad representation of Members' organisatio ns (ministries, agencies, etc) in WTO 
TRTA 
46. On this performance indicator, TCA register ed the following composition of the TRTA 
recipient organisations: 
Recipient organisations  2005 
% 2004 
% 
Ministry of Trade                 33.51 26.2 
Ministry of Finance               10.8 11.8 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs          19.5 11.3 
Ministry of Agriculture             9.7 14.0 
NGOs                         0.05 2.1 
Academia                       5.0 5.0 
Ministry of Commerce               8.6 12.0 
Customs                       7.3 8.5 
No indication                   5.1 8.8 
 
 
47. It is noted that relative to other ministries, more staff from Members' ministries of trade and 
foreign affairs attended TRTA workshops, seminars , etc, than in 2004.  This may be due to 
preparations for the sixth Ministerial conference.  Interestingly, despite the high importance attributed 
to agriculture-related issues, these ministries appear to be slightly less represented than last year12.  
The representation of ministries of commerce, customs and NGOs also diminished.  On the other hand 
                                                      
12 It is not excluded, however, that some reports on TRTA activities that focused on agricultural issues 
did not reach TCA. WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 16  
 
  the academia have increased their participation, which can be attributed to the additional regional 
trade policy course in Latin America and to the university programme which, overall, is more 
intensive.  The high percentage of "No indicati on" reflects, as it did last year, the difficulty of 
registration when more than 50 (sometimes more  than a hundred) people attend a national workshop 
or seminar, and their number constantly changes ov er the duration of the TRTA.  In conclusion, WTO 
continued to provide for a broad c overage of its constituency without any major imbalance or bias.   
4. Substantive areas addressed by WT O TRTA reflect Members' demand 
48. Evidence on this performance indicator is included in the table in ANNEX 2 that shows the 
coverage of the TRTA activities reported.  The pe rcentages are higher than one hundred, since many 
TRTA activities – short trade policy courses for exampl e – address substantive issues in several areas.  
During the period under review, the highest priority (i n a descending order) was given to areas such as 
Services;  Agriculture;  Rules;  Dispute Settlemen t;  Market Access and NAMA;  Trade Facilitation;  
and TRIPS.  Relative to 2004, less reports a ddressed issues related to Competition Policy;  
Government Procurement;  Investment;  SPS;  TBT;  Textiles & Clothing and Trade and Environment. 
49. The relative weight of the substantive areas is to  a large extent explained by the fact that 
WTO TRTA is demand-driven.  Therefore, TCA do es not venture to suggest that one or another 
substantive area be given priority in the future TR TA programme.  On the other hand, it favours that 
future TRTA activities:  (i) build on the results of TAs delivered in the first couple of years;  (ii) 
follow a systematic capacity-building approach and ( iii) give due account to the sustainability of the 
results. 
5. Percentage of BTORs that show high satisfaction of the participants with the results of 
the attended TRTA event 
50. This PI was also applied last year to analyse changes in the performance of TRTA activities.  
Data on this indicator are important from the point  of view of results-based management.  More 
specifically, TCA made continued efforts to encour age TA providers to focus on both short- and long-
term effects and outcome and not "just do it".  Results-based management at the level of TRTA 
activities, should mean that the management not only measure the performance
 (by applying  
monitoring data, e.g. on timely delivery of the im plementation of the Plan, mission schedules, timely 
delivery of individual TRTA events, production and dist ribution of documents, logistics, etc), but also 
manage the performance, i.e., utilizing monitoring in formation combined with evaluative information 
(e.g. success rating, feedback by participants, et c) in every cycle of TRTA planning, design and 
implementation .  In line with these thoughts the success ratings in 2005 assessed both by the 
participants and the TA providers generated the results below:   
 
 TRTA as a whole Regional TRTA acti vities National TRTA activities   
Results By 
Participants 
(%) By TA 
providers 
(%) By 
Participants 
(%) By TA 
providers 
(%) By 
Participants 
(%) By TA 
providers 
(%) 
Very successful         47.67 35.03 46.77% 38.71% 48.33% 40.98% 
Successful                  50.78 54.31 51.61% 56.45% 51.67% 45.90% 
Satisfactory                1.04 8.63 1.61% 3.23%  11.48% 
Non-Satisfactory       0.52 2.03  1.61%  1.64% 
No reply 6.31 4.37  4.62%  4.69  WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 17 
 
 
   
51. As mentioned above, experience shows that a TRTA  event is usually cons idered successful if 
at least eighty per cent of the participants consid er it "Very successful" or "Successful".  Therefore, 
this 80 per cent can be considered as a kind of "s tandard rate of success".  The table above shows a 
higher than standard satisfaction of participan ts on all grounds, i.e. with WTO TRTA as a whole 
(98.45%) and with regional (98.38%) and nationa l TRTA events (100%) as well.  Interestingly, 
national TRTA activities appear to be considered  even more successful than both WTO TRTA as a 
whole and regional TRTA.  The fact that such TR TA activities are fully demand-driven and address 
the priority needs of the recipient organisation(s), may have contributed to the highest possible level 
of satisfaction.   
52. At the level of individual TRTA activities, it s hould be noted that the participants' success 
ratings are expressed at the end of the TRTA workshop,  course, etc. Their views may to a large extent 
be triggered by the quality of the lectures, new knowledge and skills ge nerated, the helpful 
atmosphere in the working groups, good learning environment, hotel accommodation, etc.  
53. Somewhat different, however, are the views of the TA providers regarding the success of 
their work;  35.03 per cent of them rated thei r workshops, courses, seminars, etc very successful, 
followed by 38.71 per cent for the regional and 40.98  per cent for the national events.  TA providers 
appeared to be more critical than th e participants.  This is partially explained by the fact that the TA 
providers' rating of success is based not only on  th eir assessment of the participants' reactions 
(including the PEFs), feedback collected during th e end-of-workshop evaluation round-table, etc), but 
is usually formulated some days after the comple tion of the TRTA.  Other considerations may also 
play a role.   
54. For instance, the TA provider's expectations towa rds the workshop, course, etc, could be very 
different from those of the participants, and are of ten influenced by the group composition, level of 
knowledge, willingness to learn, or their own capa bility to fully deliver the planned training 
programme, quality of the training environment, res ource persons' contributions, etc. For instance  
one TA provider wrote:  "Despite the praising word s of several participants, I could not avoid the 
feeling that the seminar could not be qualified as  successful.  It was poorly organised, the organisers 
showing a rather unprofessional attitude and limited in terest.  The absence of participation, also 
concurred for a loose and unfocused ambiance".  In TCA's view this lower rating of success reflects a 
sense of professional realism which always leaves room for improvement. 
55. It is also important to note that in giving hi gh success ratings, participants often asked for 
improvements, such as the application of more  case studies and national examples in the course 
programmes and that these examples should be take n from their own countries or from countries in 
comparable situations.  Furthermore, the particip ants often welcomed more opportunities to interact 
with both the resource persons and with each other,  appreciate explanations of possible alternative 
actions, which would enable them to weigh up appr opriate actions in their own national context.  
More specifically in a regional workshop particip ants found the workshop very intensive (See TB3). 
TB3 
They suggested several possibilities to derive more benefit from it:  a more extensive course (at least 
two additional days); a second advanced workshop w ith the same participants; two participants by 
country;  more resource persons; organize the particip ants by groups monitored by the same resource 
person;  a follow-up;  similar workshops at the national level. 
 
 
 
56. In conclusion, WTO TRTA reported to TCA in 2005 again met the satisfaction of the 
beneficiaries and received their full support.  Neve rtheless, evidence on a performance indicator such 
as long-term satisfaction with TRTA activities is cu rrently not available and can only be identified WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 18  
 
  some time after the completion of the particular TRTA (eight to twelve months) when the acquired 
knowledge and skills are expected to be put in use at work
13.  The Strategic Review of WTO TRTA-
related activities might also throw light and bri ng about evidence on some longer-term effects.   
6. Percentage of BTORs demonstrating that TRTA objectives were fully achieved 
57. In addition to rating the success of TRTA even ts, their rate of effectiveness is another 
indicator of good or bad performance.  Data on this indicator demonstrates the extent to which the 
TRTA activities achieved or made progress towards thei r stated objectives.  It should also be noted 
that a workshop, seminar, course, etc. could be cons idered successful despite th e fact that it may have 
not achieved or not fully achieved its objective(s) .  It also depends on the participants' own 
expectations and objectives. 
58. By definition, the objectives should express the end-of-workshop, seminar, course, etc, 
expected situation.  Here are three examples of well-formulated objectives: 
(a) By the end of the course, participants w ill have acquired good negotiating skills to 
enable them to negotiate for their Gove rnments in sub-regional, regional and 
multilateral negotiations. 
(b) The participants are expected to gain: 
(i) an improved understanding of the WT O and of the TRIPS Agreement, 
including the flexibilities in that ag reement (e.g. the Para 6 Decision on 
public health); 
(ii) an improved understanding of important policy issues in the area of 
intellectual property under negotiation/ consideration in the WTO;  and 
(c) By the end of the workshop the particip ants would have enhanced awareness of: 
(i) the key concepts, principles and practices in the area of government 
procurement, including the GPA; 
(ii) implications for trade policy, deve lopment, and other domestic policy 
priorities of international disciplines and activities in this area; 
(iii) capacity requirements to deal with policy issues arising in this area. 
 
59. These examples properly reflect that the emph asis of those TRTA activities was on capacity 
building, on generating benefits at the level of the participants and not on what the TA providers 
planned to do.  It should be mentioned that th e number of TA providers  who understand and apply 
well-formulated objectives is increasing.  Last year TCS recommended that: 
"TA providers should indicate very clearly the objectives to be achieved at the beginning of 
the workshop, seminar or course and how their ac hievement is going to be measured, thereby 
sensitising the participants to the fact that the TA will be result-oriented and that WTO checks 
on the results.  In other words, TA providers have to make the evaluation process transparent.  
It has been noted that many TA providers still need assistance in setting out realistic and 
                                                      
13 However, some Geneva delegates, which used to be participants in WTO TRTA and training 
activities often mention that it was overall very us eful to their current work and career.     WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 19 
 
 
  measurable objectives, performance indicators, targets and in the proper application of the 
evaluation methods (Gap analyses, interviews, PEFs, verbal evaluations, writing good BTORs". 
Status:
 In this regard progress has been made.  More  TA providers announced objectives up-front and 
informed participants about the evaluation met hods and procedures and sensitised them about the 
accountability to achieve effects and impact.   
 60. The table below shows the results of TCA's revi ew of the effectiveness of TRTA activities as 
reflected in the BTORs:   
 
 
 61. It is evident that the increasingly clear objec tives set out made the workshops, seminars, etc, 
more transparent and TA providers more accountab le to achieving them.  The 80 per cent objective 
achievement rate is noted as a good result both at th e level of WTO TRTA as a whole, and regional 
seminars.  TCA believes that 80 per cent can also  be accepted as a "standard expectable rate of 
effectiveness".  It also seems that regional worksh ops, courses, seminars, etc. were more effective 
than WTO TRTA in general.  It is also interesti ng to recall that the satisfaction rate was 100 per cent 
in national seminars, whereas the rate of effectivenes s was slightly lower than average.  Reasons for 
this may by explained by the kind of co nsiderations quoted in TB2 above.   
62. On the advantages of national seminars, one TR TA provider learned a lesson:  "In a national 
workshop like this one, it is often easier to be candi d with the participants about any issue regarding 
its own data notification obligation - whether it be about reliability, timeliness, and completeness, as 
opposed to a regional workshop.  Early contacts w ith the national counterpart and its efficient 
preparations contributed very much to the success  of the workshop." Also in favour of national 
workshops another opinion:  "Na tional workshops have the advantage of being able to bring up 
country-specific issues which might be sensitive in  a regional seminar.  Exercises and examples can 
also be appropriately tailored to suit the country's needs." 
63. A factor that contributed to the success of many  national workshops was the inclusion of local 
resource persons, a method which was much appreciated by the participants and helped to generate a 
lively and detailed discussion of issues relevant to th e host country.  The success of this approach was 
based on the careful selection of contributing official s by the local organisers in coordination with the 
WTO Secretariat.  TCA suggests th at in these cases the programme of the TRTA should take into 
account the time needed by local collaborators. 
64. In identifying the achievement of the objectives, TCA noted that many TRTA providers did 
not apply pre-set PIs but described performance re trospectively after the completion of the TRTA 
workshop, course, etc, while writing the BTOR.  In ot her words, the achievement of the objective(s) is 
often described post-facto on the basis of the feedba ck received from the participants, observations on 
their reactions to case studies, activity during questio n and answer sessions, the analysis of completed 
Participant's Evaluation Forms or reflection on f eedback received from the recipient ministry during Objective achievement TRTA as a whole Regional TRTA 
activities National TRTA 
activities  
The objective(s) were fully achieved 80.58 84.62%  79.69%  
The objective(s) were pa rtially achieved 10.68 7.69%  12.50%  
The objective(s) were not achieved 1.46 1.54%  1.56%  
No reply 2.91 6.15%  4.69%  WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 20  
 
  or after the completion of the TA.  This method, ther efore, is more descriptive than comparative, since 
the achieved end-of-TA situation is not compar ed with the one foreseen in the design phase. 
7. Evidence on feedback, effects and impact 
65. The effectiveness in objective achievement, as show n above in the report, contains important 
information on the immediate results.  Evidence on ef fects and impact used as performance indicator, 
however, would point further down the line and demonstrate important longer-term changes.  
Nevertheless, it should be noted that it is diffi cult to gather irrefutable evidence on WTO TRTA 
activities' contribution to the changes initiated by th e participants at work;  or to their changing 
responsibilities and career;  or even further down on the value chain, to the more effective 
participation of the Member's delegation in the trad e negotiations etc. Such an attribution could only 
be examined some time after the TA products we re delivered and would require hundreds of ex-post 
evaluations, which is neither feasible nor practical.   
66. Last year TCA carried out an experiment with ex-post evaluation that was to have been based 
on a questionnaire addressed both to participants  of three months TPCs that took place in 2000 and 
2001 and their supervisors.  This effort did not result  in a statistically acceptable rate of response, and 
it was therefore decided not to continue with the sa me target group.  However, a new avenue for such 
evaluations is being explored;  that is, integrati ng regular ex-post evaluations into the programme of 
the TPCs.  This will be done with a view to id entifying whether and how the TPCs would contribute 
to better performance of  the participants at work;  whether their employing organisations are satisfied 
with their training by WTO;  and whether the TPCs would contribute to their career path.  A positive outcome of last year's experiment was the methodology  that is now ready to be used in the ex-post 
evaluation of the TPCs.  Therefore, such ex-post ev aluations will be integrated in the TPC programme 
and carried out jointly between ITTC and TCA some 8-12 months after its completion.  Accordingly, 
the participants will be sensitized at the end of each TPC about the planned ex-post evaluation, and 
informed that the Secretariat will contact them a nd their supervisors in due course with a view to 
collecting evidence of outcome and impact
14. 
67. On the issue of reflection on effects and impact, TCA recommended last year that: 
 
"TA providers engage once a year in a kind of synthesis of what they have done and achieved 
in the field of TA and draw lessons learne d and make follow-up actions as appropriate.  
Individual BTORs certainly are very useful, but they show reflections on one TA only.  It is also true that TCA receives a great number of  BTORs and therefore is in a good position to 
draw comprehensive conclusions, as we certainly do in our annual report.  However, those 
who are regularly delivering TAs to the Member s are in the best pos ition to synthesize such 
work.  They know all the details and have a first-hand information after each and every 
workshop, course or seminar.  The results of su ch syntheses should be discussed within the 
originating unit (ITTC or ODs) with the participation of TCA ." 
Status:
  no explicit follow-up was made on this reco mmendation by Divisions.  However, the above-
mentioned new approach initiated by the Rules Divisi on can also be considered as an application of 
the lessons learned from prior TRTA activities deliver ed by the Division.  TCA would also like to 
recall here the advantages of the continuous data co llection and analysis of evidence of effects and 
impact, which would certainly put any annual synthesis on a more solid basis.  
                                                     
 
14 Participants of TPCs Nos.  35 and 36  were info rmed about the  planned ex-post evaluations at the 
end of March 2006.    WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 21 
 
 
  68. TCA also learned that most TRTA providers f acilitated feedback from participants by leaving 
with them their contact details, e.g. e-mail addresses; .  Many participants after a workshop, seminar, 
course, etc. sent messages to the resource person s and asked for clarification, explanation and 
additional information and highlighted some results or  local actions taken after the TRTA event.  This 
also demonstrates that both the beneficiaries and recipients of TRTA activities do gradually become 
owners of the results.  TCA fully supports the sugges tion of a TA provider, that "in general, lecturers 
should encourage the participants to disseminate th e knowledge acquired as they return home, in order 
to give it a wider audience". 
69. In conclusion, the examples of feedback dem onstrate not only the overall usefulness of TRTA 
but also validate the TRTA programme's effectiven ess in achieving positive results and impact.  It is 
recommended  that the TA providers regularly collect in formation on feedback from the participants 
and their employers.  This evaluative informati on should then be continuously fed back into the 
planning, design and delivery of TRTA activities, and be duly reflected in the comprehensive 
monitoring and evaluation reports on WTO TRTA.  Thus  the big picture of effects and impact would 
be more complete and detailed.   
8. Percentage of BTORs demonstrating high efficiency of TRTA activities 
70. In examining the performance of TRTA workshops, seminars, courses, etc. it is not enough to 
look into their success rates or effectiveness in ac hieving the immediate objectives.  It is also 
important to have evidence of whether they were carried out efficiently, i.e. whether the results 
justified the costs.  The following was found: 
 
 71. As the above table demonstrates, it is not feasible to set out a "standard efficiency rate" at the 
same level as was used to measure success and effectiveness (80%).  A most common rate of 
efficiency would be lower, close to 70 %.  National seminars appear to be considered more efficient 
since host governments bear the brunt of the costs.  In numbers, regional seminars appear to be less 
efficient than other types of TRTA activities.  Howe ver, not all the requests for TA justify a National 
Activity, nor is the Secretariat in the position to do it.  Regional Activities complement the National 
Activities, and both could have different purposes. 
72. Efficiency considerations are left to the judgment of the TA provider(s).  Most frequently 
cited factors which contributed to efficient implementation were:  saving time by preparing 
presentations;  background documents;  training manu als;  CD-Roms, DVDs, which can be used in 
more than one TRTA activity;  sending out course do cumentation to participants prior to the course;  
cost-sharing agreements with collaborating agen cies e.g. travel, DSA, educational facilities, 
interpretation, reproduction of doc uments;  host governments providi ng financial contribution by 
absorbing part of hotel and accommodation costs etc.  
73. On the other hand, TCA has observed that many TA providers and their divisions became 
more experienced/professional in designing traini ng programmes, delivering lectures, developing and 
organising tests, group work etc, that is, making TRTA activities more interactive. The e-training Results TRTA as a whole  
 
(%) Regional TRTA 
activities 
(%) National TRTA 
activities 
(%) 
Very efficient                  67.48 63.08  71.88  
Satisfactory                     13.11 16.92  18.75  
Less than satisfactory                    2.91 6.15  1.56 
No reply 13.5 15.38  7.81 WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 22  
 
  courses have proved to be particularly efficient in reaching a greater than average number of 
participants, and enabling them to make full u se of an increasingly user-friendly and inter-active 
navigation system. 
74. Such efforts also intend to meet the changing needs of the Members for more specific and in-
depth training, as well as building on the results of pr ior technical assistance.  Efficiency, however, at 
the individual TRTA level lies very much in the hands of the TA provider(s).  In efficient 
implementation, the role of timely preparation of a tailor-made TA programme, regularly updated 
presentations, advance distribution of the course doc umentation to the participants, well-organised 
learning environment which is secured and verified prior to the TRTA event, cannot be overemphasised.  The repeated requests for tailor-m ade TA programmes have been partially met by 
the use of exercises, tests, etc. The growing number of new initiatives whereby the participants 
present their problems related to the implementation of WTO Agreements are welcomed by TCA.  This approach does not only make the TA more intensive and interesting but helps exchange of 
experience among the participants, their networking a nd also strengthens the relationship between the 
participants and the Secretariat. 
75. Nevertheless, TCA has also noted occasional signs  of complacency through repeated use of 
the same lectures and presentations over many TR TA activities (even though over time there would 
be room for changes);  through the running of a TA on the basis of no formal programme;  through the revision of  presentations at the last minute or during the TRTA, all of which clearly make the events less efficient.  These late activities are some times explained by too much work and no time for 
sufficient preparation, for instance in back-to-back TRTA activities.   On the other hand, the late 
preparation of documents often led to expensive on-the-spot reproduc tion of the documents (in hotels, 
for example).   
76. With a view to increasing efficiency, TCA last year also made the following 
recommendations: 
"TOT refreshment courses be organised, which should  also meet the need for proper training 
in the application of WTO's M&E concepts procedures and tools" 
Status:
  The Human Resources Division has developed a comprehensive programme for career 
development and training during 2005 and TOT is included in this pr ogramme.  TCA reconfirms that 
such TOT courses are still needed  in order to further increase the efficiency of WTO TRTA activities. 
77. In order to reduce eventual duplication and f acilitate dialogue, TCA encouraged interaction 
between different products and recommended last year that: 
" JITAP should keep more regular contacts with WTO officials w ith a view to avoiding any 
overlaps between WTO TA and JITAP activities either by timing or to make sure that the message is delivered along the same line.  One should bear in mind that both WTO and JITAP addresses to a large extent the same target groups". 
 
Status:
  Consultations and coordinati on meetings between JITAP's "parent" agencies, ITC, UNCTAD 
and WTO, were organised on a regular basis and al so discussed in the TAMC.  Internal cooperation 
and prior consultations in establishi ng RCs has also been implemented. 
 78. Regarding the WTO Reference Centres TCA recommended last year that: 
"A thematic evaluation be carried out in ord er to throw light on how effectively the RCs are 
used by the intended users, and whether the continuous investment by WTO in the RCs 
justifies the results" 
  WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 23 
 
 
  Status:   Last year, in addition to TCA's workload , ITTC's heavy RC programme which included the 
establishment and strengthening/consolidating of tw enty-five RCs, made it necessary to postpone the 
conduct of such a thematic/ex-post evaluation.  Ho wever, the TOR of the Strategic Review (SR) 
provided for the review team looking into the RCs.  The SR's conclusions and recommendations 
might bring input to a decision on conducting such an evaluation. 
 
79. In order to develop a common language for TR TA planning, delivery and evaluation, TCA 
recommended last year that: 
" HRD upon the recruitment of a staff member dealing with TA (both on a fix- and 
short term basis), should arrange a br iefing/training for him/her with TCA." 
 
Status:   TCA has made known to HRD its availability to offer such briefing/training if new staff 
members are recruited and involved in planning, designing and delivering TRTA.  In the meantime, 
allocations have been made for capacity-building within the Secretariat, including TOT training. 
 
80. Progress has been noted on TCA's comments made in earlier years regarding the 
dissemination of information through TRTA activities of very short duration and to an often great 
number of participants, which is closely linked to  the efficiency of TRTA activities.  During the 
period under review the average duration of the TAs reported was about three days, which is slightly 
longer than in previous years.  The longer duration is in line with the requests of many participants 
who wished to extend the duration of the attended TAs.  It was also observed that this relatively short 
duration started to be used in a more intensive mann er, giving priority to transfer and verification of 
new knowledge and skills by frequent use of test s, quizzes, group exercises, case studies and the 
application of interactive and participatory methods .  It also shows that the Secretariat is getting 
gradually ready to increase the duration of TRTA  activities and make them more intensive.   
81. Regarding the number of participants, an aver age number of 32 was reached which is due to 
the Secretariat's efforts to select more carefully and limit the number of participants to 30 in order to 
achieve higher effectiveness and efficiency.  Howeve r, it was also found that the Secretariat has very 
limited control over the number of participants in  national seminars, where the host organisations 
select and determine the number of participants.  The average number of participants in national 
seminars was more than sixty (62).  (See TB 4 for a quote by a TA Provider). 
TB 4 
"For future national seminars, it may be worth giving  more thought to the format of the workshop.  In 
this case there were too many participants (100+) a nd they did not engage in the discussion.  This was 
partly due to a language problem (although there was simultaneous translation), partly the fact that 
participants knew little about the WTO and were  unfamiliar with REACH and WEEE (two complex 
regulations).  Smaller and more homogeneous group(s) would be better than the 'conference' type 
format".   
 
 
 82. The following observations refer to efficiency c oncerns and also highlight some of the pros 
and cons of reforming the TRTA programme.  TCA signalled last year that occasionally there is no 
response to the WTO invitation letters to a regional seminar, workshop, etc. or invitees respond but do 
not show up.  Having looked into almost seventy  regional undertakings, it was found that the average 
rate of participation was 70 per cent.  The lowest pa rticipation rate being less than 60 per cent.  On the 
other hand, close to one-quarter of the regional workshops mobilised a participation rate of one-WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 24  
 
  hundred per cent 
15.  In Africa alone twelve countries were f ound that did not participate in more than 
five regional workshops they were invited to.  This  situation was signalled in our report last year and 
looked into it again.  There are several reasons but none of them providing irrefutable answers.  Some 
Members were found to be in difficult political, soci al and economic situati ons which hindered them 
in responding to all invitations.  Others may have become more selective and, based on some internal 
priorities, decided not to attend.  Given the great number of both regional and national TRTA 
activities (also offered by other agencies), some sm all countries with limited staff resources may have 
found it difficult to absorb all the TRTA activities over and above the regular work.  Furthermore, 
some Members may not have enough people to attend all the WTO workshops.   
83. On the other hand it was also noted that not  all the developing c ountries, including LDCs, 
made full use of its options  to have two or three national TRTA events a year.  Hence is the reason for 
the less than expected number of national seminars.  In this area it was learned that some of the 
recipient countries faced internal difficulties in prov iding logistics to accomm odate national seminars.  
Others lacked awareness of TRTA needs or expe rienced difficulties in establishing priorities.   
84. In other cases, it seems that slow communication between Geneva missions and the capitals 
may have played a role in this.  Fo r instance, the recipient ministry lear ns about the TA so late that it 
cannot nominate a person who corresponds to the selection criteria, or doesn't send anybody at all.  (WTO, as a rule, sends out invitation letters nine weeks before the TA takes place).  Participants in 
some seminars/workshops indicated to TCA that th ey had learned about the workshop just a while 
before it took place.  Perhaps an in-depth study of  this issue on a case-by-case basis could throw more 
light on the reasons why some TRTA workshop, cour ses, etc. could not benefit from the 100 per cent 
participation of the invited Members.  TCA ha s noted that when at the WTO invitation the 
participation is confirmed, it automatically incurs  costs (air-ticket, hotel reservation), which may 
result in a loss if, for instance, an  unused air-ticket is not returned to WTO.  One workshop led to the 
following conclusion:  "the low level of response to invitations to participate in this regional seminar 
might further underscore the need to focus resour ces on national events, especially given the current 
state of negotiations.  Assistance in the preparation of offers can best be done at the national level 
since all government ministries that need to be involv ed in the drafting of the offer can attend.  Lack 
of exposure to GATS by non-trade ministries is indeed a key factor in lack of offers". 
85. If the WTO were eventually to provide fewe r TRTA workshops, courses and seminars of 
longer duration but more in-depth, hands-on and sp ecialised – which was suggested by TCA in its 
earlier reports – it would certainly require a considerab le investment in time and work on behalf of the 
TA providers.  This investment should be devoted  to the development of new case studies, tests, 
exercises, training programmes, etc. Furthermore, it would most probably lead to a less comprehensive regional and national coverage – in other words, fewe r workshops, courses etc. Such a 
TRTA programme would generate an added value if Members also  had their own long-term human 
resources development plans.  Then staff deve lopment would be made more systematic and 
sustainable and the countries would become ow ners of these capacity building programmes
16.  The 
growing number of TRTA needs assessments is a pos itive sign of the Members' intentions and will 
provide guidance for establishing priorities in planning and delivering TRTA activities. 
                                                      
15 Agriculture, Customs Valuation, JITAP, Regi onal Trade Agreements, Regional Trade Policy 
Courses, STDF, Short Trade Policy Courses, TBT,  Trade Facilitation and th e University Programme. 
16 Currently it often happens that the staff member of a WTO TRTA recipient organisation, whose 
workload permits him/her to leave the office for a couple of days, is nominated as participant.  Systematic and 
effective selection processes would certainly help, but the current reality still often shows a mixed composition 
of participants, including both beginners and experts.  Inconsistent selection may also lead to training a person 
whose work does not require this particular training.  WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 25 
 
 
  IV. OBSERVATIONS ON REPORTING TRTA  
86. More than 700 BTORs have been received in TC A in the last four years and have contained a 
large volume of valuable operational and evalua tive information, including recommendations and 
lessons learned.  Overall, the BTORs sent to TC A were found to be more analytical, impartial and 
forward-looking.  Some of them also showed ev idence that their authors learned from experience, 
rendered account of weaknesses and made suggesti ons for improvements.  This approach, TCA 
believes, should continue to be followed since balance and impartiality are so vital in any well-
functioning self-evaluation system.  However, so me BTORs still apply the old reporting format or 
continue to reach TCA months after they were due, most  of the time at the special request of TCA.  It 
is not clear whether they were prepared because TCA asked for the reports, or were prepared as 
scheduled but not sent to TCA, or were not prepared  at all.  Room for improvement in reporting is 
evident.  Therefore it is recommended  that the operational divisions and the ITTC ensure that BTORs 
are prepared soon after the completion of all TRTA events subject to evaluation, as required by the established Monitoring and Evaluation pro cedures of TRTA activities in WTO.   
87. Since TRTA activities are not stand-alone exercises, conclusions and recommendations 
emanating from a seminar, workshop etc. should be applied in subse quent TRTA activities.  Evidently 
the responsibility for decisions regarding the feasi bility of taking follow-up actions, implementing 
recommendations and applying lessons learned are basically assumed by the TRTA providers 
concerned.  Many TA providers do care about required follow-up actions, which are sometimes 
directly linked to "regular" work (see TB 5). 
TB 5 
- An immediate follow-up would be to provide some assistance in the preparation of the country's list 
of initial offers in the context of the negotiations in services.    - The Minister of Trade has decided that the impact  of future TACB activities should be reinforced in 
the context of the advancement of negotiations fo r accession to the WTO.  To this effect, he has 
requested that priority should now be given to  the implementation issues of a few selected WTO 
Agreements as well as DDA   -  The country may need further assistance and  foll ow up in the form of comments on the draft offer 
to the Ministry of Trade and Industry.  We will seek to maintain local contacts.   
 
-  Further assistance on drafting of the offer will be necessary and will be provided by phone and e-
mail.  The main focus should be to assist developi ng country Members in producing technically clean 
and unambiguous offers, and reducing the risk for these countries of accidentally over committing. 
 -  Following the TA, the Secretariat is liaising with the national 
authorities and is providing data and a number of recommendations for the implementation of 
formulae.  
 
 
88. TCA believes that the establishment of a mo re transparent mechanism, both within and 
between divisions, would be desirable.  Therefore, it is recommended  that the operational divisions 
and ITTC bring about a mechanism for the systemat ic follow-up of recommendations included in the 
BTORs.  This could take place in regular divi sional meetings or, in the case of recommendations 
involving more than one division, the follow-up may involve the TAMC. WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 26  
 
  89. TCA acknowledges quite a few reports of outst anding quality, which all represent "best 
practices".  Inter alia, these were the reports a bout the three-month TPCs, courses and workshops on 
NAMA, government procurement, trade negotia tion skills and techniques, and e-training. 
90. In order to facilitate the application of the established M&E procedures,  concepts and tools, 
and dissemination of lessons learned, TCA has developed and has tested an Intranet site that includes 
an evaluation resource kit (guidelines, checklis ts, reporting forms, best practices, etc). 
V. TCA'S SUPPORT TO EXTERNAL EVALUATION ACTIVITIES 
91. During the period under review TCA facilitated th e finalisation of the Terms-Of-Reference of 
the on-going Strategic Review of WTO Trade-Relate d Technical Assistance, which were approved by 
the CTD
17.  Subsequently, the TCA continued to service the meetings of the Steering Committee of 
the Strategic Review.  This work did not involve th e carrying out of  any activity that might have the 
intent of influencing the organisa tion and the conduct of the independent  Strategic Review (SR) or the 
work of the Steering Committee.  TCA hopes that the conclusions and recommendations of the SR 
will generate ideas on how to make the best of WTO's comparative advantages in providing TRTA, make it more relevant to the needs of the Member s and enhance its planning, design, implementation, 
monitoring and evaluation.   
VI. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (TAMC) 
92. The TAMC continued to function as a forum to discuss coordination, management and other 
cross-divisional issues of TRTA.  It also provided for information sharing between divisions.  It had 
five meetings in 2005 and addressed the following issues: 
- implementation of TRTA and training activities in 2005; 
 
- JITAP activities (the coordination between th e WTO Reference Centre programme and the 
establishment/strengthening of RCs and NEPS under JITAP); 
 - briefing on the STDF; 
 
- reports on the meetings of the Info rmal Consultations with Members; 
 - the Netherlands Trainee Programme (NTP)  - venues for regional activities; 
 
- logistical issues:  preparation of Regional Activity Requests;  - preparations for the TRTA and Training Plan 2006;  
- financial situation:  budgeta ry and extra-budgetary resources. 
 93. In the organisation of the TAMC's work, ITTC played a major role.  The meetings benefited 
from the active participation of the operational di visions.  The TAMC has also served as a kind of a 
reminder of the continued importance of TRTA in th e Secretariat's work and strengthened the feelings 
of accountability for delivering high quality TRTA activities.  TCA believes that the support of the 
higher management is crucial to TAMC's efforts to consolidate the results achieved in the introduction 
of the M&E system in the Secretariat's work.   
                                                     
 
 17 WT/COMTD/W/140 22 April 2005  WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 27 
 
 
  VII. SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED  
94. In conclusion, sections two to four of th e report show that progress was made in the 
implementation of TCA's recommendations.  The acti ons certainly went in the right direction by 
making a more solid basis for the TRTA activities th rough improved planning;  more systematically 
applied needs assessments, both at the level of recipient countries and participants;  making TRTA 
beneficiary groups more homogeneous  through an improved selection process.  However some of last 
year's recommendations appear still to be valid e. g. gender balance among the participants, long-term 
thinking and programming to improve quality as oppo sed to quantity, TOT training etc;  all this 
requires more conscious and sustained efforts by the Secretariat. 
95. The performance of WTO TRTA activities in 2005 was welcomed and appreciated by many 
delegates during the March 2006 session of the CTD.  TCA's observations also confirm that the 
Secretariat continued to achieve good results in fu lfilling the mandate it was given five years ago to 
provide Members with trade-related technical assist ance and capacity-building.  TRTA activities have 
become a regular item on the agenda for many WTO committees  and part and parcel of the responsibilities of some 200 staff members.  TRTA has become an important criterion in judging the 
performance of the Secretariat.   
96. TCA continued to assist in the application of the concepts and methods of the results-based 
management in technical cooperation, and regular ly commented on the quality of the self-evaluation 
reports to its authors, with recognition of good quality analysis or, when it was due, suggestions 
concerning how to improve TRTA design and evaluation in the future.  The BTORs and the opportunities to conduct on-site ev aluations provided opportunities for TCA to meet a number of 
TRTA providers and encourage the consistent ap plication of design, monitoring and evaluation 
concepts, and the use of related tools.  The positiv e reaction of the staff concerned, as well as the 
weaknesses encountered, encourages TCA to continue with this kind of support service in order to 
further the quality of the training activities and their reporting.   
97. In summary, having looked into the strengths and weaknesses of the different phases of the 
TRTA cycle, one has to conclude that  there is still room for improvement: 
- in the planning and design phases
:  become more systematic in assessing the needs and 
expectations of the Members and the participan ts;  provide for the application of established 
selection criteria;  keep the targeted number of pa rticipants to thirty;  in order to ensure a 
coherent TRTA design, apply more consistently the basic planning and design terms e.g. 
objectives and performance indicators and targets;   provide sufficient time for the preparation 
and distribution of the TRTA programme, the l ectures, presentations, cases, tests, background 
documentation, CDs, DVDs, etc. 
 - in the implementation/delivery/evaluation phases
:  TCA encourages making all TRTA 
activities more interactive and participatory.  Consistency in evaluati ons (regularity, methods, 
tools, collection of feedback etc.) as regards the majority of the TRTA providers and their 
units, still leaves a lot to be desired.  Evaluati on as an integrated management function is not 
yet generally understood, accepted or exercised.  Evaluation culture is yet to be developed in 
most areas of the Secretariat's TRTA-related work .  In this process, the support that staff in 
ITTC and the ODs should give to the regular and proper application of WTO M&E concepts 
and procedures cannot be overestimated.  Also key in this process is the consistent and 
explicit expectation of senior management rega rding the timely preparation of the BTORs and 
the systematic follow-up to recommendations. 
 98. The overwhelming majority of TRTA events deliv ered in 2005 continued to be recognised by 
the beneficiaries as very successful or successful .  All performance indicators applied above 
demonstrated that WTO TRTA was by and large very  effective in contributing to strengthened trade- WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 28  
 
  related capacities, meeting needs for WTO-relate d information, skills and knowledge, as well as 
helping developing countries and LDCs to become mo re effective in the on-going trade negotiations.  
The WTO resource persons in general demonstrated an impressive command of their subjects and a 
professionalism in disseminating information, plus  strengthened training and teaching skills in 
capacity building.   
99. It should be noted that apart from a few occasi onal complaints about high workload linked to 
some back-to-back seminars, TCA did not spot a wide-scale TRTA fatigue.  However, it is not excluded that TRTA activities of a repetitive nature, e.g. those which impart knowledge on the basics 
of WTO Agreements, might have led to a certain co mplacency.  It is true that the WTO Secretariat 
enjoys a comparative advantage over other agenci es in delivering TRTA on WTO Agreements, their 
implementation and the Members' rights and obligations.  But one should bear in mind that teaching 
about WTO agreements and buildin g trade-related capacities is also open to other agencies, the 
private sector, the academia etc. Furthermore, tw o large TRTA products i.e. the RTPCs and the 
university partnership programme are continuously  developing competitive intellectual capacities in 
the regions.  Hence one should make continuous e fforts for improvement since what proves to be 
good at present soon becomes obsolete.  Therefore, d espite the fact that the Members are satisfied 
with the current TRTA approaches, modalities a nd products, the following questions should be 
addressed:  
 - whether we are delivering the right TRTA programme; and 
  - whether we should reduce the number of  TRTA activities, make them of longer 
duration and benefit less people. 
 
100. It appears that some TA providers have starte d to think about possible new approaches to TA 
Design.  As if confirming the need for rethinking,  it is worth quoting a resource person providing 
TRTA in a specific area:   
"The programme for future TA activities needs to be sufficiently flexible and adaptable to 
take into account considerable variations in level of awareness, experience, expertise of 
participants;   
  - one consideration would be to have a day of general introduction to the subject 
followed by two days of detailed presentations on work carried out in the WTO and 
other agencies.   
  - another consideration would be to progressively introduce selection criteria for 
participants to ensure a homogenous le vel of understanding in the audience. 
 
 - reference to national experiences and ex amples should be strengthened.  While the 
contribution of the cooperating institution to the seminar was appreciated, participants 
also indicated an interest in national experiences and examples. 
  - for regional activities locations with mo re reliable airline connections may be 
preferable".   
 
101. The 2005 review of TRTA activities has resulted in the same types of lessons learned in 
previous TCA reports.  One of the main things that  TCA learned is that when the lessons apply to 
perceptions, approaches, behavioural changes, thei r Office-wide application indeed takes time.  
Furthermore, continuous effort is needed in te rms of reminders, briefings, dissemination and reporting 
until such a time a time as the lessons be known a nd consistently applied in every phase of TRTA 
planning, design, implementation and evaluation.  It is laudable that some TA providers apply lessons 
earlier than others:  "The feedback from participants  about the value and relevance of the course to the  WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 29 
 
 
  current Doha Round Negotiations, indication of key areas of interest and comments made by them, 
shall be taken into account in restructuring future  courses.  There have been continuous improvements 
made to each successive intensive course.  Lessons learned with regard to course design and method 
of delivery were implemented each time, with the view to providing the most effective course 
possible".  TCA fully endorses this approach.   
102. The monitoring and evaluation system, procedures and tools introduced in 2002 have 
generated an increasing number of evidence of the effects and impact of TRTA.  Further 
improvements can be achieved if the recommendations included in the report are discussed and considered for implementation by ITTC and th e ODs concerned.  TCA recommendations for 
improvements are not a universal remedy and TR TA providers should continue to make and 
implement their own changes.  For ease of reference, below are highlighted the main 
recommendations in the order they were set out in different sections of this report:   
It is recommended that:
  
• the joint missions between TPR Division and ITTC  should continue to be carried out where 
appropriate;  that the TPRs include a section of  the TRTA needs of the country concerned, 
and that ITTC establish a mechanism to systemat ically follow up those TRTA needs (para 16) 
• the formulation of objectives be made consis tent for each product in future TRTA Plans 
(para 26) 
• TCA recommends that the Rules Division contin ue its approach to e-training and encourage 
other divisions to, resources permitted, follow the example (para 30) 
 
• TRTA providers should regularly use TCA's ser vices for assistance in the formulation of 
TRTA designs, e.g. setting out objectives, performance indicators, targets, evaluation 
procedures, gap charts etc. (para 35) 
• convocation letters for any WTO TRTA activity, emphasising that the participation of women 
is welcome.  (para 45) 
 
• all the TA providers collect information from pa rticipants' feedback and their employers.  
This evaluative information shoul d then be continuously fed back into the planning, design 
and delivery of TRTA activities, and be duly re flected in the comprehensive monitoring and 
evaluation reports on WTO TRTA.  Thus the big picture of effects and impact would be more 
complete and detailed.  (para 69) 
• the organisation of TOT courses should continue (para 76) 
• Operational divisions and the ITTC ensure that BTORs are prepared soon after the 
completion of all the TRTA events subject to evaluation, as required by the established 
Monitoring and Evaluation procedures of TRTA activities in WTO.  (para 86) 
• the operational divisions and ITTC bring about a mechanism for the systematic follow-up of 
recommendations included in the BTORs.  This could take place in the form of regular 
divisional meetings or in the case of recommendations involving more than one division, a follow-up possibly involving the TAMC.  (para 88) 
 In order to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations, TCA will prepare a brief on 
the discussion of this report, disseminate it to ITTC  and the ODs concerned and have an exchange of 
views on them in the TAMC. WT/COMTD/W/148 
Page 30  
 
  VIII.  ANNEX 1 
EVALUATIONS CARRIED OUT BY TCA IN 2005 
 
1. Chinese Taipei  Regional Workshop for Asia -Pacific Technical Barriers to Trade,  
    18-19
th February 
 2. Chinese Taipei  WTO National Workshop on Technical Barriers to Trade,  
    2 0
th January 
 3. Egypt   WTO Regional Seminar on Trade Negotiation Techniques for      English-speaking African Countries, 13-17 February  
4. South Africa  Regional Seminar on the GATS for English-Speaking African  
    Countries, 7-10 March  5. Trinidad & Tobago NAMA negotiations for the Caribbean, 15-17 June   
6. Antigua & Barbuda Trade Facilitation for the Caribbean, 21-23 June 
  7. Fiji   PIFS/WTO Intensive Course on Trade Negotiation Skills for Pacific     Economies, 11-15 July 
 
8. Maldives  Trade Policy Course on Sp ecial and Differential Treatment, LDCs, 
    and small Economies for Asia and Pacific economies, 2-4 August  9. Chile   Regional Trade Policy Course for Latin America, 7-11 November  
 
10. Qatar   Trade Remedies for Arab and Middle East countries,       15-17 November  11. Qatar   National Workshop on Notifications, 7-8 December 
 
 12. Vienna   Trade and Environment – the work of the CTE and the negotiations     for Central and Eastern Europe , Central Asia and the Caucasus,  
    13-14 December 
 
  
 
  
 
   WT/COMTD/W/148 
 Page 31 
 
 
  IX. ANNEX 2 
 
SECTORAL COVERAGE  OF WTO TA ACTIVITIES SINCE 2002  
REPORTED TO TCA IN 2005 
 
  
 
    
 
   
 
   
 
    
 
   
 
  
 
__________ 
 Sector 2005 
(%) 2004 
(%) 2003 
(%) 2002 
(%) 
Accession 2.91 7.14 2.07 3.97 
Agriculture                     19.9 20.98 13.79 15.87 
Competition Policy                1.94 8.04 7.59 2.38 
Customs Valuation                 5.83 8.93 4.83 7.94 
DDA Advanced Negotiations Courses      3.88 2.23 12.41 18.25 
Dispute Settlement                15.05 15.18 12.41 15.87 
Government Procurement             3.88 7.14 2.76 3.17 
Implementation Issues              8.74 9.38 8.28 7.94 
IT/WTO Reference Centres            12.14 8.04 7.59 2.38 
Integrated Framework/LDCs           2.43 3.57 0.69 4.76 
Investment 0.49 5.36 12.41 5.56 
Mainstreaming                   1.46 1.79 0.69 6.35 
Market Access                   10.68 18.30 14.48 11.11 
NAMA (singled out only since 2004)              14.08 27.23   
Rules                         16.02 17.86 13.79 13.49 
Services                       22.33 29.91 26.21 29.37 
SPS                          9.22 15.18 2.76 2.38 
TBT                          8.74 11.16 16.55 17.46 
Textiles & Clothing               3.4 6.25 4.14 2.38 
Tools for TA                    1.46 2.23 2.76 6.35 
Trade and Environment              2.91 4.91 7.59 3.97 
Trade Facilitation                13.59 9.38 2.07 5.56 
Trade Negotiations Skills           6.31 8.04 0.69 4.76 
TRIP                         11.17 9.38 2.07 0.79 
Trade and Development              8.25 3.13   
Other                         24.76 8.48