WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
2 December 2010 
 (10-6461) 
  
  
 
COHERENCE IN GLOBAL ECONOMIC POLICY-MAKING 
 
Report (2009-2010) by the Director-General
 
  I. INTRODUCTION 
1. This report has been prepared pursuant to pa ragraph 2 of the General Council Decision on 
"Agreements Between the WTO, the IMF and th e World Bank", to inform Members about the 
activities carried out by the WTO under its cooperati on agreements with the IMF and the World Bank. 
2. Activities under the 1994 Ministerial Declaration on the Contribution of the WTO in 
Achieving Greater Coherence in Economic Policy-Maki ng have continued to in tensify – reflecting the 
need for even greater international policy coordina tion in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and 
recession.  Although global economic growth and trade have continued to rebound since mid-2009, 
the recovery has been uneven and slow in some  regions.  Moreover, pe rsistent macroeconomic 
imbalances are raising concerns about the sustaina bility of the world economy's current trajectory.   
Although the world economy has by and large re mained open since the onset of the crisis – 
underpinned by a strong WTO system – fears persist that protectionist pressures will increase unless 
the recovery is sufficiently strong and balanced.  
3. In this context, international cooperation – a nd global policy coherence – have become more 
critical than ever to sustained economic growth and st ability.  This is particularly true as regards the 
on-going discussions in the G20 and elsewhere about the relationship between exchange rate policies 
and international trade flows, an area where the interests of the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank 
clearly intersect.  The three organizations – toge ther with other United Nations agencies – have 
continued to stress the importance of keeping world trade open, and the danger of attempting to solve 
problems whose origins lie outside the realm of trade w ith policies that implicitly or explicitly restrict 
trade flows.  Achieving a "strong, ba lanced, and sustained world recovery"
1 – the goal set by the G20 
leaders in Pittsburgh in September 2009 – depe nds fundamentally on increasing international 
economic cooperation, and eschewing policies that a dvance narrow national interests at the expense 
of the global economy as a whole. 
4. This report demonstrates that the high level of cooperation among the three institutions has 
increased in 2009 and 2010, particularly regarding the implementation of recommendations made by 
WTO Ministers in Hong Kong in December 2005 – e. g. advancing progress in the Doha Round of 
multilateral trade negotiations, boosting the WTO's c ontribution to the Aid-for-Trade Initiative, and 
enhancing cooperation in the areas of trade-related technical assist ance and capacity-building, notably 
under the Enhanced Integrated Framework.  
5. Coherence does not stop at WTO's relations with the World Bank and the IMF, as set out in 
the 1994 Ministerial Declaration.  It has also re quired increasingly close co-operation between the 
WTO and many other inter-governmental institu tions, including United Nations agencies, the 
                                                      
1 G20 Communiqué, Pittsburgh, 25 September 2009.  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
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  Organization for Economic Co-operation and De velopment (OECD), and regional development 
banks, a summary of which is included at the end of this report. 
II. CONSULTATIONS AND CONTACTS OF SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND STAFF 
6. Senior management consultations and contacts on the Coherence file intensified over this 
period. The Director-General rema ined in close contact with Mr . Strauss-Kahn and Mr. Zoellick, 
Managing Director of the IMF and President of the World Bank respectively.  He participated with 
them on numerous occasions in international conferences and m eetings, including the Spring and 
Autumn meetings of the International M onetary and Finance Committee (IMFC) and the 
Development Committee, where he encouraged fi nance and development ministers to support the 
rapid conclusion of the Doha R ound and emphasized the need to strengthen the multilateral trading 
system, which acts, in periods of financial crises, as a shock absorber between the financial and the 
real sectors of the world economy. He also addressed various aspects of the economic crisis and recovery with them and/or other Heads of intern ational organizations, whether at the G20 Summit in 
Pittsburgh in 2009 or the High-Level Meeting on th e Millennium Development Goals in New York 
the following year.  These aspects ranged from actions to address the scarcity of trade financing, the 
need to mobilize development finance, and medium-t o-long term architectural issues related to the 
reform of global governance. At the margins of th ese meetings, he addressed further topics subject to 
on-going cooperation, be it the prevention of prot ectionist policies, support of the IMF and World 
Bank to help advance DDA negotiati ons, and ways in which the three institutions can cooperate more 
effectively in the provision of trade-related tec hnical assistance, capacity building and training, in 
particular under the Enhanced Integrated Framework.   
7. Throughout this period, the Director-General worked closely with Heads of United Nations 
Agencies, the World Bank, IMF, regional developm ent banks (such as the A frican Development Bank 
[AfDB], the Asian Development Bank [ADB], the European Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development [EBRD], the Inter-American Devel opment Bank [IADB], the Islamic Development 
Bank [IDB], the Asian Development Bank [ADB]) , the OECD, regional economic communities and 
national governments to mobilize resources and political  support for Aid-for-Trade to complement the 
results of the Doha Round. After the 2
nd global review held in 2009, a clearer view of national and 
regional needs emerged and a process was starte d to develop projects on the ground. In 2009 and 
2010, the Director-General continued to connect with  major development partners, such as the World 
Bank, the IADB, the IDB and many others that ha ve set up Aid-for-Trade Programmes. In parallel, 
WTO staff continued their progress with the OECD a nd other institutions in improving the monitoring 
and evaluation of Aid-for-Trade  by developing key indicators pr oviding benchmarks to measure 
progress from year to year.  
8. The WTO Secretariat represented the Director-Gen eral at meetings of the Executive Boards 
of the IMF and the World Bank on general and re gional economic and trade policy issues, including 
the formulation of IMF and Bank policies on trade ma tters. It also included staff visits and contacts 
related to the evaluation by the IMF's Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the IMF's work on 
trade policy issues. Likewise, IMF and World Bank senior staff came to the WTO to make detailed 
presentations of some aspects of the World Econom ic Outlook and of the Global Economic Prospects, 
respectively.  
9. The exchange of views and information on tr ade and trade-related issues is an important 
requirement for greater coherence in policy-making , and the three organizations continue to draw 
extensively on each other's work and expertise.  Many WTO Secretariat documents rely on inputs 
from the IMF and the World Bank on macroeconomic, tr ade, and development issues.  Similarly, the 
IMF and the World Bank use information on trade and trade policies from WTO sources, inter alia  to 
ensure that their policy advice is  consistent with WTO rules.  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
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  10. The WTO Secretariat and the staff of the IMF and the World Bank consult, as necessary, on 
issues of possible inconsistency between measur es under discussion with a common Member and that 
Member's obligations under the WTO Agreement or , in the case of the IMF, under its Articles of 
Agreement.  Staff take care to ensure that cooperation neither encroach es on institutional mandates 
nor leads to cross-conditionality or extra conditions on WTO Members. 
III. COOPERATION ON POLICY ANALYSIS, SURVEILLANCE AND RESEARCH  
A. POLICY ANALYSIS AND SURVEILLANCE  
11. Policy analysis and global economic surveillance are core activities of the WTO, the IMF and 
the World Bank.  Both the IMF and the World Bank pa y attention to trade policies in this context.  
Trade policy reform has featured as an element of the growth agenda in the two main vehicles for 
IMF policy analysis and surveillance, the Worl d Economic Outlook (WEO) a nd regular Article IV 
consultations with individual member countries.  Trade topics covered in the WEO have included in 
recent years the Doha Round, the impact of Chin a's emergence as a trade power, and the relationship 
between trade and financial integration.  For ex ample, the October 2010 WEO features a chapter on 
whether financial crises have lasting impacts on tr ade, which contains a useful analysis of the 
dynamics which led to sudden collapse of world tr ade in late 2008 and early 2009, and its equally 
rapid recovery.  
12. The IMF examines trade policies in its Article IV  surveillance as part of its overall economic 
assessment of Member countries.  The IMF looks in  particular at trade barriers of high-income 
countries and their impact on poorer countries, trade -related macro-vulnerabilities, and regional trade 
initiatives.  Likewise, the World Bank is devoting r esources to examining trade policy reforms in the 
context of its country programmes and as part of its overall assessment of the gains of an ambitious 
DDA.   
13. Staff cooperation between the WTO and the IMF on monitoring of trade policies is conducted 
informally. Careful attention is paid to ensure  that such cooperation leads neither to cross-
conditionality nor to divulging c onfidential information, consiste nt with the terms of the 1996 
cooperation agreements.    
14. In the wake of the financial crisis, the Director-General reports regularly on recent trade 
developments to the Trade Policy Review Body. Al so, following a request by G20 leaders, the WTO 
secretariat, together with the secretariats of the OECD and UNCTAD, prepares regular reports on G20 trade and investment measures.  These report iden tify policy measures that can impact positively or 
negatively on international trade, thereby providing a platform for discussion, without prejudging the 
rights and obligations of Members under the vari ous WTO Agreements.  The reports also review 
trends in global trade and trade finance flows, two other variables that can be impacted by the global 
economic downturn.   
15. Earlier, the IMF has also been  involved in the reshaping of its surveillance of economic 
policies with a view to make it more effective, to  meet the demands of integrated financial markets 
and large-scale private capital flows.  The initial topic of multilateral consultation with its member 
governments was how to address global imbalances while maintaining robust global growth.  Large 
imbalances are deemed by some to pose a threat to the continuation of gl obal economic expansion of 
GDP and international trade.  The multilaterilization at the IMF of the dialogue on global imbalances 
and the analysis of its underlying causes and impact  helps foster a more cooperative dialogue based 
on improved and more transparent analysis, and en courages the acceptance of broad policy directions 
recommended by each country.  The decision by the IM F Board of Directors in June 2007 to revise its 
1977 Decision on Surveillance over Exchange Rate  Policy was also an important step in the WT/TF/COH/S/15 
Page 4  
 
  strengthening of IMF surveillance, of interest not  only to the IMF but also to the WTO which has a 
mandate to achieve greater harmony between fi nancial, exchange rate and trade policies.
2   
16. G20 Finance Ministers recently agreed that th e IMF should be responsible for a new Mutual 
Assessment Process (MAP) – a Framework through which the organization will, among other things, 
evaluate nations fiscal, monetary, financial sector, stru ctural, exchange rate, and other policies.   The 
increased role of the IMF in global financial su rveillance is of direct interest to the WTO.3  A s  
indicated above, the WTO Ministerial Declarati on on Coherence states that "more orderly (...) 
economic and financial conditions should contribute towards the expansion of trade, sustainable 
growth and development, and the correction of ex ternal imbalances".  In the light of financial 
instabilities experienced by world financial market s since 2007-8 – and current perceptions of the 
pursuit of exchange rate-induced competitive advantag e – the WTO has an interest in remaining fully 
informed about the IMF's work b ecause of its potential spill-over in to international trade relations. 
B. AVAILABILITY OF TRADE FINANCE  
17. The drying up of trade finance resulting from s hortages in global liquidity and increased risk 
aversion by major international banks led G-20 Lead ers in London in April 2009 to adopt a significant 
trade finance "package"; under the heading "Resisting protectionism and promoting global trade and 
investment", the last bullet of paragraph 22 of the G-20 communiqué states: 
 " we will ensure availability of at least $250 billion over the next two years to support trade 
finance through our export credit and investment agencies and through multilateral development 
banks. We also ask our regulators to make use of av ailable flexibility in capital requirements for trade 
finance".  
 
18. The trade finance "package" la rgely reflected the criteria developed by the WTO Expert 
Group on Trade Finance, chaired by the Director -General, and broadly endorsed by the WTO 
Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance. Those criteria include strengthened public-private sector 
partnerships in the context of existing trade fi nance facilitation programme s, which were further 
enhanced in by the provision of increased li quidity, not just re-insurance. The World Bank's 
International Financial Corporation (IFC) showed  the way by establishing a Global Trade Finance 
Liquidity Fund, allowing for co-lending agreements  with commercial banks on a 40-60% risk sharing 
formula. Another pillar in the package was the in crease in the provision of guarantees and working 
capital by export credit agencies (ECAs). 
19. A G-20 implementation group was put in place after the London Summit to make sure that 
the appropriate funding be effectively mobilized. By the time of the G-20 Summit in Toronto (Spring 
of 2010), some $170 billion in additional capacity had been mobilized, mainly by export credit 
agencies in EU member countries, the United States, and some Asian countries. Out of this additional 
                                                      
2 Section 2 of the WTO Ministerial Declaration on Coherence states that: "Successful cooperation in 
each area of economic policy c ontributes to progress in other areas.  Greater exchange rate stability, based on 
more orderly underlying economic and financial conditions, should contribute towards the expansion of trade, 
sustainable growth and development, and the correction of  external imbalances." Sec tion 5 also indicates that: 
"The inter-linkages between the different aspects of eco nomic policy require that the international institutions 
with responsibilities in each of these areas follow consistent and mutua lly supportive policies.   The World Trade 
Organization should therefore pursue and develop cooperation with the international organizations responsible for monetary and financial matters, while respecting the mandate, the confidentiality requirements and the 
necessary autonomy in decision-making procedures of each institution, and avoiding the imposition on 
governments of cross-conditionality or additional conditions". 
3 IMF Survey, 15 January 2008: "On-going market turbulences; the IMF intensifies work on sub-prime 
fall out".  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
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  capacity, 70% has been used by traders. The pack age helped restore confidence in trade finance 
markets throughout 2009, as trade conditions also improved. 
20. During the course of  2009, the WTO Expert Group on Trade Finance continued to monitor 
the market situation, based on market intelligence surveys compiled by the International Chamber of 
Commerce (ICC) and the Bankers Association on Fi nance and Trade (BAFT). The Berne Union of 
Export Credit Agencies was available to provide re latively detailed information on the market for 
insured trade credit. Multilateral Regional Banks (M DBs), in the context of their trade finance 
facilitation programs, had a good grasp on the "lower end" of the market.  Based on this regular 
examination of market conditions, the Expert Grou p was also able to advise the WTO and higher 
authorities at the G-20 level on the remaining gaps in the market and the most appropriate ways to use 
remaining resources from the G-20 package. 
21. Trade finance market conditions  have improved continuously since the fall of 2009; the bulk 
of trade flows (both trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacifi c flows) are again fully financed – liquidity being 
less of an issue globally. The improvement was driv en by fast-growing emerging markets, for which 
spreads had come down to pre-crisis levels: they be nefited from the "flight to quality" and in general a 
greater selectivity of global banks towards counter party risk. However, this improvement in major 
markets left smaller players, be they traders in low-income countries or smal ler traders in developed 
countries, vulnerable to credit scarcity. Part of the explanation for this development was greater 
selectivity on the part of commercial institutions of their risk, or at least their perception of risk. 
Moreover, it was felt within the Expert Group on Tr ade Finance that the at tractiveness of trade 
finance as a banking activity may have been reduced by a number of factors such as an increase in 
commercial and sovereign risks, prudential regul ations and other reasons (WT/WGTDF/W/48 and 
49).  
22. As a result, the "lower end" of the trade fi nance market has relied in 2010 increasingly upon 
multilateral development bank risk  mitigation instruments. Low income countries' trade risks 
marginalization in this period of recovery. In th e context of the Working Group on Trade, Debt and 
Finance, Members acknowledged and supported the e fforts of the Director-General in addressing 
these challenges both within the institution an d internationally (WT/WGTDF/M/20). It was 
acknowledged that for low income countries a lack of  adequate trade finance could be as important a 
barrier to trade as traditional obstacles. For this reason, the Director-General of the WTO and the 
President of the World Bank sent a joint letter to  the G-20 Summit in Seoul (November 2010), to 
highlight the need for action on access to low income  countries to affordable trade financing.   
23. Apart from increased risk mitigation capacity, part  of the answer lies in an evaluation of the 
impact of banking regulation affecting trade financ e on the cost of supplying such trade finance to 
poor countries. This issue has been explicitly raised  in the joint letter by the Heads of the WTO and 
the World Bank, with support from the Heads of MD Bs. While trade finance remains one of the safest 
proposition in the financial system – as evidenced by  the recent results of the ICC trade finance loss 
default register – various pieces of Basel II a nd III framework are seen as having reduced the 
regulatory advantage which had been accorded to  trade finance under Basel I. In a banking 
environment characterized by more stringent rules on capital adequacy and risk-taking, there is an 
assumption that low income countries could have b een adversely affected by a withdrawal from low-
return trade finance markets by major players. 
C. RESEARCH AND STATISTICS  
24. Both the IMF and the Work Bank undertake an alytical work and research covering a wide 
range of multilateral trade issues.  The WTO Se cretariat contributes to the World Bank's annual 
monitoring exercise on achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The World Bank has complemented its expanded work programme on trade with an outreach programme aimed at  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
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  providing developing countries with new oppor tunities to discuss how the DDA can support 
development-oriented trade reforms, informing th em of the nature and sc ope of World Bank support 
for technical assistance and investment in trade-rela ted projects and sensitizing them to the gains from 
trade facilitation reforms.
4  The Economic Research and Statistics Division maintains frequent contact 
with both the IMF and World Bank on many issues of common interest.  The WTO's Chief Economist 
participates in bi-monthly video-conference meetings  with the chief economists of the IMF, World 
Bank, OECD, BIS, and regional development banks to assess recent economic developments and 
consider relevant research issues.  Other agencies in the UN family are also frequent partners in 
research efforts, meetings and conferences. Many of these contacts and joint activities are noted in 
other parts of this report.   
25. The Statistics Group maintains activities with the IMF, the World Bank, other agencies of the 
UN system, and OECD on a range of topics, from ex change of information and consultation on data 
issues, to the development of international standard s governing trade and external sector statistics, as 
well as the training of national experts.     In this connection, the WTO maintains the Common Data 
Set database, an interagency initia tive for reconciling time series on total merchandise trade. It 
analyses national methodologies in line with intern ational recommendations. The objective of this is 
to document divergences from international standards with  a view to foster the use of best practices.  
26. In cooperation with UNCTAD and ITC, the Statistics Group publishes the annual World 
Tariff Reports, which provides a synthetic overview of bound and tariff data by countries.  Following 
the 2008 crisis, WTO and UNCTAD have also b een exchanging information on short-term 
indicators.  The WTO has also introduced an online database on total merchandise exports and 
imports sourced from other organizations, national statistical offices, and non-official data sources 
(updated daily) and now releases a quarterly press release on the subject. 
27. In order to have a more accurate picture of how global trade operates – and to correct the way 
that the vertical specialization of firms along th e international value chain has blurred traditional 
concepts of "countries of origin" – the WTO has initiated a series of co-operation projects with 
bilateral and multilateral agencies, as well as with academia, on measuring trade flows using "value-
added trade".  The aim is to promote the concept in national and international circles, produce the 
required background data, and define common methodologies. 
28. In particular, the WTO has cooperated actively with the OECD in both analysing data and 
developing a methodology for measuring trade in valu e-added.  Together with the OECD and nine 
other agencies, the WTO is involved in the World Input-Output Database – a project sponsored by the 
EU and coordinated by Groningen University that aims to produce harmonized input-output matrices.  
The WTO and OECD have also been revising a US-ITC methodological proposal for measuring trade in value-added with a view to adopting it as a st atistical best practice.  The WTO has also been 
working closely with Japan's IDE-Jetro on analysing tr ends in regional and vertical trade, as well as 
the impact of industrialization on emerging economi es and regional integration in Asia.  With the 
United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the WTO Secretariat tabled the issue of measuring trade 
in value-added at the UN Statistical Commission in 2009 and again in 2010, when the revision of two 
manuals governing statistics on trade in merchandi se and services were discussed and officially 
adopted by member countries.  
29. More generally, the WTO actively participat es in the governance of the international 
statistical system, contributes to the definition of in ternational standards in its areas of expertise, and 
participates in capacity building programmes on trade and tariff statistics. The main vectors of this 
cooperation are two inter-agency task forces on th e commerce of merchandises and services.  The 
                                                     
 
4 Recent material and publications on trade facilitati on issues, trade logistics a dvisory services, national 
logistics strategies and the logistics performance indi cator are available at www. worldbank.org/tradefacilitation.  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
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  Inter-Agency Task Force on International Merchandi se Trade Statistics is convened by the WTO. It 
was created to improve international cooperation in the collection, processing and dissemination of 
international merchandise trade statistics. It also stimulated updating of classifications (SITC Rev.4) 
to changing economic environments and preparing a nd finalizing concepts and definitions applied to 
merchandise trade statistics (IMTS 2010).  The task  force is now dealing with the governance of 
implementation of IMTS 2010, developing of compilation guidance, and technical assistance.  It also 
considers research issues such as trade in value- added and cross-cutting issues with trade in services 
(in cooperation with TFSITS, see below).  
30. The Interagency Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services (TFSITS) was 
established with the aim of inter alia  embedding the statistical requirements of the General 
Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) in intern ational standards. The Manual on Statistics of 
International Trade in Services (MSITS) was publis hed in 2002 and the revised version, the MSITS 
2010 was adopted by the UN Statistical Commissi on at its 41st session in 2010. It includes the 
statistical conceptualization of GATS mode 4 and adds  for the first time a chapter on statistics of the 
international supply of services by mode.  Future wo rk also includes the preparation of a compilers' 
manual. The Task Force is convened by OECD.  
31. Statistical capacity-building is also coordina ted through these two inter-agency Task Forces 
and are carried out through respectiv e joint activities of the international organizations.  For example, 
the next workshop of the UN/ESCWA and MENA region is a joint endeavour of World Bank, 
UN/ESCWA, UNSD, and WTO.  Eurostat will also pr ovide a resource person.  Another workshop for 
the COMESA region involves UNWTO, IMF, WTO and the Commonwealth Secretariat. 
32. Inter-agency cooperation also includes ad hoc participation at other conferences. Recent 
examples include the UN-ECE Conference of European Statisticians (Paris, June 2010) where we cooperated with the IMF on a report on the ne w statistical demands emerging from the 2008-2009 
crisis, and an OECD-World Bank workshop (Paris, Se ptember 2010) on global value chains and their 
statistical implications. 
33. WTO actively participates in the regular mee tings of the Committee for the Coordination of 
Statistical Activities (CCSA), an inter-agency c onference of chief statisticians on systemic 
governance aspects. In 2009-2010, WTO coordinated two of its working groups, preparing draft 
proposals on "best practices" in relation to statistical and managerial issues. 
D. I
NFORMATION AND DATA EXCHANGES  
34. The WTO Secretariat provides the IMF and World Bank staff with access, on a confidential 
basis, to the Integrated Database and to schedul es of commitments of WTO Members.  The IMF and 
World Bank have online access to the two data base s.  More generally, the IMF and the World Bank 
use information on trade, trade measures and relate d issues from WTO sources, particularly the Trade 
Policy Reviews (TPRs). 
35. Subject to the same confidentiality requirem ent, the Fund makes available to the WTO 
Secretariat the publication files of the Internati onal Financial Statistics,  Balance of Payments 
Statistics, Government Financial Statistics, and Di rection of Trade Statistics.  The IMF staff also 
makes available to the WTO Secretariat historical data and aggregate projections in the WEO.  Favourable consideration is given to additional requests pertaining to these databases, as well as to 
requests for projections of individual country data. 
36. Under the WTO/IMF cooperation agreement, the IMF makes available to the WTO, for the 
confidential use of the WTO Secretariat, electronic copies of IMF staff reports and related background 
staff papers on Article IV consultations and on the use of Fund resources for common members and WT/TF/COH/S/15 
Page 8  
 
  on Fund members seeking accession to the WTO, subj ect to the consent of the member concerned.
5  
These documents contain details of the IMF's tr ade policy advice, which are used by the WTO 
Secretariat for reference purposes, notably in the course of the preparation of Trade Policy Review 
(TPR) reports.  Trade policy information based on IM F documentation is now available to Secretariat 
staff through an electronic data base. 
37. The World Bank provides the WTO Secretariat access to the Bank's Economic and Social 
Database, as well as to the Statistical Annex of th e Global Economic Prospects and the Developing 
Countries.  Software developed at the Bank provides a powerful tool to better analyze the consequences of the detailed proposals being consider ed in the Doha negotiations.  In its support on 
market access issues, the WTO Secr etariat has been making use of this software – which is offered to 
WTO Members free of charge – to analyze tariff and trade data. 
IV. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING 
A. T
RADE -RELATED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND CAPACITY BUILDING  
38. The IMF and the World Bank have considerable e xperience and expertise to share in the area 
of trade-related technical assistance and capac ity building, and they provide support to WTO 
Members through their own country programmes as well as through their participation in WTO 
technical assistance and training activities. The IMF is engaged in technical assistance and capacity 
building at different levels, from financing to po licy design, the dissemination of standards, and 
training.  Its Article IV consultation process with its member countries provides an important channel 
for its technical assistance activities.   The main focus of its trade-related technical work is customs 
modernization and tariff policy reform.  On custom s modernization, the focus has shifted towards 
"strategic technical assistance" – i.e. providing the overall framework for reform and continuing 
oversight, while leaving more detailed aspects for other donors to support.  On tariffs, the focus 
typically is on tax and fiscal policies.  An impor tant part of the IMF's trade-related technical 
assistance work is provided through its regional technical assistance centres in Africa, the Middle 
East, the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean.  
39. Trade-related technical assistance has expande d considerably in the World Bank, with the 
appointment of trade coordinators in each of its  six regional departments who ensure a strategic 
approach to capacity building.  The World Bank Institute (WBI) is the principal provider of training and among its objectives are to assist its member governments in:  (i) the development of sound national trade policy; (ii) their capacity to partic ipate effectively in the WTO;  and (iii) their 
understanding of the benefits and costs of increa sed openness.  The Bank's trade-related diagnostic 
work also continues to expand, with more than 80 per cent of it now taking place outside the context 
of the Integrated Framework 
B. T
RADE FACILITATION  
40. A significant share of both the World Bank's and the IMF's trade-related activities is directed 
towards trade facilitation reform. In the case of th e IMF, this happens primarily through the Fund's 
work on customs administration. The World Bank e ngages in an extensive programme of technical 
assistance and capacity-building support aimed at re ducing transportation and logistics costs. In 
addition, the Bank works on analytical approaches to help countries address their trade facilitation 
bottlenecks.  
                                                      
5 The IMF communicates to the WTO its Executive Bo ard Decisions regarding exchange restrictions 
maintained by WTO Members under Article VIII of the Fu nd's Articles of Agreement.  These are circulated as 
restricted documents unde r the symbol WT/TF/IMF/.  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
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  41. Through its trade facilitation initiative, the bank has worked with other international 
organizations to support the WTO trade facilitation negotiations by focusing on three key areas: 
promotion and advocacy to highlight  the benefits of trade facilitati on and encourage members to seek 
a positive and ambitious outcome; sharing of info rmation on relevant tools, instruments and 
international standards that they  have developed and/or  maintain; and providing advice and assistance 
to WTO members to support their own work on de termining needs and priorities for technical 
assistance related to the negotiating agenda. 
42. The World Bank continued to provide suppor t to the WTO Trade Facilitation Needs 
Assessment program.  This program, which bega n in September 2007, helped member countries 
identify and assess their requirements for implementi ng trade facilitation reforms.  Eighty-eight 88 
needs assessments had been completed by the end of 2009.  The World Bank also continues to 
support a range of constituencies for trade facilita tion reform, including though its support for the 
Global Facilitation Partnership (GFP) for Transpor tation and Trade, an in itiative associating all 
interested parties, public and private, national and international, with a view to achieve significant 
improvements in transport and trade facilitati on in developing and least-developed countries. 
C. DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA TRADE CAPACITY BUILDING DATABASE  
43. The IMF, the World Bank and the WTO contribut e to the Doha Development Agenda Trade 
Capacity Building Database (http://tcbdb.wto.org) wh ich is jointly managed by the WTO and the 
OECD and gives information on activities provided by  bilateral donors and multilateral agencies.  In 
the first few years of its existence, this pooling of data has allowed for the possibility of higher 
degrees of coordination and coherence to be achieve d and has provided the means to identify areas 
where additional efforts can be applied.  Improve ments in the Trade Capacity Building Database are 
currently ongoing. 
D. SUPPORTING WTO  ACCESSION  
44. The World Bank continues to provide assistance to countries acceding to the WTO.  It has 
developed a Policy Note discussing the most common issues that are critical to ensuring a pro-
development outcome from the WTO accession process.  It offers information to the country teams of 
acceding countries on key developments and directions  in the discussions, their potential impact, and 
areas where further work (including technical assist ance) may be needed.  The World Bank is also 
working with international partners to bring toge ther negotiators from developing countries in fora 
where they can share information and experiences. 
E. THE ENHANCED INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK FOR LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (LDC S) 
45. The Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) is an  Aid-for-Trade partnership in action for the 
LDCs.  Under its umbrella, the IMF, the Intern ational Trade Centre (ITC), UNCTAD, the United 
Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank and WTO combine their efforts with those 
of LDCs, donors and other devel opment partners (such as the Unite d Nations Industrial Development 
Organization [UNIDO]) to respond to the trade development needs of LDCs.  Their over-aching aim 
is to assist LDCs in addressing trade policy issues and related supply-side constraints, and generally in 
becoming full and active players and beneficiaries of the multilateral trading system.  The EIF does this by helping LDCs:  first, to mainstream trade into national development plans, such as the Poverty 
Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), and, second, to receive coordinated delivery of trade-related 
assistance.  The EIF stresses the importance of  country-ownership, greater coordination and 
commitments from all EIF partners, stronger national and global governance structures, and enhanced 
financial resources to match LDCs' demands.   WT/TF/COH/S/15 
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  46. The EIF process unfolds over four phases, namely:  (i) awareness-building on the importance 
of trade for development;  (ii) preparation of a Di agnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) to identify 
constraints to trader, sectors of greatest export potent ial and a plan of action for better integration into 
the global trading system (the "Action Matrix");  (iii)  integration of the plan of action into the national 
development plan, such as the Poverty Reduction Stra tegy Paper (PRSP);  and (iv) implementation of 
the action plan in partnership with the development partners. 
47. The Executive Director of the Executive Secretariat of the EIF took up office in October 
2008, signalling the establishment of the Executive Secr etariat – administratively housed in the WTO.  
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has been selected as the new TFM and became operational in 2009.  The EIF programme wa s operationalized in July 2009 with the approval 
of the first Tier 1 projects (aimed at institutiona l capacity building for EIF implementation) and with 
the organization of the first EIF Global workshop fo r Focal Points and Donor Facilitators with the 
participation of EIF Partner Agencies.  The wo rkshop enabled the Focal Points to get a clear 
understanding of how the programme works in pr actice and hence to facilitate its effective 
implementation. A five-year strategic plan coveri ng the current mandate of the EIF programme is 
under preparation.  The monitoring and evalua tion mechanism and the communication strategy 
(including a redesigned EIF web site) are being finalized. 
48. The multi-donor trust Fund of the EIF programme has continued to grow with the number of 
donors reaching 23.  The total amount received is over US$109 million, and the funding secured (both 
received and committed through signed agreements with donors) amounts to US$183 million.  At the 
end of October 2010, 24 Tier 1 projects have been approved for a total amount of US$ 16 million.  A 
number of Tier 1 projects are expected to be appr oved by the end of 2010, which will assist LDCs 
benefit from the EIF process. 
49. On the capacity-building front, a regional wo rkshop was held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, in 
March 2010 for the LDCs of the Pacific Region and another one in Kathmandu, Nepal in June 2010 
for the Asian LDCs.  In December 2010, a third regi onal workshop will be held  in Bamako, Mali, for 
EIF beneficiary countries from Central and West Af rica and Haiti.  Implementation of the capacity-
building programme will continue next year with the roll-out of several pilot modules. 
50. To date, 47 LDCs (of a total of 49) have benef ited under the EIF.  Of the 47 beneficiaries, 39 
have completed the diagnostic stage and are now  implementing the Action Matrix.  Some have 
completed an update of their DTISs and a number of LDCs are in the process of updating their DTISs.     
F. WTO
 INSTITUTE FOR TRAINING AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION (ITTC) 
51. The World Bank contributes to the three-month WTO Trade Policy Courses held in Geneva 
through presentations by its staff and dissemination of its publications to course participants.  IMF 
staff also contribute to the courses.  As part of strengthening its Geneva office and its commitment to 
supporting the trade agenda, the World Bank has poste d a staff member to Geneva to coordinate 
training activities with the ITTC.  The World Bank also contributes staff resources to the three-month 
WTO Trade Policy Courses held overseas. 
G. THE STANDARDS AND TRADE DEVELOPMENT FACILITY  
52. The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) was established in 2002 by the FAO, 
OIE, WHO, WTO and the World Bank.  Managed by the WTO, the STDF is both a coordinating and 
a financing mechanism.  In addition to the five founding partners (FAO, OIE, World Bank, WHO and  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
 Page 11 
 
 
  WTO), it also brings together donors contributing to the STDF Trust Fund (currently 13)6, observers 
(UNIDO, ITC, UNCTAD and other organizations  implementing or s upervising STDF-funded 
projects)7 and representatives of developi ng and least developed countries.8  A key role for the STDF 
is to act as a bridge between the technical work of its partners, donors and observers and the broader 
trade and development audience. 
53. The STDF aims to increase coordination among pr oviders of technical assistance in the area 
of international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) st andards, and to act as a vehicle for awareness 
raising on the importance of SPS issues, the mobili zation of funds, and the exchange of experience 
and dissemination of good practice in relation to SPS-related technical coope ration.  Limited grant 
financing for project development and project im plementation is available for public and private 
organizations in developing countries seeking to comply with SPS standards and hence gain or 
maintain market access for their exports.   
54. The STDF is guided by its Me dium Term Strategy (2007-11)9, which places particular 
emphasis on STDF's role as a vehicle for SPS coordinati on and information excha nge.  Central to this 
role is information exchange and dialogue on  existing and planned SPS technical cooperation 
activities, capacity needs assessments, evaluations, trai ning materials, etc. through active participation 
of members in the STDF Working Group10, use of the STDF website, participation of the Secretariat  
in external meetings and events as well as on steering committees for related projects, etc.  
55. In December 2009, the STDF adopted its Operating Plan for 2010-11.11  This Plan maintains 
the emphasis on SPS coordination with a number of re lated activities ongoing or planned, including:  
(i) the organization of thematic events on topics of interest to the SPS community (e.g. public private 
partnerships, SPS performance indicators); (ii) action- oriented research and publications (e.g. use of 
economic analysis to inform SPS decision-making,  SPS coordination mechanisms, regional economic 
communities, South-South cooperation12 and alternative sources of fina ncing); (iii) interaction with 
other initiatives and programmes, including Aid for Trade and the Enhanced Integrated Framework 
(EIF); and (iv)  STDF involvement in project development.  
56. During the past year, results-based management  (RBM) has gained a prominent place in the 
operation of the Facility and in the STDF's work  programme, reflecting the importance that donors 
attach to the measurement of outcomes and impact s.  In addition to the inclusion of a logical 
framework for the first time in the 2010-11 Operati ng Plan, the STDF is leading work, together with 
the OECD, on indicators to measure the performance of a national SPS system.  Following the preparation of a draft working paper on SPS indi cators and organization of a technical working 
meeting  on 1 July 2010 in Geneva, the Secretaria t will begin pilot testing work on SPS indicators in 
two selected countries in 2011.  This work cont ributes to, and supports, other STDF activities to 
enhance the use of RBM within SPS-related project s and programmes, as well as broader efforts to 
                                                     
 
6 Currently: Australia, Canada, Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, Germany, Ireland, 
Japan, the Netherlands, Norway , Swed en, Switzerland and the United States. 
7 Organizations implementing STDF projects (including inter alia OECD, IICA, OIRSA, COLEACP, 
MSU and NRI) are automatically granted observer status for the duration of these projects.   
 8 Since December 2009, Mr. Washington Otieno (K enya), Ms. Chaweewan Leowijuk (Thailand) and 
Ms. Antonieta Urrutia (Chile) have served as STDF de veloping country representa tives.  Mr Lucas Saronga 
(Tanzania) is the STDF LDC representative.  
9 Document STDF 154, see: www.standardsfacility.org  
10 The STDF Working Group comprises technical representatives of partners, donors, developing 
country representatives and observers.  It is responsible for reviewing and approving work programmes and 
funding requests, and normally  meets three times per year. 
11 Document STDF 314, available on the STDF website: www.standardsfacility.org . 
12 South-South cooperation is a growing area of inte rest within the Facility.  Argentina, Brazil and 
Chile made presentations on their SPS technical cooperation activities to the STDF Working Group in 2009.  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
Page 12  
 
  monitor the impact of Aid for Trade by focu sing on monitoring and evaluation of assistance and 
managing for results at an opera tional, issue-specific level. 
57. Other related work is also ongoing or planned to: (i) pilot the use of economic analysis 
methodologies, specifically multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), as a tool to inform SPS decision-making and resource allocation;  and (ii) tr ial project design (and logical framework) training 
workshops, jointly with the EIF Secretariat, in selected LDCs.  In October 2010, the STDF organized 
a workshop “Public-Private Partnerships in Support of SPS Capacity", in close collaboration with the 
World Bank Institute and Government of The Nether lands.  This workshop al so benefited from the 
inputs of partner institutions including the FAO, UNIDO, ITC and the World Bank.  Exploring the 
links between SPS capacity building and the trade facilitation agenda is also high on the STDF 's 
agenda.  Consultations to strengt hen collaboration with the Trade Facilitation Facility (TFF), managed 
by the World Bank, continued in 2010.  In October 2010, the STDF and TFF agree to co-fund a project to strengthen SPS capacity in Guinea Bissau.     
58. The STDF continues to run regular consultations  in collaboration with partners and donors to 
examine SPS capacity building needs and respon ses, identify good practice and opportunities 
for future assistance programmes - including project de velopment.  Wherever possible, synergies with 
other trade-related and/or SPS-specific initiatives, notably  Aid for Trade, are exploited.  At the request 
of UNIDO, the STDF prepared a desk study on SPS needs and assistance of eight LDCs to identify 
areas where future SPS assis tance with a positive trade effect might be focused.
13  In Peru,  a balance 
sheet on outstanding SPS priority needs and a list of concrete technical assistance projects were 
presented at a National Aid for Trade Dialogue held in March 2009, which id entified enhancement of 
SPS performance as one of the Aid for Trade priority areas. 
59. At the national level, further emphasis is bei ng put on coordination with  existing and planned 
donor activities, ensuring synergies with other ongo ing partner programmes, and with the EIF in 
relation to DTIS elaboration, upda te and development of actions on the basis of DTIS action matrices.  
Cooperation with these other initiatives is essentia l to STDF's coordination role and to the 
achievement of the STDF target to devote 40 per cent  of Facility project grant resources to LDCs and 
other low income countries.  One key element in this  regard is providing technical assistance to LDCs 
to meet SPS requirements, in pa rticular through the development of projects that address priority 
issues identified under the IF process.  In line with  the Medium Term Strategy, greater reliance is 
being placed on the use of project preparation grants  to provide a basis for donor interventions and as 
a vehicle for mobilizing funds for proj ects developed under the STDF umbrella. 
H. JOINT VIENNA INSTITUTE  
60. The WTO co-sponsors the Joint Vienna Institute  (JVI) together with the IMF, the World 
Bank, the BIS, OECD, EBRD, and the Austrian Government.  Certain programmes of the JVI are also supported by a number of other bilate ral donors.  The main aim of the Institute is to provide training 
support  to countries in transition in order to ease  the transition from centrally-planned to market-
based economies.  The countries that have recently joined the European Union have been "graduated" 
from the programmes which are now more oriented to wards Southern Europe and the CIS countries.  
The WTO Secretariat has been responsible for the tw o-week segment on Trade Policy which is part of 
a longer course in Applied Economic Policy, and given by all sponsors of the JVI.  The segment is 
normally  given twice a year and  occurs in two-week-long sessions.  In addition, the WTO organizes 
each year in Vienna  its own seminars on various  WTO matters – typically on WTO agreements and 
negotiations.  The WTO continues to provide support as a Contributing Member.  
                                                     
 
13 The LDCs included Benin, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal and 
Yemen. The final report was presented at the LDC Minist erial Conference on Aid fo r Trade on 19-20 November 
2008 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
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  I. TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE   
61. Since 1997, the WTO and the World Bank Institute  (WBI) have maintained a shared website 
providing development-related trade information.  Th e site also provides a point of contact for trade 
officials in developing and transition economies, in cluding officials who have participated in WTO 
and World Bank training courses. 
V. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 
62. In recent years, the IMF and the World Bank have announced new initiatives to increase the 
technical and financial support they are able to provide to developing countries during the trade 
negotiations and in the period of economic adjustment  that will follow when implementing the results.  
63. Beyond its regular programmes, the IMF also created its Trade Integration Mechanism (TIM) 
in 2004 and its Exogenous Shocks Facility (ESF) in 2005.  The TIM aims to help its member 
countries adjust to shocks that emanate from the pro cess of multilateral trade liberalization.  It was 
designed to help mitigate concerns by many deve loping countries that implementation of WTO 
agreements might give rise to temporary balance-of-p ayments shortfalls – through the erosion of tariff 
preferences, adverse changes in the terms of trade of net food importers, or the expiration of quotas 
under the WTO's Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC).  Since 2005, only three countries made 
use of the facilities, namely the Republic of Ma dagascar, the Dominican Republic, and Bangladesh. 
However, no-one has requested or used the facility since 2006, despite the fact that under the facility, 
consideration of use of Multilateral Debt Reli ef Initiative (MDRI) resources for cotton-producing 
countries is also possible.  
64. The World Bank's "Doha Development Initiativ e", launched at the 2003 Cancún Ministerial 
Conference, continued to focus on assisting poor  countries to take advantage of new market 
opportunities and offset any adverse initial impacts of trade reform resulting from the Doha Round.  
The World Bank's trade-related operations have al so been growing, as reflected in increased 
investment lending for trade-related projects.  Lending commitments for trade have increased steadily from $0.8 billion in FY1998-2000, to $1.4 billio n in FY2001-2003 and to $3.9 billion in FY2004-
2006. Further increases are expected in FY 2007-09 (over $4 billion), after the successful 
replenishment of the IDA Fund achieved in Decemb er 2007, but no data are yet available for 2009. 
VI. AID-FOR-TRADE 
65. The Aid-for-Trade initiative has continued to  be a key focus of the WTO's coherence 
activities in 2009 and 2010.  The most recent Aid -for-Trade Work Programme provides a framework 
for activities, consolidates progress achieved in th e Aid-for-Trade initiative so far, and lays the 
groundwork for the Third Global Review scheduled in 2011.
14  The Work Programme is focused 
around five themes: resource mobilization, mainst reaming, implementation (with a focus on the 
regional dimension), monitoring and evaluation, and greater involvement by the private sector. 
66. Based on consultations with delegations in the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD), 
the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (D AC) and Working Party of the Trade Committee, 
and other fora, the global monitoring and evaluation of Aid for Trade was streamlined to elicit more 
precise information about trade development strate gies, the gaps between needs and actual support 
provided, and ways to reduce Aid-for-Trade tran saction costs.  Responses to partner-country and 
donor questionnaires were reported at the 2nd Global Aid-for-Trade Review which was held on 6 and 
7 July 2009.   Country indicator fact sheets providing at-a-glance information on basic indicators, Aid-
                                                      
14 WT/COMTD/AFT/W/16.  The Work Programme was issued under the responsibility of the Chair of 
the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) on 27 November 2009. WT/TF/COH/S/15 
Page 14  
 
  for-Trade flows, country's key priorities and c ountry's overall trade performance to monitor what 
progress was being made at a country level vis-à-vis  the Aid-for-Trade initiative were prepared for 
inclusion in the joint OECD-WTO Aid-for-Tra de at a Glance 2009 report submitted to the 2
nd Global 
Review.  The aim was for the fact sheets to serve as an initial and useful tool to stimulate objective 
national dialogue on how to bring about more and better Aid for Trade and how to strengthen the 
bridge between demand and response.   
67. A number of national, sub-regional and regiona l Aid-for-Trade events were held throughout 
2009 in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, a nd in Asia to demonstrate how Aid-for-Trade 
strategies could progress - and were progressing - and to  create incentives for others to follow.  These 
included the National Review held in Lima, Peru on 3 March, the COMESA-EAC-SADC North-
South Corridor Review held in Lusaka, Zambia on 6 and 7 April; the National Review held in San 
Pedro Sula, Honduras on 4 May;  the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Re view held in Montego 
Bay, Jamaica on 7 and 8 May and the Regional Meeting for ASEAN members states held in Siem Reap, Cambodia on 28-29 May.  Conclusions  from each review were profiled at the 2
nd Global 
Aid-for-Trade Review.  
68. The 2nd Global Review of Aid for Trade took place on 6 and 7 July 2009.  The Review 
evaluated progress made since the First Global Revi ew in 2007 and examined how Aid for Trade was 
being operationalised on the ground.  It provided ne w impetus to the mandate on Aid for Trade agreed 
at the WTO's Hong Kong Ministerial Conference  in 2005.  Each session focussed on the key 
objectives of the Review, namely moving from commitm ent to implementation,  mainstreaming trade 
into national and regional development strategies,  sustaining aid flows during the global economic 
downturn  and assessing the effectiveness of Aid for Tr ade.  In his closing remarks, the Director-
General highlighted the need to focus on strengt hening regional dimensions of Aid for Trade, on 
further evaluating the implementation of Aid for Trad e, on fostering the role and contribution of the 
private sector and on encouraging South-S outh cooperation in Aid for Trade.   
69. A General Council debate on Aid for Tr ade took place on 28 July 2009.  The 
Director-General reported on the Global Review and stated that it had been successful in taking stock 
of overall progress since the launch of the Aid-for-Trade initiative in 2005.15  The Review also 
highlighted the need for additional and substantiv e commitments from donors.  At the conclusion of 
the debate, the Director-General identified the follo wing key issues as priorities for future work:  the 
need to reinforce the regional dimension of Aid for Trade, to maintain momentum on commitments 
post-2010, to enhance the role of the private sector and to focus attention on evaluating the impact of 
Aid-for-Trade interventions in developing countries.   
70. In September, the Secretariat began consultati ons with Members and partner organizations on 
a new work programme on Aid for Trade.16  The CTD discussed the work programme at its meeting 
on 12 October 2009.  The work programme provid es a framework for activities over the period 2009-
2011.  Various activities were conduc ted in support of this new Aid -for-Trade Work Programme in 
2010.  These included a Consultative Meeting for th e UNESCWA region held in Beirut, Lebanon on 
10-11 January; an ECOWAS regional review meeti ng held in Abuja, Nigeria on 27-28 January;  a 
Technical Workshop on the development of a re gional Aid-for-Trade programme for the UN 
SPECA17 region held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic on 10-11March;  a joint ITC-WTO Seminar on 
"Connecting West African Farmers to the market" in Geneva, Switzerland on 17 March;  the third 
meeting of the Asia-Pacific Regional Technical Group which took place in Tokyo, Japan on 10-
11 May; a UNECA Expert Group meeting and Workshop on Aid for Trade and Africa's trading 
                                                      
15 JOB(09)/87. 
16 JOB(09)/100. 
17 The Special Programme for the Ec onomies of Central Asia (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, 
Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan).   WT/TF/COH/S/15 
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  capacity held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 31 May- 2 June;  an East African Community high-level 
Workshop on Aid for Trade held in Dar es Sala am, Tanzania on 14-15 June; a Central African Aid-
for-Trade preparatory meeting held in Douala, Cameroon on 30 June-1 July;  an Aid-for-Trade 
seminar held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 6 July;  a National seminar on Aid for Trade held in New 
Delhi, India on 19-20 October;  a joint ITC-WTO Expert Roundtable meeting on the "Gender 
Dimension of Aid for Trade" held in Geneva, Switzerland on 25 October; a National seminar on Aid 
for Trade for Viet Nam held in Hanoi, Viet Nam on 8 November, and a Review meeting on Aid for Trade for SPECA countries held in Baku, Azerbaijan on 1-2 December 2010.   
71. Four dedicated thematic workshops were he ld under the auspices of the CTD in 2010:  a 
Workshop on Aid for Trade and Agriculture held on 17 March;  a Workshop on Aid for Trade and 
Development Finance held on 27 May;  a Workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation of Aid for Trade 
held on 19 July; and a Workshop on Aid for Trad e and Mainstreaming held on 26 October. 
72. The Third Global Review of Aid for Trade scheduled for July 2011, and will focus on the 
outcomes and impacts of Aid for Trade.  To sharpe n this focus, the OECD and WTO launched a joint 
call for contributions to the Aid-for-Trade monito ring and evaluation exercise for the Third Global 
Review.  This process was initiated in October 2010 through official letters to partner countries, 
donors, South-South partners, and regional economic  communities inviting them to submit completed 
Aid-for-Trade self-assessment ques tionnaires and case stories on what is, and what is not, working in 
Aid for Trade.  The knowledge generated will in form the next edition of the joint OECD/WTO 
publication Aid for Trade at A Glance which will be reviewed at the Third Global Review. 
73. To assist developing-country Members in prep aring for the Third Global Review, and, in 
particular, in participating in the monitoring and evaluation exercise, a number of regional training 
events were organized by the WTO and the OECD, in collaboration with regional partners.  Events 
were held in Libreville, Gabon from 6-8 October, for Francophone Africa; in Hanoi, Viet Nam from 
9-11 November, for the Asian region; in Johann esburg, South Africa on 16 and 17 November, for 
Anglophone Africa (organized by UNECA); in Qu ito, Ecuador from 30 November-2 December, for 
Latin America; and in Samoa on 9 and 10 December  for the Pacific Region (with the support of the 
Government of Australia).  
74. Coherence activities have been su ccessful in raising the profile of developing-county needs in 
the area of Aid for Trade, and in promoting the case for mainstreaming trade into national 
development strategies.  Responses to the self-a ssessment questionnaire, circulated by OECD and 
WTO prior to the Global Review in 2009, show that developing countries are making progress.  
Seventy-nine out of the 83 respondent countries stated  that they have a national development strategy 
which includes trade objectives.  While the extent of  mainstreaming in respondent countries is open to 
question, the high response rate demonstrates that awareness both of the need to pursue this linkage, 
and of the benefits which can accrue, is growing.   
VII. BROAD INTERNATIONAL COHERENCE: WTO COOPERATION WITH OTHER 
INTERNATIONAL  ORGANIZATIONS 
75. Coherence in global economic policy-making cl early also extends beyond the WTO's formal 
and specific cooperation arrangements with the IMF and the World Bank.  Through its councils and 
committees, the WTO maintains extensive institutional relations with a number of other international 
organizations, and some 140 intern ational organizations have observer status in WTO bodies.  
Similarly, the WTO has observer status in the work  of several international organizations, while the 
Secretariat maintains working relations with al most 200 international organizations in activities 
ranging from statistics, research, standard-setting, an d technical assistance and training.  Although the 
extent of such cooperation varies according to the needs and priorities of Members, coordination and 
coherence between the  WTO and other internationa l organizations generally continue to increase and WT/TF/COH/S/15 
Page 16  
 
  evolve so as to assist Members in achieving coheren ce in their economic policies.  There is also an 
important legal dimension to WTO cooperation with  other international organizations, of which the 
formal "Coherence Mandate" is just one exampl e.  Since WTO Members are bound by all their 
international obligations simultane ously and cumulatively, it is crucial that the interpretation and 
application of the provisions of the WTO take into  account Members' other international rights and 
obligations.  In addition, there are WTO provisions  which explicitly provide that measures complying 
with standards and norms developed in other sp ecific international forum are presumed to be 
compatible with WTO. 
76. The WTO has a cooperation agreement w ith UNCTAD covering matters under their 
respective jurisdictions, including their joint supervisi on of the ITC.  All three organizations have the 
shared objective of advancing the development dimension of trade – especially through supporting 
LDCs in their efforts to better integrate in th e global economy.  The ongoing negotiations under the 
DDA have intensified this cooperation in order to  ensure that the negotiations deliver on their 
development dimension.  The main focus of joint activity includes, among other things, the 
management of the EIF and the Aid-for-Trade initiative.   In addition, the Director-General and Senior 
Management have addressed, and participated actively in, several UNCTAD high-level events in 
2009, including the 56th Session of the Trade and Development Board in September, and other 
UNCTAD's Expert Level Meetings throughout the year. Furthermore, UNCTAD has also attended 
various meetings at the WTO and made useful contributions based on recent studies conducted by 
them on various trade-related issues. 
77. WTO Secretariat staff  have actively particip ated in the multi-agency initiative launched by 
UNCTAD aimed at increasing the transparency of non- tariff measures.  In line with the goals set out 
at their first meeting in July 2006, the Group of Eminent Persons on Non Tariff Barriers had a second 
meeting on 5 November 2009 at UNCTAD headquarters in Geneva. DDG Yerxa, who is a member of 
this group, attended the meeting.  UNCTAD and WTO are preparing a handbook of trade and trade 
policy analysis techniques.  A second draft of th e handbook will be ready before the end of 2010. 
Following a review process, the handbook will be published in 2011. 
78. The WTO Secretariat also maintains regular contacts with the OECD and attends all meetings 
relevant to trade. The OECD has a particularly  important role in the Aid-for-Trade Initiative, 
providing key inputs in the monitoring and evaluation of aid (through the DAC and its Creditor Reporting System).  A Trade and Capacity Building Data Base has also been established by the WTO 
jointly with the OECD to provide information on  trade-related technical assistance and capacity 
building projects.  Covering national as well as regiona l projects on an on-going basis, the data base 
provide an important tool for assess the evolution of aid in this area over time. 
79. At the June 2010 Toronto Summit, the leaders of the Group of Twenty tasked the OECD, the 
ILO, the World Bank and the WTO to  "report on the benefits of trade  liberalisation for employment 
and growth at the Seoul Summit."  In November 2010, the four orga nizations submitted a joint report 
entitled "Seizing the benefits of trade for growth and employment" in fulfilment of this mandate, 
which concluded that open markets play a pivotal ro le in supporting growth and job creation, when 
they are complemented by properly designed domes tic policies, including employment and social 
protection policies to ensure that trade's benefits are widely shared.  The re port also concluded that 
more open trade in goods and services – including through the successful conclusion of the Doha 
Round – can provide a necessary stimulous to the world economy, at a time when temporary stimulous measures are winding down. The report is the product of close collaboration among the four 
organisations, and draws upon the latest research.  
80. The WTO is currently contributing to the In ternational Collaborative Initiative on Trade and 
Employment. This initiative is supported by a number  of leading international organisations (OECD, 
AfDB, ADB, IADB, ILOr, UNCTAD, UN-Economic Commission for Latin America and the  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
 Page 17 
 
 
  Caribbean, World Bank).  It is intended to understa nd better the mechanisms by which trade interacts 
with employment, with a view to promoting dial ogue and developing polic y-relevant conclusions. 
The initiative was launched in  May 2010 and will run through December 2012.  It is expected that the 
project will generate 12 or more thematic papers and more than 16 country studies 
81. As regards health and trade, although the WTO has no formal cooperation agreement with the  
WHO, the latter has observer status in the SPS a nd TBT Committees, and has ad hoc observer status 
in the TRIPS and GATS Councils.  In 2009, there has been on-going collaboration between the two 
Secretariats in the sectors relating to health and SPS measures, and continuing joint efforts to bring 
attention to the need for policy coherence between  trade and health matters at both the global and 
national level.  The WTO Secretariat also undert akes joint activities with the international bodies 
which develop standards for food safety, plant and animal health.  Thus, the FAO/WHO Joint Codex 
Alimentarius Commission, International Plant Pr otection Convention and the World Organization for 
Animal Health have observer status in the SPS Co mmittee, and the WTO participates as an observer 
in the meetings of these bodies.  Cooperation has been further reinforced through the provision of 
scientific evidence in dispute settlement proceedings  of the WTO and through participation in joint 
technical assistance activities, including through the STDF. 
82. As regards the environment and trade, the WTO Secretariat has a cooperation arrangement 
with UNEP extending into areas such as reciprocal  representation at meetings, information-sharing, 
joint research and technical assistance – building on the 2001 Doha Ministerial Declaration's call for the WTO's continued cooperation with UNEP a nd other inter-governmental environmental 
organizations.
18   The WTO Secretariat is an observer of  the Governing Council of UNEP and attends 
annual Council meetings; simila rly, UNEP is an observer of the WTO Committee on Trade and 
Environment (CTE) and is also invited to attend meetings of the Committee on Trade and 
Environment in Special Session (CTESS) on an ad hoc meeting-by-meeting basis.19  There is also 
contact in broader settings: for example, the WTO Secretariat attends meetings of the UN 
Environment Management Group (EMG) on issues such as climate neutrality and green economy.  In 
2009, the WTO Secretariat also continued to co llaborate with the secretariats of multilateral 
environmental agreements (MEAs), a number of which have observer status in the CTE, and has been 
invited to attend meetings of the CTESS on an ad hoc meeting-by-meeting basis.  The WTO Secretariat also cooperates regularly with UNEP and several MEAs in the delivery of technical 
assistance.  The WTO and UNEP also published a join t study on Trade and Climate Change in June 
2009.   
83. As regards broader market access issues, th e WTO cooperates regularly with the World 
Customs Organization (WCO).  WTO staff follow the work in the WCO on the Harmonized System (HS) classification nomenclature, for the work of the Market Access Committee as well as that of the 
ITA Committee
20, particularly in relation to the on-going exercises of transposition from HS 96 to HS 
2002 and from HS 2002 to HS 2007 to keep both Committe es abreast of the latest developments in 
the Harmonised System (HS) Nomenclature.  In the areas of customs valuation and rules of origin, 
WTO staff maintain cooperative relations with the WCO Technical Committees on Rules of Origin 
and Customs Valuation to examine technical questions  with respect to these agreements, as well as to 
provide technical assistance activities. In add ition, WTO reports on the Customs Valuation 
Committee meetings to the Technical Committee on Customs Valuation in WCO, and vice versa.  
With respect to trade fac ilitation, since 2005, WCO officials have participated in practically all WTO 
regional technical assistance activities.  In additio n, the WCO is assisting with the execution of a 
                                                      
18 Doha Ministerial Declaration (WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1), adopted on 14 November 2001; para. 6. 
19 UNEP is also invited to attend meetings of the Committee on Trade and Development on an ad-hoc 
meeting-by-meeting basis and has pending requests for observer status in the General Council and TRIPS Council. 
20 Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products.  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
Page 18  
 
  comprehensive needs assessment programme, jointly designed and implemented by the WTO 
Secretariat and the so-called "Annex D" orga nizations (IMF, World Bank, OECD, WCO and 
UNCTAD). WCO officials regularly attend the meetings of the Negotiating Group on Trade 
Facilitation. 
84. As regards trade in services, the WTO coope rates regularly with the International 
Telecommunication Union (ITU) – based the mandate provided by the GATS and on a formal 
cooperation agreement signed in 2000.  The two orga nizations participate as observers in each other's 
meetings and collaborate at the staff level on activ ities such as research, publications, conferences and 
workshops.  Although there is no formal coopera tion agreement between the WTO and the World 
Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in 2006 UNWTO wa s granted and hoc observer status in the 
Council for Trade in Services (CTS) and the two orga nizations work closely together to coordinate 
positions on tourism-related trade policy issues, including presentations by WTO staff at UNWTO functions, and the review of doc uments and publications.  The Universal Postal Union (UPU) was 
also granted ad hoc observer status in 2006 in the CTS, and it invites the WTO Secretariat to 
participate in its meetings, both formal and inform al, and to consult regularly on matters of shared 
interest, including on Aid-for-Trade. The Secretariat has also developed a useful working relationship 
with the Energy Charter Secretariat allowing for a regular exchange of information on trade and 
energy issues.  The WTO Secretariat was invite d on various occasions to attend meetings (Expert 
Meeting on Electricity, Trade & Transit Group) and briefed participants on relevant energy-related 
WTO issues, in particular services. 
85. Over the past two years, the WTO Secretar iat prepared a range of Background Notes to 
stimulate the discussion in the CTS on trade-related developments in individual service sectors, to 
which a variety of competent international organiza tions contributed, including the Energy Charter 
Secretariat, International Accounting Standards Bo ard (IASB), International Bar Association (IBA), 
International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), In ternational Organization for Migration (IOM), the 
ITU, the International Union of Architects (UIA), the OECD, United Nations Economic Commission 
for Europe (ECE), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) , 
United Postal Union (UPU), and UNWTO. In turn , WTO Secretariat members assisted the OECD 
Secretariat and Expert Groups in the formulati on of a novel Services Trade Restrictiveness Index 
(STRI).   In addition, there has been close colla boration between OECD and the WTO Secretariat on 
studies dealing with high mobile roaming charges and the potential trade implications.  In various 
transport-related areas, the Secretariat and th e World Bank are cooperating to compile data on 
relevant regulatory regimes. The purpose is to establish indicators that would reflect the 
restrictiveness of these regimes and could be used for an econometric assessment of their impact on 
international transport flows. 
86. Discussions in the Committee on Trade in Financial Services (CTFS) benefited from active 
cooperation with the IMF, the OECD, and compet ent standard-setting organizations. Apart from 
providing information on their activities, particular ly in the context of the financial crisis, these 
organizations contributed to special events w ithin the Committee's remit. In June 2010, the 
International Association of Insurance Supervisor s (IAIS) participated in a seminar on trade in non-
life insurance services; while the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the Financial Stability 
Board (FSB), the IMF, and the OECD made presentations at a dedicated discussion on trade in financial services and the financial crisis. Also, the WTO Secretariat cooperated actively with the 
IMF, including through ad-hoc seminars and presenta tions, in the drafting of a Reference Note on 
trade in financial services for IMF purposes.  The Note, which had been requested by the IMF 
Executive Board, addresses trade policy issues in fina ncial services and their linkages to capital flows 
and prudential regulation under the GATS.  It is in tended to help inform the advice that IMF country 
teams provide on such issues, with a view to ma intaining policy coherence in an area of common 
interest to both organizations.  WT/TF/COH/S/15 
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  87. In the field of intellectual property, the WTO has a cooperation agreement with the World 
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) – as ca lled for by the TRIPS Agreement.  Periodic 
meetings between the two Secretariats were held throughout 2009 and 2010, with a particular focus 
on technical cooperation.  The WTO continued to be  invited as an observer to WIPO meetings and 
WIPO has attended (as observer) meetings of regul ar WTO bodies in which they have an interest, 
notably the TRIPS Council and the General Council.  The Secretariat also cooperates closely with the 
WHO on public health-related intellectual property ma tters, including by participating as observers in 
the WHO Intergovernmental Group on Public Health , Innovation and Intellectual Property and in the 
WHO IMPACT initiative (International Medical Pro ducts Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force), as well as 
in the field of technical cooperation.  The WTO S ecretariat also cooperates with a range of other 
intergovernmental organizations in the field of  intellectual property, including the CBD, UNCTAD, 
UPOV, WCO and the World Bank, as well as some regional organizations such as ARIPO (African 
Regional Intellectual Property Organization) and OAPI (Organisation Africaine de la Propriété 
Intellectuelle).  
88. In conjunction with the WHO and WIPO, the WTO organized a symposium on 16 July 2010 
to take a closer, factual look at a range of issues affecting how poorer populations can obtain the 
medicines they need.  This followed a day-lo ng technical symposium on “Access to Medicines: 
Pricing and Procurement Practices” at the WTO, wh ich heard international agencies describe their 
experiences and the amount of information that is now  available to them. The three organizations feel 
they are now well placed to continue to work toge ther closely to harvest information about access to 
medicines and to support well-informed policymaking on this pressing question.  
89. With respect to labour issues, WTO Secretariat attended meetings of the ILO's Working Party 
on the Social Dimension of Globalization and other IL O initiatives.  The last few year have seen an 
increase in collaborative research between the WT O's Economic Research and Statistics Division and 
the ILO's Institute for Labour Studies on the issue of the relationship between  trade and employment. 
In 2009, the WTO and the ILO published a joint report on trade and the informal sector – and it is 
envisaged that further common work  will be expanded in the future. 
90. Another project under the joint ILO/WTO resear ch programme, which was launched in the 
fall of 2009 is a co-publication on "Making globalizati on socially sustainable". This edited volume, 
which will include 9 chapters by leading academic  experts in trade and labour markets, will be 
published in October 2011. Summaries of the first dr aft of the chapters were circulated in October 
2010. The project is funded by the Internati onal Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation. 
91. With a view to assisting Members' global economic policies, the WTO Secretariat maintains 
contact – and cooperates regularly – with the Unit ed Nations, its agencies, and its programmes in 
activities ranging from statistics and research, to standard-setting and technical assistance and training.  The exchange of information on matters of  mutual interest is also part of this regular 
cooperation.  During 2009, the WTO Secretariat pursued technical exchanges with several 
international organizations, including with UNDP , UNIDO, various UN Regional Commissions and 
Regional Development Banks, with a particularly in tense cooperation taking place in the context of 
the Aid-for-Trade Initiative. The WTO Secretariat also co-organized a wo rkshop on "Emerging trade 
measures in timber markets" with UNECE/FAO's timbe r section.  The workshop, which took place in 
Geneva on March 23, 2010, provided a unique oppor tunity to discuss the economic effect of policy 
responses to environmental challenges. 
92. The WTO Secretariat participates in many ac tivities organized by the United Nations, its 
agencies and its programmes.  During 2008 the Direct or-General attended meetings of the UN Chief 
Executive's Board, and the WTO Secretariat was repre sented at senior level in the Board's subsidiary 
bodies as well as in coordination meetings of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).  The Director-General and members of senior manageme nt participated in the UN-sponsored Follow-up WT/TF/COH/S/15 
Page 20  
 
  International Conference on Financing for Deve lopment in Doha, Qatar, on 29 November 2008, 
where he urged participants to "send a signal of urgency in delivering on trade and on aid".  The WTO 
is increasingly involved in on-going efforts to promote and monitor progress in achieving the 
Millennium Developments Goals (MDGs).  As in prev ious years, the WTO Secretariat contributed to 
the drafting and preparation of the UNDP's annua l MDG Gap Task Force Report – which integrates 
the work of more than 20 UN agencies aimed at pr oviding systemic and analytical information on the 
gaps between the agreed MDGs and their realizatio n to date. The WTO's main contribution is related 
to the achievement of MDG-8 concerning the creatio n of a global partnership for development. MDG-
8 includes as one of its targets to "develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-
discriminatory trading and financial system".  The 2010 MDG Gap Task Force Report, which was 
distributed at the UN High Level MDG Summit in Sept ember, looked at the needs gaps in areas such 
as aid, trade, debt, medicines a nd technology as well as the role of trade and trade liberalization in 
realizing the MDGs. 
93. Meetings were also held in 2009-10 with bilate ral donors and partner organizations to discuss 
how to best to enhance the coordination of TR TA programmes  One outcome was the decision to 
establish the Global Trade Related Technical Assist ance Database (GTAD) – a web-based portal for 
exchanging and sharing of information on the future execution of TRTA activities.  Its aim is to build 
synergies, strengthen and deepen relations with part ners, and enhance efficiency in the global delivery 
of TRTA.  Well planned, targeted  and coordinated deliv ery of TRTA activities will not only assist 
resource-constrained Members to adjust to WTO rules and disciplines, implement obligations and 
exercise the rights of the Membership, but will also support domestic efforts to mainstream trade into 
national plans for economic development and stra tegies for poverty reduction. The GTAD became 
fully operational in November 2010,and is available to the public on the Internet at http://gtad.wto.org, as well as through the WTO trade capacity-building web pages.   
94. In the context of the implementation of WTO Agreements and of the Doha Work Programme, 
the WTO also cooperates on an ad hoc basis with  a large number of other intergovernmental 
organizations, including many regional bodies.  Deve lopment is core to the current Doha Round and 
there is a growing recognition that part of the cha llenge lies in better cooperation and coordination of 
all international actors involved in trade-re lated activities.  In this context, the  
Director-General frequently met – or corresponded  –  with the Heads of the IADB, the AfDB, the 
ADB, the Islamic Development Bank, the EBRD, be it for Aid-for-Trade, cotton issues, trade finance, 
or other development issues.   
95. A strong multilateral trading system is vitally im portant part of an emerging system of global 
governance, where trade, finance, development and many other policies are increasingly intertwined.  
The WTO has maintained its efforts to ensure in ternational coherence so that we can translate 
improvements in market access or in new trade discip lines into realities, in particular, for developing 
countries. The WTO is ready to lend its experience  and resources to strategic re-thinking about the 
architecture of global cooperation.  The process started under the G-20 strongly suggests that global 
governance after the crisis will no longer be the same as the pre-crisis, post-World War II model.  The 
debate launched on representati on and the governance of some inter-governmental organizations, 
issues regarding the efficiency of global economic surveillance, and the treatment of gaps in the 
international architecture is only beginning.  It is  to be hoped that these discussions will result in a 
different, more inclusive, better integrated and better coordinated international system.  
 
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