WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/W/174 
10 June 2010 
 (10-3162) 
Committee on Trade and Development  
 
 
 
     
 
    
 
 
TECHNICAL COOPERATION AUDIT 
REPORT FOR 2009 
 
Note by the Secretariat
 
 
 
 
    
 
  WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
  
I.
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................4  
II. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... .5 
III. AUDIT METHODOLOGY......................................................................................................5  
IV. PRIOR-YEAR RECOMMENDATIONS ...............................................................................6  
A. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS ...............................................................................................6  
B. ACTIVITY -SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS ...............................................................................8  
V. MAIN OTHER FINDINGS ...................................................................................................10  
A. TA EFFECTS AND IMPACT .......................................................................................................10  
B. BTOR S............................................................................................................................... ......11  
C. TRAINEE AND INTERNSHIP PROGRAMMES ............................................................................11  
VI. MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................................13  
ANNEX 1:  ON-SITE EVALUATIONS CAR RIED OUT BY TCA IN 2009.................................14  
ANNEX 2:  LIST OF PAST TCA MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................15  
ANNEX 3:  STATISTICS ON WTO TA 2003 - 2009.......................................................................17   WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  ACRONYMS 
 
ACP  African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States 
AFT  Aid for Trade AGSD  Administration and General Services Division 
ALADI  Latin American Integration Association 
BTOR  Back to Office Report CARICOM Caribbean Community and Common Market CEECAC Central & Eastern European Central Asian and Caucasian Countries DDA  Doha Development Agenda 
DTIS  Diagnostic Trade Integration Study 
GRULAC Group of Latin American and the Caribbean Countries GTF  Global Trust Fund (synonym of DDAGTF) HRD  Human Resources Division IDLO  International Deve lopment Law Organization 
IsDB  Islamic Development Bank 
ITTC  Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation LDC  Least-Developed Country MIP  Missions Intern Programme NAMA  Non-Agricultural Market Access NTP  Netherlands Trainee Programme 
PEF  Participant's Evaluation Form 
RCI  Regional Coordinator Intern Programme RTPC  Regional Trade Policy Course RFC  Reference Centre SAARC South Asian Associa tion for Regional Cooperation 
SPS  Sanitary and Phytosanitary (measures) 
TA  Technical Assistance (includes worksh op, seminars, courses, conferences, etc.) 
TBT  Technical Barriers to Trade TCA  Technical Cooperation Audit Unit ToT  Training of Trainers TPC  Trade Policy Course 
TPR  Trade Policy Review 
UNCTAD United Nations Conferen ce on Trade and Development 
UNDP  United Nations Development Programme WTO  World Trade Organization WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
1. The Technical Cooperation Audit Report for 2009 focuses on three aspects:  a follow-up on 
prior year recommendations, an ex-post evaluation of the long-term internship programmes and the 
effects and impact for Members of the technical assistance received from WTO over the years. 
2. Year 2009 saw the implementation of a numbe r of prior year recommendations on the 
management of TA activities and performance m easurement.  While welcoming the progress made 
and encouraging its reinforcement, TCA also need s to repeat and reinforce past recommendations 
related to the ever-increasing pressure on quantity of activities. 
3. Long-term internship programmes have been found to fulfil their main capacity building 
objectives and to operate to the satisfaction of bene ficiary countries.  Some managerial adjustments 
are suggested to help improve access to the programmes of potential beneficiary countries. 
4. The initial analysis of the TA provided by the WTO over the years in a limited number of 
countries showed some very positive effects and imp act, in particular on their involvement in the 
DDA negotiations, but more time is needed before  the evidence collected can be considered as 
sufficiently representative. 
5. TCA is issuing a limited number of  new recommendations this year.  They relate to the need 
to define each of the three layers of progressive learning, to upgrade the e-training platform and 
resources and to reorganise the financin g of the Mission Intern Programme.  WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  II. INTRODUCTION 
6. The Technical Cooperation Audit (TCA) Report for 2009 follows in the footsteps of the 
transformation undergone by the report last year.1  To make it even more reader-friendly, it has been 
shortened further, and a new section on Technical Assistance (TA) effects and impact for Members and Observers has been added to help Members better understand the overall performance of the 
WTO when delivering TA activities.  The report star ts with a short reminder of the methodology used 
by the evaluators.  A section on prior-year reco mmendations discusses their implementation in 2009.  
TCA's main other findings in 2009 come next, be fore a section on conclusions and recommendations. 
7. For the sake of concision, the facts presented by the Secretariat in its report on the 
implementation of the technical assistance and tr aining plan have not been repeated here.
2  It has been 
assumed that Members were already acquainted with them. 
III. AUDIT METHODOLOGY 
8. This report is based on a compilation and analysis of several types of information:  comments 
gathered through interviews of government officials,  documents and responses to questionnaires that 
were available to TCA about the various TA activities organized by the WTO in 2009: 
(a) Interviews  of government officials, based either in the capitals or in Geneva, provided 
invaluable information on the effects a nd impact of WTO TA in the countries 
concerned, especially about the various internship programmes which received a 
particular attention in 2009. 
(b) Back-to-Office Reports  (BTORs) prepared by the WTO officers in charge of the 
activity.  BTORs have a standardized form at and content identifying the objectives of 
the activity and performance indicators in term s of effectiveness and efficiency.  They 
should take into account the Evaluation Forms (see (c)) filled by the participants, but 
constitute essentially an auto-evaluation.  They generally contain recommendations 
for improvement.  One hundred and sixty-four BTORs have been produced in 2009 (i.e. for 63 per cent of the activities). 
(c) Memoranda  prepared by the WTO officers in ch arge of the activity.  The main 
difference with BTORs is that the format and content of such memos is not standardized.  They tend to be shorter and do not necessarily address all the issues 
found in BTORs.  Memos are used when the standardized format of the BTOR would not be appropriated, due to the specificities of the activity.  Memos too are an auto-
evaluation.  Thirty-five such Memos have been made available to TCA in 2009 (i.e. 
for 13 per cent of the activities). 
(d) Participant's Evaluation Forms  (PEFs) completed by participants at the end of many 
activities.  PEFs ask participants to rate  a series of items from 1 (bad) to 5 (very 
good), such as achievement of the objectives, quality of the activity, level of knowledge prior and after the activity, etc.  Participants can add comments to their 
responses. 
(e) Questionnaires  designed on an ad-hoc basis to conduct the ex-post evaluation of 
Internship programmes.  Specific questi onnaires were sent to interns, other 
beneficiary country officials and the WTO Management Teams. 
                                                     
 
1  See document WT/COMTD/W/169/Rev.1. 
2  See document WT/COMTD/W/173. WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  9. The analysis of these documents was complement ed by field visits to a small sample of 
activities.  During these visits, the evaluators observe d the activity and interviewed the participants.  
They also organized a final evaluation session in which participants were  asked for improvement 
suggestions.  TCA performed tw elve field visits in 2009.
3 
10. Whenever necessary or useful, the evaluators also discussed with the various Secretariat 
officers involved in the organization or delivery of an activity. 
11. To prepare the section on the implementation of prior-year recommendations, TCA has 
conducted a series of thirty interviews with divisi onal focal points for technical assistance, regional 
desk officers and those responsible for specific programmes. 
IV. PRIOR-YEAR RECOMMENDATIONS 
12. The 2008 Report reviewed in detail progress in the implementation of past TCA 
recommendations concerning the TA activities of the WTO since 2001.4  This section will focus on 
the most significant evolutions detected in 2009 a nd on the additional recommendations formulated in 
last year's Report. 
A. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS  
1. Management of TA Activities 
13. Promote cross-fertilisation amongst trainers :  A new task force gathering regional desks, 
divisional TA focal points and the coordinators of  the various TA programmes has met every month 
in 2009.  In each meeting, on a rotating basis, one division has reported about its TA experience and the lessons learned. 
14. Respect WTO reporting guidelines :  As a result of the particular  attention paid in 2009 by 
TCA to the issuance of BTORs and their content ( see section V.B. below), the availability of a report 
on each and every activity became more systematic in  2009.  This is a very significant improvement, 
in particular for programmes such as RTPCs.  The average quality of BTORs also improved 
noticeably during the year, as the attention of trainers was progressively drawn to certain shortcomings of past reports.  Further progr ess is expected in th is domain in 2010. 
15. Modify the current planning me thod for regional activities :  The most significant 
evolution in 2009 was the initiation of consultations with regional gr oupings for the preparation of the 
2010-11 TA Plan, in order to gather their views on th e main needs and priorities of their members.  
Whilst this initiative is a welcome first step to wards more demand-driven and less supply-driven 
regional activities, this did not prove sufficient yet to  change mentalities.  The resulting Plan is similar 
to previous ones, as most beneficiary countries ke pt asking for a coverage of all subjects over the 
biennium.  Further work on prioritisation is required. 
16. Transform regional desks :  As explained in document WT/COMTD/W/173, some changes 
have been made to the operation of regional desk s to increase their interaction with beneficiary 
countries, in particular concerning the specificity of the TA needs of the countries of the region. 
                                                     
 
3  See list attached as Annex 1. 
4  See list of past recommendations attached as Annex 2.  WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  2. Promotion of Quality over Quantity 
17. Assess Members' needs beforehand :  The introduction in June 2009 of a standard 
questionnaire to be filled by countries on a volun tary basis when requesting a national activity 
produced mixed results.  The questionnaire seeks to identify, inter alia , the origin of the request 
(needs assessment, TPR, DTIS, etc.), objectives to be  pursued by the activity and target audience 
(government officials, private sector, etc. with an i ndication of their level of expertise in the domain).  
After its introduction, it was not used at all (with one exception) by African and Arab countries, was always used by Caribbean (with one exception) and Latin American countries, and was used on 
average in a quarter of the cases in the other regions.  As a result, it is too early to observe any effect 
on the design and quality of the activities concerned. 
18. Reduce the number of activities and, hence, prioritize :  No significant change has been 
noticed in the number of activities.
5  The table in Annex 3, shows th at the total number of national and 
regional activities organised by the Secretariat went down by 5 per cent in 2009 from a total of 382 in 2008 to 362 in 2009.  TCA nevertheless notes si gnificant variations in the 2009 product mix 
compared to 2008, as the number of national activities went down by 20 per cent on average, mainly 
due to a 40 per cent reduction in Africa, whilst th e number of regional activities increased by 20 per 
cent (+87 per cent in Asia, Pacific and Middle East, +37 per cent in Africa and -35 per cent in Latin America). 
19. Limit the number of participants (30 max) :  The statistics on the average number of 
participants in regional activities (see Annex 3) sh ow that the growth of the average number of 
participants per activity accelerated in 2009 to  reach 31.2 (+ 25 per cent compared to 2008), 
exceeding for the first time the limit of 30.  The stan dard deviation from this average also increased 
significantly (+ 50 per cent), which means that the nu mber of activities in which the total number of 
participants was above the limit has also increased significantly. 
20. Lengthen the duration of activities (full weeks) :  TCA has collected statistics on the 
average duration of activities since 2002 (see Anne x 3).  The progressive increase in the average 
duration of national activities between 2002 and 2 008 was unfortunately reversed in 2009.  The 
average duration of regional activities decreased in 2009.  The average duration of both national 
(2.67 days) and regional activities (3.14 days) in 2009 was the shortest of the last eight years.  The insufficient duration of WTO activities is the criticis m most frequently voiced by participants.  This 
leads to an insufficient coverage of certain parts of the programme and limits the use of interactive 
training methods designed to maximise the acquis ition of knowledge and skills by participants. 
3. Improvement of Delivery 
21. More interactive training methods (mo re exercises, case studies, quizzes, etc.) :  New 
indicators were introduced in the BTORs after th e summer break to measure the share of the 
programme of each activity dedicated to lectures, ex ercises, case studies, etc.  It is too early to 
measure any evolution in this domain, however. 
22. Improve training skills (training of trainers – ToT) :  A new programme of ToT was 
developed in 2009 and is being offe red to trainers in 2010, still on a voluntary basis.  The programme 
offers two different levels of training,  which is a worthwhile improvement. 
                                                     
 
5  See explanation at the beginning of section II in document WT/COMTD/W/173. WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  4. Performance Measurement 
23. Define objectives, performance indicators, evaluation methods :  As announced in last 
year's report, TCA paid more attention to these elem ents in 2009 (see section V.B below).  Significant 
progress was observed on the proper defin ition of objectives for each TA activity.
6  Progress remained 
limited on performance measurements.  A set of st andard performance indicators based on knowledge 
acquired should be defined for the use of trainers. 
24. Use TCA's services to assist in their formulation :  Further to the systematic comments on 
BTORs, a growing number of trainers have calle d upon TCA to assist them in the formulation of 
objectives, the identification of indicators or the design of an appropriate evaluation methodology.  TCA has also been asked regularly to conduct ev aluation sessions at the end of activities held in 
Geneva.  Whilst the impact this had on the activities concerned is difficult to measure, this certainly 
contributes to the promotion of best practice in the Secretariat. 
25. Measure the impact of the activities and analyse performance in this light :  In 2009, TCA 
continued to measure the impact of specific pr ogrammes through ex-post evaluations (see section V.C 
below).  It also took the opportunity of its field vi sits to interview the government officials responsible 
for WTO matters of the host country in order to assess their perception of the effects and impact of the 
TA extended by the WTO to their country over the past years.  This provided some empirical evidence of impact at a more general level th an the programme by programme approach (see 
section V.A below), whilst at the same time avoi ding a recourse to an additional questionnaire. 
26. Insert new indicators in the BTORs :  The BTOR form and Participant Evaluation Form 
(PEF) were reviewed in 2009.  This led to thei r simplification, as elements which had not proved 
particularly useful in the past were eliminated.  New indicators – in particular on interactive training 
methods – were inserted and should help measure the evolution of quality in the future.  The 
introduction of machine readable PEFs to produce precise statistics on participants' opinion should 
become operational mid-2010. 
B. A
CTIVITY -SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS  
1. WTO Reference Centres (RFCs) 
27. A new strategy for RFCs was adopted at the end of 2009, as part of the 2010-11 TA Plan.7  
By and large, the new strategy responds to the main recommendations formulated by TCA in 2007.  Implementation already started in 2009 with the negotiation of a framework agreement with UNDP 
and the installation of two new RFCs for Tanzania  and the African Union.  Responsibility for RFCs 
has been taken over by regional desks.  The RF C Unit coordinates the implementation of the new 
strategy and will organise traini ngs on information management. 
28. Out of the 153 RFCs installed since 1997, 89 are operational today.  The Secretariat is now 
busy increasing the value it provides to RFC coordi nators:  initiatives have been taken to create 
networking opportunities amongst them and with the Secretariat;  RFC c oordinators are invited to all 
TA activities held in the country;  every other year, they will be invited for a week in Geneva for a 
specific training on information management.  Long-term WTO trainees and interns also receive 
training in this domain during their stay in Geneva .  The use of RFCs to follow e-training programmes 
is highly encouraged. 
                                                     
 
6  Properly formulated objectives focus on the changes the activity is supposed to generate for 
participants, and not on what will be performed or supplied. 
7  See document WT/COMTD/W/170, Annex 2.  WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  2. e-Training 
29. Last year's Report noted that evolutions in e-training since 2006 had gone well beyond TCA 
past recommendations, making it one of the most dynamic elements in WTO offer of TA activities.  
This trend continued in 2009, but at a somewhat sl ower pace, as the team in charge of e-training was 
reduced, which brought certain projects to a halt (e.g . development of self-training tools).  Two new 
courses on Services and e-WTO (advanced course equiva lent to RTPCs) were launched, and courses 
combining the first two levels of progressive lear ning in one single eight-week course were also 
offered (services and TBT/SPS). 
30. In many respects, e-training has now become vict im of its own success.  As basic e-training is 
progressively becoming a prerequisite to participate in other TA activities, bo ttlenecks have emerged.  
The programme of e-training courses has been pla nned in 2010 according to the needs of other 
activities using it as a prerequisite, which should mi nimise the need for time consuming ad-hoc 
sessions.  However, e-training may only respond to approximately half the demand for English and 
Spanish e-courses at the moment.  Rising to this ch allenge would require a change of platform (the 
current one is ten years old) and additional staff.  Current gaps in the thema tic coverage of e-training 
would also have to be plugged (modules on ma rket access, NAMA, trade and environment and 
customs issues are still missing). 
3. Trade Facilitation Self Assessments of Needs and Priorities 
31. The programme continued in 2009.  Thirty-four  new countries were covered, which brought 
the total up to 88.  The future pace will now be  much slower, as the programme progressively deals 
with the countries facing the greatest difficulties.  This does not make the scheduling of the national 
workshops any easier.  Efforts were made throu gh extra preparatory work, in partnership with 
UNCTAD for example, to beef up the participation of the private sector in the national workshops.  
This led to some progress, but this aspect neverthel ess remained a problem.  Progress was also limited 
on holding high level meetings with the government prior to their national workshop in order to 
secure an appropriate level of political support for the national process and increase its visibility, as 
WTO efforts met with some resistance. 
32. The Secretariat is now reporting in writing to the Committee once a year on the 
implementation of the programme, as having each c ountry report orally on domestic developments 
was taking a disproportionate amount of time during meetings.  The effects of the programme are already visible in the negotiations:  many more Members are now actively involved and contribute to 
the substantive discussions. 
33. It is expected that the current programme  will reach completion by mid-2010.  As a 
follow-up, a new phase of one-week regional seminars  will be implemented afterwards, mainly for 
LDCs and Africa.  These will consist of study t ours in places where the proposals currently negotiated 
actually work, to show beneficiary countries how they were implemented, discuss potential 
difficulties, etc. 
4. Regional Trade Policy Courses (RTPCs) 
34. A number of significant improvements were intr oduced to the management of RTPCs.  First 
and foremost, reporting on RTPCs – an acute shortc oming in the past – has now become systematic 
and provides an appropriate level of transparency on  this important project.  This helped make the 
other changes introduced in 2009 all the more visible. 
35. 
The terms of reference of the project were realigne d with what had always been its sole focus:  
organising and delivering three-month trade policy co urses in the regions.  As a result, the so-called WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  Phase II of the project has been discontinued.
8  This led to more focussed and clearer objectives for 
the project. 
36. The preparatory workshops have been recast.  Briefings on WTO and the DDA now represent 
just half of the programme of the workshop.  New elements on co-lecturing and for the joint 
preparation of the various modules of the course between regional and WTO trainers have been 
introduced, making the workshops more of a preparator y event for the course than in the past.  Further 
adjustments in this domain could usefully reinfor ce and consolidate this positive evolution, however.9 
37. The programme of the courses has seen significan t modifications, ahead of the introduction of 
the progressive learning approach in which RTPCs became the intermediate level of WTO training.  Overall, these changes were well re ceived by participants.  Further adjustments might still be needed, 
however, to eliminate duplications and give a greater  coherence to the programme of the courses.  In 
the absence of any definitive benchmarking for each of the three levels of progressive learning for the 
moment, the programme of the course should remain work in progress. 
V. MAIN OTHER FINDINGS 
A. TA
 EFFECTS AND IMPACT  
38. On the occasion of its field visits, TCA interviewed representatives of six Members on the 
effects and impact for them of the TA they had received from WTO over the past five years.10  These 
interviews were guided by a standa rd list of questions trying to measure the impact for the officials 
who participated in the activities, for the teams to wh ich they belonged and for the country as a whole.  
A list of the officials of the country who particip ated in WTO activities since 2005 was provided to 
the authorities in advance to guide the discussion. 
39. Whilst the anecdotal evidence gathered during these interviews cannot be considered as 
representative at this stage, especially given the contrasts between national situations, it provides a 
very valuable insight into the concrete results produ ced.  It also led to the formulation of interesting 
suggestions on how to improve WTO TA in the future. 
1. Main Findings 
(a) Governments are generally hi ghly satisfied with the assistance received from WTO, 
which they perceive as useful and of good quality, especially the three-month trade policy courses. 
(b) The most visible effect or impact of  WTO TA activities has been an increased 
involvement of beneficiaries in various WTO negotiations. 
(c) Better compliance with Members' WTO obligations was also mentioned as an 
important effect, even if significant varia tions remain according to the areas or the 
Members concerned. 
(d) TA activities have also helped improve th e internal organisation and capabilities of 
the governments to deal with  WTO matters, although staff turn-over remained a real 
challenge in certain Members. 
                                                     
 
8  This aspect is now covered under the WTO Chair Programme. 
9  Such improvements could incl ude the preparation of guidelines on what is meant by "regional 
dimension" and measurement of acquired knowledge, encouraging the joint-development by regional trainers and divisions of exercises and case studies, etc. 
10  Argentina, Botswana, China,  Egypt, Lesotho and Uruguay.  WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  (e) The formulation and implementation of a coherent development-enhancing trade 
policy remained frequently a challenge on which WTO TA had a limited impact. 
2. Suggestions 
(a) An early clarification of the requirements to participate in specific activities (e.g. 
prerequisites) would help national admi nistration identify the most appropriate 
participants and plan the training of their staff over the years. 
(b) A need to train trade policy experts (as oppo sed to subject specialists) was mentioned. 
B. BTOR S 
40. A back-to-office-report (BTOR) prepared by th e trainers who organised and delivered a TA 
activity is the main instrument through which WTO TA activities are evaluated.  At the request of 
senior management, TCA focussed more specifically in 2009 on the quality of such internal reporting.  
Making sure that such auto-evaluations is indeed  always available and properly documented – which 
was far from being the case in the past – was one of the priorities of the year. 
41. This led to several types of actions:  de tailed written comments were sent by TCA to the 
authors of the BTOR when certain aspects of the evaluation were not adequately presented or 
documented;  a synthesis of TCA's comments was prepared on a quarterly basis and sent to senior 
management.  The quarterly reports contained a list of the missing repor ts and an analysis of the main 
shortcomings identified in the reports.  As expl ained in section IV.A.4 above, the BTOR form was 
also revised to make it simpler to use and in corporate new indicators (e.g. on interactivity). 
42. The most visible effect of the attention paid  to reporting was an increase in the number of 
reports produced.  Compared to 2008, the volume of BTORs produced increased by 20 per cent.  In 
2009, missing reports were reduced to 9 per cent of the activities, instead of a third on average in 
previous years.  An absence of report on a TA  activity has now become more of an exception. 
43. From a qualitative point of view, limited progress was noted on specific aspects of the reports, 
in particular on the proper formulation of objectiv es.  However, there can be a significant delay 
between TCA's comments on a BTOR and their implem entation, since one has to wait for the next 
activity organised by the same trainer. 
C. TRAINEE AND INTERNSHIP PROGRAMMES  
44. WTO has three main internship  programmes:  the Netherlands Trainee Programme (NTP), the 
Mission Internship Programme (MIP) and the Regiona l Coordinator Internship Programme (RCI).  
All three are under the operational responsibility of ITTC.  HRD and AGSD provide administrative 
support. 
45. The aim of the NTP is to assist in the economic  and social developmen t of LDCs, low income 
countries and poor small and vulnerable economies in  areas related to trade policy and to provide 
essentially junior public officials with an opportunity  to learn about matters dealt with in the WTO, 
under the direction of staff members of the Secretariat. 
46. The purpose of the MIP is to post interns in missi ons in Geneva with the aim of:  a) enhancing 
their knowledge and understanding of the multilateral trading system a nd of trade policy in general, 
b) strengthening their understanding of the negotiatio n process at the WTO, and c) supporting a more 
active participation of the mission in the daily activities at the WTO. WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  47. Under the WTO Regional Coordinator Internsh ip Programme, the mission of the country 
holding the rotating coordinatorship of each of nine designated groups is eligib le to have an intern, 
paid by the WTO, for a period of six months, in principle without extension.  The missions who can apply are those in charge of the coordination of the following groups:  ACP, WTO African Group, CARICOM, GRULAC, SAARC, WTO LDCs’ Consu ltative Group, Informal Group of Developing 
Countries, Arab Group and Pacific Islands Forum. 
48. Trainee and internship programmes have been a constant feature of WTO technical assistance 
for a number of years.  To date, the effects and impacts of such programmes have never been assessed.  The evaluation focused on a) whether the programmes have met their stated objectives;  
b) the selection processes of trainees and interns;  and c) the funding mechanisms of the programmes 
and their adequacy to support the stated objectives.   It was conducted during the second half of 2009, 
at the request of Senior Management.  The evaluation covered the period 2006-2009, including 
participants who joined the programmes in 2005 and finished it in 2006. 
1. Summary of Conclusions 
(a) All three programmes are very valuable cap acity building instruments, which have 
met their objectives over the years. 
(b) Missions of beneficiary countries consider that the MIP and RCI programme are the 
most useful capacity building activities of the WTO, especially if combined with a 
three-month trade policy course.  They have an immediate and measurable impact on the capacity of Geneva missions. 
(c) The WTO-related knowledge and skills of trai nees and interns have been significantly 
enhanced.  The improved human capacity so  created has been well exploited by 
beneficiary countries. 
(d) The rules and procedures appli cable for the selection of candidates have been refined 
over the years and are applied rigorously.  They have produced good results. 
(e) The funding of the NTP and RCI programme are adequate to fulfil their objectives.  
The recent enlargement of the RCI should re inforce this.  On the contrary, the MIP 
has occasionally suffered from under funding which, at times, prevented it from responding to the needs of many small missions in Geneva. 
(f) Certain shortcomings in the management and administration of the programmes have 
been identified and should be remedied, in particular to improve the access to the programmes of all the countries which should benefit from them. 
2. Summary of Recommendations 
(a) The eligibility criteria of countries for the MIP should be revised.  The needs of 
eligible countries should then be assessed.  The MIP should be funded fully from the 
GTF in order to respond to these needs. 
(b) The support offered under the RCI programme should be enhanced and restricted to 
country missions acting as group coordinator for a limited period of time.  Groups' 
Geneva-based secretariats should ra ther be covered under the MIP. 
(c) Synergies between these programmes and other TA activities (e.g. three-month 
courses) should be developed in the contex t of the progressive learning strategy in  WT/COMTD/W/174 
 Page 13 
 
 
  order to allow beneficiary countries to plan the development of their human resources 
on a longer-term basis. 
(d) For MIP and NTP internship programmes, improve the information to eligible 
countries through an annual invitation to nominate candidates.  Efforts should be made to enlarge their coverage. 
(e) A larger number of divisions in the Secretar iat should host NTPs.  This should lead to 
a better supervision of trainees and the fulfilment of their objectives.  The Secretariat should also get more involved in monitoring interns posted at the missions. 
(f) The administration of data about the progr ammes should be improved.  Reporting on 
the programmes' performance should be more systematic. 
VI. MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS 
49. Recommendation 1: Efforts should be renewed to reduce the ever-growing number of 
activities in order to align them with the human and financial resources available.  Their duration 
should be extended to make room for more interac tive training methods and a fuller coverage of their 
agenda.  The size of the audience should also be kept under control. 
50. Recommendation 2:  As the Secretariat now implements its progressive learning strategy, 
benchmarks for the curriculum of each of the three levels of learning should be defined subject by 
subject.  A transparent system of equivalence should also be develope d.  This should help 
beneficiaries plan and organise the training of their officials on a longer-term basis. 
51. Recommendation 3:  Given the importance now ascribed to e-training in the progressive 
learning strategy, current bottlenecks should be addr essed and remedied as a matter of priority.  The 
e-platform should be upgraded and human resources reallocated. 
52. Recommendation 4: The Mission Intern Programme should be funded from the GTF 
instead of the current dedicated trust fund to guarantee its longer-term sustainability and better 
respond to the needs of potential beneficiary countries. 
 
 
_______________WT/COMTD/W/174 
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ANNEX 1: 
 
On site evaluations carried out by TCA in 2009
 
 
 1. Botswana
 Regional Workshop on Trade and Environment (24-26 March 2009) 
 2. Geneva
 Trade Negotiations Module of the 48th TPC (18-29 May 2009) 
 
3. Lesotho  Regional Workshop on SPS for Southe rn African Countries (8-11 June 2009) 
 4. Austria
 Regional Workshop on Trade Remedies for CEECAC Countries 
(24-28 August 2009) 
 
5. China  Regional Seminar on Dispute Settleme nt Procedures and Practices for 
Asia-Pacific Economies ( 31 August-4 September 2009) 
 6. Uruguay
 9th Short Trade Policy Course for ALADI Members 
(28 September-9 October 2009) 
 
7. Italy  WTO/IDLO Short Trade Policy Course for the CEECAC region 
(28 September-23 October 2009) – two visits 
 8. Egypt
 WTO/IsDB Short Trade Policy Course for Arab and Middle East Countries 
(25 October-19 November  2009) – two visits 
 9. Geneva
 8th Thematic Course on Trade Negotiations (14 September-
20 November 2009) 
 10. Geneva
 Preparatory Workshop for the 2010 RTPC in Colombia for Latin American 
countries (9-11 December 2009)  WT/COMTD/W/174 
 Page 15 
 
 
  ANNEX 2: 
 
List of past TCA main recommendations  
  G
ENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS  
1. Management of AFT Activities 
Increase the share of demand-driven activities so as to better respond to Members' needs 
Have contingency plans for slack financial times Promote cross-fertilisation amongst trainers 
Use video conference to replace short long-distance missions 
Formulate division-wide TA objectives Respect WTO reporting guidelines Follow-up on prior recommendations Transform the regional desks (New) 
Modify the current planning method for regional activities (New) 
 
2. Promotion of Quality over Quantity 
Assess Member's needs beforehand 
Prepare the activities properly (e.g. planning) Reduce the number of activities and, hence, prioritise 
Limit the number of participants (30 max.) 
Lengthen the duration of activities (full weeks) Adopt an in-depth focus and use time efficiently Share lessons learned with colleagues and adjust pr ogrammes, presentations, exercises, structures, etc. 
accordingly 
 
3. Improvement of Delivery 
More interactive training methods (mor e exercises, case studies, quizzes, etc.) 
Create a Secretariat database of pedagogical tools Improve training skills (traini ng of trainers – ToT) (New) 
Identify and disseminate best practice 
 
4. Performance Measurement 
Define objectives, performance indicators, evaluation methods 
Use TCA's services to assist in their formulation Measure the impact of the activities a nd analyse performance in this light 
Insert new indicators in the BTORs (New) 
  
A
CTIVITY -SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS  
1. WTO Reference Centres (RFCs) 
Develop long-term strategy for RFCs;  identify those in need of permanent support, such as Internet 
connection support 
Reduce the number of missions;  assess Members' needs and plan the missions better Develop guidelines on the operation of a RFC WT/COMTD/W/174 
Page 16  
 
  Integrate RFCs in other activities / programmes 
Promote network of RFCs Focus training on the five main WTO databases;  train RFC coordinators in information management 
Enforce annual reporting by RFCs  2. e-Training 
Diversify into thematic courses 
Consider those who have completed an e-training for other activities Raise level of other activities, as basics provided through e-training Develop synergies between e-training and other TA products 
 
3. Trade Facilitation Self-Assessment  of Needs and Priorities (New) 
Report to all Members about the achievement of objectives 
Improve coordination in the scheduling of WTO TA activities in the countries concerned 
Promote the participation of all stak eholders at the appropriate level 
Secure an appropriate level of political support from governments 
Develop and implement a follow-up mechanism  
4. Regional Trade Policy Courses (RTPCs) (New) 
Organize the WTO partnerships with regiona l institutions for their entire duration 
Gradually increase the partners' responsibilities over the years 
Strengthen the coordination mechanisms between  regional and WTO trainers to improve the 
effectiveness of the joint lecturing arrangements Systematise reporting on each RTPC Cooperate with all stakeholders on course design, selection and briefing of re gional trainers, training 
methods, pedagogical tools, etc. 
Facilitate networking between former and current R TPC partners, regional trainers and WTO experts 
  WT/COMTD/W/174 
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  ANNEX 3: 
 
Statistics on WTO TA  
2003 - 2009  
 
Number of TA Activities
0100200300400500
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
YearNumber of TRTAOther
Regional
National
 
 
 
 
 
 Average Number of Participants in Regional Activities
- 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
YearsNumber of Participants  
 Standard 
 deviation 
 
 
 WT/COMTD/W/174 
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Average duration of activities
- 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
YearDays 
National  
activities  
Regional  
Activities
 
 
 
 
 
Rate of Activities with a BTOR or a Report
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
 
 
   
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