WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/W/177 
26 May 2011 
 (11-2641) 
Committee on Trade and Development  
 
 
 
     
 
    
 
 
TECHNICAL COOPERATION AUDIT 
REPORT FOR 2010 
 
Note by the Secretariat
 
 
 
 
    
 
  WT/COMTD/W/177 
Page 2  
 
  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
  
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................4  
II. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... .5 
III. AUDIT METHODOLOGY......................................................................................................5  
IV. OUTPUT......................................................................................................................... ...........6  
A. E
XISTING OUTPUT INDICATORS ...............................................................................................6  
B. REVIEW OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................7  
V. OUTCOME ........................................................................................................................ .......9  
A. IMMEDIATE OUTCOME ..............................................................................................................9  
B. LONGER -TERM OUTCOME ......................................................................................................10  
ANNEX 1:....................................................................................................................... ......................12  
ANNEX 2:....................................................................................................................... ......................13  
RECOMMENDATIONS ON OUTPUT .......................................................................................................13  
RECOMMENDATIONS ON OUTCOME ....................................................................................................14  
ANNEX 3:....................................................................................................................... ......................15   WT/COMTD/W/177 
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  ACRONYMS 
 
ALADI  Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración 
ATPC  Advanced Trade Policy Course BTOR  Back to Office Report 
CEECAC Central & Eastern Eur opean Countries and the Caucasus 
DDA  Doha Development Agenda GATS  General Agreement on Trade in Services GTF  Global Trust Fund (synonym of DDAGTF) ITTC  Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation 
LDC  Least-developed Countries 
MTS  Multilateral Trading System NAMA  Non-Agricultural Market Access PEF  Participant's Evaluation Form PLS  Progressive Learning Strategy 
RBM  Result-based Management 
RFC  Reference Centre RTA  Regional Trade Agreement RTPC  Regional Trade Policy Course TA  Technical Assistance (includes worksh op, seminars, courses, conferences, etc.) 
TCA  Technical Cooperation Audit Unit 
ToT  Training of Trainers 
TPC  Trade Policy Course TRIPS  Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights TRTA  Trade-related Technical Assistance WTO  World Trade Organization WT/COMTD/W/177 
Page 4  
 
  I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
1. The Technical Cooperation Audit Report for 2010 undertook a facelift in anticipation of the 
introduction in the WTO of Result-based Management (RBM) for TA activities.  As a consequence, it 
focuses first on the TA output (number of activities, duration, number of participants, subjects covered, teaching methods, etc.) before addressing the immediate and longer-term outcome of the 
activities for beneficiary countries. 
2. As far as WTO TA output is concerned, indi cators of volume, number of participants and 
average duration of activities showed minor variatio ns in 2010, some positives, others less so.  The 
novelty of the year was the availability of statis tics on the various training methods used in the 
activities.  Lectures represented in 2010 only half of  the total training time, with more interactive 
methods (Q&A, exercises, simulations, etc.) accounti ng for the balance.  This gives a measure of the 
progress already made by the Secretariat on this front over the past decade. 
3. The immediate outcome of the TA activities – i.e.  the difference that an activity made for its 
participants – is traditionally measured through the self-evaluation presented by the trainers in the 
back-to-office report (BTOR).  Unfortunately, most such reports simply presented the views of the 
participants on the activity instead of relying on mo re objective indicators, such as results of quizzes 
or exercises, even when such  information was available. 
4. As in 2009, the initial analysis of the longer-term outcome of the TA provided by the WTO 
over the years in a limited number of countries show ed some very positive effects and impact, in 
particular on the compliance with their WTO obligati ons, but more time is needed before the evidence 
collected can be considered as sufficiently representative. 
5. In 2010, TCA reviewed more specifically two e-training courses and the first advanced TPC 
in order to test how progressive the training path for generalists was.  This led to the formulation of 
various recommendations to better define what was m eant by each of the three levels of progressive 
learning and to recast the programme of the activiti es accordingly.  To be consistent with the new 
structure of the annual report, the results of these  evaluations have also been broken down between 
output and immediate outcome.  WT/COMTD/W/177 
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  II. INTRODUCTION 
6. At the request of some donor countries, the S ecretariat initiated in 2010 a reflection on the 
implementation of Result-based Management (RBM) for its technical assistance and training activities.  The objective is to develop and impl ement a logical framework in order to measure, 
through appropriate indicators, the medium to l onger-term outcome of such activities for beneficiary 
countries.  The Technical Cooperation Audit (TCA) Repor t for 2010 has been restructured to take this 
evolution into account.  The report starts with a short reminder of the methodology used by the evaluators.  A first section on Output discusses ce rtain key aspects of the activities implemented in 
2010 and TCA's main findings on them.  A distincti on is then made in a second section between the 
immediate and longer-term Outcome of the activ ities.  Implementing RBM for WTO technical 
assistance and training activities is still work in progr ess.  In this context, it was not considered 
appropriate to formulate any new recommendation at this early stage. 
7. For the sake of concision, the information on In put and Output presented by the Secretariat in 
its report on the implementation of the technical assistance and training plan has not been repeated here.
1  It has been assumed that Members were already acquainted with it. 
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 2010: 
(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. 
(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 (d)) filled by the participants, but 
constitute essentially an auto-evaluation by the trainers.  The main focus of BTORs 
should be the assessment of the immediate outcome of the activity (i.e. whether and 
the extent to which the immediate objectiv es of the activity have been achieved).  
They generally contain recommendations fo r improvement.  Two hundred and thirty-
seven BTORs have been produced in 2010 (i.e. for 73 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.  For example, they generally limit themselves to a presentation of the output and rarely discuss the immediate out come of the activity.  Memos are used 
when the standardized format of the BTOR  would not be appropriated, due to the 
specificities of the activity.  Forty-four such  Memos have been produced in 2010 (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 
                                                     
 
1  See document WT/COMTD/W/XXX. WT/COMTD/W/177 
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  knowledge prior and after the activity, etc.  Participants can add comments to their 
responses. 
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 eleven field visits in 2010.
2 
10. Whenever necessary or useful, the evaluators also discussed with the various Secretariat 
officers involved in the organization or delivery of an activity. 
IV. OUTPUT 
11. TCA has formulated in the past a number of  recommendations concerning the TA output of 
the Secretariat. 3  Output can be analysed in terms of volume of activities organised, duration of such 
activities, number of participants in each activity, s ubjects covered, teaching methods used, etc.  The 
statistics in Annex 3 show how some of these indi cators have evolved in 2010.  TCA also focused 
more specifically during the year on certain activ ities such as e-training and the brand new Advanced 
Trade Policy Course (ATPC) organised for the first time in the last quarter of the year. 
A. EXISTING OUTPUT INDICATORS  
1. Promotion of Quality over Quantity 
12. Reduce the number of activities and, hence, prioritize :  Even if there is no official policy 
to reduce the number of activities organised each year,4 the table in Annex 3 shows that 2010 was the 
second year in a row where the total number of national and regional activities organised by the 
Secretariat went down (by 7 per cent in 2010 from a to tal of 362 in 2009 to 338 in 2010).  Over two 
years the total decrease was 12%.  In 2010, this was entirely due to a 16% reduction in the volume of 
regional activities. 
13. 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 stopped in 2010.  At 31.78, this averag e exceeded the recommended limit of 
30 by 6%.  The standard deviation from this averag e too remained stable.  On average, there was a 
selection of the participants in 41% of the activities for which TCA received a BTOR (19% of national activities, 57% of regional activities and up to 100% of internships, e-training, RTPCs and 
Geneva-based courses). 
14. Lengthen the duration of activities (full weeks) :  TCA has collected statistics on the 
average duration of activities since 2002 (see Annex 3).  In 2010, the average duration of national 
activities stabilised at 2.72 days, after the sharp fa ll registered in 2009.  The average duration of 
regional activities increased in 2010 to reach 3.39 da ys.  The average duration of both national and 
regional activities in 2010 still remains rather short.  The insufficient duration of WTO activities is the 
criticism most frequently voiced by participants.  Th is would lead to an insufficient coverage of 
certain parts of the programme or limit the use of  interactive training methods designed to maximise 
the acquisition of knowledge and skills by participants. 
                                                     
 
2  See list attached as Annex 1. 
3  See list of past recommendations attached as Annex 2. 
4  See explanation at the beginning of section II in document WT/COMTD/W/XXX.  WT/COMTD/W/177 
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  2. Improvement of Delivery 
15. More interactive training methods (mo re exercises, case studies, quizzes, etc.) :  The 
indicators introduced in the BTORs late in 2009 show that lecturing remains the predominant medium used to deliver TA activities.  It  was used in all activities for which statistics were available and 
represented on average half of the total training time.   Even in the absence of earlier statistics, this 
figure shows that the Secretariat has already go ne some way towards making its activities more 
interactive.  The rest of the training time was then shared on average almost equally between Q&A 
(16%), exercises (13%) and case studies / simulations (12%).   The latter were used in just over half of 
the activities (56%), however, a much lower occurren ce than Q&A (86%) and exercises (72%).  It is 
also worth noting that thematic courses on trade ne gotiations showed a comple tely different pattern, 
with 85% of their training time dedicated to simulation, only 10% to lectures and the balance to Q&A. 
B. R
EVIEW OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES  
16. In 2010, ITTC undertook to implement a new PLS co mprising three levels of learning (basic, 
intermediate and advanced) and two tr aining paths (for generalists and speci alists).  In order to test the 
progressivity of the training paths now offered by WTO, TCA decided in 2010 to evaluate one 
activity at each of the three levels of the generalis t path.  In the context of the PLS, the e-training 
Introduction to the WTO  proposed since 2003 became the basic training level for both generalists and 
specialists (with the introduction courses for LD Cs); RTPCs organised by WTO since 2002 became 
the intermediate training level for generalists (the e-training eWTO being an alternative); and TPCs 
organised in Geneva since 1955 disappeared to  make room for an Advanced TPC (ATPC) 
constituting the highest level of training for generalists. 
17. As TCA had already audited RTPCs in 2008-9 and even if this evaluation was conducted 
before the PLS came into being, it has been decide d to focus in 2010 on the following three activities: 
e-trainings on the introduction to the WTO  and eWTO ,5 and the first ATPC.  These evaluations 
examined, inter alia , how progressive these trainings were and led TCA to formulate various 
recommendations about the content of their progr amme and the training methods used.  Indeed, 
activities developed prior to the introduction of the PLS needed to be recast so as to actually respond 
to the needs of the training level at which they were pitched a posteriori.  TCA also recommended a 
different pedagogy in the new ATPC in  order to avoid the risk to simp ly repeat the previous level.  
According to TCA, the rethinking of the respec tive programmes of the activities concerned required 
first an in-depth analysis of the concepts and know ledge that were supposed to be mastered at each 
training level, to make sure that the revamp ed syllabuses would actually cover them properly. 
1. e-Training 
18. In 2010, TCA reviewed two aspects of the WTO e- training activities.  At the request of senior 
management, it considered whether the WTO e-Tr aining Programme generated productivity gains, 
trying to measure any such gain.  In a second ph ase TCA then evaluated the content, form and 
pedagogy of two on-line courses (introduction to WTO and eWTO).  Indeed, as a result of the 
introduction of a progressive learning strategy in the 2010-11 TA Plan, these courses now play a 
pivotal role in the offer of the Secretariat: par ticipation in most activities now requires the prior 
completion of an eTraining introduction course; the eWTO course introduced in 2009, with average 
success rates, will qualify successful participants for the Advanced TPC, like RTPCs.  However, both 
courses had been developed prior to the in troduction of a progressive learning strategy. 
                                                      
5  The name of the eWTO  training course was subsequently changed to e-training course on the 
Multilateral Trade Agreements . WT/COMTD/W/177 
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  (a) Productivity Gains 
19. The main conclusions reached by TCA were the following: 
• e-training has allowed WTO to more than double the scale of its TA, at a minimal cost 
• The introduction of e-training did not lead to  a correlated reduction in the volume of 
face-to-face TA activities 
• Productivity gains have been generated wh en coupling e-training with face-to-face 
activities, as this led to a greater transfer of knowledge through a more effective use of 
the time in the field 
• Further synergies between e-training and f ace-to-face activities could be exploited, in 
particular to increase the level of specialisation of WTO TA. 
20. This led TCA to recommend that the WTO e- training offer be completed as a matter of 
priority in order to cover each and every WTO ag reement or subject; and that potential synergies 
between e-training and face-to-face activities be better exploited in order to design more specialised 
face-to-face activities. 
(b) eTraining courses on Introduction to the WTO and eWTO
6 
21. Overall, TCA found the courses very legalistic and theoretical, a big difference compared to 
face-to-face trainings, which made the content of the courses look more like a WTO official document 
or publication than an instrument  designed for education and training.   It also felt that the courses 
were rather comprehensive, but did not dis tinguish enough absolutely fundamental and essential 
elements or information from other ones of a lesser importance.  It recommended a review of the 
objectives of the courses to take into account the wo rk conducted in the Secretariat on the definition 
of each of the three levels of progressive learni ng.  Certain aspects of the methodology and pedagogy 
of the courses, such as the use of examples or of the book of legal texts, their duration or the content 
of the exams could also benefit from a similar revi ew.  Finally, an upgrade of the e-training platform 
was recommended, as this would help impr ove the user-friendliness of the courses. 
2. Advanced Trade Policy Course 
22. When implementing the progressive learning stra tegy (PLS), it was decided that the basic 
level would correspond to the e-training course on Introduction to WTO  or the introduction course for 
LDCs, the intermediate level to RTPCs (with an equivalence for e-WTO  participants) and that TPCs 
which had been organised in Geneva since 1955 wo uld be replaced by a brand new advanced TPC 
(ATPC) held twice a year in 2010-11.  Governme ntal officials having formerly completed a TPC, 
RTPC or e-WTO course are eligible to participate in the ATPC.  The ATPC corresponds to the most 
advanced level of learning in the generalist  track of the PLS. 
23. The first ATPC was held in Geneva from 13 Se ptember to 2 December 2010.  This being the 
first such course ever organised, it was by defin ition a prototype.  This made the appropriate 
evaluation of this experiment particularly importa nt to make it a real learning experience for the 
Secretariat, reason why TCA made it one of its objectives for the year. 
24. TCA designed an evaluation methodology tailored to  the length and complexity of the ATPC.  
It involved a review of the documentation prepared  for the course; the on-site observation of the 
                                                      
6  The eWTO  course is now called e-training course on the Multilateral Trade Agreements .  WT/COMTD/W/177 
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  course; discussions with participants, organisers a nd trainers; a review of weekly evaluation forms 
filled by participants; a mid-term debriefing with pa rticipants; the analysis of  participants' responses 
to the final evaluation questionnaire; and a final evaluation session with participants. 
25. The ATPC was implemented according to plans.   The selection of its 24 participants 
respected the criteria announced in the plan.  This group proved particularly good compared to 
participants in other activities for generalists.  Nevertheless, the content of the course was not really 
advanced on any specific subject, for lack of special isation of the group in any of the many subjects 
covered in the programme.  The programme was divided into three segments: Consolidation, 
Dynamics and Project.  The Consolidation segment was designed to refresh participants' knowledge 
on WTO agreements and work.  It represented appr oximately half of the programme.  The Dynamics 
segment explored the implementation of WTO agreem ents or agenda (e.g. trade negotiations, trade 
policy), whilst the Project required personal work from the participants to analyse the trade policy of 
their country and formulate recommendations.  Th ese latter two segments represented approximately 
a quarter of the programme each. 
26. TCA felt that a better use of the ATPC time could be made if the concepts or provisions that 
participants would be assumed to already master at  the beginning of the course were clearly defined 
subject by subject, agreement by agreement, and announced in the invitation letter and prior to each 
module of the course, to allow participants to bri dge in advance any gap in their knowledge ahead of 
the relevant session.  The analytical or comparat ive tables developed in the past for the weekly 
revisions of the TPCs could be used as starting po ints for the consolidation segment of the ATPC, 
using the same methodology.  This part of the pr ogramme could set the scen e for practical exercises 
and case studies.  This would eventually  lead to a more compact course. 
27. The introduction of a virtual classroom reduced si gnificantly the volume of paper used for the 
ATPC, compared to previous three-month courses held in Geneva.  This tool's effectiveness could be further improved with the introduction of more precise guidelines for the trainers. 
28. Some progress was observed in the use of more interactive training methods in some of the 
modules of the course.  But the fact that the duration of all the modules had to be shortened to make 
room for the Project in the programme limited this e volution.  Overall, many participants would have 
preferred a greater use of exercises, case studies or exchanges of experience during the course. 
V. OUTCOME 
29. The main focus of the WTO evaluation methodolo gy has historically been on the immediate 
outcome of the TA activities, i.e. on whether the immediate objectives assigned to an activity have 
been fulfilled.  This approach has been progressively complemented  over time to start addressing the 
longer-term outcome of WTO TA.  A first step in that direction was the introduction of ex-post evaluations of certain programmes in 2006, followed  by the initiation in 2009 of the assessment of the 
effects and impact of TA activities at country level.   Further progress on this front should be expected 
in the future as a result of the introduction of RBM. 
A. I
MMEDIATE OUTCOME  
30. The immediate outcome of WTO TA activities is the achievement of the immediate 
objectives assigned by the trainers to each activ ity.  Significant progress has been made in the 
formulation of the objectives, which are now almost always trying to catch the difference the activity 
should make for the participants (e.g . improved knowledge or skills, etc.). WT/COMTD/W/177 
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  1. BTORs 
31. A back-to-office-report (BTOR) prepared by th e trainers who organised and delivered a TA 
activity is the main instrument through which the immediate outcome of WTO TA activities is 
evaluated.  In principle, they constitute a self-ev aluation of the activity by the trainers themselves, 
even if most BTORs limited themselves to the pr esentation of the opinion of the participants, as 
expressed in the evaluation questionnaire at the end of the activity, even when other more objective 
indicators (e.g. results of quizzes, of exercises or simulations, etc.) were available.  At the request of senior management, TCA had focused in 2009 on the improvement of the quality of such internal 
reporting. 
32. The increase in the number of reports produced, which had been one of the main 
achievements in 2009, was partially reversed in 20 10.  TCA continued to draw the attention to the 
missing reports on a quarterly basis, but the overall reporting rate for the year fell back to 86%, i.e. five percentage points lower than in 2009.  This is still significantly higher than in the past, however 
(see graph in Annex 3). 
2. Advanced Trade Policy Course 
33. Participants, trainers, organisers and TCA agreed that the first ATPC was reasonably 
successful.  It met the main objective of the partic ipants, which was to consolidate their knowledge on 
WTO rules and issues, and certainly succeeded in increasing their autonomy when dealing with such 
matters.  According to TCA and par ticipants, the level of achievement of some of the most ambitious 
objectives of the course – develop a horizontal unde rstanding of the MTS and critical thinking about 
trade policy formulation and the MTS, get a bette r understanding of the economic rationale behind the 
agreements – was somewhat lower, though. 
34. Several recommendations were made to better r espond to the main objective of the course.  
The main one was to adjust the programme of the ATPC and adopt a horizontal approach (instead of 
the current subject by subject approach) based on a series of case studies or simulations cutting across 
a variety of subjects.  Such cases could be prepared and led jointly by trainers from ITTC and other 
divisions, and even occasionally by experienced dele gates in Geneva. Weekly debriefings or revisions 
and a final wrap-up of the course should also be reinstated in the programme. 
B. L
ONGER -TERM OUTCOME  
35. On the occasion of its field visits, TCA inte rviewed representatives of four Members on the 
effects and impact for them of the TA they had received from WTO over the past five years.7  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. 
36. 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. 
                                                      
7  Cape Verde, Jordan, Laos and Senegal.  Cape Ve rde and Jordan acceded recen tly and Laos is still in 
accession, which gave an accession focus to this year's sample.  WT/COMTD/W/177 
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  1. Main Findings 
(a) Better compliance with Members' WTO obligations (e.g. notifications, 
implementation of accession commitments, submission to a TPR) was the most visible effect or impact, even if significant variations remain according to the areas or the Members concerned. 
(b) WTO TA activities had allowed governments to increase their participation in certain 
targeted WTO negotiations (trade faci litation in all cases, followed by NAMA and 
agriculture) and in RTAs. 
(c) TA activities have also helped improve or  reinforce the internal organisation and 
capabilities of the governments to deal w ith WTO matters, although absorption 
capacity and staff turn-over remained a real challenge in the smallest countries.  This 
was critical to the conduct of the accession pr ocess.  The structures developed for the 
accession had a lasting role afterwards.  They  were particularly useful to implement 
commitments and explain the policy of the government to national stakeholders (private sector, MPs, etc.). 
(d) The formulation and implementation of a coherent development-enhancing trade 
policy, although still a real challenge, also  benefited indirectly from the improved 
trade culture generated by TRTA. 
(e) Governments were generally satisfied with the assistance received from WTO, which 
they perceived as useful and of good quality, especially the three-month trade policy courses and long-term internship programmes.   However, in most cases most of the 
TRTA received by the governments was provided by bilateral donors and the 
assistance received from WTO was somewhat marginal. 
2. Suggestions 
The improvement of notification capabilities and of the opportunities to participate in three-
month TPCs (and even to host one) and in long-te rm internship programmes topped the list of 
priorities in most of the visited countries. 
_______________WT/COMTD/W/177 
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ANNEX 1: 
 
On site evaluations carried out by TCA in 2010
 
 
 1. Geneva
 eTraining Courses on Introduction to  the WTO and eWTO (May 2010) 
 2. Jordan
 Regional Seminar on NAMA Negotia tions for Arab and Middle-East 
Countries (5-8 July 2010) 
 3. Lao's
 WTO Workshop on Market Access, Tariffs, Rules of Origine, Import 
Licensing, Customs Valuation and ITA for Asian Economies (27-30 July 2010) 
 
4. Geneva
 First Advanced Trade Policy Course (13 September-2 December 2010) 
 5. Turkey
 WTO Regional Workshop on Trade Facilitation for CEECAC Members and 
Middle East Countries (20-24 September 2010) 
 
6. Cape Verde  Regional Seminar on GATS for French-speaking African Countries (5-7 
October 2010) 
 7. South Africa
 WTO Workshop on RTAs and DDA (5-8 October 2011) 
 
8. Turkey  WTO Short Trade Policy course for CEECAC Members (End) (28-29 
October 2010) 
 9. Senegal
 Assessment of Priority Needs to Implement the TRIPS Agreement – 
Workshop for LDC Members and Observ ers for French-speaking Africa (9-
11 November 2010) 
 
10. Argentina  Regional Seminar/Workshop on Govern ment Procurement (23-24 November 
2011) 
 11. Uruguay
 WTO Short Trade Policy Course for ALADI Member Countries (25-26 
November 2011)  WT/COMTD/W/177 
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  ANNEX 2: 
 
List of past TCA main recommendations  
  R
ECOMMENDATIONS ON OUTPUT  
1. Management of AFT Activities 
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 
Follow-up on prior recommendations Transform the regional desks Modify the current planning method for regional activities Benchmark each of the three levels of pr ogressive learning, subject by subject (New) 
 
3. Promotion of Quality over Quantity 
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  
4. Improvement of Delivery 
More interactive training methods (mor e exercises, case studies, quizzes, etc.) 
Create a Secretariat database of pedagogical tools Improve training skills (training of trainers – ToT) Identify and disseminate best practice  
5. 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 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  
6. 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 Beef-up the resources dedicated to e-training and upgrade the internet platform (New) WT/COMTD/W/177 
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  7. Trade Facilitation Self-Assessment of Needs and Priorities 
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 
 
8. Regional Trade Policy Courses (RTPCs) 
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 
 
9. Internship Programmes 
Assess Missions' needs for interns and regroup their funding in the GTF (New) 
  R
ECOMMENDATIONS ON OUTCOME  
Increase the share of demand-driven activities so as to better respond to Members' needs 
Assess Member's needs beforehand Respect WTO reporting guidelines 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   WT/COMTD/W/177 
 Page 15 
 
 
  ANNEX 3: 
 
Output Statistics on WTO TA  
2003 - 2010  
 
0100200300400500
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
YearNumber of TA Activities
Other
Regional
National
 
 
 
 - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Number of Participants
YearsAverage Number of Participants in Regional Activities
Standard
deviation
 
 
 WT/COMTD/W/177 
Page 16  
 
   
 - 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Days
YearAverage duration of activities
National
activities
Regional
Activities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
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