WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/TF/COH/S/13 
18 February 2008 
 (08-0703) 
  
 
 
COHERENCE IN GLOBAL ECONOMIC POLICY-MAKING 
 
Report (2007) 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 further intensified in 2007.  The focus of 
cooperation between the three institutions has been  the implementation of recommendations made by 
WTO Ministers in Hong Kong, in December 2005, boosting the WTO's contribution to the Aid-for-Trade Initiative and enhancing cooperation in the areas of trade-related technical assistance and 
capacity-building, notably under the Enhanced In tegrated Framework. The WTO has also been 
working in partnership with other inter-government al institutions, including United Nations agencies 
and regional development banks, w hose support is important for the successful implementation of the 
Hong Kong Ministerial mandate. 
3. The effects of the difficulties in financial ma rkets that developed towards the end of 2007 are 
being felt not only in financial sectors but also on  prospects for global economic growth.  This will 
affect trade expansion in 2008, particularly fo r export-dependent countries, and it points to the 
continued importance of increasing multilateral co operation on trade, finance and development 
policy-making that lies at the heart of the WTO's Coherence mandate.    
(a) Consultations and contacts of senior management and staff 
4. Senior management consultations and contacts on  the Coherence file intensified in 2007.  
The Director-General kept in close contact with Mr. de Rato and Mr. Wolfowitz, and their successors, 
Mr. Strauss-Kahn and Mr. Zoellick, respectively, thr oughout the year.  He participated with them on 
several occasions in international conferen ces and meetings, including the G-8 Summit in 
Heiligendamm (Germany).  He participated in both the Spring and Autumn meetings of the 
International Monetary and Finance Committee (IM FC) and the Development Committee, where he 
encouraged finance and development ministers to support the rapid conclusion of ambitious results 
from the Doha Round and delivered progress reports on his work with the IMF, the World Bank and 
other stakeholders to operationalize the Aid-for-Tra de initiative.  In the course of these contacts, 
discussions covered progress in the Doha Devel opment Agenda (DDA), support of the IMF and 
World Bank to help advance the ne gotiations, and ways in which the three institutions can cooperate 
more effectively in the provision of trade-relate d technical assistance, capacity building and training, 
in particular under the Enhanced Integrated Framework.   
5. Between September and November 2007, the Direct or-General participated  with the heads of 
regional development banks and other agencies in the regional revi ews of Aid for Trade.  The purpose 
of the reviews was to identify the main trade ne eds and priorities by region, encourage recipient WT/TF/COH/S/13 
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  countries and sub-regions to formulate their "busin ess plans", encourage donors to develop a detailed 
response and to scale-up trade-related development assistance, and secure the political commitment to 
follow through on the Aid-for-Trade Agenda in each of the regions.  The Latin America and 
Caribbean Review was held in Lima, Peru on 13- 14 September; the Asia and Pacific Review in 
Manila, Philippines, on 19-20 September; and the African Review in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, on 1-
2 October with the participation of the President of the World Bank.  The regional reviews laid the 
groundwork for the Global Review of Aid for Tr ade by the WTO General Council in Geneva on 
19-21 November 2007.  The heads of all of the agencies involved participated, including the 
Managing Director of the IMF, the President of the World Bank, the President of the African Development Bank, the President of the Inter-Ame rican Development Bank, the  Managing Director 
of the Asian Development Bank, the Chief Executi ve Officer of the International Islamic Trade 
Finance Corporation, and the heads of UNECA , UNDP, UNCTAD, the ILO and the UPU.  The 
Global Aid-for-Trade review provided an opportuni ty for WTO Members to review progress on the 
Hong Kong Ministerial mandate on Aid-for-Trade and to provide guidance on follow-up actions in 
2008. 
6. The World Bank and the IMF continued to work with the WTO on the implementation of the 
Doha mandates for the two-track treatment of co tton, encompassing trade policy and development 
assistance aspects.  In 2007, the IMF and World Bank provided key contributions at the WTO High 
Level Session on Cotton convened by the Directo r-General on 15-16 March in Geneva, and in the 
subsequent 8
th and 9th Rounds of the Director-General's C onsultative Framework on Cotton, held on 
18 June and 22 November, respectively.  During the 8th Round, the statements made by the IMF and 
the World Bank (WT/L/689 and 690) clarified for WTO Members the availability of and flexibility in 
the use of the resources from the Multilateral De bt Relief Initiative (MDRI) for specific sectors, 
including the cotton sector.  The flexibility to use MD RI resources exists, subject to the sector being 
identified in national development plans or P overty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP).  WTO 
Members also welcomed the inputs by the World Bank to update the "Director-General's Evolving 
Table on Cotton Development Assistance", which pr ovides up-to-date information on assistance to 
African producers of cotton through grants a nd loans for market development, increased 
competitiveness and in general for improved crop management, marketing and evaluation (WT/L/702).   
7. The Managing Director of the IMF and the Presi dent of the World Bank have continued to 
convey to the Director-General the interest of th e IMF and the World Bank in being granted observer 
status in the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) and its subsidiary bodies, c onsistent with the terms 
of the cooperation agreements. 
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 regiona l trade policy issues, including the formulation 
of IMF and Bank policies on trade matters.  In 2007,  these included in particular meetings on the 
World Economic Outlook and on Aid-for-Trade.  
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. 
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  WT/TF/COH/S/13 
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   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. 
A. C
OOPERATION 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 pay considerable attention to trade policies in this 
context.  Trade policy reform has featured as an im portant element of the growth agenda in the two 
main vehicles for IMF policy analysis and su rveillance, the World Economic Outlook (WEO) and 
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 China's emergence as a trade power, and 
the relationship between trade and fina ncial integration.  In 2007, trade issues continued to feature as 
important topics for IMF global surveillance: the April WEO contained an analysis of the 
globalization of labour and trade and its impact on wages and jobs in advanced and developing 
countries.1 The October WEO contained a study on "g lobalization and inequality", providing 
econometric estimates of the impact of openness to trade and financial flows on the distribution of 
incomes in particular countries.   
12. The IMF examines trade policies in its Article IV  surveillance as part of its overall economic 
assessment of Member countries.  In response to the new challenges highlighted by the DDA it has 
stepped up its surveillance of trade-related issues  since 2001-02, especially with regard to trade 
barriers of high-income countries and their imp act on poorer countries, trade-related macro-
vulnerabilities, and regional trade initiatives.  Likewise, the World Bank has devoted significant 
resources to examining trade policy reforms in the c ontext 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 ensu re that such cooperation leads neither to cross-
conditionality nor to divulging c onfidential information, consiste nt with the terms of the 1996 
cooperation agreements.  The detaile d and comprehensive information and analysis contained in the 
WTO's Trade Policy Reviews are highly valued by IM F staff for use in their own country surveillance 
activities.   
14. In the past few years, the IMF has reshaped 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 cons ultation with its member governments was how to 
address global imbalances while maintaining robust gl obal 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 di alogue on global imbalances and the analysis of its 
underlying causes and impact could help foster a more cooperative dialogue based on improved and more transparent analysis, and encourages the accep tance of broad policy directions recommended by 
each country.  Internationally, the process aims to help ease the debate about distortions to 
competitiveness and trade imbalances and can be of benefit to the WTO's activities. 
15. The decision by the IMF Board of Directors in June 2007 to revise its 1977 Decision on 
Surveillance over Exchange Rate Polic y is an important step in the st rengthening of IMF surveillance, 
                                                     
 
1 The Executive Summary makes the point that prospects for a gradual unwinding of global imbalances 
as well as global growth would benefit from an ambitious result from the DDA. WT/TF/COH/S/13 
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  of interest not only to the IMF but also to the WTO which has a mandate to achieve greater harmony 
between financial, exchange rate and trade policies.
2   
16. The increased focus of the IMF on global financia l surveillance is also of interest to the 
WTO.3  As indicated above, the WTO Ministerial Declaration on Coherence states that "more orderly 
(...) economic and financial conditi ons 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 markets in the latter half of 2007, the WTO has an interest 
in remaining fully informed about developments in the fi nancial sphere, because of its potential spill-
over on the availability and cost of trade finan ce and its impact on trade and economic growth. 
(b) Availability of Trade Finance 
17. In the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis, the Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance 
identified the issue of the availability of trade fi nance for developing countries, in particular during 
periods of financial crisis, as an issue for examination.4  Building on this, the heads of the WTO, IMF, 
and World Bank agreed at the WTO General Council's Dedicated Session on Coherence (April 2002) to establish an expert group to examine the market  structures and eventually failures that explained 
the disruptions in the supply (and demand) of trad e finance/credit/guarantees during the Asian crisis.  
The group was composed of representatives of multil ateral institutions such as the World Bank/IFC, 
the IMF, the WTO, regional development banks, th e Berne Union (the coalition of the world's main 
export credit agencies and insurers), individual Export Credit Agencies (the US Eximbank, SACE, EDC, EKF), and large international banks specialized in structured finance.   
18. The WTO Secretariat has continued to foster the dialogue with these agencies on improving 
the availability and affordability of trade finance in the light of the sustained interest manifested by 
the General Council of the WTO and in the WTO Work ing Group on Trade, Debt and Finance.  When 
the Aid-for-Trade work programme was launched, trade finance was identified by the Director-
General's Aid-for-Trade Task Force as an important ar ea of interest for Members.  In response to the 
difficulties faced by many developing countries' ba nks and traders to get their letters of credit 
accepted in international trade, despite often good levels of safety and soundness, regional 
development banks and the World Bank's private sect or arm, the International Financial Corporation 
(IFC), put in place "trade finance facilitation progra mmes" that provide credit or guarantees to larger 
private banks to allow them to finance trade with sm aller banks in developing countries at little risk.  
19. A meeting for information of WTO Members was organized by management on 
27 April 2007 with the heads of the trade finance programmes in th e regional development banks and 
the IFC.  The outcome of this meeting was reported to the WTO Committee on Trade and 
Development.
5  The inter-agency dialogue on trade finance continued in the context of the regional 
                                                      
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 tu rbulences; the IMF intensifies work on sub-prime 
fall out".  
4 WTO Documents WT/WGTDF/1 and 2. 
5 WTO Document WT/AFT/W/25, 22 May 2007.  WT/TF/COH/S/13 
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   Aid-for-Trade reviews, where the need to sustai n the effort in boosting the availability of trade 
finance in developing countries figured  in the conclusions of each review. 
20. The Director-General met the President of the Berne Union of Export Credit Agencies and 
Insurers in September 2007 to exchange ideas about the export credit agencies' participation in the 
Aid-for-Trade work programme, in particular on how to develop synergies between these agencies 
and regional development banks in the provision of technical assistance and capacity-building to 
developing countries.  In this context, prom ising contacts took place between the Berne Union 
Secretariat and representatives of the Asian Develo pment Bank at the Manila Aid-for-Trade review. 
21. At the Global Review on Aid for Trade on 19-21 November 2007, several announcements 
were made on increased cooperation, extra-funding and staffing for trade finance.  The President of 
the World Bank Group announced that trade finan ce services provided by the IFC would be expanded 
significantly:  the aim of IFC is to double the volume of trade finance by 2010 to $2 billion a year and to double the number of its partne r banks to 260.  Technical assist ance and training courses for banks 
in IDA countries will also be doubled.  He also pledged to leverage this platform of activities to 
develop new trade finance products.
6  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Inter-American 
Development Bank (IaDB) announced separately an in crease in credit and guarantee limits for trade 
finance facilitation programmes, while the Isla mic Development Bank described the significant 
expansion of its own trade fina ncing programme, benefiting main ly Middle East and African 
countries.  In the future, the Islamic Development Bank  plans to further increase the flows of trade 
finance and develop its activities in the area of tr ade insurance.  Several bilateral donors indicated 
their interest in participating to some of th ese activities, through technical assistance or joint 
partnership. 
22. In the light of current instabilities on world fina ncial markets, some see scope for the supply 
of trade finance to be negatively affected.  For example, at a recent meeting of the Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance, one de legation noted that recent financia l instabilities had already affected 
the credit risk of developing countries in general, and in particular the amount and cost of credit lines 
used as a guarantee for commercial banks.
7  WTO management and staff will continue to make sure 
that the WTO remains well informed of the latest developments, in particular by disseminating information exchanged during in ter-institutional contacts.  
(c) Research 
23. IMF staff have prepared several research pape rs in support of various aspects of the Doha 
Round, including on issues related to market acc ess for developing-country exports.  Research 
prepared at the request of the WTO has included analysis on balance-of-payments safeguards, export 
subsidies, the financing of losses from preference er osion, fiscal aspects of tariff reform, trade policy 
conditionality, aid-for-trade and the link betw een exchange rate volatility and trade.   
24. Work Bank analytical work and research covers a wide range of multilateral trade issues, with 
a particular focus on agricultural reform (includi ng cotton), non-tariff barriers and trade facilitation 
from a development perspective.  In 2007, the WTO Secretariat and World Bank staff provided 
support to the Group of Eminent Persons (includi ng senior management of the WTO and World 
Bank) working on the incidence of non-tariff barri ers worldwide.  The WTO Secretariat also 
contributed to the World Bank's annual monitoring exercise on achieving the Millennium Development Goals.  The World Bank has comp lemented its expanded work programme on trade 
                                                     
 
6 Address by President R. Zoellick, av ailable on www.wto.org/aid-for-trade. 
7 WTO Document WT/WGTDF/M/15. WT/TF/COH/S/13 
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  with an outreach programme aimed at  providing developing countries with new opportunities to 
discuss how the DDA can support development-oriented trade reforms, informing them of the nature 
and scope of World Bank support for technical assist ance and investment in trade-related projects and 
sensitizing them to the gains from trade f acilitation reforms.  To be noted in 2007, inter alia , were the 
publication by the World Bank of its "World Trad e Indicators" measuring border and behind-the-
border trade policy performance and outcome for 208 countries;  the publication of a new "logistics 
performance index", a benchmark tool created to id entify the challenges and opportunities they face in 
this area in their performance on trade, based on data  collected in 100 countries;  the publication of a 
"handbook on international trade in  services";  and further research papers on the poverty impact of 
liberalization, regional integration, pr oduct standards and trade facilitation. 
(d) Information and Data Exchanges 
25. 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. 
26. 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. 
27. 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 
on Fund members seeking accession to the WTO, subj ect to the consent of the member concerned.
8  
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. 
28. 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. 
B. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING  
(a) Trade-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building 
29. 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 
                                                      
8The IMF communicates to the WTO its Executive Boar d 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 under the symbol WT/TF/IMF/-.  In 2007, the WTO received five such communications.  WT/TF/COH/S/13 
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   Members through their own country programmes as well as through their participation in WTO 
technical assistance and training activities.  
30. The IMF is engaged in technical assistance a nd capacity building at different levels, from 
financing to policy design, the dissemination of sta ndards, and training.  Its Article IV consultation 
process with its member countries provides an importa nt channel for its technical assistance activities.  
The main focus of its trade-related technical work is customs modernization and tariff policy reform.  
On customs modernization, the focus has shifted towards "strategic technical assistance" – i.e. 
providing the overall framework for reform and c ontinuing oversight, while leaving more detailed 
aspects for other donors to support.  On tariffs, the fo cus typically is on tax and fiscal policies.  An 
important 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.  
31. 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 par ticipate 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.  In 2007, diagnostic work was carried out in more than forty countries 
and several other studies looked at trade policy issues on a regional basis.  Typically, it covers issues of trade policy, infrastructure, customs and trade facilitation, and in some instances, aspects of the 
business environment.  This comprehensive approach has helped to underscore the need for reforms in 
trade-related institutions, such as customs, in the Ba nk's member countries, and this is being reflected 
in country programmes through growing lending for trade-related activities. 
(b) Trade Facilitation 
32. The IMF, and especially the World Bank, direct  a significant share of their trade-related 
activities towards trade facilitation – the IMF thr ough its work on customs administration and the 
World Bank through a broad programme of technical advice, capacity-building and logistical support.  
33. Through its Trade Facilitation Initiative, the Bank has developed several tools to help 
improve the quality of operations a nd disseminate best practices acro ss the different regions, and it 
has increased staffing in critical ar eas such as customs, port management and shipping security.  It has 
also complemented its operational activities with a programme designed to help developing countries 
approach the WTO Trade Facilitation negotiations with  the tools needed to make informed decisions, 
including through the creation of regional networks of experts to advise on negotiating proposals and 
issues.  The Bank estimates that its lending ope rations for trade facilitation activities – including 
institution building, physical infrastructure and trade-financing  in the last three years made up more 
than of one third of its total trade lending (some $4 billion). 
34. The World Bank's technical assistance activities in support of the WTO negotiations on trade 
facilitation have focused on helping member c ountries identify and assess their requirements for 
implementing trade facilitation reforms.  In 2007,  a comprehensive needs assessment programme was 
developed through cooperation between the WTO, the IMF, the World Customs Organization, the 
OECD and UNCTAD, in response to WTO me mbers' requests for support regarding the 
implementation of trade facilitation measures, remain ing gaps and related assistance needs.  Eleven 
needs assessments were conducted, an d at least 65 requests are expected to be fulfilled during the 2-
year span of the project.  On the basis of an assess ment tool developed to this aim, seven regional WT/TF/COH/S/13 
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  workshops were conducted in all regions of the world (with participation from the World Bank in 
nearly all of them), which is now complemented by a large number of national events.  Regional and 
national events will c ontinue in 2008.  
35. The World Bank organises and sponsors the Global Facilitation Partnership (GFP) for 
Transportation and Trade, a public-private sector initiative seeking to share experiences and expertise 
and develop projects aimed at achieving progress in transportation and trade facilitation.  
(c) Doha Development Agenda Trade Capacity Building Database 
36. 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  gives information on activities provided by b ilateral donors and multilate ral agencies.  In the 
first few years of its existence, this pooling of da ta has allowed for the possibility of higher degrees of 
coordination and coherence to be achieved and has provided the means to identify areas where 
additional efforts can be applied.  Improvement s in the Trade Capacity Building Database are 
currently ongoing.  
(d) Supporting WTO Accession 
37. 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 Bank is also working 
with international partners to br ing together negotiators from developing countries in fora where they 
can share information and experiences. 
(e) The Integrated Framework for Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) 
38. The Integrated Framework (IF) is an interna tional initiative through which the IMF, World 
Bank, ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, and WTO combine their e fforts with those of LDCs and other partners 
to respond to the trade-development needs of LDCs.  The IF has two main objectives:  to mainstream 
trade into national development plans, such as the PRSP, and to facilitate the coordinated delivery of 
trade-related assistance.  This will 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.  It consists of four phases, namely :  (1) awareness-building on the importance of trade 
for development;  (2) preparation of a Diagnostic  Trade Integration Study (DTIS) to identify 
constraints to traders, sectors of greatest export pot ential and a plan of action for better integration 
into the global trading system (the "Action Matrix") ;  (3) integration of the plan of action into the 
national development plan, such as the PRSP;  and (4) implementation of the action plan in 
partnership with the de velopment partners.  
39. To date, 40 LDCs (of a total of 50) have b ecome beneficiaries under the IF; this figure 
includes recent additions, such as the Solomon Isla nds and Guinea-Bissau, where the process has only 
just started.  Of the 40 beneficiaries, 29 ha ve completed the diagnostic stage and are now 
implementing the action matrix.  An additional eleven LDCs are at various stages of drafting their DTIS. Another five LDCs have requested to join the IF process.  The DTISs and a small contribution 
towards implementation of priority actions (up to US$ 1 million per country) are being financed by an 
IF Trust Fund.  As of 31 October 2007, total recei pts in the Trust Fund amount to US$ 51.2 million 
and the total sum awarded from the Fund to US$ 34.6 million, of which US$ 15 million was for the 
completion of DTISs and activities related to ins titutional capacity-building, and US$ 19.6 million for  WT/TF/COH/S/13 
 Page 9 
 
 
 
   "bridge funding" to jumpstart the priority actions and measures deriving from the recommendations 
made in DTISs.   
40. At the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in December 2005, Ministers reaffirmed 
their commitment to better integrate LDCs into th e multilateral trading system and endorsed the three 
elements earlier agreed by the IF Steering Committ ee to enhance the IF (which hence became the  
"Enhanced Integrated Framework" (EIF)):  (i) pr ovide increased, predictable and additional funding 
on a multi-year basis; (ii) strengthen the IF in-c ountry, including through mainstreaming trade into 
national development plans and poverty reduction stra tegies;  more effective follow-up to diagnostic 
trade integration studies and implementation of act ion matrices;  and achieving greater and more 
effective coordination amongst donors and IF stakehol ders, including beneficiaries;  and (iii) improve 
the IF decision-making and management structure to  ensure an effective and timely delivery of the 
increased financial resources and programmes. 
41. The Task Force on an Enhanced IF subseque ntly came up with its Recommendations to 
enhance the IF in line with these elements (doc ument WT/IFSC/W/15 and Correction 1).  Details and 
their implementation were worked out by the EIF Transition Team and work has been proceeding in 
2007 to operationalize these Recommendations.  Details  can be found in the "Compendium", which is 
a compilation of working documents containing EI F procedures and Terms of Reference of the 
various EIF bodies.  The Compendium was adopted by the IF governing bodies on 1 May 2007, which started the implementation phase of the EIF.
9   
42. Financing was the subject of the High Level Donor Pledging Conference for the EIF, which 
took place on 25 September 2007 in Stockholm.  Following the call by the WTO Director-General, 
significant financial resources were pledged by donors  in order to secure financing of EIF operations 
in the next five years.  As part of an impr oved governance structure, the EIF Secretariat will be 
established. It will ensure that the fundamental objective of the IF are met, by, for example, 
responding to individual requests of LDCs for assistance in the IF process;  assisting LDCs in the post-DTIS phase, for example, in mainstreaming of tr ade and in identification of suitable expertise to 
formulate projects addressing DTIS and Action Matrix priorities;  assisting LDCs in the establishment 
of the national implementing arrangements and prov iding them with necessary training on the IF 
process;  and assisting countries in following the re quired IF procedures to gain access to funding and 
providing any advice necessary for these purposes.  For the moment, and pending the establishment of 
the EIF Secretariat, WTO takes care of the secretariat of the IF.  In 2007, it was reinforced through the addition of the Programme Implementation Unit (PIU ) which includes three staff members who work 
exclusively on IF matters.  Management of the IF  Trust Fund will not be done by the EIF Secretariat 
but by an IF Trust Fund Manager (TFM).  The sel ection process for the recruitment of the EIF Trust 
Fund Manager as well as of the Ex ecutive Director of the EIF Secretariat started in 2007 and it is 
expected that both will be completed in the first part of 2008. 
(f) WTO Training Institute  
43. The World Bank continues to contribute to th e three-month WTO Trade Policy Courses held 
in Geneva through presentations by its staff a nd dissemination of its publications to course 
participants.  IMF staff also contribute to the cour ses.  As part of strengthening its Geneva office and 
its commitment to supporting the trade agenda, the World Bank has posted a staff member to Geneva 
to coordinate training activities with the WTO Training Institute.  The World Bank also contributes staff resources to the three-month WTO Trade Policy Courses held overseas. 
                                                     
 
9 For more details, see the IF website: www.integratedframework.org .  WT/TF/COH/S/13 
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  (g) The Standards and Trade Development Facility 
44. The Standards and Trade Development Facility (S TDF) 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.  It aims to increase coopera tion between relevant institutions in the area of 
international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standa rds, to improve coordination in the provision of 
SPS-related technical assistance, and to develop in to a centre of good practice.  Grant financing for 
project development and project im plementation is available for public  and private organizations in 
developing countries seeking to comply with SPS standa rds and hence gain or maintain market access 
for their exports.  The STDF Medium Term St rategy, which runs from 2007 to 2011, and its 
subsequent Operating Plans for 2007 and 2008- 09, place emphasis on STDF's coordination role 
at different levels.   Increasingly, STDF meetings act as a forum for the sharing and dissemination of 
information on SPS-related technical assistance activ ities and their overall impact and effectiveness.  
In 2007, one thematic workshop was held in collaboration with the World Bank and UNIDO on 
investment in laboratories for food safety and agricultural health.  Further workshops will be 
organized by the STDF in 2008-09 back-to-back w ith the SPS Committee on other specific thematic 
topics, e.g., SPS capacity eval uation tools and good practice. 
45. In 2007, the STDF started a programme of re gional consultations to examine SPS capacity 
building needs and responses and identify good practi ce in three pilot regions, i.e. Central America, 
East Africa, and a group of countries of the Greater Mekong Delta sub-region.  Reviews of SPS capacity evaluation studies and SPS-related technical assistance provided to each region were 
presented and discussed at workshops organized as an  integral part of the broader Aid-for-Trade 
initiative.  This research work will continue in  2008 and will involve working with donors and 
beneficiaries to prioritize needs, and identify good practice and opportuniti es for future assistance 
programmes - including project development.  Wher ever possible, synergies with the Aid-for-Trade 
initiative will be further exploited. 
46. At the national level, further emphasis is bei ng put on coordination with  existing and planned 
donor activities, ensuring synergies with ot her ongoing partner programmes, and with the 
Enhanced IF in relation to DTIS elaboration, update  and development of actions on the basis of DTIS 
action matrices.  Cooperation with these other initia tives is essential to STDF's coordination role and 
to the achievement of the STDF target to devot e 40 per cent of Facility project grant resources 
to LDCs and other low income economies.  One key element in this regard is providing technical 
assistance to LDCs to meet SPS requirements, in par ticular through the development of projects that 
address priority issues identified under the IF proc ess.  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 projects developed under the STDF umbrella. 
(h) Joint Vienna Institute 
47. 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 bilateral 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.   WT/TF/COH/S/13 
 Page 11 
 
 
 
   (i) Trade and Development Centre   
48. Since 1997, the WTO and the World Bank Institu te 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. 
C. F
INANCIAL ASSISTANCE  
49. 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.  
50. Beyond its regular programmes, the IMF announced the creation of its Trade Integration 
Mechanism (TIM) in 2004 and the launch of its  Exogenous Shocks Facility  (ESF) in 2005.   
51. The TIM aims to help its member countries adjust  to shocks that emanate from the process of 
multilateral trade liberalization.  It was designed to help mitigate concerns by many developing 
countries that implementation of WTO agreements mi ght give rise to temporary balance-of-payments 
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 WT O's Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC).  
Under the TIM, countries may request assistance , under existing IMF-suppor ted programmes or under 
a new arrangement.  In July 2006, the Republic of  Madagascar became the third country to obtain 
support through the TIM (access was granted in the c ontext of a PRGF arrangement in this case), after 
the Dominican Republic (January 2005) and Banglad esh (July 2004).  The IMF has also pledged to 
help low-income countries, for example cotton-produci ng countries, to deal with terms of trade shocks 
through the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facilit y (PRGF), its main instrument of financial 
assistance to low-income countries.  Considera tion of use of Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative 
(MDRI) resources for cotton-producing countries is al so possible.  Countries eligible for the PRGF, 
but that do not have a PRGF in place, can benef it from the newly created "window of access" to IMF 
resources, the Exogenous Shocks Facility (ESF), aimed at providing policy support and financial 
assistance to countries facing exogenous, external sh ocks – defined as any event that has a negative 
impact on the economy and that is beyond the government's control. 
52. The World Bank's "Doha Development Initiativ e", launched at the Cancún Ministerial 
Conference in 2003, aims to assist poor countries to take advantage of new market opportunities and offset any adverse initial impacts of trade reform  resulting from the Doha Round.  It encompasses new 
resources devoted to trade logistics (e.g., transpor t costs) and trade facilitation, enhanced sectoral 
lending in support of programmes designed to prot ect workers and vulnerable groups, and programme 
lending for countries implementing development-related DDA trade reforms.  Progress in mainstreaming trade into Bank operations has cont inued and trade now figures more prominently in 
economic and sector work and in investment opera tions.  The World Bank's trade-related operations 
have also been growing, as reflected in increased  investment lending for trade-related projects.  
Lending commitments for trade have increased from $0.8 billion in FY1998-2000, to $1.4 billion in 
FY2001-2003 and to $3.9 billion in  FY2004-2006. Further increases are expected in FY2007-09, after 
the successful replenishment of the IDA Fund achieved in December 2007. 
53. As regards the adjustment costs associated with multilateral liberalization and preference 
erosion, the World Bank has affirmed that it stands ready to discuss adjustment assistance 
programmes on a case-by-case basis.  With respect to  least-developed countries adversely affected by 
cotton subsidies, a series of IDA-credits currently  support the reorganization of the cotton sector in WT/TF/COH/S/13 
Page 12  
 
  Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Bank has indicated to th e countries affected that the eventual allocation 
of additional resources should be discu ssed in the context of their PRSPs. 
D. A
ID-FOR-TRADE  
54. The WTO's Aid-for-Trade initiative was an impor tant focus of the WTO's coherence activities 
in 2007.  As recommended by the 2006 Aid-for-Trade Task Force, the Direct or-General established a 
WTO mechanism to monitor and evaluate Aid for Tr ade.  It involved global tracking of financial 
flows, self assessments by partner and donor coun tries, three high-level regional meetings, and a 
series of "periodic review" in the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD).  These various 
threads were woven together in a Global Aid-for-Tra de Review and debate in  the General Council to 
provide Members with an opportunity to assess progress in the delivery of Aid for Trade and to offer 
political guidance.  The aim of the monitoring mechan ism was to shine a brighter spotlight on Aid for 
Trade – thus encouraging all of the key actor s to honour commitments, meet needs, improve 
effectiveness, and reinforce mu tual accountability.  The OECD and the WTO published their joint 
report "Aid for Trade at a Glance 2007" which gives a comprehensive picture of Aid-for-Trade flows 
from 2002 to 2005 and analyzes the results of the donor and recipient country Aid-for-Trade self 
assessments.  Over the course of the year, the CT D also held five sessions on Aid for Trade covering 
all of the main categories as defined by the Task Force: trade policy and regulations, infrastructure, building productive capacity, and adjustment assistance.  
55. Three regional Aid-for-Trade reviews also t ook place for Latin America and the Caribbean 
(Lima, Peru 13-14 September), for Asia and the Pacific (Manila, Philippines 19-20 September), and 
for Africa (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 1-2 October) as part of a coherent effort among the Regional 
Development Banks, the World Bank and the WTO to  encourage governments and donors to mobilize 
more and better Aid for Trade.  These events underlined the central importance of trade in 
development policies; identified the main capacity  constraints to export growth; emphasized the 
importance of comprehensive nationa l and regional aid for trade strategies;  highlighted the need for 
increased and effective financing; and secu red political commitment on the way forward. 
56. Finally, the first Global Aid-for-Trade Review was held at the WTO headquarters on 
19-21November 2007 bringing together trade and finance ministers, senior officials, and representative of international and regional agencies to take stock of  what is happening on Aid for 
Trade, to identify what should happen next, a nd to discuss ways to improve WTO monitoring and 
evaluation.  There was wide support for the pl an to develop qualitative and quantitative targets 
assessing improvements in trade capacity building.  The Global Review also discussed the findings 
and recommendations of the three regional reviews and  encouraged countries and sub-regions to map 
out their key constraints and priorities, to develop regional and national action plans, and to set out a 
road map for implementing results and assessing progress. 
E. B
ROAD INTERNATIONAL COHERENCE : WTO  COOPERATION WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL  
ORGANIZATIONS  
57. Coherence in global economic policy-making go es beyond the WTO's formal and specific 
cooperation arrangements with the IMF and the Wo rld Bank.  Since WTO Members are bound by all 
their international obligations simultaneously and cumu latively, 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.  Through its councils and committees, the WTO maintains extensive 
institutional relations with several other internati onal organizations; there are some 140 international 
organizations that have observer status in WTO bodi es.  The WTO is also participating as observer in 
the work of several international organizations.  In all, the WTO Secretariat maintains working  WT/TF/COH/S/13 
 Page 13 
 
 
 
   relations with almost 200 international organizatio ns in activities ranging from statistics, research, 
standard-setting, and technical assistance and traini ng.  Although the extent of such cooperation 
varies, coordination and coherence between the work  of the WTO and that of other international 
organizations continue to evolve so as to assist Me mbers in the operation of their economic policies.   
58. The WTO has a cooperation agreement with UNCTAD for matters under their respective 
jurisdiction including their supervisory functions over  the International Trade Centre (ITC).  During 
2007, the WTO continued to work very closely with UNCTAD and the ITC to further the development dimension of trade and in support of th e DDA through, for example, the Joint Integrated 
Technical Assistance Programme (JITAP).  ITC is al so a partner institution in the management of the 
Enhanced Integrated Framework, and has been instru mental in attracting private sector support to the 
Aid-for-Trade Initiative.  UNCTAD established in  2005 a Group of Eminent Persons on Non-Tariff 
Barriers (NTB) which consists of people drawn from governments, international organizations, 
academia and civil society.  In 2007, the WT O (through the Economic Research and Analysis 
Division) contributed to the substantive work of this Group.  
59.  Although there is no formal agreement between the WHO and the WTO, the WHO has 
observer status in the SPS and TBT Committees, and it has ad hoc observer status in the TRIPS and 
GATS Councils.  In 2007, there has been extensive co llaboration between the two Secretariats in the 
sectors relating to health and sanitary and phytosan itary measures, and continuing joint efforts to 
bring attention to the need for policy coherence be tween trade and health matters at both the global 
and national level. 
60. The WTO Secretariat also undertakes joint ac tivities with the international bodies which 
develop standards for food safety, plant and an imal 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 throu gh the Standards and Trade Development Facility 
(STDF). 
61. In the 2001 Doha Ministerial Declaration, Ministers welcomed the WTO's continued 
cooperation with UNEP and other inter-governmental  environmental organizations and encouraged 
efforts to promote cooperation between the WTO and relevant internati onal environmental and 
developmental organizations.
10  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. Under this cooperation frame work, both institutions are currently working on 
a joint study on environment, climate change and tr ade. The WTO Secretariat is an observer of the 
Governing Council of UNEP and a ttends annual Council meetings; UNEP is an observer of the WTO 
Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) and is al so invited to attend meetings of the Committee 
on Trade and Environment in Special Session (CTESS) on an ad hoc meeting-by-meeting basis.11  
There is also contact in broader settings; for exam ple, the WTO Secretariat attends meetings of the 
UN Environment Management Group (EMG).  In 2007, the Director-General participated in the UNEP 24
th Session of the Governing Council – Global Ministerial Environment Forum.  There was 
also regular contact between WTO and UNEP at st aff levels, while UNEP is routinely invited to 
                                                      
10 Doha Ministerial Declaration (WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1), adopted on 14 November 2001; para. 6. 
11 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. WT/TF/COH/S/13 
Page 14  
 
  cooperate with the WTO in regiona l workshops on trade and environment. In addition, sustainable 
development and climate change were main topics at  the WTO's 2007 Public Forum.  In this vein, the 
Director-General participated in the Informal Tr ade Ministers' Dialogue on Climate Change in Bali on 
8-9 December 2007, and in his speech emphasized that the Doha negotiati ons on environment goods 
and services could deliver "double-wi n" for environment and trade. 
62. In 2007, the WTO Secretariat also continue d to collaborate with the secretariats of 
multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), a numbe r of which have observer status in the CTE. 
For example, the Secretariat participated in the Conference of the Parties of various MEAs which  
provided opportunities for networking and to convey information on relevant discussions in the CTE 
and CTESS.  As well, various MEA secretariats  contributed to the programmes of WTO 2007 
regional workshops on trade and environment.   
63. In the area of market acces s, the WTO cooperates regularly with the World Customs 
Organization (WCO).  WTO staff follow the work in the WCO on the Harmonized System classification nomenclature, both for the work of th e Market Access Committee as well as for that of 
the Information Technology Agreement (ITA).  Coope ration was recently useful in relation to the 
classification of "set top boxes" for the ITA Co mmittee, as well as for keeping the Committee on 
Information Technology
12 abreast of the latest developments in the Harmonised System (HS) 
Nomenclature (with respect to the Information sect or.  Also, 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 exam ine technical questions with respect to these 
Agreements, as well as to provide technical assistan ce activities.  With respect  to trade facilitation, 
since 2005, WCO officials have been participa ting in all WTO regional technical assistance 
activities.  In addition, the WCO is assisting in the development of th e needs assessment tool which is 
being designed and developed specifically for th e trade facilitation negotiations of the Doha 
Development Agenda.  WCO officials regularly atte nd, as observers, the meetings of the Negotiating 
Group on Trade Facilitation. 
64. Similar active collaboration exist in the area of trade in services.  Under the cooperation 
agreement between the International Telecomm unication Union (ITU) and the WTO, the two 
organizations participate as observers in each othe r's meetings and collaborate at the staff level on 
activities such as research, publications, conferences and workshops.  Although no formal cooperation 
agreement binds the WTO and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in 2006, UNWTO gained 
ad hoc observer status in the Council for Trade in  Services.  The two organizations work closely 
together to coordinate positions on tourism-related trade policy issues.   This work currently includes 
presentations by WTO staff at UNWTO functions 2- 3 times/year, and the review of documents and 
publications.  The Universal Postal Union (UPU) wa s granted ad hoc observer status in 2006 in the 
Council on Trade in Services.  The UPU, for its part, invites the WTO Secretariat to participate in its 
meetings, both formal and informal.  The secretaria ts of the two organizations regularly consult on 
technical matters of interest to both organizations.  The President of the UPU was invited by the 
Director-General to participate as a speaker  at the Global Review on Aid for Trade on 
19-21 November 2007, in Geneva.  The Secretariat h as also developed a useful working relationship 
with the Energy Charter Secretariat, which allows  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.   
65. In the field of intellectual property, the WTO has, as called for by the TRIPS Agreement, a 
cooperation agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  During the course 
of 2007, periodical meetings between the two Secretariats took place, as initiated in 2006, in 
                                                      
12 Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products.  WT/TF/COH/S/13 
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   particular in the area of technical cooperation, especially in favour of least-developed countries.  
During 2007, the WTO continued to be invited as an observer to WIPO meetings and WIPO has 
attended (as observer) meetings of regular WTO bodies in which they have an interest, notably the 
TRIPS Council and the General Council.  The Secr etariat also cooperates closely with the World 
Health organization (WHO) on public health-rela ted intellectual property matters, including by 
participating as observers in the WHO Intergove rnmental Group on Public Health, Innovation and 
Intellectual Property and in the WHO IMPACT initiative (International Medical Products Anti-
Counterfeiting Task Force), as well as in the field of technical cooperation.  The WTO Secretariat also 
cooperates with a range of other intergovernmental or ganizations 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).  
66. With respect to the ILO, in addition to WTO S ecretariat attendance at meetings of the ILO's 
Working Party on the Social Dimension of Gl obalization and other ILO initiatives, 2006 saw 
collaborative research between the WTO's Economic Research and Statistics Division and the ILO's 
Institute for Labour Studies on the issue of th e relationship between trade and employment.  
The outcome of this research, a joint technical study entitled Trade and Employment: Challenges for 
Policy Research , was published in February 2007.In add ition, the WTO and the ILO are jointly 
working on a report on trade and the informal sector . 
67. Always with a view to assisting Members' global economic policies, the WTO Secretariat 
maintains considerable contacts a nd regular cooperation with other in tergovernmental organizations at 
staff level, in activities ranging from statistics, re search, standard-setting, and technical assistance and 
training.  The exchange of information on matters of  mutual interest is also part of this regular 
cooperation.  During 2007, 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. In December 2007 , th e Director General participated at the UNIDO 
General conference and highlighted the complimentar ity in the work of both the WTO and UNIDO.  
68. The WTO Secretariat also maintains regular contacts with the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development (OECD) and attends meetings of re levance to trade.  The OECD has 
also a particularly important role in the Aid-fo r-Trade Initiative in the evaluation and monitoring of 
aid (through the DAC).  The Trade and Capacity Building Data Base has b een established by the 
WTO jointly with the OECD to provide information on  trade-related technical assistance and capacity 
building projects.  It covers national as well as re gional projects and is an on-going activity.  The 2006 
Joint WTO/OECD Report on Trade-Related Technical  Assistance Capacity Building was published at 
the end of April 2007.  At present, the period of co verage is 2001-2006, with  partial data for 2007, 
data being reported from bilate ral donors and multilateral/regional agencies.  The data base 
establishes a consistent base of figures against which the evolution of aid in this area can be assessed 
over time. 
69. The WTO Secretariat participates in many ac tivities organized by the United Nations, its 
agencies and its programmes.  During 2007 the Direct or-General regularly attended meetings of the 
UN Chief Executive's Board, and the WTO Secretariat was represented at senior level in the Board's 
subsidiary bodies (High Level Committee on Programmes and High Level Committee on 
Management) as well as in coordination meetings of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), 
including its special meetings held with the Br etton Woods Institutions, the WTO and UNCTAD, and 
its substantive session.  The WTO is always represent ed at special international conferences organized 
by the UN and participates in their activities that are related to trade and the trading system, such as WT/TF/COH/S/13 
Page 16  
 
  follow-up to the Millennium Summit and the Millenni um Development Goals and to the Monterrey 
Consensus on Financing for Development.   
70. Finally, in the context of the implementati on of WTO Agreements and of the Doha Work 
Programme, the WTO cooperates on an ad hoc basi s with a large number of 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-related activities.  The Hong Kong Declaration recognizes 
this, inter alia , in one of its paragraphs on LDCs wher e WTO urged "donors, multilateral agencies 
and international financial institutions  to coordinate their work to en sure that LDCs are not subjected 
to conditionalities on loans, grants and official development assistance that are inconsistent with their 
rights and obligations under the WTO Agreements".  In  this context, in 2007 the Director-General met 
on several occasions the President and senior staff of the Inter-American Development Bank, the 
African Development Bank as well as the Asian Developm ent Bank, in particular in the context of the 
regional and global reviews on Aid for Trade. 
71. A strong multilateral trading system is one part – vitally important – of an emerging system of 
global governance, where trade, finance, deve lopment and many other policies are increasingly 
intertwined.  In 2007, the WTO has maintained its se rious efforts to ensure international coherence so 
that we can translate improvements in market acce ss or in new trade disciplines into realities, in 
particular, for developing countries. 
__________