°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ

°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi and the Norwegian Ambassador Eirik Glenne signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the contribution by Norway on 15 March 2004.

“Norway has for several years been a strong supporter of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ trade-related technical assistance to developing, and in particular least-developed countries” said Norwegian Ambassador Eirik Glenne. “Contributing to the strengthening of the capacity of the developing and the least-developed countries to make full use of the multilateral trading system is an important political priority of the Norwegian government. Today’s contribution to the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Technical Assistance Plan for 2004 is a concrete expression of our continued commitment to the efforts of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ to this end.”

“I am extremely grateful to Norway for contributing again to the Doha Development Fund,” said °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi.

“We can only reach a successful outcome to the Doha round of negotiations with the full participation of all °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Members. Increasingly, developing countries are expressing the desire to contribute more actively to the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ debate. We can help them, through technical assistance.”

Norway is one of the biggest voluntary contributors to °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ technical assistance activities since 1995, with a total of 8.7 million Swiss Francs.
The Doha Fund was established following the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Ministerial Conference held in Doha in November 2001, which launched a new round of negotiations. In December 2003, the General Council approved a target amount of 24 million Swiss Francs for the Trust Fund for 2004.