°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ

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Introduction 

Technical assistance activities aim to help developing countries take full advantage of the multilateral trading system. Within the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Secretariat, these activities are coordinated by the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC), based on technical assistance and training plans. The Committee on Trade and Development regularly oversees all Trade-Related Technical Assistance activities.

The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ's technical assistance and training plans contain detailed information on all of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Secretariat's Technical Assistance “products” as well as on individual activities. The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ responds to specific national and regional needs in line with its Progressive Learning Strategy, which provides graduated levels of training to course participants. A results-based management approach is used to monitor and evaluate these activities and to further develop the assistance provided.

The changing needs of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ members continue to determine the type of assistance provided. These needs are expressed, for example, through members' national activity requests. Global trade developments also guide Technical Assistance activities delivered at a regional or global level. Ensuring that technical assistance responds to members' needs is the main priority of the Secretariat.

Nairobi Ministerial Declaration

In the Ministerial Declaration issued at the end of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ's Ministerial Conference  in December 2015, ministers said: “We note the substantial progress in °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ's technical assistance and capacity building, which focus on the needs and priorities of beneficiary Members. We recognize that dedicated facilities such as the Standards and Trade Development Facility and the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility are making an important contribution towards assisting developing country Members and LDCs to implement relevant °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ agreements. We also reiterate the importance of targeted and sustainable financial, technical, and capacity building assistance programmes to support the developing country Members, in particular LDCs, to implement their agreements, to adjust to the reform process, and to benefit from opportunities presented.”

Technical assistance plan 2024-25

The Technical Assistance Plan for 2024-25 aims to help:

• government officials implement °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ agreements and make full use of members' rights
• governments negotiating °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ membership participate in accession negotiations
• members access the most relevant trade information so that they can better enforce their rights and obligations
• members of parliament, journalists and civil society learn more about °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ activities
• students and academic institutions supported by the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ gain a better understanding of trade policy and °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ subjects.

The aim is to strengthen trade capacity in the following areas:

• trade policy formulation and implementation
• compliance with °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ obligations
• the exercising of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ rights
• °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ-related trade negotiations.

> List of activities for 2024/2025

Audience

Technical assistance is primarily geared towards government officials from developing countries, least-developed countries, economies in transition and countries in the process of joining the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ.  The audience can also include representatives from civil society, journalists, academia and the private sector.

Types of activity

The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ organizes nearly 300 technical assistance activities every year, and trains over 14,000 government officials. Most °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ divisions are involved with the delivery of the courses.  The training activities include lectures, presentations, roundtables, meetings with experts, simulation exercises and attendance at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ meetings.  The courses include two-month Advanced Trade Policy Courses (ATPCs) held in Geneva, regional Intermediate Trade Policy Courses, regional seminars, workshops and training events on specific topics.  °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ members are invited to submit written requests for national technical assistance to the Secretariat, based on their individual needs.

The Technical Assistance activities provide different levels of training Around two-thirds of activities are held at the national level and one-third at the regional level. The vast majority of activities address specific °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ agreements, such as the General Agreement on Services, the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, and the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, and deal with a range of trade issues, such as market access, customs valuation, rules of origin, intellectual property, development and trade facilitation.

• General °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ-related technical assistance and training
• Specialized and advanced technical assistance and training
• Academic support
• Trainee programmes and internships

Geographical coverage

A key objective is to maintain a geographical balance in the delivery of activities but special attention is given to Africa, which benefits from over one-third of activities annually. Nearly 15 per cent of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ's technical assistance is geared towards Asia and the Pacific, while other activities are divided between Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Arab countries and the Middle East, and the Caribbean.

Priority is given to least-developed countries (LDCs), which are associated with over 45 per cent of all technical assistance delivered, including national activities held in LDCs, regional seminars, workshops and training activities to which LDCs are invited. Some products are specifically or largely geared towards LDCs, e.g. the three-week Introduction Courses for LDCs, “Geneva Weeks” for °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ members who do not have permanent missions in Geneva, the Reference Centres Programme, and the Netherlands Trainee Programme (NTP).  LDCs receive priority attention in the selection process for Geneva-based training courses. 

Budget

The implementation costs for the two-year TA Plan are around CHF 18 million. Some CHF 4.5 million is financed from the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ's regular budget and CHF 14 million is provided from outside this budget. Contributions from °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ members have declined in recent years owing to the ongoing impact of the recent global financial crisis. One of the key challenges for the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ is to increase the stability of financing  for technical assistance activities as well as to ensure the timely receipt of contributions.

> Financing of Trade-Related Technical Assistance

Partnerships

The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ collaborates with a large number of international organizations and other bodies to deliver technical assistance activities. For example, the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ participates in events organized by, or in cooperation with, other agencies  and in trade-related conferences, symposia and high-level meetings. The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ also makes use of the services of external consultants who participate in the delivery of regional and national activities and who undertake research. Also, university professors and researchers often participate as lecturers.

> Partnerships