Bimbola Oyesola
The government of Austria is contributing a total of €400,000 (CHF 450,000) to fund World Trade Organisation (WTO) trade-related programmes over a period of two years (2018 and 2019), with the aim of helping developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) participate more fully in multilateral trade negotiations.
This donation to the WTO’s Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund will finance training workshops for officials in Geneva and elsewhere to help them better understand and implement WTO agreements.
Over 2,600 workshops have been organised since the fund was created in 2001.
Director-General, Roberto Azevêdo, said, “I want to thank Austria for supporting WTO trade-related programmes aimed at enhancing the capacity of developing countries and LDCs to trade and to fully participate in multilateral trade negotiations. Austria’s generous donations are very welcome.”
Austria’s Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs, Margarete Schramböck, said: “I firmly believe that the multilateral trading system, particularly the WTO, plays an essential role in boosting international trade and helping improve the livelihoods of millions of people in both developed and developing economies.
“Through our contribution to the trust fund, we aim to help developing economies integrate into world trade and contribute more actively to the world economy.”
Austria has donated approximately €4 million (over CHF 4.6 million) to WTO trust funds over the last 15 years.