WTO and International Institute for Trade and Development launch technical assistance collaboration

Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, WTO Director-General, and Ambassador Manaspas Xuto, Executive Director of the International Institute for Trade and Development, signed today a Memorandum of Understanding launching a joint technical assistance programme to help developing and least-developed countries increase their participation in the multilateral trade negotiations.

> WTO assistance for developing countries

The technical assistance programme will consist of training courses given by WTO and ITD Secretariats officials. The courses will start this year and will be jointly funded by WTO and ITD.

“I am delighted to start this new collaboration with the International Institute for Trade and Development”, Dr. Supachai said. “The round of negotiations we launched at the Doha Ministerial Conference covers many areas, all highly complex. I am glad we can now count on the partnership of the ITD to increase knowledge of WTO issues in developing and least developed countries”.

“This agreement will institutionalize the cooperation relationship between WTO and ITD”, said Amb. Xuto. “Through this new instrument, ITD intends to organize a workshop on trade and services jointly with WTO and the United Nations Secretariat for the Asian and Pacific region in summer 2003”.

The International Institute for Trade and Development is the product of a cooperation agreement between the Royal Thai Government and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It was officially inaugurated on 1 May 2002 and its headquarters are located on the campus of Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.