The government of the United States has contributed USD 600,000 (over CHF 600,000) in 2016 to help developing countries and least-developed countries participate effectively in global trade negotiations.
The donation to the WTO’s Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF) will finance training workshops for officials in Geneva and elsewhere to help them better understand and implement WTO agreements and to negotiate new accords. Since the creation of the fund in 2001, more than 2,400 workshops have been organized.
Welcoming this new donation from one of the largest contributors to this fund, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said: “This donation from the United States will be a very important contribution to ensuring that developing and least-developed countries can continue to integrate into the global trading system and improve living standards for their citizens. I welcome the continued generosity of the United States.”
US Ambassador Michael Punke said: “The United States continues to value the work of the WTO in helping developing countries implement their WTO commitments, strengthen their capacity to trade, and participate actively in the negotiating work of the institution. We are pleased to continue to support this work through a continuation of our financial support to the DDAGTF.”
The United States has donated over CHF 21 million (approximately USD 21 million) to WTO trust funds over the past 15 years.