2018 – part1 – 1 – 4

Estonia donates EUR 20,000 to help developing countries fully participate in global trade

The government of Estonia is contributing EUR 20,000 (approximately CHF 23,000) to help government officials from developing countries gain a better understanding of WTO agreements and improve their negotiating skills.

Estonia’s contribution to the WTO’s Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund will finance training workshops for government officials. Since the creation of the fund in 2001, over 2,500 workshops have been organized.

WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said: “I welcome Estonia’s support. Their generosity will help to ensure that the voices of the least-developed countries feature prominently in global trade negotiations, thereby helping more people to leverage the opportunities that international trade offers.”

Ambassador Andre Pung, Estonia’s Permanent Representative to the WTO, said: “Estonia is strongly committed to continuing its long-term partnership with the WTO technical assistance programmes. Since the launch of the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund, Estonia has been a consistent supporter of the fund, which aims to help developing countries, in particular least-developed countries, integrate into the multilateral trading system and benefit fully from the WTO agreements. Helping developing countries fulfil their commitments to the WTO is an important step towards integration of these countries into the global economy and towards increased prosperity for all.”

Overall, Estonia has donated over CHF 300,000 to WTO trust funds over the last 15 years.

Source: wto.org