2022 part1

111/ Estonia donates EUR 20,000 to help developing economies boost trading capacities

29 MARCH 2022

Estonia has contributed EUR 20,000 (CHF 20,500) in 2022 to help developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) increase their trade know-how. This donation to the WTO’s Global Trust Fund will finance training workshops for government officials to help them better understand and implement WTO agreements and improve their negotiating skill-set.

Over 2,900 activities have been organized since the fund was created in 2001.

Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “I thank Estonia for generously contributing to the Global Trust Fund, which plays an essential role in enhancing the ability of developing countries and LDCs to trade. By supporting the strengthening of trade expertise in these countries, this new funding will enhance their ability to use international trade to drive growth, poverty reduction, and improvements in people’s living standards.”

Estonia’s WTO Ambassador, Katrin Saarsalu-Layachi, said: “Estonia highly values the multilateral trading system. In our view, strengthening developing and least-developed countries’ capacities to actively participate in international trade is crucial for reducing poverty and promoting economic growth, especially in the post-pandemic world.  During these increasingly challenging times, it is more important than ever to ensure that all WTO members can make full use of the rules-based global trading system.”

Overall, Estonia has donated over CHF 400,000 to the various WTO trust funds over nearly 20 years.

Source: wto.org