2022 part1

73/ Japan provides CHF 160,000 to strengthen developing countries’ trade skills

4 MARCH 2022

Japan has contributed over CHF 160,000 in 2022 to help developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) improve their capacity to trade. The contribution to the WTO’s Global Trust Fund will finance training workshops aimed at helping government officials improve their negotiating capacities and better implement WTO agreements.

Over 2,900 activities have taken place since the fund was created in 2001.

“I thank Japan for its generous contribution to the Global Trust Fund. This new support will help developing countries and LDCs extend their expertise in formulating and implementing trade policies,” said Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. “It will also assist them in gaining access to global export markets and using trade to drive economic growth and job creation.”

Japan’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, YAMAZAKI Kazuyuki, said: “The global economy and the trading environment have been rapidly changing due to pressing external challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. To better adapt to the new circumstances, WTO members need to find solutions in a wide range of areas, from health to e-commerce, through inclusive negotiations and discussions. To this end, we strongly hope that the WTO Global Trust Fund will further help developing countries and LDCs to contribute to the current and future work at the WTO. We also believe that the fund will play an essential role to further assist these countries to better understand and implement WTO agreements so that they can gain even greater benefits from the multilateral trading system.”

Overall, Japan has contributed over CHF 11.5 million to the various WTO trust funds over 20 years.

Source: wto.org