On 14 June 2021, the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced that the European Union (EU) had contributed EUR 1 million over the period 2021 to 2022 to help developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) participate effectively in global trade negotiations. This donation to the WTO Global Trust Fund will finance training and other capacity-building activities for government officials to help them better understand and implement WTO agreements and to enhance their negotiating skills. Over 2,900 activities have been organised under this fund over the past 20 years.
The WTO Director-General said that Trade has the potential to help economies grow, make businesses prosper and improve peoples' lives across the world. The EU's generous donation will help ensure that trade officials from developing countries and LDCs have the know-how to make this a reality.”
Overall, the EU has donated approximately EUR 26.5 million to the various WTO trust funds in addition to individual contributions from EU member states.
Story by: Riaan de Lange