Over 16,000 beneficiaries participated in over 300 technical assistance activities in 2023, marking a 32 percent increase in participation and a 24 percent rise in activities compared to 2022. Although the number of participants has not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, participants from least-developed countries (LDCs) increased by 40 percent compared to 2022. Requests for national activities soared by 60 percent following record lows during the 2020-22 period.
"More than just a year of recovery, 2023 witnessed the first visible signs of sustainable transformation in the delivery of technical assistance activities," WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang said in the foreword. "The constraints of the last few years and their associated effects have pushed us in a forced march towards reinventing our practices and curriculum. Donors should be congratulated for their generous contributions throughout these difficult times."
The report notes a significant increase in the effectiveness of the activities in helping beneficiaries expand their skillset. Close to 80 percent of targets were fully or partially met, the highest rate in over five years according to the WTO Results-Based Management assessment. An improvement was noted in members' ability to formulate trade policies, bring their laws into compliance with WTO rules, participate in trade negotiations, and implement international trade agreements.
A combination of face-to-face courses, e-learning, and virtual training has increasingly been integrated into these activities. Growing emphasis was given to simulations of WTO practical cases, participation in Committee meetings, coaching participants, and developing action plans to put into practice the skills developed throughout the programs.
A series of regional workshops were organized to support the ratification of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and the second wave of fisheries negotiations. Training programs were also better tailored to Geneva-based government officials' needs to help them conduct their work with more emphasis on helping WTO members comply with their notification obligations under WTO agreements.
WTO technical assistance is traditionally financed through a combination of funding from the WTO Secretariat's regular budget and voluntary contributions from WTO members to Trust Funds. In 2023, the regular technical assistance budget remained at CHF 4.4 million. A total of CHF 6.3 million in voluntary contributions was received from nine donors, most earmarked for specific programs such as certain internship programs and support for least-developed countries while resources for other technical assistance activities have declined.
Due to resources carried over from the COVID-19 pandemic period, the WTO spent CHF 15 million on technical assistance in 2023. However, more contributions from members for general technical assistance activities are required long-term.
Background
A core function of the WTO is its technical assistance and capacity-building activities aimed at enhancing professional and institutional trade capacities among developing and least-developed WTO members and observer governments. These initiatives provide beneficiaries with enhanced know-how to take full advantage of opportunities within a rules-based multilateral trading system while addressing potential challenges. Within the WTO Secretariat, these efforts are overseen by The Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation.
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