The European Union (EU) has committed EUR 5 million to the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), marking the start of Phase Three of the initiative aimed at helping least-developed countries (LDCs) harness trade for sustainable growth. This contribution builds on over a decade of EU support, totaling nearly USD 25 million, and was announced on 16 September 2025 at the EIF’s High-Level Platform for LDC Partnerships held at the WTO in Geneva.
The announcement was made during a ceremony attended by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, EIF Executive Director Ratnakar Adhikari, EU Ambassador João Aguiar Machado, and Paz Velasco Velazquez, Head of the Trade, Investment Climate, Entrepreneurship and Value Chains Unit at the Directorate-General for International Partnerships of the European Commission.
Velasco Velazquez emphasized the EU’s ongoing commitment: “The EU has been a reliable partner to the EIF from the very beginning, and we continue to stand with LDCs as they integrate into the global economy. With Phase Three putting investment at the forefront, and with the EIF uniquely positioned to address LDCs’ needs, we are hopeful that this new phase will be very successful.”
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala welcomed the pledge, noting that LDCs require stable and predictable partnerships to strengthen trade capacities and seize new opportunities amid global challenges. EIF Executive Director Ratnakar Adhikari added that the EU’s contribution provides essential momentum for Phase Three, reinforcing the EU’s leadership in Aid for Trade and enhancing EIF’s ability to deliver catalytic and transformative support to LDCs.
Phase Three of EIF, running from October 2025 to December 2031, aims to mobilize at least USD 200 million to deliver transformative trade support, in alignment with the UN Doha Programme of Action for LDCs. Since its launch, the EIF has been the only global Aid for Trade framework exclusively dedicated to helping LDCs leverage trade as a driver of sustainable economic development and poverty reduction.
