The European Union has contributed €1 million to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Global Trust Fund (GTF) to support capacity-building initiatives for developing economies, including least developed countries (LDCs). The funding will help implement the WTO’s technical assistance plan, enabling government officials to deepen their understanding of the multilateral trading system and enhance compliance with WTO obligations.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala welcomed the EU’s contribution, noting that it comes at a critical time and will sustain important technical assistance activities. The EU’s Ambassador to the WTO, João Aguiar Machado, emphasized that the funding reflects the EU’s longstanding commitment to supporting WTO programmes and ensuring that developing countries have the capacity to participate fairly in the global trading system.
The Global Trust Fund supports around 280 activities annually, including tailored training at national and regional levels and online courses. These programmes cover a wide range of trade-related areas such as agriculture, digital trade, import licensing, standards, trade and environment, and trade negotiation skills. Since its establishment in 2001, the GTF has organized over 2,800 workshops worldwide, with 2024 recording more than 19,000 participants, the highest in the past decade.
The EU has a history of over two decades of cooperation with the WTO, contributing a total of CHF 34.5 million to various WTO trust funds. This latest €1 million contribution reinforces the EU’s commitment to promoting a fair, inclusive, and rules-based multilateral trading system, while supporting developing economies and LDCs to strengthen their trade capacity.
