PRESS RELEASE
PRESS/257
22 November 2001
(01-5954)
SWEDEN GIVES SFR 1.2M TO HELP LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
Sweden has donated SEK 8 million (SFr 1.2 million) to help developing countries — and the
least developed in particular — improve their ability to negotiate in the WTO and to implement WTO
agreements.
The money, received on 1 November 2001, is a third contribution from Sweden to the WTO
Global Trust Fund for technical cooperation. The first two were for SEK 5m (SFr 1m) in 1999 and
SEK 7m (SFr 1.3m) in 2000. In all cases Sweden has se t flexible terms, only asking for priority to be
given to “technical assistance activities, both in terms of negotiation capacity and in terms of
implementing WTO agreements, where least developed countries are prime beneficiaries”.
Expressing his thanks, WTO Director-General Mike Moore said: “Sweden has been a
steadfast contributor to WTO technical cooperati on funding. This latest contribution is timely, not
only because of the continuing need, but because in the 14 November Ministerial Declaration inDoha, WTO member governments included a pledge to improve assistance to developing countries
and to ensure secure and predictable funding.”
Since the WTO’s creation in 1995, Sweden has been the fourth largest voluntary contributor
to WTO technical assistance activities. It is the third largest so far in 2001. It is also one of the
initiators of the “Global” WTO Trust Fund set up in 1999. Voluntary contributions of this kind helppoorer countries participate actively in the WTO and take advantage of the new opportunities in
international trade offered by the WTO agreements. The funds are administered by the WTO
Secretariat.
In 2001, the WTO Secretariat is spending a total of about SFr 41m directly and indirectly on technical
cooperation and training, out of a total budget of about SFr 134m plus about SFr 9m from the trust
funds created by voluntary contributions.
More information:
• Previous Swedish donations: Press release No 188, 28 July 2000, and No 126 17 March 1999
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres00_e/pr188_e.htm  and
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres99_e/pr126_e.htm .
• WTO technical cooperation:
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/devel_e/tct_e.htm
• Trust fund details:
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/secre_e/budget_e.htm#extra
END