Spain makes large donations, totalling EUR715,000, to three WTO trust funds

Director-General Pascal Lamy with Juan Clos, Minister of Industry & Commerce of Spain

Spain has in total contributed EUR715,000 (about CHF1.1 million) to the Trade Facilitation Needs Assessment Trust Fund, the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF), and the Preservation and Enhanced Dissemination of GATT/WTO Documents Trust Fund.

A first donation of EUR94,437 (about CHF153,000) will be offered to the Trade Facilitation Needs Assessment Trust Fund. Spain is the first contributor to this newly created trust fund. The aim is to help developing countries, least developed countries and small economies self assess their priorities and needs in the area of trade facilitation. This trust fund will also allow members' effective participation in trade facilitation negotiations.

A second donation of EUR350,000 (about CHF565,000) will go to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF). This donation will finance technical assistance programmes and training activities for Latin American and the Caribbean countries for 2007. The aim is to better adapt their practices and laws to WTO rules and disciplines, improve the implementation of their obligations and enhance the exercise of their membership rights. With this new contribution, Spain's involvement to the DDAGTF amounts to EUR1.5 million (CHF2.5 million).

A third donation of EUR270,563 (USD350,000) will be offered to the Preservation and Enhanced Dissemination of GATT/WTO Documents Trust Fund. Spain is the first contributor to this newly created trust fund. The objective is to safeguard GATT/WTO documents in electronic formats. The donation will be used to conserve documents in Spanish.

WTO Director General Pascal Lamy declared “I welcome Spain's donations to the WTO trust funds. Its contributions will not only allow developing countries to expand their markets through our technical assistance programmes but will also enable all members to have access to the history of this organisation.”

“Today's contributions to the WTO technical assistance and document preservation programmes is a concrete illustration of our constant commitment to the WTO” stated Mr. Joan Clos, Spain's Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce. “Spain fully supports any efforts to help the developing countries to make full use of the multilateral trading system. It is also committed to the whole membership enabling countries to easily access old but none the less essential WTO documents” .