The government of Sweden is contributing SEK 19.2mn to help developing countries improve their trading capacity and participate fully in global trade negotiations.
Sweden’s donation to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund will finance training workshops for officials in Geneva and elsewhere to help them understand and implement WTO agreements, and improve their negotiation skills. Since the creation of the fund in 2001, over 2,500 workshops have been organised.
Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said: “Sweden’s donation will be essential to ensure that the voices of the world’s most vulnerable countries feature prominently in global trade negotiations, thereby helping more people to leverage the opportunities that international trade offers. I welcome Sweden’s generosity.”
Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs and Trade Ann Linde said: “Trade plays an important role in supporting inclusive growth, reducing poverty and fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals. Helping developing countries to improve their capacity to trade and to benefit from the multilateral trading system is a priority for Sweden. That is why we continue to contribute significantly to the WTO’s Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund.”
Overall, Sweden has donated more than CHF 48mn to WTO trust funds over the past 15 years.