DDG Zhang underscores success of three key WTO technical assistance programmes in 2024

DDG Zhang commended the participants for their dedication and active engagement throughout the 10-month programmes. He said: "Your perspectives and experiences have enriched the WTO Secretariat’s work. I am confident that, like past alumni, you will put the expertise and knowledge you acquired here to good use, helping your governments engage in the WTO and benefit more fully from the global trading system."

DDG Zhang also thanked the donors for their continued support, which makes these programmes possible.

French Irish Mission Programme

Financed by France and Ireland, the French Irish Mission Programme provided 18 government officials with hands-on experience within their respective countries' permanent missions to the WTO in Geneva. The programme aimed to enhance their capacity to fully understand the work of the WTO, including ongoing negotiations.

“Our contribution to this programme reflects France's commitment to enhancing the skillset of officials from developing economies and their understanding of the multilateral trading system," France’s Permanent Representative to the WTO, Emmanuelle Ivanov-Durand, said. "This is why we have stated our commitment to support more participants over the 2024-2026 period."

Ireland's Permanent Representative to the WTO, Ambassador Noel White, noted that Ireland "welcomed all the participants to Ireland for the first time this year to share directly in our experience as a small open economy with substantial international trading links across the globe.”

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Myrlande Ignounga Mounguengui from Gabon said: "The ten months we spent at the WTO were an opportunity to strengthen our knowledge of international trade rules, to acquire practical skills in trade negotiations and to better understand the complex issues faced by developing economies and least-developed countries in global trade."

Netherlands Trainee Programme

The Netherlands Trainee Programme welcomed 14 participants to the WTO Secretariat in 2024. Funded by the Netherlands, the programme aims to enhance government officials' understanding of the work of the WTO and the multilateral trading system through practical experience within various divisions of the WTO Secretariat.

Highlighting the success of this year's programme, the Alternate Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the WTO, Ambassador Audrey Goosen, encouraged the participants to put the expertise they have gained to good use and to “be ambassadors for the WTO and the programme" by raising awareness of the importance of the rules-based multilateral trading system.

Mahlompho Ayanda Selapane, a participant from Lesotho, said: "We are now equipped with theoretical knowledge, which coupled with the practical experience gained this year will help us foster a deeper understanding of the multilateral trading system and its implications for our economies."

Group Coordinators' Support Programme

Financed by the WTO Global Trust Fund, the Group Coordinators' Support Programme enabled a government official from Mali, Alassane Doumbia, to assist his country’s mission in Geneva as it assumed the role of coordinator of the Cotton 4 Group in 2024. The group comprises Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali.

He said: "In addition to allowing me to be at the heart of the coordination of the Cotton 4, the programme provided me with invaluable experience regarding the cotton discussions at the WTO. The knowledge this programme has equipped me with will be immensely valuable for helping my country integrate more fully into global trade."

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