The government of Lithuania has contributed EUR 19,000 (approximately CHF 20,000) in 2017 to help developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) participate more effectively in global trade negotiations.
WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo met with Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius at the WTO to acknowledge Lithuania’s donation to the WTO’s Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF).
The donation will finance training for officials in Geneva and elsewhere aimed at enhancing their negotiating skills and helping them better understand and implement WTO agreements, with a particular emphasis on assisting countries in the process of joining the WTO and on providing post-accession support.
Since the creation of the Fund in 2001, more than 2,400 training and capacity building activities have been organized.
Lithuania has donated nearly CHF 290,000 to WTO trust funds over the past 10 years and is the second WTO member to contribute to this fund this year.