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Helping Developing Countries Implement WTO Agreements

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (17 June 2002) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide a US$450,000 regional technical assistance grant to help its developing member countries better understand and implement the WTO trading system.

This is the first ADB major activity to support the WTO since the two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding recently to enhance cooperation in trade matters in the Asian and Pacific region, including implementation of the Doha Development Agenda.

As well as helping developing members integrate into the WTO trading system, the technical assistance will assist members to participate in a new round of WTO negotiations and help countries which have applied for WTO membership.

The capacity-building program will focus on trade and customs. The trade component comprises a high-level meeting on the WTO trading system and a course on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS Agreement), including border enforcement. The customs component includes a course on trade facilitation, with an emphasis on the World Customs Organization Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention), and a course on WTO Customs Valuation Agreement, including a post-entry audit system.

The first of these four activities, the High Level meeting on the WTO Trading System, will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 31 July to 2 August 2002. The meeting will bring together 32 senior government officials who will be trade negotiators at the new WTO round. The meeting will discuss (i) the key agenda in the Doha Development Round; (ii) experience in multilateral trade negotiations in implementing WTO agreements and in WTO membership; (iii) dispute settlement mechanisms; and (iv) trade policies of the European Union, Japan, and the United States and the new round of negotiations. Vice-President Myoung-Ho Shin will represent ADB at the Bangkok meeting.

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