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CANADA CONTRIBUTES $1.3 MILLION IN TRADE-RELATED ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

March 10, 2002 (1:30 p.m.) No. 25

CANADA CONTRIBUTES $1.3 MILLION IN TRADE-RELATED ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew and International Cooperation Minister Susan E. Whelan today announced that Canada is contributing $1.3 million to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for trade-related technical assistance for developing countries.

"Canada is a model of economic success in what has become a rules-based world trading system," said Minister Pettigrew. "Some countries that decide to join the WTO have new obligations in many fields in which they may not have the expertise or resources that would help them reap the full benefits of membership. This is very much the case for developing countries. By providing aid for technical assistance, we are helping those countries benefit from the trading system as much as providing them with tools to defend themselves. By making this contribution, Canada once again shows great leadership at the WTO."

"We know that trade promotes economic growth and growth contributes to efforts to reduce poverty," said Minister Whelan. "The leaders and the people of developing countries are unequivocal: they want to be more involved in the global economy. They know that trade can contribute to the social development of their countries by increasing resources to invest in health and education, to protect and sustain their environment, to strengthen their political structure and governance, and to promote greater inclusiveness."

Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency, will provide the WTO's Global Trust Fund with $1 million. The fund is intended to support specific commitments made at the last WTO Ministerial in November 2001 in Doha, Qatar. These include enhancing the negotiating capacity of developing and least-developed countries. The funding will also be used to help these countries to adjust to WTO rules and to implement their WTO obligations. The WTO Training Institute will receive $300,000 to provide trade policy training, particularly for officials from least-developed countries.

This contribution complements others that Canada is making to strengthen the ability of developing countries to participate in the WTO and develop expertise in trade rules. For example, Canada is contributing $500,000 to La Francophonie to work in partnership with the Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation, an organization that assists developing countries that do not have offices in Geneva.

Canada is also continuing its support of the International Trade Centre (ITC) with a $950,000 contribution. The Centre is operated jointly by the WTO and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The ITC works with developing countries and economies in transition to set up effective trade promotion programs for expanding their exports and improving their import operations.

Canada's ambassador to the WTO, Sergio Marchi, will be pledging the funds on Monday, March 11 in Geneva, Switzerland, before the WTO and senior representatives of multilateral agencies, regional banks and bilateral donors.

Funding for this initiative is built into the existing fiscal framework.

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For further information, media representatives may contact:

Sébastien Théberge

Office of the Minister for International Trade

(613) 992-7332

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874

Hilary Humphrey

Office of the Minister for International Cooperation

(819) 953-6238