§ Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether they will consider providing expert trade negotiators to assist the 24 developing states, who are at present largely unrepresented at sessions of the World Trade Organisation. [HL3538]
§ Baroness AmosIn recognition of the difficulties faced by poorer developing countries in participating effectively in WTO negotiations, particularly those without representation in Geneva, DfID supports three Geneva-based institutions which provide information, networking services and advice to developing country trade negotiators on complex technical issues. These are: the Agency for International Trade Information and Co-operation (AITIC) offering country-specific support and facilities and services to least developed countries (LDCs) enabling effective LDC participation in multilateral negotiations; the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL) offering technical legal support in dispute settlement cases: the WTO South Centre offering support to least developed countries developing agricultural negotiating positions.
The UK also contributes to the multi-donor Trade and Investment Access Facility (TIAF). This supports developing Commonwealth countries in their preparation and participation in WTO negotiations.
More generally, DfID is funding a variety of initiatives to help developing countries including support to enhance their ability to negotiate favourable deals in trade negotiations, helping them interpret trade agreements and supporting them in taking advantage of new trading opportunities. To this end, the government have committed £45 million to trade-related capacity building since 1998.