Through the agreement signed by France and the WTO in July 2024, France provides, over a period of three years, funding of EUR 6 million to the French-Irish Mission Programme, the WTO Chairs Programme and the Standards and Trade Development Facility. These programmes are aimed at helping government officials from developing economies and LDCs better implement global trade rules and standards and at helping academic institutions provide support for trade policy-making.
“Our support for technical assistance in the WTO is a concrete expression of our commitment to an inclusive multilateral system," France's WTO Ambassador Emmanuelle Ivanov-Durand said. "Technical assistance is an important part of the WTO – it increases the number of people who are able to participate in the multilateral trading system and ultimately reap its benefits. France is proud to support the French-Irish Mission Programme, the WTO Chairs Programme and the Standards and Trade Development Facility, especially in these difficult times when resources are increasingly difficult to mobilize and when the multilateral system is under strain.”
The French-Irish Mission Programme, sponsored by France and Ireland, will receive EUR 900,000 (CHF 870,000) to finance the placement of government officials at the permanent missions of developing economies, LDCs and observers in Geneva.
A total of EUR 550,000 (CHF 530,000) will support the WTO Chairs Programme aimed at helping academic institutions in developing and least developed members and observers build and sustain their expertise in international trade through projects focusing on research, curriculum development and outreach.
The Standards and Trade Development Facility will receive EUR 500,000 (CHF 480,000) to help developing economies and LDCs implement food safety, animal health and plant health standards required for international trade. It will also help to improve their sanitary and phytosanitary capacity in line with the most recent STDF Strategy covering the period 2025-2030.
Deputy Director-General Zhang said: “Given the pace of changes we are experiencing in trade, the value of technical assistance is more important than ever. With France’s targeted support, these programmes continue to make significant contributions to developing economies by providing hands-on experience at the WTO, facilitating practical projects and establishing sustainable systems to help government officials tackle complex new areas with the help of academia.”
France has contributed just over EUR 34 million (approximately CHF 33 million) to the various WTO trust funds over more than 20 years.