Ireland gives EUR 350,000 to help developing countries strengthen trading skill-set
15 December 2020, Ireland: The government of Ireland has donated EUR 350,000 (approximately CHF 380,000) in 2020 to help developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) build their expertise across various trade-related areas. The objective is to ramp up their participation in international trade.
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A total of EUR 150,000 (CHF 160,000) has been earmarked for the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) to support developing countries and LDCs in complying with international food safety, animal and plant health standards, with the aim of increasing their access to agricultural markets.
The internship programme sponsored by France and Ireland has been allocated EUR 200,000 (CHF 210,000) to finance internships for government officials at the permanent missions of developing countries and LDCs in Geneva.
WTO Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff, who oversees agricultural matters in the WTO, said: “Ireland’s latest donations will help to increase trade know-how in developing economies, allowing them to integrate more fully into the global trading system. I welcome Ireland’s continuing generosity.”
Ireland ‘s Ambassador to the WTO, Michael Gaffey, said: “Our renewed contributions demonstrate Ireland’s ongoing commitment to enhance the trading capacities of developing countries and their participation in trade negotiations. Support for the trading activities of these countries is more important than ever in our global efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”
Overall, Ireland has donated over CHF 13 million (EUR 12 million) to the various WTO trust funds over nearly twenty years.
