Female teacher addressing university students in a classroom
Korea gives CHF 260,000 to bolster developing countries’ trade expertise
Female teacher addressing university students in a classroom
The Republic of Korea has contributed KRW 390 million (CHF 260,000) to the Global Trust Fund to finance capacity-building programmes in 2024, with the objective of helping developing economies participate more effectively in global trade. A significant proportion of this contribution is allocated to the WTO Chairs Programme, an initiative aimed at supporting trade-related academic activities in developing economies and least-developed countries (LDCs). The Programme currently comprises 36 universities across the world.
Partner institutions of the WTO Chairs Programme receive financial and technical support from the WTO for trade-related research, curriculum development and outreach activities. The objective is to strengthen the capacity of academic institutions to advise governments and key stakeholders on trade policy issues.
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “The WTO’s capacity-building programmes play an essential role in equipping developing countries and LDCs to more effectively harness trade as a force for driving economic development and expanding opportunities for people across the world. I thank the Republic of Korea for generously supporting these initiatives.”
Korea’s Ambassador in Geneva, Yun Seong Deok, said: “As an active participant in the multilateral trading system, Korea strongly supports efforts to integrate developing countries and LDCs into global trade. Our contributions to the Global Trust Fund are a reflection of this commitment. Last year, we significantly increased our funding for the WTO Chairs Programme to contribute to further strengthening the expertise of policy-makers in developing countries, who have the best understanding of their countries’ needs.”
