It is widely recognized that effective implementation of the rules and principles of the multilateral trading system offer the best prospects for developing countries to further their trade and development potential. The Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha set the framework for broad and ambitious trade negotiations that have formed the principal focus of member countries’ international economic policy since 2001. However, as the issues linked to negotiating and implementing WTO agreements have increased in number and complexity, UNESCAP’s developing members and associate members have experienced numerous difficulties in formulating trade policy reforms and in attaining their potential development objectives.

Furthermore, among UNESCAP's 62 members and associate members, nine members and seven associate members have no-WTO status, while eleven UNESCAP members have observer status and are at various stages of the WTO accession process. This region accounts for the highest proportion of countries not yet members of WTO, and is thus an issue of special concern to UNESCAP.

Developing countries have embarked on an intensive process of human resource capacity building to overcome these difficulties. In this regard, the Doha Ministerial Conference set out the priorities for a programme of technical assistance in support of the negotiations, while a number of UN mandates stressed the fundamental role the UN had to play in assisting countries to meet their trade and development objectives, while forging closer collaboration with Bretton Woods institutions. To fill this need, the secretariat initiated a partnership with the WTO, called the WTO/ESCAP technical assistance programme which has been under implementation since 1999 and has progressed in line with the evolving nature of the Doha Round negotiations. Around one thousand trade policy makers from developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region have benefited from this programme. The programme is now one of UNESCAP’s flagship programmes and the Commission has requested acceleration in delivery of activities.

Recent activities under this WTO/ESCAP programme seek to increase government officials' understanding of the currenct state of play of negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda, and implications for trade policy making at the national level, as increased understanding will contribute to a better national planning process and implementation of WTO commitments and thus lead to a strengthened multilateral trading system. This programme envisages specialized workshops on the main areas of negotiation, namely agriculture, market access for industrial products, services and trade facilitation. To facilitate networking, information sharing and dialogue among governments, these activities are organized as regional seminars.

• WTO-ESCAP-IIUM Regional Workshop on Intellectual Property, Public Health and Environment Policy for Asian and Pacific Economies, 10-12 July 2012, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• WTO/ESCAP Advanced Government Procurement Workshop for Asian Economies, 20-22 Dec 2011, Bangkok, Thailand
• WTO/ESCAP Regional Seminar on the WTO and Regional Trade Agreements for Asian Economies, 25-27 Jul 2011, Bangkok, Thailand


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At the global level, the programme is in support of the 2005 World Summit Outlook (A/60/L.1, paragraphs 36-38), in which world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to open, equitable, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trade and financial systems and also reaffirmed the need for the United Nations to play a fundamental role in the promotion of international cooperation for development in close cooperation with all other multilateral financial, trade and development institutions.

The programme is also in support of Millennium Development Goal No. 8, especially to "Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory", paragraphs 38 and 39 of the Doha Development Agenda, and paragraphs 57-64 of the Monterrey Consensus in which regional commissions are requested to organize regional policy dialogues on these issues.

The programme is in support of the Declaration adopted at the recently concluded Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference held in Hong Kong, China, from 13-18 December 2005, in which Ministers reaffirmed the technical assistance priorities set out in previous mandates and invited the Director-General of WTO to reinforce partnerships and coordination with other agencies and regional bodies in the design and implementation of technical assistance programmes.

At the regional level, this programme is in implementation of the Shanghai Declaration, adopted 2004 at the Sixtieth Session of the Commission. Furthermore, it responds to the request of the Commission at its Sixty-first Session to continue and intensify trade-related capacity building, especially those activities undertaken in partnership with WTO, and the request of the Commission at its Sixty-second Session to continue to accord high priority to the implementation of WTO/ESCAP Technical Assistance Programme. It is also in implementation of ESCAP resolution 57/5, which requests the Executive Secretary to give high priority to the provision of a comprehensive training programme, under the framework of the WTO/ESCAP joint programme, to enhance the negotiating capacity of government officials and to promote greater understanding of the WTO agreements. In addition, it reflects the needs articulated at the Committee on Managing Globalization on its second session, which called on the Secretariat to enhance its technical assistance activities in trade in collaboration with the WTO, UNCTAD and other international organisations for least developed, landlocked and transit developing countries (E/ESCAP/CMG(2)/Rep, para. 3 and para.31).