![]() |
Version française Versión española |
||||||||||||
Welcome Back to the Homepage AITIC Members About Us AITIC in short: aims, services Documents Our resources online AITIC Trade Portal Gateway to international trade and economic development AITIC's Development Transforming AITIC Collaboration with other Organisations AITIC's joint activities New Ambassadors to the WTO Geneva welcomes the new heads of delegation to the WTO AITIC Non-Residents' Unit Media Library Video clips on-line now Picture Gallery Visit our Picture Gallery Surf Map of the site Contact Us Send us an email |
AITIC's Development
|
||||||||||||
| Signing
Ceremony of the Seat Agreement between AITIC and the Swiss Federal Council
Representatives of developed and developing countries signed an agreement to transform the status of AITIC to that of an intergovernmental organisation (AITIC's Agreement), and to provide it with broader funding. The signing took place at a ceremony to be held at WTO Headquarters in the Centre William Rappard in Geneva at 4:30 hs on 9 December, 2002. Seven developed countries are together providing initial funding of 18 million Swiss francs that will allow AITIC to meet sharply increased demands for its services. The signing ceremony was co-chaired by Mr David Syz, Secretary of State for Economic Affairs of Switzerland, and HE Dr Rénald Clérismé, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Haiti to the WTO, and also co-chair of the Task Force on AITIC's development. Why Transform AITIC into an intergovernmental
organisation? AITIC's future
funding The Task Force on AITIC's
Development - Progress Report due in Monterrey Didier Chambovey, Minister of the Swiss Mission, and Ambassador Rénald Clérismé of Haiti co-chair the Task Force on AITIC's Development. The United Kingdom has put a consultant at the disposal of the Task Force to support its work. Since it was established in Doha, the Task Force has met regularly according to the Work Plan. It has examined several reports to assist in considering the feasibility of turning AITIC into an IGO, including a comprehensive and detailed Development Plan. The Task Force is taking account of the agenda set in Doha, which places a high priority on capacity-building. Its discussion is concentrating on the AITIC Development Plan which envisages a gradual build-up of AITIC's activities, staff and budget over the period 2002-2005 to meet these demands. As far as activities are concerned, it recommends no major changes, but suggests clearer priorities, more specific allocation of staff responsibilities, and rationalisation of certain functions. The Agency's added-value and potential, and the advantages and disadvantages of becoming an IGO, including an examination of the procedures necessary to establish AITIC as an IGO and funding options have also been closely examined. As part of the United Nations Conference
on Financing for Development, held in Monterrey, Mexico, from 18 to 22
March 2002, AITIC organised a side event on 21 March, in conjunction with
the Swiss Mission to the WTO, the Swiss Ministry of the Economy (seco)
and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Representatives of the
less-advantaged countries, industrialised countries and international
institutions were in attendance. During the event, Ministers adopted the
conclusions of the Task Force's Report (for further details, see the Report
of the Task Force).
In 2001, at the initiative of several Members of the WTO, the Swiss Mission initiated a series of meetings to explore the idea of developing AITIC into an IGO, so that it could build on its past results, continue its work, and fulfil in the future its mission to support the less-advantaged countries. The launch of the Non-Residents' Unit in October 2000 had provided a trigger; it demonstrated AITIC's potential to provide useful services, but it also raised questions of the Agency's limited financing and optimal governance. After discussing AITIC's development, the group decided that the Fourth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha was an opportunity for interested parties to support an initiative to "consider the feasibility of transforming AITIC into an Intergovernmental Organisation or by any other means to improve the financial and functional basis of AITIC taking into account other organizations and their mandates". On 11 November 2001, at a ceremony within the framework of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, Pascal Couchepin, Swiss Minister of the Economy, recalled that other countries wanted to reinforce the Swiss initiative to found AITIC and were ready to finance it and participate in its governance. Clare Short, British Secretary of State for International Development, announced a contribution of CHF 2.5 million to assist the transformation of AITIC into an IGO. By the end of the conference, 63 signatories, including 8 IGOs, had supported the Doha Initiative on Trade-Related Capacity Building and Greater Participation in the International Trading System and the creation of a Task Force. In so doing, they reaffirmed their commitment to an inclusive multilateral system and acknowledged AITIC's effectiveness and the growing demand for its services (for more details see Report on Meeting and Signing Ceremony) The signatories invited the Task
Force to make a progress report at the UN International Conference on
Financing for Development in Monterrey (Mexico) from 18 to 22 March 2002.
AITIC was created in 1998 as an
initiative of the Swiss government, which decided to finance a programme
to strengthen the capacity of less-advantaged countries to lead a more
effective trade diplomacy. In order for AITIC to become effective immediately,
it was set up as a Swiss association, a relatively simple legal structure
that could be established rapidly.
|
|||||||||||||
|
Welcome page
| About Us
| Documents
| AITIC Trade Portal
| AITIC's Development
Collaboration with other Organisations | New Ambassadors to the WTO AITIC Non-Residents' Unit | Picture Gallery | Surf | Contact Us Contact: AITIC, 9, Rue de Varembé - PO Box 156 , 1211 Geneva 20 © 2004 ACICI. AITIC Webmaster and Media Adviser: Joëlle Blondel-El Mechi |
|||||||||||||