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PRESS RELEASE

AITIC Signs Seat Agreement with Swiss Federal Council: A New Trade-Related Intergovernmental Organisation in Geneva

At a ceremony held in Bern on 31 August 2004, Dr Esperanza Durán, Executive Director of the Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation (AITIC), signed on behalf of AITIC a Seat Agreement between AITIC and the Swiss Federal Council represented by HE Mr Paul Seger, Director of the Directorate of International Law of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The event concluded the transformation of AITIC into an intergovernmental organisation (IGO) [Note 1].

Why transform AITIC into an intergovernmental organisation?

Since its creation in 1998 AITIC has successfully established a niche of personalised and demand-driven technical assistance to developing countries, particularly least-developed countries (LDCs), and countries with economies in transition participating in the negotiations of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The services AITIC provides [Note 2] have been greatly appreciated by beneficiaries, who have acknowledged the effectiveness, usefulness and efficiency of the Agency. Consequently, numerous governments (including beneficiaries of AITIC’s services and several donors) decided to broaden the Agency’s funding base and governance structure by transforming it into an IGO.

Statements

In her statement, Dr Esperanza Durán thanked the Swiss authorities for taking the initiative to create such an agency and for having the necessary vision and patience to launch and conclude the process of transformation. She commended the Swiss and all the other Governments that had participated in AITIC’s transformation process for their continued support. HE Mr Paul Seger noted that he was delighted that the successful initiative of creating AITIC had culminated in the transformation of the Agency into an IGO, thus strengthening and expanding the human and financial resources of the Agency.

AITIC membership

At present, AITIC has 36 Participating Members and seven Sponsoring Members, i.e. Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, which have pledged 18 million Swiss francs between 2004 and 2008. Eligible for Participating Member status are all resource-constrained developing countries including LDCs, small, vulnerable economies and countries with economies in transition, as well as members and observers of the WTO without permanent representation in Geneva.

Contacts:       

Dr Esperanza Durán, AITIC Executive Director,
Tel. 022 910 31 50,
E-mail: info@aitic.org

HE Mr Samuel Amehou
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Benin to the WTO
Tel. 022 906 84 60,
E-mail: s.amehou@missionbenin.ch

Appendix

What is AITIC?

Background

The Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation (AITIC) was launched by the Swiss Government in February 1998, as an initiative a imed at countries that had not actively participated in the multilateral trading system. Its purpose is to help these countries to define and defend their trade interests and to participate more actively in the work and negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The beneficiary countries are resource-constrained member and observer developing countries, with a priority to small, vulnerable economies, in particular to the 50 least-developed countries (LDCs) as defined by the United Nations, economies in transition and those without permanent representation in Geneva. For convenience, AITIC refers to these collectively as the “less-advantaged countries” (LACs): however, the term is not intended to define a category of countries.

Illustration of AITIC’s Uniqueness: the Non-Residents Unit

In October 2000 AITIC created a Unit for Non-Resident Members and Observers of the WTO to provide support to those countries without the sufficient resources to establish and maintain a permanent representation in Geneva. Officials responsible for monitoring WTO matters from these non-resident countries find themselves at a great disadvantage in terms of access to information and ability to influence the decision-making processes at the WTO. Because of the serious difficulties these countries are facing, they require more sustained assistance.

Principal services provided by AITIC

• AITIC’s Non-Residents’ Unit, which offers special assistance such as an Early Warning System to identify the most pressing issues and meetings for each non-resident country; logistical support in terms of providing temporary office and conference space to non-resident delegates; facilitation of information flows between Geneva and non-resident trade officials . Assistance is also given to non-resident secretariats of regional organisations.
• Assistance tailored to the needs of individual delegations, for instance by identifying priority WTO meetings, providing analysis on an unfamiliar topic, helping to establish contacts with appropriate officials in relevant organisations, including those providing technical assistance, and by offering a neutral and informal forum for discussion among countries sharing common trade concerns.
• Briefing Notes, provided in English, French and Spanish (the three WTO working languages) on trade-related subjects on which delegates need concise and up-to-date information.
• Workshops and training seminars, sometimes with the collaboration and support of other institutions, on issues of prime interest to delegates.
• Regular informal meetings targeted to participants with particular interests.

Brief Account of AITIC’s Transformation Process

The process of transforming AITIC into an IGO was launched by the Initiative adopted by Ministers of 55 governments at the WTO’s Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar in November 2001. The Task Force, created in the wake of the Initiative, considered different options for facilitating an expansion of AITIC’s services and reported to the UN International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Monterrey, Mexico in March 2002. Following endorsement of the report by the Trade Ministers of the members of the Task Force, these proceeded to draft the Agreement Establishing AITIC as an Intergovernmental Organisation. The Agreement was finalised in November 2002, and a signing ceremony was held on 9 December 2002. A Preparatory Committee for AITIC was established with the mandate to ensure AITIC’s orderly transition and efficient operations during the transformation period. The Agreement came into force on 30 April 2004. The recently signed Seat Agreement is applicable as of this date.

Note 1: By the signature of Seat agreements between host Governments and IGOs, the former grant the latter (and their organs) an independent legal status in their territory. Seat agreements include special legal arrangements, such as certain privileges and immunities to IGOs and their staff to facilitate the fulfilment of their mandate. (return to text)

Note 2: For a comprehensive overview of AITIC’s services and activities see Appendix. (return to text)

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