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Legal and Regulatory Framework

Assistance under this category includes helping countries to bring their own regulations into conformity with international rules, more general help to improve their legal institutions, and training officials to deal with such rules. A number of the agencies specialise in par­ticular areas, rather than trying to provide expertise on the legal rules in all sectors. For several, the aim is to balance trade-related obli­gations with other national (or international) interests.

uncitral

United Nations Commission on International Law(uncitral)

Summary of activities included in this category
Provision of legal advice
wto

World Trade Organization(wto)

Summary of activities included in this category
Technical assistance

Trade Policy Development

Agencies’ assistance to trade policy development is generally provided in four areas: design and implementation of trade policy; specific developing country issues in trade (such as commodity exports and preferences); support in trade negotiations; and assistance in man­aging the interactions between trade and other policies.

wto

World Trade Organization(wto)

Summary of activities included in this category
Online courses, face-to-face seminars or workshops and internships

Market and Trade Information

Market information and trade information services are different in their focus and methods. Market information is about sub-sectors and products, while trade information focuses on the aggregate level, including data on trade flows, policies affecting trade, and trends in these. Market information is usually targeted at traders. Trade information is, broadly speaking, intended to be used by policy-makers.

wto

World Trade Organization(wto)

Summary of activities included in this category
World Trade Report and International Trade Statistics

Trade Facilitation

This category covers the development, harmonization, and implementation of the rules and procedures which govern how goods cross borders.

wto

World Trade Organization(wto)

Summary of activities included in this category
Joint technical assistance activities and Trade Facilitation Facility

South-South and Triangular Cooperation

South-South cooperation is the process whereby two or more developing countries pursue their individual and/or shared national capacity development objectives through exchanges of knowledge, skills, resources and technical know-how, and through regional and interregional collective actions, including partnerships involving Governments, regional organizations, civil society, academia and the private sector, for their individual and/or mutual benefit within and across regions.

Triangular Cooperation is a southern-driven partnership between two or more developing countries, supported by a developed country or multilateral organization(s), to implement development cooperation programmes and projects.

wto

World Trade Organization(wto)

Summary of activities included in this category
Aid-for-Trade Initiative