Origins

African Trade Ministers, meeting in Tunis in October 1994, called on the international community to help strengthen their capacity to:

• Participate in the World Trade Organization.

• Integrate into the new Multilateral Trading System.

• Take advantage of new trade opportunities arising from the globalization of world markets.

Following the meeting in Tunis, WTO’s Director General and ITC’s Executive Director visited African countries to meet with Heads of State, key government ministers and with private sector representatives. Officials in these countries stressed the need for trade-related technical assistance (TRTA).

During the UNCTAD IX conference in Midrand, South Africa (May 1996) the heads of WTO, UNCTAD and ITC announced their commitment to develop a joint programme to help meet the needs expressed by these countries. The three organizations carried out a thorough needs assessment in the eight partner countries during 1996-97. They jointly identified priority needs and prepared national technical assistance projects to meet these needs. Critical needs were similar in all countries, as were the programme activities that addressed them. When in March 1998 the three organizations set up with donors a Common Trust Fund to mobilize donor support, the individual projects were transformed into the JITAP programme and implementation was initiated. Today, thirteen donors contribute to the Common Trust Fund.