Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what (a) staff and (b) funding the Government provides to the World Trade Organisation.

George Hollingbery, Minister of State for Trade Policy: The UK’s assessed contribution to the WTO for 2019 is 7,446,595 Swiss francs. The UK also supports and funds several projects, such as those run by the International Trade Centre (a joint agency of the WTO and UNCTAD), the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility, the Enhanced Integrated Framework (a multi-donor trust fund) and the WTO Standards and Trade Development Facility which all focus on helping developing countries engage and participate in global trade. The UK funding for these projects is £55.25 million between 2016 and 2023.

In addition, the United Kingdom is represented at the World Trade Organization by Julian Braithwaite, our Ambassador and Permanent Representative in Geneva. The Ambassador and his team play an active role in the work of the WTO, which is a member-led organisation. Since July 2016 the Government has increased its resourcing for the UK Mission to the UN and Other International Organisations in Geneva.

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