At the Third Convention of AOTS Alumni Societies in Thailand in 1992, the "Bangkok Declaration" was adopted, sanctioning the establishment of the AOTS Alumni Exchange Fund. The money in this fund was collected in the form of donations from the members of the Alumni Societies, AOTS staff members and other people for the purpose of funding trainee exchange programs among the AOTS Alumni Societies.

This fund and the exchange program were renamed the WNF Fund and the WNF Program in 1998 and are regarded as a unique "South-South Cooperative Activity" materialized for the self-help and mutual cooperation of the developing countries. WNF stands for "World Network of Friendship," the network of AOTS Alumni Societies promoting world-wide cooperation in the field of human resource development.

AOTS is entrusted by the Alumni Societies to manage the WNF Fund and also assists the Alumni Societies with the implementation of the WNF Program.