AMENDMENT NO. 13

EXHIBIT 23(a)

                        XXX XXX WORLDWIDE INSURANCE TRUST

                                AMENDMENT NO. 13

                            TO MASTER TRUST AGREEMENT

         Amendment No. 13 to the Master Trust  Agreement  dated January 7, 1987,
as  amended  (the  "Agreement"),  of Van  Eck  Worldwide  Insurance  Trust  (the
"Trust"), made at New York, New York, this 7th day of March 2003.

                                   WITNESSETH:

         WHEREAS,  Article VII,  Section 7.3 of the Agreement  provides that the
Agreement may be amended from time to time, as long as such  amendment  does not
adversely affect the rights of any shareholder, and as long as such amendment is
not in contravention of applicable law,  including the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, by an instrument in writing, signed by an officer of the Trust
pursuant to a vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust; and

         WHEREAS,  a majority of Trustees have duly authorized this amendment to
the Agreement and authorized the same to be filed with the Secretary of State of
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

         NOW,  THEREFORE,  the  undersigned,  Xxxxxx Xxxxxx,  a duly elected and
serving Secretary of the Trust,  pursuant to the authorization  described above,
hereby  declares  that the initial  paragraph of Article IV,  Section 4.2 of the
Agreement is amended to read in its entirety as follows:

                  "Section 4.2  ESTABLISHMENT  AND  DESIGNATION  OF  SUB-TRUSTS.
                  Without  limiting  the  authority of the Trustees set forth in
                  Section 4.1 to establish and designate any further Sub-Trusts,
                  the Trustees  hereby  establish and designate six  Sub-Trusts:
                  Worldwide  Bond  Fund,   Worldwide   Emerging   Markets  Fund,
                  Worldwide  Hard Assets Fund and  Worldwide  Real Estate  Fund,
                  Worldwide  Absolute Return Fund and Worldwide Ultra Short-term
                  Income Fund.  The Shares of such  Sub-Trusts and any Shares of
                  any  further   Sub-Trusts  that  may  from  time  to  time  be
                  established  and  designated by the Trustees shall (unless the
                  Trustees  otherwise

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                  determine  with respect to some further  Sub-Trust at the time
                  of  establishing  and designating the same) have the following
                  relative rights and preferences:"



WITNESS my hand and seal this 7th day of March, 2003.


__________________________________                                        (SEAL)
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Secretary



STATE OF NEW YORK   )
                    )
COUNTY OF NEW YORK  )


         Then personally appeared the above-named Xxxxxx Xxxxxx and acknowledged
this instrument to be his free act and deed this 7th day of March 2003.




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Notary Public