RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/COMTD/LLDC/M/6
24April 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-1782)
Sub-Committee onLeast-Developed Countries
Sixth (Special) Session
NOTE ONTHE MEETING OF18APRIL 1997
Chair: Ambassador Evelien L.Herfkens (TheNetherlands)
1. TheSub-Committee adopted theagenda ascontained inWTO/AIR/566 andCorr.1.
- High-Level Meeting onLeast-Developed Countries
2. TheChair saidthattheSub-Committee hadreached general agreement ontheformat, issues
fortheagenda andapproach fortheHigh-Level Meeting. Sherecalled thattheco-organizing agencies
would present descriptions oftheiractivities interms oftechnical assistance regarding trade matters.
Inaddition, participation fromtheprivate sector would besought. However, theissueoftiming was
stillunder discussion andsheinvited views from delegations inthisregard.
3. Therepresentative oftheSecretariat saidthatthestaffofthesixagencies mostclosely involved
intheHigh-Level Meeting hadbegun tomeetonaregular basis inGeneva. Inaddition, there had
beenstaffcontacts inWashington andNewYork. Work wasalready underway onallofthesubstantive
elements oftheHigh-Level Meeting foreseen intheInformal Joint Note of13February, where the
objectives anditems oftheagenda weredescribed. Theagencies hadagreed tocomplete byaround
themiddle ofMayadescription oftheirindividual activities ontrade-related technical assistance,
technical cooperation, training andcapacity building. Thiswould include ageneral description ofareas
inwhich eachoftheagencies wasengaged, aninventory oftheircurrent activities, andtotheextent
possible, aforecast oftheirplanned activities; inthislastcase, accurate forecasting wasprobably not
possible given thecommitment ofeachagency totheiractivities being demand driven. Theagencies
would thenconsolidate thesixpapers which would result from thisexercise, aiming bytheendof
Mayorshortly thereafter tobeinaposition tohavearespectable draftdocument which would allow
themtoundertake thedesign ofacoherent andintegrated international approach forsupporting trade-
related activities ofleast-developed countries atalllevels. Theagencies feltthatoneofthemostvaluable
aspects ofthepreparations involved inthisexercise would betohelpthemidentify more clearly areas
ofpotential overlap andduplication intheiractivities, andofpotential gaps.
4. Theagencies hadagreed toaimtocomplete by25April thedraftofa"standard format" to
distribute togovernments ofleast-developed countries forthem tousetodraw upacomprehensive
assessment oftheirneeds intheareaoftrade-related technical support. Theagencies believed that
itwould benecessary toassist thegovernments ofatleastsome oftheleast-developed countries to
which theformat would besenttocomplete theirneeds assessment, andtheywere oftheviewthat
itwould benecessary touseconsultants inatleastsome ofthesecases. Theagencies themselves would
assist inthispartoftheprocess aswell. Itwasnotpossible topredict when theleast-developed countries
would complete thisexercise. However, there wasageneral viewthatitwould notbepossible for
them ortheagencies toproduce ahighquality result overnight. Itwould bearelatively complicatedWT/COMTD/LLDC/M/6
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exercise, since itwashoped thatthefinalproduct would include adetailed identification ofthetrade-
related technical support which eachleast-developed countries wasreceiving already, frommultilateral,
regional andbilateral sources. Inaddition, itwould involve afairly highdegree ofcollaboration among
different government ministries ineachoftheleast-developed countries involved intheexercise. Once
theneeds assessment wasinplace forindividual least-developed countries, theagencies would prepare
anintegrated response describing thetrade-related technical support which eachofthemwould supply
inresponse totheneeds identified, withadescription ofhowthissupport would besequenced and
eventually monitored andevaluated. Thatstage oftheprocess would evidently involve close contacts
withthegovernment ofeachleast-developed country thatwasinvolved, sothatagreement could be
reached withtheagencies ontheintegrated package oftrade-related technical support thatwould be
supplied.
5. Theagencies wereadvancing inthepreparation ofbackground papers regarding market access,
theeconomic macro/micro situation, andtheinstitutional context. Furthermore, itwasexpected that
the"Global Knowledge 97"Conference, planned for23-25 JuneinToronto andorganized jointly by
theWorld Bank andtheCanadian Government, onknowledge fordevelopment intheinformation age
would provide useful input fortheHigh-Level Meeting. Regarding market access, theSecretariat was
well-advancedinthepreparationofapaperonthemarket-accesssituationwithregardstoleast-developed
countries 'exports. Theco-organizing agencies would attempt toinvolve theprivate sector intheleast-
developed countries indetermining theirneeds assessment. TheSecretariat wasintheprocess of
drawing upabudget estimate which would beforwarded totheSub-Committee, anditwasrecalled
thataspecial Trust Fundformeeting thefinancial costsoftheHigh-Level Meeting hadbeenestablished.
6. Therepresentative ofZambia wasconcerned about thecapability ofleast-developed countries
toengage inanassessment oftheirneeds fortraderelated technical assistance. HefelttheWorld Bank
should assist theleast-developed countries inthisexercise. Healsoemphasised thatallleast-developed
countries should beinvolved intheHigh-Level Meeting, andnotonlyfourorfiveusedasshowcases
fortheRound Tables. Others should beonboard fromthestart. Regarding theresults ofthose Round
Tables, hewasconcerned thattheiroutcome should beareflection oftheproblems least-developed
countries faced ingeneral. Howwould theshowcase countries beselected? Henoted theexample
oftheITC/UNCTAD/WTO integrated technical cooperation programme forAfrica andwondered
whattheselection criteria fortheeightchosen countries hadbeen. Hehoped thatother countries would
notfeelexcluded. TheChair replied thatthecriteria fordetermining therecipients oftechnical
cooperation would bebased onthecapacity oftherecipient countries themselves toprepare aneeds
assessment andtobenefit fromthewhole exercise. Regardless ofthedate,allleast-developed countries
would notbeprepared topresent theirneeds assessment intimefortheMeeting.
7. Therepresentative ofEgypt expressed twomainconcerns. First, hesaidthatabalance should
bestruck between thecommon concerns ofallleast-developed countries andthespecificity oftheir
individual difficulties. Heresponded totheconcerns oftherepresentative ofZambia andnoted that
while onlyafewleast-developed countries would beprepared inJune, itwaslikely thatalarger number
ofthemwould beready intheautumn. Hewasoftheviewthatconcerns ofthelargest possible number
ofleast-developed countries should beaddressed assoonaspossible, onaregional aswellasona
country-specific basis. Todoso,aclear timetable would benecessary from thestart. Secondly,
theprogrammes which werebeing developed fortheleast-developed countries should beclearly demand
driven. However, many werenotabletoprepare anassessment oftheirneeds forthispurpose. He
emphasized thattheyshould beassisted inthisprocess. Asfarasthetiming wasconcerned, hebelieved
thatawell-prepared meeting would bepreferable tooneheldprematurely. Hewasofviewthatawell-
preparedmeetingwouldrequiremoretime,buthisdelegationwouldsupporttheleast-developedcountries
iftheywanted itheldinJune. Although itwould bedifficult toassociate alltheleast-developed
countries, hehoped thattheywould beassociated tothefullest extent inthepreparatory process. At
arecent meeting inAddis Ababa, itappeared thatmany participants were notfully aware oftheWT/COMTD/LLDC/M/6
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preparations fortheHigh-Level Meeting. Hehoped thattheOrganization forAfrican Unity andthe
Economic Commission forAfrica would beclosely associated during thepreparatory process since
theyhadmuch tooffer.
8. Therepresentative ofCanada recalled thekeyroleofhisdelegation inreflecting theconcerns
oftheleast-developed countries intheSingapore Ministerial Declaration, andhoped thattheHigh-Level
Meeting would beconsidered oneofthemostimportant events fortheyear. Hisdelegation wasfully
supportive ofhaving anagenda itemonmarket access butthisshould notbethemain focus ofthe
Meeting. Hecongratulated theefforts bytheChair inturning theMinisterial Statement intoanaction-
oriented process. Hesupported herenthusiasm inreaching outtotheother institutions infostering
anintegrated approach toassist least-developed countries. Hewasencouraged bythereport ofthe
Secretariat which described theplanning underway toattain substantive results fromthemeeting. While
hisdelegation hadquestioned thetiming ofthemeeting, itnevertheless wanted toclarify thatitwas
notattempting toreflect anegative attitude towards theprocess, butrather thatitwasconcerned that
apremature meeting risked notdelivering thedesired outcome. Heemphasized hisdelegation 's
commitment thattheHigh-Level Meeting beheldthisyear. Tofulfil suchobjectives, hisdelegation
hadsubmitted apaper entitled, “High-Level Meeting/Critical Path”which wasavailable intheroom1.
Thepaper emphasized thattechnical assistance should beprovided onademand-driven basis, while
theassessment ofLDCs 'sneeds fortechnical assistance should bedeveloped inafullandadequate
manner. Hewasencouraged tohearthatthesixinstitutions hadalready discussed theneed for
consultants inthispreparatory process. Thepaper presented guidelines forthepreparatory process,
andsuggested thatthemeeting beheld20-21 October, inorder toallow forthenecessary timeto
complete thesteps forasuccessful meeting. Ameeting inJunewould bedifficult forhisdelegation
since the"Global Knowledge 1997" Conference inToronto would consume resources required for
theHigh-Level Meeting. Inaddition, itappeared likely thatCanada would holdnational elections
during thatmonth.
9. Therepresentative ofMorocco agreed withtherepresentative from Canada andothers who
hadmade interventions andadded thatthequestion ofmarket access wasimportant. However, without
amultilateral commitment, thisissue would notbeperceived tobeasfundamental aswasdesirable
attheHigh-Level Meeting. Theprimary objective should betoensure thatallinstitutions worktogether
inacountry-specific approach. Although itwould bedifficult toaddress theconcerns ofalltheleast-
developed countries attheHigh-Level Meeting itself, oratleasttheWTO Members among them, it
would beimportant toreach agreement onanmethodology which would ensure anintegrated approach
ofproviding technical assistance attheHigh-Level Meeting. Inthisregard, themaininstitutions which
provided technical assistance would havetoclarify theiractivities. Hewasuncertain iftheWTO,
ITCandUNCTAD hadthesame approach. Inthisway,theresults oftheHigh-Level Meeting would
benefit allleast-developed countries, andeventually could beusedbyalldeveloping countries such
ashisown.
10. Therepresentative ofHaitisaidthathesupported thepositions expressed bytherepresentatives
ofZambia andEgypt andappreciated theapproach taken bytherepresentative ofCanada inexplaining
hisdelegation 'sconcerns withtiming. Heshared theviewoftherepresentative fromCanada thatthe
High-Level Meeting establish concrete objectives tothebenefit ofallleast-developed countries. In
thisregard, itshould beopentoallandbeguided bytheSingapore Ministerial Declaration. Hehad
notheard offurther developments regarding theroleofinvestment, andemphasized thatitwould be
important toestablish coherence inintegrating thetrade anddevelopment goals ofleast-developed
countries. Hewondered howtheorganizers would coordinate theinclusion oftheprivate sector while
protecting theinterests oftherespective governments, inorder tonotimpinge ontheirrights. He
1Subsequently circulated indocument WT/COMTD/LLDC/W/5WT/COMTD/LLDC/M/6
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suggested thattheprivate sector beincluded under theauspices oftheofficial delegations. Although
heunderstood thatitwould bedifficult tohavemore co-organizers, hehoped thatUNIDO would be
included inthecourse oftheRound Table discussion forareas inwhich itwasactive. Hewasopen
tothetiming ofthemeeting, aslongasconcrete results would bereached totheadvantage ofleast-
developed countries andaslongastheprivate sector would beincluded. Hisdelegation would be
willing tocooperate. TheChair replied thatitwould bedifficult toexpand thelistofco-organizers.
However, anyagencies thatwereinvolved inissues relevant tothetradepolicies ofthefeatured countries
would beinvited toparticipate intheRound Table.
11. Therepresentative ofBangladesh urged thattheleast-developed countries notbemarginalized
inthedevelopment process. Hefeltthattherehadalready beengeneral agreement toholdthemeeting
inJune, andhisdelegation hadalready informed hisgovernment ofthedate. Hisdelegation wanted
themeeting tobeheldassoonaspossible. Nevertheless, herealized thatother delegations hadreasons
forittobeheldlater. Heacknowledged theirconcerns andagreed thatalldelegations concerned should
proceed when ready soastonotexclude any. Rather thaninsist onthatdate, hisdelegation would
support theconsensual agreement oftheSub-Committee ifitdecided onanautumn date. Hesaidthe
paper presented bytherepresentative ofCanada wasobjective andhadclear landmarks. Inrecent
weeks, those landmarks hadbecome more clear, inparticular market access andtechnical cooperation
issues. Inorder tomaintain themomentum fortheMeeting, hesupported theideaofahaving areview
meeting inJunetoevaluate theprogress ofthework donebythevarious agencies. Hesuggested that
thereview meeting befurther delineated inorder toestablish clear discussion items bythetimeof
theHigh-Level Meeting. Healsoemphasized thatprivate sector participation would beespecially
important attheMeeting, particularly inthecaseofhiscountry, andurged thatinitiatives betaken
tobring them onboard. Herecalled that,attheSingapore Ministerial, hiscountry hadalarger
participation bytheprivate sector thanofficial representation. Similarly, hehoped thattheprivate
sector would bewelcomed asapartoftheofficial delegation totheHigh-Level Meeting sothatitwould
nothaveaseparate agenda, nordilute theimpact oftheMeeting. Hisreiterated thathiscountry had
ahighinterest inthematter, andexpressed fullconfidence intheprocess. Heurged other delegations
tocommit tothepreparatory process inorder tofurther integrate least-developed countries.
12. TherepresentativeoftheEuropeanCommunitiessaidthatitwasfirmlycommittedtoasuccessful
High-Level Meeting based ontheSingapore Ministerial Declaration, which mentioned adate"assoon
aspossible" in1997. Inthatlight, thetarget dateshould besubject totwoconditions. First, the
timing should notprejudice thequality oftheresults, andsecondly, theleast-developed countries would
havetobeinfullagreement tothetiming andtheself-selection process oftheformat. Hisdelegation
would reflect onthediscussions verycarefully asthematter would bediscussed inthe"113 Committee"
inBrussels. Henoted thaton16April, theCommission hadapproved aproposal forsubmission to
theCouncil ofMinisters which attempted toaddress theissue ofmarginalization ofleast-developed
countries byimproving theconditions formarket access. Inthisregard, itproposed thatthepreferences
given totheleast-developed countries belevelled uptomatch themostfavourable concessions offered
bytheCommunities, beitunder theLomé Convention orunder itsGeneral System ofPreferences.
Inaddition, rulesoforigin would beapplied inamore flexible manner. Thereport alsoencouraged
alldeveloped andthemore advanced among thedeveloping countries tomatch thisinitiative.
13. Therepresentative oftheUnited States saidtheHigh-Level Meeting wasanextremely important
initiative arising fromtheSingapore Ministerial. Hewanted toclarify thathisdelegation, similar to
theCanadian delegation, didnotwishtohaveitsreservations about thetiming oftheMeeting interpreted
asanegative attitude towards theMeeting itself. Hecitedthecomments bytherepresentatives ofZambia
andEgypt regarding theinvolvement ofleast-developed countries earlyintheneeds assessment process,
andwasconcerned thatsome would beleftbehind iftheJunedatewould bemaintained. Based on
thepresentation bytheSecretariat, hewasofviewthatsuchanexercise would require more timeto
beproperly conducted. Hesawmerit inthepaper byCanada, inparticular asregards theproposedWT/COMTD/LLDC/M/6
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dateinOctober asthisseemed amore realistic date. Hesaidthatitwould beadvantageous tohold
theHigh-Level Meeting close tothedateoftheUNCTAD Trade andDevelopment Board meeting
asitwould becompatible withthedeveloping countries 'issues being discussed. Assuggested bythe
representative ofBangladesh, hesupported theideaofareview meeting inJune. Hethanked theChair
forherenergy andhoped thatthemeeting would takeplace intheautumn.
14. Therepresentative ofSwitzerland congratulated theChair forherefforts inbringing together
themajor organizations inthepreparatory process. Based onthepresentation bytheSecretariat, it
seemed thattheprocess wasfocused, asmajor elements ofpreparations werebeing dealtwith. He
endorsed thecomments made bytherepresentatives ofZambia andEgypt astheobjectives inthe
Singapore Ministerial Declaration were ambitious andthereby required much preparation time. A
successfulmeetingwouldrequiretheactiveandpreparedparticipationofalltherelevantpartiesinvolved,
namely theleast-developed countries andthose responsible fortrade policy andpromotion. Itwould
beimportant nottolosemomentum inthepreparatory process andfocus earlyontheoperational aspect.
Hewelcomed proposals foranintegrated framework fortechnical assistance asitwould helpevaluate
what would beworked outinlightofhiscountry 'sownbilateral programmes. Since theneeds
assessmentexercisewasimportantformanydevelopingandleast-developedcountries,aproperlydefined
process would require much effort. Theproposals bytheSecretariat appeared tohandle thesituation.
Hewaslooking forward tothepaper bytheSecretariat regarding market-access conditions. Since
hiscountry hadalready granted duty-free access formostrelevant products exported byleast-developed
countries, itwould bedifficult tomake additional market access concessions. Hewould consider the
paper presented bytherepresentative ofCanada andsaidthatthere wasmuch work andmore time
needed. Itwasimportant thatmomentum notbelostincasetheMeeting waspostponed. Henoted
theproposal byCanada toholdpreparatory intergovernmental workshops before thesummer.
15. Therepresentative ofJapan praised theChair'senergy incarrying outtheHigh-Level Meeting.
Hereiterated hisdelegation 'sposition asregards theobjectives ofthemeeting. First, itshould result
inaframework tobetter coordinate technical cooperation between theagencies thatprovided such
assistance. Hewasofviewthatanemphasis oncapacity building would address theproblems faced
byleast-developed countries more squarely thanother options, suchasexpanding market access under
itsexisting Generalized System ofPreferences. Asregards timing, herecalled thathisdelegation was
open. However, afterfurther study, hisdelegation hadconcluded thatmore timewould beneeded
withaviewtoachieving better results andproviding foracareful needs assessment. Hesaidthatsuch
aposition appeared tobeinlinewiththestatement bytheSecretariat.
16. Therepresentative ofUganda recalled thattheproblem ofmarginalization oftheleast-developed
countries wasaddressed attheSingapore Ministerial, where Ministers hadstipulated thatameeting
should takeplace inthefirsthalfoftheyeartokeepupmomentum onthisissue. Hesaidthattoo
much timehadbeen spent ontalking about themeeting, rather thanonitspreparation. Hewas
encouraged bythepaper fromthedelegation ofCanada. Although hisdelegation wasflexible onthe
date,henevertheless preferred thattheMeeting beheldattheendofJune, since thesummer holiday
might slowdown activity. Headdressed theproposed approach ofusing Round Table meetings, and
saidthatitwould beimpossible tohaveevery least-developed country involved. However, itwould
becritical thatthecountries involved should berepresentative oftheproblems ofleast-developed
countries. Criteria inthatregard could beworked out.Heunderscored theimportance ofpreparations
atthenational level. Inthisregard, theneeds assessment wasimportant andtechnical assistance should
beprovided totheleast-developed countries tohelpthem withthisexercise. National focal points
should beprepared andinvolved soastoenhance theircapacity tobenefit from allUruguay Round
Agreements anditsvarious schemes. Hewasencouraged thattheinstitutions involved would attempt
tocoordinate theiractivities, ashiscountry faced theproblem thatitreceived different trade advice
from different agencies. Atthisstage, theneeds assessment exercise should beapriority inorder
tostructure theneeds package interms ofthesupply sideresponse andcapacity toexport.WT/COMTD/LLDC/M/6
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17. Therepresentative ofIndia thanked theChair formoving theprocess forward towards a
successful High-Level Meeting. Regarding theformat, hisdelegation wasinbroad agreement with
theapproach. Hesaidthatthree setsofimportant players should beonboard inorder tomaintain
themomentum. Namely, theleast-developed countries themselves forwhom thisconference wasmeant,
themultilateral agencies, andthedonor countries. Hereferred tothose delegations which hadtaken
theposition thataMeeting inJunewould poseaproblem ofadequate preparation, suchasproper
assessment ofcomprehensive needs fortechnical assistance assome least-developed countries required
assistance evenatthisstage. Hisdelegation could goalong withanearly datefortheMeeting aslong
asnecessary conditions were created forahighly successful outcome. Hehadlistened carefully to
theinterventions made bythedelegations ofZambia andEgypt. TheMeeting should havehighmedia
visibility. Nocountry should feelthatitwere leftout.TheMeeting should becomprehensive and
involve asmany least-developed countries aspossible. Although heunderstood thatitwould beunlikely
toholdRound Table discussions forallforty-eight least-developed countries, eveninOctober, alater
datewould allow more opportunity formore countries, andthiswasimportant tokeepinmind. He
wasassured thatnomomentum would belostunder theChair'sleadership.
18. Therepresentative ofNorway thanked theChair andemphasized thathisdelegation considered
theHigh-Level Meeting asoneofthemostimportant events oftheWTO thisyear. Hehadpreviously
indicated aclearpreference forameeting inJune, asanearly deadline would result inahigher level
ofactivity bytheco-organizers. However, ifitwastheopinion oftheSub-Committee thatholding
ameeting intheautumn would mean more results, hisdelegation would support suchaposition. It
supported areview meeting inJune, assuggested bytherepresentatives ofBangladesh andCanada
asitwould keepupthemomentum. TheMeeting should leadtotangible results forasmany least-
developed countries aspossible. Incaseonlyafewcountries would befeatured, itshould beas
representative aspossible. Hewould prefer thattheSub-Committee beallowed toconsider candidates
fortheRound Table discussions, andwasconcerned thatsome countries would present theirneeds
assessment before others. Hereaffirmed hisdelegation 'ssupport fortheMeeting andpromised
cooperation.
19. TheChair, incommenting onthepaper presented bytherepresentative ofCanada, saidthat
ifadecision were made toholdtheMeeting intheautumn, shewould support areview meeting in
June. However, based onthereport bytheSecretariat, shewasofviewthatareview meeting inJune
which would involve representatives fromthecountries 'capitals would divert attention fromthereal
event, theHigh-Level Meeting itself. Shestrongly suggested Geneva-based representation atthereview
meeting. Ifareview meeting weretobeheldinJune, sheinsisted thattheSecretariats meetthesame
deadlines assuggested before foraJunescenario fortheHigh-Level Meeting, asregards therequested
papers. These should thusbedelivered before thesummer inorder toallow forpreparations. Ifthe
dates were tobemoved from June, shewanted assurances thataHigh-Level Meeting takeplace in
theautumn, andsuggested asalternative dates 27-28 October, immediately following theUNCTAD
Trade andDevelopment Board meeting. Thereview meeting inJunewould conclude theformat, and
should alsoinvolve theUNCTAD Trade andDevelopment Board inacombined session.
20. Therepresentative ofTanzania commended theChair forheractivities inpreparation ofthe
High-Level Meeting. Hisdelegation understood andshared some oftheconcerns expressed inregards
totiming, although itwasofviewthatameeting afterJunewould betoolate,inlinewithwhatMinisters
haddecided inSingapore. Hewasoftheview thatifalldelegations which hadcontributed tothe
Singapore Ministerial Decision hadthepolitical will,aMeeting inJunewould bepossible. Instead
ofdiscussing dates, itwould bemore useful toensure thataHigh-Level Meeting inJunebesuccessful.
Heshared theviews expressed bytherepresentative from Morocco regarding theestablishment of
amethodology toensure anintegrated approach toprovide technical assistance, which would benefit
allleast-developed countries. Although hisdelegation hoped forameeting inJune, itwould study
theproposal byCanada andreact later.WT/COMTD/LLDC/M/6
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21. Therepresentative ofSingapore thanked theChair forherinitiative asitwasanimportant
outcome from theSingapore Ministerial Conference. Hisdelegation would extend cooperation.
Regarding theformat, heunderlined thepointraised bytherepresentative ofEgypt regarding thebalance
between general needs ofleast-developed countries andspecific needs ofindividual countries. Henoted
theconcerns expressed bytherepresentative ofZambia thatsome least-developed countries ranthe
riskofbeing leftout,though itwould beimpossible toinvolve themallinthesuggested Round Table
discussions. Herecalled thattheformat touseRound Table discussions wasonlyoneofthe
three important elements oftheHigh-Level Meeting, theothers being theformulation ofaframework
foranintegratedapproachtoprovidetechnicalassistanceamongtheco-organizingagenciesandadditional
market access conditions. Hewasencouraged bythenews fromtherepresentative oftheEuropean
Communities inthisregard. Hesuggested thattheSecretariat attempt tosummarize theoutcome of
theneeds assessment exercise, assome delegations offering technical assistance aswellasthose which
were notinaposition tomake additional market-access concessions butnevertheless didwant to
contribute something attheHigh-Level Meeting could findsuchaninventory useful. Hehoped that
sources ofassistance would notbeconfined toonlymultilateral agencies, asdelegations would also
beabletoprovidesuchassistance.RegardingareviewmeetinginJune,hisdelegationwouldbeprepared
toparticipate andwasopen-minded regarding thedate. TheChair acknowledged thatorganizations
suchasUNIDO andcountries suchasSwitzerland andSingapore hadbeenactive intechnical assistance
toleast-developed countries, andwould beprepared todomore. Shehoped thatallpotential donors
would receive anassessment ofexisting needs, andreiterated thattheywould haveanopportunity at
theRound Table discussions toparticipate.
22. Therepresentative ofCanada saidthattheSub-Committee should agree nowonthedateof
theHigh-Level Meeting, andheproposed thatitfollow immediately theUNCTAD Trade and
Development Board meeting inOctober. Hesuggested thatthepreparatory process beexplicit with
respect toalldeadlines inorder tomaintain themomentum.
23. Therepresentative ofMorocco saidthattheissue oftiming seemed tobesettled astheSub-
Committee wasleaning towards ameeting inOctober soonaftertheUNCTAD Trade andDevelopment
Board meeting. Thepriority would betokeepthemomentum inpreparation, including theproduction
ofthenecessary papers bytheSecretariats involved. Inorder toconsider issues regarding methodology,
thereview meeting would require completed papers, butitshould notdistract from theHigh-Level
Meeting. Hewelcomed documentation from theinstitutions involved inatimely manner.
24. Therepresentative ofUganda saiditwasclearthattheHigh-Level Meeting would takeplace
inOctober, andwasflexible tosuchaproposal. Hewasstrongly supportive ofholding areview
meeting inJune, asitwould beadvantageous tosettargets. Inthislight, theSecretariat should proceed
withsuchpreparations.
25. Therepresentative ofIndia saidthatitshould bedecided thattheHigh-Level Meeting take
place inOctober, andsuggested thattheSub-Committee allow theChair todecide when theexact dates
would be.Thedateshould befixed inawaywhich would allow themaximum number ofMinisters
toparticipate. Having itcoincide withtheUNCTAD Trade andDevelopment Board meeting would
beconvenient formany Ministers. Forthereview meeting inJune, hehoped thatallpapers would
besubmitted inatimely manner.
26. Therepresentative ofEgypt saidhewould support theHigh-Level Meeting tobeheldatthe
endoftheUNCTAD Trade andDevelopment Board meeting inOctober. Regarding thereview seminar
proposed inJune, hehoped thatarrangements would bemade toencourage allleast-developed countries
toparticipate inthismeeting. Such anaction would ensure transparency andshow thattheMeeting
itself wasontheright course. Heemphasized thattheneeds assessment exercise should becarried
outinamanner toassist allleastdeveloped countries. TheChair replied thatinviting representativesWT/COMTD/LLDC/M/6
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tocomefromthecapitalsforthereviewmeetingwoulddivertresourcesneededtopreparetheHigh-Level
Meeting itself andwastherefore notdesirable.
27. TherepresentativeofBangladeshsupportedthestatementbytheChairinthatthereviewmeeting
shouldnotdivertfromtheHigh-LevelMeeting.HeappealedtotheSub-Committeetoestablishdefinitive
dates, andpreferred thatthereview meeting beheldattheendofJune. Hewasveryconcerned about
thefurther postponement ofanydates.
28. Therepresentative ofMorocco saidthathehadconsulted theobservers fromUNCTAD, and
proposed thattheHigh-Level Meeting takeplace on27-28 October, theweek immediately following
theUNCTAD Trade andDevelopment Board meeting, which would endon24October. Hehoped
thattheSub-Committee would reach atentative decision regarding thedate. Regarding theassessment
ofneeds fortechnical assistance, herecalled thatlessthantwenty responses hadbeenreceived toa
previously distributed questionnaire andthatmany werenotverycomprehensive. Hesuggested that
those involved intechnical cooperation assist countries intheupcoming exercise.
29. TheChair proposed thattheHigh-Level Meeting beheldon27-28 October. Areview meeting
should beheldbytheendofJune, involving Geneva-based delegates, toreview thepreparatory process
oftheHigh-Level Meeting. Thismeeting should beacombined meeting between theMembers of
WTO andUNCTAD 'sTrade andDevelopment Board, perhaps coinciding withanextinter-agency
meeting asorganized bytheWTO Secretariat. TheSecretariat should beinvited tomaintain itsschedule
forthepreparation ofallbackground papers.
30. TheSub-Committee soagreed.
31. Therepresentative ofZambia stressed thattheleast-developed countries needed technical
assistance tohelpthem prepare theirneeds assessment fortechnical cooperation.
32. TheChair replied thatallagencies involved wereprepared toprovide suchassistance andwould
dosoifrequested. Sherecalled thestatement bytheSecretariat onthispoint earlier inthemeeting,
which showed thattheagencies hadalready given alotofthought tothisandhadconsidered modes
ofproviding suchassistance, through theirownstafforbyhiring consultants insome cases.
33. Therepresentative ofEgypt reiterated thathisdelegation believed strongly intheparticipation
ofallleast-developed countries fortheJunereview meeting, including those notrepresented inGeneva.
Regarding needs assessment, suchanexercise should bemade through assistance oftheWTO and
others, asleast-developed countries should befullyinformed ofthetypes ofassistance available.
34. TheChair replied thatshewould consult withtheAmbassador from Bangladesh, inhisrole
ofcoordinator oftheleast-developed countries, toensure thatallleast-developed countries beproperly
involved andaware oftheexercise. Thismight leadtoconsultations inBrussels, where more least-
developed countries hadrepresentation.