./.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONS/CSS/W/97
9 July 2001
(01-3395)
Council for Trade in Services
Special SessionOriginal:  Spanish
COMMUNICATION FROM COLOMBIA
Proposal for the Negotiations on the Provision of Services Through
Movement of Natural Persons
The following communication has been received from the delegation of Colombia with the
request that it be circulated to Members of the Council for Trade in Services.
_______________
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Whilst great headway has been made in the course of globalization in removing barriers to the
free movement of capital and goods, restrictions to the mobility of natural persons have been
increasing over time.
2. The cross-border movement of natural persons was virtually control-free until the early
20th century, which enabled migration flows to make a major contribution to the development not only
of the so-called new world but also of many othe r economies.  Immigration laws subsequently began
to be passed, but were not particularly restrictive as they allowed for the labour shortages suffered by
some expanding industries.  More recently, as of the 1970s, when the growth rate of the most
developed economies slowed, more restrictive regimes began to be applied to the movement of
natural persons.
3. Nowadays, the cross-border flow of natural persons moves from the least-developed towards
the most-developed countries and is still driven by economic considerations. Whereas formerly the
attraction was the relatively low cost of land, these days the movement of natural persons has its roots
in differences in wages and employment opportunities.
4. The General Agreement on Trade in Services does not apply to measures affecting natural
persons seeking access to the employment market of a Member, nor to measures regardingcitizenship, residence or employment on a permanent basis. Nevertheless, this Agreement is a
valuable multilateral framework for removing measures which restrict the mobility of natural persons
who are either service suppliers or employed by a service provider.
5. The WTO Secretariat's analysis in document S/C/W/75 of market access commitments
scheduled by Members to date reveals that the majority are horizontal commitments. Onecharacteristic of horizontal commitments is that most relate to executives, managers and specialists;
another is that only 17 per cent of all horizontal entries cover low-skilled persons.S/CSS/W/97
Page 2
II. PROPOSAL
6. Members, especially developed countries, should undertake sectoral commitments related to
this mode of service supply. Colombia's priority sectors include professional services, construction
and related engineering services, computer services, social services, services incidental to agriculture,
hunting and forestry, health-related services, tourism and travel-related services, recreational, culturaland sporting services, cleaning services and personnel placement and supply services.
7. Recognition of qualifications and experience and licensing are barriers to the supply of
services in developed countries by natural persons from developing countries. Mutual recognition
agreements are an important mechanism for overcoming these barriers.  Full compliance with
Article VII of the GATS on the notification of such agreements should therefore be ensured, and
developing countries afforded the chance to become party to them.
8. It would be desirable for Members to schedule commitments to expand the temporary entry of
persons supplying services.
_________