RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/COMTD/M/24
27 April 1999
(99-1699)
Committee on Trade and Development
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 2 MARCH 1999
Chairman:  H.E. Mr. I.A. Chowdhury (Bangladesh)
I. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
1. The Chairman welcomed delegates to the 24th session of the Committee on Trade and
Development (CTD) and said the draft agenda for this meeting was contained in WTO/AIR/1024.  He
asked if any Member wished to add any other item to the agenda or to raise any matter under "Other
Business", adding that he himself wished to draw attention to the date proposed for the next meeting
of the CTD, under "Other Business".
2. The representative of the European Communities said that her delegation wished to make two
points for information under "Other Business".
3. The Chairman proposed that the agenda  be adopted with the above changes.
4. It was so agreed.
II. OUTSTANDING REQUESTS FOR OBSERVER STATUS
5. The Chairman recalled that applications by nine Intergovernmental Organizations for
Observer Status in the CTD were still outstanding.  At the Chairman's request, Mr. Hoda, Deputy
Director-General, conducted Informal Consultations on 25 January 1999 on several matters before the
CTD including on these nine outstanding requests for Observer Status.  To assist Members, the
Secretariat had produced an informal chart showing the type of work undertaken by these
organizations; the WTO Members present in these organizations; non-Members present; any previous
formal association with the GATT/WTO; and reciprocity with the WTO.  This chart was available in
the room where the Committee was meeting.  The chairman added that an Informal Note on WTOrules regarding Observer Status for international Intergovernmental Organizations in the WTO had
been previously circulated on 27 November 1998.
6. The Chairman said that Mr. Hoda's consultations on 25 January suggested that most Members
agreed that this item had been with the CTD for far too long.  It was also understood that the CTD
should adhere to the guidelines for Observer Status for IGOs in the WTO (document WT/L/161)emphasising in particular that requests for Observer Status shall be considered on a case-by-case
basis, and that this could be done on an ad hoc  basis with observers invited meeting by meeting.
Several Members also felt that because the CTD covered a wide area of trade-related economic
interests, it should not be too rigid in according Observer Status to applicant organizations.
7. The Chairman invited Members to consider, on a case-by-case basis, granting Observer Status
to the nine organizations that had applied as follows: (i) Arab Maghreb Union; (ii) Organization ofWT/COMTD/M/24
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African Unity (OAU); (iii) Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC); (iv) Islamic Development
Bank ; (v)West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) (vi) Inter-Arab Investment
Guarantee Corporation; (vii) South Pacific Forum; (viii) Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO);
and (ix), the South Centre.
8. The representative of the United States informed Members that her delegation was agreeable
to the granting of ad hoc  Observer Status for all nine organisations for the next regularly scheduled
meeting of the CTD.  She said that the acceptance of her delegation was limited to the next meeting of
the CTD, and that this decision would be review ed when the nine organisations presented their
requests for Observer Status again to the CTD.  She added that  the United States had submitted a
proposal to the General Council for the conduct of consultations on guidelines for granting permanent
Observer Status.  She said that the United States treated the granting of Observer Status as a serious
issue, and were very interested in the General Co uncil Chairman's work on this subject, adding that
any decision on the granting of permanent Observer Status in the CTD should await  the completion
of the General Council's work on the issue.
9. The representative of Egypt thanked the United States for showing flexibility on this issue,
and said that his delegation supported the proposal for all nine organisations to be granted ad hoc
Observer Status in the CTD.
10. The representative of Bangladesh noted that the names of each organisation carried references
to economic and or development concepts, and that on the basis of personal knowledge and past
experience with the organisations, his delegation supported the inclusion of all nine organisations as
Observers in the CTD.  He recognised that there were differences in approaches held by delegations.
He said his delegation was willing to go along with the proposal to grant Observer Status on  an adhoc basis.
11. The representative of Republic of Korea thanked the United States for showing flexibility on
the granting of ad hoc Observer Status.  He recalled that the Secretariat's Informal Note on Observer
Status stated that non-attendance for a period  of one year  would cause Observer Status to lapse.  He
stated that the monitoring of attendance should be reactivated; and it would be necessary to considerrewriting the criteria for granting Observer Status, if the current criteria were not sufficiently clear to
allow speedy decisions to made, and that this task should be undertaken through the General Council.
12. The Secretariat confirmed that it was possible to monitor attendance.
13. The Chairman noted that there was consensus on the granting of ad-hoc Observer Status on a
meeting by meeting basis for the nine organisations.  He thanked the United States for facilitating the
process and said that it was therefore agreed that all nine organisations be invited to the next formal
meeting of the CTD.
III. DRAFT WAIVER FOR PREFERENTIAL MARKET ACCESS IN FAVOUR OF
LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
14. The Chairman said that Members had before them the draft Decision on a waiver for
Preferential Tariff Treatment for Least-Devel oped Countries contained in document G/C/W/135.
This draft Decision was circulated on 27 January, following the Deputy Director-General'sconsultations on 25 January 1999.  The results of those informal consultations appeared to show that
Members could  recommend the draft decision on the waiver to the next meeting of the
General Council for adoption.  He therefore proposed that the CTD agree to recommend to theWT/COMTD/M/24
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General Council the draft Decision on the waiver for preferential tariff treatment for Least-Developed
Countries (LDCs) contained in document G/C/W/135.
15. The representative of India said that his delegation had indicated to the Deputy
Director-General, at the informal meeting of  25 January, that India was not in favour of the draft
Decision.  He reiterated India's commitment to LD Cs, including the granting  of market access
measures through the GSTP and regional trade arrangements such as SAFTA, which  India  had
expressed at the High Level Meeting on Integrated Initiatives for Least Developed Countries' Trade
Development.  He said that Paragraph 2(c) of the Enabling Clause provided for preferential tariff and
non tariff treatment to be extended by WTO Members to LDCs, and that Uruguay's proposal for the
inclusion of a disclaimer in the body of the draft Decision suggested that the Enabling Clause was
juridically sufficient for developing countries to grant preferential treatment to LDCs.  His delegation
was therefore not convinced of the utility of the draft Decision, feeling it would undermine theEnabling Clause, and wanted to know what juridi cal additionality was sought through the waiver,
over and above the provisions of the Enabling Clause.
16. The representative of Switzerland said his delegation shared the view that the integration of
LDCs in the multilateral trading system was an important issue.  Trade preferences were one
instrument that could assist LDCs, and his delegation appreciated the fact that developing countryMembers would provide preferential treatment to pr oducts of LDCs.  His delegation agreed with the
draft Decision  as proposed and hoped that in due course a number of preferential schemes could be
established.  His delegation wished to know whether the proposed preferential tariff treatment was to
be given to LDCs as  a whole, to a selected group of countries, or a single country.
17. The representative of Brazil said his delegation supported the draft Decision on the
understanding that developing countries  needed specific mechanisms to mitigate their structural
vulnerabilities in order make their participation in  the multilateral trading system viable and less
disadvantageous.  His delegation viewed with some scepticism the possibility that the waiver might
result in a significant increase in exports by LDCs to emerging markets.  Discussions in the Sub-
Committee on Least Developed Countries suggested that supply side constraints were possibly moreimportant than market access barrier; goods produc ed  by LDCs often competed with products from
developing countries, and it was necessary to take into account the financial crises experienced by
many emerging markets.  He said that the implementation of differential access measures by
developed counties had been insufficient  to enhance the integration of the LDCs into the global
market.  His delegation understood that the waiver did not alter the primary responsibility of
developed countries, foreseen in the single undertaking of the Uruguay Round, in applying the
provisions of special and differential treatment, and that it did not alter the basic balance of rights andobligations.
18. The representative of Tanzania said his delegation had looked forward to the adoption of the
draft Decision by the CTD and supported the draft Decision, in the belief that it was a step forward in
improving market access for LDC exports.  He recalled the support expressed by several delegations
for LDCs in different meetings, especially discussi ons in the intersessional meetings of the General
Council in regard to paragraph 9(c), and was therefore puzzled by the stance taken on the draft
Decision by some delegations in the CTD.  He urged that the delegations in question reconsider their
position.
19. The representative of the European Communities expressed the strong support of her
delegation for the draft Decision and its prompt adoption.  She recalled that while some developing
countries felt able to grant concessions without this particular legal base being adopted, others were
unsure that this was legally coherent with the rules.  Therefore, the waiver was intended to cover the
concerns of all Members.  Concerns about the possibility that the draft Decision on the waiver would
diminish the impact of Enabling Clause were  addressed in paragraph 6 of the waiver.WT/COMTD/M/24
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20. The representative of Bangladesh said his delegation  had expected the approval of the draft
Decision by the CTD to be a mere formality, given the extensive consultation that had taken place
over the preceeding two months.  He agreed with the representative of the European Communities,
that the Waiver  sought to address the concerns of some developing countries who perceived a lacuna
in the current legal system for the granting the extension of preferences to LDCs.   The draft Decisionhad been thoroughly reviewed, and at the last meetin g everyone had been of the view that the draft
Decision would gain the approval of the CTD at this meeting.  He supported the representative of
Tanzania in urging all Members  to join the consensus and agree to the approval of the draft Decision,
so that progress might be made on a long-outstanding issue pending since the High Level Meeting in
1997, and in fulfilling the promises made on that occasion.
21. The representative of Japan said his delegation fully supported the draft waiver.  It was
understood that the waiver was  political in nature, providing the clarification which would allow
developing countries to proceed with confidence in granting market access measures to LDCs.  He
recalled, the Ministerial  Declaration of May1998 which called for improved market access for LDC
exports and  said his delegation was bewildered by the anxiety regarding the waiver expressed by
some Members.  Given the current marginalisation of the LDCs, opposition to the waiver ran counter
to achievements at  the Ministerial Level.
22. The representative of Norway said her delegation strongly favoured the draft Decision on the
waiver, had looked forward to its adoption at the meeting , and urged all Members to forward the draft
Decision on the waiver to the General Council for adoption.
23. The representative of Zimbabwe supported the draft Decision and urged those opposed to
reconsider, so that LDCs would be provided with the enabling environment in order to participate
more fully in global trade.
24. The representative of Canada said her delegation supported that draft Decision, adding that
informal discussions and those in the Committee showed that the waiver was necessary in certain
situations.  She said that the last  paragraph of the draft Decision seemed to ensure that rights under
the Enabling Clause would not be affected.  She invited  delegations that had not yet joined theconsensus to reconsider, in order that the draft Decision be forwarded to the General Council.
25. The representative of the Republic of Korea said his delegation supported the draft Decision
and  regretted that several Members could not join the consensus in favour of the waiver.  He recalled
that at the 1997 High Level Meeting on LDCs, Korea had announced the introduction of preferential
treatment  in favour of LDCs, and at the same time had sought clarification regarding the legal basis
for  such measures.  Korea was willing to provide preferential treatment to LDCs, but  feared that this
could lead to litigation before the DSB and, therefore, strongly supported establishing a firm legalbasis for such treatment.
26. The representative of the Philippines said his delegation supported all measures in favour of
the LDCs.  Nevertheless, the representative of India had raised a substantial question, as to what the
draft Decision contained that was not already covered by the Enabling Clause in paragraph 2(c).
Paragraph 6 of the draft Decision did not provide an adequate response.
27. The representative of Turkey said his delegation considered the draft Decision to be an
important decision and, supported the appeals made the respective representatives of Tanzania,
Norway and the European Communities that Members should re-consider their positions and join the
consensus.
28. The representative of Hong Kong, China said his delegation supported the draft Decision.
The waiver provided the proper legal basis for preferential tariff measures in favour of LDCs.WT/COMTD/M/24
Page 5
29. The representative of Djibouti said that market access was a key issue for LDCs.  Members
had pronounced themselves in favour of preferential market access at the 1997 High Level Meeting
on LDCs should show their political will by backing the draft Decision.  Unless the prospects of
LDCs were taken into account, one could not speak meaningfully of the integration of LDCs into the
multilateral trading system.
30. The representative of Hungary expressed the strong support of his delegation for the draft
Decision, saying that it would provide the strong legal basis needed by developing countries to grant
autonomous improvements in market access to LDCs.
31. The Chairman said that the briefings he had received following the  informal consultations
conducted by Mr. Hoda had not led him to believe that India or any other developing country would
block the adoption of  the draft Decision.  He appealed to the delegation  of India, and others, for their
understanding.  Recognizing, nevertheless, that a cogent question had been raised, the Chairmaninvited the Deputy Director-General to provide a response.
32. The Deputy Director-General, Mr. Hoda, said that the question posed by the representative of
India had previously been raised in the informal consultations, and that he would repeat the
explanation he had  provided on that occasion.  He recalled that paragraphs 2(c) and 2(d) of the
Enabling  Clause together constituted the legal basis  for the provision of unilateral preferentialtreatment regarding products of interest to LDCs.  Paragraph 2(c) provided for developing countries to
enter into global or regional trade arrangements to give preferences to each other on a mutual and
reciprocal basis.  Paragraph 2(d) provided for the special treatment of Least Developed Countries in
the context of any general or specific measure in favour of developing countries.  Thus, if a
developing country wished to  provide special treatment  to LDCs in the context of the GSTP orregional arrangements, it could do so on the basis of the Enabling Clause, and this was reflected in
paragraph 6 of the draft Decision.  The additionality provided for by the waiver, covered the extension
of  preferential treatment by developing countries to LDCs outside any existing global arrangement
and outside any regional arrangement.  Mr. Hoda said that the waiver represented a juridical action
since it added to the provisions of the Enabling Clause.
33. The representative of Panama said her delegati on wished to join in the words of exhortation
concerning the approval of the draft Decision.  Her delegation  was surprised by the reservations that
had been expressed regarding the draft Decision, as the informal meetings had suggested that all
questions had been clarified.  She urged the representative of India and others to join in the approval
of the draft Decision as a credible proof to the general public of the efforts made by  members to
hasten the integration of LDCs.
34. The representative of Sri Lanka said her delegation was not convinced by the Secretariat
explanation. Footnote 2 of paragraph 2 of the Enab ling Clause stated that "it would be open to
Contracting Parties to consider on an ad hoc ba sis under the GATT provisions for joint  action any
proposals for differential and more favourable treatment  not falling within the scope of
[paragraph 2]".  She said the footnote provided an important criterion for the consideration of ad hoc
possibilities for developing countries to grant concessions to LDCs.  She asked whether thepreferential treatment of LDCs  by developing countries that the waiver intended to cover could  be
covered by this footnote to the Enabling Clause.
35. The Deputy Director-General said the draft Decision on the waiver was pursuant to footnote 2
of the Enabling Clause, which stated that if there was a particular action that members wished to take
that was not covered by the Enabling Clause, an ad hoc  decision could be taken.  He said that the
waiver was  for ten years and not for perpetuity, and its was open to members to decide for
themselves whether it constituted an ad hoc  decision or not.WT/COMTD/M/24
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36. The representative of Cuba thanked the Deputy Director-General for his explanation and said
her delegation supported the immediate a doption of the draft Decision by the CTD.
37. The representative of Colombia said his delegation welcomed any measure to favour market
access for LDCs.  His delegation did have doubts as to whether or not the waiver was redundant in the
face of the Enabling Clause.  The additions proposed by Uruguay and paragraph 6 of the waiversatisfied his delegation that the Enabling Clause would not be undermined, as did the Deputy
Director-General's explanation.  He therefore suggested that the Chairman, when presenting the draft
Decision, make a statement under his own responsibility containing the thrust of the Deputy
Director-General's explanation.  This would reas sure Members making use of the Enabling Clause
that it would in no way be undermined.
38. The Chairman said that it would be possible to buttress the presentation of the draft Decision.
39. The representative of India said that India had always supported the integration of the LDCs
into the multilateral trading system.  The reservations her delegation had expressed had been based on
the belief that the relevant part of the Ministerial Declaration of May 1998 could be addressed by the
provisions of the Enabling Clause.  She noted that representatives speaking at the meeting had
presented conflicting understandings on the nature of the waiver, with on one hand some speakers
asserting that the waiver was political and would not alter the balance of rights and obligations ofMembers, while her delegation, on the other, had been of the view that the waiver was of a juridical
nature.  This understanding was supported by the Director-General's explanation, and given that the
waiver went beyond the provisions of the Enabling Clause, her delegation  was willing to join the
consensus in favour of adopting the draft Decision.
40. The representative of the Republic of Korea drew the attention of the meeting to the second
line of  paragraph 4 of the draft Decision, whic h contained the words "Least-Developed Country
Members".  He suggested that the word Member be deleted, and that the word "Country" be replaced
by "Countries".  This would correct what he considered to be a typographical error, since it had been
previously agreed that all UN designated LDCs, and not just WTO Members, were entitled to benefit
from preferential treatment that would be granted under the waiver.
41. The Chairman thanked India for facilitating the process, and said it was therefore agreed that
the draft Decision on the waiver be forwarded to the General Council.
42. It was so agreed.
IV. HIGH LEVEL SYMPOSIUM ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT,
17-18 MARCH 1999
43. The Chairman proposed that the CTD  take up Item D on the High Level Symposium on
Trade and Development, scheduled for 17-18 March 1999.  He called on Mr. Peter Tulloch, Director,
Development Division, to give the CTD an update on the arrangements for this Symposium.
44. The Director of the Development Division informed Members that a revised version of the
programme for the High Level Symposium on Trade and Development was available in the room, and
that it would be circulated, along with the pr ogramme for the High Level Symposium on Trade and
Environment, to all delegations on 3 March.  He appealed to delegations to provide lists of their
delegations, and in particular the leaders of their delegations. Registration for both symposia was due
to begin on Thursday 11 March.  A list of Non Governmental Organisations attending the High Level
Symposia was to be put on the WTO web site as of 10 March 1999.WT/COMTD/M/24
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45. The representative of Canada informed the meeting that Canada had contributed
30,000 Canadian dollars towards the organisation of the Symposium on Trade and Development.
46. The representative of the European Communitie s informed the meeting that the delegation of
the European Communities to the Symposium would be led by Sir Leon Brittan.  She added that her
delegation believed that the Symposium represented an extraordinary opportunity to listen to anumber of views not normally heard in  these premises, and it was an occasion for all Members to
stress the value of the GATT and the WTO.
47. The representative of Egypt enquired as to which Intergovernmental Organisations had been
invited to the Symposium.
48. The Director of the Development Division thanked all delegations present that had provided
financial support for the holding of both symposia.  He said that the IGO's  invited  were those with
Observer Status in the CTD.
49. The representative of Egypt requested that invitations be extended to the nine Organisations
which had been granted ad hoc Observer Status.
50. The Director of the Development Division said that it would be necessary to hold
consultations on this point.
51. The Chairman said that it was agreed that consultations would be held on this matter.
V. COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT INPUT TO THE WTO WORK
PROGRAMME ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
52. The Chairman said the  CTD had been working on the issue of electronic commerce for quite
some time now.  He said the latest step in its work was the Seminar on Electronic Commerce and
Development organized by the Secretariat on 19th February following a request by CTD Member.  Areport from that seminar would soon be circulated.
53. The Chairman informed the meeting that  the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe (ECE) had proposed to come and make a presentation before the CTD, on electronic
commerce.  If no delegation disagreed, he would invite them to make a presentation at the next
meeting of the CTD.
54. The Chairman called  Members' attention  to three documents on electronic commerce that
had circulated in the CTD, namely:  (i) a Wo rking Paper submitted by Egypt on "Electronic
Commerce in Goods and Services"1;  (ii) a Secretariat note on "Development Implications of
Electronic Commerce"2; and  (iii) a submission by the United States on the Work Programme on
Electronic Commerce3.  He recalled that the deadline for WTO bodies to provide information to the
General Council was 30 July 1999 and that the CTD therefore only had two meetings, including the
present meeting, left at which it could decide on its final contribution.  He proposed that the
contribution could take the form of a letter from the Chair of the CTD, to the Chair of the General
Council explaining, on the responsibility of the Chair of the CTD, the discussions held by the CTD.
                                                     
1 WT/COMTD/W/38 of 3 March 1998.
2 WT/COMTD/W/51 of 23 November 1998.
3 WT/COMTD/17 of 12 February 1999.WT/COMTD/M/24
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55. The representative of the United States commended the Secretariat for the organisation of the
seminar, adding that the comments made by participants were excellent and that her delegation looked
forward to the Secretariat report so that these comments would be documented.  She also noted the
comments from some of the Members  which target ed issues raised since the launching of the
programme.  She pointed out that the paper circulated by her delegation contained a section ondevelopment which indicated current developments concerning the United States's new development
assistance project.  This project was conducted separately from the WTO through the United States'
aid agencies.  Developing countries with infrastructural needs in areas related to  electronic commerce
had been targeted.
56. The representative of Egypt said that his delegation supported the communication to the
General Council proposed by the Chairman.  However, more work was still required, and more
reflection was needed between the present and the next CTD meeting to determine what additionalcontribution could be made to the General Council, in light of the discussions that had occurred in the
Seminar on Electronic Commerce,  and  the contributions by the United States and others.  Further
informal consultations could be required to determine the most appropriate input of the CTD to the
General Council in relation to the work programme.
57. The Chairman said it would be possible to undertake further reflection between the present
and the next meeting.
58. The representative of Uruguay thanked the Secretariat for the organisation of the seminar,
adding that the contributions of the private sector and of international organisations  were particularly
valued.  His delegation was interested in obtaining a copy of a paper written by Messrs Low,
Schuknecht and Mattoo, of the Economic Analysis an d Research Division (ERAD), on the fiscal and
economic implications of e-commerce.  He said this paper would provide an important contribution to
the analytical work of the CTD.
59. The representative of Australia thanked the Secretariat for the organisation of the seminar,
adding that her delegation particularly appreciated listening to the range of private sector participants.
She said that her delegation was open to proceeding as the chairman  had outlined, and was also opento further consultations as suggested by Egypt.
60. The representative of the European Communitie s thanked the Secretariat for the organisation
of the seminar.  She said that further consultations  or an informal session  of the CTD would prove
useful in discussing issues raised in the seminar.  Her delegation supported Uruguay's request
concerning the circulation of the report on fiscal and economic implications of electronic commerce.
She also recalled that in addition to the report ma de by the Chairman of the CTD regarding general
development issues, development issues of a more specific nature were being treated in other WTObodies, who would report to the General Council.
61. The representative of Cuba thanked the Secretariat for the organisation of the seminar.  Her
delegation supported carrying out more in depth work in order to provide a more appropriate
contribution to the work of the General Council, as well as the circulation of the paper on fiscal
implications of electronic commerce as it would be a useful input to the future work of the CTD.
62. The representative of the United States said her delegation endorsed the proposal for further
consultations made by Egypt.  She suggested that further discussions in the CTD could involve
participants who had attended the seminar, adding that the convening of such discussions should take
into account the interim report required by the General Council by mid-April.
63. The representative of India thanked the Secretariat for the organisation of the seminar.  The
seminar highlighted the need to enhance the ro le of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) inWT/COMTD/M/24
Page 9
electronic commerce generally, and also in the establishment and application of standards and other
forms of regulation including the allocation of addresses and domain names.  The seminar was also
useful in highlighting the constraints faced by developing country enterprises in electronic commerce.
Her delegation supported the circulation and discussion by the CTD, at the earliest opportunity, of the
paper on fiscal and economic implications of electronic commerce, as this would be an important partof the work programme undertaken by the CTD.
64. The representative of Japan said his delegation joined others in highlighting the usefulness of
the seminar, and associated itself with the summary made by the Deputy Director-General, Chairman
of the Seminar, on the outcome of the seminar.  He recalled that data regarding the possible revenue
consequences of electronic commerce had been presented to the seminar, and  said that this data
should be included in the Secretariat report on the seminar, and the Secretariat document on revenue
implications of electronic commerce.
65. The representative of Hong Kong, China congratulated the Secretariat for the organisation of
the  seminar on electronic commerce, and said his delegation supported the suggestion made by Egypt
for the holding of further  informal discussions.  His delegation agreed with the suggestion that the
Chairman, under his own responsibility, should make a report on work to date to the General Council.
He said that the Secretariat paper on fiscal and economic consequences of electronic commerce wasuseful, and should be discussed in the CTD.
66. The representative of Guatemala thanked the Secretariat for the organisation of the seminar.
His delegation supported the Egyptian proposal regarding more in depth work and further
consultations on electronic commerce.  He underlined the high quality of  the  Secretariat documents,
notably  the paper on fiscal and economic consequences of electronic commerce, and said hisdelegation supported the proposal made by Uruguay concerning the circulation of this document.
67. The representative of Canada thanked  the Secretariat for the organisation of the seminar, and
said her delegation valued the work of the CTD on the subject of electronic commerce, and would be
interested in participating in informal consultations.
68. The representative of Senegal joined others in expressing the satisfaction of his delegation
with the holding of the seminar on electronic commerce.  Even though some questions remained
unanswered, and some answers were  not of any help, the seminar did leave his delegation better
informed about the subject of electronic commerce.  He thanked those, notably the delegation of
Canada, the Secretariat and the different participants, who made the seminar possible.  His delegation
awaited the swift  preparation and circulation of the Secretariat report.  He concluded by asking if a
letter by the chairman of the CTD to the chairman of the General Council was the  only means by
which the CTD could address the General Council on the subject of electronic commerce andwhether alternative means  were available.
69. The representative of Republic of Korea expressed the appreciation of his delegation to the
Secretariat  for organising the seminar, and to the delegation of Egypt for initiating the idea of holding
such a seminar.
70. The representative of Mexico said that his delegation supported the proposal made by Egypt
for the holding of further consultations, saying that  much remained to be done in regard to this
subject.  His delegation was particularly interested in work undertaken in the other subsidiary bodies
and what consideration had been given to the definition of electronic commerce.  For instance Council
on Trade in Services provided a definition of electronic commerce which covered the delivery of
goods, such as hardware, by non electronic means.  He wished to know whether electronic commercereferred to transactions that would solely be dealt with by means of the internet.  He said that  recently
undertaken research that concluded that duty free cyberspace transactions will not have serious fiscalWT/COMTD/M/24
Page 10
consequences  should be considered jointly with research currently being conducted by UNCTAD and
the OECD.
71. The Chairman said that, in keeping with the suggestion made by the Egypt, that there would
be further informal consultations.  The paper on fiscal consequences would be circulated before the
holding of the next meeting  in June, though  it was understood that the said paper was not a formal
Secretariat paper but one produced by three members of the Secretariat based on their own research.
Regarding the suggestion made by the delegation of Senegal concerning alternative means of
communication with the General Council, the Chairman noted that Ambassador Diallo of Senegalwould succeed him as chair of the CTD, and therefore requested that she reflect further on the matter.
VI. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
72. The Chairman recalled that, at the 22
nd Session of the CTD, the Egyptian delegation requested
the Secretariat to prepare a Background Note on the use of Information Technology in the delivery of
technical assistance.  At that meeting, Members recognized the significant benefits that could accrue
and the potentially vast improvements in access to beneficiaries that could be made through the use of
Information Technology in the delivery of technical assistance.  The Secretariat's background note hasnow been circulated in document WT/COMTD/W/59. The Chairman called on the Director of the
Technical Cooperation Division to introduce the note.
73. The Director of the Technical Cooperation Division, Mr. Léger, informed the meeting that the
document provided background information in the use of information technology in the delivery of
technical assistance, and covered information di ssemination, improving communications, information
technology based delivery of technical assistance,  and options for the future.  Under the heading
information dissemination, it was indicated that in  order to maximise the usefulness of information
made available by the WTO, potential recipients of information needed to have appropriate
infrastructure and training for efficient retrieval of information available in the WTO.  In this
connection the WTO undertook to establish Reference Centres on the multilateral trading system.This comprised  the procurement of computer equipment, internet connectivity, and training on how
to access CD ROMs that were made available  at that time. By December 1998, WTO  Reference
Centres had been established in all LDC countries.  The WTO Web Site contained 11,000 pages about
the rules and mechanisms of the multilateral trading system, legal texts, latest news on the WTO,
schedules of meetings, the Document Dissemination Facility, and much other information.  Atpresent, there were over 100, 000 user visits on the Web Site per month, from about 140 countries,
including an increasing number from LDCs. A second web site made available through the WTO
reference centre was the Information Technologies for Development (ITD) website.  The ITD was a
joint initiative  of the WTO and the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank which
focused on the relationship of trade to social and economic development.  Comments on issues wereillustrated through  case studies, inter-active guides, and on-line conference facilities.  A third
web-site available was the LDC web-site,  established in the context of the Integrated Framework  for
Trade-related Technical Assistance to LDCs.  The site was a management tool for the six
International Agencies  who were dealing with the Integrated Framework, and also served as a
communications tool for stakeholders in the process.  Finally, when the WTO Reference Centres were
established, users were also provided with a number of electronic publications as   CD ROM products.
These included the results of the Uruguay Round, the Guide to GATT Law and Practice,  theAnalytical index, the GATT BISD, Trade Policy Review Collection, WTO Trade Statistics, and a CD
representing the WTO Internet Site at a certain cut-off date.
74. The paper also included a section  on improved communications, and the introduction of IT as
a means of reducing times, distances and costs, insofar as communications with developing countriesWT/COMTD/M/24
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are concerned, through the use of e-mail, on line fora and video conferencing.  All these had a
multiplier effect in terms of the number of people reached and allowed the WTO to enhance the scope
and coverage of it's technical assistance.  All staff in the Secretariat had e-mail, and generic e-mail
addresses had been established, for notifications are concerned and for the WTO reference centre help
desk.  Insofar as on-line fora were concerned, several had already taken place: for instance aconference on intellectual property rights took place over a period of 5 months with over 300
registered participants.  A second  conference, entitled "The WTO and Developing Countries" was
under way.  A third one on regionalism was due to begin  in the first week of March. Two types of
video conferencing were possible: point to point connections,  or multi-point links.  Video
conferencing was seen as an important tool for lecturing, question  and answer sessions, as  well as for
technical missions. Examples included a short term trade policy course held in Turin in October 1998,
and a video conference on notifications held in February 1999, which involved 65 officials infour different countries – Malawi, Kenya, Ghana and Zimbabwe.
75. Furthermore, the Secretariat already made use of computer based presentations in the delivery
of technical assistance.  Videos prepared for the press could be used for technical cooperation
activities, and the WTO had a training package providing a comprehensive exposure to the WTO that
was accessible on the WTO Web-Site.  Computer  Based Training was available on CD ROM,
capturing the contents of WTO Trade Policy courses in multi-media mode, with a pilot already
available on textiles and clothing.  The secretariat had made use of the World Bank Learning
Network, now established in some 40 countries, for instance in conjunction with the video conference
on notifications.  Web Casting technology had also been used for the first time in conjunction with the
WTO Ministerial Meeting of May 1998 and would be used during the High Level Symposia on Tradeand Environment and Trade and Development to be held in March 1999.  Web Casting allowed for
participation in events on-line when physical presence was not possible.  Distance Learning could
augment the impact of technical cooperation activities, and could be seen as part of a wider
intellectual information technology based programme centred on capacity building.  The Secretariat
also foresaw the use of Information Technology in the holding of "virtual meetings", which could be
used to promote the exchange of views by trade officials.
76. The representative of Egypt thanked the Director of the Technical Cooperation Division for
his presentation, and said his delegation would study the paper closely.  He recalled that the reason
motivating his delegation's request for a paper was the recognition by the Director General and others
that the WTO information technology system was complex and that work was required to render it
accessible to delegations and those not well versed in information technology.  The representative of
Egypt recognised that tremendous progress had been achieved.  He noted that the paper containedseveral important sections of interest to his delegation.  He cited as an example the delivery of Trade
Policy Courses in electronic form, which would serve to meet the strong demand for such courses in
his country.  His delegation would reflect on the paper further, and revert to the issue of information
technology in the delivery of technical assistance at a future meeting.
77. The representative of Tanzania joined the dele gation of Egypt in thanking the Secretariat for
it's paper, and said he had  two questions.  First, in relation to paragraph 5 of the document
WT/COMTD/W/59 concerning password protection of restricted documents, he asked whether
passwords were available to both delegations and capitals, as his delegation had at times tried and
failed to access restricted documents.  Second, he asked whether the Secretariat had a strategy to
ensure that LDCs would be able adapt to and keep pace with changes in software and hardwaretechnology.  For instance he noted that he had difficulty in printing documents from the
Documentation Dissemination Facility.
78. The Director of the Technical Cooperation Division replied that passwords were given to the
Head of delegation, whose responsibility it then was to distribute the password to capitals.  He alsoWT/COMTD/M/24
Page 12
said that  the Secretariat would, as technology evol ved, follow up with developing countries in order
to examine possible difficulties in down-loading information.
79. The representative of Norway, speaking on behalf of Hong Kong, China and Norway,
referred to the CTD meeting on 2 November 1998, in which the Three-Year Plan on Technical
Assistance Activities was discussed.  He recalled that the need to increase cooperation with otherinternational organisations and the need to out-source part of WTO technical assistance activities had
been discussed.  The two delegations requested that  the Secretariat report to the CTD in respect of
progress in the follow up work undertaken by the Secretariat pursuant to the discussion.
80. The representative for the European Communities thanked the Secretariat for the document,
though she regretted it's late delivery, which hindered the ability of delegations to react in depth.
Given the quality of the document, she suggested that the document could be derestricted.
81. The representative of Bangladesh thanked the Secretariat for the document.  He said that
Bangladesh was a big user of technical assistance, and added that the technical assistance package
should be strengthened in some of it's aspect.  His delegation had repeatedly asked that the number of
Trade Policy Courses be increased to allow a larger intake of participants.  He noted that the technical
assistance budget depended on ad hoc grants from donors, and that this did not facilitate forward
planning.  His delegation appealed to developed Member donors to streamline procedures withrespect to funding the technical assistance budget, and asked that the level of funding be increased.
He highlighted the value of internships, and urged developed members to initiate programmes for
trainees from LDCs.  His delegation also favoured  the equitable distribution amongst LDCs of the
facilities available under the technical assistance programme.
82. The representative of Cuba thanked the Secretariat for the document, but regretted its late
delivery.  Her delegation joined others in recognising the improvements in WTO technical assistance
programmes, and drew the attention of the meetin g to the question of language.  Recognising that
while the web site contained a wealth of information, most of it was in English.  WTO members
needed to have documents in all three official languages.  Further investments had to be made to
ensure that document dissemination was undertaken c onsistent with the trilingual policy of the WTO.
83. The Chairman said that all statements made had been noted, and that the Secretariat would
make the information requested by Norway and Hong  Kong, China available in writing prior to the
next meeting.
VII. EVALUATION OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
84. The Chairman said that the evaluation of WTO Technical Assistance Programmes was now a
constant feature of the agenda of this Committee.  At the 22nd Session of the CTD, the Secretariat
circulated an issues paper (Job No: 4299) to assist reflection on the subject. The paper referred to the
guidelines for technical cooperation and training, examined ways and means of assessing technical
cooperation, made a distinction between internal and external evaluation, and addressed evaluation
criteria.
85. Informal consultations took place on this item on 23 November 1998.  At the 23rd Session of
the CTD, Members agreed that any approach to the evaluation of WTO technical cooperation should
be simple, objective,  transparent and practical.  Possible approaches could combine quantitative and
qualitative approaches and could comprise internal as well as external audits.  Members agreed to
consult informally in order to develop evaluation modalities.  These informal consultations took place
on 17 December 1998. In the light of a series of consultations, including the DeputyWT/COMTD/M/24
Page 13
Director-Director's consultations on 25 January 1999, the Secretariat  produced revised proposals for
two questionnaires for the evaluation of WTO Tech nical Cooperation programmes.  These proposals
were contained in document WT/COMTD/W/58, which had been circulated.  The Chairman called on
the Director of the Technical Cooperation Division, to introduce the documents.
86. The Director of the Technical Cooperation Division, Mr Léger, recalled that members had
agreed that the approach to evaluation of technical assistance should be simple, objective, transparent
and practical.  A representative of the ITC had been present at the informal meeting of
17 December 1998.  Based on comments and suggestions made at this meeting, the two
questionnaires had been revised, refined and circulated.  The two questionnaires were designed to
provide information regarding activities held in bene ficiary countries, including the possible impact of
assistance provided and expected follow up.  The assessment would be part of the feedback process
and would be beneficial to the operation of future activities on technical assistance.  This noteprepared by the Secretariat should be seen as a first step in the evaluation process and cover data
collection only.  It was developed taking into account the guidelines for the evaluation of WTO
technical cooperation, adopted by the CTD on 15 October 1996, and the instruments outlined in the
implementation modules of 17 October 1997.
87. WTO Technical Assistance now occupied an increasingly important place in overall WTO
activities. In 1998, over 3000 technical cooperation activities took place, amounting to some
Sfr.5 million, of which 80 per cent was financed through extra budgetary resources.  This compared
with the 79 activities undertaken with a budget of Sfr.700,000 in 1997.  The current average duration
of a national technical assistance activity was three to five days, at a cost of less than Sfr.20,000.
Regional seminars lasted on average ten working days, at an average cost of Sfr.150,000.  In theWTO, many technical cooperation activities were geared towards human and institutional capacity
building, whereby the effects of the assistance could expected to be measured over time.
88. In order to begin assessing the impact of technical assistance, two evaluation forms had been
developed  which would be used simultaneously by WTO officials.  The first form was entitled
"Country Request and Evaluation Form" and would be completed in part by the Secretariat and in partby the country benefiting from technical cooperation.  This form would capture all technical
information that pertained to the event taking place, including the definition of the objectives of the
activity to be carried out.  At the conclusion of  each event, the representatives of the beneficiary
country would assess the activity and proceed with follow up.  Further contact would take place with
the country three to six months following the even t to assess the impact of the activity, given that
certain activities took time to bear fruit.  The second questionnaire entitled "Participant Evaluation
and Feedback Form" was intended to improve the quality of WTO technical cooperation throughfeedback by participants.  It would also serve as feedback on how to improve further the delivery of
technical cooperation.  He reminded Members that these two questionnaires would be refined and
extended as more experience was gained.  In order to assess the effectiveness of technical assistance
given, it was proposed to analyse the information by topic covered, assess the information by country,
by region and sub-region, as well as by mode of delivery.  The questionnaires would be used, ifaccepted, as of July 1999, with the possibility  of having a  first evaluation on the basis of these forms
in the spring of 2000.
89. The document also had a  section on the evaluation of joint programmes and activities  with
other organisations.  In this instance, the Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical
Assistance and the Global Trade Analysis Project we re refered to, in which the WTO contributed with
other international organisations in the development and conduct of technical assistance. In this
regard, the evaluation would be part of the overall evaluation stipulated in the joint programmes.  The
WTO also contributed as expert in the activities and programmes of the World Bank, WIPO, and
other agencies.  The impact of the WTO's participation could not be evaluated in isolation but only as
part of the other activities which took place.  At present, the WTO Secretariat was directlyWT/COMTD/M/24
Page 14
accountable to donors for the use of their funds. Each year, the WTO reported individually to each
donor in accordance with the memoranda of understanding signed with each donor.  Attempts were
being made to identify in more detail how the funds were used and their expected impact on the
countries benefiting from assistance.
90. The representative of Switzerland said his delegation appreciated the Secretariat's efforts to
develop an effective method of technical co-operation.  He agreed that,  in some ways, WTO technical
assistance activities were not comparable to those carried out by other agencies owing to differences
in duration and financial cost.  However the Secretariat could still take advantage of the experience of
other agencies in the field of technical cooperation and it's assessment.  His delegation strongly
recommended that cooperation with other agencies should continue.  Questionnaires could only
provide partial evaluation, and were in general not the most effective instrument.  Switzerland did not
fundamentally oppose a questionnaire-based appro ach, but did recommend that other instruments
could be used.  Evaluation, ideally, did not begin with the setting up of standard questionnaires, but
with a clear definition of projects and their objectives, inputs, outputs,  assumptions, and measurement
indicators.  Detailed proposals in this respect had been made in an informal note by the Swiss
delegation distributed on 25 January 1999.
91. The representative of Switzerland drew the attention of the meeting to the wording of
paragraph 18 of WT/COMTD/W/58, which seemed to suggest that the Integrated Framework for
Trade-Related Technical Assistance was itself a technical assistance project, whereas the Secretariat
had emphasised clearly, at the meeting of the Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries of
1 March 1999, the difference between the Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical
Assistance itself and specific technical assistance projects.  He hoped that the wording inWT/COMTD/W/58 was simply a textual error and did not reflect a misunderstanding by the
Secretariat  of the concept of  the Integrated  Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance.
92. In response to these points, the Director of the Technical Cooperation Division said that a
distinction needed to be made between an integrated response and an integrated framework.  The
Integrated Framework was an integrated response by six different international organisations to meetthe needs of LDCs on a country basis.  When conducting a  technical  mission to LDCs, the
Secretariat's intention at the outset  was to make use of the two questionnaire forms.  In addition, the
information would be inputted into the Integrated Framework in order to asses the extent to which the
integrated response made by the six different organisations had been successful in meeting the needs
of the LDC.  Thus, while a distinction could be  drawn between framework and response through a
project, the two ideas were related.
93. The representative of Norway thanked the Secretariat for preparing  the note on evaluating
WTO technical assistance, and the two evaluation forms.  Her delegation had on several occasions
argued in favour of putting in place a system to evaluate WTO technical cooperation.  The document
WT/COMTD/W/58 reflected discussions held by members in the autumn of 1998, and the agreement
members that the WTO's approach to evaluation should be simple, objective, transparent and
practical.  Her delegation was of the view that the proposed questionnaires were in line with thesecriteria, though the questionnaires would possibly need refinement in the future once sufficient
experience of their use in evaluation had been gained. She said evaluation was a learning by doing
process, and that having discussed the issue at a theoretical level, it was now time to proceed in
practical terms. If the CTD was in a position to endorse the questionnaires soon, the Secretariat could
start applying the questionnaire by July 1999, and could provide a first  evaluation report by early2000. Her delegation was prepared to give the Secretariat green light for the use of the questionnaires,
and to refine the questionnaires in the course of their use.
94. The representative of the European Communitie s noted that the document rightly related to
the evaluation of technical assistance provided by the WTO Secretariat only, and did not cover all theWT/COMTD/M/24
Page 15
other integrated activities.  She wished to know  whether she was correct in assuming that the contents
of the document provided the basis, if approved, for a first report, probably by early 2000, following
which the CTD would then consider how to proceed with more in depth evaluation.  She also
requested that the Secretariat elaborate on how it intended to incorporate responses to questionnaires
into a feedback process as referred to in paragraph 2 of the document. Concerning the questionnairesthemselves, and the country form, she said it would be useful to add a box entitled "Success Indicators
and Performance Targets", in order to measure results against targets.  She also drew the attention of
the meeting to questions 6(a) and 6(b) of  the feedback form noting that two sets of responses were
necessary.  She said her delegation would be interested to hear about the work of the task force on
technical cooperation and the follow up to the Deputy Director-General's report.  Finally, her
delegation supported the suggestion made by Norway  that the Secretariat use the tools already
available to start the evaluation process, while remaining open to making adjustments as needed.
95. The representative of Pakistan thanked the Secretariat for the document.  He agreed with the
representative of Egypt in underlining the usefulne ss of Trade Policy Course, which  proved to be
very popular amongst developing countries.  He said that technical assistance delivered by WTO
consultants and experts through short term seminars and symposia in developing countries had a
limited impact when compared with the benefits  received by participants from  a three-four monthcourse at the Secretariat headquarters.  Given that the WTO agreements were not widely understood
in Pakistan, and the need to train both government officials and private sector actors, he raised the
possibility of increasing the length of visits by WTO experts and consultants to developing countries
to a period of one month, to enhance the impact of the interaction between experts and recipients of
technical assistance.
96. The representative of New Zealand joined the delegations of Norway and the European
Communities in supporting the questionnaires and their use, starting in July, adding that the
questionnaires satisfied the criteria of simplicity, transparency, objectivity and practicality.  She said
that while evaluation was not in itself adequate to ensure good technical assistance, the questionnaires
were an effective tool in gauging whether the pitch of WTO technical assistance was at the right levelfor the participants involved.  This would be an important first step in ensuring that technical
assistance programmes continue to be effective.   Her delegation welcomed the section in the
questionnaire regarding the identification of follow up activities, since it was likely that an individual
seminar would highlight the need for further concrete technical assistance.  With reference to
Section V of the document concerning actions undertaken jointly by the WTO and others agencies,
her delegation held the view that, although there was a need to distinguish WTO performance from
that of other agencies, the general forms of evaluation as set out in the questionnaires could still beuseful in the assessment of some joint activities.  Suitable modifications could be made, the
questionnaires would not need to be strictly audited or form part of the overall evaluation report, but
could nevertheless be a useful instrument in ensuring the success of joint technical assistance
activities.
97. The representative of Tanzania thanked the Secretariat for submitting the evaluation forms,
and said his delegation would support them.  Give n that the timely circulation of documents was
important to the success of seminars and conferences, he suggested that in paragraph 7 of the
feedback form, a question be inserted to allow participants to indicate whether documentation had
been circulated in a timely fashion or not.
98. The representative of Djibouti thanked both the Members who contributed towards WTO
technical assistance, as well as the Secretariat.  He said WTO experts should  communicate clearly to
LDCs the importance of the multilateral trading system, and that there should be more seminars
organised at a regional and national level.  Attention should be given to assessing the impact of
seminars held on government policy actions.WT/COMTD/M/24
Page 16
99. The representative of Egypt thanked the Secretariat for the paper.  He said that there were
difficulties in evaluating joint programmes, which at the moment tended not be evaluated at all.  He
recalled that his delegation had been requesting an evaluation of the Integrated Framework for the last
two years, and the question had arisen as to whether technical assistance should be requested under a
programme that had never been evaluated.  The representative of Egypt recalled his delegation'srequest for information on conditions attached to donor funds provided to the technical assistance
budget, and hoped the Director of the Technical Cooperation Division could provide some
information on this.  His delegation also wished to know whether the possibility existed for translating
WTO documentation into Arabic, and how this could be financed and what procedures should be
followed.  Finally, he said his delegation did not believe that the CTD needed to endorse the
questionnaires for the evaluation of technical assistance.  Hence the Secretariat should proceed in
using them, while keeping the CTD informed of any modifications made.
100. The representative of Guyana sought clarification regarding page 9 of the questionnaire,
saying it was unclear as to whether responses to 6(a) were found under 6(b).  Citing the example of
question 7, he said that the alternative responses offered in the questionnaire should be standardised.
101. The representative of Cuba  said that no mention was made of the three to four month Trade
Policy Course in the evaluation and feedback form.  Her delegation agreed that further elements could
be included in the questionnaires as the evaluation process evolved.
102. The Chairman regretted that the level of budgetary resources in the Technical Assistance
budget was not commensurate with the level of interest in Technical Assistance expressed by
Members of the CTD.  He invited the Director of the Technical Cooperation Division to respond to
some of the points that had been made.
103. The Director of the Technical Cooperation Division, Mr. Léger, first responded to the points
raised by the representative of the European Communities.  Beginning with the question as to how the
Secretariat would proceed, he indicated that the first step consisted in discussing the forms in detail
with Divisions which participated in technical assistance, and making sure the forms were used in
future technical assistance activities.  Second, he indicated that feedback referred to the topicscovered, and whether these had met the objectives of the event; the handling of logistics; the
suitability and timely distribution of documentation; and the sequencing of the presentation.  Third,
the Secretariat took note of the additions to the questionnaire suggested by the representative of the
European Communities.
104. Mr. Léger responded to the suggestions by the representative of Pakistan concerning short
term policy courses, and informed the CTD that a document summarising the task force report would
be circulated prior to the next meeting, and that this document emphasised that the Secretariat would,starting in 1999, attempt to deliver on each continent one or more Trade Policy Courses over a
duration of three weeks.  Such courses would offer a good synopsis of what was available to those
who would attend the short term trade policy course.
105.  Mr. Léger said the Secretariat would take into account  the comments made by the delegation
of New Zealand on joint programmes for evaluation purposes.  Regarding the point made by therepresentative of Egypt on joint evaluation, Mr. Léger said he would be willing to meet with
representative of Egypt to discuss the issue, noting that the Secretariat had been providing the
Director-General with regular progress reports.
106. Regarding the question of donor conditionality on funds provided to the technical assistance
budget, Mr. Léger said it was incumbent on donors to indicate whether they had any objections to theSecretariat disclosing to Members conditions attached to the provision of funds that were stipulated in
the memoranda of understanding between donors and the Secretariat.WT/COMTD/M/24
Page 17
107. The Deputy Director-General said that the assistance of the donor community would have to
be sought, and consultations would have to be held on both the matter of conditions attached to Trust
Funds, and the possibility of translating documents into Arabic.
VIII.  COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT INPUT TO THE WORK ON
TRADE FACILITATION IN THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS
108. The Chairman said that in a letter addressed to him, dated 1 September 1998,
Ambassador Saborío, Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods, requested the Committee on Trade
and Development to contribute to the Work Programme on Trade Facilitation of the Council for Trade
in Goods.  The CTD had since discussed trade facilitation at two of its meetings.  However, very few
concrete issues relating to development aspects of trade facilitation were identified by delegations.  At
its meeting of 7 December 1998, the Committee on Trade and Development asked the Secretariat toproduce a draft document for its contribution.  Secretariat note WT/COMTD/LDC/W/15 aimed at
meeting that request.  He added that the European Communities had recently submitted a paper  on
trade facilitation and development.  The document would soon be circulated as a multi-symbol
document. Advance copies of the document had been distributed to delegations on 26 February 1999.
109. The Chairman informed the meeting that th e Council for Trade in Goods would hold an
informal meeting on 19 and 20 April at which it would discuss electronic facilities and their
importance for facilitating international trade; technical cooperation and development issues relating
to the simplification of trade procedures; and consider WTO Agreements relating to, or including
provisions, on trade facilitation.  It was foreseen that contributions by other WTO bodies, including
the CTD, would be considered at that meeting.  The Chairman said the CTD should use the currentmeeting to decide upon its contribution, and invited suggestions from delegations for a CTD
contribution to the Work Programme of the Council for Trade in Goods.  He suggested that the
contribution take the form of a letter  to the Ch airman of the Committee on Trade in Goods in which
the Chairman of the CTD would explain, on his own responsibility, the discussions held in the
Committee on Trade and development.
110. The representative of the European Communities drew the attention of Members to the
two documents it had circulated, and to the fact that the document was circulated by the European
Communities and not the European Commission alone.  The document entitled Trade Facilitation and
Development aimed to show that the benefits of trade facilitation accrued to all Members and in
particular developing countries.  The second document entitled Trade Facilitation in Relation to
Existing WTO Agreements highlighted the leading ro le of the WTO in furthering the objectives of
trade facilitation, and identified the different "hooks" in existing WTO agreements  which can be usedto achieve the simplification of trade procedures.
111. The representative of the European Communities agreed with the  proposal that the Chairman
present the contribution of the CTD by means of a letter to the Chairman of the Council on Trade in
Goods for it's meeting on 19April.  She nevertheless proposed that an informal meeting be held before
CTG meeting of 19 April to allow fuller and in depth discussion of the topic of trade facilitation anddevelopment.
112. The representative of the United States said her delegation was generally supportive of the
position taken by the European Communities on the issue of trade facilitation, and welcomed the
proposal for further discussions.  Further time was needed for her delegation to study the documents
circulated by the European Communities, and for her delegation to provide a further contribution as towhat would be agreeable regarding the proposal to be made by the CTD.WT/COMTD/M/24
Page 18
113. The representative of Cuba thanked the European Communities for the documents it had
circulated.  Though her delegation was not in a position to give an opinion, the papers would be a
good starting-point for future work.  Her delegation believed  that Information Points were essential to
create capacity and promote trade in developing countries.
114. The representative of Mexico congratulated th e European Communities for the paper that had
been circulated.  The paper on development was the most relevant paper to have been reviewed by the
CTD.  He agreed with the representative of the European Communities  that  an informal meeting
should be held to discuss the paper circulated and review a number of proposals relating to trade
facilitation.  He proposed that a representative of the ACP be invited to the informal meeting in view
of the suggestions made by the ACP at a previous meeting.  He asked whether a letter from the CTD
to the Council on Trade in Goods was the most efficient means by which the CTD could contribute to
the discussion on  trade facilitation, given that the issue was of major interest especially as technicalcooperation and education were concerned.
115. The representative of Australia thanked the European Communities for it's papers and the
Secretariat for it's document.  The Secretariat documen t  was useful in providing an analysis of the
costs and benefits of applying trade facilitation.  Although not particularly prescriptive, the conclusion
of the paper did point to  some useful major issues, and her delegation could see a role for a furtherSecretariat paper.  Her delegation would go along with the idea of informal consultations if other
delegations thought these to be useful.
116. The representative of Brazil said his delegation supported the holding of further consultations.
117. The Chairman noted that there was consensu s regarding the holding of further informal
consultations.  He suggested that, subject to  approval by his successor, that informal consultations
could be held at the end of March, and could also cover the subject of electronic commerce.
IX. CONCERNS AND PROBLEMS OF SMALL ISLAND ECONOMIES
118. The Chairman recalled that this item had already been discussed at the last two Sessions of
the CTD.  At the last Session, several Members had presented country experiences as small
economies, emphasising in particular their vulnerabilities and their need for assistance to enable their
integration into the multilateral trading system, and it was suggested that the Secretariat should
prepare a Background Note on several aspects.
119. At the Deputy Directior-General's informal consultations on 25 January 1999, the Secretariat
had reported on the meeting of the Commonwealth/World Bank Advisory Task Force on Small States,
held in London on 7-8 December 1998.  The report had been circulated to Members. The WTO
Secretariat was providing input to one aspect of the work of the Task Force, namely, trade and smallstates.  The Chairman understood that the Task Force had indicated its willingness to present its draft
report to the CTD at its next meeting.
120. Given the above, the Chairman proposed that the CTD invite a representative of the Advisory
Task Force to present its draft report to an informal  meeting of the CTD at the time of its next Session
in June 1999.  At the same time, any other Members that wished to do so should present their nationalexperiences as small economies, and the CTD would continue to discuss this item.
121. It was so agreed.WT/COMTD/M/24
Page 19
122. Furthermore, the Chairman informed the CTD that another meeting of the Advisory Task
Force had just been held in St. Lucia on 17-19 February 1999.  The WTO had been represented at that
meeting and the Chairman called on the Director of the Development Division, Mr. Tulloch, to
provide a brief report.
123. Mr. Tulloch informed Members of the CTD that 19 small island nations had been represented,
some at the Prime Ministerial level, at the Meeting on Small Island Economies hosted jointly by the
World Bank and the Commonwealth Secretariat at St. Lucia from 17 to 19 February 1999. The main
focus of the conference had been the vulnerability of small island economies, resulting in part from
external catastrophes and also from external shocks to income and exports. At the meeting, the World
Bank and the Commonwealth Secretariat provided a revised draft of their Vulnerability Index. In
relation to the trade aspect, the meeting focussed on the ways and means of strengthening the
participation of small states in the WTO system. Emphasis was also placed on finding ways by whichsmall states could cooperate with others on issues of concern, such as the building of technical
capacity, or participation in WTO meetings in Geneva.  Mr. Tulloch confirmed that the trade issue
was being covered in a paper under preparation jointly by the World Bank and the Commonwealth
Secretariat,  and that  this paper would be presented first to the IMF and World Bank Development
Committee and that the authors of the paper would be  willing and able to present the paper to the
Committee on Trade and Development at it's next meeting.
124. The representative of Mauritius thanked Mr. Tu lloch for the information provided regarding
the meeting in St. Lucia. He said the aim of the meeting was to hold the widest possible consultations
regarding the issue of vulnerability and appropriate policy responses. Taking its cue from Mr. J. Burki
(Vice-President for Latin America and the Caribbean Region, the World Bank), the conferenceconsidered the following issues: the implications  of high volatility in GDP; problems of economies of
scale; advantages arising  from trade openness; the role of trade preferences in growth; opportunities
created by globalisation, and transitional cost of integrating small economies into the global economy;
development of vulnerability index with widest acceptability; use of financial instruments in
mitigating the adverse effects of disasters; the pursuit of sound domestic economic policies thatencourage domestic savings to finance development; and support from donors to resolve transitional
problems of "graduation".  The representative of Mauritius pointed to the conclusions reached by the
conference: there was consensus that the lending policies of multilateral agencies needed to be
adjusted to meet the special needs of small states, including Bank willingness to structure it's policies
of lending and assistance to small states; the inadequacy of the per capita income criterion in
determining the eligibility of small states for [multilateral lending]; small states should take advantage
of globalisation, and that substantial flows of external resources would be required to meet costs oftransition. Following the conclusion of the meeting, the Advisory Board and the task force met, and it
was agreed that the results of the conference and the report would be submitted to the Development
Committee of the World Bank and the IMF.  The representative of Mauritius said that it was his
perception, on the basis of discussion which took place, that the joint members representatives would
address the CTD at its meeting on 2 June.  He added that the work of the WTO would be enriched bycontributions and work undertaken by some of the other organisations which had attended the
meeting, such as the Organisation of American States.
125. The representative of Cuba said her delegation supported statements made by Guatemala, Fiji
and Mauritius with respect to the following: the need to set up favourable and predictable conditions
of market access for small states; the need for ad justments by the international community regarding
rules of origin that discriminate against small countries; and, the need to include flexible provisions
for products emanating from such countries.  It was necessary to correct the lack of progress  on rules
of origin, in view of the fact that not all countries have equal privileges and rights in the determination
of such rules, which was controlled by developed countries through a number of international
institutions including international financial agencies.  Furthermore, small states had been compelledto accept long term benefits of adjustments without measurement of the impact on social andWT/COMTD/M/24
Page 20
economic  conditions.  Her delegation supported the establishment  of programmes of assistance  in
favour of small  states and LDCs to support the co st of adjustment.  The erosion of trade preferences
through regional trade agreements had a particular impact on small countries, given their vulnerability
and the fact that they could only function in th e world market efficiently through the provision of
preferences.  The CTD should contribute to the understanding that the implementation ofliberalisation policies  in small states should respect the different levels of development prevailing in
these countries and their susceptibility to natural disasters.
126. The representative of Barbados drew the attention of Members to another meeting on small
states, which had been held at Wilton House in Sussex on 26-28 February 1998, with the title "Small
States in the Global System, Prospects for the Future".  Participants included representatives of
Caribbean countries, New Zealand, the European Commission, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and a
number of universities.  She said the frequency of meeting on Small States was an indicator of theimportance of this issue.  There had been wide discussion at the Wilton Conference on various  issues
pertaining to small states, including issues discussed by the joint Commonwealth/World Bank task
force, and the participation of small states in the international rules based system, and the extent to
which the system had responded fairly and sensitively to the interests of small states.
127. The representative of Guatemala referred to the proposal by the Chairman regarding the
invitation to the representative of the Advisory Task Force to address the CTD, and requested
clarification as to the composition of the Task Force.  His delegation was somewhat wary of
discussions based on meetings that were held outside the framework of the WTO, and believed that
the  discussion and analysis of the issue of small states should take place within the WTO, and that the
CTD should be the basic forum for discussion.  His delegation wished to see the continuedpreparation of Secretariat papers.  To this end, work done on the subject by the Organisation of
American States and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean should be taken
into account.
128. The Chairman said it was his understanding th at the WTO Secretariat was involved with the
Commonwealth Secretariat/ World Bank Advisory Task Force on Small States.
129. The Deputy Director-General said that the Advisory Task force was an inter-governmental
task force in which the WTO Secretariat had been invited to participate. Members attending were
those that had  expressed an interest as small economies.
130. The CTD took note of all statements made.
X. REVIEW OF THE APPLICATION OF SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL
PROVISIONS IN THE MULTILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND RELATEDMINISTERIAL DECISIONS IN FAVOUR OF DEVELOPING COUNTRY
MEMBERS, IN PARTICULAR LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRY MEMBERS:
STATUS REPORT BY THE SECRETARIAT
131.  The Chairman recalled that at the 22nd Session, the Secretariat had been  requested to review
the implementation of special and differential treatment provisions in the WTO Agreements by
compiling information on the difficulties, if any, that Members may have experienced in the
implementation of these provisions.  The compilation was to be based on information available in the
Secretariat and replies to a questionnaire which Members would complete and identify their
difficulties, if any. The Chairman then called on the Director of the Development Division,
Mr. Tulloch, to give Members a status report on the preparation of the requested document.WT/COMTD/M/24
Page 21
132. Mr. Tulloch recalled that Secretariat work had been proceeding on the basis of a questionnaire
circulated to all  members and the  documentation available in the Secretariat.   The questionnaire had
been circulated on 12 November 1998, with a deadline for replies by 25 January 1999.  As at the
2 March, only four replies had been received. It was emphasised that without replies from a
representative group of Members, work carried out on implementation would be incomplete, andappealed to members to submit responses.  The collat ion of relevant information existing within the
Secretariat had involved all relevant Divisions and Secretaries of Committees.  The replies on both
aspects of the question would usefully serve to update the information contained in the previous paper
on the implementation of Special and Differential treatment provisions.
133. The representative of Australia regretted that her delegation did not have a completed
questionnaire to submit, but added that she hoped it would be ready by the next meeting since her
authorities had almost completed work on the questionnaire.
134. The representative of Brazil said Brazil attached special importance to the Special and
Differential provisions of the WTO agreements, and that his delegation  would be shortly submitting
responses to the Secretariat questionnaire.  He said that because the work of the Secretariat was
limited to a mere objective compilation of Special and Differential provisions, it could imply that
these provisions responded adequately to the needs of better integrating developing countries into themultilateral trading system.  Such a perception did not enjoy consensus in this CTD, and Brazil
believed that some of these provisions needed to be revisited if a reasonable balance of rights and
obligations was to be achieved in the multilateral trading system.  The representative of Brazil said
that, in the light of these remarks and the possible launching of a new round of multilateral trade
negotiations, his delegation proposed that the Secretariat undertake, on the basis of the questionnaire,analytical work on the participation of developing countries in the multilateral system.
135. The representative of India said that India would shortly be in a position to submit responses
to the questionnaire, and that the delay was due to the fact that a number of issues raised in the
Intersessional Meetings of the General Council had been  incorporated in the responses.  He said his
delegation, along with others, had made a number of submissions to intersessional meetingshighlighting  specific provisions for Special and Differential treatment which had proved to have been
inadequate, or whose operation had been inadequate, and which had been detrimental to trade from
developing countries.  He requested that the Secretariat take into account the various submissions
made. He recognised that undertaking analytical wo rk on the impact of S & D provisions, as proposed
by Brazil, would add substantially to the work of the Secretariat and that his delegation would be
satisfied, as an intermediate stage, with a simple compilation of responses to questionnaires.  He
added, however, that further work would constitute a  useful input in the light of the forthcomingMinisterial Meeting.
136. The Chairman said that the proposal made by the representative  of India that  the compilation
be completed first, with further work to be done in due course prior to the Ministerial Meeting was
preferable to adding immediately to the work of the Secretariat.
137. The representative of Egypt  said his delegation had submitted  a paper on the implementation
of Special and Differential provisions, and that this could be considered as part of Egypt's response to
the questionnaire.  He said his delegation wished to know what the timetable for completion of work
was, adding that he hoped that the CTD would have a specific and substantial contribution to make in
the preparation of the forthcoming Ministerial Conference, and hence that the paper would be
completed as soon as possible.
138. The representative of the United States expressed the hope that the Secretariat would, in
preparing an analytical paper on the implementation of Special and Differential provisions, take into
account the papers presented by the delegations.  She cautioned that any analysis that was includedWT/COMTD/M/24
Page 22
should not prejudge any future activities, in particular negotiations in advance of the forthcoming
Ministerial Conference and the expectation of any results.
139. The representative of the European Communities said that answers to the questionnaires
should relate to the implementation of existing provisions.  This was a different exercise from
assessing the adequacy of the provisions, which would also be relevant to the work of the WTO, butwhich, along with issues relating to the overall balance of rights  and obligations, was not the focus of
the questionnaire.
140. The representative of Cuba said that the paper which had been  presented as a follow up to
WT/COMTD/W35 was a summary of the various provisions for Special and Differential treatment.
She asked whether a more substantive and analytical paper could be prepared which allowed
Members to review the provisions in favour of developing countries.
141. The meeting took note of suggestions and comments made.
142. The Deputy Director-General said substantial work had been done in gathering information
available in various Divisions and Committees, but th at the information gathered was insufficient to
allow the preparation of a paper. Responses to the questionnaire from a representative group of
Members was a requirement for the compilation of any difficulties encountered by members in the
implementation of Special and Differential treatment provisions.  Checklists had been prepared on thebasis of submissions made to other bodies of the WTO, but more comprehensive information was
required to examine the information difficulties on each and every provision for Special and
Differential treatment provisions.  The Secretariat intended to circulate the paper well before the next
meeting.
XI. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND
DEVELOPMENT
143. The Chairman said he had the pleasure to propose the election of the Chairman of the CTD
for 1999.  He recalled  that at the General Council on 16 February 1999, consensus was reached on a
slate of names of Chairpersons for WTO bodies.  In this slate there was consensus in favour of thedistinguished Ambassador of Senegal, Mme. Absa Claude Diallo.
144. The Chairman said Ambassador Claude Diallo needed no introduction to the WTO, having
had a continuing distinguished career in multilateral diplomacy.  Prior to her appointment as
Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations in Geneva, since May 1996, she was
Permanent Representative of her country to the United Nations in New York from 1988 to 1991.  In
New York, she represented Senegal at the Security Council from 1988 to 1989 and was President of
the Security Council in March 1989.  She also held the position of President of the Committee for theExercise of the Rights of the Palestinian People from 1988 to 1991, as well as the Presidency of the
Ad Hoc  Committee for Kampuchea from August to December 1990.  Madame Diallo also served as
Ambassador to Sweden (1992-1993); Ambassador to Norway (February to October 1993) with
concurrent accreditation to Finland and Denmark;  and Ambassador to Russia from November 1993 to
December 1995.  Madame Diallo was educated in Senegal, France and Germany.
145. The chairman proposed that the CTD should elect H.E. Ambassador Absa Claude Diallo as
Chairperson of the CTD for 1999 by acclamation.
146. It was so agreed.WT/COMTD/M/24
Page 23
147. The Chairman congratulated Ambassador Diallo for her unanimous election to the post of
chairperson of the CTD for 1999, and assured her  of every cooperation.
148. Ambassador Diallo thanked the chairman  and all members of the CTD for electing her
unanimously to the chair.  It was an honour for herself, for  her country and for Africa. She thanked
the Chairman for his efforts throughout his tenure, and congratulated him for the results he hadachieved. She stated that 1999 would be a year of many challenges.  The High Level Symposium on
Trade and Development was due to be held in Mid March.  The Third Ministerial Conference could
be the occasion to initiate a likely new round of multilateral trade negotiations on multilateral trade.
The importance of the development dimension rema ined, for CTD members, the link between these
different meetings.  The most significant part of the CTD's mandate lay in it's role  as central point for
the review and coordination of the development work carried out by the WTO.  She shared the point
of view of developing countries who had emphasise d that the development dimension should feature
in the work of the Organisation, and said that this view was also shared by members of the CTD.  She
said trade liberalisation was good for all countries, and the goal of liberalisation should be the welfare
of the population of Member countries.  For this reason, she would  devote all her energy in the
pursuit of the objectives of the WTO and the fulfilment of the mandate of the CTD.
149. Ambassador Diallo invited the CTD to reflect  and initiate progress on the different items
under its consideration, notably the following: an  exchange of views on the elements of the
development dimension; the integration of developing countries in the trading system in terms of
market access, and in terms of the formulation  and application of trade policy in the WTO;
improvements in the quality and delivery of technical assistance geared to the needs identified by
developing countries themselves;  an analysis of difficulties in the application of provisions forspecial and differential treatment; and the contribution of the committee to the next Ministerial
Conference.  She proposed that this last issue be an agenda item at the June meeting of the CTD,
adding that it would  be the occasion to reflect on the next ministerial in an extensive, focussed and
coherent way.  She said that the list of issues she enumerated was not exhaustive, but exploratory and
indicative of what the CTD could decide to cover.  She reiterated her thanks to Members of the CTDand looked forward to working with all members and the Secretariat in a spirit of confidence and
cooperation.
XII. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON  LEAST
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
150. The Chairman informed the meeting that furt her consultations would be required on this
matter.
XIII.  OTHER BUSINESS
151. The Chairman said the next meeting of the CTD would take place on 2 June 1999.
152. The representative of the European Communities said she had two points for information.
First, the European Communities had circulated a proposal for the WTO Law Advisory Centre, which
would be discussed in the General Council.  Th e proposal was connected to development.  The
proposal sought to strengthen the ability of the Secretariat in providing developing country members
with trade specific support and assistance on request, and thus strengthen their ability to make better
use of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism. Second, the European Communities had prepared anWT/COMTD/M/24
Page 24
initiative concerning accessions which was intended to accelerate the accession of  as many countries
as possible prior to the next Ministerial Conference.
153. The representative of Egypt expressed the appreciation of his delegation for the work carried
out by the Chairman during his tenure, and welcomed  Ambassador Diallo to the chair.  He pledged
the support of his delegation in her endeavours to reach practical solutions to the many problemsfaced by developing countries.  He thanked the European Communities for their initiatives concerning
assistance to developing countries in the use of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism, and the
acceleration of accessions to the WTO. Regarding the latter, he said his delegation had frequently
raised the issue of accession in the General Council, and hoped that as many developing countries as
possible would join the WTO before the next Ministerial Conference.
154. The representative of Mexico recalled the re quest made by the European Communities in the
meeting of the Sub Committee on LDCs regarding the derestriction of
WT/COMTD/LDC/W/11/Rev14, and sought clarification as to whether the European Communities
had maintained it's request, and whether the Secretariat had attended to the request made by the
delegation of Mexico in connection with the document.
155. The representative of the European Communities confirmed their request  for derestriction,
adding that there had seemed to be a consensus in  favour of derestriction with the exception of two
delegations which needed to consult with their capitals.
156. The representative of India thanked the Chairman for guiding the CTD.  He welcomed
Ambassador Diallo to the chair, noting that the coming year leading to the Ministerial Conference
would be extremely critical, and assured her of the full cooperation of his delegation.
157. The representative of Brazil said his delegation would not stand in the way of a consensus in
favour of the derestriction of the documents requested by the European Communities.  He recalled
that his delegation had expressed reserves about paragraph 16 of WT/COMTD/LDC/W/11/Rev1
regarding developed and developing country tari ffs on products from LDCs. Comparisons between
developed and developing country tariffs on LDC exports should not be restricted to an arithmetic
exercise but should consider the social and economic reasons that explain why developing countriesmay impose higher tariffs than developed countries on products emanating from LDCs.
158. The representative of Mexico recalled that his delegation  had expressed a reservation in
connection with document WT/COMTD/LDC/W/11/Re v1, paragraph 46(c).  He reiterated that the
comment made by the Secretariat that four emerging Latin American economies, including Mexico,
had reinforced antidumping and safeguard mechanisms to counter the effects of currency
depreciations following the Asian crisis, was not objective.  There was no link between exchange rate
depreciations and exports by LDCs into Latin Am erica, and Mexico had not imposed antidumping or
safeguard measures on any LDC exports.  Consequently, the footnote to paragraph 46(c) should be
deleted in order to render the document objective, and  the delegation of Mexico would remain
opposed to derestriction until such action was taken.
159. The representative of Norway said her delegation attached considerable importance to
ensuring that least developed countries and others should be able to make better use of the Dispute
Settlement Mechanism to ensure that the trading rights are better protected in practice.  Noting that a
number of proposals had been developed in this regard, her delegation looked forward to participating
in further consultations on this issue.
                                                     
4 English only.WT/COMTD/M/24
Page 25
160. The representative of Panama said that tw o initiatives, including that of the European
Communities, relating to the establishment of a Legal Advisory Centre in favour of developing
countries had been discussed in the General Council.  Her delegation supported both initiatives, and
suggested that both should be combined.  The representative of Panama congratulated
Ambassador Diallo on her election to the chair.
161. The representative of the Republic of Korea sought clarification as to when the draft waiver
of trade preferences  in favour of least developed countries would be tabled before the General
Council.
162. The Director of the Development Division informed the Committee that the next scheduled
meeting of the General Council was planned for 14 April, and it was hoped that the draft waiver could
be tabled then.  He thanked the delegations of Brazil and Mexico for their comments.  The Secretariat
would attend to the difficulty raised by the delegation of Mexico in connection with documentWT/COMTD/LDC/W/11/Rev.1.  He recalled the proposal made by the Chairman of the
Sub-Committee on LDCs that the minutes of the  relevant Sub Committee meetings, including the
minutes of the meeting held on 1 March 1999 at which the documents were discussed, be derestricted.
163. The Chairman in closing said he experienced a sense of relief and of achievement as he
handed over the chair to his successor.  He said that the CTD had worked in unison, and had achieved
much.  n order to give the WTO a human face, the CTD had sought to emphasise the centrality off
development in trade, endeavouring to find ways and means to mainstream the marginal and to make
the participation of all Member worthwhile.  While the CTD had not succeeded in  everything it had
attempted, it had succeeded in attempting everything.  The Chairman said he was deeply beholden to
the cooperation extended by all Members and the Secretariat and paid special gratitude toMessrs Hoda, Eglin, Tulloch and Osakwe.
__________