RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/COMTD/LDC/M/27
25 February 2002
(02-0937)
Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries
Twenty-Seventh Session
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 25 JANUARY AND 12 FEBRUARY 2002
Chair:  Ambassador Simon Fuller (United Kingdom)
1. The Chairman welcomed Members to the Twenty-Seventh Session of the Sub-Committee.
He recalled that at the informal session on 21 January 2002, Members had considered the draft work
programme for LDCs. There had been a full discussion and several delegations had offered
suggestions and amendments for the text.  The WTO Secretariat had reflected these suggestions in the
re-draft contained in WT/COMTD/LDC/W/25.  It ha d been hoped that following a further meeting in
informal session, Members would have been in a position to agree to a text that could be endorsed.
This was, however, not possible. Given the short ti me-scale, there were some points of substantive
difficulty in the text for some delegations.  He proposed that he would conduct informal consultations
amongst delegations to reach agreement on a text.  He would seek to ensure that all interested
delegations would be properly consulted and the aim would be to reconvene the formal meeting of the
Sub-Committee thereafter.  He said that his inform al consultations and the reconvening of the formal
session were set against the deadline of 13 February 2002, where a report to the General Council on
the WTO work Programme for LDCs was to be made.  He proposed that the Sub-Committee suspend
its meeting and that the Secretariat would issue a notice to reconvene the session.
2. The representative of Djibouti agreed with th e Chairman's proposal.  He requested that the
document be translated and made available in French.
3. The Chairman informed the Sub-Committee that th e translated texts were available in all the
WTO working languages.  He suspended the formal session on 25 January 2002 to allow for informal
consultations with Members.
4. The Chairman reconvened the formal session of the Sub-Committee on 12 February 2002.
A. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
5. The Sub-Committee adopted the proposed agenda contained in document WTO/AIR/1701.
B. DRAFT WTO WORK PROGRAMME FOR LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
6. The Chairman said that the draft Work Programme for LDCs had been discussed at length in
informal sessions of the Sub-Committee. He thanked Members for their cooperation in the informal
discussions.  He said that there was a text that fairly reflected the views of all delegations. It was not
an easy task but if Members were agreeable they could adopt the text.  This would be a solid basis for
work on issues of considerable importance over the next few years.  He proposed the draft text
circulated in WT/COMTD/LDC/W/25/Rev.2 for cons ideration with the following amendments agreed
to in the informal session preceding the meeting of the Sub-Committee:WT/COMTD/LDC/M/27
Page 2
(i) Paragraph 5 (c): "as WTO sees fit" would be deleted and replaced with "as
appropriate";1
(ii) Paragraph 7 (i) would read “identification and examination of market access barriers,
including tariff and non-tariff barriers for the entry of LDC products into markets of
interest to them.”  The sub-paragraph 7 (i) of WT/COMTD/LDC/W/25/Rev.2 would
remain as a separate sub-paragraph (ii) and would begin with the words "annual
reviews in the Sub-Committee…."  The paragraph 7 (ii) would remain and be re-
numbered 7 (iii);1
(iii) Heading (d): "as consistent with" would be deleted and replaced with "as relevant to";
(iv) Paragraph 12 would read "In paragraph 42 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration,
Ministers recognise that the integration of the LDCs into the multilateral trading
system requires support for the diversification of their production and export base.Accordingly, the Sub-Committee shall c onsider proposals within the mandate of
WTO for technical assistance and capacity building programmes relevant to the
diversification of their production and export base, and shall support the work of other
Agencies in this regard."
7. The representative of the United States said that the language for the headings in paragraph 5
should correspond with the headings in the text so that the parallelism was retained.1
8. The Chairman proposed the Sub-Committee adopt the text in WT/COMTD/LDC/W/25/Rev.2
with the drafting amendments.
9. It was so agreed.
10. The Chairman said that the Secretariat would issue the Work Programme for LDCs2 for
transmission to the General Council.  The Sub-Committee had been mandated in the Doha Ministerial
Declaration to report on the Work Programme at the first meeting of the General Council in 2002.  He
said that the Work Programme that had been adopted was not simply a programme for the
Sub-Committee but related to work throughout the WTO on LDCs. Some of the actions identified in
the programme such as on technical assistance and capacity building also called for work incooperation with other agencies and organizations.  Due coordination was therefore required.  The
Chairman proposed that the Sub-Committee mandate him to report on a factual basis to the meeting of
the General Council scheduled on 13 February 2002.
11. It was so agreed.
12. The representative of Uganda on behalf of the LDCs expressed appreciation to the Chairman
for the hard work put in to ensure that the work programme incorporated the Doha agenda as
instructed by Ministers.  It had been a taxing effort but it had been worthwhile, as the programme thathad emerged would facilitate their work in terms of integrating LDCs.  He thanked Members for their
patience and understanding. This had been done in a good spirit in advance of the forthcoming
negotiations.  He thanked the Chair for his positive role in conducting the work of the Sub-Committee
and expressed hope that he would continue as Chair.
                                                     
1 Changes made in paragraph 5 (c) and (d) were also reflected in the corresponding headings (c) and (d)
of the text adopted.
2 The WTO Work Programme for LDCs was circulated as document WT/COMTD/LDC/11 following
the Sub-Committee meeting.WT/COMTD/LDC/M/27
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13. The Chairman thanked delegations for their cooperation throughout the process.
C. OTHER BUSINESS
14. The Chairman proposed that the Sub-Committee meet for its 28th Session on 26 March 2002.
He said that meetings had been scheduled, as far as possible, in periods when Non-Resident Members
and Observers could participate.  The next meeting would coincide with the Short Trade Policy
Course for LDCs in Geneva and would allow for wider LDC participation.
15. It was so agreed.
16. In the absence of any other business, the meeting was adjourned.
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