RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/COMTD/M/12
25November 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-4992)
Committee onTrade andDevelopment
Twelfth Session
NOTE ONTHE MEETING OF15AND 31OCTOBER 1996
Chairman: Mr.Nacer Benjelloun-Touimi (Morocco)
A. Adoption oftheAgenda
1. TheCommittee adopted thefollowing agenda:
A. Adoption oftheAgenda
B. TheReport oftheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment totheGeneral Council
C. Other Business
2. TheCommittee agreed totakeupthequestion ofobserver status ofinternational organizations
atoneofitsfuture meetings, taking account oftherelevant guidelines adopted bytheGeneral Council
and,forthetimebeing, tofollow theCommittee 'sadhocprocedure ofinviting thesameorganizations
forthenextmeeting which were invited tothismeeting.
B. TheReport oftheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment totheGeneral Council
3. TheCommittee adopted itsReport totheGeneral Council (subsequently circulated indocument
WT/COMTD/9).
C. Other Business
- Draft Guidelines forWTO Technical Cooperation
4. TheCommitteeadoptedtheGuidelinesforWTOTechnicalCooperation(subsequentlycirculated
indocument WT/COMTD/8).
5. Therepresentative ofElSalvador saidthatherdelegation attached particular importance to
technical cooperation asawaytofacilitate Members infulfilling theircommitments under theWTO.
Itwasherdelegation 'sunderstanding thatthepractical training programmes envisaged inSection II.1
oftheGuidelines forWTO Technical Cooperation included internships inboththeWTO Secretariat
andinGeneva-based Missions.WT/COMTD/M/12
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6. TheChairmansaidthattheCommitteewouldincludethematterofpracticaltrainingprogrammes,
including theinternships mentioned bythedelegation ofElSalvador, initsfuture discussions onthe
monitoring, management andevaluation ofWTO technical cooperation activities.
- Ministerial Meeting forMinisters ofLeast-Developed Countries Members oftheWTO
tobeheldinGeneva inNovember 1996
7. TheChairman saidthathehadbeeninformed bytheSecretariat thataMinisterial Meeting
forMinisters ofLeast-Developed Countries Members oftheWTO would beheldinGeneva from13to
15November 1996. Themeeting, financed bythegovernments ofNorway, theRepublic ofKorea
andtheCzech Republic, would focus onthepreparation oftheMinisterial Conference inSingapore.
Hewelcomed theinitiative taken bythethree Members.
8. TheCommittee tooknoteofthestatement made.
- Draft Comprehensive andIntegrated WTO Plan ofAction fortheLeast-Developed
Countries
9. TheCommittee agreed toforward totheGeneral Council, asadraft, thetextoftheWTO Plan
ofAction fortheLeast-Developed Countries which ithadbefore it,foritsconsideration andsubmission
toMinisters foradoption inSingapore. (Thetext,asforwarded totheGeneral Council wassubsequently
circulated indocument WT/COMTD/W/20.)
10. Therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities expressed disappointment withthetextof
thePlanofAction, which hadbeenconsiderably emptied ofsubstance. Hisdelegation was,however,
prepared togoalong withitintheinterest ofjoining aconsensus. Thedraft, asitwould betransmitted
totheGeneral Council, wasreally aminimal guideline, andhisdelegation washopeful thatMembers
would usethetimebetween thismeeting andtheSingapore Ministerial Conference, andindeed, the
Singapore Conference itself andbeyond, tobuild onwhatwasanabsolutely minimalistic structure.
Thiswasanecessity.
11. TheChairman saidthatheappreciated thespirit ofthestatement ofthedelegation ofthe
European Communities. Hehoped, asaChairman andasarepresentative ofadeveloping country,
thatthedraftPlanofAction would beconsidered asagoodframework, enabling additional initiatives
tobeincluded. Inthatcontext, hedrew theattention topartIVofthePlanofAction, entitled "Other
Initiatives", which could appropriately beexpanded, notnecessarily onamultilateral basis. Hewas
hopeful thatbetween thismeeting andtheSingapore Conference, andmaybe before orduring the
High-Level Meeting planned fornextyear, some Members would beinaposition tocontribute more
substance tothePlanofAction. Thiswould beinlinewiththeCommittee 'sobjective toavoid
marginalization oftheleast-developed countries andtobring themonboard, atatimewhen theWTO
might beembarking onnewareas within itscompetence.
12. Therepresentative oftheUnited States saidthathisdelegation wished toexpress itsappreciation
fortheChairman 'sefforts inputting together notonlyaReport butalsoaPlanofAction forthe
Least-Developed Countries, which wasastart, eventhough itwasnotnecessarily satisfactory toall.
Theoneelement thatwasimportant about thePlanofAction wasitsintegrity andcredibility. The
Committee hadrightly avoided theinclusion oftextwhich would havesentamessage which could
notbeturned intorealities. Inthatrespect itwasacredible Planonwhich tobuild without creating
falseexpectations. Thiswasanimportant element oftheCommittee reflecting itsmaturity.
13. TheCommittee tooknoteofthestatements made.WT/COMTD/M/12
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- Nextmeeting oftheCommittee
14. TheChairman proposed thattheCommittee, atitsnextmeeting, planned for25November,
setthetrack forthemodalities ofWTO technical cooperation activities inlightofthenewly adopted
Guidelines, andstarttoreflect onways toconduct itsdiscussions onthatitemnextyear, when itmight
haveanother Chairperson. Taking upthisissueattheCommittee 'snextmeeting inNovember would
signal thatMembers wereserious about identifying thebestpossible technical cooperation inWTO.
Healsoproposed thattheCommittee invite UNCTAD andtheITCtocontribute withadescription
oftheirrespective modalities ofproviding technical assistance. Thiswould enable theCommittee to
compare notes andwould beinlinewiththeaimofenhancing theWTO/UNCTAD/ITC institutional
dialogue withaview toensuring acoherent approach andidentifying areas ofcompetence and
complementarity. Inthiscontext, herecalled thattheGuidelines alsocalled forathree-year planfor
WTO technical assistance activities, similar tothethree-year cycles ofUNCTAD andITC.
15. TheCommittee tooknoteofthestatements made.