. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONTN/CTD/4
27 September 2002
(02-5192)
Committee on Trade and Development
Special Session
SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON
TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
Report by the Chairman, Ambassador Ransford Smith (Jamaica),
to the Trade Negotiations Committee
1. Since the report to the third meeting of  the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) in
July 2002, the Special Session of the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) met on 17 &
24 July 2002.  At that sixth Session the report to the General Council, prepared pursuant to
paragraph 12.1 of WT/MIN(01)/17, was approved. Subsequently, on 31 July 2002 the
General Council approved the report contained in TN/CTD/3 and instructed the Special Session to
"proceed expeditiously to fulfil its mandate, as contained in paragraph 44 of the Doha Ministerial
Declaration and paragraph 12 of the Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns, so as
to be able to report to the General Council with clear recommendations for decision by
31 December 2002."
2. The report (TN/CTD/3) is divided into four main sections, and the submissions received from
Members are annexed to it.  The General Council agreed to the recommendations in the report and
instructed the Special Session of the CTD to, inter alia (i) continue the analysis and examination of
the Agreement-specific proposals and issues raised in  written submissions and in discussions, and that
Members should provide detailed responses to the various Agreement-specific proposals by
31 October 2002;  (ii) continue, the analysis and examination of the cross-cutting issues and proposals
raised in written submissions and  discussions;  (iii) elaborate for the Council's approval, the
functions, structure and terms of reference of a Monitoring Mechanism for special and differential(S&D) treatment;  (iv) continue the examination of other proposals on institutional arrangements;
(v) submit the proposals on criteria for technical and financial assistance and training to the CTD in
Regular Session, for inclusion of any agreed elements in future Technical Assistance Plans;  and
(vi) consider also how S&D treatment may be inco rporated into the architecture of WTO rules, in
accordance with Paragraph 12.1(iii) of the Ministerial Decision on Implementation-Related Issues andConcerns.
3. In my remarks to the General Council on 31 July 2002, it was stated that the
recommendations in paragraphs 15 and 16 of document TN/CTD/3, preserve the opportunity for
Members who so wish to make cross linkages between the Agreement-specific proposals and cross-
cutting issues, and to make inputs from one to the other as they considered appropriate.  I had alsorecognized that some delegations strongly felt that the new deadline was impossible to meet and that
it was only in the spirit of achieving the consensus necessary to continue our work that these Members
went along with the end of December 2002 deadline.  These Members were of the view that the
results achievable by the end of 2002 had to be assessed in the light of their views on the new
deadline.  It was also stated that other delegations expressed their disappointment that the July 2002deadline had not been adhered to, given the importance that these delegations attached to this deadline
in the overall process agreed to in Doha.  However, they had agreed to a new deadline of
31 December 2002, as they saw it as an appropriate and reasonable extension.TN/CTD/4
Page 2
4. Since that General Council meeting three submissions have been circulated: TN/CTD/W/13
from the European Communities, TN/CTD/W/14 from Switzerland, and TN/CTD/W/15 from
Paraguay.
5. The schedule of meetings and programme of work for the period September to
December 2002 was informally discussed at a meeting on 23 September 2002.  Those discussionswere based on a document prepared on my responsibility.  In that document it was proposed that there
be six meetings during this period.  It was proposed that two of these meetings be held as close as
possible to the meetings of other WTO bodies, to facilitate discussion of Agreement-specific
proposals.  It was further proposed that anothe r two meetings would di scuss (a) the remaining
Agreement-specific proposals in thematic clusters which are based primarily on the categories
identified in document WT/COMTD/W/77/Rev.1;  and (b) the systemic and cross-cutting issues.
Discussions on the Monitoring Mechanism for special and differential (S&D) treatment, and on theincorporation of S&D treatment into the architecture of WTO rules have also been proposed.  Finally,
a sixth meeting was proposed to be held in early December for the consideration of the report to the
General Council - which meets on 10 & 11 December 2002.
6. At the informal meeting Members agreed to the proposed indicative work programme.
However, they expressed concerns on the timing and dates of some of the meetings.  Efforts are beingmade to accommodate these concerns.  The next formal meeting of the Special Session is scheduled to
be held on 7 October 2002.
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