RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/COMTD/W/28/Add.2
6August 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-3326)
Committee onTrade andDevelopment
UPDATE ONPREPARATIONS FOR THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON
LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
Note bytheSecretariat
Addendum
I. INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
1. Informal consultations arebeing conducted bytheWTO andUNCTAD secretariats jointly
onthedraftIntegrated Framework forTechnical Assistance1,withtheaimofitbeing endorsed atthe
High-Level Meeting. Theconsultations willcontinue inSeptember.
II. PREPARATION OFCOUNTRY-SPECIFIC ROUNDTABLES
2. Asof31July, twenty-one least-developed countries haveindicated thattheyhaveaccepted
theinvitation contained intheDirector-General 'sletterof7Maytoprepare acomprehensive assessment
oftheirneeds fortrade-related technical assistance. Theyare:Bangladesh, Benin, CapeVerde, Central
AfricanRepublic,Chad,Comoros,Djibouti,Ethiopia,Gambia,Guinea,Haiti,Madagascar,Mauritania,
Mozambique, Nepal, SaoTome andPrincipe, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia. Arrangements
havebeenmade among thesixintergovernmental agencies involved directly inpreparing theHigh-
Level Meeting2toprovide technical assistance tothose least-developed countries thatrequest ittohelp
prepare theirneeds assessments.
3. Inresponse torequests fromseveral delegations, thefollowing sections provide amore detailed
description oftheapproach being followed inpreparing country-specific roundtables. Adjustments
totheapproach willbemade, asnecessary, inthelightofthefinalisation oftheIntegrated Framework
forTechnical Assistance .
Preparation oftheneeds assessments
4. Allleast-developed countries havebeeninvited tocomplete acomprehensive assessment of
theirneeds fortrade-related technical assistance, toprioritize theirneeds, andtoindicate which of
theirneeds arealready being metbymultilateral orregional intergovernmental organisations orby
theirbilateral development partners. Itistheresponsibility ofeachleast-developed country toconduct
itsownassessment ofitsneeds fortrade-related technical assistance, soastoensure thattheprocess
1Adraft oftheIntegrated Framework hasbeencirculated indocument LDC/HL/2, of19June1997; copies
areavailable from theWTO andUNCTAD secretariats.
2References hereandelsewhere inthisNote tothesixagencies involved mean theIMF, ITC, UNCTAD,
UNDP, World Bank andWTOWT/COMTD/W/28/Add.2
Page2
isproperly demand-driven andthatitcommands thefullsupport andcommitment ofthegovernment
concerned; nevertheless, aleast-developed country mayrequest assistance tocomplete itsneeds
assessment from anyofthesixagencies involved.
Review oftheneeds assessments
5. Oncecomplete, eachleast-developed country 'sneeds assessment isreviewed bythesixagencies
involved ataninter-agency meeting. Theaimofsuchmeetings is:
(a) toallow thesixagencies todevelop acollective appreciation ofthecomprehensive
needs fortrade-related technical assistance ofeachleast-developed country, whatthe
priority needs are,andwhich needs arealready being addressed through existing or
planned technical assistance activities ofmultilateral orregional intergovernmental
organisations orthecountry 'sbilateral development partners.
Toassist withthislasttask,andtosupplement where necessary theinformation supplied
byeachleast-developed country, thesixorganisations arecompiling aninventory of
thetrade-related technical assistance activities theyarecurrently engaged inwithleast-
developed countries, andanumber ofothermultilateral andregional intergovernmental
organisations havebeenasked toprovide similar information3;thisinformation will
bepresented inunrestricted background documents fortheHigh-Level Meeting. The
inventory ofthecollective activities ofthesixagencies willbeupdated regularly; other
multilateral andregional intergovernmental organisations willbeinvited alsotokeep
usinformed about thetrade-related technical assistance theyareproviding toleast-
developed countries.
(b) toarrive atanunderstanding onwhich ofthesixagencies, individually orjointly with
others, isinthebestposition inthelightofitsmandate andexpertise toprovide trade-
related technical assistance tomeettheidentified needs oftheleast-developed country
concerned, andhowthisassistance might bestbetimed andsequenced. Thetiming
oftheprovisionoftechnicalassistancebyanyparticularorganisationmaybeinfluenced,
interalia,bythefinancial resources ithasavailable forthisexercise.
6. Theresults oftheinter-agency consultations arecommunicated toanddiscussed withtheleast-
developed country concerned, toensure thattheyproperly reflect itsparticular needs andpriorities.
Atthesametime, theleast-developed country isrequested toconfirm which ministries and/or officials
willberesponsible atthelocallevelforcollaborating inthetechnical assistance activities, coordinating
theirimplementation andmonitoring them.
Country-specific roundtables
7. Aseparate roundtable meeting willbeconvened foreachleast-developed country thatwishes
toparticipate inthisexercise: Theleast-developed country concerned willtaketheleadinconducting
theroundtable meeting. Thebasicdocumentation forthemeeting willbethecountry 'sneeds assessment
andtheresponse ofthesixagencies intheform ofaninitial, multi-year country-specific programme
3AfricanDevelopmentBank,AgencedeFrancophonie,AsianDevelopmentBank,CommonwealthSecretariat,
FAO, Islamic Development Bank, UNECA, UNESCAP, UNIDO, World Customs Organisation, andWIPO.
TheOECD Secretariat hasbeenasked toconsider towhat extent itmight bepossible tosecure onaregular basis
complementaryinformationonthebilateraltrade-relatedtechnicalassistanceactivitiesofOECDmemb ercountries.WT/COMTD/W/28/Add.2
Page3
oftrade-related technical assistance activities. Documentation willbecirculated toallinterested parties
atleastthree weeks inadvance oftheroundtable meeting.
8. Theleast-developed country concerned willberesponsible forselecting who, inaddition to
thesixagencies, toinvite toparticipate initsroundtable meeting. Themeeting canprovide an
opportunity, interalia,toinvolve other multilateral andregional organisations aswellasbilateral
development partners whohaveaninterest intheexercise andwhomaybeabletocontribute tomeeting
theidentified needs fortrade-related technical assistance thatarenototherwise being met.
9. Anumber ofpilotcountry-specific roundtables willbeorganised attheHigh-Level Meeting
inOctober 1997. Themain criteria thatwillbeapplied inscheduling these roundtables willbethe
satisfactorycompletionoftheneedsassessmentandtheagencies'country-specificprogrammeoftechnical
assistance, along withthose described bytheChair oftheWTO Sub-Committee onLeast-Developed
Countries atitsmeeting on26June4.
10. FollowingtheHigh-LevelMeeting,furthercountry-specificroundtablemeetingswillbeorganised
attherequestofindividualleast-developedcountrieswishingtoparticipateinthisexercise.Themeetings
willbescheduled totakeplace assoonasthenecessary preparations arecomplete.
Theprovision oftrade-related technical assistance
11. Onthebasis oftheresults ofeachcountry-specific roundtable, eachofthesixagencies will
discuss andagree withthegovernment oftheleast-developed country concerned theprecise modalities
forundertaking those technical assistance activities outoftheintegrated package ofactivities forwhich
itisresponsible. Eachofthesixagencies isresponsible forsecuring thefinancial resources necessary
tomeetitscommitments under thisexercise.
III. PREPARATION OFTHEMATIC ROUNDTABLES
12. Adraftoutline forconducting thetwothematic roundtables thatwilltakeplaceattheHigh-Level
Meeting inparallel withthecountry-specific roundtables hasbeenprepared, along withaprovisional
listofsuggested participants (seeattachment 1tothisNote). A"brainstorming" meeting willbe
convened byUNCTAD inSeptember toreview thedraftandprepare thedebates attheroundtable
meetings inOctober.
IV. INVITATIONS TOPARTICIPATE INTHE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING
13. Invitations toparticipate intheHigh-Level Meeting havebeensenttotheTrade Ministers of
allleast-developed countries (seeattachment 2tothisNote).
V. NGO SYMPOSIUM
14. InadditiontothelistofNGOscontainedinWT/COMTD/W/28/Add.1,invitationstoparticipate
intheNGO Symposium on25-26 September havebeensenttotheInternational Chamber ofCommerce
(France), Global Traders (Switzerland), andWASME (India).
4Seeparagraph 5ofWT/COMTD/LLDC/M/7WT/COMTD/W/28/Add.2
Page4
ATTACHMENT 1
30July1997
Thematic Roundtables attheHigh-Level Meeting forLeast-Developed Countries
Suggested topics, recommendations andparticipants
Theme A
Building the"'capacity totrade" inleast-developed countries
(i)"The economic environment fortrade reform inleast-developed countries"
(ii)"Human andinstitutional capacity building inLDCs"
(iii)"Strengthening trade support services inLDCs"
(iv)"Trade-related infrastructural needs ofLDCs"
Suggested participants:
Minister ofaleast-developed country
Mr.AliBourhane, Co-Dean oftheExecutive Board oftheWorld Bank
Representative oftheSwiss Development Corporation
Mr.Gautam Kaji, Managing Director ofOperations, World Bank
Mr.D.Bèlisle, Executive Director, ITC
Senior staffmember, UNDP (Mr.G.Speth ifavailable)
Staffmember, IMF
Oneofthesixeminent business people (seelistbelow)
Possible recommendations:
ToLDCs:
Toagencies:
Toother development partners:WT/COMTD/W/28/Add.2
Page5
Theme B
Encouraging investment inleast-developed countries
(i)"Elements ofinternational bestpractice inattracting foreign investment toLDCs"
(ii)"Private sector involvement ininfrastructural investment inLDCs"
(iii)"Sustainable business strategy inLDCs"
Suggested participants:
Minister ofaleast-developed country
Mr.Jemal-Ud-Din Kassum, Vice-President Investment Operations, IFC
Mr.JohnRobinson, VicePresident forPolicy, Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA)
Oneofthesixeminent business people (seelistbelow)
Possible recommendations
ToLDCs:
Toagencies:
Toother development partners:
Listofeminent business people invited toparticipate intheHigh-Level Meeting
Mr.Reginald Mengi, Chairman, IPPLimited, Tanzania
Mr.H.Maucher, Chairman, Nestlé S.A., Switzerland
Mr.Hideya Taida, Head ofCorporate Strategy, Marubeni Corporation, Japan
Mr.Abdul Awal Mintoo, President, Bangladesh Employers 'Association, Bangladesh
Mr.Hans J.Smith, Executive Chairman, Iscor Limited, South Africa
Mr.Ratan Tata, Chairman, TataIronandSteel Co.Ltd., IndiaWT/COMTD/W/28/Add.2
Page6
ATTACHMENT 2
UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE
ONTRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
Office oftheSecretary-General
Telephone: 41-22-907 1234
Telefax: 41-22-907 0057WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
Office oftheDirector-General
Telephone: 41-22-739 5100
Telefax: 41-22-739 5460
INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE
UNCTAD/WTO
Office oftheExecutive Director
Telephone: 41-22-730 0441
Telefax: 41-22-730 0575
Dear Minister,
Itisapleasure forustoinvite yourgovernment toparticipate intheHigh-Level Meeting
onIntegrated Initiatives forLeast-Developed Countries 'Trade Development, tobeheldinGeneva
on27-28 October 1997. Information about theHigh-Level Meeting wasprovided by
Mr.Ruggiero inhisletter toyouof7May1997. Since then, most ofthearrangements forthe
High-Level Meeting havebeenagreed on,andpreparations areadvancing well. Wearepleased
toprovide youbelow withdetails oftheformat oftheMeeting andprincipal subjects thatwillbe
addressed. Itisourpriority toensure thattheHigh-Level Meeting produces substantive results
thatwillassist least-developed countries todeepen theirparticipation ininternational trade andin
themultilateral trading system.
Acopyoftheprovisional agenda andformat oftheHigh-Level Meeting isenclosed with
thisletter5.There willbethree principal components oftheMeeting.
Oneofthemain subjects tobeaddressed willbeimprovements inmarket access for
products ofparticular export interest toleast-developed countries. Thisreflects theimportance
attached totheissue ofmarket access intheComprehensive andIntegrated WTO PlanofAction
fortheLeast-Developed Countries, which WTO Ministers adopted inSingapore inDecember
1996, aswellastheconclusions andrecommendations oftheMid-Term Global Review ofthe
Implementation oftheProgramme ofAction fortheLDCs andtheoutcome ofUNCTAD IX.
Recently, Mr.Ruggiero haswritten toalarge number ofWTO Trade Ministers encouraging them
toimprove theirmarket access forimports from least-developed countries inthecontext ofthe
High-Level Meeting. Itisourhopethatmany ofthem willbeinaposition tomake asignificant
contribution inOctober inthisrespect.
./.
Minister ofCommerce
Ministry ofCommerce
.....
5AcopyoftheprovisionalagendahasbeencirculatedinAttachment1indocumentWT/COMTD/W/28/Add.1,
of24July1997.WT/COMTD/W/28/Add.2
Page7
Trade-related technical assistance, including forhuman andinstitutional capacity building,
isthesecond main subject ontheagenda oftheHigh-Level Meeting. Thiswillinvolve the
combined efforts ofsixintergovernmental organisations active intheareaoftrade oftheleast-
developed countries (theIMF, UNDP andtheWorld Bank, aswellasITC, UNCTAD andWTO)
andtheleast-developed countries. Ourintention istodesign anIntegrated Framework for
Technical Assistance among theorganisations involved tosupport least-developed countries in
theirtrade andtrade-related activities, andtoapply thatFramework tomeettheneeds identified
byindividual least-developed countries. Following Mr.Ruggiero 'sinvitation of7Maytothe
Trade Ministers ofallleast-developed countries, thestaffoftheorganisations involved are
working closely withanumber ofleast-developed countries, attheirrequest, tohelpthem
complete acomprehensive assessment oftheirneeds fortrade-related technical assistance andto
prepare torespond tothose needs inanintegrated manner. Where ithasbeenpossible to
complete thisexercise before October, theresults willbefeatured inaseries ofselected country-
specific roundtables attheHigh-Level Meeting. Itisexpected thatthese roundtables willprove to
beofinterest notonlytotheparticular least-developed country directly involved ineachofthem
anditsdevelopment partners, butalsotoother least-developed countries which expect eventually
totakeadvantage ofthisnewintegrated approach totrade-related technical assistance. Wewould
liketoemphasize thecommitment ofalloftheorganisations involved tocontinuing thisexercise
aftertheHigh-Level Meeting, bothtorespond tooutstanding andnewrequests from least-
developed countries fortheirtrade-related technical assistance needs tobeaddressed inan
integrated wayandtofollow-up oncases where theIntegrated Framework isalready being
applied.
Thethirdcomponent oftheHigh-Level Meeting willbedevoted totwosubjects which are
viewed ascrucial toenhancing theparticipation ofleast-developed countries inworld trade:
"Building thecapacity totrade inleast-developed countries" and"Encouraging investment inleast-
developed countries". These willbeaddressed through twothematic roundtables thatwillbeheld
inparallel withthecountry-specific roundtables described above. Importance isbeing attached to
ensuring that,through these thematic roundtables, ample opportunity isprovided torepresentatives
oftheleast-developed countries toairtheirconcerns, andtoensuring thateminent business
leaders familiar withthesituation ofleast-developed countries areinvolved soastobeableto
contribute theirpractical experience, insights andideas. Itisintended thatthethematic
roundtables willleadtoconcrete recommendations attheHigh-Level Meeting onhowthe
participation ofleast-developed countries inworld trade andinvestment canbeenhanced.
Webelieve thattheHigh-Level Meeting willpresent aunique opportunity forthe
international inter-governmental andbusiness communities tolendtheirsupport totheefforts of
least-developed countries toenhance theirparticipation ininternational trade andtotackle
substantively themain obstacles thatstand inthewayofthem becoming viable trading nations.
Wehopethatitwillbepossible foryourgovernment toberepresented attheMeeting atasenior
level, anditwould giveusgreat pleasure ifyouwere abletoparticipate yourself. Please inform
usassoonaspossible ofthecomposition ofyourdelegation. Acertain amount offinancing is
available toassist least-developed country governments tocover thecosts oftheparticipation of
theirdelegations attheHigh-Level Meeting. Weshallbepleased tosupply youwithfurther
information onthis,oronanyother aspect oftheHigh-Level Meeting should yourequest it.
Weremain, dearMinister,
Yours sincerely,
Renato Ruggiero Rubens Ricupero J.Denis Bélisle
Director-General Secretary-General Executive Director