RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/COMTD/W/28
12June1997
ORGANIZATION(97-2420)
Committee onTrade andDevelopment
PREPARATIONS FOR THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON
LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
Note bytheSecretariat
1. ThisNoteresponds toarequest fromtheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment atitsmeeting
on20May1997 foraninformation noteonthestateofpreparations oftheHigh-Level Meeting on
Least-Developed Countries.
2. TheHigh-Level Meeting onLeast-Developed Countries willbeheldon27-28 October 1997
inRoom XXatthePalais Nations inGeneva.
3. Theinter-governmental organizations involved mostdirectly intheHigh-Level Meeting are
theIMF, ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, theWorld Bank andtheWTO.
A. Preparatory Meeting on26June
4. Apreparatory meeting ofthemember governments oftheWTO andthose ofUNCTAD will
beheldon26JuneintheInternational Conference Centre, ruedeVarembé, Geneva.
5. Thepreparatory meeting inJunewillbeasked totakedecisions onthefollowing issues:
(a) Draft agenda andformat oftheHigh-Level Meeting. Adraftagenda fortheHigh-Level
Meeting iscontained inAttachment ItothisNoteaspartofthedraftagenda forthe
preparatory meeting of26June.
(b) Participation ofgovernments intheHigh-Level Meeting. There isconsensus toinvite
all48least-developed countries. Inaddition, itisproposed thatallother member
governments ofanyofthesixinter-governmental organizations involved inpreparations
fortheHigh-Level Meeting should beinvited toattend.
(c) Arrangements fortheinvolvement ofnon-governmental organizations (NGOs). Itis
proposed that,following thepractice adopted bytheWTO atitsSingapore Ministerial
Conference andinorder tomeettherequirements fortheparticipation ofNGOs of
someoftheotherinter-governmentalorganizationsinvolvedintheHigh-LevelMeeting,
NGOs would beallowed toparticipate asobservers inplenary sessions oftheHigh-
Level Meeting. Inaddition, anNGO symposium dedicated tothesubject oftheHigh-
Level Meeting would bearranged some weeks inadvance oftheHigh-Level Meeting.
(d) Arrangements fortheinvolvement theprivate sector. Itisproposed tofollow thesame
practice asforNGOs andallow representatives fromtheprivate sector toparticipate
asobservers inplenary sessions oftheMeeting. Inaddition, there isaproposal toWT/COMTD/W/28
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invite sixeminent business persons asresource persons totheHigh-Level Meeting,
intheirpersonal capacity, toarticulate theviews oftheprivate sector. They would
bewellknown totheinternational business community, withexcellent communication
skills andavision thatgoesbeyond theirownindustry andhome country. They would
beinvited tointervene inthevarious proposed elements oftheHigh-Level Meeting,
other thanplenary sessions.
6. Adraftagenda forthePreparatory Meeting, drawn upjointly bytheWTO andUNCTAD
Secretariats, wascirculated toallWTO Members on3June. Informal consultations based onaslightly
revised version ofthatdraftagenda (Attachment ItothisNote) wereconducted bytheSecretary-General
ofUNCTAD on5June; members oftheWTO Sub-Committee onLeast-Developed Countries were
invited toparticipate intheinformal consultations. TheUNCTAD Secretariat willbeissuing areport
ontheSecretary-General 'sconsultations.
B. Format oftheHigh-Level Meeting
7. OneissueraisedatthoseinformalconsultationsconcernedtheformatfortheHigh-LevelMeeting.
8. Itisproposed toconduct anumber ofcountry-specific "Round Tables" devoted toapplying
theintegrated framework fortrade-related technical assistance, including forhuman andinstitutional
capacity-building, toaddress theconsolidated needs ofindividual least-developed countries; theleast-
developed countries involved inthisexercise attheHigh-Level Meeting would bethose which will
havecompleted bythenthecomprehensive assessment oftheirneeds which theyhavebeeninvited
toundertake through theletter addressed tothem on7MaybyMr.Ruggiero (seebelow).
9. Inaddition, there isaproposal toinclude intheMeeting aseries ofthematic roundtable
discussions (based onthemes taken fromanillustrative listthatincludes market access, enhancing supply
capacity andmarketing inLDCs, foreign direct investment, information technology, infrastructure,
human capacity building, andtradeandpoverty alleviation) which would replace toalargeextent formal
interventions bygovernments attheHigh-Level Meeting (Attachment IItothisNotecontains acopy
oftheproposed format).
C. Financing
10. Thepreparatory meeting willbeinvited toconsider thefinancial implications oforganizing
theHigh-Level Meeting. Aprojected budget wasissued bytheWTO Secretariat on1May in
WT/COMTD/LLDC/W/6. ATrust Fund dedicated tothefinancing oftheHigh-Level Meeting has
beenestablished intheWTO.
D. Needs Assessment
11. Thepreparatory meeting willhavetheopportunity ofreviewing thestatus ofpreparations by
individual least-developed countries ofthecomprehensive assessment oftheirneeds fortrade-related
technical cooperation, following theinvitation contained intheletter addressed totheTrade Ministers
ofall48least-developed countries byMr.Ruggiero inhisletter of7May(Attachment IIItothisNote).
Considerableimportanceisattachedtoeachleast-developedcountrytakingfullresponsibilityforcarrying
outitsownneeds assessment; however, provision hasbeenmade forassistance tobegiven, byor
through theinter-governmental organizations involved most directly intheHigh-Level Meeting, to
anyleast-developed country which requests itinorder tocomplete itsownneeds assessment.WT/COMTD/W/28
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12. Once completed, theneeds assessment willbereviewed jointly bythestaffofthesixinter-
governmental organizations involved mostdirectly intheHigh-Level Meeting, which inturnwillaim
tomeet theneeds identified, asfaraspossible inthelightoftheirownresource availability, using
anintegrated approach. Asdescribed above, anumber ofpilotprojects ofthisnature, involving
individual least-developed countries, willbefeatured attheHigh-Level Meeting inOctober intheform
of"Round Tables" chaired bytheleast-developed country concerned.
13. Following theHigh-Level Meeting, thestaffofthesixinter-governmental organizations are
committed tocontinuing toapply theintegrated approach inresponse tocompleted needs assessments
ofother least-developed countries. Thisexercise would beconducted routinely, making usewhere
possible ofopportunities provided atWorld BankConsultative Group meetings andUNDP Round Table
Meetings which areheldperiodically orotherwise byconvening special meetings dedicated tothe
exercise. Thiswillensure thecontinuity oftheprocess andguarantee thatallleast-developed countries
would havetheopportunity ofbenefitting from theapplication oftheintegrated approach tosupport
theirtrade-related activities.
E. Documentation
14. Thepreparatorymeetingwillbeinvitedtoreviewsomeofthedraftdocumentationbeingprepared
fortheHigh-Level Meeting bythesixinter-governmental organizations involved mostdirectly inthe
Meeting. Thedocumentation which itisplanned willbepresented totheHigh-Level Meeting inOctober
covers thefollowing issues:
(a) Anintegrated framework fortechnical assistance including forhuman andinstitutional
capacity-building tosupport LDCs intrade andtrade-related activities;
(b) Review ofmarket access opportunities forLDCs intheirmain export markets, and
ofthetrade barriers theycontinue toface;
(c) Review ofother multilateral initiatives being undertaken byintergovernmental
organizations infavour ofLDCs;
(d) Review oftheinternational anddomestic economic policy context within which LDCs
areoperating;
(e) Theroleoftheprivate sector intrade andinvestment inLDCs. Thispaper willbe
drawn upbyITC,based ontheoutcome ofaquestionnaire itissending totheprivate
sector;
(f) Asustainable business strategy inLDCs;
(g) Inventories oftrade-related technical cooperation activities conducted withtheleast-
developed countries bythesixintergovernmental organizations involved inthe
preparation oftheHigh-Level Meeting;
(h) Information fromother intergovernmental organizations onthetrade-related technical
cooperation activities inLDCs;
(i) Theroleofinformation technology inenhancing trade opportunities forLDCs and
ways tofacilitate itsusebyLDCs.WT/COMTD/W/28
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F. Participation ofOther Agencies
15. TheWTO Secretariat haswritten totheAfrican andAsian Development Banks, ESCAP, ECA,
UNIDO, theIslamic Development Bank, WIPO andtheWorld Customs Organization, informing them
oftheHigh-Level Meeting andinviting them toprovide information ontheirrespective trade-related
technical assistance activities. TheOECD secretariat hasalsobeencontacted. Theother coreinter-
governmental organizations involved directly intheHigh-Level Meeting havebeenasked tocontact
directly other organizations which theyfeelshould beinvolved.WT/COMTD/W/28
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ATTACHMENT 1
PREPARATION FOR THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ONINTEGRATED
INITIATIVES FOR LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES 'TRADE
DEVELOPMENT: JOINT MEETING OFUNCTAD AND WTO MEMBER STATES
(Geneva, 26June1997)
I.Provisional Agenda andAnnotations
1. Election ofChairperson
2. Adoption oftheAgenda
3. Draft Provisional Agenda fortheHigh-level Meeting
ThedraftprovisionalagendafortheHigh-levelMeetingandtheannotationsthereofarecontained
inAnnex I.
4. Review ofPreparations fortheHigh-Level Meeting
(a) Status ofpreparations byindividual leastdeveloped countries
TheMeeting maywishtoreview thestatus ofpreparations byindividual leastdeveloped
countriesoftheircomprehensiveneedsassessment,asrequestedbytheDirector-General
ofWTO inhisletter of7May1997.
(b) Status ofsubstantive preparations bythesecretariats ofthecoreorganizations directly
involved inthepreparation fortheHigh-Level Meeting
TheMeeting maywishtoreview thestatus ofpreparations ofsubstantive andrelated
background documents bytheSecretariat 'softhecoreorganizations directly involved
inthepreparation oftheHigh-Level Meeting.
5. Review ofFinancial Provisions fortheHigh-Level Meeting
TheMeeting willhavebefore itdocument HLM/LDC....... onthefinancial implications of
organizing theHigh-level Meeting (Participation ofLDCs representatives, general conference expenses,
consultants toassist LDCs inthepreparation oftheircountry presentations, etc.)
6. Participation intheHigh-Level Meeting
TheMeeting willneedtodecide which governments, inaddition tothe48LDCs, willbeinvited
toparticipate intheHigh-Level Meeting. Adecision isalsoneeded onthenature ofparticipation of
thebusiness community, NGOs andobservers.
7. Other Business
8. Adoption oftheReport oftheMeetingWT/COMTD/W/28
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Annex I
Draft
HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ONINTEGRATED INITIATIVES FOR
LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES 'TRADE DEVELOPMENT
(Palais desNations, 27-28 October 1997, Salle XX)
I.Provisional Agenda
1. Opening oftheMeeting
2. Election ofOfficers
3. Adoption oftheAgenda andOrganization ofWork
4. Integrated Initiatives forLeast-Developed Countries 'Trade Development
(a) Initiatives toimprove market access forleast-developed countries andtodiversify their
export production. Under thisagenda item,anopportunity would beprovided forWTO
Members, onanautonomous basis, toenhance theirmarket access forimports from
least-developed countries;
(b) Anintegrated framework fortechnical assistance including forhuman andinstitutional
capacity-building tosupport least-developed countries intheirtrade andtrade-related
activities, forconducting programmes withindividual least-developed countries within
thatframework andforthemonitoring andevaluation ofthose programmes;
(c) Other specific measures toassist andfacilitate theexpansion ofLDCs 'trade and
investment opportunities, including efforts toenhance thesupply response ofthese
countries;
(d) Theroleoftheprivate sector intrade andinvestment inleast-developed countries.
5. Other Business
6. Adoption oftheReport oftheMeetingWT/COMTD/W/28
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II.Annotations totheProvisional Agenda
Item1 Opening oftheMeeting
TheHigh-Level Meeting willbeheldon27-28 October 1997 inGeneva (Palais desNations,
Salle XX). Thefirstplenary meeting willopenat10a.m.on27October 1997.
Item2 Election ofOfficers
Itissuggested thattheMeeting electaChairman andaVice-Chairman -cum-Rapporteur.
Item3 Adoption oftheAgenda andOrganization ofWork
Theprovisional agenda asapproved bythepreparatory meeting, contained inSection 1above,
issubmitted foradoption bytheHigh-Level Meeting.
Theformat oftheHigh-Level Meeting willcomprise plenary sessions andinformal sessions.
Theinformal sessions willbedevoted toapplying acoherent andintegrated programme oftrade-related
technical cooperation toafirstsetofpilotcountries toaddress theconsolidated needs oftrade-related
technical assistance, including forhuman andinstitutional capacity-building.
Documentation
HLM/LDC/........ Provisional agenda andannotations
Item4 Integrated Initiatives forLeast Developed Countries 'Trade Development
TheWTO Singapore Ministerial Meeting agreed toorganize theHigh-level Meeting tofoster
anintegrated approach toassisting leastdeveloped countries inenhancing theirtrading opportunities.
Within thisgeneral objective, theMeeting maywishtoconsider launching anintegrated framework
fortechnical assistance including forhuman andinstitutional capacity building tosupport LDCs in
theirtrade andtrade-related activities. TheMeeting mayalsoconsider initiatives toimprove market
access forLDCs andtodiversify theirexport production. TheMeeting provides anopportunity for
LDCs 'trading partners toenhance, onanautonomous basis, market access forimports from Least
Developed Countries. TheMeeting alsoprovide anopportunity toconsider other specific measures
toassist andfacilitate theexpansion ofLDCs 'trade andinvestment opportunities andtheroleofthe
private sector intrade andinvestment inLDCs including efforts toenhance thesupply response of
these countries .WT/COMTD/W/28
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Documentation
Basic documents
HLM/LDC/....... Anintegrated framework fortechnical assistance including forhuman
andinstitutional capacity-building tosupport LDCs intradeandtrade-
related areas;
HLM/LDC/....... Review ofmarket access opportunities forLDCs intheirmainexport
markets, andofthetrade barriers theycontinue toface;
HLM/LDC/....... Review ofother multilateral initiatives currently being undertaken by
intergovernmental organizations infavour ofLDCs;
HLM/LDC/....... Review oftheinternational anddomestic economic policy context
within which LDCs areoperating;
HLM/LDC/....... Theroleoftheprivate sector intrade andinvestment inLDCs;
HLM/LDC/....... Asustainable business strategy inLDCs.
Background documents
HLM/LDC/....... Inventories oftrade-related technical cooperation activities conducted
with theleast developed countries bythesixintergovernmental
organizations involved inthepreparation oftheHigh-Level Meeting;
HLM/LDC/....... Information fromother intergovernmental organizations onthetrade-
related technical cooperation activities inLDCs;
HLM/LDC/....... Theroleofinformation technology inenhancing trade opportunities
forLDCs andways tofacilitate itsusebyLDCs.
Inadditiontotheabovedocumentation,itisexpectedthatLeastDevelopedCountrieswillsubmit
presentations.WT/COMTD/W/28
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ATTACHMENT 2
HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ONTHE INTEGRATED INITIATIVES
FOR LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES 'TRADE DEVELOPMENT
(Geneva, 27-28 October 1997)
DayI:27October (Monday)
10.00 hrs-11.00 hrs Opening Session
11.00 hrs-13.00 hrs Special Session/
Round TablesCountry-related* Thematic**
Country (a)
:
:Issue (a)
:
:
15.00 hrs-18.00 hrs (Continue) (b)
:
:(b)
:
:
(c)
:
:(c)
:
:
DayII:28October (Tuesday) (d) (d)
10.00 hrs-13.00 hrs (Continue) ..... .....
Concluding Sessions:
15.00 hrs-16.30 hrs Concluding Round Table
Outcome ofCountry Sessions
Outcome ofThematic Sessions
16.30 hrs-18.00 hrs Recommendations oftheHigh-
Level Meeting
* Selection ofcountries would beonthebasis ofobjective criteria, e.g.: quality ofcountry
presentation ofneeds assessment.
** Among thethemes tobecovered include issues, suchas,e.g.: market access andenhancing
supply capacities ofLDCs.WT/COMTD/W/28
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ATTACHMENT 3
(Director General 'sheading paper)
Dear Minister,
AttheirfirstMinisterial Conference inSingapore inDecember 1996, Ministers oftheMember
governments oftheWorld Trade Organization (WTO) agreed thattheWTO would organize ameeting
withUNCTAD andtheInternational Trade Centre, withtheparticipation ofaidagencies, multilateral
financial institutions andleast-developed countries, tofoster anintegrated approach toassisting these
countries inenhancing theirtrading opportunities.
Thedecision hasnowbeentaken toconvene aHigh-Level Meeting dedicated tothetrade of
theleast-developed countries inGeneva on27-28 October 1997. Allofthe48least-developed countries,
recognized assuchbytheUnited Nations, willbeinvited toparticipate intheHigh-Level Meeting
together withsenior trade officials from industrialized anddeveloping countries.
TheSecretariats oftheIMF, theITC,UNCTAD, UNDP, theWorld Bank andtheWTO have
begun making preparations forthisMeeting. Induecourse, youwillreceive aformal invitation to
participate intheMeeting, together withadditional details oftheissues thatwillbeaddressed and
administrative arrangements related toyourparticipation. Ihope thatitwillbepossible foryour
government toberepresented atsenior level.
Oneoftheprincipal objectives oftheMeeting willbetoputinplace anintegrated approach
among theinternational organizations mostdirectly involved forsupporting trade-related activities of
theleast-developed countries, including efforts toenhance thesupply response ofthese countries. We
believe thisapproach canproduce realbenefits bothforthecountries concerned andfortheinternational
organizations involved intheexercise.
Ourintention istolaunch attheMeeting theapplication oftheintegrated approach toafirst
group ofleast-developed countries. Thecountries included inthefirstgroup willbethose which are
inaposition bythetimeoftheHigh-Level Meeting tohavecompleted acomprehensive assessment
oftheirneeds fortrade-related technical assistance andhuman andinstitutional capacity building, and
tohavehadthose needs addressed inanintegrated manner bytheinternational organizations involved.
./.
Minister ofTradeWT/COMTD/W/28
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Thisimplies thataleast-developed country willneed tohave completed itscomprehensive needs
assessment nolaterthanmid-September 1997. Werecognize thatwecannot expect allleast-developed
countries tobeinsuchaposition. Iwould therefore liketoemphasize ourcommitment tocontinuing
theexercise aftertheHigh-Level Meeting, andtoapplying theintegrated approach toother least-
developed countries which areinterested inparticipating withusinimproving thequality ofthetrade-
related technical cooperation activities thattheinternational organizations involved areabletoprovide
youwith.
Tothisend,Iamwriting totheTrade Ministers ofeachleast-developed country toinvite them
toprepare acomprehensive assessment oftheirindividual needs fortrade-related technical assistance
andhuman andinstitutional capacity building. Attached tothisletter isaCheck-List thatwehave
drawn upinorder toassist youincarrying outsuchataskinastructured way. Please notethe
importance thatisattached toeachleast-developed country carrying outitsownneeds assessment in
order toensure thattheprocess overall isproperly demand-driven. Atthesame time, asisstated in
thecover notetotheCheck-List, facilities forassistance tocountries tocomplete theirneeds assessment
canberequested fromthesixinternational organizations mostclosely involved inorganising theHigh-
Level Meeting. Youareinvited toaddress yourrequest forassistance ofthiskindinthefirstinstance
totheWTO Secretariat.
Should yourequire anyfurther information related tothematters covered bythisletter orthe
attached checklist, please donothesitate tocontact me.
I,along withtheHeads oftheother international organizations involved intheHigh-Level
Meeting, sincerely hopethatyouwillconsider favourably ourinvitation toparticipate inthisimportant
exercise.
Iremain, dearMinister,
Yours sincerely,
Renato RuggieroWT/COMTD/W/28
Page12
7May1997
CHECK-LIST FOR CONDUCTING TRADE-RELATED
TECHNICAL COOPERATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Thischeck-list hasbeendrafted inpreparation fortheHigh-Level Meeting onLeast-Developed
Countries, called forbytheWTO Ministerial Conference inDecember 1996. TheHigh-Level Meeting
willtakeplace on27and28October 1997, inGeneva.
Itisintended toprovide governments oftheleastdeveloped countries withatooltofacilitate
thepreparation oftheirneeds assessments fortrade-related technical cooperation, aselaborated below.
Theobjective ofthecheck-list istoobtain anoverall appreciation oftheneeds fortechnical
cooperation intrade-related matters inleast-developed countries, broadly defined toinclude technical
assistance andhuman andinstitutional capacity building, bothintheimmediate andlonger run.The
results ofthisneeds assessment willserve asinputs todesign acoherent andintegrated framework
forexternal assistance tosupport trade-related activities ofleast-developed countries atalllevels,
including efforts toenhance thesupply response ofthesecountries. Theresulting framework willform
oneofthemainitems forconsideration attheHigh-Level Meeting inOctober; itisintended alsothat,
attheMeeting,theframeworkwillbeusedtoapplyacoherentandintegratedprogrammeoftrade-related
technical cooperation tomeettheneeds ofindividual least-developed countries.
While itisexpected thattheneeds assessment willbecarried outbytheleast-developed countries
themselves inorder toensure thattheprocess overall isproperly demand-driven, facilities forassistance
tothegovernments ofindividual least-developed countries incompleting theirneeds assessment can
bemade available uponrequest bythesixinternational organizations mostclosely involved inorganising
theHigh-Level Meeting (theInternational Monetary Fund, theInternational Trade Centre, UNCTAD,
UNDP, theWorld Bank andtheWTO). Requests forassistance ofthiskindshould besenttothe
Director, Development Division,WTO Secretariat, whowillforward therequests totheother five
agencies.
Thecheck-list isorganized under thefollowing headings:
A. Trade policy
B. Obstacles/impediments toLDC'sefforts toexpand trade:
(i) supply constraints:
- problemsrelatedtophysicalinfrastructuree.g.internaltransportation,shipping,
airtransport, ports, warehousing, telecommunications, etc.
- problems related toinstitutional capacity, including quality control
- inadequate investment, domestic andforeign.
(ii) trade promotion andtrade support servicesWT/COMTD/W/28
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(iii) inexternal markets
- gapintrade information;
- market access problems;
- marketing /distribution problems
- other problems inexport markets.
C. Technical assistance
(i) Need fortechnical assistance
(ii) Newinformation/communication technologiesWT/COMTD/W/28
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CHECK-LIST
A. Trade Policy
(a) What arethesectors thatyoubelieve have unexploited orunderexploited export
potential?
(b) Could youplease define yourcountry 'sperspective ofthereasons foranychanges
inthestructure anddirection ofexports andimports?
(c) What havebeentheobjectives oftrade policy inthemost recent period, compared
to,say,twodecades ago?
(d) What aretheMinistries incharge oftrade policy matters, including formulation,
implementation, enforcement andmonitoring? How iscoordination made? What
aretherespective roles oftherelevant Ministries (give particular attention totariff
policies andotherpolicies directly affecting exports andimports ofgoods andservices)?
(e) Howaretheprivate sector andacademic institutions associated withtheformulation
andconduct oftrade policy?
(f) What aretheinstitutions inyourcountry thatcanplayaroleinimplementation ofa
trade-related project atthelocallevel? State theirrespective roles.
(g) What arethemain lawsandregulations dealing withtrade policy -onexports and
imports? Please provide ashort description ofeach.
(h) What arethemain instruments oftrade policy -onexports andimports? Please
elaborate (e.g.onimport restrictions, thequestions might be:onwhatproducts are
there anyimport bans; onwhat products arethere quantitative import restrictions;
licensing requirements, etc.;whatisthehighest tariff ratecurrently inuse;arethere
anyexcisetaxes,other"domestic"taxesthatareapplieddifferentiallytoimportedgoods,
ortogoods ofatypethatareprincipally imported?).
(i) IncaseyouareaWTO Member orareintheprocess ofacceding, howisyourcountry
preparing itself tocomply withtheWTO Agreements?
(j) What isthestateoffamiliarity withtheWTO framework:
- among government andgovernment-related agencies?
- intheprivate sector?
(k) What areyourtechnical assistance requirements withregard toyourcompliance with
theWTO Agreements?
(l) Inwhich specific areasoftheWTO Agreements doyouhavetechnical assistance needs
(e.g.market access, agriculture, rules(anti-dumping, subsidies, import licensing, rules
oforigin, safeguards etc.), TBTandSPS, Services, TRIPs)?WT/COMTD/W/28
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(m) What isyourassessment ofyourexisting tradeanalysis andnegotiating capacities, both
multilateral andbilateral, inareas already covered bytheWTO Agreements andother
trade-related areas, e.g.competition policy andtrade andenvironment?
B. Obstacles totrade expansion
Obstacles totrade encompassing problems inexport markets, infrastructure, human capacities,
institutional bottlenecks, trade financing problems andgapsintrade information caninhibit
aleast-developed country fromtaking fulladvantage oftrading opportunities.
Supply constraints, including institutional bottlenecks
(a) What arethemainbottlenecks inhibiting thedevelopment ofsustained export capacity
ofgoods andservices (e.g.customs facilitation, freight charges, quality management,
eliminationofcumbersomelegalandadministrativeprocedures,paucityofhumanskills,
access atinternational prices toimported inputs, orinadequate telecommunication,
portandtransport facilities etc.)?
- Land-locked countries mayfaceadditional problems, suchashaving toship
using costly orunreliable transport andports systems. Incasethisapplies
toyour country, please indicate such problems. What kindoftechnical
assistance would helpyouwork outthese problems?
(b) Arethereanyinstitutional bottlenecks, which mayimpede theefficient conduct ofyour
country 'stradepolicies? Provide details. Forexample, whataretheproblems perceived
bythedifferent actors, e.g.exporters, producers, service providers (banks, insurance
companies, quality control, transporters etc),professional associations andMinistries?
Areproblems mainly perceived intheareaof:
(i) human resources
(ii) management oftheinstitution
(iii) financial andmaterial resources
(iv) communication
(c) What arethemain bottlenecks toexport diversification?
(d) Ifinvestment intheproduction ofgoods andservices isinadequate, whatarethemain
reasons ?Please elaborate them (e.g.structural constraints, difficulties inattracting
foreign investment, limited enterprise development, financing, lackofappropriate
technology, etc)
(e) Isthereanational policy toencourage export-related investment opportunities? Please
elaborate. What arrangements areinplace forreviewing, drafting andnegotiating
contractual arrangements withforeign investors?
(f) What arethemainobstacles tothetransfer, development andacquisition oftechnology?
Isthere anynational policy/strategy inthisarea? Please elaborate.WT/COMTD/W/28
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(g) What areyourtechnical assistance orother assistance needs withrespect tosupply
constraints.
Trade Promotion andTrade Support Services
Trade promotion comprises anintegrated setoftechnical andfinancial services toenhance
theglobal competitiveness ofenterprises andthusfacilitate theirentry andincreasing participation in
international trade.
(h) Doyourenterprises, especially small andmedium enterprises, experience difficulties
inexpanding theirexports? What arethese problems inthemajor export sectors?
(i) What aretheproblems foryour enterprises inobtaining reliable andup-to-date
information onexport/import business opportunities?
(j) Canyourenterprises offerproducts ofinternationally acceptable design, quality and
packaging toforeign buyers? Ifnot,whataretheproblems?
(k) What problems, other thaninterms oftrade policy, doyouanticipate indeveloping
theexport ofservices (e.g.computer software, tourism)?
(l) What arethetechnical/professional problems encountered bytradesupport institutions
(e.g.trade promotion council, chamber ofcommerce, exporters association, etc)in
yourcountry inproviding theirservices toexport/import enterprises?
(m) What problems anddeficiencies areexperienced byenterprises intheirinternational
purchasing andinventory management?
(n) What arethepresent availability andarrangements fortrade finance facilities (e.g.
export credit guarantees, etc)? Arethere anyperceived deficiencies inthisarea?
(o) What arethemainproblems inthewayofimproving export/import management skills
ofyourbusiness enterprises? Doyouhavetraining programmes inthecountry? What
arethedeficiencies?
(p) Does yourtrade representation service actively promote yourtrade? What arethe
weaknesses?
(q) Briefly describe yourtechnical assistance needs intheareaoftrade promotion and
support services.
Market access
(r) What areyourmain market access problems?
(s) What specific problems orbarriers, andinwhich countries, aremosttroublesome for
yourexporters?
(t) Regional andsub-regional trading arrangements (RTAs): please listRTAs towhich
yourcountry belongs. Areyousatisfied withtheperformance withtheseRTAs? Please
statetheproblems ofeach. Doyouhavesuggestions onhowtosolve these?WT/COMTD/W/28
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(u) Arethere anyproblems inutilizing theexisting market access preferences, suchas
GSP, GSTP? Please statethenature ofproblems relating toeachofthese.
(v) What areyourtechnical assistance needs withrespect tomarket access?
C. Technical Assistance
Technical assistance isnormally provided todeveloping andleast-developed countries tobuild
orenhance theirhuman resources andinstitutional capacities, provide trade information and
trade-related legalsupport, aswellasimprove theirsupply capabilities inorder tomake them
more active players inthefieldofmultilateral trade.
(a) Totheextent thiskindofinformation iseasily available, could youplease briefly
describe whattrade-related assistance youhavereceived overthepastfiveyears from
bilateral andmultilateral sources andwhatprojects/programmes arepresently under
consideration inthisarea?
(b) Please summarize yourtechnical assistance needs aswellasother needs asreflected
inthischeck-list. Please rankthem interms ofpriority.
(c) Inthelightoftheinformation youhavebeenabletoprovide sofarinresponse tothe
questions inthischeck-list, whattypes ofinformation are,inyourview, stillmissing
orcould beimproved upon? Inorder toassist youinproviding thismissing
information, would youneedtechnical assistance?
(d) Does yourcountry havethetechnological capacity andhuman resources tomake use
ofthenewinformation/ communication technology toolssuchasCD-Rom, theInternet
etc.? What assistance would youneedtoenable yourcountry tousethese tools in
thecontext oftraining and,more generally, inthecontext oftrade development?