RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/COMTD/M/8
4September 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-3454)
Committee onTrade andDevelopment
Eighth Session
NOTE ONTHE MEETING OF12JULY 1996
Chairman: Mr.Nacer Benjelloun-Touimi (Morocco)
A. Adoption oftheAgenda
1. TheCommittee adopted theagenda ascontained inWTO/AIR/370. TheChairman saidthat
hewould present aprogress report onthestudy requested from theSecretariat ontheparticipation
ofdeveloping countries inworld trade. Healsoinvited theCommittee toidentify issues forreview
atitsSeptember andOctober meetings. Inaddition, hewould present aproposal onanincreased
participation ofleast-developed countries inthisCommittee andintheSub-Committee onLeast-
Developed Countries. TheCommittee agreed thatthesame international organizations which were
invited tothismeeting intheircapacity asobservers would beinvited toitsnextmeeting.
B. TheImplementation ofUruguay Round Provisions inFavour ofDeveloping Countries
2. TheChairman recalled thatafterinformal consultations, theCommittee haddecided thatthe
review oftheimplementation ofUruguay Round provisions infavour ofdeveloping country Members
should beoneofthepriorities ofitswork programme forthisyear, withaviewtomaking aninput
totheSingapore Ministerial Conference. Itwashisintention todiscuss thisissueatthenextmeeting
oftheCommittee; itshould thenhavebefore itthefollowing background material. First, thereplies
receivedfromtheChairpersonsofthesubsidiarybodiesoftheGeneralCouncilresponsibleformonitoring
theimplementationofprovisionsinfavourofdevelopingcountries.HeintendedtorequesttheSecretariat
toprepare anoteorganizing thismaterial inauser-friendly manner, tobedistributed induecourse.
Second,SecretariatdocumentWT/COMTD/W/10,whichlistedalltheprovisionsinfavourofdeveloping
countries intheWTO Agreement. Andthird, anycontribution which delegations wished tomake on
theirexperience withtheimplementation ofprovisions, since some oftheprovisions infavour of
developing countries were triggered onlyifspecific requests were made. Awellstructured debate
should enable theCommittee toevaluate theextent towhich, andhow, thedifferent provisions were
applied infavour of,orwere invoked by,developing countries since theWTO 'sentry intoforce.
Thiswould assist itindrawing upappropriate recommendations toMinisters onthismatter.
3. Therepresentative ofTanzania saidthattheCommittee wasnowatthecutting edgeofmatters
related totrade anddevelopment. Itwasappropriate atthisstage toconduct athorough review of
theprovisions established infavour ofdeveloping countries. Referring toprovisions allowing for
preferential time-frames forcompliance, hesaidthatgood-will fromtheinternational community was
needed: technical assistance andtherecognition thatcertain countries would notbeabletodischarge
their obligations within theprovided time frames were important elements. Furthermore, aWT/COMTD/M/8
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comprehensive review oftechnical assistance measures andother support measures asdocumented
inWT/COMTD/W/10, andintheannexes totheQuestionnaire senttoMembers inMayofthisyear,
wasessential. Hewelcomed theChairman 'sintention toinvite Member countries toshare their
experiences andtorequest theSecretariat tocompile other available information. Thiswould show
towhatextent domestic, multilateral andothersupport measures aimed atenhancing tradeopportunities
andsafeguarding theinterests ofdeveloping countries hadresulted inatangible effect. Theintegration
ofdeveloping countries intothemultilateral trading system would beenhanced bytheadoption by
developed countries ofappropriate domestic andinternational support measures. Hedeplored any
narrow interpretation oftheremit oftheWTO. Anunequivocal commitment toassist developing
countries intheirefforts toachieve economic growth anddevelopment would bedesirable. Unless
developedcountriesassisteddevelopingcountriesinovercomingtheirsupply-sideconstraints,forexample
through thediversification andstrengthening oftheirexport structures andmarkets, itwould bedifficult
forthem totakeadvantage oftheopportunities presented bytheUruguay Round. Thedevelopment
oftheirservicesindustryaswellastradepromotionshouldalsobegivenpriority.Food-aidandtechnical
andfinancial assistance toimprove agricultural productivity andinfra-structure, hadbeenlessthan
adequate andhaddonelittletocushion thepossible negative effects oftheagricultural reform programme
onnet-food importing developing countries. TheUruguay Round decisions recognised interlinkages
andtheneedforcoherence inglobal economic policy-making. Consequently theWTO could notbe
absolved fromfront-line responsibility. Ensuring economic growth andeconomic development required
adequate andtimely flows ofconcessional andnon-concessional financial andrealinvestment resources.
Further efforts were needed toaddress debtproblems, particularly oftheleast-developed countries.
There waslittletimetoloseifthere wastobeasolidandforceful input intotheSingapore Ministerial
meeting, which hadtoprovide thepolitical impetus tohonour commitments withaviewtoenabling
developing andleast-developed countries toseize available trading opportunities.
4. TheCommittee tooknoteofthestatements made.
C. Provisions ofGuidelines forWTO Technical Cooperation
5. TheChairman recalled thediscussion which theCommittee hadhadatitsprevious meeting
onthissubject, inparticular thestatements made bytheHeads ofUNCTAD andtheITC, bythe
Chairman oftheGeneral Council andbytheDirector-General oftheWTO. Delegations 'sviews had
ranged from general proposals onthemain direction tobefollowed inWTO technical cooperation
activities,tospecificproposalsinrelationtothemodalitiesofitsexecution,itsfinancinganditspriorities.
Atthatmeeting, theCommittee hadagreed thathecome forward withacheck-list oftheideasexpressed,
withaviewtostructuring itsfuture discussions. Thishadsubsequently beencirculated asanInformal
Note bytheChairman andcontained acheck-list ofpoints related toguidelines forWTO technical
cooperation. Itincluded aframework forconsideration ofaction tobetaken aswellascertain specific
matters tobeaddressed. Ithadbecome clear from theCommittee 'sprevious meetings thatleast-
developed countries were singled outbymany delegations asrequiring particular attention. Atthe
moreoperational level, theCommittee stillneeded todetermine thepriority tobeallocated tothevarious
modes ofdelivery oftechnical cooperation. TheCommittee alsohadbefore itanon-paper from the
delegation ofSwitzerland, elaborating itsintervention made attheCommittee 'sprevious meeting, as
well asastatus report ontechnical cooperation activities contained indocument
WT/COMTD/W/14/Add.1. Thisreport elaborated onanearlier version. Henoted thatanumber
ofreplies hadbeenreceived from Members totheQuestionnaire which hehadsentinMayofthis
yeartoascertain theoverall needs forassistance intrade-related matters andheencouraged other
Members toprovide theircomments before thesummer break, since acritical mass ofreplies was
needed before anauthoritative picture could bedrawn.WT/COMTD/M/8
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6. Therepresentative ofSwitzerland introduced hisdelegation 'snon-paper which outlined itsviews
ontheguidelines fortechnical cooperation. Hisdelegation wasoftheviewthattheWTO regular budget
should finance priority technical cooperation activities. Infuture, theshare oftheregular budget
allocated tofinance these activities should beatleastthesame aspresent. However, consideration
should begiven tothecontribution ofadditional resources which could come frominternational financial
institutions orother donors andcould bechannelled intoaglobal trustfund. Itwould benecessary
todefine therules fortheallocation ofthefunds available andsetupamachinery forcontrol by
Members, tobedeveloped incooperation between theCommittee onTrade andDevelopment andthe
Budget Committee andadopted bytheGeneral Council. Suchatrustfundwould bemanaged bythe
WTO Secretariat inaccordance withtechnical guidelines elaborated bytheCommittee onTrade and
Development andtheadministrative modalities defined bytheBudget Committee. Theevaluation of
technical cooperation onthebasis ofappropriate criteria coincided withwhathadbeendesignated as
"modes ofdelivery" intheChairman 'scheck-list onguidelines fortechnical cooperation. Theguidelines
forWTO technical cooperation activities ascontained intheGeneral Council 'sDecision of31January
1995 should alsoapply totechnical assistance infavour ofcountries intransition atalowlevel of
development, aswellastotechnical assistance foraccession negotiations. Itwould therefore bedesirable
forhisCommittee tosubmit itsguidelines ontechnical cooperation totheGeneral Council withthe
recommendation thattheirscope bebroadened toinclude thesetwoareas. Itwasappropriate andtimely
fortheCommittee tosetclearpriorities forprinciples, objectives andoperational directions fortechnical
cooperation. Hisdelegation 'snon-paper hadidentified some priorities, andinthatcontext, hesought
clarification onsome ofthepoints intheChairman 'scheck-list related toguidelines forWTO technical
cooperation; inparticular ontheobjective ofreinforcing institutional andhuman capacities within
government andtheprivate sector. Howdiditrelate togovernment/private sector relations andhow
would ittakeintoaccount activities bytheITC? What wasmeant bytheprovision oftrade policy
courses atthenational level? Experience hadshown thatthere wasmerit inorganizing these courses
attheregional level. Thedevelopment oftraining capabilities atthenational andregional levels for
purposes oftraining localofficials, theengagement oflocal/regional experts, andlinkswithnational
andinternational academic andresearch institutions deserved special consideration byMembers. The
Swiss delegation wasoftheviewthat,aswasalready doneinsome other international organizations,
programming should bedoneoverathree-year period instead ofatwo-year period. Theproposed
annual report would keep Members abreast ofdevelopments asregards theimplementation of
programmes. Hisdelegation stood ready towork within theCommittee todetermine priorities and
guidelines.
7. Therepresentative ofPakistan welcomed theSwiss proposal. Heregretted theexclusion of
certain developing countries fromthepriorities established intheChairman 'sproposed check-list of
points related toguidelines forWTO technical cooperation. Heproposed that,inaddition tothepriority
countries defined inthecheck-list, second priority begiven low-income developing countries, whose
economies were separated byaverytenuous linefrom those oftheleast-developed.
8. Therepresentative ofKorea saidthattheChairman 'scheck-list could provide abasis for
identifying priorities. Heproposed thattheterm"Global Fund", asusedinthesection onFunding
bereplaced byanother termsoastoavoid anyconfusion withasimilarly designated fundintheITC.
Hesuggested thatanewtechnical assistance programme jointly operated byWTO, UNCTAD and
ITCbeconsidered asitwould helptosecure thebestuseofresources. Hesupported theSwiss proposal
toextend technical assistance todeveloping countries involved inaccession negotiations.WT/COMTD/M/8
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9. Therepresentative ofNewZealand supported theideathattrade policy courses beconducted
intargeted countries. Ensuring follow-up onindividual programmes andanassessment oftheir
effectiveness wasanimportant element forhergovernment, andshewould welcome additional
information onthisitemofthecheck-list. Shealsosupported theideaofinternational coordination,
inparticular thedissemination ofdetailed information onprogrammes ofdifferent agencies. She
suggested thattheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment notonlyestablish priorities forthetechnical
cooperation activities oftheWTO butalsotheirobjectives. Shesupported thestructure ofthecheck-list.
10. Therepresentative ofSriLanka wasconcerned thatestablishing priorities onthebasisofgeneral
ratherthanindividualeconomiccriteria,ashadbeendoneinSectionIIIofthecheck-list,ignoredrealities
anddidnottakeintoaccounttheurgentneedfortechnicalassistancebylow-incomedevelopingcountries,
suchashis.Further reflection onthisissue wasnecessary.
11. TherepresentativeofIndiasuggestedthatcapacitybuilding,accesstoinformation,responsiveness
tospecific demands ofMembers, focus onthedevelopment dimension oftrade, andavoidance of
duplication beadded tothecheck-list asadditional principles andobjectives. Itsoperational directions
should include theimprovement ofresearch capabilities tomeetchallenges deriving fromanincreasingly
openeconomy, improvement ofaccess toinformation ontraderelated technical cooperation capacities
andprogrammes ofbilateral andmultilateral agencies thatprovide suchassistance, andtheprovision
ofinformation totheprivate sector (possibly incooperation withITC). Hisdelegation wasmost
interested intheprovision ofanon-line databank. Hesupported NewZealand 'ssuggestion thattrade
policy courses should begiven preferably onaregional basisandsuggested thatlocalorregional experts
beinvolved insuchcourses andother technical assistance activities oftheWTO. Theneedtoavoid
duplication should bespecified inthecheck-list initssection oninternational coordination. His
authorities were stillreflecting ontheimplications oftheproposals made under thesection headed
Management (II.5). Ashorter format ofthecheck-list wasperhaps more appropriate andeffective
fortransmission toMinisters. Hewasalsooftheviewthatthecriteria forgranting technical assistance
todeveloping countries stillmerited more reflection andthatlowincome countries suchashisshould
benefit from thetechnical assistance programmes oftheWTO.
12. Therepresentative ofNorway saidthatthepresent practice ofdirecting technical assistance
tocoreissues andtothemostneedy countries should bemaintained andevenextended. Hisauthorities
supported theChairman 'scheck-list inprinciple andtherewasnoneedtomake itmore comprehensive.
Anychanges should onlybemade onthebasis oftheinformal proposal made bythedelegation of
Switzerland, which hesupported toalarge extent, inparticular withrespect totheestablishment of
afund. Such afund, evenifitwasnotofaglobal nature, would besufficient. Hisdelegation also
supported thepriorities identified intheChairman 'scheck-list, buthewondered howtheyrelated to
theprinciple ofkeeping ageographical balance.
13. Therepresentative ofJapan saidthattechnical cooperation should bebased onself-help, and
thatthisshould bemade clear intheprinciples andobjectives oftheChairman 'scheck-list. Itwas
notclear howtechnical cooperation provided byarules-based organization suchastheWTO could
contribute toabalanced relationship between tradeanddevelopment. Technical cooperation activities
shouldaimatreinforcingtheinstitutionalandhumancapacitiesoftherecipientcountryatthegovernment
level andhesuggested thatthereference toprivate sector inthatcontext bedeleted. Hesought
clarification ofways inwhich fulluseofWTO provisions, particularly asregards theprovision of
market access information, could beensured through WTO technical cooperation. Hewasoftheview
thatthemodes ofdelivery werenecessarily linked tothedesired objectives andsuggested thatrecipient
countries beallowed todetermine theappropriate linkage between mode ofdelivery andobjective.
Hesuggested thaton-line databanks ondomestic rulesinmember countries belinked withUNCTAD
Trade Points. Anannual programme andannual reporting obligations would enhance transparency.WT/COMTD/M/8
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Funds allocated under theregular WTO budget should ingeneral cover essential trade-related technical
cooperation activities. Extra-budgetary resources, provided byindividual Members andinstitutions,
should beusedtofinance projects andactivities falling within thecompetence oftheWTO. Healso
sought clarification onthelegal implications ofaglobal fund. While hisdelegation supported the
suggestion inthecheck-list thatpriority begiven toleast-developed countries, additional priority areas
should alsobeidentified. Compliance withnotification obligations wasgenerally perceived asapriority
areafortechnical assistance todeveloping countries. Hewelcomed theSwiss non-paper asauseful
contribution. However, hestressed theneedtoavoid duplication withwork done byUNCTAD as
regards technical cooperation tocountries acceding toWTO.
14. Therepresentative ofElSalvador saidthatavoiding duplication ofwork undertaken byother
organizations should beincluded asoneoftheprinciples andobjectives intheChairman 'scheck-list.
Shewelcomed theSwiss suggestion toenhance training capacities atthenational andregional level,
necessary toreinforce national efforts andsherecognized theneed foracloser coordination with
organizations suchasUNCTAD, WIPO andITC. Ifcomprehensive tradepolicy courses weretoremain
effective, suchcourses should beheldannually inallthree working languages. Annual programmes
and-reports would bemore effective andenhance transparency. While sheagreed thatpriority be
given toleast-developed countries, low-income developing countries should nevertheless beranked
rightbehind asbeneficiaries oftechnical cooperation. Commenting ontheSwiss suggestion toextend
technical assistance toacceding governments, sherecalled thattheJanuary 1995decision oftheGeneral
Council clearly limited activities financed from theregular budget toWTO Members andsaidthat
herdelegation could notagree tousing funds from theregular budget forsuchassistance.
15. Therepresentative ofTrinidad andTobago wasnotsurethatcomprehensive tradepolicy courses
inGeneva werecost-effective. Henoted thatthecheck-list referred toon-line databanks andtraining
materials based oninformation technology, aswellaspractical training programmes. Given theaccess
toinformation technology, directors andtrainers could operate regionally delivering packages devised
incooperation withUNCTAD andtheITCwithaviewtoincreasing theparticipation ofdeveloping
countries intheWTO framework. Such packages could alsobeusedinother regions avoiding
duplication andenhancing cost-effectiveness. Heagreed thatleast-developed countries begiven priority;
low-income countries should, however, notbeignored. Herequested thatthestatement made bythe
representative ofTanzania bemade available toMembers.
16. Therepresentative ofCanada haddoubts whether WTO technical assistance could beextended
toreinforce capacities intheprivate sector. Financing ofon-line databanks should notbethe
responsibility oftheWTO exclusively, given thepossibilities resulting fromaclose cooperation with
other international organizations. Hewondered iftheitemheaded "participation inWTO deliberations
andnegotiations" intheChairman 'scheck-list wasmeant tocover thecostofdelegates 'travel orrather
up-stream assistance toenhance thecomprehension ofissues under negotiation; hecould onlyagree
tothelatter. Heagreed thatpriority beaccorded toleast-developed countries, particularly those in
Africa. While hewelcomed theSwiss efforts toadvance discussions onthesubject, hewascautious
nottomake unequivocal commitments onfinancing. Even though hisgovernment hadnointention
ofreducing itscontribution, there weremany considerations totakeintoaccount, including those of
overhead costsinvolved intheuseoftrustfunds, asreferred toinanoteissued bytheGeneral Council
indocument WT/BFA/W/3.WT/COMTD/M/8
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17. TherepresentativeofEgyptsaidthattherewasmeritincloselylinkingtheguidelinesontechnical
cooperation toprovisions fortechnical assistance inthevarious Uruguay Round agreements. The
guidelines should bemore detailed inthisrespect. Anannual programme andanannual assessment
would facilitate adaptation oftechnical cooperation activities totheneeds ofcountries aswellas
discussions withtheBudget Committee. TheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment should havea
stronger roleinmonitoring theguidelines andinensuring follow-up ofprogrammes. Since theprivate
sector wasoneofthemain users andbeneficiaries oftechnical assistance inlearning about theWTO
agreements itwasimportant toreinforce thesector 'sinstitutional andhuman capacities. Sheasked
aclarification onways toincrease theparticipation ofrecipient countries inWTO negotiations and
deliberations. Activities financed from theregular WTO budget should notbebased onahierarchy
ofneeds. Anyprogramme based onsuchaselective approach should befinanced fromextrabudgetary
sources.
18. TherepresentativeofThailand,speakingonbehalfofASEANcountries,saidthattheysupported
theinitiative ofhaving regional trade policy courses andwould welcome more information onit.He
inquiredhowthepracticaltrainingprogrammes,includinginternshipsintheWTOSecretariatandGeneva
based Missions would becarried out.Heagreed withthetime-framework forreviews. ASEAN would
likemore information ontheGlobal Fund andwould explore theideaofcost-sharing withWTO.
Heaccepted thatpriority begiven toleast-developed countries, although thisshould notpreclude
priorities inspecific areasofparticular interest todeveloping countries. Commenting onthecheck-list,
hesuggested thatashorter paper would more readily catch theattention ofMinisters.
19. Therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities saidthattheguidelines should bebased on
basicprinciples andnotgobeyond matters falling within thecompetence oftheWTO. WTO assistance
should notonlyrelate totheimplementation ofUruguay Round obligations, butshould alsoassist
developing countries inmaking better useoftheprovisions inthevarious agreements withaviewto
increasing theirparticipation inthemultilateral trading system. Coordination withother institutions
providing technical assistance wasnecessary, asitcould prevent duplication offunctions andimprove
efficiency. Hisdelegation would reflect further ontheSwiss proposal foraglobal fund. Inthatcontext
herecalled thattheEuropean Communities hadmade aextra-budgetary contribution. Determining
theneedsforassistancewasanimmediatepriority.Hisdelegationwasoftheviewthatessentialactivities
should befinanced from theregular budget oftheWTO. Technical assistance should belimited to
thegovernmentsectorinareassuchasdraftingoflegislationandcompliancewithnotificationobligations.
Theinvolvement ofprivate sector professional organisations would, forinstance, beuseful when
explaining theresults oftheUruguay Round. Hehaddoubts about arolefortheWTO insetting up
acentralinventoryofprogrammes,sincecoordinationeffectivelyresultedfromcontactsbetweendifferent
agencies. There wasmerit inexploring possibilities ofextending theWTO technical assistance activities
toacceding governments.
20. Therepresentative ofMadagascar saidthat,while theextensive useofinformation technology
wasanticipated inthecheck-list, itshould beborne inmind thatmany developing countries, especially
those inAfrica, hadverylittleknowledge ofinformation technology andtheuseofsophisticated
equipment.Unlessthisissuewasaddressed,theguidelinesriskedbeingoflimitedrelevancetoamajority
ofdeveloping countries. Hehadtaken noteofthedocument issued bytheITConitsroleinthearea
oftechnical assistance inparticular withrespect totheprivate sector. TheWTO hadamore appropriate
roletoplayinreinforcing skills andcapacities inthepublic sector. Technical assistance programmes
should betailor-made tomeet therequirements identified byeachcountry. Active involvement of
beneficiaries inidentifying needs should notonlyassist donors inidentifying themostappropriate use
offunds, butshould alsofacilitate theraising ofextra-budgetary contributions. Funding fromregular
budget sources should beallocated topriority areas identified inthecheck-list.WT/COMTD/M/8
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21. Therepresentative ofTanzania noted thattheneeds ofleast-developed countries were such
thattheywerereceiving assistance notonlyfromdeveloped butalsofromother developing countries.
While herecognized theinterests ofother developing countries, realities hadtoberecognised in
determining priorities fortechnical cooperation activities. Heaccepted theoverall structure ofthe
check-list, although hewould regret anyinterpretation which would exclude theWTO fromproviding
technical assistance toleast-developed countries todevelop, strengthen anddiversify theirproduction
andexport bases, aslaiddown intheMinisterial Decision onLeast-Developed Countries, since a
restrictive interpretation ofthemandate oftheWTO would notadequately address theneedforcapacity
building. Hesuggested thatincertain cases theWTO needed toplayaproactive role. Seminars and
training relating tocompliance alone didnotrelate tofundamental development problems. Even if
capacity building would beperceived asexceeding theWTO mandate anditscompetence, littleresult
would beattained without it.
22. Therepresentative ofVenezuela requested clarification onwhether theinformation technology
envisaged inthecheck-list wasdestined fordeveloping countries. Itshould beborne inmind thata
majorityofthesecountrieslackedtherequisiteknow-howtosetupadvancedsystemssuchastheInternet.
Shewelcomed aclose coordination ofactivities withUNCTAD, ITCandWIPO. There wasarole
fortheITCinproviding technical cooperation totheprivate-sector inadministering WTO agreements.
Referring tothecomment made bytherepresentative ofTanzania onthemerits ofassistance provided
byother developing countries, shesaidthatsuchassistance would permit thebestuseofthelimited
resources. Sherecognized themerits of,andwould welcome additional information on,aGlobal Fund
assuggested bythedelegation ofSwitzerland; suchinitiatives enabled anexchange ofviews anda
sharing ofknowledge, andconsequently paved thewayforanexpansion ofthescope ofcooperation
programmes. Shealsowondered howfunding could besecured fortheprovision oftechnical assistance
tocountries involved inaccession negotiations.
23. Therepresentative ofPerusaidthatthecheck-list onguidelines forWTO technical cooperation
should reflect acertain flexibility aswellastheneedfordemand-driven technical cooperation. Links
withtheprivate sector already existed intheframework oftechnical assistance programmes, andthis
should berecorded inthecheck-list. Heagreed withtherepresentative ofIndiathattechnical assistance
should beprovided toenhance acountries 'research capabilities. Aspecific reference should beincluded
totheroleoftheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment inmonitoring theexecution ofprogrammes
onabiennial basis. Heregretted thatthedocument didnotspecify thatalldeveloping countries would
berecipients oftechnical assistance. Hedidnotagree withtherepresentative ofVenezuela thatthe
check-list should make reference toSouth/South cooperation. Hesaidthatevenprogrammes financed
from extra-budgetary sources should conform totheguidelines contained inthecheck-list andbe
consistent withtheoverall programme. Hesupported thestructure ofthecheck-list.
24. Therepresentative ofSenegal welcomed theemphasis putonreinforcing human andinstitutional
capacities inboththepublic andprivate sector aslisted asoneoftheprinciples andobjectives inthe
check-list. Shewaspleased thatpriorities would beidentified, andprogrammes putintooperation
withtheclosecooperation ofbeneficiaries. Shesuggested toinclude thepreparation ofmodel legislation
intheoperational directives. While specific mention ofreinforcing export capacities tosupport national
development strategies might seemredundant, itwasahighly visible objective which hadanoverriding
importance. Emphasis should beputontheuseoflocalexpertise andshesuggested thatlocalexperts
beputonrosters andreceive relevant WTO documentation. Maintaining linesofcommunication with
beneficiaries wasvitalfortheevaluation oftheeffectiveness ofprogrammes andthenecessary follow-up.
Sheagreed withtheSwiss suggestion thattheshare ofthebudget allocated fortechnical assistance
should beatleastthesame asthepresent level. Shequestioned statements which raised expectations
beyond therange ofavailable resources. Even iftherewerecertain elements which would betargeted
togroups ofcountries, national country programmes remained imperative.WT/COMTD/M/8
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25. TherepresentativeofAustraliasaidthattheCommitteeshouldidentifymeasurabletargetsagainst
which itcould monitor andevaluate WTO technical cooperation activities. Herdelegation wasofthe
view thatthiscould bedone onthebasis ofreplies bybeneficiaries totheQuestionnaire soliciting
Member 'sassessment oftheirneeds fortechnical assistance. Itwasprepared toaccept biennial planning
andreviews asitsawmerit inalonger-term focus. Aconcise check-list could serve notonlyasa
basis forfurther consideration andelaboration intheCommittee, butalsoasabasis forastrong and
clear statement onWTO technical assistance totheSingapore Ministerial Meeting.
26. Therepresentative ofUganda saidthatwithout practical measures fortechnical assistance, the
marginalisation oftheleast-developed countries would persist. Assistance bytheWTO should make
ademonstrable contribution toexport diversification, andfurther theintegration ofleast-developed
countries intothemultilateral trading system. Hestressed theimportance oftheprivate sector in
developing countries, andwelcomed efforts toextend WTO technical cooperation activities toit.Core
technical assistance activities should befunded bytheregular budget which should keeppacewith
anyexpansion ofsuchactivities. Evaluation enabled theinsertion ofnecessary improvements infuture
programmes.HehopedthattheWTOwouldcontinuetogiveprioritytoAfricancountriesinitstechnical
assistance programme.
27. Therepresentative ofCoted'Ivoire saidthatseminars conducted inthebeneficiary country
enabled participation ofrepresentatives from allareas oftheadministration concerned withdifferent
WTOagreements.Shewelcomedadditionalinformationonthepurposeofspecializedadvisoryservices.
Anational report fromthebodyresponsible formonitoring technical assistance could takestock, make
suggestions andrecommendations sothattheprogramme could beredesigned totakeaccount ofpeculiar
circumstances. Bygiving priority toAfrica, theWTO wasinlinewiththeinternational community:
improved performance byAfrica would yield adividend totheinternational community.
28. Therepresentative ofPakistan saidthatwhile hedidnotdispute thefactthatleast-developed
countries hadbeenmarginalized, andthattheyshould begiven priority inanytechnical cooperation
programme, itshould alsoberecognized thatthedemands arising from WTO agreements had
marginalized low-income developing countries aswell.
29. Therepresentative ofEgypt agreed withthemainthrust oftheSwiss paper andsaidthatlegal
assistance intheimplementation oftheUruguay Round commitments wasapriority aswasan
intensification oftheefforts toenhance thelegalexpertise necessary fortheWTO dispute settlement
process. Shecould notagree tothesuggestion intheSwiss non-paper thattechnical assistance be
extended tocountries other thandeveloping countries. TheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment
hadaresponsibility tomonitor provisions relating totechnical assistance inthevarious Uruguay Round
agreements andtoassess thedegree oftheirimplementation. Provisions relating totechnical assistance
intheseagreements hadbeennegotiated bythedeveloping countries withaviewtoachieving abalance
ofrights andobligations intheWTO. Shesuggested thatguidelines totheMinisters bepresented in
theformofanexecutive summary. TheCommittee could address thematsubsequent meetings. The
Chairman saidthatheintended toholdfurther discussions onmodalities tomonitor provisions relating
totechnical assistance aftertheSingapore Ministerial.WT/COMTD/M/8
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30. Therepresentative ofSwitzerland welcomed thecomments onhisdelegation 'snon-paper. He
emphasised theneedforprecision intheguidelines inanticipation oftheimplementation phase ahead.
Hisgovernment wasoftheview thatpriority begiven totraining efforts, enhancing local training
capacities, reinforcing human andinstitutional capacities, andtotheprovision anduseofon-line
information technology. Experience hadshown thatcost-sharing increased thecost-benefit ratioof
technical assistance, since italigned theassistance given closer totheneeds ofrecipients. While the
guidelines ontechnical assistance could beextended toassistance given tocountries-in-transition, this
didnotprejudge funding. Incaseatrustfundwassetup,itcould alsobeusedtofundassistance
toacceding governments. Hedrew attention tothepriority given intheSwiss non-paper tolegal
assistance toimplement theUruguay Round agreements andtothetraining ofofficials inWTO matters,
andsawnoreason whysuchassistance could notbeextended tonon-members.
31. Asrequested bytherepresentative ofNorway, arepresentative oftheSecretariat saidthatan
amount intherange ofCHF 950,000 hadbeenallocated intherecent pastforthetraining activities
oftheWTO. Thefigure sometimes wentbeyond CHF 1,000,000 depending onwhether trade policy
courses were provided intheSpanish language, where theadditional costs reflected interpretation
services. Around CHF 700,000 wasalsoearmarked eachyearforseminars andtechnical assistance
missions. Hefurther recalled thattwoextra-budgetary contributions weremade thisyearbyNorway
andbytheEuropean Communities.
32. TheChairmanclarifiedthat,whiletheCommitteeonTradeandDevelopmentwasnotresponsible
fortheallocation ofresources forWTO 'stechnical cooperation activities, ithadthecapacity toinfluence
thedisbursement ofthese funds. Commenting onseveral points made bydelegations inthediscussion
hesaidthat,while theWTO would bestserve intheareas ofitscompetence, theneedtodosoinclose
cooperation withother relevant instances, aswasrecognised inthecheck-list, would result inbroader
development efforts including those related tocapacity building. Inresponse tothestatement bythe
representative fromCoted'Ivoire, hesaidthatanational report would bepartofthefollow-up tothe
Questionnaire. Turning tothevarious comments made oncountries-in-transition, hesaidthatthese
countries were, infact,beneficiaries oftechnical assistance provided bytheWTO. However, the
Committee onTrade andDevelopment addressed theissueofassistance todeveloping countries. He
would notwanttodilute thepriority toleast-developed countries andcountries inAfrica. Inresponse
toacomment fromtherepresentative ofVenezuela oninformation technology hesaidthat,while the
WTO wasnotinaposition toprovide finance forthepurchase oftechnical equipment toassist countries
inworking withinformation technology, ongoing discussions were being heldwithinternational
organizations andfinancial institutions withthecapacity toprovide thenecessary funding. Initially
thetechnology could bemade available onaregional basis. Heproposed tosubmit arevised version
ofthecheck-list forconsideration bytheCommittee atit'sSeptember meeting, based ontheoutcome
oftoday'sdiscussion andcomments received fromdelegations. Hesuggested thattheCommittee take
noteofthestatements made andinvited written comments orsuggestions onthecheck-list from
delegations.
33. TheCommittee soagreed.WT/COMTD/M/8
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D. Other Business
34. TheChairman saidthatbased oftheoutline agreed attheCommittee 'sJunemeeting, the
Secretariat waspreparing thestudy ontheparticipation ofdeveloping counties inworld tradeandthat
heintended tocirculate itbefore thesummer break. Hehoped thatthisstudy would serve asthebasis
fordiscussions attheCommittee 'sSeptember meeting. Hesuggested thattheagenda oftheSeptember
meeting would alsoinclude discussions ontheimplementation ofUruguay Round commitments and
onguidelines fortechnical cooperation. TheChairman reminded delegations thattheSub-Committee
onLeast-Developed Countries would meeton13September todiscuss measures which could assist
theirintegration intothemultilateral trading system. Heproposed thatthese measures beforwarded
toMinisters fortheirconsideration atSingapore. Heplanned todevelop, inconsultation withMembers,
acomprehensive andintegrated action plantoimprove thecommercial situation facing least-developed
countries. Hewould alsoattempt toidentify waystoassist least-developed countries which wereseeking
accession toWTO. Thedialogue withother international institutions, which hadstarted attheseventh
session would becontinued attheCommittee 'smeeting planned for23September, when theChairman
oftheJointIMF/World BankDevelopment Committee, whowasalsotheFinance Minister ofMorocco,
would address theCommittee onTrade andDevelopment. TheDirector-General oftheWTO also
intended tobepresent atthatmeeting. Healsonoted thathehoped tousetheFund created byNorway
tofinance thetravel toGeneva ofrepresentatives ofleast-developed countries whowerebased inother
European cities. Thepurpose ofthisinitiative wastoencourage ahighlevelparticipation byleast-
developed countries intheforthcoming meeting oftheSub-Committee onLeast-Developed Countries,
where theaction plantoincrease their participation inthemultilateral trading system would be
considered. Their participation inthemeeting would alsogivethem greater exposure totheWTO
andtothework being undertaken bytheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment. Aseries ofbriefings
ontheWTO would beorganized bytheSecretariat atthatoccasion.