WT/ACC/41  
WT/COMTD/LDC/29  
23 February 2022  
(22-1773) Page: 1/36 
    
 
ACCESSION OF LEAST D EVELOPED COUNTR IES TO THE WTO  
CHALLENGES AND  OPPORTUNITIES  
A paper prepared for the Tenth China Round  Table, 18-20 January 20221 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
1 Unless  otherwise specified, this paper takes account of developments until 31 January 2022.  This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own 
responsibility and is without prejudice to the positions of Members or 
to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS  
 
1   INTRODUCTION  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  3 
2   BACKGROUND  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  3 
2.1   Least developed countries (LDCs) and the United Nations  ................................ ....................  3 
2.2   Least developed countries and the GATT/WTO  ................................ ................................ ... 5 
3   ACCESSION OF LDCS TO THE WTO: POLITICAL CONTEXT  ................................ ...............  6 
3.1   Ministerial Conference and General Council  ................................ ................................ ........  6 
3.2   Sub-Committee on Least -Devel oped Countries  ................................ ................................ ... 8 
3.3   China's LDCs and Accessions Programme  ................................ ................................ ..........  9 
3.4   g7+ WTO Accessions Group and Trade for Peace  ................................ ..............................  10 
4   ACCESSION PROCESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 11 
4.1   Rules -related commitments  ................................ ................................ ...........................  14 
4.2   Market access commitments  ................................ ................................ ..........................  15 
5   POST -ACCESSION IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES  ................................ ......................  18 
5.1   Key elements accompanying a post -accession strategy  ................................ .....................  18 
6   PARTICIPATING IN THE WORK OF THE WTO  ................................ ................................  19 
7   ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN ARTICLE XII LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  ................  26 
8   LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACCEDING COUNTRIES  .................  30 
8.1   Pre-accession and the negotiations  ................................ ................................ .................  30 
8.2   Post-accession  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  32 
9   CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS  ................................ ................................ .....................  33 
ANNEX 1  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  35 
ANNEX 2  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  36 
 
 
  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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  1  INTRODUCTION  
1. China's Least -Developed Countries (LDCs) and Accessions Programme (the China Programme ) 
was established on 14 July 2011 with the aim of strengthening  the participation  of LDCs  in the WTO and 
assisting them in their WTO accession processes . The Programme  has suppor ted LDCs through five main 
pillars: (i) China WTO Accessions Internship Programme; (ii) Annual China Round Tables on WTO 
Accessions; (iii) increasing the participation of LDCs in WTO meetings; (iv) South -South Dialogue on 
LDCs in WTO meetings; and (v) foll ow-up workshops  to LDCs' Trade Policy Reviews .  
2. Since 2012, t he Annual China Round Tables have provide d a unique platform  to discuss pertinent 
issues relat ing to WTO accession , and in particular LDC accession s. So far , Round Tables have been 
hosted by nine different Members. The 10th China Round Table  was held virtually on 18 -20 January  2022.  
3. This paper has been  prepared for the 10th China Round Table.  It starts with a brief summary of 
the origins of the LDC group at the United Nations  (UN). The initiative to e stablish LDCs as a country 
category  respond ed to the conviction that there exist s a group of low -income countries, among the 
poorest in the world, that would benefit from special attention and tailor -made treatment to manage 
their multifaceted  development problems. The opportunities and challenges of international  trade  exert 
a significant influence on  the growth and development  prospects  of developing countries , and it was not 
long after the 1971 UN decision that the GATT  made room for a new approach to the world 's poorest 
trading nations.  
4. The pap er then goes on to look in more detail at what WTO accession modalities involve and 
what the process implies for acceding partie s, particula rly the least developed countries.   It traces the 
evolution of the WTO approach to LDC accessions, and discusses the step s required in what can be an 
arduous and long process.  The paper summarizes some of the commi tments undertaken by the nine 
LDCs who have acceded to the WTO  under Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement .  
5. The paper  further  discuss es the post -accession phase facing  new LDC WTO Members in terms 
of the challenges and opportunities associated with membersh ip, as well as the importance of 
participati ng in WTO activities . It then briefly examines the economic performance of recently acceded  
LDC Members to see how they have fared. The a uthors are careful, however, not to assert direct 
causality between WTO membership and economic and policy outcomes, as many diverse influences ar e 
at work . Finally, t he paper concludes with some suggestions and recommendations for those LDCs who 
are currently negotiating the ir WTO accessions or contemplating doing so.     
2  BACKGROUND  
2.1  Least developed countries (LDCs) and the United Nations  
6. The idea of establishing a separate country category comprising the least -developed among 
developing countries gained currency in the late 1960s. On 18 N ovember 1971 , UN Resolution 2768 
(XXVI) – "Identification of the least developed among developing countries " – formally established the 
first list of LDCs , comprising 25 countries. Today, the list includes 46 countries, 20 of which were on the 
original 1971 list2. The Committee for Development Policy (CDP) is a subsidiary body of the Economic 
and Social Council (ECOSOC) and, among other things, is mandated to review the list of LDCs every 
three years and make recommendations on the inclusion or graduation of countries eligible for LDC 
status.3 The Committee relies on the following three criteria to guide its recommendations:  
 
2 Since 1971, the following countries have been included in the LDC category: Bangladesh, Central African 
Republic, Gambia (1975); Cabo Verde, Comoros (1977); Guinea -Bissau (1981); Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Sao 
Tomé and Principe, Sierra Leone, Togo (1982); Vanuatu (1985); Kiribati, Mauritania, Tuvalu (1986); Myanmar 
(1987); Mozambique (1988); Liberia (1990); Cambodia, D emocratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Solomon 
Islands, Zambia (1991); Angola, Eritrea (1994); Senegal (2000); Timor -Leste (2003); South -Sudan (2012).  
3 Since 1971, the following countries have graduated from the LDC category: Botswana (1994); Cabo Verde 
(2007); Maldives (2011); Sam oa (2014); Equatorial Guinea (2017); Vanuatu (2020).  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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  • Income: adjustable criterion based on Gross National Income (GNI) per capita averaged over 
three years. As of 2021 a country must have a GNI per capita less than US$1,018 to be included 
on the list.  
• Human Assets: based on indicators of nutrition, health, education and adult literacy  
• Economic and Environmental Vulnerability: based on instability of agricultural production, 
instability of exports of goods and services, economic importance of non -traditional activities, 
merchandise export concentration, a handicap of economic sm allness, and the percentage of 
population displaced by natural disasters.  
7. Over the years, the UN has continued to pay attention to LDCs and the challenges they face. On 
19 December 1979, the General Assembly in Resolution 34/203 decided to convene a UN Conference 
on the Least Developed Countries in order to finalize, adopt and support the Substantial New Program me 
of Action for the 1980s for the Least Developed Countries.  
8. Based on the above, the first UN Conference on LDCs was held in Paris in September 198 1 
where "The Substantial New Programme for the 1980s for the Least Developed Countries " was adopted. 
Paragraph 78 of the programme stated that the "GATT should consider prolonging the life of the special 
Sub-Committee on Trade of the L east Developed Countr ies of the Committee on Trade and 
Development, since it provides a most useful forum for dialogue. " It also referred to Tokyo Round 
negotiating outcomes relevant to LDCs (see paragraph 14 below).  
9. The Second UN Conference on LDCs  was held in Paris again, almost a decade later, in September 
1990, where the "Paris Declaration and Program me of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 
1990s " was adopted. Paragraph 48 of the Program me of Action noted that the successful conclus ion of 
the GATT Uruguay Round negotiations would help LDCs. It also stated that "urgent steps are needed to 
provide improved market access for products originated from LDCs ". Paragraph 51 called for special 
attention for advance d implementation of MFN tari ff reductions on products of interest to developing 
countries; enhanced market access including in relation to tropical products and textiles and clothing; 
phased implementation of the results of negotiations in the field of TRIPs (trade -related aspects of  
intellectual property rights) and of TRIMS (trade -related investment measures) and in relation to trade 
in services; and special consideration in regard to the application of strengthened rules.  
10. The Third UN Conference on LDCs was held in Brussels in May  2001. This was the first UN 
conference on LDCs following the establishment of the WTO in 1995. The conference adopted the 
"Brussels Declaration and the Brussels Programme of Action for the LDCs for the Decade 2001 –2010. " 
Paragraph 6 of the Brussels Declar ation noted that increased trade was essential for growth and 
development. Emphasis was also placed on improving preferential market access for LDCs by working 
towards Duty Free Quota Free (DFQF) access for all LDC products in developed country markets. Me ntion 
was also made of the need to facilitate the accession process to the WTO for least developed countries.   
11. The Fourth UN Conference on LDCs was held in May 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. The conference 
adopted the "Istanbul Declaration " and the "Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for 
the Decade 2011 -2020." Paragraph 9 of the Istanbul Declaration reaffirmed that "international trade 
remains a key driver of economic growth and sustainable development in least developed countries ". 
It also stressed the importance of a successful conclusion of the Doha Round. LDCs also pressed for 
DFQF access on a lasting basis. They further stressed the need for capacity -building for LDCs on a 
priority basis and for facilitated accession processes t o the WTO for LDCs.  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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  12. This brief summary of continuing work at the UN on LDC matters shows that emphasis has 
consistently been placed on the importance of trade for development and growth. This  emphasis is at 
the nub of the linkages between the GATT/WTO and  the UN in fostering the development of LDCs. 
Declarations coming out of the UN LDC conferences have frequently referred to marke t access for LDCs, 
other GATT/WTO issues under negotiation, as well as WTO accession of LDCs.       
2.2  Least developed countries a nd the GATT/WTO  
13. The first mention of least developed countries in the GATT  followed not long  after the 1971  UN 
Resolution  establishing the category . It came in paragraph 6 of the 1973 Tokyo Declaration that 
launch ed the Tokyo Round of multilateral  trade negotiations. It stated that "[T]he Ministers recognize 
that the particular situation and problems of the least developed among the developing countries shall 
be given special attention, and stress the need to ensure that these countries  receive special treatment 
in the context of any general or specific measures taken in favour of the developing countries during 
the negotiations. "  
14. As a result , the Enabling Clause  (Decision on Differential and More Favourable Treatment , 
Reciprocity and Fuller Participation  of Developing Countries) contained special provisions for the least 
developed countries.  Paragraph 2(d) provides for special LDC treatment in the context of special and 
differential treatment measures. Paragraph 8 recognizes the particular difficulties that may be faced by 
LDCs in making concessions and contributions in trade negotiations. Special provisions for LDCs are also 
found  in some of the WTO Agreements negotiated in the Uruguay Round .  
15. Since the establishment of the WTO  in 1995, a total of 60 applications have been received to 
accede to the Organization pursuant to Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO. 
To date, 36 have successfully  concluded accession negotiations and joined the WTO.  Seventeen o ut of 
the 60 accession applications have been received from LDCs  (nine from the Asia -Pacific region and eight 
from Africa ), of which  nine concluded accession negotiations as LDCs  (seven from the Asia -Pacific region 
and two from Africa) . These were  Nepal and Cambodia in 2004, Cabo V erde in 2008, Samoa and Vanuatu 
in 2012, La o PDR in 2013, Yemen in 2014, and Liberia and Afghanistan in 2016. Three  – Cabo Verde, 
Samoa and Vanuatu  – have since  graduated from LDC status , respectively  in 2008 , 2014 and 2020 .   
16. Thirty -five LDCs are currently Members of the WTO . Eight LDCs ( two from the Asia -Pacific 
region, and the rest from Africa) are currently in the process of accession , which account for one -third 
of all ongoing 23 accessions4. Three other LDCs – Eritrea, Kiribati and Tuvalu  – are yet to express an 
intention to apply for accession  to the WTO. In addition, it should be noted that three Article XII LDCs 
(Afghanistan, Liberia and Yemen) and the most recent LDC applications (Somalia, South Sudan , Timor -
Leste) are classified as Fragi le and Conflict -affected States (FCS) by the World Bank.5 Table 1 lists all 
acceded and currently acceding LDCs.  
Table  1: LDC Article XII Members and observers  
  Article XII Members    LDC Observers  
  Country  Date of 
Application  Date of Accession    Country  Date of Application  
1 Afghanistan+ 11/2004  30/07/2016  1 Bhutan  06/10/1999  
2 Cabo Verde * 11/1999  23/07/2008  2 Comoros+ 09/10/2007  
3 Cambodia  12/1994  13/10/2004  3 Ethiopia+ 10/02/2003  
4 Lao PDR  07/1997  02/02/2013  4 Sao Tomé and Principe  26/05/2005  
5 Liberia+ 06/2007  14/07/2016  5 Somalia+ 07/12/2016  
 
4 These include Algeria, Andorra, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 
Comoros, Curaçao, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanese Republic, Libya, Sao Tomé and Princ ipe, Serbia, 
Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Timor -Leste, and Uzbekistan . 
5 Eritrea, Kiribati and Tuvalu are also classified as FCS by the World Bank in the FY22 List.   WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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    Article XII Members    LDC Observers  
  Country  Date of 
Application  Date of Accession    Country  Date of Application  
6 Nepal  05/1989  23/04/2004  6 South Sudan+ 07/12/2017  
7 Samoa * 04/1998  10/05/2012  7 Sudan+ 25/10/1994  
8 Vanuatu *  07/1995  24/08/2012  8 Timor -Leste+ 07/12/2016  
9 Yemen+ 04/2000  26/06/2014    
  
Source:  WTO. 
* Graduated from LDC status.  
+  On the World Bank 's FY22 List of Fragile and Conflict -affected States  (FCS) . 
       
17. On average, LDCs have been  in the process of accession for 17 years, with Sudan having been 
longest in the process  (27 year s)6. Four have met the criteria to graduate from LDC status  in the coming 
years :  Bhutan and Sao Tom é and Principe are scheduled to graduate in 2023  and 2024, respect ively; 
Timor -Leste has met the graduation criteria at least two consecutive times, but the decision was deferred 
by UN's Committee for Development Policy ; and Comoros met the criteria for the first time in 2021 . 
3  ACCESSION OF LDCS TO THE WTO: POLITICAL CONTEXT  
18. Accession of LDCs has been on the agenda of WTO membership, especially since the 4th 
Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar , in November 2001 which launched the Doha Round. The agenda 
is driven by the LDC Group which includes  both WTO Members and observers , support ed by the  regional 
Groups, such as the African Group, the ACP Group and the Arab Group  whose memberships include 
LDCs. The LDC Group has been at the forefront  of the discussions  to convey specific difficulties and 
challenges of acceding LDCs and  has called for greater flexibility and technical assistance during the 
accession process.  This section reviews the WTO bodies and program mes that have played a role in 
advancing the agenda of LDC accessions.       
3.1  Ministerial Conference and General Council     
19. The Ministerial  Conference is the highest governing body of the WTO and meets at least every 
two years.  In the interv als between the  sessions of the  Ministerial Conference, the General Council acts 
on behalf of the Ministerial Conference on all WTO affairs. Eleven  Ministerial Conferences have been held 
to date  since the establishment of the WTO in 1995 .  
The 4th Ministerial Conference , Doha, Qatar, No vember 2001  
20. In November 2001, Minister s launch ed a new round of trade negotiations  at the 4th WTO 
Ministerial Conference in Doha . 
21. In preparation for the Doha M inisterial Conference , LDC  Trade Ministers met in Zanzibar, 
Tanzania  in July 2001 , to forge common positions. In a 14 -page Zanzibar Declaration7, Ministers laid 
out their concerns and aspirations, including on LDC accession s. This was further to the adoption of the 
Brussels Programme of Action at the Third UN Conference on LDCs in May 2001, which called for the 
streamlining of WTO accession requirements to ensure that the accession process is more effective and 
less onerous and  tailored to the LDCs' specific economic conditions. The Tanzanian host of the Zanzibar 
meeting expressed concern "at the slow pace in the accession process of LDCs as reflected in the fact 
that not a single LDC has been able to accede to the WTO since its  establishment ".   
22. The Ministers' long list of proposals for facilitating accession included: greater clarity in the 
objectives, rules and disciplines governing accession procedures ; the streamlining of procedures and 
documentary requirements ; and the mini mization of the number of working party sessions and bilateral 
 
6 The average length of all ongoing accession processes is almost 1 9 years . 
7 WT/L/409 . WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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  meeting s required. In short, they sought to establish clear, simplified and fast -track procedures for 
accession. LDCs also urged restraint from their negotiating partners in terms of what they were required 
to commit in accessions, which should be consistent with their domestic capacities and developmental 
situation. They emphasized the importance of adequate technical assistance and capacity building.   
23. A few months later, Ministers stated  the following in  the Doha Ministerial Declaration regarding  
LDC accessions : "We therefore attach great importan ce to concluding accession proceedings as quickly 
as possible.  In particular , we are committed to accelerating the accession of least-developed countries" 
(paragraph 9) . They further stated that "[A]ccession of LDCs remains a priority for the Membership. We 
agree to work to facilitate and accelerate negotiations with acceding LDCs. We instruct the Secretariat 
to reflect the priorit y we attach to LDCs ' accessions in the annual plans for technical 
assistance " (paragraph 42) . 
24. Pursuant to the Doha mandate , in February 2002 , the Sub -Committee on LDCs adopted the 
WTO Work Programme for LDCs8 which reflected LDC accession s as a systemic issue calling for the 
particular needs, interests and concerns of the LDCs  to be addressed . One important outcome of the 
implementation of the Work Programme was the development of the Guidelines on the Accession of 
LDCs by the Sub -Committee, whi ch were subsequently approved by the General Council in December 
2002.   
General Council Decision on Accession of LDCs  ("LDC Accessions Guidelines") of 10 December 2002 and 
25 July 20129 
25. The 2002 General Council Decision set out guidelines for the conduct of accession negotiations 
with LDCs with a view to concluding  them as quickly as possible . The guidelines covered market access, 
WTO rules, process,  and trade -related  technical assistance and capacity building . On market access , 
Members agreed to show restraint in seeking concessions and commitments  from LDCs, while the latter  
were to offer reasonable concessions and commitm ents appropriately aligned with their  individual 
development, financial and trade needs.  
26. On WTO rules , the guidelines confirm that LDC s have full access to all special and differential 
treatment ( S&D) provisions , phase -in periods  for their obligations and commitments appropriate  to their 
individual needs , accompanied by  Action Plans and supported  by technical assistance and capacity 
buildi ng, including  from WTO Members , who may also guide LDCs through the implementation process. 
Finally, LDCs are not obliged to join any pl urilateral agreements or participate in any other optional 
sectoral market acces s initiatives , unless they decide themselves to do so . 
27. As far as process is concerned, the 2002 guidelines  affirm that the good offices of the Director -
General are available in case they are required, and that efforts will be made to expedite document ation 
exchange and stre amline procedures  with Secretariat assistance as needed . Targeted technical 
assistance will also be made available  at an early stage .   
28. These  new guidelines were intended to encourage LDCs  to re-engage and finalize their accession 
negotiations . The guidelines provided impetus for Cambodia and Nepal to finalize their accession 
processes at the Fifth Ministerial Conference held in Canc ún, Mexico in 2003 and they became the first 
and second LD Cs to accede to the WTO under Article  XII of the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the 
WTO in 2004 .  
29. At the Sixth Ministerial Conference held in Hong Kong in 2005 , Ministers reaffirmed  their 
commitment  "…to facilitate and accelerate negotiations with acceding LDCs based on the accession 
guidelines adopted by the General Council in December 2002. We commit to continue giving our 
attention and priority to concluding the ongoing accession proceedings as rapid ly as possible" 
(paragraph  47 of the 2005 Ministerial Declaration).   
 
8 WT/COMTD/LDC/11 . 
9 WT/L/508 and Add.1.  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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  30. At the Eight Ministerial Conference held in Geneva in December 2011, by which  time Cabo Verde, 
Vanuatu and Samoa  had finalized their accession negotiations, Ministers " direct[ed] the Sub -Committee 
on LDCs to develop recommendations to further strengthen, streamline and operationalize the 2002 
guidelines by, inter alia, including benchmarks, in particular in the area of goods, which take into account 
the level of commitments undertaken by e xisting LDC Members. " They instruct ed the Sub -Committee 
on LDCs to complete this work and make recommendations to the General Council no later than 
July 2012." 10 
31. In July 2012, the General Council adopted  another  Decision11 on ways of further facilitating LDC 
accessions. The res ulting decision developed new benchmarks on goods where the acceding LDCs were 
to bind all their agriculture tariff lines at an overall average rate of 50 %. For non-agricultur al products , 
acceding LDCs were to  bind 95 % of their tariff lines at an overall average of 35 %. Up to 10 % of the 
tariff lines  in question were entitled to a phase -in period of up to 10 years.  
32. For the benchmarks  on services, WTO Members were asked to respect the principle of special 
treatment for LDCs contained  in Articles IV and XIX of the General Agreement on Trade in Services 
(GATS). They were also asked to show  flexibility towards  acceding LDCs in opening  up fewer sectors, 
liberalizing fewer types of transactions, and progressively extending market access in line with their 
development situation.   
33. The guidelines further argued for favourable consideration of extended implementation periods 
on a case -by-case basis  in light of the individual development, financial and trade needs of acceding 
least developed count ries. Acceding  LDCs would n ot be asked for commitments going beyond those of  
existing LDC Members. The guidelines also called for greater transparency in accession  negotiations 
involving LDCs . The important role of technical assistance  and capacity  was once again  emphasized.  
34. It is important to note that the 2002 and 2012 guidelines are aimed at complementing the 
accession "Procedures for Negotiation under Ar ticle XII"12 which are applicable to all accessions, 
including LDC accessions.  
3.2  Sub-Committee on L east-Developed Countries  
35. The Sub-Committee on LDCs, a subsidiary body of the Committee on Trade and Development, 
is mandated to look at systemic issues of interest to LDCs in the multilateral trading system.  The work 
of the Sub -Committee is guided by  the WTO Work Programme for LDCs13, first adopted in 2002 and 
then revised in  2013, focusing in particular on market access, technical assistance and WTO accessions.  
36. Since the adoption of the Work Programme, the Sub -Committee has been the major platform 
in the WTO for discuss ing issues related to LDC accessions, including on the im plementation of the Doha 
mandate to "facilitate and accelerate accession negotiations with acceding LDCs ," stating that 
"[P]rogress on the issue of the accession of LDCs is important for the preservation of confidence in the 
WTO and in the multilateral tra ding system."   
37. In accordance with the Work Programme, the work of the Sub-Committee  includes: (i) the 
treatment of accession as a standing agenda of the Sub -Committee; (ii) the invitation of the 
Chairpersons of LDCs' Accession Working Parties and the acce ding LDCs to brief on progress made by 
the Working Parties ; (iii) reporting to the General Council with concrete recommendations, as 
appropriate, and as agreed in the Sub Committee, on the implementation of the commitment by 
Ministers to "facilitate and ac celerate negotiations with acceding LDCs";  (iv) the preparation of a report 
by the WTO Secretariat on its technical assistance activities in support of LDCs' accession, including the 
implementation of accession commitments by LDCs, which are to be accorded  priority in the Biennial 
WTO Secretariat -Wide Plan for Technical Assistance; and (v) ensur ing that the Director General's annual 
 
10 WT/L/846 . 
11 WT/L/508 /Add.1  
12 WT/ACC/22/Rev.1.  
13 WT/COMTD/LDC/11 and Rev.1 . WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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  reports on the state of play of accessions to the WTO shall continue to give particular attention to LDC 
accessions.  
38. In addition to the Secretariat's annual reporting o f the state of LDC accessions to the Sub -
Committee, the Sub -Committee has considered various aspects of LDC accessions, including on technical 
assistance14  and post -accession15.  It has also provided a platf orm to discuss LDC accessions, such as 
a "Dialogue with Acceding LDCs" in 2009.16 
3.3  China 's LDCs and Accessions Programme   
39. In addition to  the decisions and discussions on LDC accessions in various WTO bodies, the launch 
of China's LDCs and Accessions  Program me (the China Programme) in July 2011 has provided additional 
focus, financial resources dedicated to dialogue, experience sharing, and capacity building in support of 
LDC accessions. The China Programme is aimed at strengthening LDCs' participation in the  WTO and 
assisting them in WTO accession processes, through its five pillars: (i) China WTO Accessions Internship 
Programme; (ii) Annual China Round Tables on WTO Accessions; (iii) increasing participation of LDCs in 
WTO meetings; (iv) South -South Dialogue  on LDCs in WTO meetings; and (v) LDCs' Trade Policy Review 
follow -up workshops.  
40. Since 2021, t he Annual China Round Tables (CRTs)  have provide d a unique platform to discuss 
pertinent issues relating to WTO accession, and in particular LDC accessions. So fa r, ten Round Tables 
have been hosted on three continents: CRT -01 in Beijing, China (May 2012); CRT -02 in Luang  Prabang, 
Lao PDR (October 2013); CRT -03 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (June 2015); CRT -04 in Nairobi, Kenya 
(December 2015); CRT -05 in Siem Reap, Cambodia (March 2017); CRT -06 in Buenos Aires, Argentina 
(December 2017); CRT -07 in Astana, Kazakhstan (September 2 018); CRT -08 in Moscow, Russian 
Federation (December 2019); CRT -09, virtual  (December 2020) , and (CRT-10), virtual (January 2022 ). 
Discussions in some  CRTs have been captured in  outcome documents.17    
41. Three China Round  Tables focus ed exclusively on LDC accessions: CRT -01, CRT -05 and CRT -10. 
These CRTs focus ed on the best practices in LDC accessions through experience sharing among 
accession negotiators, Members and partners. Technical assistance and post -accession were also 
discussed.             
42. Another i mportant contribution of the China Programme is the "WTO Accessions Internship 
Programme"  which is aimed at developing  the capacity of recent graduates and young professionals 
from developing and least -developed Members and Observers . The programme aims to assist young 
professionals in deepening their knowledge about  the WTO 's rules-based system, in particular WTO 
accessions, so as to prepare  them for careers in the fields of trade law, international economics and 
international relations.  A total of 39 y oung professionals from more than 25 developing countries, 
including 1 3 from LDCs , have participated in the Programme . Many former interns have become part of 
accession negotiating team s or the WTO Secretariat  or joined institutions as trade professionals engaged 
in WTO -related affairs.  
43. Other  activities in support of LDC accessions have been undertaken under the China Programme , 
includ ing post-accession support for Afghanistan and Liberia, and specific support for priority accessions 
such as Comoros.  
 
14 "Technical Assistance for Acceding LDCs ", Note by the Secretariat, WT/COMTD/LDC/W/32 , 6 May 2004 .  
15 "Proposal for the Establishment of a Work Programme on Post -Accession for Recently Acceded LDCs ", 
WT/COMTD/LDC/W/50, April 2011 . 
16 "Report of the Dialogue with Acceding LDCs", 28 May 2009, WT/COM TD/LDC/15 . 
17 The outcome documents are available in the follow ing WTO documents: WT/L/856  (CRT-01); WT/ACC/20  
(CRT-02); WT/ACC/24  (CRT-03); WT/ACC/29  (CRT-05); WT/ACC/32/Rev.1 (CRT -07) and WT/ACC/35 (CRT -08). WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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  3.4  g7+ WT O Accession s Group  and Trade for Peace     
44. The most recent  Members to accede to the WTO were Liberia and Afghanistan , in July 2016, 
following the approval of the ir accession protocols at the 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, 
in December 2015.  These two Members are not only LDCs, but also FCS  that have suffered years of civil 
wars. For them, WTO membership represented a path way to  stability and peace, as the accession 
process served as  an institution -building tool and provided the basis for the establishment of  an 
internationally recognized legal framework to develop trade policy and conduct trade relations with the 
rest of the world, as they opened their economies for business after ye ars of conflict and instability.  
45. Their stories of using WTO membership as a path to structural and economic development, and 
ultimately, peace have attracted more applications from countries that have been similarly affected by 
conflict. New applications r eceived after the membership of Liberia and Afghanistan include  Somalia and 
Timor -Leste in 2016, and South Sudan in 2017. These new applications have increased the number of 
FCS among acceding LDCs : seven of the eight acceding LDCs are FCS, either classified by the World 
Bank (i.e. Comoros, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sud an, Sudan and Timor -Leste) or being part of the g7+, 
an association of 20 FCS formed in 2010 (i.e. Sao Tom é and Principe).  Against this background, the 
g7+ WTO Accessions Group was created during the 11th Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires, 
Argentina,  in December 2017.       
46. Co-chaired by Afghanistan and Liberia,  the Ministers from the Group18 met and adopted a joint 
declaration19. The stated objective of the Group is to serve as a "platform for targeted facilitation and 
tailored support of the WTO acc ession and post -accession efforts of fragile and conflict affected states, 
aimed at re -building their economies through WTO -related structural reforms, the establishment of 
credible economic and institutional frameworks, and the enhancement of transparency  and good 
governance." The Group sees the WTO accession process as a means  for "peacebuilding and sustainable 
economic development " and call s for "the expediting and completion of the WTO accessions of these 
states, on terms designed to contribute to their  economic growth and development. " 
47. Since its establishment20, the Group  has played a key role in launching the Trade for Peace  (T4P)  
initiative by the WTO Secretariat . Following a number of outreach activities undertaken in partnership 
with organizations involved in peace -building and humanitarian activities , the initiative was transformed 
into the T4P Programme , in March 2021 . Activities under the Programme are carried out through four 
pillars: (i) political engagement and institutional part nerships; (ii) public outreach and dialogue; (iii) 
research and (iv) capacity building and training.  
48. The trade for peace vision has been shared by other acceding governments beyond the LDCs in 
the g7+ WTO Accessions Group.  In addition to those classified  as FCS/LDCs, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Lebanon, 
Libya and the Syrian Arab Republic  are also included in the World Bank FY22 list of FCS. In this context, 
the Group has called for the establishment of a dedicated Work Programme on T4P for FCS, whose 
proposal is be ing considered in the context of the 12th Ministerial Conference21.  In the proposal, the 
Group has called for recognition of the role of trade "in promoting economic development, peace and 
stability" and acknowledgement of "the existence of specific trade -related challenges linked to 
institutional fragility and/or violent conflict" in FCS.  This is the first attempt in the WTO to introduce the 
concept of FCS and associated challenges.  
 
18 The Group includes: three Article XII LDCs ( Afghanistan, Liberia and Yemen) and five acceding LDCs 
(Comoros , Sao Tom é and Principe, Somalia, South Sudan, and Timor -Leste).  
19 WT/MIN(17)/51 . 
20 Since the establishment of the Group, Sudan officially joined in 2019.  
21 WT/GC/W/830.  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 11 - 
 
  4  ACCESSION PROCESS  
49. Accession to the WTO is a process  in which  the aspiring Member must in principle  negotiate with 
the entire WTO membership. In practice , only a  relatively small  subset  of the membership engage s with 
the applicant  in the framework  of a WTO accession Working Party . Nevertheless, the negotiations are  
taxing and can last long.  
50. In essence, accession  negotiat ions involve : (i) the examination by WTO Members of the foreign 
trade regime of the acceding government ; (ii) discussions with the applicant on its trade regime and 
policies; and (iii) negotiation of the terms of membership that require the acceding party to agree to a 
series of policy commitments on market access in goods and services, along with a wide rang e of WTO 
rules. The accession documentation resulting from  this process forms a draft  accession package of a 
new Member  which consists of (i) the Report of the Working Party; (ii)  a draft General Council/Ministerial 
Conference Decision and a draft Accession Protocol, appended to the Report; and (iii)  the draft Goods and 
Services Schedules presented in Addenda 1 and 2 to the Report . The Working Party  adopts the draft 
accession package ad ref erendum  and forwards the Report to the Ministerial Conference/General Council 
for formal action . The draft Accession Protocol containing the terms of accession negotiated and agreed 
by the Working Party  is then approv ed by all WTO Members  through adoption by consensus of the draft 
decision on accession . Consensus in this context means that no WTO Member objects to the accession 
of a new Member on the agreed terms  contained in  the Accession Protocol  which  includes : (i) by way of 
reference, all specific accession commitments on WTO rules contained in  the Report  of the Working 
Party; (ii) the schedule of concessions and commitments on goods; and (iii) the schedule of specific 
commitments on trade in services . All these documents are essential to establish the legal legitimacy of 
membership.   
51. The average duration of Article XII accessions to date  for LDCs  is 12 years and 9 months,  
somewhat longer than the average duration of the 36 completed accession s, which is 10 years and 
4 months. The duration ranges from 8 years (in Liberia) to 17 years (Vanuatu), in many cases  with 
intervening periods of inaction by acceding countries .  
52. The legal and policy shifts implied by WTO membership  form part of a  more far-reaching  reform 
process as governments seek to generate growth and development. This may partially explain the 
reasons for prolonged accession processes. The bid for  WTO membership can play a catalytic role in 
launching a process of structural economi c reform s, and also act  as a multilateral lock -in mechanism . 
All nine Article XII LDC s have  cited economic reforms as one of the main reasons for seeking WTO 
membership.  While  improved economic performance that has occurred  over the years  (see Section 7 
below)  in some recent LDC accession economies cannot simply be attributed to WTO accession , the 
experience of going  through the accession process may have helped to equip decision -makers with the 
necessary tools for domestic reform.    
53. Table 2 summarizes key features of the accession processes of the nine Article XII LDCs. For 
most LDCs,  a significant portion of the accession duration  is spent between the date of the establishment 
of the Working Party and the date of the first Working Pa rty meeting  (see Table 2). During this time 
period , acceding governments are required to provide sufficient information on their foreign trade 
regime for the fact -finding phase of the accession process to begin. Such information include s the 
Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime (MFTR), which explains how the acceding country's foreign 
trade regime works, accompanied with  the Legislative Action Plan (LAP), as well as texts of trade -related  
laws and regulations . In the Working Party cycles that follow, acce ding governments engage in a 
continuing questions and responses exchange with Working Party members , which leads to the 
negotiating stage of the process resulting  in the issuance of a draft Working Party Report,  and provid ing 
detailed  information and responses to questionnaires on import licensing, customs valuation and other 
WTO Agreements . Acceding governments also submit their goods and/or services offers as basis for  the 
bilateral market access negotiations  with interested Working Party members . This process is rigorous 
for acceding governments , particularly  for LDCs who have limited capacity, as it requires efficient inter -
ministerial coordination  and extensive cooperation with domestic commercial actors . On average, LDCs 
took 5 years and 2 months to hold their  first Working Party meetings , with Nepal recording the longest 
period at 10 years and 9 months and Vanuatu recording the shortest period at 1 year.  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 12 - 
 
  54. The number of Working Party meetings held during LDC accession processes also varies, ranging 
from 11 (Yemen) to 2 (Vanuatu and Samoa). The number of such meetings often indicate s the frequency 
of formal interactions between acceding governments and WTO Mem bers, which is key in advancing the 
accession process. Vanuatu, despite having the longest accession process  among LDCs  (17 years ), only 
held 2 formal Working Party meetings , while Liberia  held 4 formal Working Party meetings during its 8 -
year accession pr ocess. It should be noted that informal Working Party meetings are another venue to 
check on progress and provide additional negotiating opportunities with Members.  
55. The number of written questions submitted for written response during the accession process 
can also provide an indication of the level of interaction between acceding governments and Members . 
This number often depends on many factors including the size of the acceding country 's economy,  the 
complexity of the trade regime, the quality of the initial documentation provided to Members, and the 
ability of the applicant 's technical team to provide clarity on the concerns raised by Members , etc. 
On average, LDCs were asked 721 questions during  accession , with Lao PDR and Yemen recording the 
highest number of questions asked  (1224 and 1164 respectively ), and Liberia recording the lowest 
number of questions asked (264).  
  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 13 - 
 
 
 
- 13 - Table 2: Summary of the accession process of nine concluded LDC Accessions  
Article XII 
Member  Working 
Party 
estab -
lished  Working 
Party 
Meeting 
(first 
meetings - 
number of 
meetings)  Memorandum 
on the Foreign 
Trade Regime  
(MFTR)  Factual 
Summary  Draft 
Working 
Party 
Report 
(first 
circulation - 
number of 
revisions)  Number of 
Questions  Initial 
Goods Offer  
(first 
circulation - 
number of 
revisions)  Initial 
Services 
Offer  
(first 
circulation - 
number of 
revisions)  Membership  
Date  Length of 
Accession 
Process  
Nepal  06/1989  05/2000 (3)  08/1998  - 06/2003 (2)  466 07/2000 (2)  07/2000 (2)  04/2004  14 years 11 
months  
Cambodia  12/1994  05/2001 (5)  06/1999  10/2002  03/2003 (3)  460 12/2001 (2)  12/2001 (3)  10/2004  9 years 10 
months  
Cabo Verde  07/2000  03/2004 (6)  07/2003  10/2004  11/2005 (3)  888 11/2004 (4)  11/2004 (5)  07/2008  8 years 8 
months  
Samoa  07/1998  03/2002 (2)  02/2000  - 06/2003 (6)  914 08/2001 (0)  08/2001 (2)  05/2012  14 years 1 
months  
Vanuatu  07/1995  07/1996 (2)  11/1995  - 09/1999 (1)  343 11/1997 (2)  11/1997 (2)  08/2012  17 years 1 
months  
Lao PDR  02/1998  10/2004 
(10) 03/2001  10/2007  02/2012 (2)  1224 11/2006 (3)  10/2007 (3)  02/2013  15 years 7 
months  
Yemen  07/2000  11/2004 
(11) 11/2002  09/2005  12/2009 (5)  1164 09/2005 (3)  08/2005 (3)  06/2014  14 years 2 
months  
Liberia  12/2007  07/2012 (4)  04/2011  - 03/2015 (3)  264 11/2014 (0)  11/2014 (0)  07/2016  8 years 1 
month  
Afghanistan  12/2004  01/2011 (5)  03/2009  05/2012  06/2013 (2)  773 11/2012 (0)  06/2012 (0)  07/2016  10 years 8 
months  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 14 - 
 
  4.1  Rules -related commitments  
56. As shown in Table 3, the number of accession  commitments  on WTO rules  undertaken by the 
nine Article XII  LDCs ranges between 25 and  37. These commitments are recorded in each country 's 
Working Party Repor t. Table 3 also lists the number of laws and regulations implicated in the process. 
On average , Article  XII LDC s produced 91 legal documents in the accession process .  
Table  3: Working Party Report c ommitment paragraphs  and legislative instruments involved 
in the accession process  
Article XII Member  Date of accession  Number of 
commitment 
paragraphs  Number of 
legislati ve 
instrument s 
Afghanistan  30/07/2016  37 75 
Cabo Verde  23/07/2008  26 73 
Cambodia  13/10/2004  29 85 
Lao PDR  2/2/2013  26 159 
Liberia  14/07/2016  31 102 
Nepal  23/04/2004  25 24 
Samoa  10/5/2012  37 123 
Vanuatu  24/08/2012  30 123 
Yemen  26/06/2014  28 58 
AVERAGE  30 91 
Source: WTO 
57. Chart 1 lists the policy areas where the Article XII LDCs took commitments. Of the 35 areas 
listed , 17 involved policies upon which all the LDCs committed. For the rest, the number of the nine 
Article XII LDCs that committed in particular areas ranged from one to  eight depending on the 
distinctions of their individual policy and legal frameworks for trade . The table is largely self-explanator y, 
and the number of countries committing in a given policy area listed on the vertical axis can be read off 
the horizontal axis. Overall, the range of commitments taken was far -reaching and has exceeded the 
range of commitments made by some developing and least -developed countries that joined the GATT  
earlier on rather than the WTO . That transition did not call for additional negotiations on commitments 
as these were implicit in the results of the Uruguay Round that framed the WTO , some of which were 
difficult for post-Doha acceding  LDCs to adopt rapidly or during the accession proc ess.  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
- 15 - 
 
  Chart 1: Coverage of accession -specific commitments of Article XII LDCs   
 
Source: WTO  
4.2  Market access commitments  
58. Negotiations on market access in goods and services are conducted on a bilateral basis between 
the acceding government and interested WTO Members  and then combined and multilateralized on an 
MFN basis . In total, nine Article XII LDC Members concluded 87 bilateral market access agreements  on 
goods and 64 bilateral market access  agreements on services . This amounts to an average of  10 bilateral 
market access agreements on goods and 7 bilateral market access agreements on services per acce ding 
country . The results of the concluded  bilateral market access agreements are eventually consolidated 
by the Secretariat into Schedules of Tariff Concessions and Commitments on Goods and Specific 
Commitments on Trade in Services . These are  annexed to the Accession Protocols.  
WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 16 - 
 
  59. Table  4 shows the outcomes o f market access negotiations on goods and services of Article XII 
LDC Members. The binding coverage of tariff concessions  on goods  is 100 % for almost all these 
Members , with a few exceptions  involving Afghanistan and Nepal . As Table 5 shows, i n the case of 
original LDC Members, the average  binding coverage is 53.7 %. Moreover, while LDCs in general  have 
higher average final bound rate s than non -LDCs, Article XII LDC Members have an average final bound 
rate of 22.4% compared to 65.2 % for original LDC Members . Finally, all Members, including LDCs, 
generally ha ve higher average final bound rates for agricultural products than  for non-agricultural 
products.  
60. In the case of  services, significant reductions  have been made  in regulatory barriers  by 
Article  XII LDC Members . They  have undertaken  commitments in specific sub -sectors of nearly all 
services sectors identified in accordance with the UN Provisional Central Product Classification (CPC 
Prov.) 1991, with the exception of Cabo Verde and Samoa , that did not undertake a commit ment in the 
health -related and social services sector , and Vanuatu and Lao PDR in recreational, cultural and sporting 
services. Overall, Article XII LDC Members undertook specific commitments in an average number of 87 
services sub -sectors . This is a much higher  level of commitment  than that of the original LDC Members , 
with an average of 20 services sub -sectors.  
Table 4: Summary of Article XII LDC Accession Market Access Outcomes on Goods and 
Services  
Article XII 
LDC Members  Date of 
Membership  GOODS  SERVICES  
Binding 
coverage 
(%) Average final bound rate (%)  Number 
of 
services 
sub-
sectors  All 
products  Agricultural  
products  Non-
agricultural 
products  
1 Afghanistan  30/07/2016  96.6 13.5 33.6 10.3 104 
2 Cabo Verde  23/07/2008  100 15.8 19.3 15.2 103 
3 Cambodia  13/10/2004  100 19.1 28.1 17.7 94 
4 Lao PDR  2/2/2013  100 18.8 19.3 18.7 79 
5 Liberia  14/07/2016  100 26.7 23.8 27.2 102 
6 Nepal  23/04/2004  99.4 26 41.5 23.7 77 
7 Samoa  10/5/2012  100 21.1 25.8 20.4 80 
8 Vanuatu  24/08/2012  100 39.7 43.7 39.1 69 
9 Yemen  26/06/2014  100 21.1 24.9 20.5 78 
Source: WTO 
Table 5: Summary of Market Access commitments on Goods and Services of Article XII 
Members including LDCs as compared to those of the original Members  
 GOODS  SERVICES  
Binding 
coverage 
(%) Average final bound rate (%)  Average 
number of 
services  
sub-sectors  All products  Agricultural  
products  Non-
agricultural 
products  
Article XII Members  99.9 13.9 20.3 12.9 102 
  of which LDCs  99.6 22.4 28.9 21.4 87 
  of which non -LDCs 100.0  11.0 17.4 10.1 107 
Original Members  74.0 45.5 65.4 34.0 48 
  of which LDCs  53.7 65.2 79.9 45.4 20 
  of which non -LDCs 81.9 37.9 59.8 29.6  
Source: WTO  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
- 17 - 
 
  Transition Periods  
61. Transition periods are a feature of the special and differential treatment provisions of the WTO 
Agreement and the 2002 and 2012 General Council Guidelines on LDC Accession. Chart 2 summarizes 
the transition periods granted to one or more Article XII LDC M embers. These periods are negotiated on 
the basis of: (i) the need for a transition period demonstrated by the acceding government; and (ii) 
specific Action Plans that lay out the steps that remain to be taken and a calendar for progressive 
compliance, as well as a date by which the new Member shall be in full compliance with the WTO rules .  
62. The implementation of some obligations in the Working Party Report can be particularly 
challenging for LDCs. For this reason, LDCs are often granted transition periods considering their 
individual development, financial and trade needs. Some LDCs link their progress  to capacity building 
program mes that help  them to fulfil the ir commitments .   
63. Based on the information received from the Article XII LDCs, the y are generally  on track in the 
implementation  of their commitments under  the transitional period s set up by the ir Post-Accession 
Implementation Plans.  
Chart 2: Transition periods (years) granted to Article XII LDCs  
 
Source: WTO  
WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 18 - 
 
  5  POST -ACCESSION IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES  
64. The post -accession period is as important as the accession phase. Acceded Members must 
deliver on their commitments undertaken upon accession . Implementing negotiated outcomes requires 
a sustained and well -coordinated effort that eventually becomes an integral part of national policy. 
As LDCs move along this path, they rely on technical assistance and capac ity building as heavily as in 
the accession process .  
65. The establishment of a policy framework for post -accession is critical not only for the 
implementation of commitments but also for the utilization of the WTO platform as an integral part of 
domestic str uctural reforms. Acceded LDCs need a clear post-accession strategy more than many other 
new M embers. Among the nine Article XII LDC Members, seven developed a post-accession strategy 
that was adopted by the government as a tool for  implementing WTO commitm ents.  
5.1  Key elements accompanying a post-accession strategy  
66. Effective internal coordination is a key aspect not only of the WTO accession process, but also 
in the post -accession phase. Sustained internal coordination for the implementation of WTO 
commitments is particularly crucial. Such coordination requires  a lead organization that has overall 
responsibility for the implementation of commitments, and in par ticular for those that are being phased 
in over time. Key elements of an effective approach to post -accession challenges are briefly outlined 
below.  
Designate a lead ministry  
67. Continuity is key for the post -accession success. In line with this, all nine Article XII LDC 
Members re -appointed or continued with the same line ministry responsible for coordinating input for 
the accession negotiations to lead the WTO post -accession implementation. Thi s helped the countries  
stay on track for the implementation of t he WTO commitments and WTO -related reforms. In some 
instances , personnel were replaced or moved elsewhere, and this ran the risk of temporarily slowing 
down the post -accession implementation process.  
Establish an inter -ministerial structure   
68. Most of the nine acceded LDCs established an inter-ministerial committee to oversee the 
implementation of accession commitments and the post -accession process. Some of them were asked 
to report at cabinet level on progress with implementation.   
Rely on a private sector and stakeholder consultative mechanism  
69. As the role of the private sector is vital in the post -accession phase, implementing commitments 
and adopting new laws, regulations, and by -laws, without consulting the private sector is likely to creat e 
problems. A coordinated mechanism can address these problems. In all nine Article XII LDCs, such 
mechanisms were established.   
Ensure effective representation in Geneva  
70. One of the major aspects of being a WTO Member is the need to attend meetings, contr ibute to 
them and report back to capital. To fully reap the benefits of the WTO membership, continuing 
interaction is needed with other WTO Members and the WTO Secretariat, along with involvement in the 
various WTO Councils and Committees. For this, it is important that the Member has either a permanent 
mission to the WTO or a focal point in the country 's mission to UN Office in Geneva.  
71. Afghanistan was the first  acceded  LDC to establish a full -fledged mission to WTO and this gave 
the country a unique oppor tunity to utilize its membership to the maximum, including chairing WTO 
committees and interacting with Members on several  trade, transit, investment and capacity -building WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
- 19 - 
 
  related activities. Cambodia became the second country among the nine Article XII LD Cs to establish a 
mission to the WTO in Geneva. Most o ther Article XII LDCs have focal points in their UN mission in 
Geneva who handle WTO issues.  
6  PARTICIPATING IN THE WORK OF THE WTO  
72. Once a country becomes a Member of the WTO , it must engage in the day -to-day work of the 
Organization to achieve their membership  objectives . Such day -to-day participation encompasses the 
following  key functions of the WTO: (i) administration of the WTO Agreements through regular work ; 
(ii) negotiatio ns and (iii)  dispute settlement.   
73. Regular attendance and participation in WTO meetings are the most reliable and effective form 
of building post -accession capacity  and deepening WTO knowledge.  It is only through participation 
based on "learning by doing" that a Member can realize and maximi ze the benefits of WTO membership.     
Participation of Article XII LDCs in Ministerial Meetings  
74. As the highest decision -making body of the WTO, Ministerial Conferences tak e place at least 
once every two years. Ministers  from the majority of  Member countries and observers participat e and 
provide guidance for the future activities of the WTO. All Article XII LDCs tend to  participat e regularly  
in Ministerial meetings. A few of these countries were active , for example,  in propos ing a new initiative 
on Trade for Peace at the 11th Ministerial Conference.  
Participation of Article XII LDCs in WTO Councils and Committees  
75. Article XII LDC Members are quite active in the LDC Group . Two of them (Nepal between January 
and December 2013 , and Cambodia between February 2017 and February 2018) have served as LDC 
Group coordinators. However, acceded LDCs  seem to be less present in the broader structure  of WTO 
Councils and Committees . Afghanistan was active in chairing WTO bodies, including one Working Group 
and three Committees from 2018 t o 2021. Afghanistan's former WTO ambassador also chaired the 
access ion Working Party of South Sudan. In 2021 Nepal served as  chair of one Committee. To fully 
utilize the  benefits of  WTO membership and increase their presence  in the work of the Organization , 
Article XII LDCs need to play an active role in WTO Councils and Committees, including through chairing.  
Table 6 summarizes th is information.  
Table 6: Chairpersons of WTO bodies from Art icle XII LDC Members:  
No. Art. XII LDC  WTO Body  Year Name of 
Chairperson  
1 Afghanistan  Committee on Rules of Origin  2021 Mr. Sulaiman Satari  
2 Afghanistan  Committee on Trade and Development  2020 Amb. M ohammad 
Qurban  Haqjo  
3 Afghanistan  Committee on Trade Facilitation  2019 Amb. Mohammad 
Qurban  Haqjo  
4 Afghanistan  Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance  2018 Amb. Mohammad 
Qurban  Haqjo  
5 Nepal  Committee on Custom Valuation  2021 Mr. Buddhi Prasad  
Upadhyaya  
Source: WTO Secretariat  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 20 - 
 
  Trade Facilitation Agreement   
76. The negotiation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)  was completed in December 2013 , 
and it  entered into force on 22 February 2017 after ratification by two -thirds of the WTO membership. 
The Agreement has been ratified by all Article XII LDC Members, including those that acceded after 
2013, with the excepti on of Yemen . Under the agreement, Members specify their commitments in three 
separate categories. Category A is for immediate implementation upon entry into force of the 
agreement. Category B allows the delayed implementation of designated provisions withi n a specified 
time frame. Category C also provides a transition period, but fulfilment of the commitment is conditional 
upon receipt of technical assistance.  
2005 Protocol Amending the TRIPS Agreemen t 
77. WTO Members approved changes to the WTO 's intellectual property (TRIPS) agreement  on 
6 December 2005 in order to make permanent a decision on patents and public health originally adopted 
in 2003. This was formally built into the TRIPS Agreement after acceptance  of the Protocol of 
Amendment by two-thirds of the WTO Members. The amendment took effect on 23 January 2017 and 
replaced the 2003 waiver for those Members who have accepted the amendment . Out of nine Article XII  
LDCs, Cambodia, Samoa, Lao PDR and Nepal  have ratified these amendments .  
Joint statements Initiatives (JSI) and Plurilateral agreements   
78. Several Article XII LDC Members expressed  interest in joining the Joint Statement Initiatives  
(Table  7). Afghanistan, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Liberia , Vanuatu  and Yemen  have joined the 
Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on Investment Facilitation for Development. Afghanistan and Lao PDR 
also joined the Joint Statement Initiative on Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (MSMEs). 
Lao PDR is the only country from the group that has joined the JSI on E -Commerce. Three of them also 
joined the newly launched environmental initiatives : Cabo Verde (Trade and Environmental 
Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD ) and the Informal Dialogue on Plastic Pollution and 
Environmenta lly Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP)), Cambodia (IDP), and Vanuatu (Fossil Fuel Subsidy 
Reform , IDP and TESSD ). Afghanistan and Cambodia are members of  the Information Technology 
Agreement  (ITA).  Lao PDR  has recently joined  the ITA , including the ITA Expan sion (ITA II) . As for 
Plurilateral Trade Agreements ( Annex 4 of the WTO  Agreement ), Afghanistan is an observer to the 
Government Procurement Agreement.22  
Table 7: Participation of Art icle XII LDCs in JSIs and Membership of Plurilateral  Agreements  
 
Art. XII LDC 
Member  Participation in JSIs  Submissions in JSIs  Plurilateral 
Agreements  
1 Afghanistan  1. Investment Facilitation for 
Development  
2. MSMEs  - ITA 
GPA (Observer)  
2 Cabo Verde  1. Investment Facilitation for 
Development  
2. Trade and Environmental 
Sustainability Structured Discussions 
(TESSD)   
3. Informal Dialogue on Plastic 
Pollution and Environmentally 
Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP)  - - 
 
22 Afghanistan was interested in joining the GPA as an observer for two reasons: i) Afghanistan 's procurement 
law is open to international compan ies without any discrimination ; ii) to build the capacity of the procurement agency 
of the government by utilizing technical assis tance from the WTO.  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
- 21 - 
 
   
Art. XII LDC 
Member  Participation in JSIs  Submissions in JSIs  Plurilateral 
Agreements  
3 Cambodia  1. Investment Facilitation for 
Development  
2. Informal Dialogue on Plastic 
Pollution and Envi ronmentally 
Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP)  INF/IFD/RD/8323 
INF/IFD/RD/7924 - 
4 Lao PDR  1. E-Commerce  
2. Investment Facilitation for 
Development  
3. MSMEs  INF/IFD/RD/8 125 
INF/IFD/RD/8426 ITA and ITA 
Expansion  
5 Liberia  1. Investment Facilitation for 
Development  - - 
6 Nepal  - - - 
7 Samoa  - - - 
8 Vanuatu  1. Investment Facilitation for 
Development  
2. Fossil Fuel Subsid y Reform  
3. Informal Dialogue on Plastic 
Pollution and Environmentally 
Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP)  
4. Trade and Environmental 
Sustainability Structured Discussions 
(TESSD)  - - 
9 Yemen  1. Investment Facilitation for 
Development   - - 
 
Participation in ongoing discussions of the WTO  
79. Despite having limited resources, Article XII LDCs have managed to participate in ongoing 
discussions taking place in the WTO in different areas . These countries were quite active in meetings 
and raised their concerns regarding the topics of interest  to them. Based on available information,  
Article  XII LDCs have been involved  in 22 topics of discussion  and are sometimes playing an important 
role. Table 8 shows the detail.   
Table 8:  Article XII LDC  participation in ongoing discussions in the WTO  
 
Participation in ongoing WTO discussions on:   
Afghanistan  
Cabo Verde  
Cambodia  
Lao PDR  
Liberia  
Nepal  
Samoa  
Vanuatu  
Yemen  
1 Vaccines : Proposal for a  Waiver from Certain Provisions of 
the TRIPS Agreement for the Prevention , Containment 
and Treatment of COVID -19 (IP/C/W/669)  √ √        √   √   
2 Plastics (I DP)   √ √          √   
3 Fisheries subsidies  √ √   √   √  √ √   
4 Ministerial Decisions in favour of LDCs, such as DFQF 
market access, preferential rules of origin and the 
Services Waiver      √      √       
 
23 Cambodia's specific comments on provisions of the 'Easter Text' and text proposals on the Preamble; 
'Cross -border co -operation on investment facilitation'; and 'Sustainable Investment' (1 September 2021) . 
24 Cambodia's Text Proposal o n Measures Against Corruption (16 July 2021) . 
25 Lao PDR's specific comments on several provisions of the 'Easter Text' and text proposals on 'General 
Principles'; 'Technical Assistance and Capacity Building'; and 'Supplier -Development Programmes' (5 August  2021) . 
26 Lao PDR's specific comments on Section V of the 'Easter Text (Rev.1)' Supplemental submission with 
respect to its submission contained in document INF/IFD/RD/81, dated 5 August 2021 (22 September 2021) . WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 22 - 
 
   
Participation in ongoing WTO discussions on:   
Afghanistan  
Cabo Verde  
Cambodia  
Lao PDR  
Liberia  
Nepal  
Samoa  
Vanuatu  
Yemen  
5 S&D √   √      √       
6 Services domestic regulation (in the Working Party on 
Domestic Regulation)      √             
7 Aid for trade      √ √   √       
8 Emergency Safeguard Measures (ESM) Under Article X of 
the GATS      √ √           
9 Extension of The Transitional Period under Article 66.1 of 
TRIPS  √   √             
10 Participation in discussions on LDC graduation  √     √           
11 Rules of origin (incl. Preferential RoO for LDCs – 
G/RO/W/154)  √     √   √     √ 
12 Market Access for Products and Services of Export Interest 
to LDCs (WT/COMTD/LDC/W/60)  √     √   √        
13 MSMEs  √     √           
14 Government Procurement Under Article XIII of the GATS        √           
15 Measures to Allow Graduated LDCs, With GNP Below USD 
1,000, Benefits Pursuant to Annex VII(B) of the SCM 
Agreement (WT/GC/W/742 -WT/GC/W/752)  √         √   √   
16 Work Programme on E -commerce  √      √   √       
17 Legal status of JSIs  (WT/GC/W/819)            √       
18 Work Programme on Small Economies  √             √   
19 WTO reform  √         √       
20 Waivers Under Article IX of The WTO Agreement - 
Preferential Tariff Treatment for Least Developed 
Countries – Extension of Waiver (G/C/W/764)  √         √       
21 European Union: Covid -19 Vaccine Export Transparency 
and Authorization Measure (CTG)   
           
√   
22 Support to accessions of LDCs  √ √ √   √ √    
√ 
Source: WTO  
Trade Policy Reviews  (TPRs)  of Art icle XII LDCs 
80. Surveillance of national trade policies is a n important function of the WTO. At the centre of this 
work is the Trade Policy Review Mechanism. Six out of nine acceded LDC s have had at least on e Trade 
Policy Review, while Cambodia and Nepal already went  through two reviews. WTO Members were 
engaged in the Trade Policy Reviews of these Art icle XII Member s, making several observations on their 
trade policy regimes . Table 9 provides an overview of the TPRs of the analysed Art icle XII countries.  
Table 9: TP Rs of Article XII LDCs  
 
Art. XII countries  Date of TPR  Number of statements made by 
WTO Members  
Cabo Verde  6-8 October 2015  14 
Cambodia  1-3 November 2011  
21-23 November 2017  16 
24 
Lao PDR  18-20 November 2019  24 WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
- 23 - 
 
  Art. XII countries  Date of TPR  Number of statements made by 
WTO Members  
Nepal  13-15 March 2012  
3-5 December 2018  18 
22 
Samoa  10-12 April 2019  18 
Vanuatu  23-25 October 2018  18 
Source: WTO  
Participation in Trade Policy Reviews of other Members  
81. Many  Article XII LDCs actively follow the developments in  the countries of interest to them, and 
participate and make statements in their TPRs. Article XII LDCs have participated in 83 TPRs. Nepal and 
Cambodia had the highest number of participation (20 each). This participation gives countries first-
hand knowledge about the economies and trade performance in countries of interest,  the possibility of 
raising concerns regarding specific policies o r measures that may affect bilateral trade , and an 
opportunity to learn from their experiences. As coordinators  of the LDC Group, some of these countries 
delivered statements on behalf of the LDC Group. Table 10 shows how many TPRs each of the nine 
Article XII LDCs have participated in.  
Table 10: Article XII LDC participation in TPRs  
Article XII LDCs  Participation in Trade Policy Reviews  
Afghanistan  11 
Cambodia  20 
Cabo Verde  2 
Lao PDR  10 
Liberia  0 
Nepal  20 
Samoa  3 
Vanuatu  11 
Yemen  6 
Total  83 
Source: WTO  
Participation of the 9 analy sed Art icle XII LDCs in the transparency mechanism for regional trade 
agreements (RTAs)  
82. All nine Art icle XII LDCs are party to at least one RTA. As part of the WTO's transparency 
mechanism for RTAs, many of them have engaged  with the Secretariat in the preparation of factual 
presentations on these RTAs (e.g. Afghanistan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Nepal and Samoa) . 
Questions received by Article XII LDCs from other Members in various Councils and Committees   
83. Some WTO Members actively follow  the post -accession implementation progress of Article XII 
LDCs. Policy changes or new decisions taken by acceded LDCs sometimes raise questions in different 
WTO Councils and Committees. The nine Article XII LDCs have received  questions from 2 4 countries, 
with the majority of these relating  to trade facilitation and custom s valuation  (see Table 11) . These two 
areas are important for the LDCs where they might need more capacity building for the implementation 
of their accession commitments. Article XII LDCs also  used the WTO as a platform for  raising several 
concerns about trade policy measures of  other WTO Members.27 
 
27 E.g., in 2017, Lao PDR raised  a concern in relation to Canada's  investigation on silicon metal ; in 2019, 
Cambodia raised a concern with respect to the EU's safeguard measures on Indica Rice from Cambodia.  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 24 - 
 
  Table 11: Number of Members raising  questions  to Art icle XII LDCs  on specific topics  
Questions 
received on:  Trade 
Facilitation  Customs 
Valuation  Anti-
Dumping  SCM Import Ban  Total n o. of 
Members 
asking 
questions  
Article XII LDCs     
Afghanistan   
1    
1 
Cambodia  4 1    
5 
Cabo Verde    
1    
1 
Lao PDR   3 1 1 1  
6 
Liberia   2  
1   
3 
Nepal   1 3   
1 5 
Samoa   1     
1 
Vanuatu  1 1    
2 
Total 12 8 2 1 1 24 
 
Specific Trade Concerns  (STCs)  raised in the TBT and SPS Committees against Art icle XII LDC Members  
84. The analysed A rticle XII  countries have not raised any specific trade concerns against WTO 
Members , but two of them were subject to STCs raised by other Members in t he TBT and SPS 
Committees . Yemen was subject to four STCs brought up in the TBT Committee  against members of 
the Gulf Cooperation Council28 and Yemen .29 Nepal was subject to two STCs, one raised in the TBT, the 
other one in the SPS Committee context.30 
 
Technical assistance and capacity building  
85. Technical assistance and capacity building are an integral part of the accession  and post -
accession  process es, as they build knowledge and expertise on the WTO Agreements. The 2002 and 
2012 LDC Accession Guidelines specifically instruct the WTO Secretariat to work with  Members and  other 
partners to make sure that LDCs receive  proper capacity building support  in the context of their 
accession processes . It may be noted that the LDC  Group submitted a Proposal for the Establishment of 
a Work Programme on Post -Accession for Recently Acceded LDCs to the Sub -Committee in 2011.  With 
respect to post-accession technical assistance and capacity building, all nine Article XII LDCs have 
receiv ed significant support through WTO program mes or in collaboration with other partners. 
This include s short, medium,  and long -term (up to 10 months) capacity building program mes to help 
trade policy officials become more familiar with the WTO . Activities under the auspices of t he Enhanced 
Integrated Framework  (EIF) and Aid for Trade have also supported technical assistance and capacity 
building activities  benefitting LDCs. Samoa (2012), Lao PDR (2014), Liberia (2016), and Afghanistan 
(2016), for  example, received  tailor-made post -accession activities .   
86. As shown in Table 12, a total of 7,356 participants from the nine Article XII LDCs have been 
involved in  capacity building program mes – both online and face -to-face – offered by WTO directly or 
with partners. With 1,432 participants , Nepal  ranked top of the table , while Samoa and Cambodia also 
had more than 1 ,000 participants in the program mes. Cabo Verde and Liberia had the smallest number 
 
28 While Yemen is not a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)  itself, it is  a member of the GCC 
Standardization Organization  (GSO) which is a  standards organization  for the member states of the GCC  plus Yemen.  
29 (i) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, 
Yemen - The Cooper ation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf Draft Technical Regulation for "Requirements of 
Handling Energy Drinks" (ID 442) – TBT; (ii) Oman, Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Kuwait, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen - Guide for co ntrol of imported foods – Certification requirements for animal 
products (ID 540) – TBT; (iii) Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Kuwait, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, United 
Arab Emirates, Yemen - GCC Technical Regulations for the Restriction of the use  of certain Hazardous Substances 
in electrical and electronic equipment (ID 572) – TBT; (iv) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Bahrain, State of 
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, United Arab Emirates - Halal Feedstuff (ID 643) – TBT. 
30 Nepal - National Alcohol  Regulation and Control Policy – Graphic Warnings and Statements for Alcoholic 
Beverages (ID 541) – TBT; Nepal's import ban on energy drinks (ID 473) (STC 473) – SPS. WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
- 25 - 
 
  of participants – 295 and 410  respectively. On average, 817 participants per country took part in 
capacity building program mes.  
Table 12: Participants from Art icle XII LDCs in WTO capacity building program mes 
Countries  UP to 2018 both 
online and face to 
face training  2019 -2021 face to face 
training  2019-2021 online 
training   Total 
CB/TA  
Afghanistan  389 149 112 650 
Cabo Verde  286 5 4 295 
Cambodia  783 63 161 1,007 
Lao PDR  873 55 64 992 
Liberia  363 12 35 410 
Nepal  1137 32 263 1,432 
Samoa  959 66 32 1,057 
Vanuatu  551 57 125 733 
Yemen  759 6 15 780 
Total  6,100 445 811 7,356 
Average 678 49 90 817 
Source: WTO  
Using WTO plat forms for disputes  
87. Afghanistan  was the only acceded LDC  to mention  utilization of the WTO dispute settlement 
mechanism as one of the main reasons for  seeking  membership . The focus of this interest was to address  
problems with neighbouring countries.  
88. The dispute settlement mechanism gives the WTO a unique position among m ultilateral 
institutions but in the last 17 years  none of the Article XII LDC Members have filed a dispute or had a 
dispute filed against them. Only Afghanistan was a third party to three  disputes and Yemen  to two 
disputes involving  other countries  (Table 13).  
Table 13: Article XII LDC involvement as third party to WTO disputes  
No Country Name  As Complainant  As Respondent  As Third Party  
1 Afghanistan  0 0 3 (DS576, DS538, DS526)  
2 Yemen  0 0 2 (DS567, DS526)  
Source: WTO  
Transparency and notifications  
89. Transparency is a key principle of the multilateral trading system underpinning  all WTO 
agreements. Two fundamental requirements for transparency  are: (i) publication of relevant information 
on trade; and (ii) timely notification of new trade -related measures and legislation. In line with the 
requirement of WTO agreements to set up and notif y enquiry points , on SPS, TBT and TRIPS, all nine 
Article XII LDCs submitted the related notifications.   
90. According to  WTO data, Article XII LDCs submi tted a total of 591 notifications to different 
committees. On average 66 notifications were submitted by each Member. Some 265 notification s were 
submitted by Yemen , as well as by members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Yemen31. Nepal and 
Cambodia came in  second and third , with 77 and 73 notifications. The lowest number of notifications 
were submitted by Cabo Verde and Liberia (23 and 14, respectively). Afghanistan, Lao PDR, Samoa and 
 
31 Yemen is a member of the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) . The notifications to t he TBT and SPS 
Committees were submitted  on behalf of members of the GSO (United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Bahrain, State of 
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Yemen) .  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 26 - 
 
  Vanuatu submitted 30 plus notifications to different com mittees of the WTO. Table 1 4 summarizes the 
information.  
Table 1 4: Notification s submitted by Art icle XII Members to different WTO committees  
No. Committees/Council  
Afghanistan  
Cabo Verde  
Cambodia  
Lao PDR  
Liberia  
Nepal  
Samoa  
Vanuatu  
Yemen  
1 Committee on Trade Facilitation  2 1 5 5 3 4 2 3   
2 Committee on Market Access  3 3   1           
3 Committee on Import Licensing  1 3 3 3   2 1     
4 Customs Valuation Committee  1 4 3 1   1   1   
5 Committee on Rules of Origin  1   2 2 1 1 3 2 1 
6 Committee on Pre -Shipment Inspection  2     1           
7 Anti-Dumping Committee  2 1 1 3 1 2   2   
8 Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing 
Measures  4   3 4 1 3   2   
9 Committee on Safeguards  1   1 2 1 1   1   
10 TBT Committee  3   23 1 3 9 2 1 203 
11 SPS Committee  3 4   3 1 31     61 
12 TRIMS Committee  1   2 1 1 14 1     
13 Working Party on State Trading Enterprise  1 1 1 1     1 1   
14 Committee on Agriculture  6 1 15 2     14 10   
15 TRIPS Council  1 4 1 1 1 1 5 13   
16 Council for Trade in Services  2   5 3   6 1     
17 Committee on RTAs    1 7 2 1   2     
18 Committee on Trade and Development  1   1     2       
  Total Notifications  35 23 73 36 14 77 32 36 265 
Source: WTO  
7  ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN ARTICLE XII LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  
91. The Article XII LDCs would reasonably have expected an economic growth dividend resulting 
from the reforms associated with WTO accession. This expectation was certainly part of the narrative 
embraced by most if not all the LDCs in expla ining the rationale for joining the WTO. The  picture is 
mixed, however, because multiple factors – often beyond the control of policy -makers – determine 
outcomes. Moreover, as already stated, it is exceedingly difficult empirically to attribute reliably th e 
magnitude or even the direction of economic performance to a single factor such as WTO accession. 
These caveats regarding the interpretation of growth performance should be born in mind when looking 
at the performance of individua l countries.   
92. Table 15 records real GDP growth rates in the nine Article XII LDCs from 2010 to 2020. The  data 
for 2020 reflects extraordinary circumstances, significantly dependent on geography and economic 
structure and should  not be assessed in terms of any trends observed in previous years, or the lack 
thereof. Afghanistan 's GDP growth has been fairly steady since 2014, having come down from high 
average rates between 2010 and 2013 (except for 2011). Like all the countries in Table 15 with the 
exception of Yemen, Afghanistan e xperienced negative growth in 2020 on account of the COVID -19 
pandemic. Cabo Verde, Nepal, and Vanuatu saw increased growth, mostly in the latter part of the period. 
Cambodia and Lao PDR maintained consistently high growth rates. Liberia fared poorly from 2014 
onwards. Samoa 's growth rate was somewhat erratic, going negative in some years. Yemen experienced 
negative GDP growth on average between 2010 and 2020.    WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
- 27 - 
 
  Table 15: Real GDP Growth, 2010 -2020  
 2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018   2019   2020   
Afghanistan  14.4 0.4 12.8 5.6 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.7 1.3 3.9 -1.9 
Cabo Verde  1.5 4.0 1.1 0.8 0.6 1.0 4.7 3.7 4.5 5.7 -14.8 
Cambodia  6.0 7.1 7.3 7.4 7.1 7.1 7.0 6.8 7.5 7.1 -3.1 
Lao PDR  8.5 8.0 8.0 8.0 7.6 7.3 7.02 6.9 6.3 5.5 0.4 
Liberia  6.1 8.2 8.0 8.7 0.7 0 -1.6 2.5 1.2 -2.3 -2.9 
Nepal  4.8 3.4 4.4 3.5 6.0 4.0 0.4 9.0 7.6 6.7 -2.1 
Samoa  0.5 4.2 -4.1 -0.4 0.1 4.3 8.1 1.0 -2.1 3.6 -2.7 
Vanuatu  1.3 3.1 1.0 0.5 3.1 0.4 4.7 6.3 2.9 3.3 -9.2 
Yemen  7.7 -12.7 2.4 -12.7 2.4 4.8 0.2 -28.0 -9.4 -5.1 0.8 
Source: www.theglobaleconomy.com  
93. Table 16 records exports of goods and services for the nine LDCs  from 2010 to 2019. Increasing 
and diversifying exports is undoubtedly  an aspiration for countries acceding to the WTO. For LDCs this 
raises a range of challenges that can take some time to overcome. Such challenges include making good 
use of preferences w here these are available, and meeting standards in international markets. Given 
the export structures of most LDCs, complying with sanitary and phytosanitary standards can be a 
particular challenge. Technical assistance and capacity building are important components of efforts to 
increase exports. All the countries in Table 16 except Yemen experienced average increases in exports 
over the period, although it should be noted that these numbers are in current price terms, which is 
likely to have accounted for  some of the growth.    
Table 16: Exports of goods and services, 2010 -2019 (billion USD)  
  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  
Afghanistan  0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.9 1.0 
Cambodia  6.1 6.9 8.1 9.5 10.6 11.1 12.3 13.5 15.1 16.6 
Cabo Verde  0.5 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.0 1.0 
Lao PDR  2.5 3.5 3.9 4.6 5.4 4.9 5.3 4.9 5.3 5.8 
Liberia  0.4 0.5 0.9 1.1 0.9 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.9 
Nepal  1.5 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.5 2.0 2.3 2.6 2.7 
Samoa  0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 
Vanuatu  0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 
Yemen  6.8 6.9 7.0 7.1 2.5 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 
Source: www.theglobaleconomy.com  
94. As far as the direction of trade  is concerned, Annex 1 lists the top ten export destination 
countries for Article XII LDCs in 2019. Chart 3 below offers an indication of the degree of concentration 
of both export products and export destinations for the Article XII LDCs in 2019. The bars  in the chart 
represent the share of the three leading export products and the three principal export destinations for 
each of the Article XII LDCs. The numbers on the left -hand vertical axis are percentage shares.   
95.  A general and very familiar propositio n is that the more diversified a country 's exports are, both 
in terms of product composition and export destinations, the greater the resilience of exports in the face 
of external shocks. In general, it is also the case that the more developed an economy, the more 
diversified will it be in terms of product mi x and markets in exports. These considerations are behind 
the notion that development and diversification go together.  
96. As shown in Chart 3, Afghanistan, Cabo Verde, Liberia, Vanuatu, and Yemen have rel atively high 
product compositions in the export baskets , ranging from just under 60 % (Afghanistan) to over 80 % 
(Vanuatu). The rest of the Article XII LDCs  have an export concentration rate for their top three products 
of less than 40 %.  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 28 - 
 
  97. In terms of the concentration of export destinations, Lao PDR joins the five LDCs  mentioned in 
the previous paragraph as being the most geographically dependant, with ratios again between just 
under 60 % (Vanuatu) and just over 80 % (Nepal). For the countries with less dependency on a small 
number of export markets, the ratios are betwee n 36% (Cambodia) and 42 % (Samoa).           
Chart 3: Shares of the three main exports and export destinations for 2019 (%)  
 
Source: Observatory of Economic Complexity: https://oec.world/en/profile/count ry   
98. Chart 4 looks at the sources of value -added in GDP for the Article XII LDCs. The value-added is 
allocated between agriculture, industry and services in terms of their respective percentage shares. 
The horizontal axis shows two data points for each LDC  (excluding Vanuatu for whom there is no data) 
referring to the years 2010 and 2019. In order to complement these observations for two years only, 
Annex 2 contains three tabulations that provide the figures for each year between 2010 and 2019.  
 
99. The three sources of value have maintained a fairly stable relationship over the years, although 
there have been some shifts. Agriculture remains a significant source of value -added for these LDCs. 
Cambodia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Liberia, and Yemen have seen the  share of agriculture in GDP shrink to 
varying degrees. Afghanistan  has lost industry share, wh ile the shares of industry have increased in the 
case of Cambodia and Liberia. Afghanistan has seen a significant increase in the services component of 
total val ue-added. Nepal has also seen an increase but to a lesser extent. Yemen 's share of services in 
GDP has fallen over the period. These changes may have occurred for a variety of reasons, including as 
a result of evolving trade patterns. As these LDCs grow an d develop, they will become more dependent 
on services as a source of income and jobs, consistent with a pattern observed in most countries in the 
world.    
WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
- 29 - 
 
  Chart 4: Shares of Value -Added in GDP for selected Article XII LDC (2010 and 2019)  
 
Source: www.theglobaleconomy.com  
100.  Finally, Table 17 reports on Foreign Direct investment (FDI), expressing FDI flows from 2010 to 
2019 as a percentage share of GDP for each of the Article XII LDCs. FDI is considered a key f actor for 
the development of any economy, especially the least developed ones. In some of the countries in 
Table  17, FDI flows have sometimes  tended  to vary quite a bit from one year to another. This is the 
case for Liberia and Vanuatu and may be the result, at least in part, of large single investments being 
made relative to the size of the country. Doubtless other facts were in play as well. Cambodi a, Cabo 
Verde, Lao PDR, Liberia , and Vanuatu have performed the best among the Article XII LDCs in terms of 
attracting FDI flows relative to their size. An analysis of why this is the case is beyond the scope of this 
note, and it is likely that a range of factors have been in play.   
Table 17: Foreign Direct Investment as a percentage of GDP in Article XII LDCs, 2010 -2019  
  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  
Afghanistan  1.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.9 0.5 0.3 0.7 0.1 
Cambodia  12.5 12.0 14.2 13.6 11.1 10.1 12.4 12.6 13.1 13.5 
Cabo Verde  7.0 5.5 7.4 4.8 9.7 6.0 7.6 6.3 5.5 5.4 
Lao PDR  3.9 3.4 6.1 5.7 6.5 7.5 5.9 10.1 7.6 4.1 
Liberia  103.0  87.0 84.9 65.2 16.0 7.3 9.5 7.5 4.0 2.8 
Nepal  0.6 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.7 0.2 0.5 
Samoa  -0.2 1.2 2.7 1.8 3.0 3.4 0.3 1.1 2.0 0.1 
Vanuatu  9.4 8.0 8.1 7.8 1.7 4.2 6.3 4.3 4.1 3.7 
Yemen  0.6 -1.6 -0.1 -0.3 -0.5 -0.1 -1.8 -1.4 -1.2 0.0 
Source: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries  
WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 30 - 
 
  8  LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACCEDING COUNTRIES  
101.  WTO accession is a unique process for each acceding country . The decision to accede to the 
WTO and the approach to  negotiation s will be different  from one country to another. The nine Article  XII 
LDCs each had their own reasons and motivations. The same  is true for those LDCs currently neg otiating 
their accession.  Therefore,  there is no  one-size-fits-all recipe for accession and post -accession. There 
are, however, some issues where a common approach makes sense. These will be addressed here.  
8.1  Pre-accession and the negotiations  
102.  The d ecision to join the WTO should come either from the top leadership of the country or be 
explicitly supported by the top leadership. The accession  process demand s a strong  political buy-in to 
support arduous negotiations and the accompanying technical work. The latter includes  drafting new 
laws and regulations and  amend ing the existing one s. Sometime s difficult decisions require the 
involvement of top leadership . Drawing on the experiences of the Article XII LDCs, a number of points  
are worth consideration on the part of curren tly acceding LDCs : 
Development  of the  overall accession strategy  
103.  The WTO a ccession process is a major economic decision for any country. In order to  use the 
membership to help in fostering growth and development , a proper accession  strategy  should be  in 
place. The roles of each entity and ministry should be specified, and the approach towards market access  
in goods and service s, as well as the legislative action plan should be clear . A number of Article XII LDCs 
started the process without a clear vision or a proper accession strategy in plac e. This caused delays 
and problems in the process.  
A single mi nistry should lead the process and establish a WTO Unit   
104.  A unit should be established to coordinate the accession . This unit should serve as hub for 
accession -related information  and should also be the focal point for contact s with line ministries as well 
as with the WTO  Secretariat . In many  cases , the lead ministry that establishes a WTO Unit would be the 
ministry that carries most responsibility for international trade  but the arrangements wil l obviously 
reflect the specific situation facing each country .  
Nominating  a Chief Negotiator  
105.  The C hief Negotiator play s an important role in the accession process, as she/he is the main 
person responsible for the overall  accession. Th is individual  needs to be technically knowledgeable , 
possess  good communication skills , and have diplomatic tact . The Chief Negotiator should  be able to 
handle  pressure and sometimes make  hard decisions. The Chief Negotiator also needs to be backed up 
by a strong team and enjoy political support at the highest level. As the  accession  process is likely to 
take some years, the composition of the WTO Unit needs to be able to plan for continuity .  
Establishment of the negotiati ng team  
106.  Building a n effective team is key to success . It is the C hief Negotiator 's job to identify key people 
from line ministries to be involved in the process. Without  a strong technical team, it is difficult for the 
Chief Negotiator to conclude the work. Also, to add value to the team, if financially feasible , it is useful 
to involve representative s of the legislature  and from the private sector in order to make the process 
inclusive . At the end of the process , this will also help with public approval of the outcome.  
Capacity Building of the Negotiation Team  
107.  Members of the WTO need to build up their knowledge of the WTO and become knowledgeable 
in a range of key  institutional  and policy  matters. A mixture of specialization and cross -fertilization within 
the team makes it stronger and more effective. There are two  direct  ways of building up this capacity:  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
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  i) use the online course s offered by the WTO and make them compulsory for every Member of the team , 
and ii)  utilize the WTO's face-to-face capacity building program mes and make the online course a 
prerequisite  for that. A good deal of learning can also be acquired from personal connections with the 
individuals who deliver the technical assistance  from the WTO Secretariat and elsewhere,  as well as 
from officials of other governments.  
Assign a Liaison Officer in the UN Mission in Geneva  
108.  During  the accession process regular contact with the WTO Secretariat and WTO Members  is 
essential  but as the acceding governments cannot  send a representative to  the WTO before accession, 
it is important to send a dedicated person  to the country 's mission in Geneva to coordinate work with 
the WTO and capital. This will help establish a direct link between the WTO and the lead ministry.  
Use your accession process for domestic reforms  
109.  Accession  to the WTO is not a single action , but rather  a process that evaluate s the overall 
economic system of  a country and propose s changes  to different rule s, procedures  and laws. It is 
recommended to take advantage of  this process to pursue  domestic  reforms , and also take advantage 
of the availability of technical assistance  accompanying  the accession process . 
Prepar e realist ic goods and services  market access  offers  
110.  Market access negotiations are the backbone of the accession process, and a well prepared, well 
documented,  and realistic market access offer for both goods and service s is key to the success of the 
process. Acceding LDCs should utilize the flexibilities provided by the 2012 LDC Guidelines  while 
remaining within the parameters defining the bottom line in market access commitments .  
Consult with the legislature , the private sector  and civil society   
111.  Part of the preparation is to consult with the relevant stakeholders , mainly from the private 
sector and the legislature, but also in some cases with civil society organizations . As the  accession  
process is  complex , there should be broader  consultation with the producers from all industries, 
importers, and service s providers in different sectors. This will give good guidance to the negotiation 
team about sensitiv ities that need to be taken into account. The role of the legislature  is also critical , as 
ultimately it is the legislature  that approve s the accession package.  
Coordinate with the Accession s Division of the WTO Secretariat  
112.  The A ccession s Division is the point of contact within  the WTO  for acceding countr ies. Direct 
contact  with the Accession s Division is needed for the process. Th e Division  can be a good adviser  and 
a problem solver between the acceding LDC s and WTO Member s and a link with  the donor community . 
The Division can also help with support from within  the WTO Secretariat , for instance on technical 
assistance from the WTO side. It can also put acceding LDCs  in touch with recently acceded Members 
who are willing to share  their accession experiences.   
Do not be shy of presenting an idea  
113.  WTO accession  is a unique process  to every country  where  different ideas and proposals should 
be projected without hesitation, even if they seem novel. For s uch innovation to have a chance of 
success, it must be well justified and cognizant of WTO rules .  
Public outreach   
114.  Conveying and explaining government activities in terms of accession to the people is important. 
Change s can affect ordinary citizen s and surprises should be avoided. One  role of the lead ministry and 
chief negotiator is to explain the importance and the  likely impact of the accession to the WTO on the WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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  economy in the  short and long -term. Open debate and discussion will help  people understand the 
purpose of WTO accession  and build knowledge about WTO .  
8.2  Post-accession  
115.  The a ccession process i s difficult  enough, but post -accession is more so . A country needs to 
show that it can fulfil its obligations . A strong and comprehensive post -accession strategy , identified 
before the accession date,  is essential.   The strategy should reflect what the country expects from its 
WTO membership and what the Members expect from the newly accede d Member. This strategy should 
define the role of each entit y and the expected results  in order to ensure adequate follow -up. The 
strategy should spell out clear timelines  for the implementation of WTO commitments , including for the 
implementation of those with transitional period s.  
Donors meeting s can s upport the post accession strategy  
116.  Most donors are quite open and forward -looking in support ing LDC accession process es, but 
once a country bec omes a  member , there is a risk that donors fall away. After preparing a post-accession 
implementation strategy,  a roundtable discussion with national donor s and international agencies  can 
help to tie down  necessary  support from the donor community.  
Post-Accession Capacity Building  
117.  Post-accession implementation  may require knowledge and  technical know -how. A coordinated 
technical assistance  programme is required  for various issues related to post -accession obligations and 
programmes . Countries can work with WTO Accession s Division  (immediate pre -accession stage) , the 
Institute for  Training and Technical Cooperation  of the WTO  (after accession)  and other donors  in order  
to establ ish targeted capacity building program mes.  
Involve the negotiation  team in post -accession  
118.  Many LDCs have difficulty in retaining the negotiation team after the accession process  is over.  
A variety  of reasons could account for this. Technical processes can become more political once the 
action is essentially domestic after negotia tions with trading partn ers are over. Change s in government 
can result in the replacement of previous negotiators. Offic ials with new skills  acquired in the negotiating 
process may be enticed away from their previous roles, including by other governments and 
international agencies. In the name of continuity and coherence, government s should do their best to 
ensure smooth transition s and transfer of knowledge  and capacity.   
Coordinating meetings: Ministerial level and technical level  
119.  Internal coordination  is needed for the implementation of WTO commitments. This coordination 
should be at two levels  – first meetings  at Ministerial or deputy Minister level and chaired by the lead 
ministry should  follow up on the implementation of commitment s and WTO -related work. Second , 
technical level meeting s are required, to be chaired by the Chief Negotiator and they should  be att ended 
by technical experts from the line ministries. These coordination meetings should take place with the 
necessary frequency to ensure overall coherence.  
Representati on in Geneva  
120.  Establishing an effective  presence  in Geneva help s the country to fully utilize the benefits of 
WTO accession. It helps  a country to be part of the  trade community and its  committees, subcommittees, 
and councils , and to be involve d in different multilateral  negotiations. For LDCs , it may not be financially  
feasible to establish  a separate mission in Geneva to the WTO , in which case representation can be 
organized through  Mission s to the UN in Geneva .  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
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  9  CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS  
121.  Of the  46 LDCs , 35 are Members of the WTO . LDCs represent one-fifth of the to tal membership 
of the WTO, and most of the m are in Asia and Africa. These are continents  on the move . They will 
account for increasing  shares of global trade and investment  in coming years . They are also continents 
rich in resources and with young populations.   
 
122.  The participation  of LDCs  in international governance that promotes  trade and development, 
including in the WTO , needs to expand as the se economies grow. This process began in the 1970s  when 
the development needs of the poorest countries were explicitly recognized and accommodated. 
The process has continued to gather pace. Graduating out of least -developed country status should be 
seen as an important achievement and not as a threat  or unrequited loss of special privileges . While the 
trade rules continue to accommodate the particular  needs of LDCs,  the WTO  and LDCs will increasingly 
complement one another . Nine LDCs joined the WTO in 15 years and eight more are engaged in the 
accession process. This increased LDC involvement contributes t o the growing  universality of the WTO.    
123.  LDC participation brings the stated aims of the WTO closer to realization , including those of 
cutting living costs and rais ing living standards , helping countries to develop , giving the weaker a 
stronger voice, and contributing to peace and stability. For their part, LDC involvement in the WTO 
strengthens th eir economies , promotes government -business  dialog ue, and helps build the ir institutions , 
assisting them in reduc ing the fragility and conflict  that afflicts a number  of least-developed countries.  
The Trade for Peace initiative , and LDC involvement in that initiative , help to focus on these tasks.   
124.  Formidable challenges remain. Least -developed countries, including present and future 
Article  XII LDCs, are yet to fully reap the  full benefit of the WTO system . This will take time  and require 
continued support from the community of nations and international institutions , particularly with  
technical assistance and capacity building. But ultimately, the gains will be shared by all.    
  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
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  Key References   
Zanzibar Declaration  (WT/L/409)  
Decision on Accession of Least -Developed Countries (2002 Guidelines – WT/L/508),  
Decision on Accession of Least -Developed Countries (2012 Guidelines, Addendum  - WT/L/508/Add.1)    
United Nations Department Economic and Social Affairs – Least Developed Coun tries, 
https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/least -developed -country -category.html   
International Trade Centre, Afghanistan: A Retrospective on Five Years of WTO Membership . 
https://www.intracen.org/uploadedFiles/intracenorg/Content/Redesign/Afganistan_A _Retrospective_o
n_Five_Years_of_WTO_Membership_new.pdf  
International Trade Centre , Liberia: A Retrospective on Five Years of WTO Membership . 
https://www.intracen.org/uploadedFiles/intracenorg/Content/Redesign/Liberia%20A%20Retrospective
%20on%20Five%20Years%20of%20WTO%20Membership_.pdf     
Fifth China Round Table on WTO A ccessions:  Best Practices on t he Accession s of Least Developed 
Countries  (WTO LDC Accession Acquis) . 2017. 
https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/d1chinaround17_ldcaquis.pdf   
WTO website , www.WTO.org   
www.macrotrends.net/countries  
www.theglobaleconomy.com  
Observatory of Economic Complexity . https://oec.world/en/profile/country  
   
  WT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29 
 
- 35 - ANNEX 1 
Top ten export destination countries for Article XII LDCs, 2019  
 
Afghanistan  Cabo Verde  Cambodia  Lao PDR  Liberia  Nepal  Samoa Vanuatu  Yemen   
1 India Spain  United States  Thailand  China  India American Samoa  Malaysia  Egypt  
2 Pakistan  Portugal  Japan  China  France  US New Zealand  Philippines  Turkey  
3 China  Italy Germany  Vietnam  Poland  Turkey  United States  New Zealand  Oman  
4 Turkey  United States  China  Japan  Spain  Germany  Tokelau  Australia  Sudan  
5 UAE Germany  UK India Germany  UK Australia  Fiji Eritrea  
6 Iran Romania  Canada  Germany  Belgium  China  Japan  New Caledonia  Indonesia  
7 Iraq Guinea -Bissau  Belgium  Hong Kong, China  US Italy Fiji Japan  China  
8 Germany  Netherlands  Spain  Switzerland  Luxembourg  France  Thailand  PNG Argentina  
9 Saudi Arabia  Algeria  Thailand  United States  Cote D'Ivoire  Bangladesh  Singapore  US Japan  
10 Tajikistan  Gambia, The  Netherlands  Italy Netherlands  Japan  Vanuatu  Solomon Islands  Korea, Rep.  
Source:  Observatory of Economic Complexity : https://oec.world/en/profile/countryWT/ACC/ 41 • WT/COMTD/LDC/ 29  
 
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  ANNEX 2  
Share of Value -Added Data for the Article XII LDCs  
Percentage Share of AGRICULTURE value -added in GDP (2010 -2019)  
  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  
Afghanistan  26.2 23.7 24.4 22.8 22.1 20.6 25.7 26.4 22.0 25.8 
Cambodia  33.9 34.6 33.5 31.6 28.9 26.6 24.7 23.4 22.0 20.7 
Cabo Verde  8.0 7.8 8.5 8.3 8.0 8.7 8.0 6.7 5.3 4.6 
Lao PDR  22.6 20.8 18.6 17.9 17.9 17.6 17.2 16.2 15.7 15.2 
Liberia  44.8 44.3 38.8 37.2 35.8 34.4 37.2 37.1 37.3 39.1 
Nepal  33.2 30.7 30.1 28.6 27.5 26.5 25.5 23.7 22.3 21.6 
Samoa  10.4 8.8 9.2 9.7 9.5 8.7 9.1 10.5 9.8 9.9 
Vanuatu  21.7 23.5 26.2 26.4 26.6 26.9         
Yemen  8.2 8.5 8.4 7.9 7.8 7.1 7.0 6.0 5.0   
Source:  www.theglobaleconomy.com  
 Percentage Share of INDUSTRY value -added in GDP (2010 -2019)  
  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  
Afghanistan  21.2 22.7 21.2 20.4 21.2 22.1 10.5 10.1 13.4 14.1 
Cambodia  21.9 22.1 23.0 24.1 25.6 27.7 29.5 30.9 32.3 34.2 
Cabo Verde  18.2 17.8 17.0 17.5 18.7 18.1 17.1 18.2 19.3 19.6 
Lao PDR  30.5 30.8 32.4 30.4 28.8 27.7 28.8 30.9 31.5 30.1 
Liberia  5.0 8.3 16.4 15.8 15.7 12.5 8.0 10.2 12.5 12.0 
Nepal  14.2 14.1 14.1 14.2 13.8 13.7 13.1 13.2 13.4 13.3 
Samoa  17.8 18.6 19.4 18.2 18.6 17.5 17.8 16.9 15.2 15.6 
Vanuatu  12.3 9.7 7.5 7.9 8.1 11.1         
Yemen  43.8 46.5 46.5 43.9 44.04  36.4 46.7 42.2 35.6 40.6 
Source: www.theglobaleconomy.com   
 Percentage Share of SERVICES in value -added in GDP (2010 -2019)  
  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  
Afghanistan  48.9 49.7 50.6 52.7 53.0 53.2 59.0 58.3 59.5 55.5 
Cambodia  38.3 37.5 37.8 38.5 39.7 39.8 39.9 39.7 39.5 38.9 
Cabo Verde  61.2 60.6 62.2 61.8 61.2 60.5 61.8 61.2 60.9 61.4 
Lao PDR  43.6 41.8 40.2 42.5 44.2 44.2 42.5 41.5 41.6 42.7 
Liberia  50.2 47.4 44.8 47.0 48.5 53.1 50.3 48.2 50.2 49.0 
Nepal  46.4 45.3 46.9 47.6 48.7 49.5 50.0 51.0 51.0 50.6 
Samoa  72.8 72.6 71.5 72.1 72.0 73.8 73.1 72.6 75.0 74.7 
Vanuatu  Data not available.  
Yemen  27.4 29.0 29.0 27.2 27.3 23.4 23.0 19.2 16.8 18.1 
Source: www.theglobaleconomy.com   
 
 
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