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WT/COMTD/PTA/M/13  
 
6 December  2023 
(23-8275) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Trade and Development  
Thirteenth Dedicated Session on Preferential Trade  
Arrangements    
 
  
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 17 NOVEMBER  2023  
Chairman: H.E. Dr. José R. Sánchez -Fung (Dominican Republic)  
1. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  ................................ ................................ ....................  1 
2. NOTIFICATIONS RECEIVED  ................................ ................................ .....................  1 
(A) Developing Countries Trading Scheme – Notification by the United Kingdom 
(WT/COMTD/PTA6/N/1)  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 1 
3.  STATUS OF THE WORK OF THE DEDICATED SESSION  ................................ ..............  2 
(A) Status of the preparation of factual presentations – Report by the Chairman 
(WT/COMTD/PTA/W/11)  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 2 
4. OTHER BUSINESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 3 
 
1. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairman  said that the proposed agenda for the 13th Dedicated Session on 
Preferential  Trade Arrangements  (PTAs) of the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) was 
contained in Airgram WTO/AIR/COMTD/PTA/12/Rev.1  of 7 November 2023. He noted that 
this Airgram had been prepared in line with the new measures that were being implemented to 
improve the functioning of the CTD. Among other things, the Airgram contained a simpler and more 
straightforward numbering system for agenda ite ms. It also contained a hyperlink to access the 
annotated draft agenda which had been prepared for the present meeting, and which had been 
circulated in document JOB/COMTD/ PTA/1. At the 122nd Regular Session of the CTD which would be 
held later in the day, he would be saying more about these and other measures that were being 
implemented to improve the functioning of the Committee.   
 
2. The agenda was adopted . 
2. NOTIFICATIONS RECEIVED  
(A) Developing Countries Trading Scheme – Notification by the United Kingdom 
(WT/COMTD /PTA6/N/1 ) 
3. The Chairman  said that , since the last meeting of the CTD's Dedicated Session on PTAs, one 
new notification had been received. This notification, which was contained in document 
WT/COMTD/PTA6/N/1 , concerned the United Kingdom's Developing Countries Trading Scheme  
(DCTS) . He invite d the United Kingdom to introduce the notification.  
 
4. The representative of  the  United Kingdom  delivered the following statement:  
 
5. The United Kingdom's DCTS entered into fo rce on 19 June 2023, and was notified to the 
CTD on 5 October 2023. A guide with additional information and links is available to Members. 
The DCTS has also been notified to the Committee on Rules of Origin.1 These notifications include 
all the necessary links to the legislation and email contact points, should Members have any 
 
1 G/RO/LDC/N/GBR/1/Rev.1  WT/COMTD/PTA/M/13  
 
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  questions. The  United Kingdom has also published detailed guidance on the scheme.2 The detailed 
guidance includes six guides on different elements of the scheme, including an inter active tool, which 
provides tariff information and a look -up tool for rules of origin. The DCTS is more generous and 
more accessible than the United Kingdom's previous unilateral trading scheme, making it easier for 
65 developing countries to trade with th e United Kingdom. We are continuing with a programme of 
engagement activities to promote the scheme and encourage businesses to use the trade 
preferences. We will also undertake analysis to track the impact of the scheme on trade flows over 
the next few ye ars. We look forward to sharing our findings with the CTD in the future.  
 
6. The representative  of Nepal , on behalf of the LDC Group, delivered the following statement:  
 
7. The LDC Group thank s the United Kingdom for the notification of the DCTS  for 
65 developing  countries, including LDCs, and for the presentation this morning. We welcome this 
preferential  scheme, and we are hopeful that th e scheme will assist to increase the LDCs' exports to 
the United Kingdom.  
 
8. The representative  of the European Union  delivered the following statement:  
 
9. I would like to thank the United Kingdom for the presentation. Congratulations for putting this 
scheme into place. I would like to ask a simple question. What are the key differences between this 
new scheme and the previously applied one?  
 
10. The representative  of Nigeria  delivered the following statement:  
 
11. I would like to thank the United  Kingdom for the DCTS . Like Nepal, we see this scheme as an 
opportunity to help boost our ability to trade with the United Kingdom. I note that some countries 
have access to the comprehensive preferences, while others – including Nigeria – have access to 
the enhanced preferences. I would like to ask the  United Kingdom to shed light on the criteria for 
assigning countries to different types of preferences. Nigeria would have preferred the 
comprehensive preferences  sub-scheme.  
 
12. The representative of the United States  delivered the following statement:  
 
13. We would like to thank the United Kingdom for this notification and the important transparency 
exercise that it entails .  
14. The Committee took note  of the notification by the United Kingdom,  and of the interv entions.  
3.  STATUS OF THE WORK OF THE DEDICATED SESSION  
(A) Status of the preparation of factual presentations – Report by the Chair man 
(WT/COMTD/PTA/W/ 11) 
15. The Chairman  said that his report on the status of the preparation of factual presentations of 
PTAs was contained in document WT/COMTD/PTA/W/11 . The report showed that  progress was being 
made on some factual presentations. Furthermore, after the report had  been circulated, India had 
submitted the 2022 tariffs for its Duty -Free Tariff Preference Scheme for LDCs. However, there 
remained a number of PTAs that had been notified since the establishment of 
the Transparency  Mechanism for PTAs, for which the Secret ariat had still not received the full set of 
data or information required for the preparation of the factual presentations. He urged the notifying 
Members concerned to provide all the required data and information as soon as possible. He informed 
the Commi ttee that he would try to reach out informally to these Members before the next meeting, 
to explore whether the submission of the necessary data and information could be expedited.  
 
16. The representative of the United States  delivered the following statement:  
 
17. This is an opportunity for us to thank you and the Secretariat for the continued commitment 
to this important transparency exercise. We encourage all Members who have not yet notified their 
PTAs to do so as soon as possible. We also encourage n otifying Members, and those who have not 
 
2 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/trading -with-developing -nations .  WT/COMTD/PTA/M/13  
 
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  yet done so, to provide the Secretariat with the required data and information as soon as possible. 
We value this important transparency exercise.  
 
18. The representative of India delivered the following statement:  
 
19. We would like to thank the Secretariat for its efforts and cooperation, and for the way it has 
been updating the report and interacting with Members. We would also like to thank you for providing 
the updat e as regards India's submission of data for 2022.  
 
20. The representative of Nigeria  delivered the following statement:  
 
21. I would like to thank all countries, both developed and developing , that are providing 
preferences to developing countries and LDCs. I would like to thank them for their efforts to ensure 
that developing countries and LDCs better use  trade to drive their economic growth.  
 
22. The Committee took note  of the Chair man's report, and of the interventions . 
4. OTHER BUSINESS  
23. No matter was raised under "Other Business".  
24. The meeting was adjourned . 
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