RESTRICTED  
  
WT/COMTD/RTA/M/17  
 
29 June 2022 
(22-5032) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Trade and Development  
Seventeenth Dedicated Session on Regional Trade 
Agreements    
 
  
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 20 JUNE  2022 
Chairperson : H.E. Ms. Usha Chandnee Dwarka -Canabady (Mauritius)  
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  ................................ ................................ ....................  1 
B. NOTIFICATIONS RECEIVED  ................................ ................................ .....................  1 
(I) Accession of Seychelles to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa 
(COMESA) (WT/COMTD/RTA23/N/1)  ................................ ................................ .....................  1 
C. STATUS OF THE WORK OF THE DEDICATED SESSION  ................................ ..............  2 
(I) Status of the preparation of factual presentations – Report by the Chairperson 
(WT/COMTD/RTA/W/12)  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 2 
D. OTHER BUSINESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 2 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chair person  said that the draft agenda for the 1 7th Dedicated Session on Regional Trade 
Agreements (RTAs) of the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) was circulated in Airgram 
WTO/AIR/COMTD/RTA/1 2/Rev.1 of 1 0 June 2022. She indicated that she wished to provide some 
information regarding the Free Trade Agreement between the Gulf Cooperation Council  (GCC)  
Member States and Singapore, which was listed on the draft agenda under item D – "Consideration 
of Regional Trade Agreements". She recalled that the goods aspects of this agreement were initially 
to be considered at the CTD's 16th Dedicated Session on RTAs , which was held on 25 March 2022 . 
The services aspects of the agreement were similarly to be considered at the March 2022 meeting  
of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements  (CRTA) . As was announced at the beginning of the 
CTD's 16th Dedicated Session on RTAs, the parties  had requested that the consideration of the 
agreement be postponed to the next meetings of the CRTA and the CT D's Dedicated Session on 
RTAs, as they were in need of more time to respond to the questions submitted by the delegations 
of Brazil and Canada . This was why the consideration of the goods aspects of the agreement was 
listed on the draft agenda for the present  meeting. However, a s the responses ha d still not been 
submitted , a further request was recently received from the parties, asking that the consideration 
of the agreement be postponed once again to the next meetings of the CRTA and the CTD's De dicated 
Session of RTAs.  The CTD would therefore not be able to consider the goods aspects of the Free 
Trade Agreement between the GCC Member States and Singapore  at the present meeting , and the 
agenda would need  to be amended accordingly.  
 
2. The agenda was adopted  as amended.  
B. NOTIFICATIONS RECEIVED  
(I) Accession of Seychelles to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa 
(COMESA)  (WT/COMTD/RTA23/N/1)  
3. The Chair person  said that , since the last meeting of the CTD's Dedicated Session on RTAs, 
one new notification  – by Seychelles  – was received pursuant to paragraph 4(a) of the Enabling 
Clause. This notification , which  concern ed the accession of Seychelles to COMESA , was contained  in WT/COMTD/RTA/M/17  
 
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  document  WT/COMTD/RTA23/N/1.  She inform ed the Committee  that a sep arate factual presentation 
would  not be prepared by the Secretariat on the accession of Seychelles to COMESA. This was 
because t he accession of Seychelles ha d already been covered in a previous factual presentation, 
which was contained in document WT/COMTD /RTA16/1.  This factual presentation formed part of the 
documentation relating to the Committee's consideration of the accession of Egypt to COMESA, which 
was on the agenda of the CTD's 11th Dedicated Session on RTAs held on 29 September 2020. 
However, the same factual presentation also include d the necessary information relating to the 
accession of Seychelles to COMESA.  Even though a separate factual presentation would  not be 
prepared, Membe rs would  nevertheless still have the opportunity to submit written questions on the 
accession of Seychelles to COMESA . This was as per  the usual practice  and as provided for in the 
Transparency Mechanism for RTAs. An invitation to submit written questions would  be sent by the 
Secretariat to Members after the present  meeting. Any questions received would  be forwarded to 
Seychelles and the COMESA parties so that they could  prepare written responses.   
 
4. The representative of  the United States  thanked the partie s for the notification , and for 
participating in the transparency exercise.  
 
5. The Committee took note  of the notification  and of the interventions.  
C. STATUS OF THE WORK OF THE DEDICATED SESSION  
(I) Status of the preparation of factual presentations – Report by the Chair person  
(WT/COMTD/RTA/W/1 2) 
6. The Chair person  said that  her report on the status of the preparation of factual presentations 
of RTAs notified under the Enabling Clause was contained in document WT/COMTD/RTA/W/1 2. The 
report indicated that it was still not possible for the Secretariat to finalize a number of factual 
presentations. In some cases, the Secretariat was still awaiting the submission of the full set of data, 
while in others, all comments on the draft factual present ations had not been received.  She urged 
all the parties to these agreements to provide the data and information as soon as possible. She 
also said that she would try to reach out informally to the delegations in question before the next 
meeting  to explore whether the submission of the necessary data and information could be 
expedited.  
7. The representative of  the United States  thank ed the Secretariat for its diligence in advancing 
the preparation of factual presentations for several RTAs.  
8. The Committee took note  of the Chair person 's report and of the interventions.  
D. OTHER BUSINESS  
9. No matter was raised under "Other Business".  
10. The meeting was adjourned . 
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