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WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
15 March  2023 
(23-1897) Page: 1/28 
Committee on Trade and Development  
119th Session    
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 17 NOVEMBER  2022 
Chairperson : H.E. M s Usha Chandnee Dwarka -Canabady  (Mauritius ) 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  ................................ ................................ ....................  2 
B. OBSERVERS  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  2 
(I) Request for attendance of ad hoc  observers  ................................ ................................ .. 2 
(II) Further consideration of requests for observer status by the League of Arab States, 
the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for Industrial 
Consulting, the Organisation Internationale de la Fran cophonie, the Common Fund for Commodities, 
the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and the Groupe de la Banque 
Africaine de Développement  ................................ ................................ ................................  3 
C. REPORT OF THE 56TH SESSION OF THE JOINT ADVISORY GROUP ON THE 
INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE UNCTAD/WTO (ITC/AG(LVI)/288)  ..............................  3 
D. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING  ................................ ............................  6 
(I) Update on the WTO Chairs Programme  ................................ ................................ .........  6 
E. MINISTERIAL DECLARATION FROM THE TWELFTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON 
THE WTO RE SPONSE TO THE COVID -19 PANDEMIC AND PREPAREDNESS FOR FUTURE 
PANDEMICS (WT/MIN(22)/31 - WT/L/1142)  ................................ ...............................  11 
(I)  Responding to the COVID -19 pandemic and supporting resiliency - Communication from the 
United States (WT/COMTD/W/268)  ................................ ................................ .....................  11 
F. TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT – WORK IN THE COMMITTEE ON THE BASIS OF THE 
CHAIRMAN'S CONCLUDING STATEMENT FROM THE EIGHTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
(WT/MIN(11)/11)  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  17 
(I) Committee on Trade and Development Mandate: Focal Point for Consideration and 
Coordination of Work on Development in the WTO – Proposal from Barbados, Belize, China, Cuba, 
Ecuador, India, and the African Group (WT/COMTD/W/208)  ................................ ...................  17 
(II) Operationalization of  the CTD's Mandate: A Proposal to Deliver Outcomes based on the 
MC8 Mandate - Proposal from China, Cuba, Ecuador, India and the African Group 
(WT/COMTD/W/192)  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  17 
G. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE  ................................ ..................  18 
(I)  Gulf Cooperation Council ( GCC) Notification of Customs Union – Communication from China, 
Egypt and India (WT/COMTD/W/175)  ................................ ................................ .................  18 
H. ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE STEPS TAKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY -FREE AND QUOTA -FREE 
MARKET ACCESS TO LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  ................................ ......................  19 
I. WORK PROGRAMME ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE  ................................ .................  20 
(I)  Global Electronic Commerce for Inclusive Development – Communication from India and 
South Africa (WT/COMTD/W/264)  ................................ ................................ ......................  20 WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  J. DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2022 (WT/COMTD/W/269)  ................................ ..... 27 
K. DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING  ................................ ................................ ................  27 
L. OTHER BUSINESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ . 28 
 
A.  ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairperson  said that the draft agenda for the 119th Regular Session  of the Committee on 
Trade and Development (CTD)  was contained in Airgram WTO/AIR/COMTD/27/Rev.1 of 
7 November  2022.  She asked whether any Member  wished to add any matter under "Other 
Business".  
2. The representative of Norway  indicated  that the issue of development had come up frequently  
at the  informal General Council meeting on WTO reform  which was  held on 10 November 2022 . She 
wished to take up the matter at the present meeting  and wondered under which agenda item she 
could make an intervention . One possibility was under "Other Business". Another possibility was 
under agenda item F, which concerned the mandate from the Eight h Ministerial Conference (MC8)  
and was also related to  the development discussion .  
3.  The Chairperson  proposed  that the Committee listen to what Norway had to say, pending any 
guidance from the Chairman of the General Council on the matter. She indicated that it was for 
Norway to deter mine under which agenda it em it would wish to make its intervention.  
4. The representative of Norway  said that she would make her intervention under "Other 
Business" . 
5. The representative of Egypt  sought clarification on the intention to  address  WTO reform at the 
present meeting, even under "Other Business ". He explained that Members were still discussing the 
matter at the General Council and needed to agree on how to app roach it in the subsidiary bodies. 
Although  his delegation was flexible, he believed that the question needed to be raised.  
6. The Chairperson  said that the Chair man of the General Council was expected to  provide 
guidance on how the WTO reform process would be taken forward . However,  she believ ed that any 
delegation  that so wished could share its view  on the matter  at the present meeting  as well . 
Therefore, unless there w ere any strong objection s, Norway would make its intervention under 
"Other Business". She a dditionally  indicated that she wished  to make a brief intervention under 
"Other Business " to provide some information to the Committee on preparations of the next update 
of the Secretariat 's compilation paper on the implementation of specia l and differential treatment  
(S&D)  provisions in WTO Agreements and Decisions.  
7. The agenda was adopted  as amended . 
B. OBSERVERS   
(I) Request  for attendance of ad hoc  observers  
8. The Chairperson  recalled that, at previous sessions of the CTD, Members had agreed to invite 
a number of intergovernmental organizations on an ad hoc  meeting -by-meeting basis. These were 
the Arab Maghreb Union, the Economic Community of Central African States, 
the Economic  Community of West African States, the Economic Cooperation Organization , 
the Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation, the Islamic Development Bank, 
the African  Union, the Organization  of the Islamic Conference, the South Centre, 
the Pacific  Islands  Forum, the United Nations Environment Programme, the  West African  Economic 
and Monetary Union, and the World Intellectual Property Organization.  These organizations had been 
invited to the present meeting. She proposed that the same organizations be invited to the next 
formal meeting of the CTD.  
9. It was so agreed . WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  (II) Further consideration of requests for observer status by the Le ague of Arab States, 
the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countrie s (OPEC) , the Gulf Organization for 
Industrial Consulting, the Organi sation Internationale de la Francophonie , the Common 
Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) 
and the Groupe de la Banque Africaine de Développement  
10. The Chairperson  said that the positions of delegations had been previously expressed. She 
inquired whether there were any changes in Members ' positions on these requests for observer 
status.  
11. No Member took the floor.  
12. The Chairperson  noted that there were no changes in Members' positions , and that there was 
therefore  no consensus at the present  time to approve these requests for observer status . She 
suggested that the Committee take note and  revert to these requests at the next meeting.  
13. It was so agreed . 
C. REPORT OF THE 56TH SESSION OF THE JOINT ADVISORY GROUP ON THE 
INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE UNCTAD/WTO (ITC/AG( LVI)/288)  
14. The Chairperson  said that the 5 6th Session of the Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on the 
International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC) was held on 13 September 20 22. The report of the 
meeting was contained in ITC document  ITC/AG(LVI)/288 . Given that she had served as the 
Chairperson  of the 56th Session of the JAG, she said that s he had requested the ITC to deliver the 
statement on her behalf.  
15. The representative of the ITC said that , at the JAG meeting, delegates had reviewed the 
ITC's performance through the Annual Report for 2021. The Annual Report  demonstrated the 
organization's  ability to surpass many of its targets. Statements had drawn from impactful 
beneficiary stories and had discussed the current trajectory of the ITC's performance across impact 
areas, resource mobilization and corporate processes . Five things  stood out during th e JAG . The 
first was the ITC's role in fostering "Trust in Trade " by being on the practical side of trade and 
supporting small businesses on -the-ground. In light of recent global challenges, trade had been  cited 
by many delegates as a positive force, helping countries access and export goods and services that 
were vital to drive their development. This insight was supported by the Annual Report , which 
illustrated that  the ITC continued to deliver in a chall enging global context. There had been nearly 
10 million visits to TradeMap and more than 12 ,000 monthly visits to Export Potential Map. More 
than 25,000  micro, small and medium -sized enterprises (MSMEs)  had improved their 
competitiveness , and 3 million wom en had been  connected to international markets through the 
SheTrades initiative. The s econd  thing that stood out was the importance of cooperation across 
agencies . The ITC's ability to collaborate with like -minded partners was cited by several delegates. 
The JAG heard from Ms Rebeca Grynspan, the Secretary -General of the United Nations Conference 
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) , and Mr Xiangchen Zhang, the Deputy Director -General (DDG) 
of the WTO , on areas of their close cooperation with the ITC. The three spokes of the Geneva Trade 
Hub collaborated on important initiatives like the Global Trade Helpdesk, the World Tariff Profiles 
and Trade Facilitation portals. Delegates had commended the ITC's Partnerships 4 Purpose  Strategy 
for scaling up impact towards the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) with a range of partners , 
including private sector companies, foundations  and international organizations. The ITC recognize d 
that global challenges need ed joint solutions . The organization was motivated to work towards this 
goal with new partners , while continuing to cooperate with the WTO and UNCTAD . 
16. The third element was the  ITC's role in leaving no one  behind . The ITC's Executive Director , 
Ms Pamela Coke -Hamilton,  had underlined that the crisis of the four C 's – COVID -19, Climate, 
Conflict and Cost -of-living – had stalled global progress on the SDGs . The Executive Director had 
called for multilateral agencies to create a more connected and incl usive future.  This was matched 
by the ITC's geographic focus of delivery. Out of a total of USD 147 million, 88% of country -specific 
assistance was allocated towards priority countries – namely, least developed countries  (LDCs)  
landlocked developing countr ies (LLDCs) , small island developing states (SIDS) , conflict -affected 
countries and Sub -Saharan Africa. Delegates had appreciated this focus . Calls were made  for the 
ITC to continue supporting LDCs  and the most vulnerable members of communities such as  women WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  and youth through initiatives such as SheTrades and ITC 's Youth and Trade programme. Fourth, the 
ITC's work on regional integration, especially in Africa , stood out. Delegates encouraged the ITC to 
continue building on its work in Africa, especially on the involvement of the private sector in the 
African Continental Free Trade Area ( AfCFTA ). Programming countries had called for more support 
towards African economic integration and had given ex amples of how initiatives such as the 
ITC's One Trade Africa programme had brought the voices of private sector organizations into the 
context of the AfCFTA . 
17. The fifth element was t hat the ITC's work was enabled by a solid structure that continu ed to 
push the  boundaries on organizational issues. Delegates had appreciated that  the ITC took the 
diversification of its resource mobilization seriously, while continu ing to be accountable to its 
stakeholders and being committed to improving its programmes and process es. The organization 
was praised by delegations for being transparent on governance and its commitments to the SDGs , 
with 46% of its financial delivery going towards SDG8 – "decent work and economic growth " - and 
SDG1  – "no poverty ". The 2022 ITC Annual Evaluation Synthesis Report (AESR) was  presented to 
the JAG. The AESR conveyed critical insights generated through evaluations to ensure better 
organizational learning. While projects evaluated had been de signed and executed well befo re 2022, 
the ITC's portfolio was found to be already well aligned with most parts of the new Strategic Plan 
for the 2022-2025 period . Overall, many delegates from developing countries had used the 
opportunity to appreciate the generous contributions made b y donor countries. In return, funders 
had reaffirmed their commitment to continue their collaboration with the ITC. In closing, he said 
that the JAG meeting had highlighted the importance of the ITC's work in meeting the ongoing and 
rapidly changing needs of small businesses . The ITC was seen as a vital agency that leverag ed the 
power of partnerships to deliver on -the-ground impact. Funders and beneficiaries both agreed that 
the ITC had to  keep the momentum of its good work going to further improve liveliho ods in the face 
of global challenges . 
18. The representative of  the Republic of Korea  expressed appreciation for the JAG report and for 
the ITC's transparency . He noted that the ITC's interventions in 130 developing countries and LDCs 
were yielding significant results. His del egation was pleased with the growing focus on making trade 
greener, more inclusive for women and youth, and more digitally connected for small businesses. 
He urged the ITC to ensure that LDCs continue d to be at the cent re of its Aid-for-Trade delivery, 
even if political instability could  impact existing projects in some LDCs. He also welcom ed the 
recognition by the ITC that its work did not take place in a geopolitical vacuum  and noted  that the 
Strategic Plan for the 2022-2025 period highlighted how geopoliti cs and conflicts directly imping ed 
upon the ITC's  work. His delegation looked forward to continuing to collaborate  with the ITC to help  
promote inclusive and sustainable recovery focusing on the needs o f MSMEs .  
19. The representative of the European Union  expressed appreciation to  the ITC for its continued 
efforts to deliver and improve its support for MSMEs  and women entrepreneurs in developing 
countries  and LDCs. He also thanked Korea for its work as the donor coordinator.  
20. The representative of the United Kingdom  expressed appreciation for the JAG report and 
thanked Korea  in its role as the donor coordinator.  As had been indicated at the JAG meeting, 
the United Kingdom  was pleased to have partnered with the ITC to deliver a range of programmes 
across the world. The United Kingdom  continued to support the ITC due to its record as a dependable 
partner on trade programmes, its ability to collaborate with other partners, and it s reach across the 
world.  Highlights include d the Revenue Mobilisation for Investment and Trade (ReMIT)  programme 
in Pakistan , which aimed to strengthen the country 's trade policies, support its international trade 
engagements, and work with national partn ers to develop a national export strategy. The SheTrades 
Commonwealth Programme directly supported over 3,500 women entrepreneurs and women -owned 
businesses in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria by providing training and coaching in 
international trade . It had  helped to generate over GBP 32 million of sales for those women -owned 
businesses in sectors ranging from tourism to agri -food, and from textiles to information technology . 
The United Kingdom was proud to have partnered with the ITC on these importan t programmes and 
looked forward to continued cooperation  and providing support for the ITC's "moonshot " campaigns.  
21. The representative of the United States  said that the real-world trade capacity building 
provided by the ITC was important to help understand how to make trade work for developing 
countries ' exporters by building inclusive and sustainable program mes in line with post -pandemic 
recovery plans and national trade  strategies. In fiscal year 2021, the United States  Agency for 
International Development (USAID) obligated USD 500,000 in earmarked funds to the ITC. The WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  cumulative obligated amount since 2016 had reached USD 4.4 million. In partnership with the ITC, 
the U nited States was promoting a vision of development that was demand -driven , trade -led and 
relevant for its citizens in the wider debate on poverty alleviation  and economic and social inclusion. 
Specifically, USAID and the ITC were collaborating on some prom ising projects on developing small 
business digital capabilities and improving e -commerce accessibility in developing countries . These 
included the "ecomConnect " initiative;  climate resilience and sustainable business practices for 
MSMEs  through  the "Green -to-Compete " initiative ; export readiness for firms through market 
analysis tools and services (MarketAccessMap); and promoting decent work in the context of 
informal cross -border trade in Central America through the " CRECER " project . Her delegation looked 
forward to continuing to work with the ITC.  
22. The representative of Mauritius  thank ed the ITC for the support provided to his country  and 
other developing countries. He comme nded the ITC's efforts in a period with many challenges  and 
pointed to a number of initiatives including SheTrades . He called for more involvement from the ITC 
in supporting SIDS in promoting their exports and increas ing their capacity to integrate into the 
global economy .  
23. The representative of Egypt  commend ed the ITC  for its various programmes  that supported 
developing countries. He indicated that Egypt was  a beneficiary of the ITC's support  and pointed  in 
this regard to the SheTrade s initiative. He also thanked the donors for their cooperation with the ITC 
and called for increase d engagement on development -related initiatives . 
24. The representative of Cameroon , on behalf the African Group , welcomed the report  and the 
ITC's continued efforts to support development , including through partnerships . He believed that it 
would be appropriate for the ITC's interventions  to be directed tow ards increasing productive and 
infrastructure capacities. He explained that, f or African countries, it was not simply a matter of 
having a certain amount of market knowledge. These countries  also required  capacity to produce 
competitively and needed to  possess the infrastructure to do so. Although efforts ha d been made in 
this regard, he called for more work to be undertaken to increase capacity in terms of productive 
infrastructure. He added that African countries were counting on the ITC and on other  partners to 
support the effective implementation of the AfCFTA, which represent ed a vast market that would 
enable many trade concerns and expectations to be addressed under  the "Agenda 2063: The Africa 
We Want"  initiative . In closing, he shared his hope that constructive di alogue among Members would 
allow appropriate  responses to be found to development issues.1 
25. The representative of Chad commend ed the ITC for its  work, and in particular  the activities 
carried out in relation to development and MSME expo rts. He recognized that there were many  
challenges to be overcome, especially in LDCs. Some of these challenges related to the supply of 
commodities , the energy crisis  and the impact of the COVID -19 pandemic . He asked how the ITC  
was working with entities and agencies in LDCs to increase the productive capacities of these 
countries  and boost their exports . He also noted that MSMEs in LDCs were going through difficult 
times and asked how the ITC was assist ing these enterprises to improve in terms of  management, 
competitiveness and efficiency . Finally, he called on donors to continue to support the work of the 
ITC. 
26. The representative of  the ITC thank ed delegat ions for their interventions and expressed 
appreciation to Korea for the ro le it had played as the donor coordinator. He explained that the ITC 
was not an infrastructure agency . The organization's mandate was concerned with enhancing  MSME 
competitiveness  and building productive capacity . The JAG report illustrated what the ITC had been 
doing  in terms of helping MSMEs develop their capacity and engagement in trade . The organization  
helped MSMEs directly through capacity building , and also helped  to provide an  enabl ing and 
supportive ecosy stem and policy environment. The ITC coordinated its work with other agencies or 
initiatives  – including the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) , which was its  partner in many 
LDCs.  Finally, he indicated  that the ITC recognized the current challenging glob al situation an d had 
brought this to the attention of donors.  He noted that he would  be happy to engage in further 
discussions bilaterally if Members had additional questions.  
 
1 As was noted by the Chairperson, a  poor sound quality was experienced during the remote delivery of 
the interventions  by Cameroon at th e meeting. The intervention s reflected in paragraph s 24, 28 and 40 are 
based on the statement s subsequently submitted to the Secretariat by the delegation of Cameroon . WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  27. The Chairperson  noted that there was support for the ITC's work from both donors and 
recipients and encouraged both sides to continue to have constructive dialogues. She also indicated 
that, as the Chairperson of the 56th Session of the JAG, she had taken note of the com ments made.  
28. The representative of Cameroon  commended the ITC  for its  work. He said that he wished to 
clarify that his earlier  statement was not referring to capacity building and human resources of 
MSMEs , but rather  to productive capacities  and productive infrastructure. It appeared from reports 
and projects undertaken in African countries  that a large proportion of funding tend ed to be directed 
towards consultancy, training and travel, rather than towards productive capacities.  
29. The Committee took note  of the report of the 5 6th Session of the JAG and forwarded  it to the 
General Council for adoption.  
D. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING  
(I) Update on the WTO Chairs Programme  
30. The Chairperson  said that under th e present  agenda item, an update would  be provided on 
the WTO Chairs Programme  (WCP) . However, before turn ing to the update, she wished to take th e 
opportunity to request the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation ( ITTC) to briefly share 
some information with the Committee on  the status of the WTO's technical assistance  (TA) activities  
more generally. She was especially motivated by the fact that TA demand was now only half of what 
it had been before the pandemic.  
31. The rep resentative of the ITTC recalled that, at the 117th Session of the CTD held in 
March  2022, the Secretariat had announced that face -to-face TA activities would be resuming , 
following the progressive removal of travel and sanitary restrictions in most countr ies. This had been 
welcomed by most delegations, in particular since several delegations had requested the Secretariat , 
during the previous two years , to stand ready to increase it s TA offer as soon as the conditions 
permitted . Almost eight months later he wished to briefly take stock of the situation . He said  that, 
since the end of March  2022,  the Secretariat had received 56 new requests for TA. This was clearly 
an increase compared to the 21 requests received during the first  quarter of the year and compared 
to the 40 requests received in total during the whole of 2021, which was an all -time low . However, 
demand  also remain ed well below  the pre-pandemic levels  of 150 requests on average per year. 
This mean t that, for the third  consecutive year, the resources set aside for TA activities in the 
WTO budget would  be under -utilized. He recalled  that, between 2019 and 2021, TA expenses had 
shrunk by more than 60% overall. He encourage d delegations to submit their request s for 
TA activities, so that the resource s set aside for this purpose c ould be  put to good use .  
32. The Chairperson  similarly encourage d delegations to submit requests  for TA activities. She 
indicated that she would move on to provide an update on  the WCP. To complement the information 
that she would  be providing in her statement, a room document ha d been circulated by the 
Secretariat  in English  in RD/COMTD/3. The French and Spanish versions of this document would  
follow shortly and would  be made available o n the website for the meeting . She recalled that her 
predecessor in the Chair had briefed the Committee on the conclusion of the selection process for 
the third phase of the WCP. Since that time, the programme had expanded. A total of 17 academic 
instituti ons ha d been selected to the third phase of the programme across regions in the world . 
These institutions were  locate d in Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, 
India, Lesotho, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda, Tanzania, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan and Viet  Nam. 
They ha d worked hard to develop and implement detailed activity plans for 2022 which had  been 
reviewed by the WCP Advisory Board.  As per the tradition, over a dozen launch events and 
substantive sessions ha d taken place. DDG Zhang had recently attended two such launches in 
New Delhi and Kathmandu , at the initiative of the Chairs in India and N epal. It was worth noting 
that Nepal was one of five LDCs to join the latest cohort of Chairs after an expansion of the WCP 
which saw a significant number of LDC applications. She expressed appreciation to the m issions in 
Geneva for their role in helping t o expand the programme  and in bringing relevant information to 
the attention of their capitals and academia.  
33. In July 2022, following the expansion of the programme to 36 Chairs , the WCP held its Annual 
Conference . The conference, which w as an in-person  event , was held back-to-back with the 
Eighth  Global Review  of Aid for Trade . It came one month after the conclusion of the WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  Twelfth  WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) and the adoption of the Geneva package. All 
three  cohorts or generations of Chair s came together for three days of mutual learning and exchange 
on key trade issues. Chairs also heard from Coordinators of WTO country groups on issues of interest 
to their groups. The Chairs were urged to align their work programmes with these priorities for 
maximum practical relevance and impact to beneficiary countries. In terms of key takeaways from 
the conference , she firstly said that , on the knowledge generation front participants were exposed 
to the research and thinking of trade experts in thematic  sessions such as the green and blue 
economy ; public health ; agriculture ; and food security. Chairs also heard from their counterparts in 
earlier cohorts on best practices and insights to inform their activity planning and implementation 
under the three WC P pillars of research, curriculum development and outreach. Second, the 
importance of policy coherence and consistency was highlighted by the Director -General who had , 
in her keynote address and her questions and answer s session , urged Chairs to think outside of the 
box on issues of existing and emerging interest to Members , while bringing coherence and 
consistency in their policy advice to governments. Chairs were also encouraged to meet with their 
delegations whilst in Geneva to understand key priorit ies. Importantly, many Chairs ha d established 
advisory committees that include d policymakers from several capital ministries, missions in Geneva, 
representatives from business associations and civil society. Chairs dr ew upon these committees for 
inputs in co-designing and co -implementing research projects, training courses and outreach 
activities on key issues of interest to policymakers. This ensure d that outputs generated by Chairs 
fed directly back and coherently into their government's  policy  decision -making processes. She 
emphasi zed the importance of closing th e loop between the work of the Chairs and policymaking by 
Members. Finally, through  a briefing by the Secretariat , the conference had provided the latest 
cohort of Chairs a n opportunity to obtain greater clarity on the WTO's monitoring and evaluation 
requirements. This was an important component of WTO capacity building for both beneficiaries and 
the main contributors . In this regard, she wished to particularly recognize France, Korea, Austria 
and Australia.  
34. Riding on the momentum of the WCP A nnual Conference, a number of Chairs  had embarked 
on joint projects that took a regional outlook on trade issues. These include d a conference examining 
the challenges and opportunities presented by the AfCFTA , which was spearheaded by the Chair in 
Mauritius , with active participation by all 10 African Chairs under the programme . She also 
mentioned a  colloquium led by the Chair in Ecuador on post -MC12 topics with contributions by the 
Chairs in  other  Latin American countries. Conferences and outreach activities on 
women 's empowerment in Arab countries ; on trade and climate change in the Middle East and 
North  Africa ( MENA ) region ; and on green and circular economy in  the member  countries of the 
Associati on of Southeast Asian Nations  (ASEAN)  were taking place in the autumn. All these examples 
showed that, with 36 Chairs , the WCP ha d reached a critical mass that generate d additional synergies 
through the network and multiple interactions with governmental and other stakeholders.  Turning 
to the way ahead, she recalled that an independent external evaluation of the programme in 2019 
had yielded very favourable results . It wa s found that government officials and trade policymakers 
were able to rely on scientifically robust and evidence -based research outputs of Chairs to inform 
policy formulation and implementation in their home countries. The report had made several 
recommend ations on how to further strengthen the programme, including better geographical 
representation of all world regions ; better representation of LDCs in the programme ; and better 
integration of the programme with other WTO technical cooperation and research activities and those 
of other organizations. She was  pleased that these areas for improvement ha d been fully addressed 
in the third phase of the programme. The programme now count ed five LDCs in its third  cohort, 
taking the number of LDCs across all phases  to a total of seven . With respect to world regions, the 
programm e had greatly boosted its presence in previously underrepresented areas across Africa, 
Asia and Latin America, with each of these regions making up roughly a third of the entire cohort of 
Chairs. Further more, the third selection cycle of the programme involved a cross -cutting team drawn 
from several divisions in the Secretariat with the aim of forging better synergies with other technical 
cooperation activities and with research undertaken by the WTO. She expressed appreciation to the 
Director of the Knowledge Management Division (KMD) and his team for their approach in tackling 
the weakness es identified by the external evaluators.  
35. Finally, she recalled that  the Director -General had informed the Committee in November 2021 
of the intention  to shorten the intervals for admission to the programme. Rather than admitting 
larger cohorts every four years, smaller groups of candidates would  be admitted more frequentl y. It 
was clear that such a rolling programme and further expansion of the WCP require d longer -term 
stability of resources with a dedicated team that was able to see to the programme's implementation 
over a sustained period. The Committee would be informed  when work with senior management on WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  the details of process, conditions and timing evolve d, keeping in mind the S ecretariat resource 
allocations needed. She concluded by saying that she  looked forward to impactful results and 
deliverables from the WCP. 
36. The representative of  the Republic of Korea  said that his country had followed in the footstep s 
of France, Austria and Australia in seeing the value of contributing to the WCP . He welcomed the 
growing representation of LDCs  in the programme and appreciated that DDG Zhang had travelled to 
Nepal in  person . He additionally  welcomed the inclusion of systemically important countries such as 
China and India, as well as the inclusion of Uzbekistan as an acceding country. He noted t hat 
Uzbekistan was also a n LLDC , and that the Chair from Uzbekistan could  potential ly conduct research 
on issues that were common to other countries in the region as well.  Korea had made a modest 
contribution to the programme in 2022 but  intended to scale up its contribution in 2023 , as it 
believed in the vision of the programme. It was Korea's understanding that the programme sought  
to nurture home -grown knowledge and commitment to the multilateral trading system  (MTS) . It was 
on the basis of such home -grown intellectual support that a government 's commitments to the MTS 
could be further enhanced. He thanked all contributors to the WCP.  
37. The representative of  the European Union  expressed appreciation for the update provided on 
the WCP, including  in the room document.  He noted that the statement by the Chairperson gave a 
very favourable impression of the direction in which the programme was developing in its 
third phase. He had taken note in particular that there was now the critical mass to host reg ional 
conferences, including in Africa , which was a positive development . He inquired where information 
on these conferences could be found . He also noted th at the update provided on the demand for TA 
indicated a significant drop relative to pre -pandemic l evels. 
38. The representative of  Peru said that her country was honoured that one of its institutions  – 
the Pontificia  Universidad Católica del Perú – had been selected to participate in the third phase of 
the WCP. The high number of applications reflect ed the value of the programme in contributing to 
better knowledge and commitment to the international trading system . She emphasized the key role 
of academia in training better negotiators . She also welcomed the activities that had been carried 
out, which includ ed the possibility for participants  in different phases of the programme  to exchange 
experiences and capitalize on the lessons learned . In the case of the Peruvian Chair, courses ha d 
already been organized on topics of national interest, such as e-commerce . The launch of a 
publication on current WTO issues  was planned, and a moot court exercise and other activities would 
be undertaken in coordination with other Chairs of the region on topics of common interest  such as  
gender and trade ; digital trade; and trade and the environment. She reiterated Peru's support for 
the WCP and thank ed the donors  for their contributions . 
39. The representative of Chad observed that the number of requests  for TA  was increasing , which 
was a clear indicator of its usefulness and importance , especially for LDCs. Noting that  capital -based  
officials from LDCs often had difficulties in following meetings and courses online , he asked what 
was being done to ensure that as many Members as possible could participate in WTO activities , 
particularly since in -person activities had resumed . He gave as an example a recent meeting of the 
Director -General 's Consultative Framework Mechanism on Cotton , where a number of capital -based 
focal points were unable to participate in  person and had difficulties  in participating remotely.  He 
also welcomed the update on the WCP . He noted that the programme helped to identify and analy ze 
the factors that prevented beneficiary countries from participating fully in th e MTS. It was  consistent 
with other aspects of the WTO's work, especially from the standpoint of embedding development 
into trade. He emphasized the importance of the programme in disseminating knowledge and 
expertise on the functioning of world trade and the WTO Agreements , especially in LDCs.  Recalling 
his earlier point regarding the difficulties often experienced by officials in LDCs in attending  online 
events, he asked how WCP activities were o rganized so as to include as many participants as 
possible . Finally, he called on donors to continue to support the programme . 
40. The representative of Cameroon,  on behalf of the African Group , welcomed the 
Chairperson's  report that inform ed the Membership of the activities relating to the WCP. He agree d 
with many of the points made  by delegations and counted on the Chairperson to provide a steady  
stream of information on TA issues. He commend ed the Secretariat's TA and  noted that there had 
been an adaptation of structures so that optimal  use could  be made of virtual tools in the training 
sessions delivered. These tools ha d also been used as part of the digitization of procedures for the 
submission of applications, which were now done  online. On this matter, he wished to clarify that 
the endorsement of these applications was a prerogative of the diplomatic missions . He wished to WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  see this integrated into the digitization process so that the mission s could continue to exercise their 
prerogative in terms of the supervision of the app lications submitted  and the choices that were 
made . 
41. The representative of Norway  said that the information provided on the WCP was useful. She 
recognized  that a key objective of the programme was to strengthen knowledge on WTO issues 
within countries and r egions. In addition, she wished to know how the research conducted in the 
context of the WCP was being brought back to the WTO to enrich discussions in various Committees.  
She also stress ed the importance of beneficiaries fully us ing their entitlements  for TA activities  and 
indicated  that an under -utilization of the funds would not encourage donors to provide more 
financing  in the future.   
42. The representative of Nepal  expressed appreciation for the WTO's TA activities , including the 
WCP. He commend ed the Secretariat for the resumption of in-person training and capacity -building 
programmes after the COVID -19 pandemic . He also thanked the WTO for selecting Nepal to 
participate in the WCP. Appreciation was expressed for  DDG Zhang 's recent visit to Nepal a nd for 
his engagement with high -level officials in Kathmandu. Nepal stood  ready to continue to engage on 
WTO TA issues . 
43. The representative of Guatemala  thank ed the Secretariat for its TA activities. She called for 
an increase in face-to-face activities, as well as  for the continu ed use of technological platforms to 
reach out to  as many capital -based  officials as possible. Turning to the WCP, she indicated that 
Guatemala , as the Coor dinator of the Group of Small, Vulnerable Economies (SVEs) , had benefited 
from interactions with several Chairs during the recent annual conference. She believed that 
interactions between Members and Chairs should continue, as  these interactions  allowed an  
appreciation of what were the inte rests of developing countries in the WTO, and therefore what 
research topics could be of use. She believed that the results of this research could form the basis 
for discussion in WTO Committees . For example,  relevant res earch from Chairs based in countries 
that were members of the SVE Group could inform and enrich discussions in the CTD 's Dedicated 
Session on Small Economies. She expressed the willingness of her delegation to continue to consider 
how research undertaken i n the context of the WCP could contribute to the WTO's work .  
44. The representative of Egypt  believed that the WCP could help build capacity  in developing 
countries to better deal with WTO -related issues . He emphasized t he importance of linking 
TA programmes to the discussions and negotiations taking place at  the WTO , so as to bring as much 
value as possible to capital -based officials. He also  believed that  TA programmes needed to  be 
regularly evaluated to ensure that they were building capacity in a proper manner in beneficiary 
countries .  
45. The representative of the ITTC recognized the difficulties faced by some  countries  in using 
online platforms . It was for this reason that the ITTC  was aiming to prioritize in -person activities for 
countries that request ed them. A balance would nevertheless need to be maintained by the WTO 
between online and in -person activities , since online activities reached a larger audience and allowed 
substantial savings.  He also indicated that it was now possible for focal points from capitals  to travel 
to Geneva for meetings and activities . However, alt hough health and travel restrictions ha d been 
largely lifted, it remained more difficult to organiz e travels now than before the pandemic, due to 
visa requirements. More time was therefore required when planning any travels . 
46. The Director of the KMD thanked delegations , including the donors and the WTO country g roup 
representatives that had spoke n, for their suppo rt for the WCP . He noted the point raised by Korea 
regarding the importance of having acceding countries in the programme . The Arab Group ha d also 
expressed interest to be included in the WCP as many members of that group were still in the process 
of acces sion. He expressed appreciation for  Nepal 's contribution s in generating more applications 
from LDC s. The WTO Chair in Nepal was actively involved in work on LDC graduation. Moreover, the 
WCP's interactions with the African Group and the LDC Group had triggered more than two dozen 
applications from LDC s, which had  led to the much -needed increase in LDC representation among 
the WTO Chairs. The involvement of the permanent missions in Geneva ha d been instrumental in 
ensuring that prospective candidates fo r the WCP appl ied for each cycle. The WCP was of critical 
important to LDCs, many of which face d difficulties in accessing online courses and resources. The 
WTO Chairs and their teams provided expert advice to governments that could  approach them to 
obtain  domestic capital -based support for ministries directly through the three pillars of the 
programme (research, curriculum development and outreach) . The WCP also work ed on a regional WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  basis. For example , the WTO Chairs Network in Africa was engaged in a numb er of activities focusing 
on the AfCFTA  and trade within the region. The Network of the Chairs in the Americas  provid ed a 
virtual degree on digital trade, which also had the involvement of the  United Nations  Economic 
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC). Information on the activities organized 
in the context of the WCP could be found  on the  WCP website  (https://wtochairs.org/events ). The 
activit ies of the Chairs under the three pillars of the programme were published under each 
Chair's  WCP website profile . Information and links to events were posted frequently.  
47. He indicated that he would next turn to the question by Norway regarding the linking of WCP 
results to the work of policymakers in Geneva. He explained that t his was done through outreach 
events and workshops , where research outputs by the Chairs were shared and discussed with 
policymakers. As an e xample, the C hair from Jordan had organized a conference on women 's 
empowerment in November 2022. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia  - the Coordinator of the Arab Group  
- was one of a number of contributors that had spoken on this topic . DDG Zhang had attended 
another policy seminar in Ecuado r, where the importance of the implementation of MC12 results was 
discussed with officials from different ministries in the region. This was a joint venture, which had 
mobiliz ed the WTO Chairs in Latin America. He also noted  that much of the research and 
recommendations by Chairs were directly shared with policymakers through informal channels in 
the form of policy notes and briefs  - not all of which were published. Another way in which the impact 
and influence of Chairs and their research was facilitated was through the programme's exchanges 
with WTO country groups. It was  important to have close links between TA and WTO Members . The 
WTO Chair in Peru ha d successfully established this link through a  regional course on digital trade, 
which was organized in collaboration  with UNECLAC. The WCP Annual Conference which was held in 
July 2022 had allowed the Chairs to get to know each other better and to consolidate regional WCP 
networks. He thanked Cameroon  (the African Group Coordinator ) as well as Chad and Djibouti (the 
past and present LDC  Group Coordinators)  for their help in linking the WCP with the LDCs. He also 
expressed appreciation to Guatemala for its help in reaching out to both the SVE  Group and the 
Group of Latin American and Caribbean countries ( GRULAC), which it previously chaired.  
48. The Chairperson  said that she had observed a strong interest in the WCP , as well as 
commitments to scale  up contributions. She had also seen an interest in regional perspectives, which 
had been generated by Chairs in a particular  region working together. She  wonder ed whether  
WCP events were open  to the broad WTO Membership  and shared her view that interested Members  
should be allowed  to follow th e discussions. She also noted th e point raised by Norway  about the 
direct relevance to the WTO of the research undertaken in the context of the WCP. She believed that 
the loop had been partly closed because of the stakeholder approach that was used . This permitted 
a contribution to policy formulation within cou ntries .  
49. The Director of the KMD thanked the Chair person  for her comments concerning the provision 
of access to WCP events to Members and for drawing attention to the formation of advisory 
committees by the WTO Chairs and their teams in their home countrie s. He said that t he committees  
usually consist ed of government stakeholders from relevant ministries, the private sector, other 
universities and civil society . From the outset, the research questions and training courses were 
customized according to the needs of each community of stakeholders.  The progr amme  had 
witnesse d a strong increase in regional activities since the WCP Annual Conference held in July 2022 
in Geneva. Regional networks of WTO Chairs ha d scaled up joint work and virtual events. The se 
events  were attended by the stakeholder advisory com mittees in the regions. The WCP also 
encourage d Members to attend these virtual events since they were usually open to the public . The 
links could  be made available and were also found on the WCP website. The WCP intend ed to 
facilitate access to these semi nars by Members in a more concerted way, including through the 
WTO country groupings. Meetings continue d to be held with country group Coordinators to assess 
needs and co -design som e future project priorities of the WTO Chairs. Through these consultations 
with beneficiary Members, the intention was for WTO Chairs to advise more than one country . The 
objective was that their work across the three pillars facilitate d, promote d and help ed the interests 
of all Members in a region.  
50. The Committee took note of all interventions . WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  E. MINISTERIAL DECLARATION FROM THE TWELFTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON THE 
WTO RESPONSE TO THE COVID -19 PANDEMIC AND PREPAREDNESS FOR FUTURE 
PANDEMICS (WT/MIN(22)/31 - WT/L/1142)  
(I)  Responding to the COVID -19 Pandemic and Supporting Re siliency - Communication 
from the United States (WT/COMTD/W/268)  
51. The Chairperson  said that the MC12 Ministerial Declaration  on the WTO response to the 
COVID -19 pandemic and preparedness for future pandemics was contained in documents 
WT/MIN(22)/31 and WT/L/1142. In this Ministerial Declaration, it was indicated that relevant 
WTO bodies would,  within their fields of competence, and on the basis of proposals by Members, 
continue or initiate work as soon as possibl e, to analy ze lessons that ha d been learned and challenges 
experienced during the COVID -19 pandemic. A stocktaking exercise would  be taken of the work by 
WTO bodies under this declaration yearly at the General Council until the end of 2024, based on the 
reports of those relevant bodies. In a communication that she had  sent to Members on 29 July 2022, 
she had  noted, inter alia , that the Ministerial Declaration identifie d the CTD as one of the relevant 
WTO bodies to undertake work in this area. She had theref ore invited Members to consider 
submitting proposals for work in the CTD, in particular in the Regular Session, on lessons that ha d 
been learned and challenges experienced during the COVID -19 pandemic. Furthermore, she had  
noted that, while waiting for pos sible proposals in the CTD, it would  be useful for Members to have 
a preliminary exchange on work that could be undertaken by the Committee in this area. She had  
therefore indicated her intention to place an item relating to this issue on the agenda for the present  
meeting.  
52. She went on to say that a communication from the United States was listed under the present  
agenda item . The commun ication,  contained in document WT/COMTD/W/268 , was titled 
"Responding to the COVID -19 pandemic and supporting resiliency". She thank ed the United States 
for th e submission, which she hoped would  serve as the start of an active and productive discussion 
in the CTD on issues relating to the COVID -19 pandemi c. She also recall ed that five fact sheets 
prepared by USAID were emailed to all delegations on 21 September 2022  and ha d also been made 
available in room document RD/COMTD/2 for the present meeting, at the request of the delegation 
of the United States. T he fact sheets supplement ed the information contained in the communication 
from the United States that was on the agenda for the present meeting . Finally, before she turned 
to this communication, she wished to remind Members that her original intention of placing this item 
on the CTD's agenda had been for delegations to have an exchange on work that could be done in 
the CTD on the COVID -19 pandemic. Therefore, after the Committee conclud ed its consideration of 
the communication by the United States, she wou ld open the floor once again for any ideas that 
delegations might wish  to share in this regard. She understood that the introduction of the 
communication by the United States would consist of a number of brief presentations.  
53. The representativ e of the United States  said that her  delegation was pleased to respond to 
the Chair person 's request to share information and experiences related to Members'  respective 
efforts to combat and recover from the COVID -19 pandemic. While the United States was focused 
on contributing to the widespread and equitable access and delivery of safe and effective COVID -19 
vaccinations and treatments, it was also working with its development partners across their 
economies to mit igate the impacts of the pandemic on health and other sectors and to build resilience 
in these sectors in advance of future crises. The communication from the United States captur ed the 
efforts of  USAID,  its leading development assistance provider. As of M arch 2022, U SAID had been  
providing close to USD 10 billion in supplemental funding . This meant additional funding on top of 
existing budgets  to figh t against the pandemic , including efforts to address the social and economic 
effects of the pandemic.  The Committee would  hear how the United States had worked with 
development partners in Angola, Senegal and Zambia. Presenters from USAID would touch upon the 
global mechanisms to procure and distribute critical vaccines across national borders , including 
throug h the United States'  Initiative for Global Vaccine Access (Global  VAX) in Angola and Zambia. 
The Committee would also be informed of efforts to strengthen oxygen delivery systems in Senegal 
through regulatory cooperation and regional integration , as well as effective formal and informal 
sector communication campaigns and private sector engagement. The projects that would be shared 
at the present meeting were driven by the national priorities o f the host government s. The policy 
choices ha d been made by them . The role of the United States was to partner and support those 
priorities  and see if collective experiences could be utilized to learn from others. Working from this 
basis might allow for useful conversations on important trade policy issues outside of any real or 
perceived negotiating dynamics. She next invited her colleagues to present the three case studies.  WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  54. The first case study concerned USAID's work in Angola.  The Committee was informed of the 
objective of the Government of Angola to ensure that  at least 70% of the eligible population, or 
18.9 million people, receive d two doses of the COVID -19 vaccine by the end of 2022. As of 
March  2022, 11.1 million people over the age of 12 had received one dose and 5.6 million  people  
had received two doses . To achieve its objective, t he Angolan Government had requested  support 
from international donors, including USAID. Angola was one of the 11 priority countries receiving  
support under the Global V AX initiative with an initial investment of USD 25.3 million.  Out of the 
country's 18 provinces, 15 were covered by the programme. The financial support provided by 
Global  VAX was crucial to increasing  the number of people  that were  vaccinated. Partnerships with 
various actors had also helped . The programme had run into a number of difficulties, but solutions 
were being found. One challenge was that  men in Angola were more likely to be vaccinated than 
women , as there was a  misconception  concerning the effect of the vaccine on fertility . Another 
challenge w as that, in spite  of an increase in the number of people receiving the second dose, 
demand for the second dose still remain ed low. To overcome these challenges, USAID was working 
with the Angolan Government on social media campaign s and other fo rms of campaigns, including  
community -based ones. Angola remained on track to meet the target of 70%  of the eligible 
population  receiving two doses of the vaccine.  
55. The second case study concerned USAID's work in Senegal.  It was noted that t he third wave 
of the COVID -19 pandemic in July and August 2021  had been  particularly difficult in Senegal . 
Hospitals were overwhelmed with severe  cases and  there was a high demand for oxygen. The 
Ministry of Health announced that a stock-out of oxygen  was imminent within days  and requested 
assistance from partners. To respo nd to this request , USAID  – through  the U nited States 
Government  and a special government -to-government arrangement – arranged f or the 
Ministry  of Health to purchase emergency oxygen from two private sector companies . This enabled 
33 public and private  health  facilities to rapidly gain access to oxygen for the ir patients . Another  
example from Senegal concerned the agricultural sector.  The Committee was informed that the 
Government of Senegal had taken measures at some point during the pandemic to prohibit 
inter-urban transportation. This coincided with the harvest season for onions, chilli peppers and 
potatoes, among other products . Due to these  restrictions , small producers  were not able to go to 
the market to sell their perishable products. The Government of Senegal had sought a solution from  
USAID  in order to avoid a huge waste of crops. USAID was able to arrange for aggregate trad ers, 
that were authorized to c irculate during the prohibition period, to transport farmer's products. This 
had allowed food to  be made available to people in need . As result of th e transport ation arrangement 
with the aggregators, 650  local farmers  had earned  more than  USD 3 million dollars from sales. 
Subsequently, on the basis of th e relationship  established with the aggregat ors, small farmers were 
able to secure agricultural input credits for seeds and fertilizers. USAID  in Senegal had therefore  
worked successfully with the Government of Senegal , creditors, the private sector and local farmers 
to avert the worst during the COVID -19 pandemic  and the food crisis.  
56. The third case study concerned USAID's work in Zambia. It was noted that the restrictions 
that were put in place  in the context of the COVID -19 pandemic , includ ing unofficial lockdowns , had 
negatively impacted the economy  – in particular the informal sector , where more than 90% of the 
labour population was employed. USAID Zambia had worked with the Government of Zambia to 
support interventions to leverage and influence community leaders to dispel misconceptions and 
generate demand for COVID -19 vaccines . These interventions had commenced in December 2021 
in the Copperbelt Province and had later expande d to other parts of the country through additional 
funding in the context of the Global VAX initiative . It had proven particularly effect ive to take 
vaccines directly to people and communities , so that businesses could continue operating. In just 
one month , more than 120 ,000 individuals had been  vaccinated in the Copperbelt Province.  Although 
the first vaccines had arrived in Zambia in April 2021 , earlier efforts had been hampered by vaccine 
hesitancy and misconceptions. The devastating third wave that followed in June 2021 result ed not 
only in increased restrictions but also in a high number of deaths. While the severity of this wave 
had led to an increased demand for vaccines, the number of vaccina ted still only accounted for  6% 
of the eligible po pulation. Th e initial low vaccine coverage in Zambia had compelled stakeholders to 
develop innovative approaches . Strong leadership from the Ministry of Health  and high-level 
multi-sectoral engagement  had driven  several successful mass vaccination  campaign s, with USAID  
as a partner of choice with the new administration. These had all been elements for success . By 
September 2022, 60 % of the eligible population had been  vaccinated, and the Ministry of Health 
had announced the lifting of restrictions. The figure  increased to 75% by the following month. 
USAID  continu ed to engage with the Ministry of Health and other partners to routinize the COVID -19 WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  vaccinations to reach those that had not yet been vaccinated and to increase the uptake of booster 
vaccines t o minimize the effects of future wave s on the country .  
57. The representative of the United Kingdom  thanked the  Chairperson  for placing  the present  
item on the agenda . He expressed appreciation to the United States for the comprehensive and 
informative overvi ew of support measures to help developing countries navigate the COVID -
19 pandemic. He said that t he United Kingdom  had also sought to be at the forefront of the 
international response to COVID -19, committing up to GBP 2.1 billion of aid to help end the 
pandemic, address its impact s and support global efforts to find and distribute COVID -19 vaccines  
fairly. Funding from the Unit ed Kingdom of GBP  548 million had enabled the COVAX Facility to deliver 
over 1.6 billion COVID -19 vaccines to 87 developing countries. In June 2021, at the G7 Summit, the 
United Kingdom  had committed to donate a total of 100 million doses of C OVID -19 vacci nes to 
countries in need over the next year. He noted that COVID -19 was an unprecedented crisis, with a 
wide range of indirect impacts as well as primary health impacts. In many cases, it was the indirect 
impacts of the pandemic that presented the greatest  challenges . Many countries around the world 
were still grappling with the health and indirect impacts of pandemic. The United Kingdom  would 
look to learn from its experiences from the last two years to ensure that it was able  to better shield 
the most vul nerable from the health and economic shocks that COVID -19 and future pandemics 
might create. He indicated that his delegation would be ready to make a similar presentation to the 
United  States at a future meeting . 
58. The representative of Sri Lanka  said that the Ministerial Declaration adopted at MC12 provide d 
a mandate to frame effective solutions in an expeditious manner to address challenges in the context 
of the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics, including development . Her delegation believe d 
that, without prejudging the outcomes, Members should seek new solutions that might go beyond 
the existing flexibilities provided for in the present WTO Agreements. As per paragraph 24 of the 
Ministerial Declaration, relevant WTO bodies  – including the C TD – should initiate work as soon as 
possible to analy ze lessons that ha d been learned, and challenges experienced, during the COVID -19 
pandemic in number of areas . These included  food security  and development , among others, with 
the objective of building effective solutions that could  be put into practice in times of future 
pandemics. Sri Lanka believ ed that the CTD could  play a key role to achieve the mandate in the 
Ministerial Declaration.  Members needed  to address the structural causes of development challenges 
encountered by developing countries and LDCs. Low productivity, lack of product diversification, lack 
of economies of scale, difficulties in improving productive capacity and competitiveness were some 
of the inherent issues that were being faced by developing countries and LDCs. Members needed  to 
explore the policy instruments within the WTO to help developing countries and LDCs find solutions 
to these challenges.  It was pertinent to emphasize that  the Ministerial Declaration underscored the 
critical role  that the WTO could  play in promoting inclusive growth  – including  industrialization , 
development, and resilience  – so that measures  could be applied automatically during future 
pandemics, health em ergencies and other crises.  
59. She went on to say that  the MC12 Ministerial Decision on the Work Programme on 
Small  Economies would also help align work in the CTD. In terms of future work on this 
Ministerial  Decision, the WTO Secretariat would  provide relev ant information and factual analysis for 
discussion among Members on the topic of " integrating small economies into the post COVID -19 
economy: effects of the pandemic, challenges and opportunities." Members  had agreed on the 
outline for a background docume nt by the Secretariat on this topic  and could look forward to starting 
discussions  once the Secretariat document was ready . She believ ed that th e background document  
would also complement the work to be initiated in the CTD  on the basis of the mandate given by the 
Ministerial Declaration  which was reflected on the agenda of the present meeting . Her delegation 
looked forward to constructive work to fulfil the Ministerial mandates and supported maintaining the 
present  item on the CTD 's agenda  so that Members could  discuss concrete proposals and exchange 
views in the coming months. Finally, she thank ed the United States for its communication  and 
expressed appreciation for the work carried out by the United States to fight COVID -19 through 
USAID . Her delegation was grateful to the United States  agencies that had extend ed much -needed 
assistance in a very substantial sense to many countries, including Sri Lanka , in times of the need .  
60. The representative of Chad thank ed the United St ates for its communication and for the work 
carried out by USAID. He said that the delegation of the United States had been invited to a recent 
meeting of the LDC Group to discuss the Group's  draft Decision on LDC graduation . A fruitful 
discussion had taken place. He  noted that the United States was an important partner for  the LDCs 
and believed that there was scope to find common ground on  various WTO  issues . He went on to WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  say that LDCs had been severely affected by the COVID -19 pandemic . As a result of the lack of 
diversification of their economies, LDCs had seen their market share reduce significantly . The decline 
in LDC s' exports of goods and services was more pronounced than that of the rest of the world. The 
pandemic had brought the share of LDC s' exports in world trade down to a low of 0.9%. This situation 
needed to be rectified . He considered  that initiatives such as those carried out by USAID were 
extremely important  as the y were helping support the most vulnerable countries in ove rcoming the 
health crisis . He also indicated that trade could play a role in helping LDC economies bounce back. 
In closing, he once again expressed appreciation to the United States and called for continued 
support to those countries most affected by the h ealth crisis . 
61. The representative of the European Union  expressed appreciation to the United States for the 
communication and the presentation s. They were  rich and full of detail  and were a very positive 
contribution. He also thank ed the Chairperson for her communication of 29 July 2022  and for taking 
the MC12 Ministerial Declaration on the WTO response to the C OVID -19 pandemic and preparedness 
for future pandemics as the basis for work on lessons learned and challenges experienced dur ing 
the pandemic. The European Union welcom ed the fact that work ha d started on this issue in the 
framework of the CTD 's Dedicated Session on Small Economies . His delegation was looking forward 
to reading the background document by the Secretariat on "integrating small economies into the 
post COVID -19 economy: effects of the pandemic, challenges and opportunities ". The 
European  Union had started looking at the possible lessons from the pandemic early on and had 
published on 15 June 2021 a communication on t he early lessons. In addition to fighting the 
pandemic at home and abroad from a national perspective, the importance of international 
cooperation was certainly one of the key lessons. In this regard, pandemic prevention, preparedness 
and response ha d been a global priority for Europe.  The European Union ha d sought to lead the 
global response, notably through COVAX, and strengthen the global health security architecture. As 
of the previous week, the European Union and its Member States had shared 497.6 million doses, 
of which 419.7 million doses via COVAX. In addition to these donations, the E uropean Union  had 
exported a high share of its vaccines even at the height of the pandemic, which was relevant for the 
trade dimension of the matter at hand . 
62. The re presentative of South Africa  welco med the sharing of information on activities and 
assistance that the U nited States had provided to developing countries and LDCs in response to the 
health challenges posed by COVID -19, including the attendant socio-economi c impacts. The support 
provided to the African continent in particular was appreciated . He also welcomed the 
Chairperson's  communication of 29 July  2022, which  called on Members  to reflect on what the CTD 
should do to respond to the mandate contained in th e Ministerial Declaration on the WTO response 
to the COVID -19 pandemic and preparedness for future pandemics. This Ministerial Declaration , 
along with  the Ministerial Decision on the Trade -Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights 
(TRIPS ) Agreement , were remarkable achievements at MC12 . The two outcomes together signified 
a comprehensive response by the WTO to the current pandemic, and also contained within them the 
foresight to build resilience against future pandemics or similar shocks  – particularly for developing 
countries , that continu ed to experience disproportionate effects due to a number of structural 
factors. His delegation  welcom ed the tenor of these outcomes . In particu lar, he welcomed the 
recognition that addressing the current pandemic and guaranteeing preparedness for future ones 
requir ed the WTO to play its part in promoting inclusive growth  – which included  industriali zation, 
development, and resilience.  
63. As acknowledged in the Ministerial Declaration on the WTO response to t he COVID -19 
pandemic and preparedness for future pandemics, an effective WTO response to COVID -19, future 
pandemics and other epidemics should create the necessary conditions for the diversification of 
production of essential health products . This includ ed vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and other 
essential medical goods.  His delegation  therefore encourag ed all Members to support the extension 
of the TRIPS Decision to cover the production and supply of COVID -19 diagnostics and therapeutics. 
This was the only way to ensure that the WTO respond ed to the COVID -19 pandemic in a manner 
that was sustainable and enhance d resilience. Donations, while welcomed, were not the most 
effective way to address inequity in access . As was observed with the COVID -19 pandem ic, 
diversification of production  was a solution , especially in Africa. The role of trade and the WTO  were 
key to  providing real and tangible solutions to COVID -19 and future pandemics. Affording developing 
countries  and LDCs the necessary policy space to industriali ze, including through effective 
technology transfer, present ed the most comprehensive response from the WTO as a means of 
building resilience, ensuring equitable economic recovery and inclusive economic growth. It was 
important to address not on ly the health impact of pandemics, but to also provide some insurance WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
- 15 - 
 
  against disruptions to global supply chains, food insecurity, and addressing other socio -economic 
impacts due to global economic shocks . He believed that Members needed to  discuss in the  CTD 
effective ways to implement paragraphs 23 and 24 of the Ministerial Declaration, including how 
WTO rules could  assist . Development needed to  permeate all WTO activities and be a central feature 
of the work of all Committees. This implie d that the CTD needed to have  a grasp on what other 
Committees within their activities were also doing in pursuance of development and ensuring 
effective integration of developing countries  and LDCs in to global trade. The Secretariat compilation 
document that would be addressed later in the meeting could be a useful input in this regard .  
64. The representative of Japan  expressed appreciation for the communication and presentations 
by the United States and thanked Member s for sharing their experiences. He said that Japan was 
providing vaccine -related support to countries and regions , in cooperation with international 
frameworks such as COVAX , the ITC and other international organizations . This was b ased on the  
belief that it was important to ensure equitable access to vaccines with guaranteed safety, efficacy, 
and quality in all countries and regions in order to bring an end to the COVID -19 pandemic around 
the globe . He added that  Japan had provided support for  the development of a cold chain system to 
deliver vaccines to vaccination sites and to strengthen the vaccination capacity of medical personnel 
in 77 countries and regions. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was also providing 
assistance of  up to USD 100 million, mainly in the Indo -Pacific region, to revitalize the economies 
and societies of developing countries and resume human interaction after the acute phase of the 
COVID -19 epidemic  had passed. In addition, through loans to the Export -Import Bank of Africa, JICA 
was supporting the production of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, including vaccine production 
lines and the development of healthcare -related facilities. JICA was also working to build and 
strengthen networks with research i nstitutions that it ha d supported for many years in order to make 
them function as hubs  – not only in the countries where they were located but also in the region as 
a whole. In the CTD, Japan continue d to contribute constructively to discussions on  the trade and 
development -related aspects of the COVID -19 pandemic and other possible future pandemics . 
65. The representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , on behalf of the WTO Members of the 
Organisation  of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) , thank ed the United States for its presentations  
and for its active support to developing  countries  and LDCs in the fight against the C OVID -19 
pandemic. The pandemic had resulted in a loss of gross domestic product (GDP)  of about 
USD 1.2 billion for the OECS countries , as well as an output loss as high as 28%  and foregone 
exports of around  USD 800 million . These were significant numbers for very small economies. 
Coming out of the pandemic as quickly as possible was therefore extremely important. In addition 
to the assistance provided by the United States to several LDCs  in the African and Asian regions, 
the United States had also donated hundreds of thousands of doses of vaccines to the OEC S countries 
and to other countries in the wider Caribbean . As recently as August 2022, the United States had 
donated p aediatric vaccines for children ag ed between five and 11 . This was the kind of international 
cooperation that the OECS  countries valued. Several other partners – including China, 
the European  Union  and Chinese Taipei  – had also made significant contributions to the fight against 
COVID -19 in the OECS. He wished to put on record the OECS' support for continued assistance  by 
these partners . Finally , as the pandemic enter ed a new phase , with vaccines becoming  more easily 
available, he believed that  it was important for Members to focused more intently on how to create 
better access for developing countries and LDCs with respect to therapeutics  and diagnostics. He 
called for  a constructive approach  to the conversations that were taking place on th ese matters.  
66. The representative of Guatemala  thanked the Chairperson for taking the initiative to place the 
present item on the agenda. She  believed th at it was important  for the CTD  to look at the effects of 
the COVID -19 pandemic on developing countries . Appreciation was e xpressed to the United  States 
for the communication and the presentations, as well as  to other delegations that had shared their 
experiences. She also noted that a discussion would be taking place in the CTD's Dedicated Session 
on Small Economies on the effects of the pandemic from the perspective of small economies. She 
believed that this  work would contribute to the discussions in the Regular Session of the CTD as 
well. She went on to say that  it would  be important going forward for Members to share specific 
examples regarding the trade impact of the pandemic , or the trade disruptions res ulting from the 
pandemic . Highlighting these issues would provide the frame work for a discussion on the 
competences, the mandate s and the knowledge tha t existed in the WTO.  In this regard, i t would 
also be relevant  to look at current WTO rules and explore how they were being implemented in 
particular cases . The CTD could consider  whether there was a need to complement these rules  with 
other mechanisms that could be used in the event of future pandemics  in order  to make international 
trade more predictable . Although  other organizations  were having conversations on the impact of WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  the pandemic  as well , she believed that a conversation  between  WTO Members on the trade aspects  
of the pandemic , particularly in the cont ext of developing countries , would be useful.  
67. The representative of Egypt  expressed appreciation to the Chairperson  for placing the present 
item on the agenda  and to the United States for providing information on  its activities to fight 
COVID -19 in Africa. He noted  that other Members  had shared information at the present meeting 
on their experiences  with the COVID -19 pandemic and called on more delegations to similarly come 
forward and share experiences. He went on to  say that the mandates contained in the 
MC12  Ministerial Declaration on the WTO re sponsiveness to the pandemic and preparedness for 
future pandemics , and the mandate contained in paragraph 8 of the MC12 Decision on the 
TRIPS Agreement , needed to be read to gether . Both documents were relevant as Members  
proceed ed with their collective activities to fight the pandemic  and prepare for future challenges . 
Some of the challenges that needed to be addressed concerned  disruptions to supply chains and 
implications for prices . He believed that donor countries needed to continue their activities . The WTO 
had to assume its responsibility in terms of promoting inclusive growth  through building resilience, 
increasing product ion and enhancing productivity and industrialization in developing countries  – 
including with respect to technology transfer . This would allow countries to be better equipped to 
face current and future  challenges . Egypt  suppor ted all initiatives that would  contribute to achieving 
the objectives contained in the MC12 Ministerial Declaration on the WTO responsiveness to the 
pandemic and preparedness for future pandemics , notably  in paragraph 3 . A key performance 
indicator that could  be consider ed was the incr eased ability of developing countries and LDCs to 
produce more vaccines, therapeutics  and diagnostics. It was  of utmost importance that the CTD 
consider effective ways to implement paragraphs 23 and 24 of the Ministerial Declaration in order 
to provid e developing countries and LDCs  with the necessary policy space to deliver on these 
aspirations .  
68. The representative of China  said that she wished to echo other delegations in thanking the 
Chairperson for  placing the present item on the agenda . She also thank ed the United States for its 
presentation s. She went on to say that, since the outbreak of the COVID -19 pandemic , China ha d 
shared pandemic prevention and treatment plans with more than 180 countries and international 
organizations . It had  dispat ched 38 teams of medical experts to 34 countries  and had provided more 
than 2.2 billion doses of the vaccine to over 120 countries and international organizations . It had 
also provided large amount s of anti -pandemic materials to 153 countries and 15 intern ational 
organizations. China would work with other Members to deliver more in the future.  She encouraged 
more developing countries  and LDCs to share their experiences regarding  the trade impacts and 
disruptions  arising from the pandemic so as to help the discussions in the CTD. She stressed the 
importance for the CTD to work on relevant  mandate s from MC12 outcomes to achieve concrete 
results . 
69.  The representative of Chinese Taipei  expressed appreciation to  the Uni ted States  for its 
comprehensive presentation s and efforts to build resilience to fight the pandemic. He wished to take 
this opportunity to also thank the United States, Jap an and Lithuania for their donation of vaccines 
in the very early stage  of the COVI D-19 pandemic.  Chinese Taipei had a lso donated millions of facial 
masks and medical supplies to various countries that were in need. To fight a worldwide pandemic 
like COVID -19, it was important to strengthen international cooperation and to ensure univers al 
participation, so that whoever could  help was helping and no one was left behind  in terms of global 
public health. In this spirit,  Chinese Taipei would continue working closely with other Members on 
these matters . 
70. The representative of the United States  thank ed the delegations that had taken t he floor under 
the present agenda item. In terms of the way forward, she believed that discussions in the CTD 
could help to better understand how development partnerships ha d evolved over time  and how they 
were innovating to meet local needs . It was important to connect  the work at the WTO with 
real-world needs and challenges. She added that Members could use the CTD to discuss how to 
support better trade policy outcomes based o n what governments  had prioritized. Her delegation 
extend ed an invitation to partner with any Member that wished to create case studies  or share  
experience s in the CTD or other relevant WTO Committees that showcase d how trade policy could  
support economic growth, improve welfare and raise living standards . 
71. The Committee took note  of the communication from the United States and of all 
interventions.  WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  72. The Chairperson  recalled  that she had  earlier indicated that she would open the floor after the 
Committee had concluded its consideration of the communication from the United States  in order to 
allow delegations to share any thoughts they may have on work that could be done in the CTD. She 
noted, however, that several delegations had already shar ed their thoughts  on this matter. G iven 
that the General Council would  be performing a stocktaking exercise yearly until the end of 2024, 
she believed that it would be important for the present item to remain on the CTD's agenda until 
that time . She asked if the Committee could agree to this.   
73. The Committee  agreed  that the item relating to the MC12 Ministerial Declaration on the  WTO 
response to the COVID -19 pandemic and preparedness for future pandemics would  remain on the 
CTD's agenda until the end of 2024.  
F. TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT – WORK IN THE COMMITTEE ON THE BASIS OF THE 
CHAIRMAN'S CONCLUDING STATEMENT FROM THE EIGHTH MINISTERIAL 
CONFERENCE (WT/MIN(11)/11)  
(I) Committee on Trade and Development Mandate: Focal Point for Consideration and 
Coordination of Work on Development in the WTO – Proposal from Barbados, Belize, 
China, Cuba, Ecuador, India, and the African Group (WT/COMTD/W/208)  
(II) Operationalization of the CTD's Mandate: A Proposal to Deliver Outcomes based on the 
MC8 Mandate - Proposal from China, Cuba, Ecuador, India and the African Group 
(WT/COMTD/W/192 )2 
74. The Chairperson  said that Ministers at MC8 had reaffirmed the positive lin k between trade and 
development and had called for focused work in the CTD. Ministers had called on Members to fully 
operationalize the mandate of the CTD as a focal point for development work. Two submissions 
containing proposals for work under the MC8 ma ndate were included on the agenda of the present 
meeting. The first submission – by Barbados, Belize, China, Cuba, Ecuador, India and the African 
Group (WT/COMTD/W/208) – contained a proposal for the CTD to report on the development -related 
work taking pla ce in other WTO bodies. The second  submission – by China, Cuba, Ecuador, India 
and the African Group (WT/COMTD/W/192) – contained three  proposals. In the order they were 
presented in the document, the first proposal was for the Secretariat to continue to u pdate its report 
on the implementation of the S&D provisions in the WTO  Agreements and Decisions. The 
second  proposal was for the CTD to report on the development -related work taking place in other 
WTO bodies, while the third  proposal was for the CTD to make a recommendation for parties to 
regional trade agreements (RTAs) to submit their notification and information requirements jointly. 
She noted that the two submissions had remained on the CTD's agenda for several years. At t he last 
meeting, a number of the proponents had requested that the submissions be maintained on the 
agenda. She indicated that she would first invite the proponents of the two  submissions to brief the 
Committee on the status of the proposals after which th e floor would be opened for interventions by 
other delegations.  
75. The representative of India said that his intervention cover ed all three proposals contained in 
documents WT/COMTD/W/208 and WT/COMTD/W/192. He welcomed the agreement reached by 
Members on the  first proposal, which called for continued updates of the Secretariat's report on the 
implementation of S&D provisions in the WTO Agreements and Decisions. The second proposal 
sought suitable amendment to the procedures for an annual overview of WTO activ ities and for 
reporting under the WTO. It called for the CTD to be instructed to report within its mandate on 
development -related activities in other WTO bodies and provide necessary recommendations to the 
General Council on achieving better coordination w ithin the WTO on development issues. This was 
in line with the terms of reference of the CTD as well as the MC8 mandate. The proponents therefore 
urged the Committee to restart this practice, for which there was precedence in the form of similar 
work done in 1996.  The third proposal called for the CTD to make a recommendation for parties to 
RTAs to submit their notification and information requirements jointly. This would help  ensure the 
timely consideration of RTAs and the full realization of the responsib ilities assigned to the CTD. The 
proponents were open to engage in  further consultations with interested Members with a view to 
 
2 The discussion concerning documents WT/COMTD/W/208 and WT/COMTD/W/192 is presented together 
in this Note, as the Chair person  invited the Committee to take the two sub -items together .  WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
- 18 - 
 
  resolving the outstanding  issues . He requested that the items concerning these two  submissions be 
maintained on the CTD's agenda . 
76. The Chairperson  encourag ed continued engagement among Members in order to make 
progress on these proposals .  
77. The Committee took note of the interventions.  
G. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE  
(I)  Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Notification of Customs Union – Communication from 
China, Egypt and India (WT/COMTD/W/175)  
78. The Chairperson  said that the sub -item listed under the present agenda item made reference 
to the GCC Customs Union notification . It also referred to the communication from China, Egypt and 
India, which was circulated in document WT/COMTD/W/175. She noted that the sub-item had 
remained on the CTD's agenda for several years. At the last meeting, some of the co -sponsors of 
the document had requested that the sub-item be maintained on the agenda. She underst ood that 
some informal discussions had taken place recently between a number of Members on this matter. 
She was encouraged by the goodwill that  appeared to have come out from these disc ussions. She 
encouraged  delegations to continue to engage with each other so that a way forward could be found . 
79. The representative of the Republic of Korea  said that his delegation had been speaking to  
some  other  Members on this matter . He agreed with what Norway had said at the beginning of the 
meeting regarding the  importance of development in the context of WTO reform. He also indicated  
that the communication  by the United States that had been considered under agenda item E pointed 
to a potential pat h to reform the work of the CTD in a way that was practical and pertain ed to 
real-world issues . His delegation welcom ed that. He did not believe that it served the interests of 
advancing the development agenda  in the WTO to continue to discuss longstanding  issues on which 
Members  had not changed their positions over several years. On the question of RTAs with dual 
notifications, he noted  that systemic concerns ha d been raised , including whether  factual reviews 
conducted in the  CRTA  would diminish the importance of the CTD. However,  he did not believe that 
any Member had the intention of diminish ing the importance of the development age nda. As the 
Transparency Mechanism for RTAs was implemented in an amicable and efficient manner , he 
suggested that Members could consider applying a formula that had already worked . This would 
allow the present item to be removed from the CTD's agenda. He also suggested that Members 
should look for areas of convergence  instead of continuing to focus on points of divergence.  One 
point of convergence was on the importance of adhering  to the WTO rulebook. There were also no 
objections  to having developing countries notifying qualifying agreements under the 
Enabling  Clause . He recognized that there had been some uncertainty over the years as to what 
constituted a qualifying agreement . The question boil ed down to whether the Enabling Clause was 
an adequate legal basis for the notification of  an agreement between developing countries which  
remov ed not only tariffs on goods, but also non -tariff barriers . The uncertainty  arose  because the 
WTO rulebook itself was incomplete . Members had discussed the matter  and it was important to 
move forward . He believe d that the best way to deal with RTAs with a dual notification was to have 
the CRTA and the CTD conduct back -to-back factual review s. Members could then  devote more time 
and energy to discuss issues that impact ed on livelihoods and businesses  in developing countries, 
rather than continuing to repeat the same points  in meeting after meeting . In closing,  he expressed 
appreciation  for the discussion s he had held with the delegation of India  and expressed hope that 
the proponents of this longstanding agenda item would consider what was in the best interest s of 
moving the development agenda forward in the CTD . 
80. The representative of India expressed appreciation to the representative of Korea  for the 
discussions that had be en held with his delegation. He noted that  the representative of Korea had 
raised two issues. The first issue was that t he present item ha d been appearing on the CTD's agenda 
for many years. The second issue concern ed the interpretation of the Enabling Cla use, in the context 
of which it  had been mentioned that the WTO rulebook  was not clear. However, f rom his 
delegation's  perspective, it was clear that notifications  of RTAs  under the Enabling Clause were to 
come to the CTD for purposes of the implementation of  the Transparency Mechanism for RTAs. 
Furthermore, the Enabling Clause clearly cover ed whatever was covered under GATT Article XXIV , 
including non -tariff barriers. He did not believe that there was sufficient ground to remove the WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
- 19 - 
 
  present i tem from the agenda . He also recall ed the statement s made by India under this agenda 
item at previous meetings . The systemic concerns that India had mentioned  flowed directly from 
both the WTO rulebook and the mandate that had been given to the CTD by the General Council. 
There was a clear division of work between the CTD and the CRTA in terms of the agreements that 
were examined.  India was of the view that the CTD was the appropriate forum to consider issues 
arising from RTAs with a dual notification . The interpretation of rules was therefore quite 
straightforward.  He explained that things would be different if Members wanted  a solution that was 
outside of the WTO r ulebook or wanted  changes in the existing rules. The non -resolution of the 
matters raised in document WT/COMTD/W/175 was the main reason why the consideration of the 
GCC Customs Union was pending for such a long time.  India's position on this issue remain ed 
unchanged. However, his delegation  contin ued to work towards reaching a solution on th e issue with 
interested and like -minded Members. He requested that the present sub -item be maintained on the 
CTD's  agenda .  
81. The Chairperson  encourage d Members to pursue discussions  on the matter with a view to 
finding a way forward .  
82. The Committee took note of the interventions.   
H. ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE STEPS TAKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY -FREE AND QUOTA -FREE 
MARKET ACCESS TO LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  
83. The Chairperson  said that , at the present meeting,  the CTD was to undertake its annual review 
of the steps taken to provide dut y-free and quota -free (DFQF)  market access to LDCs. However, 
before opening the floor for this purpose,  she wished to say a few words  on the CTD's DFQF annual 
reviews more generally – in particular in the context of the difficulties that the Committee had faced 
in recent years, and her recent informal consultations with some delegations. She started by recalling 
that, in the DFQF Decisi on found in Annex F of the Ministerial Declaration from  the 
Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC6) held in 2005, Ministers, inter alia , instructed the CTD to 
annually review the steps taken to provide DFQF market access to LDCs  and report to the 
General  Council for appropriate action. Accordingly, the CTD ha d been holding annual DFQF reviews 
since 2006, at its last meeting of the  year. In a subsequent DFQF Ministerial Decision taken at the 
Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference ( MC9) in 2013 (WT/MIN(13)/44 - WT/L/919 ), it was stated  that 
the CTD would  continue to annually review the steps taken to provide DFQF  market access to the 
LDCs, and report to the General Council for appropriate action. To aid in the review, the Secretariat 
was instructed to prepare, in close coordination with Members, a report on Members' DFQF market 
access for LDCs, at the tariff line level and based on their notifications. Accordingly, reports by the 
Secretariat were prepared in 2014, 2015 and 2016 for the CTD 's annual DFQF reviews. However, it 
had not been possible for the Secretariat to prepare any further reports after 2016, because of 
divergent views among some Members on the scope and coverage of the report. Although past CTD 
Chairs  had reached out informa lly to the concerned delegations in an attempt to resolve the matter 
and therefore allow the preparation of the Secretariat report to re -start, they had reported back to 
the CTD that they were unable to find a way forward.  
84. She then turned  to the MC12 Outcome Document from June 2022 (WT/MIN(22)/24 - 
WT/L/1135 ). She recalled that, in paragraph 8 of the MC12 Outcome Document, Ministers had 
reaffirmed the DFQF Decision taken at MC9 and  had instructed the CTD to "re -commence the annual 
review p rocess on preferential DFQF market access for LDCs" . The General Council was instructed 
to report on the progress to the next session of the Ministerial Conference.  She said that, as 
CTD Chair, she saw these instructions from Ministers as providing an adde d sense of urgency to try 
to resolve this issue in the CTD. In particular, although the Committee ha d been continuing with its 
DFQF annual reviews at the last CTD meeting of each year, the annual reviews since 2017 ha d been 
undertaken without a Secretariat  report. With this in mind, she had reached out to the main 
delegations concerned, in order to explore whether there may be a possibility to re -start the 
preparation of the Secretariat report for the CTD's annual DFQF reviews. These discussions had been  
useful to her to better understand the positions of these delegations. Some textual suggestions were 
also made during these discussions – including by her – on how some of the language in the 2016 
report might be modified so as to have an updated report that  would be acceptable to all.  However, 
it became clear that it would not be possible to find a way forward on the Secretariat report for the 
CTD – at least not on the basis of the last version of the report from 2016.  In addition to the 
continuing divergent  views expressed, it was pointed out to her that this was now an old issue, 
dating back six years. It was also pointed out to her that the same broad data that would have been WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
- 20 - 
 
  used in the Secretariat report for the CTD was readily available in another Secretariat report. She 
referred in partic ular to the Secretariat report on "Market Access for Products and Services of Export 
Interest to LDCs", which was updated annually for dis cussion in the Sub -Committee on LDCs. The 
latest update had been  circulated recently, on 18 October 2022, in document WT/COMTD/LDC/W/70. 
She recalled that t he Sub -Committee on LDCs was a subsidiary body of the CTD.  
85. At this stage,  after several years of inc onclusive efforts by CTD Chairs to unblock the situation 
regarding the Secretariat report for the CTD – including most recently by her – she was  forced to 
conclude that it was not possible to find a way forward that would allow the Secretariat to update 
its report, in the manner as it was last prepared in 2016, for the CTD's DFQF annual reviews. She 
expressed her disappointment and noted that, s ince the MC9 DFQF Decision, only three reports were 
prepared for the CTD's DFQF annual reviews in response to Mini sters' instructions. If the present  
meeting were included , the Committee would have undertaken six DFQF annual reviews without a 
report. She believe d that  it was time for Members to consider what should be done, and to provide 
the necessary guidance. She s uggested that Members should perhaps ask themselves certain 
questions. For example, it could be asked what added value this report would bring to the CTD – 
given that the relevant data was in any case broadly available in the report that was annually 
updated for the Sub -Committee on LDCs, and that the annual DFQF review taking place at the 
present meeting would  be the sixth annual review without a report . Furthermore, if there were some 
delegations that continue d to wish for a DFQF report for the CTD's annual review, it was perhaps 
now for these delegations to come forward with a proposal on what the structure of the report could 
look like. If Members c ould agree on at least a broad templat e for the Secretariat report, this w ould 
give the Secretariat some guidance to prepare a report for the CTD in the future. Alternatively, if 
Members th ought  that the report that was updated annually for discussion in the Sub -Committee on 
LDCs could in some  fashion also be used for the CTD's DFQF annual review, this was something that 
could be considered as well. She noted, however, that it was ultimately for Members to provide the 
necessary guidance on the way forward for the Secretariat report. Furthermore , while Members 
consider ed the situation with a view to providing guidance, she believe d that the Committee should 
continue with its annual DFQF reviews even without a Secretariat report, as it had  been do ing since 
2017.  
86. The representative of  the European Union  thanked the Chairperson for having trie d once again  
to find a solution  – particularly on the basis of Ministers' instructions from MC12  – and for having 
put before Members some questions to consider. Although he did not have any proposal to make at 
the present meeting , he indicated that his deleg ation took the points raised by the Chairperson  very 
seriously . 
87. The representative of the United Stat es expressed appreciation for the Chairperson's  interest  
in wanting to resolve th e matter . Her delegation welcom ed a conversation offline on the DFQF report . 
88. The Chairperson  said that she was willing to talk individually to any Member that wished to 
discus s the matter. She invited delegations to contact the Secretariat if they had any thoughts to 
share with her.  Consider ation might also be given as necessary to  sending an informal 
communication to Members  or bringing delegations together for further discussions.  She believed 
that it was important to clear up the CTD's agenda and focus on fundamentals . 
89. The Committee took note of all interventions.   
I. WORK PROGRAMME ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE  
(I)  Global Electronic Commerce for Inclusive Development – Communication from India 
and South Africa (WT/COMTD/W/ 264) 
90. The Chairperson  said that a  Ministerial Decision had been  taken at MC12 on the 
WTO's  Work Programme on Electronic Commerce  (WPEC) . In this Decision (WT/MIN(22)/32 - 
WT/L/1143 ), it had been  agreed, inter alia , to reinvigorate the work under the Work Programme, 
particularly in line with its development dimension. The CTD was one of the subsidiary bodies of the 
General Council mandated to undertake work under the Work Programme. On the agenda for the 
present  meeting was a communication from India and South Africa  titled "Global Electronic 
Commerce for Inclusive Development"  (WT/COMTD/W/264 ). She recalled that discussion on this 
communication had taken  place in previous CTD meetings. She invited the co -sponsors to take the WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
- 21 - 
 
  floor in case they wish ed to add anything to what had been said at previous meetings on the 
submission . 
91. The representative of South Africa  acknowledged and welcomed the MC12 outcome on the 
reinvigoration of the WPEC as contained in the Ministeria l Decision . He recall ed all substantive points 
raised in previous statements delivered on the submission by India and South Africa . His delegation 
was cogni zant of the limited time  before the next Ministerial Conference to fulfil the mandate 
renewed by Ministers at MC12 on the  WPEC . It remain ed South Africa 's view that the focus of the 
structured discussions under th e Work Programme should  primarily be on the following key aspects : 
(i) developmental aspects of e -commerce;  (ii) scope, definition and impac t of the moratorium on 
customs duties on electronic transmissions  on developing countries in particular;  (iii) e xamination 
of the challenges experienced by developing countries and LDCs in relation to e -commerce ; 
(iv) exploring  ways of enhancing the participation of developing countries and LDCs in e-commerce ; 
and (v) importance  of digital industrialization  as a key development imperative.  It was the role of 
the CTD to contribute to the reinvigoration of the WPEC with a particul ar focus on the development 
dimension. He believe d that the joint submission with India would  continue to spur focused 
discussions in the CTD on the types of measures the WTO should craft to ensure that developing 
countries and LDCs gain ed an equitable sha re in global e -commerce . He stressed the  need to 
advance the digital industrialization  of developing countries and LDCs  through  building their digital 
infrastructures and developing their digital skills and capacities . He also informed th e Committee 
that the co-sponsors were working on a revision to the document with a view to further enriching 
the submission  with new data and Members' comments and reactions.  His delegation stood  ready to 
contribute to the discussions and engage constructively on the issues raised , including in  the context 
of the exploratory questions  and themes proposed in the submission .  
92.  The representative of t he United States  said that her delegation was pleased that the 
WTO had agreed to extend the e-commerce moratorium and the W ork Programme . In her 
delegation's view, the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions ha d supported the 
rapid growth of the digital economy over the past two decades . The  United States continue d to 
believe that Members should be ready to agree on a permanent moratorium. Her delegation also 
support ed a reinvigorated Work Program me and ha d actively worked with developing Members to 
help identify potential areas of broad interest to pursue. She remind ed Members that a dedicated 
discussion on the Work Program me would  be held on 18 November 2022 under the auspices of the 
General Council. As these di scussions involve d e-commerce experts, she believed that all Members 
should encourage a robust discussion of the issues in that forum. Should th e horizontal discussions 
highlight a relevant development issue, Members  could then consider taking it up in the  CTD and 
use th e Committee 's expertise to have  a robust discussion on the potential of the digital economy , 
particularly for developing Members.  
93. The representative of Sri Lanka  said that the CTD was expected to examine and report on the 
development implications of e-commerce, taking into account the economic, financial and 
development needs of developing countries. Developing countries and LDCs had been unable to 
derive gains from global e-commerce  for a number of  reasons , including the digital divide and  the 
financial implications of cross -border e-commerce activities. The impact of the COVID -19 pandemic 
and its revelations made a clear case for a reinvigorated WPEC  that focus ed more on 
development -related challenges and opportunities in the context of the digital divide and the 
financial implications of cross -border e-commerce activities. This was well reflected in the submission 
by India and South Africa.  The digital divide was a complex issue  and was directly related to the lack 
of digital infrastructure, digital technologies, and data processing skills in developing countries and 
LDCs. Unless these concerns were addressed, developing countries and LDCs would  not be able to 
acquire a fair share of global e-commerce activities amid the  sector 's continuing growth . In their 
submission, India and South Africa had highligh ted the digital divide between Members and the 
challenges faced by developing countries and LDCs. The submission pointed to the critical need to 
support the digital industriali zation of th ese Members  to allow them to secure a place for their MSMEs 
in the ever -rising digital economy. The submission also highlighted five questions to be taken into 
account by Members in  order to address development -related issues. All these questions were 
extremely pertinent and need ed to be taken into consideration in discussions in the CTD . This was 
necessary  in order to understand how th e developmental concerns raised therein ha d been 
addressed by the wider Membership  with the objective of paving the way for developing countries 
and LDCs to derive substantial gains from  the global e -commerce sector. Her delegation  fully 
support ed the submission by India and South Africa  and urg ed Members to engage in a 
solution -seeking discussion based on the elements highlighted therein . WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
- 22 - 
 
  94. The representative of the European Union  indicated  that the statement s made by his 
delegation at previous  CTD meeting s were an expression of its position on this matter. His delegation 
welcomed the extension of the moratorium and the WPEC  at MC12 . The WPEC  had an essential role 
to play to address the interaction between digital trade and development , and to facili tate the 
integration of developing countries in the digital economy. The European Union therefore strongly 
support ed the objective of the MC12 Decision to reinvigorate the Work Programme and look ed 
forward to the upcoming dedicated discussion  on e-commerce on 18 November 2022 .  
95. The representative of Indonesia  expressed support for the communication from India and 
South Africa . He said that t he development of the digital world was always followed by the 
development of digital trade and e-commerce. Good digital infrastructure was therefore important 
in order to facilitate the development of digital trade and to face the challenges of the 4.0 era. If 
developing countries and LDCs did not prepare themselves, they would  be left even further behind  
the developed countries, which were already advanced in their digital infrastructure . This would 
create an even wider gap. Members had to  give developing countries the opportunity to work on 
digital -based businesses more broadly. They should no longer be just a  foreign market target, but 
a fertile ground for qualified e -commerce entrepreneurs . They could even become world -class 
player s. This was especially pertinent for MSMEs,  which represent ed about 90% of businesses and 
more than 50% of employment worldwide. MSMEs were one of the most important pillars in the 
economies  of many developing countries and LDCs. In Indonesia alone, MSMEs provid ed 
employment for 97% of the nation 's total workforce . This amounted to 117 million workers , 64.5% 
of which were women. There were 64.2 million MSMEs  in Indonesia , contributing 61.07% to the 
nation 's GDP in 2021. However, the pandemic ha d shifted consumers' purchasing behaviour from 
offline to online, deliveri ng a new challenge and opportunity for MSME s. The rapid development of 
digitalization, especially in the new economic sector, had only occurred in urban areas and provinces 
with high rates of technology adoption. This ha d led to a digital divide  and a gap between regions in 
various parts of the world. Utilizing digitalization properly could  translate into many new 
opportunities  for MSMEs. He believed that Members should aim to accelerate MSMEs ' digitalization 
to build a strong and inclusive financial sector , and to prepare them to compete globally  while 
support ing sustainable development . If Members  really wished  to ensure equality in international 
trade, especially digital trade, it was important to have trade flows between Members that could  be 
enjoyed by all. Capacity building and allowing the existence of policy space  to create a level playing 
field needed to be Members' collective homework to improve the welfare of people in all coun tries. 
In order to contribute to the WPEC,  especially the discussion on the moratorium , Indonesia was 
currently preparing a paper  to share its perspective s and information on a  mechanism being  
develop ed on custom s duties on electronic transmission s. Indone sia would  soon circulate the paper 
for the advancement of inclusive and non -discriminatory digital trade .  
96. The representative of Norway  said that, for her delegation, the development dimension was 
central to the discussion on e-commerce and digital trade . On the issue of the digital divide, she said 
that the WTO was a rulemaking  organization, and could  not do everything . She recalled that when 
the Trade Facilitation  Agreement  was being negotiated at the WTO, other organizations such as the 
World Customs Organization, the World Bank  and other development banks had worked in parallel 
to help put in place various measures related to trade facilitation. She saw  the e -commerce 
discussion proceeding in a similar way. While Members would need to tal k about the rules, they also 
had to be aware of the need to coordinat e with other organizations to ensure that the rules would 
work to benefit Members . It remained to be seen whether discussions  would take place in the CTD 
or more holistically, or whether a combination of the two approaches could be used.  
97. The representative of Uganda  believed that the communication from India and South Afric a 
was timely and spoke to the pertinent development concerns of developing co untries. Digital 
connectivity  was an increasingly prominent feature of much of the  global economy . An enormous 
growth in the volume and speed of digital data flows  had been witnessed. However , the promise of 
digitalization 's new opportunities had yet to materialize for ma ny developing countries . The  
persistent digital divide accentuate d existing inequalities with the  reshoring of manufacturing 
activities from less digitally prepared economies that were grappling with  a lack of digital 
infrastructure , low internet adoption  and e-governance, the high cost of technology and limited 
human capital.  Many developing countries and LDCs were  experiencing a youth bulge and increasing 
jobless growth . There was a pressing  need to create  more and better -quality jobs for young people . 
The communication from India and South Africa was important because it nudge d the conversation 
towards a deeper  analysis of the benefits, risks and implications of digitali zation. It would help 
Members  address  critical issues  surrounding  the growing digital divide and  some countries' exclusion WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  from the  digital economy.  He believed that important first steps could  be taken to improve the digital 
infrastructure in developing  countries and LDCs by  strengthening Members ' commitmen t to 
technology transfer  in the various WTO A greements. Knowledge sharing initiatives by Members with 
advanced information and communication s technology (ICT) would be important, beginning with the 
sharing of lessons and best practices in digital infrastructure development  and the e -governance of 
the trade sector.  This could be through North -South  or South -South arrangements. He expressed 
hope that exchanges  could also take place regarding the scope of the moratorium , including during  
the dedicated discussion on e -commerce which would take place on  18 November 2022 .  
98. The representative of Canada  thank ed India and South Africa for their joint submission  and 
said that her delegation's  position on this matter had not changed. As was mentioned at the 
March  2022 CTD meeting , Canada continued to  have a strong appreciation for the challenges of the 
digital divide and the pressures to move online resulting from the COVID -19 pandemic. Canada also 
continue d to grapple with these issues domestically, particularly in rural and remote communities 
that l acked infrastructure and connectivity to the rest of Canada and the world, as well as in terms 
of broader digital literacy and business e -readiness. However, c ontrary to the tone of th e 
communication from India and South Africa , her delegation  viewed e-commerce and digital 
connectivity as an opportunity for these communities and for small and medium -sized e nterprises 
(SMEs) . The WTO could  support SMEs engaging in e -commerce by providing a stable and predictable 
trading environment  and establishing and maint aining a global framework of rules. For this reason, 
Canada remain ed a strong proponent of renewing the moratorium . She also noted that the 
communication failed to take into account the benefits of the moratorium . Her delegation remain ed 
unconvinced  that d ata localization or other similar policies would support the integration of SMEs 
into the global economy. Through the GATS and Members ' commitments, the WTO support ed the 
free flow of data across borders, while ensuring that legitimate privacy and security rights were 
protected, to help support and foster international trade. Canada  continue d to encourage the 
co-sponsors of the submission to take note of the Organisati on for Economic Cooperation and 
Development  (OECD )/G20 two -pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising from the 
digitization of the economy. She went on to note that issues raised in th e communication were being 
discussed in other venues includin g the TRIPS Council or the dedicated discussions on e-commerce 
under the General Council . These discussions among experts needed to continue. Finally,  she said 
that Canada would continue to actively collaborate with Members, including developing Members , to 
reinvigorate the WPEC.  Her delegation  looked forward to engaging in the dedicated discussions under 
the General Council , which  she believe d would provide  an important and constructive response to 
some of the concerns raised . 
99. The representative of Australia  referred to the statement s made by her delegation at previous 
CTD meetings under the present agenda item , in particular at the March  2022 meeting . She noted 
that the moratorium was extended at MC12  and expressed her delegati on's strong support for its 
continuation. Australia was also committed to intensified discussions on the WPEC , as agreed at 
MC12. Her delegation  hoped that the Work Programme could  enable positive, forward -looking 
discussions on the many benefits to be gained from engaging in e-commerce – including reduced 
trade costs, improved productivity and increased ability to participate in export markets.  
E-commerce was a critical enabler of trade. It reduc ed the costs of doing business  and efficiently 
and effectively connect ed businesses and consumers. E-commerce carrie d massive potential for 
development  – particularly for the economic empowerment of groups that ha d historically faced 
disadva ntages in accessing international markets, including  small business owners and women 
entrepreneurs. Digital technologies ha d a particularly crucial role to play in supporting economies to 
overcome barriers imposed by geographical remoteness, such as those faced by many in 
Australia's  Pacific neighbourhood. Rules that support ed an enabling environment for e -commerce – 
including the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, and the rules being  
negotiate d in the context of the Joint Statement Initiative ( JSI) – enable d digital trade to flourish . 
They prevent ed the introduction of burdensome customs duties or tariffs,  while supporting the use 
of digital technologies in trade and building trust in the online environment. Australia recog nized 
that there were challenges faced by developing countries and LDCs that ma de it difficult to fully 
participate in and enjoy the benefits of the digital economy. Her delegation  remain ed open to 
engaging with developing countries and LDCs to address  these challenges and explore how working 
together could  enable all Members to share in the benefits of the digital economy.  She reiterate d 
her delegation's  strong support for the continuation of the moratorium. She also noted that 
discussions on this issue were taking place in the General Council, which her delegation believe d 
was the most suitable forum to ensure a holistic approach . Finally, she welcome d continued 
discussions through the Work Programme on the challenges and opportunities of the digital WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
- 24 - 
 
  economy. Her delegation looked forward to exchanging information, experiences , and best practice s 
to support all Members in engaging in and reaping the ben efits of the digital economy.  
100.  The representative of Switzerland  referred to the statement by her delegation under the 
present agenda item at the March 2022  CTD meeting . She noted th e Ministerial Decision on the  
WPEC which was taken at  MC12. Her delegation welcome d the continuation of the current practice 
of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions until the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial 
Conference ( MC13 ) and also  encourage d the discussions that were taking place in dedicated session s 
of the General Council.  Switzerland was of the view that the gains all Members, and especially 
developing Members, could reap from new technologies were significant. However, this require d an 
adequate policy framework. Barriers to trade on ICT goods and d igital services were not helpful for 
the inclusion of developing countries into the increasingly digitalized global value chains. Elaborating 
common rules and standards was the right way to go to ensure a successful and rules -based digital 
transformation.   
101.  The representative of Japan  welcom ed the extension of the moratorium  and the reinvigoration 
of the WPEC  at MC12.  His delegation strongly believe d that Members  should continue to maintain 
the current multilateral practice of the moratorium, with the intent ion of making it permanent. His 
delegation also  recognize d that the discussion on the moratorium would  continue together with the 
discussion of the Work Programme . In this regard,  Japan would  continue to engage constructively 
in discussion s on how the CTD could  contribute. While recogniz ing that there were concerns 
concerning  the impact of the moratorium on tariff revenues, his delegation also wished to recall that 
industries around the world had made statements before and at MC12 calling for the extension of 
the moratorium . Members therefore needed to take a broader view of the impact of the moratorium 
and focus on the benefits it w ould bring to the overall macroeconomy. Finally, he noted that  
horizontal issues related to the WPEC , including the development aspects, w ould be addressed in a 
dedicated discussion on 18 November  2022. 
102.  The representative of the United Kingdom  said that he wished to reiterate his 
delegation's  previous statements expr essing support for the moratorium. As had been seen in 
research papers and reports over the last year, imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions 
was unproductive . It would  harm digital trade, economic recovery from COVID -19, and business and 
consumer welfare. His delegation was  aware that developing countries and LDCs face d their own 
specific challenges with respect to engaging in digital trade . For this reason, the United Kingdom 
provide d support and capacity building to Members . This support included seminars in Geneva and 
online, ad hoc on-demand support, and deep dive work  on e-commerce  in several targeted countries. 
The full participation of developing countries and LDC s in digital trade played  a vital role in unleashing 
its transformative potential. He looked forward to the dedicated discussion on e -commerce which 
would take place on 18 November 2022 . His delegation encourage d Members  to engage in th ese 
discussions over  the coming weeks and months as they offer ed the best structure to explore the 
horizontal aspects of digital trade, including the development dimension.  
103.  The representative of Egypt  said that this was a cross-cutting issue that was being discussed 
in various subsidiary bodies, as well as in the General Council. His delegation looked forward  to 
contribut ing to the dedicated discussion under the  General Council  which would be held on 
18 November 2022.  His delegation also welcomed the intenti on of India and South Africa to updat e 
their communication. He went on to say that Members were well aware of the digital divide , which 
created challenges for developing countries and prevent ed them from making use of or benefitting 
from e -commerce . While noting that work was being done  on this matter  by various international 
organizations, he wished to stress the importance of carrying out e -readiness assessments in 
developing countries. These assessments  would help identify the challenges faced by countri es and 
what needed to be done to find solutions . Some issues to be addressed in the e -readiness 
assessments would include looking into whether countries had the capacit y to participate in 
e-commerce , including in the context of the regulatory framework, and determining what types of 
TA may be required. It was important for MSMEs in developing countries to make use of e -commerce 
and benefit from it .  
104.  The representative of Singapore  thank ed India and South Africa for their communicatio n. She 
said that her delegation  was relieved to note the extension of the moratorium on customs duties on 
electronic transmissions and the reinvigoration of the WPEC  at MC12. She referred to the statement 
made by her delegation under the present agenda ite m at the March 2022 CTD meeting . In addition, 
ahead of the dedicated discussion that would take place on 18 November 2022, she  wished to note WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  that Singapore had tabled a submission (WT/GC/W/855) with a group of other Members – including 
some developing Members – which contained some ideas on how to reinvigorat e the WPEC.  She 
looked forward to hearing Members ' views on this communication.  
105.  The representative of Peru said that it was important to accelerate efforts to reinvigorate the 
WPEC , and especially its development dimension , in accordance with the mandate from MC12. An 
important step in this regard w as the dedicated discussion which would be held on 
18 November 2022. She believed  that the issue needed to be looked at from various angles  – 
including  from the point of view of integrat ing MSMEs into the global market through e -commerce, 
given that MSMEs were the backbone of the economies  of developing countries . Discussions on these 
matters would contribute to the  sharing of  good practices and experiences, while building capacities 
and identifying TA needs. Her delegation believed that the moratorium  was necessary in order to 
ensure the c ontinued flow of electronic transmissions, the promotion of digital trade and recovery in 
the post COVID -19 phase . In the specific case of Peru, it ha d contributed to the development of the 
digital economy and ha d had a major impact on MSMEs . It had result ed in a greater supply of 
digitalized goods and services , which had benefited consumers , and had also contribute d to the 
stability and predictability of online businesses.  Peru was open to continuing discussions and 
addressing the concerns of all Members.   
106.  The representative of India thanked the delegation of South Africa for its introductory 
statement . He also thank ed Members that had spoken at the present meeting as well as at the 
previous two meetings. He went on to say that the communication from India and South Africa  
highlighted some of the concerns of developing countries and LDCs which had arisen  in the wake of 
the exponential but lopsided growth in cross -border e -commerce  that had benefited only a few 
economies on the supply side. MSME producers in developing countries and LDCs ha d suffered the 
most and ha d been crowded out as the COVID -19 pandemic had hastened the growth of 
e-commerce, the gains of which ha d accrued only to a select few. As a res ult, asymmetry ha d 
increased. Severe constraints remain ed for developing countries  and LDCs regarding  availability, 
accessibility and affordability of digital technologies, digital skills and infrastructure. This ha d an 
adverse impact on their competitiven ess in cross -border e -commerce.  It was  worrisome that the 
digital divide continued to widen. To overcome this enormous challenge, developing countries 
needed financial resources ; technology ; TA; and policy and fiscal space. However, very little was 
happeni ng on these fronts. If th e present  situation continue d, developing countries  and LDCs would 
see further losses in economic activity and employment. There was therefore an immediate need to  
initiat e comprehensive deliberations  – keeping in view the mandate of the Committee as found in 
the 1998 WPEC , and putting emphasis on the challenges, the opportunities, and the way forward for 
developing countries and LDCs . The co -sponsors were enthused that the ir communication and the 
discus sions thereon had evoked encouraging response s and newer submission s from Members, thus 
opening up space for deliberation s on this topic. Members had  already lost decades with hardly any 
discussion s or progress made under the WPEC. He noted that Members we re still grappling with the 
basic issues of definition and scope, while efforts were also being made to widen the scope of the 
e-commerce moratorium. Members re cognized that the communication from India and South Africa 
had merit in highlighting some key i ssues and priorities . The digital divide was a serious concern on 
which a lot of work need ed to be done to build digital infrastructures and develop digital skills and 
capacities in developing countries. The co -sponsor s were working to enrich the submission further 
and would submit the revised version in due course . 
107.  He recalled that some Members had raised que stions and made observations on the 
communication. The co -sponsors disagree d with most of the assertions flowing from those 
observations. For example,  the assertion that digital international trade could play an active role to 
automatically bridge the digi tal divide was not borne by the facts, which suggest ed the contrary. 
Digital international trade was dominated by only a few , and this dominance was increasing. 
Advanced digital infrastructure and data collection, storage and processing skills ha d given th e 
first-mover advantage to digital platforms in e -commerce, leading to a growing concentration of 
rents and monopolies. Three developed countries together account ed for 45% of global e -commerce 
sales. Furthermore, a handful of digital platforms ha d capture d cross -border e -commerce markets. 
Data co -locations were also concentrated in only a few countries.  For developing countries, issue s 
relating to  availability, accessibility and affordability of technology were a real threat. Observations 
had also been made by some delegation s on the aspect of revenue loss on account of the 
e-commerce moratorium. He noted in this regard that the co -sponsors in thei r communication had 
raised many pertinent issues , which the proponents of the moratorium were also in agreement with . 
Revenue loss was only one of the consequences of the moratorium. Some Members argue d that the WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
- 26 - 
 
  gains outweigh ed the loss es, but if this wer e the case , the digital divide would not have widen ed. 
The e -commerce moratorium or customs duty waivers provide d supplier s from developed countries 
easy market access to developing countries , but took away policy and fiscal space for developing 
countries and hamper ed their digital industrialization  efforts . Technology remain ed elusive and 
unaffordable to developing countries , more so as it change d so rapidly. The emphasis on legal 
certainty and predict ability by way of the moratorium was of little solace for developing countries 
and LDCs that we re grappling with much larger challenges emanating from the w ide digital divide 
and the lack of growth in their digital industrialization.  
108.  Some  Members had also  observed that  the communication overstated the risk emanating from  
the development of 3D technology . A 2019 report from the OECD had been cited. In this regard, he 
encouraged these Members to take careful note of later report s, including an OECD report published 
in November 2021. These reports clearly reveal ed that 3D printing ha d benefited the trade of only 
a few Member s. The technology remain ed inaccessible  and unaffordable for developing countries . 
The threat to conventional trade was real, mor e so for hi -tech items like aircraft parts, sophisticated 
medical devices, machine parts and textiles. As these reports highlight ed, additive manufacturing 
was being increasingly used to 3D  print food using chocolate, cookie dough, sugar powder and even 
meat. In addition , technology was associated with producing materially simple consumption items 
such as phone accessories  and kitchen utensil s. Studies such as the Wohler Report from 2019 and 
the Smithers Report from 2017 ha d demonstrated the explosive growt h in 3D printing. An article by 
Sanne Wass suggested that 3D printing could  wipe out as much as 40% of world trade by 2040. The 
risks highlighted  in the communication from India and South Africa w ere therefore  real. Some 
Members had also  brought attention to the two-pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising 
from the digitalization of the economy. However, this matter  relate d only to certainty in tax 
jurisdiction and issues like  base erosion and profit shifting  (BEPS) , and not to the issues raised in 
the communication by India and South Africa. Certain other studies had additionally  been mentioned 
by some delegates from developed countr ies to provide  reassur ance that cross -border e -commerce 
would lead to automatic trade  growth for developing countries and LDCs. However, any such 
assertion was counterintuitive in view of the widening digital divide and the nature of e-commerce 
trade flows, including of additive manufactured products. An OECD study had reveal ed that 
develo ping countries lag ged far behind in the acquisition of 3D printers. With regard  to certain 
observations made on the guiding questions  in the communication from India and South Africa , he 
said that the se questions were based on studies that had been taken note of in the communication .  
109.  In concluding, he said that  the world had undoubtedly witnesse d new opportunities for the 
growth of global trade and  development  owing to the digital revolution . However, one could not  
ignore the gaping digital di vide within and across Members.  The pace and quality of digital 
development was disproportionate across the world . Developing countries w ould need to advance 
their digital industrialization by building their digital infrastructures and developing their dig ital skills 
and capacities.  It was important for Members to ensure that global e -commerce deliver ed an 
inclusive development. His delegation remain ed committed to tak ing this discussion forward  and 
bringing to the table the other growing challenges faced b y the developing countries in cross -border 
e-commerce . India would remain engaged with  Members to seek their support to take these 
discussions towards a mutually beneficial outcome.  
110.  The representative of Norway  believed that there w ere certain aspects relating to e -commerce 
that would need further discussion in the CTD. She noted that a number of international 
organization s such as the ITC, UNCTAD, the World Bank and other development banks were 
undertaking work on e -commerce. She sugge sted that these organizations be invited to present 
their work . This would help Members assess where cooperation with other international organizations 
would be useful in the e -commerce area.  
111.  The Chairperson  asked whether delegations had any objections to  the proposal by Norway to 
hear from other international organizations undertaking work in th e e-commerce area. She said that 
Members could consider the matter and get back to her  after the meeting.  
112.  The representative of South Africa  indicated that he wished  to react to the proposal by Norway 
for the Committee to consider collaborating with other international organi zations with relevant 
expertise , such as the ITC and UNCTAD . He noted that this was an activity already envisaged under 
the 1998 WPEC . His delegation supported such initiatives if other Members fe lt the same  and looked 
forward to any  consultations by the Chairperson regarding the organi zations and speakers  to invite . 
He also thank ed the Members that had taken the floor, including those  that shared similar views and WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
- 27 - 
 
  supported the overall thrust of the communication from India and South Africa , and indicated that 
he had taken note of the questions and arguments made.  His delegation looked forward to the 
dedicated discussions on e -commerce under the General Council that would take place on 
18 November 2022  and was eager to hear views on how the interests of developing countries  and 
LDCs could  be genuinely addressed. He fully concur red with the statement delivered by India  and 
wished to clarify that the MC12 Decision on the WPEC reasserted  the mandate  of the 
Work Programme  as set out in document WT/L/274. The guiding questions in the communication 
from India and South Africa we re consis tent with the elements listed under paragraph  5.1 of the 
WPEC . His delegation would not agree if the view were presented that the substance of the 1998 
mandate ha d been amended by the MC12 Decision.3 
113.  The Chairperson  welcomed the engagement by Members under the present agenda item . She 
believed that continued engagement was necessary for progress to be made.  
114.  The representative of India asked if the Chairperson could provide clarification on the proposal 
to hear from ot her international organizations.  
115.  The Chairperson  said that there were a number of international organizations – including the 
ITC, UNCTAD and the World Bank – that were working on issues relating to e-commerce . The 
suggestion  was for these organization s to share information  with Members  on their work and 
experiences in this area. She invited Members to consider the matter and convey  any concerns they 
may have to her. 
116.  The Committee took note  of all interventions.  
J. DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2022 (WT/COMTD /W/269)  
117.  The Chairperson  said that a  communication had been  sent to Members on 7 November  2022, 
indicating that the CTD's draft annual report had been circulated in document WT/COMTD/W/269. 
It was noted that the draft contain ed a number of square brackets r elating to items discussed at the 
four CTD meetings held on 17 November 2022 . These were  the 17th Dedicated Session on the 
Monitoring Mechanism on S&D, the 18th Dedicated Session on RTAs, the 10th Dedicated Session on 
Preferential Trade Arrangements  (PTAs)  and the 119th Regular Session. As part of the process of 
adopting the report, the square brackets would  be removed and the discussion that had taken  place 
at these meetings would  be appropriately reflected in the report. Members had bee n requested to 
submit in writing any comments on the draft annual report by 11 November  2022.  In a 
communication dated 15 November  2022,  she had  informed Members that a comment had been  
received from the delegation of Nicaragua, which concern ed the last se ntence of paragraph 7.2 of 
the draft annual report. The comment relate d to the reference to "Invest for Trade" in this sentence . 
The delegation of Nicaragua had  suggested  that this sentence  be removed, given that  such an 
approach ha d not been formally adop ted. She recalled that, to accommodate this comment , she had  
proposed  in her communication the following alternative formulation for the sentence in question: 
"At the CTD's 56th Session on Aid for Trade, Deputy Director -General Xiangchen Zhang  made a 
statement outlining the importance of the Aid -for-Trade initiative and reflecting on ways in which it 
could be reinvigorated."  She had requested Members to keep this formulation in mind when the 
Committee consider ed the draft annual report for adoption at the present  meeting. She invited the 
Committee to adopt the annual report  with this amendment . 
118.  The Committee adopted  its annual report for 2022 .4 
K. DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING  
119.  The Chairperson  said that the next meeting of the CTD's Regular Session was tentatively 
scheduled to be held on Friday, 31  March 2023 . An initial agenda would  be circulated four weeks 
before the meeting, on 3 March  2023,  as per the CTD's rules of procedure. After the circulation of  
this initial meeting notice, Members would still have the opportunity to request items on the agenda 
for the meeting. The agenda would close on Monday, 20 March  2023, and would  be circulated on 
 
3 As was noted by th e Chairperson, a  poor sound quality was experienced during the remote delivery of 
this intervention  at the meeting . The intervention reflected in this paragraph  is based on the statement  
subsequently  submitted to the Secretariat by the delegation of  South Africa . 
4 The report was circulated  in document WT/COMTD/ 102.  WT/COMTD/M/119  
 
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  Tuesday, 21 March  2023.  She also indicated that, pursuant to  the MC12 Ministerial Decision on  the 
Work Programme on  Small Economies , the Secretariat was in the process of preparing a background 
document on the topic of "  integrating small economies into the post COVID -19 economy: effects of 
the pandemic,  challenges and opportunities ". She expected to convene a meeting of the 
CTD's  Dedicated Session on Small Economies in March 2023 to allow Members to consider the 
document .  
L. OTHER BUSINESS  
120.  The Chairperson  said that she wished to provide some information  on the preparation of the 
next update of the Secretariat compilation paper on the implementation of S&D provisions in 
WTO Agreements and Decisions. According to what the Committee had agreed at the 109th Session , 
held on 28 June 2019, the paper  was to be updated at least once every two years. As the last update 
of the paper was circulated in March 2021 in document WT/COMTD/W/258, the Secretariat would 
soon be starting to prepare another update . The aim was to have it circulated in time to have i t 
reflected on the agenda of the next CTD meeting.  
121.  The representative of Norway  noted  that, at the informal General Council meeting on 
WTO reform held on 10 November 2022 , there had been  an acknowledgement that development 
was at the centre of the WTO's w ork. There had also been  indication that a retreat on development  
would be useful . Although it remained to be seen whether such a retreat would take place , she noted 
that the CTD had a mandate  to consider  development matters . Discussions on the development al 
aspects of WTO reform could therefore take place in the CTD. Since other WTO bodies , including 
notably the Council for Trade in Goods, had started discussions on WTO reform, she believed that 
the CTD could also begin  such discussions.  These d iscussions could address procedural issues to 
improve the functioning of the Committee  and could also address  how the WTO's work  on 
development could be improved . Some areas  that Members  could  look into  included the question of 
how the WTO  contributed to  development , and how WTO rules and commitments  could be  used to 
further  the development of Members, especially  developing Members and LDC s. She encouraged 
Members to  consider having dedicated discussions in the CTD on WTO reform issues from  a 
development perspective, possibly in informal settings.  
122.  The Chairperson  indicated that the Committee had taken note of the points raised  by Norway. 
She believed that it would also be important  to see how the Chairman of the General Council was 
thinking of taking forward the issue of WTO reform .  
123.  The meeting was adjourned . 
 
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