WT/COMTD/96  
 
16 November 2017  
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REPORT ( 2017) OF THE COMMITTEE O N TRADE AND DEVELOPM ENT 
 
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  This report covers the work of the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) in 201 7. An 
overview is provided of the work of the CTD's Regular Session, the Dedicated Session on the 
Monit oring Mechanism on Special and Differential Treatment, the Dedicated Sessions on Regional  
Trade A greements  and Small Economies, the CTD's work on Aid for Trade, and the wor k of the 
Sub-Committee on Least Developed Countries.1 
2  REGULAR SESSION  
2.1.  The CTD in Reg ular Session held four formal meetings on 27 January  and 14 March  
(101st Session), 17 May  (102nd Session) , 21 June (103rd Session)  and 15 November 201 7 
(104th Session). The minutes of these meetings are contained in documents WT/COMTD/M/ 101, 
WT/COMTD/M/ 102, WT/COMTD/M/ 103 and WT/COMTD/M/ 1042, respectively.  
2.2.  Members agreed to continue to invite a number of intergovernmental organizations on an 
ad hoc meeting -by-meeting basis.  A full list of intergovernmental organizations with observer 
status in the Committe e is contained in document WT/COMTD/W/22/Rev. 8. The CTD continues to 
have outstanding requests for observer status from the League of Arab States, the Organization of 
the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting  (GOIC), 
the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), the 
Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and the Groupe de la Ban que 
Africaine de Développement.  
2.3.  At the 10 2nd Session, the Committee e lected Ambassador Monique Van Daalen (Netherlands) 
as the Chair person  of the Sub -Committee on Least Developed Countries for 2017. Ambassador 
Taonga Mushayavanhu (Zimbabwe) was elected Chairman of the CTD.  
2.4.  The principal areas addressed by the CTD in Regula r Session during the period covered in this 
report included the following:   
 technical cooperation and training;  
 market  access for developing and least developed countries;  
 report of the Joint Advisory Group on the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO;  
 trade and development - work in the Committee on the basis of the Chairman's concluding 
statement from the Eighth Ministerial Conference (MC8);  
 Work Programme on E lectronic Commerce;   
 duty-free and quota -free (DFQF)  market access for least developed countrie s (LDCs); 
 participation of developing countries in the multilateral trading system . 
 
2.1  Technical Cooperation and Training  
2.5.  At the 101st Session , the Committee consider ed the final report of the evaluation of the 
WTO's technical assistance (TA) , prepared by Sa ana Consulting  (WT/COMTD/89) , along with  the 
                                                
1 There were no meetings in 2017 of the  CTD's Dedicated Session on Preferential Trade Arrangements. 
The Special Session of the CTD, dealing with the issue of special and differential treatment  (S&D) , has its own 
reporting channel . 
2 To be issued.  WT/COMTD/96  
 
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  WTO management response to th e evaluation  (WT/COMTD/90) . In the report, having assessed the 
Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Sustainability and Impact of the various WTO TA activities 
during the 2010 -15 per iod, Saana Consulting formulated 28 recommendations directed to WTO 
Members and senior management, as well as to the Institute for Training and Technical 
Cooperation (ITTC) and other WTO divisions. The Director -General emphasized the usefulness of 
the repo rt, and welcomed its finding that the WTO’s TA was relevant , and aligned to the needs and 
priorities of beneficiaries. Members were invited to ensure that the discussion on the evaluation 
would feed into the process of preparation of the Biennial Technical  Assistance and Training Plan 
for 2018 and 2019.  At the 104th Session, the Committee took note of  the 2016 Annual 
Performance Report on Technical Assistance and Training (WT/COMTD/W/225) . According to the 
report, a total of 18,600 participants were trained  during the year, representing an increase of 
25% compared to 2015. The volume of activities and related expenses remained stable. Progress 
continued to be recorded towards the full implementation of a TA management system based on 
results. Work also conti nued to improve the substantive content of the TA offer.  With regard to the 
evaluation of performance in 2016, the proportion of targets met increased by four percentage 
points relative to 2015, reaching 57%. A significant qualitative improvement in the re sults-based 
manag ement approach was noted . Also a t the 104th Session, the Committee adopted  the Biennial 
Technical Assistance and Training Plan for 2018 and 2019  (WT/COMTD/W/227 /Rev.1). 
2.2  Market Access for Developing and Least Developed Countries  
2.6.  With respec t to the Latin American Integration Association (LAIA), the Committee considered 
at its 101st Session a submission (WT/COMTD/93) by LAIA member countries , as well as a 
communication from the Chairman of the CTD to LAIA (WT/COMTD/W/223). During  the 
103rd Session, discussion took place on the basis of a further communication from LAIA 
(WT/COMTD/W/224). The Chairman encouraged Members to continue to discuss the issues 
relating to the LAIA agreements with a view to finding a way forward. Also at the 103rd Session, 
the delegation of Uruguay introduced , under "Other Business" , a notification under the Enabling 
Clause (WT/COMTD/N/53) circulated on behalf of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay and 
Uruguay, members of LAIA . Discussion on the notification took place at the 104th Session, and will 
continue at the next meeting.  
2.7.  As concerns  other regional trade agreements (RTAs), notifications under the Enabling Clause 
were made concerning Egypt's accession to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa 
(COME SA) (WT/COMTD/N/51 ), the Agreement between India and Thailand  (WT/COMTD/N/54 ) and 
the Agreement between MERCOSUR and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)  
(WT/COMTD/N/55 ). 
2.8.   The RTA notifications concerning the Gulf Cooperation Council  (GCC)  Customs Uni on, the 
ASEAN -Korea Agreement and the India -Korea Agreement remained  on the CTD's agenda during 
2017. The communication from China, Egypt and India titled " Systemic and Specific Issues arising 
out of the Dual Notification of the GCC Customs Union" (WT/COMT D/W/175) also remained on the 
agenda. A number of interventions were made on both substance and procedure. Divergent views 
were expressed on how to deal with the issues relating to the RTAs notified under both the 
Enabling Clause and GATT Article XXIV and their implications.  
2.9.  With regard to  preferential trade arrangements  (PTAs), the United States made a notification 
of its trade preference scheme for Nepal (WT/COMTD/N/52).  
2.3  Report of the Joint Advisory Group on the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO  
2.10.   The Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC) held 
its 51st Session on 10 July 201 7. The report on that meeting is contained in 
document  ITC/AG(LI)/268 . Ambassador Frances Mary Lisson  (Australia ), the Chair person  of the 
JAG, presented the report to the CTD at its 104th Session. The Committee took note of the report 
and forwarded it to the General Council for adoption.  WT/COMTD/96  
 
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  2.4  Trade and D evelopment - Work in the Committee on the basis of the Chairman's 
Concluding Statement from the Ei ghth Ministerial Conference  
2.11.   At the Eighth Ministerial Conference (MC8), Ministers, inter alia, reaffirmed the positive link 
between trade and development and called for focused work in the CTD. Ministers called on 
Members to fully operationalize the mandat e of the CTD as a focal point for development work. 
The Committee continued its discussions  at the 101st, 103rd and 10 4th Sessions on the two 
outstanding proposals for work under the MC8 mandate. One proposal – by Barbados, Belize, 
China, Cuba, Ecuador, In dia and the African Group (WT/COMTD/W/208) – is for the CTD to report 
on development -related activities and development issues raised in other WTO bodies. The other  
remaining  proposal – by China, Cuba, Ecuador, India and the African Group – is for the CTD to 
make a recommendation to the parties to RTAs to submit their notification and information 
requirements jointly.  The Chairman encouraged continued engagement among Members in order 
to make progress on these proposals.  
2.5  Work Programme on Electronic Commerc e 
2.12.   Four communications relating to the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce were 
considered at the 101st Session . The first communication  (JOB/DEV/39/Rev.1 ) was circulated by 
China and Pakistan ; the second communication (JOB/DEV/41 ) was from Argentina, Bra zil and 
Paraguay ; the co -sponsors of the third communication ( JOB/DEV/42 ) were Canada, Chile, 
Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, the European Union, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Montenegro, 
Paraguay, Singapore and Turkey.  The fourth  communication (JOB/DEV/43 ) was  submitted by 
Brunei Darussa lam; Colombia; Costa Rica; Hong  Kong, China; Israel; Malaysia; Mexico; Nigeria; 
Pakistan; Panama; Qatar; Seychelles; Singapore and Turkey. Discussion under this agenda item 
continued at the 103rd and 104th Sessions. A communicati on from China (JOB/DEV/49) was 
considered at the 104th Session.   
2.6  Duty -Free and Quota -Free Market Access for LDCs  
2.13.   An item concerning DFQF  market access for LDCs was listed on the agendas of the 
101st, 103rd and 104th Sessions. The Committee was informed of some updates with respect to the 
provision of DFQF market access to LDCs. Cambodia – the Coordinator of the LDC Group  – recalled  
that the Group had submitted , in November 2016 , a revised proposal concerning the draft terms of 
reference for a Secretariat st udy on DFQF implementation  (WT/COMTD/W/218/Rev.1) . A number 
of delegations r ecalled  their concerns with the proposal . At the 10 4th Session, the Committee 
conducted its annual review o f the steps taken to provide DFQF market access to LDCs.  It was not 
possible for the  Secretariat to issue its report on Members' DFQF market access for LDCs, as 
mandated in the Bali Ministerial Decision (WT/MIN(13)/44 – WT/L/919), because of divergent 
views among some Members on  the scope and coverage  of the report . 
2.7  Participati on of developing countries in the multilateral trading system  
2.14.   In order to assist the Committee with its requirement to keep under continuous review the 
participation of developing country Members in the multilateral trading system, the Secretariat 
prepared  a report (WT/COMTD/W/ 230) highlighting salient features concerning the participation of 
developing economies in the global trading system. The findings of the report were presented to 
the Committee at its 104th Session. The Committee took note of the repo rt.   
3  DEDICATED SESSION ON  THE MONITORING MECHA NISM ON SPECIAL AND 
DIFFERENTIAL TREATME NT 
3.1.  The Dedicated Session on the Monitoring Mechanism on Special and Differential Treatment 
held two formal meetings during 201 7, on 21 June  [and on 1 5 November 201 7], both chaired by 
Ambassador Taonga Mushayavanhu  (Zimbabwe ). The minutes of these meetings are contained in 
documents WT/COMTD/MMSDT/M/ 7 and WT/COMTD/MMSDT/M/ 83, respectively. At the 
June Session, the Chairman brought to Members’ attention paragraph 12 of the Bali Ministerial 
Decision establish ing the Monitoring Mechanism (WT/MIN(13)/45  - WT/L/920), which states that 
“The Mechanism shall be reviewed three years after its first formal meeting, and thereafter as 
                                                
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  necessary, taking into account its functioning and evolving circumstances”. He also pointed out 
that, according to the Decision, the monitoring of special and differential provisions is to be 
undertaken on the basis of written inputs or submissions made by Members, as well as on the 
basis of reports from o ther WTO bodies to which submissions by Members could also be made. 
Since no written submissions had been received  in the Monitoring Mechanism , he raised the 
question of how Members would wish to proceed with the mandated review  under the 
circumstances . In the ensuing discussion, delegations  expressed differing views on the matter. 
Some were of the view that Members should proceed with the review, while others felt that a 
review should only take place after concrete experience ha d been gained. Discussion on  this 
matter continued at the November Session.  The Chairman  urged Members to come to a common 
understanding on how to proceed with the review.      
4  DEDICATED SESSION ON  REGIONAL  TRADE A GREEMENTS   
4.1.  The 8th Dedicated Session on Regional Trade Agreements was held on 14 March  2017, and 
chaired by Amb assador  Christopher  Onyanga  Aparr (Uganda) . The minutes of the meeting  are 
contained in document  WT/COMTD/RTA/M/ 8. The Committee considered the Free Trade 
Agreement between the Association of Southeast Asian N ations  (ASEAN) and India (Goods) 
(WT/COMTD/N/35, WT/COMTD/N/35/Add.1, WT/COMTD/RTA/8/1, WT/COMTD/RTA/8/2) , as per 
the provisions of the 14 December 20 06 General Council Decision on a Transparency Mechanism 
for Regional Trade A greements (WT/L/ 671). 
5  DEDICATED SESS ION ON SMALL ECONOMI ES  
5.1.   In 2017, the CTD in Dedicated Session held two formal meetings on the Work Programme on 
Small Economies. The meetings, on 17 May and 7 November were chaired by Ambassador  Taonga 
Mushayavanhu (Zimbabwe). The minutes of these meeting s are contained in documents 
WT/COMTD/SE/M/34 and WT/COMTD/SE/M/354. At the 34th Dedicated Session, The Small and 
Vulnerable Economies (SVE) Group introduced document WT/COMTD/SE/W/35, which presented a 
summary of the conclusions of the discussions held by  the Dedicated Session in 2015 and 2016 
based on document WT/COMTD/SE/W/31 "Challenges and Opportunities Experienced by Small 
Economies when Linking into Global Value Chains in Trade in Goods and Services" prepared by the 
Secretariat. Also, following the M inisterial Decision on the Work Programme on Small Economies 
(WT/MIN(15)/40 – WT/L/975) made in Nairobi in 2015, the Secretariat introduced document 
WT/COMTD/SE/W/34, "Challenges and Opportunities Experienced by Small Economies in their 
Efforts to Reduce T rade Costs, Particularly in the Area of Trade Facilitation". This paper drew on 
the Aid -for-Trade Monitoring Evaluation (M&E) exercise of 2015 to analyse best practices and 
policy approaches to enhance productive capacity and export competitiveness. Member s were also 
briefed by a representative of the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) on the matter 
of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and trade facilitation. Several SVEs shared their 
experiences in the area of trade facilitation. At th is meeting, the Secretariat also introduced 
document WT/COMTD/SE/W/22/Rev.8, which kept a record of all matters concerning the Small 
Economies' Work Programme and included key proposals made in the negotiating groups and 
other WTO bodies. It a lso listed al l decisions which had been taken concerning the Work 
Programme until MC10. At the 35th Dedicated Session, on 7 November, the Dedicated Session 
agreed to  a proposal (WT/COMTD/SE/W/36/Rev.1) submitted by the SVE Group for a draft 
Ministerial Decision regardi ng the Work Programme on Small Economies. Also, Members adopted 
the Report to the General Council (WT/COMTD/SE/ 10) and agreed to forward it to the General 
Council for proposed action by Ministers at the Eleventh Ministerial Conference.  
6  AID FOR TRADE  
6.1.  The CT D held its 39th, 40th, and 41st sessions on Aid for Trade in 2017, on 10 February, 
31 May, and 07 November, respectively. At each session, Members reviewed the implementation 
of the 2016 -2017 biennial work programme – a work programme that was finalized at  the 
36th Session of the CTD Aid for Trade on 15 February 2016.5 Ambassador Christopher Onyanga 
Aparr (Uganda) chaired the February meeting, and Ambassador Taonga Mushayavanhu 
(Zimbabwe) chaired the meetings in May and November. The minutes of the meetings  are 
                                                
4 To be issued.  
5 WT/COMTD/AFT/W /60. WT/COMTD/96  
 
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  contained in documents WT/COMTD/AFT/M/39, WT/COMTD/AFT/M/40 and WT/COMTD/AFT/M/416, 
respectively. The 2017 Global Review of Aid for Trade was held on 11 – 13 July 2017. Aid for Trade 
was also included as an agenda item for discussion at the General Co uncil on 26 July 2017.  
6.2.  Two dedicated thematic workshops were held under the auspices of the CTD as follows: "Aid 
for Trade, Trade Costs Indices and Design and Implementation of Policies to Reduce Trade Costs" 
on 10 February 2017, which served to review new  and existing trade cost indices and examined 
how they are being integrated into Aid -for-Trade programming; and "Results of the 2017 Aid for 
Trade Monitoring and Evaluation Exercise" on 30 May 2017 which previewed the draft Aid for Trade 
at a Glance public ation, titled "Promoting Trade, Inclusiveness and Connectivity for Sustainable 
Development". Reports on the workshops were given at the CTD Aid -for-Trade formal sessions.  
6.3.  At the 39th Session, Botswana reported on a new Aid -for-Trade strategy (developed in 
collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat) to drive its national export growth and to 
improve its international competitiveness. Ambassador Gyan Chandra Acharya, 
Under -Secretary -General of the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least 
Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Sma ll Island Developing States 
(UN-OHRLLS) discussed implementation of the Vienna and Istanbul Programmes of Action, gave a 
statement highlighting the constraints by LDCs, landlocked countries and small economies in 
relation to energy infrastructure, sustainable agricultural development, transit infrastructure and 
private sector development. Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Korea, and the United States updated the CTD, 
pursuant to their recent Trade Policy  Reviews. The United Nations Industrial Development 
Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 
Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), ITC, African Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank Group 
(WBG) provided updates on the ir activities and the EIF announced its plans to hold a 
replenishment conference in 2018. The WTO Secretariat gave an overview of responses to the 
Aid-for-Trade M&E Exercise. One-hundred and eleven responses to the self -assessment 
questionnaire and 158 cas e stories had been received at that time. The structure and planning 
process for the Global Review was discussed. India (supported by Bangladesh and Cameroon) 
expressed concerns about declining engagement in the M&E exercise, the additionality of 
Aid-for Trade finance, and suggested a holistic review of the Aid -for-Trade M&E exercise to be 
undertaken by the General Council and the CTD that would also examine the periodicity of Global 
Reviews.  
6.4.  At the 40th Session, the WTO Secretariat discussed preparations f or the Aid for Trade Global 
Review 2017 noting that the closing plenary session would be an opportunity for Members to 
express views on the future direction of the Aid -for-Trade Initiative. The WBG announced its 
Umbrella Facility for Trade; a new vehicle f or supporting the Bank's advisory work on global and 
regional trade issues. Japan, Mexico and Switzerland made statements pursuant to their recent 
Trade Policy Reviews and the WTO Secretariat reported on three regional activities on Aid for 
Trade held in D akar, Senegal for Africa; Incheon, Korea for Asia and the Pacific; and Miami, USA 
for the Caribbean. The US provided an update on the work of the Standards Alliance, a 
public -private partnership between USAID and the American National Standards Institute, 
designed to provide capacity -building assistance to developing countries, specifically related to 
implementation of the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement. Benin and Cameroon requested 
donors to take into account concerns regarding the regional balance of Aid -for-Trade flows, 
alignment of support to partner country needs, focusing on closing the digital divide and 
addressing rural -urban connectivity issues. Cameroon requested a workshop on industrial policy 
and the sharing of experiences/best practices o n the type of policies countries could utilize to 
benefit from the growing digital economy.  
6.5.  The Aid for Trade Global Review  took place from 11 -13 July 2017, and featured a total of 
55 sessions. The Vice -President of The Gambia, 24 ministers and 11 heads o f international 
organizations attended the Global Review, together with a number of deputy ministers and 
vice-presidents of international organizations. Various reports were launch at the Aid for Trade 
Global Review 2017, including the joint OECD -WTO publi cation "Promoting Trade, Connectivity and 
Inclusiveness for Sustainable Development". The opening session featured a keynote intervention 
by WTO Director -General Roberto Azevêdo, the Heads of the Islamic Trade Finance Corporation 
(ITFC), Organization for E conomic Cooperation and Development (OECD), UNCTAD and ITC, the 
involvement of Vice Presidents of multilateral development banks (AfDB, Asian Development Bank 
                                                
6 To be issued.  WT/COMTD/96  
 
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  (AsDB), European Development Bank (EBRD), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the 
partici pation of senior officials from WBG, IADB and Germany (in its capacity as G20 chair). In his 
keynote remarks, Director -General Azevêdo reiterated the central role that trade plays in 
delivering growth, reducing poverty and achieving the Sustainable Develop ment Goals (SDGs).  
6.6.  At a thematic level, the Review was diverse – reflecting the broad range of topics that the 
Initiative seeks to address. Statements reflected this variety featuring issues such as digital and 
physical infrastructure, e -commerce, investme nt, inclusiveness (including women's economic 
empowerment), Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (MSMEs), public -private partnership, 
supply -side capacity, trade facilitation, trade finance and achieving the SDGs. Sessions dedicated 
to Trade Facilitat ion topped the list of themes discussed with nine sessions in total. Digital 
Connectivity was also a prominent theme, featuring as the main topic of seven sessions and in the 
discussion of many other sessions. Financing needed to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development 
Goals was the topic of a high -level panel on 11 July that featured a keynote speech from European 
Union Development Commissioner, Neven Mimica. Another topic that generated a lot of interest at 
the Global Review was women's economic empowerment . A joint UN Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO) -WTO publication on "Trade and Food Standards" was launched by WTO 
Director -General Roberto Azevêdo and FAO Director -General Jose Graziano da Silva. The UN World 
Tourism Organization's year of Sustainable  Tourism was marked by two sessions that highlighted 
the economic importance of the sector, in particular for LDCs.  
6.7.  Ideas of where to focus the Aid -for-Trade Initiative in future were profiled in two plenary 
sessions on the final day of the Aid for Trade G lobal Review 2017. The suggestion of focusing 
future work on the theme of "Economic Empowerment" emerged during the penultimate plenary 
session.  This theme was also picked up in statements by delegations at the closing session, 
together with some other su ggestions. Cameroon suggested that prior to the launch of the next 
Global Review there should be an appraisal of the M&E exercise.  This point was echoed by Benin 
and further elaborated by India, arguing that the periodicity of global reviews should also b e 
examined. A summary report of the Aid for Trade Global Review 2017 has been issued in 
document WT/COMTD/AFT/W/74.  
6.8.  Aid for Trade was discussed at the General Council on 26 July 2017. In his report of the Aid 
for Trade Global Review 2017, the Director -General noted since the start of the Initiative in 2006, 
almost 300 billion dollars has been disbursed in Aid for Trade support to 146 developing countries. 
He stressed the need to maintain focus on LDCs and for the Aid for Trade initiative to continue to 
go from strength to strength. Bearing in mind Members' views on future work, he noted the CTD 
Aid for Trade's role in facilitating discussions on a new biennial work programme and crystallizing 
the different themes that could be taken forward. The report of th e July General Council debate is 
contained in document WT/GC/M/168.  
6.9.  At the 41st Session, the As DB and the AfDB  updated on their recent Aid -for-Trade 
programmes. The World Bank updated on the main messages for the IMF/World Bank Group 
annual meetings and h ighlighted initiatives launched to research and close the gender divide. The 
EIF noted new partnerships to help mobilize resources and highlighted their work in LDCs. Nigeria, 
EU, Brazil, Jamaica and Senegal on behalf of the West African Economic and Monet ary Union 
(WAEMU) made statements pursuant to their recent Trade Policy Reviews.  
6.10.   Under the agenda item on Monitoring and Evaluation of Implementation and Development 
Effectiveness, the Chair provided initial thoughts on how to take forward the Aid -for-Trade 
Initiative.  He suggested that a new work programme be elaborated on the basis of discussions 
with Members in informal and formal sessions, as necessary, with the aim of submitting a work 
programme, under his own responsibility, to the General Council ea rly in 2018. He further 
elaborated that the review of Aid for Trade achievements foreseen in the 2016 -2017 cycle would 
be carried forward into the new work programme.  The Chairman also recalled that Aid for Trade 
had been cited in Members' submissions for  MC11. He encouraged Members to maintain the 
political visibility of the initiative.  
7  SUB-COMMITTEE ON LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  
7.1.  In 2017, the Sub -Committee on Least Developed Countries (hereafter the Sub -Committee) 
held two formal meetings on 19 May (80th S ession) and 3 October (81st Session), chaired by WT/COMTD/96  
 
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  Ambassador Monique Van Daalen (Netherlands). The minutes of the meetings are contained in 
documents WT/COMTD/LDC /M/80 and WT/COMTD/LDC/M/81 , respectively. The Sub Committee 
took up the following subjects pur suant to the WTO Work Programme for the LDCs 
(WT/COMTD/LDC/11/Rev.1): (i) market access for LDCs; (ii) trade -related technical assistance 
and capacity -building initiatives for LDCs; and (iii) accession of LDCs. The Sub -Committee further 
considered a briefi ng by the Secretariat on arrangements to facilitate the participation of LDCs in 
the Eleventh Ministerial Conference (MC11). The delegation of Cambodia acted as the Coordinator 
of the LDC Group in 2017.  
7.1  Market Access for LDCs  
7.2.  At the 80th Session, the Secre tariat provided an update on recent trends in LDC trade, 
building on the information and analysis provided in the 2016 LDC market access Note 
(WT/COMTD/LDC/W/64 and  WT/COMTD/LDC/W/64/Add.1 ). The LDCs took the opportunity to call 
on Members to increase effo rts to implement Ministerial Decisions taken in favour of LDCs on 
preferential market access in goods and services. A Corrigendum (WT/COMTD/LDC/W/64/Corr.1) 
was issued in May  2017 to correctly reflect a header in Annex Table 6.  
7.3.  At the 81st Session, Members  considered the 2017 LDC market access Note by the 
Secretariat (WT/COMTD/LDC/W/65). Members expressed appreciation for the information and 
analysis contained in the report, including on LDC trade in goods and particularly services. 
Subsequent to the meetin g, the Secretariat issued a Revision (WT/COMTD/LDC/W/65/Rev.1) of 
the Note to take into account updated statistics on market access.  
7.2  Trade -related Technical Assistance and Capacity -building Initiatives for LDCs  
7.4.  At the 80th Session, the Executive Secretaria t of the EIF provided an update on recent 
progress in the EIF, including the finalization of the EIF Medium Term Strategic Plan 2016 -2018 
and on steps taken to mobilize further resources. The LDCs highlighted the importance of the EIF 
for the LDCs to susta inably develop through trade, and called on donors to contribute to the 
funding of Phase Two of the EIF.  
7.5.  At the same meeting, the Secretariat of the SSTDF briefed the Sub -Committee on the 
Facility's recent activities relating to LDCs, highlighting that the  LDCs were benefitting from 65% of 
STDF project funds. The LDCs highlighted the importance of the STDF to build the capacity of the 
LDCs in implementing international SPS standards, and expressed appreciation to donors for their 
contributions to the STDF.  
7.6.  At the 81st Session, the Secretariat reported on WTO technical assistance and training 
provided to the LDCs, noting that the WTO continued giving priority to the LDCs. In 2016, the 
LDCs were invited to 72% of all technical -assistance activities organized b y the Secretariat. The 
LDCs acknowledged the usefulness of these activities, in particular of the reference centre and 
internship programmes.  
7.3  Accession of LDCs  
7.7.  At the 81st Session, the Secretariat made a presentation on the evolution of LDC accessions, 
the state of play in the accession working parties of the LDCs, assistance provided to acceding 
governments as well as post -accession support. The Secetariat  also briefed Members on 
LDC-related accession events held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in March 2017 (WT/C OMTD/LDC/25) 
and in Nairobi, Kenya, in August 2017 (WT/COMTD/LDC/26). Seven LDCs are currently in the 
process of accession (Bhutan, Comoros, Sudan, Ethiopia, Sao Tomé and Principe, Somalia, 
Timor -Leste). A number of acceding LDCs expressed appreciation for  the support provided by the 
Secretariat as well as development partners, and called on Members to adhere to the LDC 
accession guidelines agreed to by Members.  
7.4  Arrangements to Facilitate the Participation of LDCs in the Eleventh WTO Ministerial 
Conference  
7.8.  At the 80th Session, the Secretariat provided a briefing on the administrative and logistical 
arrangements by the Secretariat to facilitate the participation of LDCs in MC11. As per past WT/COMTD/96  
 
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  practice, a dedicated Trust Fund had been set up which would fund the  participation of three 
officials from eligible LDCs. The LDCs called on Members to contribute to the Trust Fund in order to 
facilitate the participation of the LDCs in MC11.  
7.5  Other Matters Considered by the Sub -Committee  
7.9.  At the 80th Session, UNIDO briefed the Sub -Committee on UNIDO's role in implementing the 
UN General Assembly resolution (A/RES/70/293, 25 July 2016) on the Third Industrial 
Development Decade for Africa (2016 -2025).  
7.10.   At the 81st Session, UNIDO informed the Sub -Committee that the next UNIDO LDC 
Ministerial Conference  would be held in Vienna , Austria,  from 23 to 24 November 2017.  The theme 
of the Conference would be "Building Global Partnerships: Enhancing Growth and Inclusiveness in 
LDCs".  
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