RESTRICTED  
  
WT/COMTD/M/92  
 
22 December 2014  
(14-7403)  Page: 1/17  
Committee on Trade and Development 
Ninety-Second Session    
 
  
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 27 NOVEMBER 2014 
 
Chairman: H.E. Mr. Pierre Claver Ndayiragije (Burundi) 
 
 
A. ADOPTION OF TH E 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 the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for 
Industrial Consulting, the Organisation 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 Developpement  ...................................................... 2  
C. REPORT OF THE 48TH SESSION OF THE JOINT ADVISORY GROUP ON THE 
INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE UNCT AD/WTO (ITC/AG( XLVIII)/256) ......................... 2  
D. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING ............................................................. 4  
-  Annual Report on Technical Assistance and Training 2013 (WT/COMTD/W/205) ................. 4  
E. 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) ..................................................................................... 6
 
(i) Proposals by Members  .............................................................................................. 7  
-  Operationalization of the CTD's mandate: a proposal to deliver outcomes based on 
the MC8 mandate - proposal from China, Cu ba, Ecuador, India and the African Group 
(WT/COMTD/W/192) ......................................................................................................... 7  
-  A proposal that the Committee on Trade and Development reports to the 
General Council on development work in the WTO in compliance with Ministers' request 
issued at MC8 - proposal from Barbados, Be lize, Benin, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho and 
Mauritius (WT/COMTD/W/202) ............................................................................................ 7  
-  Committee on Trade and Development mandate: review of the application of S&D 
provisions in the Multilateral Trade Agreements and related Ministerial Decisions in favour 
of developing country Members - proposal from Ecuador (WT/COMTD/W/204) ........................... 7  
(ii) Post-2015 Development Agenda - Statement by the Chairman ........................................ 9  
F. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE .................................................. 10  
-  Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) notifica tion of Customs Union – communication 
from China, Egypt and In dia (WT/COMT D/W/175) ................................................................ 11 
-  Notification of the Agreement on Trad e in Goods between the Association of 
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Korea ........................................................................ 12 
-  Notification of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement  between India 
and Korea (Goods) ........................................................................................................... 12 
-  Latin American Integration Association - Report to the WTO on instruments 
concluded under the 1980 Treaty of Montevideo, for the period 1 January 2013 – 
31 December 2013 (WT/COMTD/85) ................................................................................... 13 WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  -  Generalized System of Preferences notification by Canada 
(WT/COMTD/N/15/Add.3) ................................................................................................. 13 
G. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR 
PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS ........................................................................ 14  
H. REVIEW OF THE TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE 
ARRANGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ 14  
-  Statement by th e Chairman ...................................................................................... 14 
I. ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE STEPS TAKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY-FREE AND 
QUOTA-FREE MARKET ACCESS TO LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ................................. 15  
-  Report by the Secretariat (WT/COMTD/W/206) ............................................................ 15 
J. DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2014 (WT/COMTD/W/207) ..................................... 17  
K. OTHER BUSINESS .................................................................................................. 17  
 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA 
1. The draft agenda as contained in document WTO/AIR/4392 of 17 November 2014 was 
adopted. 
B. OBSERVERS 
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers 2. The Chairman recalled that, at previous sessions of the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD), Members had agreed to invi te a number of intergovernmental organizations 
on an ad hoc, meeting-by-meeting basis. Thes e 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 Organi sation 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 meet ing. He proposed that the same organizations 
be invited to the next formal meeting of the CTD. 
3. It was so agreed. 
(ii) Further consideration of requests for observ er status by the League of Arab States, the 
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for 
Industrial Consulting, the Organisation 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 Developpement 
4. The Chairman said that the positions of delegations were on the record. He indicated that if 
there were no changes in positions to extend observer status to any of the applicants, the 
Committee would take note and revert to the requests at the next meeting.  
5. It was so agreed.  
C. REPORT OF THE 48TH SESSION OF THE JOINT ADVISORY GROUP ON THE 
INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE UNCTAD/WTO (ITC/AG(XLVIII)/256) 
6. The Chairman said that the report of the 48th Session of the Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on 
the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO  (ITC) was contained in ITC document 
ITC/AG(XLVIII)/256. He welcomed Ambassador Mariam Salleh of Malaysia, the Chairperson of the 
48th Session of the JAG, and Ms. Dorothy Tembo, th e Deputy Executive Director of the ITC. He 
invited Ambassador Salleh to introduce the report. WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  7. The Chairperson of the JAG said that the Group had held its 48th Session on 11 and 
12 June 2014. At the meeting, the ITC had pr esented its Annual Report for 2013 and its draft 
Strategic Plan for 2015-2017, which had since been finalized. A discussion had also taken place on the results and recommendations emanating from th e recent independent evaluation that reviewed 
the ITC's operations for the 2006-2013 period.   
8. She went on to say that the JAG had expressed strong support for the role and vision of the 
ITC. There was acknowledgement that the ITC had a clear mandate, as well as the technical 
expertise, to assist small and medium-sized ente rprises (SMEs) to enhance their competitiveness. 
There was also recognition of the ITC’s potential to  expand the scope of its work within the current 
mandate, and endorsement of the organization's new strategic focus areas. A strong call was made for the ITC to continue its work on regional integration, in particular in Africa. Support was 
also expressed for other areas of the ITC's work , including with regard to strengthening trade 
support institutions, youth employment, women's economic empowerment, and strengthening the focus on services. The ITC’s Environmental Mainstreaming Strategy was noted with appreciation. 
In addition, the organization's technical assistance in the area of trade facilitation, including with 
regard to the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, was welcomed. Delegations had called on the ITC to continue its prioritization of least-developed countries (LDCs), landlocked 
developing countries, small-island developing states, small and vulnerable economies, 
Sub-Saharan Africa, and post conflict and fragile states. Delegations also expressed the wish that the ITC expand its assistance in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, as well as in middle income countries.  
9. She added that, at the 48
th JAG Session, the results of the recent independent evaluation of 
the ITC were presented. The evaluators recogn ized that, since the last evaluation of the 
organization in 2006, the ITC had made progress in improving the delivery of its mandate and its 
internal management procedures. There were no  instances of regression on recommendations 
made in the 2006 evaluation. The new evaluation un derlined the ITC’s continued relevance and the 
growing demand for its services, and noted th at the organization, with its strengthened 
management and technical expertise, was well placed to respond to the demand. The evaluation 
also pointed to a number of challenges, such as embedding results-based management (RBM) in all of the ITC’s programmes; improving the project management cycle; fine-tuning frameworks for needs and risk assessment and accountability; enhancing client relationship management; 
streamlining internal work processes; and developing a costing process. All of these issues were 
being addressed by the organization, and the process and timelines in this regard had been set out in the ITC management response to the evaluation. The evaluation also noted that, for the ITC to 
be able to fully address all the recommendations, there was a need for more stable and predictable 
funding. It was agreed that the JAG would reconv ene in informal session in January 2015 to have 
a more fully informed discussion on the collective response to the evaluation and the progress 
achieved. Finally, she noted that 2014 marked the ITC’s 50
th anniversary, and for this purpose a 
special publication titled “50 Years of Unlocking SME Competitiveness: Lessons for the Future” had been launched at the JAG. 
10. The Deputy Executive Director of the ITC said that she wished to provide information on the 
ITC's activities since the 48th JAG Session. She indicated that the ITC's Strategic Plan for the 
2015-2017 period was the result of an inclusive consultative process. The Plan had allowed the organization to develop and embed a strategic response to the main findings of the recent 
independent evaluation. The new strategy, which wo uld enable the ITC to further enhance its focus 
and ability to deliver demand-based integrated solutions for beneficiary countries, would be operationalized through annual operational plans starting in 2015. She also informed Members 
that, as had been stated at the JAG meeting, th e ITC's management had met with the Consultative 
Committee of the ITC Trust Fund in October 2014 to discuss the management response to the independent evaluation. Building on these discussion s, a detailed response had been prepared with 
clear deliverables that would be monitored and reported on periodically. She emphasized that the 
successful implementation of the strategy would requ ire the collective efforts of all stakeholders.   
11. She went on to say that efforts were also being made to build capacity within the ITC. The 
organization would continue to invest in people, processes and methodologies, and would continue 
to invest in upgrading skills around core areas such as project cycle management and impact 
assessment. With regard to improving its internal processes, the organization had invested a c o n s i d e r a b l e  a m o u n t  o f  e f f o r t  i n  m o v i n g  t o  m o r e  a u t o m a t e d  w a y s  o f  w o r k i n g ,  c u t t i n g  d o w n  o n 
non-essential procedures and enhancing interfaces. For example, the time required to recruit staff WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  and consultants had been cut down, and a new integrated project portal was being enhanced with 
the aim of simplifying project management functions and creating necessary linkages within the organization. She added that the ITC remained committed to improving governance and accountability, and was implementing a full accountability framework, in conjunction with the UN’s 
Office of Internal Oversight Services. The orga nization was also developing a robust risk 
management framework, and was additionally adva ncing on a costing exercise that would provide 
a better sense of where investments could be maximized. Furthermore, the organization 
recognized the changing demands and dynamics in beneficiary countries, and therefore the need 
to ensure that the ITC's responses remained relevant. In this regard, she highlighted the 
importance of facilitating innovation through exposure to the latest techniques and thinking. She explained that the vision was for the ITC to become a thought leader in its area of specialization, 
which was SME competitiveness. Finally, she informed the Committee that the ITC's World Export 
Development Forum and the Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum were successfully held in Rwanda in September 2014 with participants from over 70 countries.  
12. The Committee took note of the report of the 48
th Session of the JAG and forwarded it to the 
General Council for adoption.   
D. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING 
- Annual Report on Technical Assistance and Training 2013 (WT/COMTD/W/205) 
13. The Chairman said that the Annual Report on Technical Assistance and Training for 2013 
was circulated in document WT/COMTD/W/205. The main content of the report had already been 
presented by the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) at the informal, 
open-ended CTD meeting that was held on 6 November 2014. The report was on the agenda of the 
present meeting to allow the Committee to formally take note of it. He invited the Director of the ITTC to briefly introduce the annual report. 
14. The Director of the ITTC said that, for the first time, the annual report presented an analysis 
of the technical assistance (TA) activities together with an assessment of the results. It was hoped 
that Members would find the format of the report  useful. She began her presentation by informing 
the Committee that, in 2013, the ITTC had continued with a tight management of TA resources, in 
l i n e  w i t h  t h e  n e e d  t o  d o  m o r e  w i t h  l e s s .  W h i l e  e f f o r t s  w e r e  m a d e  t o  o p e r a t i o n a l i z e  t h e  T A  monitoring and evaluation online system, the system had not been completed due, inter alia , to 
limited resources. 
15. Turning to the implementation of planned TA ac tivities, she said that 279 activities had been 
organized. This figure excluded the Secretariat's participation in conferences and similar activities. 
While an increase in national activities had been observed in 2013, there was a slight reduction in 
the number of regional activities, due partly to the increase in e-learning courses. The organization 
of the Ninth Ministerial Conference (MC9) in Dece mber 2013 had also contributed to the observed 
reduction in regional activities. She said that the Secretariat had worked to enhance the 
substantive content of the courses in an effort to better tailor activities to the needs of 
beneficiaries. As an example, she pointed to the benchmarks in the Progressive Learning Strategy (PLS) that had been developed. She also noted that  exams had been introduced in all the regional 
trade policy courses (RTPCs), while case study trai ning had been introduced in the advanced trade 
policy courses. LDCs remained a priority in TA activities, and an increase in LDC participation had 
been observed. Global activities represented about 30% of the total. Africa had the highest number of activities at the regional level, followed by the Asia-Pacific region. With the exception of 
the Middle East, TA activities were predominatel y delivered at the national level. A total of 
13,734 individuals were trained, which was an increase of 9% from the previous year. About 40% of the participants followed e-learning courses, re presenting slightly over 5% of the total cost. A 
total of 47 trainees had benefited from the intern ship programme, which was an increase of 15%. 
In terms of the gender mix, 44% of the participan ts in the face-to-face activities were women. 
16. Finally, with regard to the achievement of resu lts, she said that the rate of success in 
achieving immediate results was high, as 97% of the set objectives in the training activities were 
achieved. However, the measurement of long term results was more difficult, given that the RBM 
online system was not being implemented yet. Sh e noted, however, that the ITTC had conducted 
an ex-post evaluation of the advanced sanita ry and phytosanitary measures (SPS) training WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  programme, which revealed that the programme had met its objectives and made a significant 
contribution to the better implementation of th e SPS Agreement in the countries concerned. The 
programme had also created a pool of SPS experts in beneficiary countries. Finally, she informed the Committee that the annual report listed a number of recommendations which were based on 
the lessons learned during the implementation of the TA activities in 2013. These had been taken 
into consideration in the implementation of activities in 2014. 
17. The representative of the United States said that his delegation appreciated many of the 
ITTC's initiatives in 2013 to enhance the WTO's TA. He pointed as an example to the enhancement 
of e-learning opportunities, which had led to an increase in the number of chat sessions and e-learning courses offered. He observed that e- learning would allow more participants to take 
advantage of the assistance offered. He also noted that it was mentioned in the report that the 
participants in e-learning courses were asked to take an exam to measure the results of the 
training. The report went on to state that exams would be introduced in all relevant trade-related T A ac tivit ie s .  I n this  re g ard , he  s aid  that his  d e le g ation loo ke d  forward  to le arning  more  ab out 
efforts to measure the impact of courses. 
18. The representative of Cameroon believed that the breakdown of activities now had a better 
focus on the countries most in need. He noted th at not all participants were able to reach and 
complete the advanced level of the PLS, and in this light called on the ITTC to do more to ensure a 
higher completion rate. He also suggested that efforts could be made to improve participants' overall performance. In addition, he noted that th e francophone participants were performing less 
well than others, and suggested that this matter needed be addressed.     
19. The representative of Nigeria highlighted the im portance of the ITTC's work and noted with 
satisfaction that the LDCs continued to be given priority in TA activities. He welcomed the 
availability of online courses throughout the year. Finally, noting the delicate balance required 
between cost efficiency and effectiveness, he asked if the ITTC could elaborate on paragraph 4.3 
of the report, particularly from the perspective of beneficiary countries. 
20. The representative of Uganda, on behalf of the LDC Group, noted with satisfaction the 
increased participation of LDCs in TA activities. He believed that the LDCs' participation in 
intermediate and advanced levels courses would help them to formulate better trade policies and participate effectively in WTO activities. The LDCs hoped that the WTO would continue to be flexible in the application of the PLS so as to facilitate their participation in various training 
programmes. He indicated that attention was required to the question of how long-term 
institutional capacity and knowledge in LDCs co uld be fostered. A possible avenue would be to 
consider an LDC as a venue for an RTPC, as this would increase human and institutional capacity in 
the LDC. It would also enhance collaboration between LDC academic institutions and the WTO. He 
requested Members to consider LDCs as venues for future RTPCs. He also emphasized the benefits to LDCs of the WTO internship programmes and in this light requested that these programmes 
fund at least one official from each LDC Member each year. Noting that LDCs' rate of utilization of 
their entitlement for national activities remained low, he said that this was due to various reasons, including the costs related to the organization of such events. He urged donors to give positive consideration to this problem and also asked the Secretariat to take note of the request. He 
recalled that there was recognition in paragraph 3 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration of the special 
structural difficulties faced by LDCs. 
21. He went on to say that, in October 2014, a comprehensive evaluation had been undertaken 
of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF). Th e purpose of the evaluation was to determine, 
inter alia , whether the EIF could be extended beyond 2015. The evaluation report had reaffirmed 
the relevance of the EIF to the LDCs and called for its extension. However, it had also highlighted 
the difficulty in addressing a funding gap of approximately US$50 million. The LDCs' view was that 
this could be easily overcome with the requisite political will, and in this light they called for a timely decision to extend the EIF and for the necessary funds to be delivered. He expressed 
appreciation to the LDCs' development partners for their support. 
22. The representative of the Philippines indica ted that the e-learning courses had proven 
particularly useful in her country. She also appreciated the initiative to introduce exams in the 
various courses. WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  23. The representative of Guatemala said that her country had benefitted from the WTO's TA. 
She hoped that there could be an expansion of the courses being offered in Spanish and French. 
She also requested that more trainers be made available in the SPS and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) areas. 
24. The representative of Bangladesh associated hi s delegation with the intervention by Uganda. 
He expressed appreciation for the WTO's TA, which was helping LDCs build capacity. He welcomed 
the gradual introduction of performance evaluati on systems, and highligh ted the importance of 
e-learning. Noting that all LDCs were at a similar level of development, he called for all countries 
in this group to have equal opportunities in all the activities. 
25. The representative of Nepal associated his dele gation with the intervention by Uganda. He 
highlighted the importance to LDCs of the WTO's TA activities, and expressed satisfaction that 
LDCs were being given priority in the activities. He noted the value that the LDCs attached to the 
internship programmes, and called for additional initiatives to ensure that the LDCs availed of their annual entitlement of national activities. He also suggested that a cost-effective way to address 
LDCs' needs would be for a number of experts from  the Secretariat to visit these countries and 
provide training on a range of WTO issues.   
26. The representative of Sri Lanka said that participants from his country were benefitting from 
several WTO TA activities. He expressed appreciation to the ITTC and to the donors.  
27. The representative of Argentina expressed particular appreciation for the online courses. He 
also supported Guatemala in its request for a better language balance in the courses offered, 
particularly with regard to the courses held in Geneva. 
28. The representative of Nigeria said that, in light of budgetary constraints, many developing 
countries had not been able to benefit from the national TA activities that they were entitled to. He 
indicated that beneficiary countries would be appreciative if donors took this into account. 
29. The Director of the ITTC said that the ITTC was in the process of consulting Members with 
regard to TA activities to be held in 2015. She hoped that these discussions could be used to 
address the points that had been raised at th e present meeting. The ITTC remained open to 
suggestions and comments from delegations. She noted the request for more courses in French 
and Spanish, as well as the request for additional assistance for the organization of national activities. She also indicated that the implementation of the RBM online system would allow the ITTC to provide Members with more analysis in terms of achieving long term results. With regard 
to the query by Nigeria on paragraph 4.3 of  the report, she said that, while RBM was a 
management tool for the ITTC, it was also a management tool for beneficiary countries. Although paragraph 4.3 was not explicit as to the role of beneficiaries, it was hoped that the information 
that would be made available through RBM would allow beneficiary countries to better identify the 
nature of the assistance that they required.  
30. The Committee took note of the report and of all interventions. 
E. 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) 
31. The Chairman recalled that, at the Eighth Ministerial Conference (MC8), Ministers had, inter 
alia, reaffirmed the positive link between trade and development and 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. On the agenda fo r the present meeting were three submissions 
containing proposals for work under the MC8 mand ate that had been previously discussed by the 
Committee. One submission - by  China, Cuba, Ecuador, India and the African Group - was 
contained in document WT/COMTD/W/192. Another submission - by Barbados, Belize, Benin, 
Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho and Mauritius - was co ntained in document WT/COMTD/W/202. A third 
submission, by Ecuador, was contained in do cument WT/COMTD/W/204. The three submissions 
were listed under the first sub-item. He said that, after the Committee concluded its discussion under the first sub-item, he would make a statem ent under the second sub-item concerning the 
Post-2015 Development Agenda. WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  (i) Proposals by Members 
- 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) 
- A proposal that the Committee on Trade and Development reports to the 
General Council on development work in the WTO in compliance with Ministers' request issued at MC8 - proposal from Ba rbados, Belize, Benin,  Botswana, Kenya, 
Lesotho and Mauritius (WT/COMTD/W/202)
1 
32. The Chairman recalled that, at the 87th Session, the Committee had agreed to one of the 
proposals in document WT/COMTD/W/192. The proposal was for the Secretariat to prepare an 
update to its document on the implementation  of special and differential treatment (S&D) 
provisions in the WTO Agreements and Decisions. The updated Secretariat paper was circulated in 
June 2013 in document WT/COMTD/W/196 and had appeared on the CTD's agenda for a number of meetings. With regard to the remaining proposals contained in documents WT/COMTD/W/192 
and WT/COMTD/W/202, he recalled that he had previously informed the Committee that the 
proponents of the two submissions were explorin g whether they could possibly combine their ideas 
for the CTD to report on development work in the WTO, so as to come up with a single proposal on 
this matter. With regard to the other remaining proposal contained in document 
WT/COMTD/W/192, which was for the CTD to make a recommendation for parties to regional trade agreements (RTAs) to submit their notification an d information requirements jointly, he said that 
he had encouraged the proponents of this proposal to continue their consultations with Members. 
He invited the proponents to brief the Committee on  the status of the remaining proposals in the 
two submissions.  
33. The representative of Egypt said that the proponents of WT/COMTD/W/192 and 
WT/COMTD/W/202 would shortly circulate a joint proposal. 
34. The Chairman welcomed the update by Egypt and indicated that the Committee would 
consider the new proposal after it was circulated.   
35. The Committee took note of the interventions. 
- Committee on Trade and Development mandate: review of the application of S&D 
provisions in the Multilateral Trade Agreements and related Ministerial Decisions in favour of developing country Members - proposal from Ecuador (WT/COMTD/W/204) 
36. The Chairman recalled that the proposal from Ecuador, circulated in document 
WT/COMTD/W/204, was for the Secretariat to periodically update its paper on the implementation 
of S&D provisions. He reminded Members that Ecuador had introduced the proposal at the 
91st Session. Some questions were raised, and Ecuador had indicated that detailed responses 
would be provided in due course. Subsequently, at the informal, open-ended CTD meeting of 6 November 2014, Ecuador had provided responses. He hoped that these were useful to Members 
in their consideration of the proposal. He recalled that he had also encouraged Ecuador to continue 
consulting informally with Members. 
37. The representative of Ecuador said that, at the 6 November informal, open-ended meeting, 
he had explained that Ecuador's proposal was intended to facilitate a general discussion on the 
way in which S&D measures were being implemented. The purpose was not for Members to enter 
into in-depth discussions on specific S&D provisions. In addition, he had pointed out that the regularly updated Secretariat paper could serve as an input to inform the discussions that would 
take place in the context of the Monitoring Mechanism (MM) on S&D. Finally, he had indicated that 
Ecuador was flexible in terms of the frequency of the proposed updates to the Secretariat paper. He recalled that, at the informal, open-ended meeting, a suggestion had been made for updates to 
be prepared every two years. His delegation believed that this suggestion was a step in the right 
direction, given that WTO Ministerial Conferences were held every two years, and decisions taken 
                                               
1 The discussion concerning documents WT/C OMTD/W/192 and WT/COMTD/W/202 is presented 
together in this Note, since the Chairman's intervention and the subsequent intervention by Egypt related to both submissions.   WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  at these conferences could affect the development and implementation of S&D measures. A 
document that was updated every two years would give Members a clear picture of the implementation of S&D provisions, as well as any developments regarding these provisions. 
38. He indicated that he wished to elaborate furt her on the distinction between the proposal and 
the discussion that would take place in the co ntext of the MM. He explained that Ecuador's 
proposal called for regular updates to a Secretariat paper which contained information on the implementation of the full range of S&D provisio ns in the WTO Agreements and Decisions. Since 
S&D was one of the key elements for achieving the WTO's development objectives, his delegation 
believed that the comprehensive information provided in the Secretariat document would assist Members in periodically discussing and assessing the general state of S&D implementation. The purpose of the MM, on the other hand, was to anal yze only those provisions identified by Members 
through written submissions.  
39. The representative of Nepal believed that regular updates to the Secretariat paper would be 
useful to Members. While stressing the importance of S&D for LDCs, he also noted that the 
utilization and implementation of S&D provisions was often weak with respect to LDCs, and 
therefore inadequate to address the real challeng es faced by these countries. Many S&D provisions 
were non-binding. He expressed regret that, despite strong calls from Ministers at the Doha 
Ministerial Conference to address S&D issues, Members had not been able to conclude the 
negotiations mandated in paragraph 44 of the Doha Declaration. He informed the Committee that, for the last few months, the LDCs had been analyzing and reviewing the LDC-specific S&D provisions with a view to making them more precise, effective and operational, as per the Doha 
mandate. While the intention had been to complete  the exercise before the end of 2014, the work 
was taking longer than had been initially envisage d, due to the complexity of the subject matter. 
He expressed his hope that a submission could be made in the Special Session of the CTD in early 
2015, and that Members would give the submission positive consideration. The LDCs also looked 
forward to working closely with other groups within the WTO to advance negotiations in this area. 
40. The representative of Australia understood that  the objectives of the proposal were for 
periodic discussions of a general nature on S&D to be held in the CTD, on the basis of factual 
analysis. While these were worthwhile objectives, his delegation's view was that they would normally be achieved through discussions in the context of the MM. He noted that, at the CTD's 
2nd Dedicated Session on the MM, some Members had indicated that they working on written 
submissions for the MM. In this light, he suggested that the Committee postpone its consideration 
of Ecuador's proposal until Members had had the opportunity to have a discussion on the proposals made in the context of the MM. On this basis,  Members could assess whether Ecuador's proposal 
added elements that might be missing from the discussions in the MM.   
41. The representative of the United States believe d that the suggestion by Australia was useful. 
While Ecuador had provided responses which attempted to differentiate between its proposal and 
the MM, his delegation continued to have concerns with regard to the relationship between the 
two. Furthermore, since no written submissions ha d yet been made to the MM, it was difficult at 
this stage to fully understand that relationship. He also noted that the recent update of the 
Secretariat paper circulated in 2013 had not generated much discussion. He said that the 
responses provided by Ecuador at the informal, open-ended meeting of 6 November were being 
reviewed in his capital, and also recalled that his delegation had raised an additional question on 6 November. 
42. The representative of Cameroon indicated that the MM could not cover all issues relating to 
S&D. In this light, he expressed support for the proposal. He believed that Members' discussions 
concerning S&D provisions could be complemented by regularly updated factual reports by the 
Secretariat on the implementation of these provisions. 
43. The representative of Ecuador said that his delegation had taken note of the comments 
made. He indicated that an example might help to clarify the need for periodic updates to the 
Secretariat paper. He recalled that, at MC9, a number of LDC-related decisions had been taken. 
These decisions were not reflected in the last update of the Secretariat paper, since the paper was 
circulated before MC9. However, they could be reflected in the next update. He explained that periodic updates would allow Members to be kept informed of developments in the area of S&D.     WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  44. The representative of Egypt believed that the proposal had value and expressed his 
delegation's support for it. He hoped that Members would consider the proposal favourably. 
45. The representative of South Africa said that regular updates to the Secretariat document 
could serve as the basis for general discussions on the implementation of S&D provisions. The view 
of her delegation was that the proposal would add value to the regular work of the CTD. She noted 
that work in the MM context would proceed on a separate track. 
46. The representative of El Salvador said that the proposal was useful, and that the work 
envisaged was distinct from the work of the MM. She noted that her delegation had concerns 
relating to S&D implementation in some areas, and was considering submitting a proposal. She additionally emphasized that developing countries needed sufficient opportunities to engage in CTD meetings. 
47. The representative of Cuba said that the proposal was timely. He expressed his delegation's 
support for it.  
48. The representative of Nigeria said that his delegation saw merit in the proposal and 
therefore supported it. 
49. T h e  r e p r e s e n t a t i v e  o f  B r a z i l  s a i d  t h a t  h i s  d e l e g a t i o n  w a s  i n  f a v o u r  o f  t h e  p r o p o s a l .  H e  
believed that Ecuador's indication of flexibility with regard to the frequency of updates to the 
Secretariat paper was significant. 
50. The representative of Bolivarian Republic of  Venezuela supported the proposal. She also 
indicated that developing countries needed sufficient opportunities to engage in CTD meetings. 
51. The representative of Nicaragua also expressed his support for the proposal. He additionally 
echoed other speakers in calling for sufficient opportunities for developing countries to engage in 
CTD meetings. 
52. The Chairman encouraged Ecuador to continue consulting with delegations on the proposal. 
Discussion would also continue at the next CTD meeting.        
53. The Committee took note of all interventions. 
(ii) Post-2015 Development Agenda - Statement by the Chairman 
54. The Chairman recalled that, at the 91st Session, the Secretariat had provided a briefing on 
the discussions taking place at the UN on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. He had also 
subsequently raised this issue at the informal, open-ended CTD meeting held on 6 November 2014. The objective was to keep Me mbers updated on the discussions, while also 
guiding the Secretariat - which was frequently invited to participate in these deliberations - on how 
Members wished to see trade reflected in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. He went on to say that a main focus at present was on the how the UN Secretary General's Synthesis Report, which 
was to be issued shortly, would capture progress made in the various inter-governmental 
processes feeding into the 2015 Summit. The Summit would coincide with the UN's 70
th General 
Assembly, and would officially launch the Post -2015 Development Agenda and the Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs). A draft resolution at the General Assembly had confirmed that the set 
of 17 SDGs would provide the main basis for the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Trade was reflected in Goal 17, which was to strengthen both  the implementation of the goals and the global 
partnership for sustainable development. Goal 17 currently contained three targets that were 
directly trade-related. These targets called for the promotion of a universal, rules-based, open, 
non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system; improved market access for exports o f  d e v e l o p i n g  c o u n t r i e s  w i t h  a  v i e w  t o  i n c r easing their share of world trade; and the 
implementation of duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market access on a lasting basis for all LDCs.  
55. I n  c o n c l u d i n g ,  h e  s a i d  t h a t  i t  r e m a i n e d  h i s  h o p e  t h a t  M e m b e r s  w o u l d  b e  a b l e  t o  i d e n t i f y  
elements of the Post-2015 Development Agenda that could be incorporated into the CTD's work. In 
his view, the CTD's mandate from MC8 was an appropriate entry point for this purpose. He 
encouraged Members to continue to give some thought to this matter and to share their thoughts WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  on how trade-led economic growth could be made an integral part of the Post-2015 Development 
Agenda, so that the Secretariat could reflect these views in its presentations to the UN. He believed that he spoke for all Members when emphasizing the importance of having a strong trade component incorporated into the Post-2015 Develo pment Agenda, in light of the value Members 
attached to trade-led growth and development. 
56. T h e  r e p r e s e n t a t i v e  o f  C a m e r o o n  s a i d  t h a t  s o m e  d e v e l o p i n g  M e m b e r s  w e r e  n o t  d r a w i n g  
sufficient benefit from the multilateral trading system. He pointed as examples to the difficulties 
some countries faced in adhering to international standards for their products, as well as the lack 
of capacity to implement multilateral commitmen ts. Some aspects of the system needed to be 
reviewed in order to better take into account these realities and to ensure that the system was contributing to development. 
57. The Committee took note of the Chairman's statement and of the intervention by Cameroon.    
F. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE 
58. The Chairman said that he wished to provide Members with a brief update on the RTAs 
notified under the Enabling Clause that were to be considered in the CTD's Dedicated Sessions on 
RTAs. With regard to the Agreement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 
and India, he informed the Committee that the Secretariat had sent the draft factual presentation 
to the parties. Comments had been received from India, but the Secretariat was still waiting to 
receive comments from ASEAN. The draft factual presentation on the accession of Rwanda and Burundi to the East African Community had also been sent to the parties, and the Secretariat was still waiting to receive comments.    
59. For a number of other RTAs - namely, RTAs between India and Nepal, India and 
Afghanistan, India and Bhutan, and Cuba and El Salv ador - the full set of data needed to complete 
the factual presentations had not been submitted by the parties. He urged the parties to these 
agreements to provide the data as soon as possible. He went on to say that there remained one 
RTA notified under the Enabling Clause that had not been ratified by all the parties. This was the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA).  Following the procedures of the Committee on 
Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA), a factual presentation of an RTA falling in this category would 
only be drafted after the agreement had been ratifi ed by all the parties. The parties to PICTA were 
urged to inform the Secretariat as soon as all ratifications were complete. 
60. He also indicated that he wished to say a few words regarding the implementation reports 
that were required under paragraph 15 of the Tran sparency Mechanism (TM) for RTAs, in follow-up 
to his intervention at the 91
st Session. He said that, according to this paragraph, at the end of the 
implementation period of an RTA, the parties were  to submit to the WTO a short written report on 
the realization of the liberalization commitments in the RTA as originally notified. He recalled that 
he had mentioned at the 91st Session that a discussion on the issue of implementation reports had 
been taking place in the CRTA, and that a list had been circulated in document WT/REG/W/82 of 
RTAs notified under GATT Article XXIV and GATS Article V that were subject to implementation 
reports. He had shared his belief that it was in Members' interests to continue to maintain similar procedures between the CRTA and the CTD when it came to implementing the RTAs TM, and in this light he had informed the Committee that the Secretariat would prepare an updated list of RTAs 
notified under the Enabling Clause that were subject to implementation reports. 
61. He went on to say that the updated list by the Secretariat had now been circulated in 
document WT/COMTD/RTA/W/1. Members were in vited to consult the list and inform the 
Secretariat of any inaccuracies. He also called on Members to submit the required implementation 
reports. For some possible guidance on format, he  referred Members to the report on the EU-Chile 
Agreement which had been circulated in the CRTA in document WT/REG/164/R/I. He also referred 
Members to documents JOB/REG/1 and JOB/REG/4 which had been circulated by the Secretariat. 
He noted, however, that since the purpose of these implementation reports was to increase transparency on each Agreement's implementation, form was less important than substance. Therefore, as would be the case in the CRTA, he called on Members to submit reports to the CTD 
in the format that they saw fit. 
62. The Committee took note of the Chairman's update. WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  63. Turning to the listed sub-items under the presen t agenda item, the Chairman said that he 
wished to say a few words on the first three sub-items. He noted that these sub-items had been 
appearing on the CTD's agenda for several years, and that divergent views had been expressed on 
the way forward. He informed the Committee that he had held some informal consultations with a 
number of delegations, including on an individu al basis, on the issues surrounding the three 
sub-items. While these consultations had helped him to better understand Members' positions, it was clear that further discussions - particularly among the concerned delegations - would be 
necessary before a solution could be found. In this  light, he encouraged delegations to reach out to 
each other and discuss the matter with a view to finding a solution. He also indicated that he would continue his informal consultations with Members.  
- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) notification of Customs Union – communication from 
China, Egypt and India (WT/COMTD/W/175) 
64. The Chairman said that the first sub-item und er the present agenda item concerned the GCC 
Customs Union notification. The sub-item also referred to the communication from China, Egypt 
and India which was circulated in document WT/COMTD/W/175. 
65. The representative of the United States indicated that his delegation's view on this matter 
was well-known. The present sub-item had fulfill ed its purpose of informing Members of the 
notification made, and needed to be removed fr om the agenda. The US fully expected that the 
GCC Customs Union was in the pipeli ne to be reviewed in the CRTA. 
66. He said that there was a divergence of views as to whether the GCC Customs Union was a 
case of a dual notification. His delegation believed that the GCC Customs Union issue was not an 
issue of dual notification, and was therefore different from the discussion relating to the 
ASEAN-Korea Agreement and the India-Korea Agreem ent. The US remained of the view that the 
GCC Customs Union had been incorrectly notified under the Enabling Clause. This was 
subsequently corrected, and the understanding of his delegation was that the GCC Customs Union 
was in the pipeline to be considered in the CRTA in line with the procedures of the RTAs TM. The 
US considered this issue closed and continued to request that the present sub-item be removed 
from the CTD's agenda, as it had served its pu rpose. Turning to document WT/COMTD/W/175, he 
said that his delegation had not seen any specific issues relating to the GCC Customs Union. Rather, the paper appeared to be seeking a systemic discussion on RTAs, which was a discussion that was outside the scope of the CTD and belonged  in the Negotiating Group on Rules (NGR). He 
indicated that the US was not open to a CTD process to discuss systemic issues concerning RTAs. 
The question of when the NGR would meet to di scuss RTA issues was separate and distinct from 
the question of whether it had jurisdiction on this matter, which the US believed it did. He also 
indicated that the first three sub-items had fulf illed their purpose of informing Members of the 
notifications made, and these sub-items were distinct from the systemic discussion that some delegations wanted to have. The US did not believe that the CTD was the appropriate forum for a 
discussion on a systemic issue that cut across Committees.
2 
67. The representative of Egypt said that systemic concerns had been raised by some Members, 
including Egypt, over the legal and procedural implications of the dual notification of the GCC 
Customs Union under both the Enabling Clause and GATT Article XXIV. He noted that a number of 
delegations had previously expressed the view that the Enabling Clause did not provide the 
appropriate legal basis to justify the formation of a customs union involving the reduction or elimination of non-tariff measures (NTMs). However, others had argued that the non-prescription 
of criteria or conditions for the elimination of NTMs did not exclude customs unions among 
developing countries from the coverage of the Enab ling Clause. The view of his delegation was that 
the CTD was the appropriate forum to consider the questions arising from RTAs with a dual 
notification. This originated from the CTD's terms of reference, which stipulated that the CTD was 
the focal point for the consideration and coordina tion of work on development in the WTO. In 
addition, paragraph 4 of the terms of reference mandated the CTD to consider any questions with regard to either the application or the use of special provisions in the Multilateral Trade 
Agreements and related Ministerial Decisions in favour of developing country Members, which 
included questions relating to the invocation of the Enabling Clause to notify customs unions among developing countries. He hoped that Members could have a substantive discussion on the 
                                               
2 The points in this paragraph, made by the US at the 90th Session and also reflected in the minutes of 
the 91st Session, are reflected once again in the minutes of this meeting at the request of the US delegation. WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  systemic concerns that had been raised. The pres ent sub-item needed to be maintained on the 
CTD's agenda until a solution was found.3 
68. He indicated that his delegation's position on this matter was well-known. The points raised 
by his delegation related to the first three sub- items under the present agenda item. He requested 
that the first three sub-items remain on the CTD's agenda. 
69. The representative of the European Union said that she wished to reiterate the EU's view 
that the purpose of the present agenda item was to inform Members of new notifications under the 
Enabling Clause since the previous CTD meeting. While her delegation welcomed any ideas for a 
pragmatic solution to the present impasse, she indicated that a more substantive discussion on the legal issues arising from RTAs with a dual notifica tion needed to take place in the NGR. She also 
made a distinction between the issues surrounding the GCC Customs Union on the one hand, and 
those surrounding the ASEAN-Korea Agreement and the India-Korea Agreement on the other.      
70. The representative of India indicated that his in tervention related to the first three sub-items 
under the present agenda item, since his delegation found similarities between the three RTAs on 
account of the way they had been notified. He expressed support for the intervention by Egypt. He 
also indicated his surprise that requests had been made for the present sub-item to be removed from the agenda. He explained that the systemic concerns that were raised by China, Egypt and 
India in document WT/COMTD/W/175 over the le gal and procedural implications of the dual 
notification of the GCC Customs Union under both the Enabling Clause and GATT Article XXIV remained pertinent and had not been addressed.  Despite the existence of the TM for RTAs, 
Members had been unable to consider the GCC Customs Union, the ASEAN-Korea Agreement and 
the India-Korea Agreement, all three of which had been notified under both the Enabling Clause 
and GATT Article XXIV. The first three sub-item s under the present agenda item needed to 
remain on the CTD's agenda until the concerns that had been raised were addressed. He also 
requested the Chairman to hold consultations in this regard.  
71. The Chairman reiterated his intention to continue his informal consultations with Members 
on this matter.  
72. The Committee took note of all interventions.   
- Notification of the Agreement on Trade in  Goods between the Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Korea 
- Notification of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement  between India 
and Korea (Goods)4 
73. The Chairman said that the second sub-item under the present agenda item concerned the 
notification of the ASEAN-Korea Agreement. The th ird sub-item concerned the notification of the 
India-Korea Agreement. 
74. The representative of the Republic of Korea said that her delegation continued to have 
concerns with the appearance on the CTD's agenda  of the sub-items relating to the ASEAN-Korea 
Agreement and the India-Korea Agreement. The vi ew of her delegation was that, even when 
developing countries notified their RTAs under GATT Article XXIV, the notification would not undermine the authority of the CTD or the Enablin g Clause. She explained that Korea's RTAs were 
comprehensive agreements, which were more appropriately notified under GATT Article XXIV. She 
called for a solution to be found as soon as possible and indicated Korea's willingness to work with 
Members in this regard. 
75. The representative of the United States made a distinction between the first sub-item which 
concerned the GCC Customs Union, and the second and third sub-items relating to the 
ASEAN-Korea Agreement and the India-Korea Agreem ent. With regard to the second and third 
sub-items, he said that his delegation continued to have concerns with these sub-items being 
                                               
3 The points in this paragrap h, made by Egypt at the 90th Session, are reflected in the minutes of this 
meeting at the request of the Egyptian delegation. 
4 The discussion under the second and third sub-items is presented together in this Note, as the 
interventions made by delegations ap plied to both sub-items.     WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  listed on the CTD's agenda. The sub-items had fulf illed their purpose of informing Members of the 
notifications made, and needed to be removed fr om the agenda. The issue of dual notifications 
was directly linked to the functioning of th e RTAs TM and went beyond just the CTD. 
76. The representative of Egypt said that the points that were raised by his delegation under the 
first sub-item concerned the second and third sub-items as well. 
77. The Committee took note of all interventions. 
- Latin American Integration Association - Report to the WTO on instruments concluded 
under the 1980 Treaty of Montevideo, for the period 1 January 2013 – 
31 December 2013 (WT/COMTD/85) 
78. The Chairman said that the report by the Latin American Integration Association (LAIA), 
circulated in document WT/COMTD/85, appeared on the CTD's agenda at the request of the 
delegation of Uruguay. He invited Uruguay to introduce the report. 
79. The representative of Uruguay said that the first section of the report analyzed trends in 
intraregional trade in 2013. The second section de scribed the instruments that were concluded and 
registered under the 1980 Treaty of Montevideo during the period considered, or that were 
concluded in preceding years but registered with the LAIA General Secretariat in 2013. He noted that the report included two new economic complementarity agreements, six additional protocols 
to economic complementarity agreements, and two agreements concluded under Article 25 of the 
1980 Treaty of Montevideo, under which the partie s could conclude agreements with other Latin 
American countries. 
80. The representative of the European Union said that the view of her delegation was that the 
report did not exempt the concerned Members from their notification obligations in compliance 
with point B of the TM for RTAs. She urged them to submit the outstanding notifications as soon as possible.   
81. The representative of the United States said that his delegation agreed with the EU. In 
particular, the submission of the report did not exempt the concerned Members from notifying new 
agreements - and modifications to existing agreem ents - in compliance with point B of the TM for 
RTAs.    
82. The Committee took note of the report and of the interventions. 
- Generalized System of Preferences notifi cation by Canada (WT/COMTD/N/15/Add.3) 
83. The Chairman said that Canada's notification concerning its Generalized System of 
Preferences (GSP) scheme was contained in document WT/COMTD/N/15/Add.3. He invited Canada 
to introduce the notification. 
84. The representative of Canada said that the notification informed Members that Canada’s 
General Preferential Tariff (GPT) and its LDC Tariff (LDCT) were rene wed as of 26 June 2013 for an 
additional ten years, until 31 December 2024. Canada was making changes to its GPT to ensure that it was more appropriately aligned with the current global economic landscape. As of 
1 January 2015, countries that were classified as  high income or upper-middle income, or which 
were trade-competitive, would no longer receive the GPT. This would affect 72 countries. The changes would ensure that the benefits of Canada’s GSP scheme were targeted towards those in most need of assistance, particularly LDCs. With this in mind, consequential changes would come 
into effect for the rules of origin for the LDCT so that LDCs’ preferential access to the Canadian 
market was not impacted by the GPT changes. LDCs would continue to benefit from the same liberal access that they had enjoyed in the Canadian market since 2003, by being allowed to use 
the same sources of supply in the production of g oods eligible for duty-free treatment. Beneficiary 
countries had welcomed this action by Canada. 
85. The Committee took note of the notification by Canada. WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  G. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR PREFERENTIAL 
TRADE ARRANGEMENTS 
86. The Chairman said that he wished to pr ovide Members with a brief update on the 
preferential trade arrangements (PTAs) that we re to be considered in the CTD's Dedicated 
Sessions on PTAs. With regard firstly to Chile's DFQF scheme for LDCs which was notified in 
April 2014, he said that the Secretariat had sent the draft factual presentation to Chile for comments by 1 December 2014. If all matters concerning the draft factual presentation were 
clarified in good time, the PTA could be considered in a Dedicated Session of the CTD in the early 
part of 2015. However, with regard to four ot her PTAs notified since the establishment of the 
Transparency Mechanism for PTAs - namely, PTAs being implemented by China, India, the Russian 
Federation and Chinese Taipei - the Secretariat had still not received the full set of data required 
for the preparation of the factual presentations.  He urged the notifying Members to provide the 
data as soon as possible. 
87. The Committee took note of the Chairman's update.  
H. REVIEW OF THE TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE 
ARRANGEMENTS 
- Statement by the Chairman 
88. The Chairman recalled that, in previous CTD meetings, he had brought to Members' 
attention paragraph 26 of the TM for PTAs, which indicated that the Mechanism would apply on a 
provisional basis until Members approved its permanent application. The paragraph also indicated that Members would review the Mechanism afte r three years, and if necessary modify the 
Mechanism in light of the experience gained from its provisional operation. He went on to say that 
more than three years had elapsed since the General Council Decision which established the PTAs TM. Members would, therefore, need to consider th e question of the review of the Mechanism. He 
recalled that, at the informal, open-ended CTD meeting held on 6 November 2014, he had 
provided an overview of the status of implementati on of the PTAs TM, so as to assist Members in 
considering this question. He indicated that he would repeat the elements of this overview at the 
present meeting, for the benefit of all Members.  
89. By way of introduction, he said that the implementation of the PTAs TM had taken place in 
the CTD on the basis of the General Council Decision of December 2010, complemented by the modalities to implement the Mechanism that the Committee agreed to at its 82
nd Session on 
5 July 2011. Turning to some specifics, he said that he would firstly address the notifications of 
PTAs under paragraph 1 of the Mechanism.  For PTAs notified under this paragraph since the establishment of the Mechanism - and in particular  under one of the three sub-paragraphs of this 
paragraph - a factual presentation by the Secretariat was to be prepared, on the basis of data and 
information provided by the notifying Member  implementing the PTA. The PTA was to be 
considered in a Dedicated Session of the CTD, on the basis of the factual presentation, as well as 
written questions from Members and replies from the notifying Member. While six PTAs had thus 
far been notified under paragraph 1 of the Mech anism, only one had been considered by the 
Committee. This was the EU's trade preferences for Pakistan, which was considered in April 2014 at the CTD's 1
st Dedicated Session on PTAs. With regard to  the five other PTAs, he recalled that he 
had already provided an update under the previous  agenda item. Essentially, for four of them, the 
full set of data required for the preparation of the factual presentations had not been provided to 
the Secretariat.  
90. H e  w e n t  o n  t o  s a y  t h a t  h e  a l s o  w i s h e d  t o  s a y  a  f e w  w o r d s  o n  t h e  r e q u i r e m e n t s  i n  
paragraphs 15 and 16 of the PTAs TM, which concerned all notified PTAs - including those that were notified before the establishment of the Mechanism. Paragraph 15 indicated that changes 
affecting the implementation of a PTA during a calendar year were to be notified on an annual 
basis. Changes to be notified include legal change s and changes in the treatment of beneficiaries, 
including through graduation. According to the modalities to implement the PTAs TM that the CTD agreed to, notifications of this nature were to be  circulated as CTD documents. He noted in this 
regard that there had not been many such notifications to the CTD since the PTAs TM was 
established. Paragraphs 15 and 16 of the PTAs  TM also specified the data that Members 
implementing PTAs were to submit on an annual basis. These concerned firstly preferential tariffs WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  per beneficiary partner applied under each PTA,  at the tariff line level. Second, Members 
implementing PTAs were required to submit da ta concerning imports from each beneficiary 
partner, including imports entering under PTA bene fits, at the tariff-line level. However, while 
some Members implementing PTAs had submitted up -to-date data, there remained several gaps - 
especially with regard to data on imports entering under PTA benefits. 
91. He observed that, while progress had certainl y been made in enhancing transparency in 
PTAs since the Mechanism was established, there wa s more that could be done to ensure that the 
Mechanism was being fully implemented as agreed by Members. He recalled that a Database on 
PTAs was established as an outcome of the Decision establishing the PTAs TM. This database - which was publicly available through the WTO website - contained various types of documentation relating to the PTAs being implemented by Members, as well as trade and tariff data concerning 
each PTA. However, the database could only remain up to date if Members submitted up-to-date 
information and data. In this light, he urged Memb ers implementing PTAs to ensure that they were 
up to date with their notification and information requirements under the PTAs TM. He invited 
these Members to remain in touch with the Secretariat after the present meeting to verify the 
status of their submissions. Finally, with regard to the discussion on the question of the review of 
the PTAs TM that had taken place at the informal, open-ended meeting of 6 November, he 
indicated that he saw this as a preliminary discussion. Some ideas were shared on possible ways 
forward. He also recalled that some Members had raised the question of whether enough experience had yet been gained to conduct a full review of the Mechanism. In conclusion, he expressed his willingness to work with Members to facilitate any further discussions they might 
wish to have on the question of the review of the PTAs TM. 
92. The Committee took note of the Chairman's statement.  
I. ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE STEPS TAKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY-FREE AND QUOTA-FREE 
MARKET ACCESS TO LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES 
- Report by the Secretariat (WT/COMTD/W/206) 
93. The Chairman said that the Bali Ministerial Decision of 7 December 2013 contained in 
documents WT/MIN(13)/44 and WT/L/919 instructed the CTD to 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 its review, the Secretariat was to prepare a report, in close coordination with Members, on their DFQF market access for LDCs at the tariff line level, based on 
their notifications. He said that the Secretariat report was circulated in document 
WT/COMTD/W/206. The preparation of the report had benefited from discussions with Members in a number of informal consultations.    
94. The representative of Chinese Taipei said th at Chinese Taipei was one of the developing 
Members that had notified its DFQF scheme to the WTO. She observed that LDCs still faced many 
challenges with respect to international trade. In this light, she urged other Members to grant 
DFQF market access to LDCs and to notify the WTO of their DFQF schemes, so as to help the LDCs 
integrate into the multilateral trading system. 
95. The delegation of Bangladesh indicated that it was not clear from the Secretariat report what 
steps had been taken by Members since MC9 to provide DFQF market to LDCs. This was a matter 
that he had raised during the informal consultations. While a few Members were maintaining 
non-reciprocal preferential schemes, many of these schemes were not specific to LDCs and did not provide benefit to all LDCs. His delegation also noted with disappointment that one Member’s GSP 
scheme had expired over a year ago. The legally  non-binding nature of these schemes was a 
matter of economic and systemic concern to LDCs. He believed that the information in the Secretariat report was not sufficient to allow Members to effectively review the steps taken to 
provide DFQF market access to LDCs. The value of th e Secretariat report needed to lie in depicting 
the exclusive DFQF coverage to LDCs in their areas of export interest, at the tariff line level. Such information was necessary to engage in an informed discussion with the objective of recommending ways and means to improve the cove rage and utility of DFQF schemes. In this 
light, he called upon the Secretariat to present the requested information and data at the next CTD 
meeting. Finally, he noted that DFQF treatment would not be useful to LDCs if the rules of origin in WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  the DFQF schemes were burdensome. He believed th at the Secretariat report would benefit from 
the inclusion of information on the rules of origin in the various DFQF schemes.   
96. The representative of Japan welcomed the Secretariat report and particularly commended 
the Members that had recently submitted data to the WTO's Integrated Database. Such 
cooperation from Members enhanced transparency and further assisted the LDCs in gaining a clear 
picture of market access opportunities. He also noted with satisfaction that the preparation of the report was evidence of the implementation of on e of the LDC-related decisions from MC9. Japan 
was committed to assisting LDCs in their development and stood ready for active discussions to 
integrate the LDCs into the multilateral trading system. 
97. The representative of Haiti expressed his delega tion's appreciation for the Secretariat report 
and for the notifications made by Members.         
98. The representative of the United States indicated that the consultations held by the 
Chairman had allowed the concerns expressed by  his delegation on an earlier draft of the 
Secretariat report to be addressed. He believed that the report was responsive to the Bali DFQF 
Decision. In this light, he said that, if Bangladesh wished to request additional work from the 
Secretariat, a written proposal would need to be submitted for Members' consideration. He also suggested that future reports by the Secretariat show Members’ DFQF schemes in a more 
comprehensive way, in particular by providing information on the number of beneficiaries of each 
scheme. In the case of the US' schemes, he beli eved that about eight LDCs were granted DFQF 
access on 82.6% of tariff lines, while about 25 LDCs were granted DFQF access on 97.5% of tariff lines.   
99. The representative of India recalled elements of the decision on DFQF market access for 
LDCs taken at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in December 2005 and said that, pursuant to 
this decision, India had announced its Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme for LDCs in 
2008. The scheme - which was notified to the WTO in September 2011 - came into full operation 
in October 2012, with duty-free access to LDCs on about 85% of India’s total tariff lines, as well as preferential access on about 9% of tariff lines. On ly 6% tariff lines were under the Exclusion List. 
He also informed the Committee that the DFTP Scheme had recently been expanded. In particular, 
with effect from 1 April 2014, the scheme now prov ided duty-free market access to LDCs on about 
96% of India’s tariff lines at the 6-digit level of the Harmonized System (HS), as well as preferential access on 2.2% of the lines. Only 1. 8% of the tariff lines had been retained in the 
Exclusion List. He noted that table 2 of the Secretariat report laid out India's DFQF coverage at the 
8-digit HS level, which corresponded to duty-free product coverage on 94.1% of tariff lines and preferential access on an additional 3.2% of tariff lines. Only 2.7% of tariff lines at the 8-digit level 
were excluded from the scheme. An important aspect of the scheme was that it was open to all 
48 LDCs. In order to benefit from the scheme, each LDC was required to submit a letter of intent to the Government of India. A total of 31 LDCs had thus far become beneficiaries of the scheme. 
He urged the remaining LDCs to finalize their internal processes in this regard.  
100.  He went on to say that developed countries had a greater obligation than developing 
countries to provide DFQF market access to the LDCs. He noted in this regard that all developed Members, with the exception of the US, granted full - or almost full - DFQF market access to LDCs' 
products. Table 1 of the Secretariat report indicated that the DFQF coverage in the US' GSP 
scheme was 82.6%, which was almost 15 percentage points below the minimum for developed countries mentioned in the Hong Kong Decision. Furthermore, the US' GSP scheme had expired on 
31 July 2013, and many imports from LDCs that would otherwise have received duty-free 
treatment were subject to most-favoured-nation (MFN)  tariffs. He indicated that he wished to refer 
to information contained in Volume XXIX, Number 42, of the Washington Trade Report dated 
11 November 2013. He noted in this regard that the LDCs, as a group, were subject to higher 
average tariffs than other US trading partners. The LDCs to which the US extended the closest 
approximation of DFQF treatment were either in  the Americas or in Sub-Saharan Africa, while 
those located in Asia and the Pacific were granted only limited preferences. He referred next to a 
Congressional Research Service report titled “African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA): 
Background and Reauthorization”, dated 24 July 2014.  This report indicated that LDCs throughout 
the world faced relatively high US import tariffs given the particular items they exported, such as 
apparel and agricultural products. For example, in 2013, US import duties on all imports from 
C a m b o d i a  w e r e  h i g h e r  t h a n  t h o s e  f r o m  F r a n c e .  I n  c o n c l u d i n g ,  h e  s a i d  t h a t  I n d i a  w e l c o m e d  WT/COMTD/M/92 
 
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  feedback from the LDCs that would help to iron out any difficulties they faced in taking advantage 
of the DFTP Scheme. 
101.  The representative of the European Union welcom ed the progress that had been achieved by 
developed and developing Members in granting DF QF market access to LDCs since the Hong Kong 
Ministerial Conference. She also noted that more could be done in this regard, both in terms of 
further enhancing market access opportunities for LDCs, as well as in the context of transparency in the provision of reliable data.   
102.  The representative of the United States said  that the discussion under this agenda item 
indicated that his earlier suggestion - which was to include in future Secretariat reports the 
number of beneficiaries of each DFQF scheme - would provide useful clarification. He also recalled that the commitment in the Bali DFQF Decision wa s for Members to seek to improve their existing 
DFQF coverage by the Tenth Ministerial Conference. In this regard, he informed the Committee 
that the US was engaging with its stakeholders to determine how to be responsive to the Decision.   
103.  The Committee took note of the Secretariat report and of all interventions. 
J. DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2014 (WT/COMTD/W/207) 
104.  The Chairman said that a fax was sent to Members on 19 November 2014 to inform them 
that the CTD's draft annual report had been circulated in document WT/COMTD/W/207. It was 
noted that the draft contained a number of square brackets relating to items under consideration 
at the 92nd Regular Session, as well as at the 28th Dedicated Session on Small Economies and the 
2nd Dedicated Session on the MM on S&D. The square brackets would be removed as part of the 
process of adopting the annual report. Noting that Members were requested to submit in writing 
any comments on the draft annual report by 24 November, he informed the Committee that no 
substantive comments had been received on the report. 
105.  The Committee adopted its annual report for 2014.5 
K. OTHER BUSINESS 
106.  No matter was raised under "Other Business".  
107.  The meeting was adjourned. 
 
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5 The report was issued in  document WT/COMTD/86.