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Pascal Lamy 
  Director-General 
 
   
 
21 May 2013 
 
 
  
 
 Dear Ambassadors/Permanent Representatives,  
            I am pleased to forward with this letter the 15
th version of the Evolving Table on Cotton 
Development Assistance (WT/CFMC/6/Rev.14) for review by Members in advance of the next Round of the Director-General's Consultative  Framework Mechanism on Cotton (DGCFMC).   
 
            The attached version of the Evolvi ng Table (ET) registers contributions from Brazil, the 
European Union (and several of its Member States), Japan and the United States, and from several 
multilateral institutions, namely, the CFC, the FAO, the IMF, the ITC, the UNIDO and the World 
Bank.   It is useful to note the continuous support and significant contributions from Brazil, China and India on the platform of South-South Cooperation.   
            This will be my last accompanying letter to the biannual updates of the Evolving Table that 
I have been circulating since the 6
th WTO Ministerial Conference in 2005.  This Evolving Table has 
become over the years the widely recognized ce ntrepiece of a transparent and all-encompassing 
monitoring process, bringing together developed and developing countries, in partnership with 
relevant multilateral institutions, to work collectively in support of LDCs.  The "Cotton Dossier" has consistently been given a major emphasis within the multilateral trading system by the cotton 
proponents and the LDCs, and remains  a key component  of the development dimension of the 
Doha Round negotiations.               We have come a long way since the Regional Workshop on Cotton organized in Cotonou in 
March 2004, when this process started.  The aim was to enhance the coordination within the 
development community in the delivery of cott on-related development assistance, avoiding a 
distorting proliferation of overlapping mechanis ms. Since then, and taking the relay from my 
predecessor, moving this endeavour forward has alwa ys been one of my priorities.  I am happy to 
see that over the past eight years, the development assistance track of the Doha mandate on cotton has been an area where the WTO community has effectively worked together with common 
purpose and determination.  The tangible and posi tive results have increased over the years.   
             The 6
th WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong in 2005 and the ensuing High-Level 
Meeting on Cotton in 2007 were landmarks.  They allowed us to steadily bank these positive 
results through a collective monitoring process.  The CFMC is working well.  Members have been 
reporting their cotton development assistance programs regularly, and the information reported is becoming more meaningful.  Moreover, disburseme nt flows are improving, showing an enhanced 
involvement and a deeper dialogue and interaction between interested parties. However, the 
"Cotton Club" should continue its activities:  this is work in progress.   
 
             
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I am pleased to share with Members the tangible progress in numerical values that has been 
registered in the attached Evolving Table.  Furt hermore, the latest discussions in the Consultative 
Framework also reveal that an enhanced interaction amongst interested parties is taking place, 
including in a process of qualitative assessment of the various projects listed in the Table.  This concrete engagement and other related initiatives also provide avenues to analyse constraints and 
needs in the cotton sector, and how best to tackle them and deliver more efficient and better 
targeted assistance on the ground. 
 The updated commitments and disbursements of active operational activities in this version 
of the Table are:   
 
 In Part I, on Cotton Specific Development Assistance , the number of individual 
beneficiaries decreased to 25 from 27 in the previous version, whereas the total 
number of commitments decreased to 43 from 64, primarily because of transferring completed projects to the Annex. The to tal value of commitments increased by 
US$11.2 million and now stands at US$365.6 million.  Disbursement flows were up by 
US$34.2 million to reach US$131.7 million.  Th e ratio of total disbursements to total 
commitments increased to 36%, compared to 28% earlier. 
 
 In Part II, on Agriculture and Infrastructure-Related Development Assistance , 
the number of individual beneficiaries decreased to 28 from 29 in the previous version, while the total number of commitments decreased slightly from 47 to 44.  The total 
value of these commitments stands at US$5.43 billion.  The disbursement flows 
increased by US$498 million to reach US$1.59 bi llion. The ratio of total disbursements 
to total commitments is 29%, up from 23% in the earlier version.   
 
I am also pleased to attach the 7
th version of the Domestic Cotton Sector Reform Table 
(WT/CFMC/21/Rev.6), reflecting new contributions from Benin and Mali, and the continuation of efforts undertaken by Burkina Faso.  The regular reporting by beneficiaries' countries shows the 
continuous progress on the reforms that are taking place in their cotton sector. 
 I would like to thank all Members and the C4 countries in particular, for having contributed 
to making this Consultative Framework a meaningful forum for constructive dialogue and 
cooperation.  This stands as an example on how development assistance is duly tracked and monitored.  I am also hopeful that the trade policy aspects of the "Cotton Dossier" will not be 
neglected, and that they will be pursued with si milar vigour to the development assistance track 
sooner rather than later.  
I have decided to convene the 19
th Round of the DGCFMC on 21 June 2013.  
DDG Harsha V. Singh will chair the consultations.  The updated 15th version of the Evolving Table 
will form the basis for this Round of Consultations.   
 
             
  
 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
 
  
 
 
Pascal Lamy