RESTRICTED  
  
WT/COMTD/SE/W/37/Rev.1  
 
8 November  2017 
(17-6071) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Trade and Development  
Dedicated Session    
 
   
DRAFT  
 
REPORT OF THE COMMIT TEE ON TRADE AND DEV ELOPMENT  
IN DEDICATED SESSION  TO THE GENERAL COUNC IL 
Revision  
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  In paragraph 35 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, Members agreed to a work programme 
with the objective of framing responses to the trade -related issues identified for the fuller 
integration of small, vulnerable economies (SVEs) into th e multilateral trading system. Members 
were instructed not to create a sub -category of WTO Members and to report to the General 
Council which, in tu rn, was to review the work programme and make recommendations for 
action. Since then, Members have issued six such reports: WT/COMTD/SE/1, WT/COMTD/SE/ 4, 
WT/COMTD/SE/6, WT/COMTD/SE/7, WT/COMTD/SE/8 and WT/COMTD/SE/9 in Ju ly 2003, 
November 2005, October  2009, October  2011,  November 2013  and November 2015 , 
respectively.  
1.2.  In the framework and procedures for the conduct of the Work Programme on Small 
Economies, the General Council agreed th at the Work Programme would be a standing item on 
its agenda and that the  Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) would report regularly to 
the General Council on the progress of  work in the Dedicated Sessions . Since the Ninth 
Ministerial Conference (MC9), progress reports have been made by the C TD Chairpersons at each 
General  Council meeting.  
2  SUBMISSIONS AND PROC EEDINGS  
2.1.  There have been five formal meetings of the CTD in Dedicated Session  since MC 10. At the 
31st  Dedicated Session on 9 March 2016 , Members picked up the discussion of the Secretariat 's 
paper "Challenges and Oppo rtunities experienced by Small Economies when linking into Global 
Value Chains in Trade in Goods and Services" (WT/COMTD/SE/W/31) . On this occasion the 
discussion focused on the textiles and apparel sector . Members heard from experts from the 
Secretariat, Japan, Guatemala and the ITC, and several shared their own experiences.1  
2.2.  At the 32nd Dedicated Session on 12 July 2016, Members continued their analysis of 
document WT/COMTD/SE/W/31 , this time discussing tourism services. Members were briefed on 
the subje ct by experts from the Secretariat, the UN World Tourism Organization, USAID, the ITC, 
the Guatemalan Tourism  Board and the South Pacific Tourism Organization .2 
2.3.  At its 33th Session on 4 November 2016 , Members continued their examination of the WTO 
Secretar iat paper. Discussion focused on logistic services, with links to trade facilitation and 
maritime transport, as well as information technology and business outsourcing services. The 
Dedicated Session heard presentations from UNCTAD and the ITC. Speakers fr om Jamaica, 
Panama, Sri Lanka and Guatemala shared their respective country experiences, either with 
logistic services and transportation or with providing information technology and business 
                                                
1 WT/COMTD/SE/M/31  
2 WT/COMTD/SE/M/32  WT/COMTD/SE/W/37/Rev.1  
 
- 2 - 
 
  outsourcing services. They identified challenges and national pl ans to further develop specific key 
services sectors.3 
2.4.  At the 34th Meeting  of the CTD in Dedicated Session on 17 May 2017 , the SVEs introduced a 
paper ( WT/COMTD/SE/W/35) which outlines challenges and recommendations for small 
economies with joining GVCs in  trade in goods and services. The paper was based on the various 
sectoral discussions held in the Dedicated Session in 2015 and 2016. The Secretariat presented a 
paper on "Challenges and Opportunities Experienced by Small Economies in their Efforts to 
Reduce Costs, Particularly in the Area of Trade Facilitation" (WT/COMTD/SE/W/34). The paper 
was prepared pursuant to the Decision on the Work Programme on Small Economies  adopted at 
MC10 Nairobi and analyses  best practices and policy approaches for reducing trade costs and 
improving both productive capacity as well as export competiveness .4 
2.5 At the 35th Meeting of the Dedicated Session on 7 November 2017, Members agreed to a  
proposal for a Ministerial Decision (subsequently circulated in document 
WT/COMTD/SE /W/36 /Rev.1 ). The draft Decision proposes that  Ministe rs instruct the Secretariat 
to continue its work on the challenges small economies experience in their efforts to reduce trade 
costs, particularly in  the area of trade facilitation and instruct the CTD to continue its work in 
Dedicated Session under the overall responsibility of the General  Council.5 
3  FUTURE WORK  
3.1.  Pursuant to the mandate contained in the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the Framework and 
Procedures for the Work Programme on Small Economies an d the General Council Decision of 
1 August 2004, the WTO's Sixth Ministerial Declaration in Hong Kong, the Seventh and 
Eighth  Ministerial Conferences in Geneva , the Ninth  in Bali, Indonesia, and the Tenth in Nairobi, 
Kenya, issues relating to the trade of small economies have been examined in the Dedicated 
Sessions of the CTD and proposals for responses have been made . However, there is a need for 
further work in order to fully achieve the mandate of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.  
3.2.  The Dedicated Session o f the CTD therefore proposes that the General Council recommend 
to the Eleventh  Ministerial Conference that Ministers reaffirm their commitment to the Work 
Programme on Small Economies and take note of all the work conducted to date. In particular, it 
is noted that  document WT/COMTD/SE/W/22/Rev.8  and its previous revisions reflect the work of 
the Dedicated Session up to the Eleventh  Ministerial Conference. The Dedicated Session also 
proposes that Ministers take note of the work carried out since 201 5, inclu ding that on the 
challenges and opportunities faced by small economies when linking into global value chains in 
trade in goods and services, and instruct the CTD to continue its work in Dedicated Session 
under the overall responsibility of the General  Council. Furthermore, it is proposed that the 
Dedicated Session consider in further detail the various submissions that have been received to 
date, examine any additional proposals that Members might wish to submit and, where possible, 
and within its mandate, make recommendations to the General Council on any of these 
proposals. Also, the CTD in Dedicated Session proposes that the General Council direct relevant 
subsidiary bodies to frame responses to the trade -related issues identified by the CTD with a 
view t o making recommendations for action. It also proposes to instruct the WTO Secretariat to 
provide relevant information and factual analysis for discussion among Members in the CTD's 
Dedicated Session, inter alia , in the areas identified in item k of paragra ph 2 of the Work 
Programme on Small Economies and, in particular, to continue its work on the challenges small 
economies experience in their efforts to reduce trade costs, particularly in the area of trade 
facilitation.  
3.3.  The CTD in Dedicated Session will co ntinue monitoring the progress of the small economy 
proposals in WTO bodies and in negotiating groups with the aim of providing responses, as soon 
as possible, to the trade -related issues identified for the fuller integration of SVEs in t he 
multilateral tr ading system.  
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3 WT/COMTD/SE/M/33  
4 Document WT/COMTD/SE/M/3 4 
5 Document WT/COMTD/SE/M/35 (to be issued).