WT/COMTD/SE/10  
 
14 November  2017 
(17-6177) Page: 1/2 
   
 
  
REPORT OF THE COMMIT TEE ON TRADE AND DEV ELOPMENT  
IN DEDICATED SESSION  TO THE GENERAL COUNC IL 
 
 
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 turn, was to rev iew 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 meeti ng.  
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 Opportunities exper ienced 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, Guatemal a 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 subject by experts f rom 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 
Secretariat paper. Disc ussion 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 from Jamaica, 
Panama, Sri Lanka and Guatemala shared their respective country experiences, either with logistic 
services and transportation or with providing information technology and business outsourcing 
services. They identified challenges and national plans 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 
                                                
1 WT/COMTD/SE/M/31  
2 WT/COMTD/SE/M/32  
3 WT/COMTD/SE/M/33  WT/COMTD/SE/10  
 
- 2 - 
 
  "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 i mproving 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 and the General C ouncil 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 of the CTD there fore 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  docum ent 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, including that on th e 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. Furthermor e, 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 recommenda tions 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 to making 
recomm endations 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 paragraph 2 of the Wor k 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 continue monitori ng 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 
trading system.  
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4 Document WT/COMTD/SE/M/3 4 
5 Document WT/COMTD/SE/M/35 (to be issued).