WT/COMTD/86  
 
1 December 2014  
(14-6969)  Page: 1/8  
   
 
 REPORT (2014) OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT 
 
 
1  INTRODUCTION 
1.1.  This report covers the work of the Co mmittee on Trade and Development (CTD) in 2014. An 
overview is provided of the work of the CTD' s Regular Session, the Dedicated Session on the 
Monitoring Mechanism on Special and Differential Treatment, the Dedicated Sessions on 
Preferential Trade Arrangements and Small Econom ies, the CTD's work on Aid for Trade, and the 
work of the Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries.1 
2  REGULAR SESSION 
2.1.  The CTD in Regular Session held three formal meetings on 2 April (90th Session), 7 July 
(91st Session) and 27 November 2014 (92nd Session). The minutes of these meetings are 
contained in documents WT/COMTD/M/ 90, WT/COMTD/M/91 and WT/COMTD/M/922, respectively. 
At the 90th Session, Ambassador Pierre Claver Ndayirag ije (Burundi) was elected Chairman of the 
CTD. 
2.2.  Members agreed to continue to invite a num ber of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) on 
an ad hoc meeting-by-meeting basis. A full list of intergovernmental organizations with observer 
status in the Committee is contained in document WT/COMTD/W/22/Rev.7. The CTD continues to have outstanding requests for observer status from the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC), 
the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), the 
Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Count ries (OAPEC) and the Groupe de la Banque 
Africaine de Développement. 
2.3.  At the 90
th Session, the Chairman drew Members' attention to the Ministerial Decision of 
7 December 2013 on the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (WT/MIN(13)/32 - WT/L/907), taken at the Ninth Ministerial Conference (MC9) in Bali. He noted that it was for Members to 
determine how to take forward the work on electronic commerce in the CTD, including whether 
future work could build on the Workshop on Electronic Commerce, Development and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) that was held on 8-9 April 2013. He encouraged Members wishing to suggest ways to take forward work on this matter to consider submitting written 
proposals. 
2.4.  Also at the 90
th Session, Paraguay, the Coordinator of the Group of Landlocked Developing 
Countries (LLDCs), made a statement outlining the preparatory process for the Second United 
Nations Conference for LLDCs.3  
                                               
1 There were no meetings in 2014 of the CTD's Dedicated Session on Regional Trade Agreements. The 
Special Session of the CTD, dealing with the issue of special and differential treatment (S&D), has its own 
reporting channel. 
2 To be issued. 
3 This Conference was held from 3 to 5 November 2014 in Vienna. WT/COMTD/86 
 
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  2.5.  The principal areas addressed by the CTD in Regular Session during the period covered in this 
report included the following:   
 technical cooperation and training; 
 notifications regarding market access for developing and least-developed countries (LDCs); 
 report of the Joint Advisory Group on th e International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO; 
 trade and development - work in the Committee on the basis of the Chairman's concluding 
statement from the Eighth Ministerial Conference (MC8);  
 duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market access for LDCs; 
 review of the Transparency Mechanism for Preferential Trade Arrangements (PTAs). 
 
2.1  Technical cooperation and training 
2.6.  At the 91st Session, the Secretariat provided an update on the status of the Doha 
Development Agenda Global Trust Fund. Members were informed that there was a balance of CHF 18 million at the start of 2014 and that, in  the absence of additional contributions, 
approximately CHF 7 million was expected to be ca rried forward to 2015. This would be sufficient 
to implement activities in the first half of 2015, but contributions would be required in the second 
half of the year to ensure the full implementation of planned activities. At the 92
nd Session, the 
Committee took note of the 2013 Annual Report on Technical Assistance and Training 
(WT/COMTD/W/205). According to the report, a total of 320 activities were undertaken by the Secretariat in 2013. Overall, close to 14,000 participants were trained during the year, which was an increase of 9% relative to 2012. This growth wa s attributable to online courses, which attracted 
40% of participants at a cost of 5% of the total expenditure on technical assistance. 
Implementation of the new technical assistance management system, based on results, began in 2013.  Key performance indicators showed that online and face-to-face technical assistance 
activities had a high success rate on average, in  particular concerning transmission of knowledge 
on WTO matters. An ex-post  evaluation of the advanced sanitary and phytosanitary measures 
(SPS) programme established that it had made a notable contribution to a better implementation 
of the SPS Agreement by Members, whilst creating a pool of SPS experts in beneficiary countries.  
2.2  Notifications regarding market access fo r developing and least-developed countries 
2.7.  In 2014, a notification under the Enabling Clause was made by Canada concerning its 
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) schem e (WT/COMTD/N/15/Add.3). In addition, Chile 
notified to the CTD its DFQF market access scheme for LDCs (WT/COMTD/N/44).
4 With regard to 
regional trade agreements (RTAs), the Committee took note of reports by the Latin American 
Integration Association covering 2010 and 2011 (WT/COMTD/82), 2012 (WT/COMTD/84) and 2013 
(WT/COMTD/85). 
2.8.  The RTA notifications concerning the Gulf Cooperation Council Customs Union, the 
ASEAN-Korea Agreement and the India-Korea Agre ement remained on the CTD's agenda during 
2014. The communication from China, Egypt and India titled "Systemic and specific issues arising 
out of the dual notification of the Gulf Coop eration Council Customs Union" (WT/COMTD/W/175) 
also remained on the agenda. A number of interventions were made on both substance and procedure. Divergent views were expressed on how to deal with the issues relating to the RTAs 
notified under both the Enabling Clause and GATT Article XXIV and their implications. 
2.3  Report of the Joint Advisory Group on the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO 
2.9.  The Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC) held 
its 48
th Session on 11 and 12 June 2014. The report on that meeting is contained in 
document ITC/AG/(XLVIII)/256. Ambassador Mariam Salleh (Malaysia), the Chairperson of the JAG, presented the report to the CTD at its 92
nd Session. She said, inter alia , that the Group had 
expressed 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 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 th e organization's new strategic focus areas. The 
                                               
4 A notification of the scheme was also made to the Council for Trade in Goods (G/C/W/695). Chile 
subsequently circulated a communication containing information relating to th e Certificate of Origin 
requirements in its scheme (WT/COMTD/N/44/Add.1/Rev.1 and G/C/W/695/Add.1/Rev.1). WT/COMTD/86 
 
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  ITC's technical assistance in the area of trade facilitation, including with regard to the 
implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreem ent, was welcomed. The JAG Chair also shared 
information on the recent independent evaluation of the ITC. She indicated that the JAG would reconvene in informal session in January 2015 to di scuss the collective response to the evaluation 
and the progress achieved. The Committee took note of the report and forwarded it to the General 
Council for adoption. 
2.4  Trade and development - work in the Committee on the basis of the Chairman's 
concluding statement from the Eighth Ministerial Conference 
2.10.  At the Eighth Ministerial Conference (MC8), Ministers, inter alia, reaffirmed the positive link 
between trade and development and called for focu sed work in the CTD. Ministers called on 
Members to fully operationalize the mandate of the CTD as a focal point for development work. 
2.11.  Members continued their consideration at the 90
th and 91st Sessions of two submissions 
containing proposals for work under the MC8 mandate. One of these submissions - by China, Cuba, Ecuador, India and the African Group - is contained in document WT/COMTD/W/192. The 
other submission - by Barbados, Belize, Benin,  Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho and Mauritius - is 
contained in document WT/COMTD/W/202. Consideration of the updated Secretariat paper on the implementation of S&D provisions in the WTO Ag reements and Decisions (WT/COMTD/W/196) also 
continued at the 90
th Session.5 At the 91st Session, the Committee considered a new proposal for 
work under the MC8 mandate by Ecuador (WT/COMTD/W/204). Also at the 91st Session, the 
Secretariat provided a briefing on the UN's Post-2015 Development Agenda. The Chairman said that it was important for the CTD to be informed of the discussions on the Post-2015 Development 
Agenda. He believed that a briefing by the Secretariat could throw up some ideas which would help 
in identifying further possible areas of work for the CTD under the MC8 mandate. At the 92
nd Session, Members continued their consideration of the outstanding proposals in documents 
WT/COMTD/W/192, WT/COMTD/W/202 and WT/COMTD/W /204. The Chairman provided an update 
on the status of discussions on the Post-2015 De velopment Agenda and invited Members to share 
their thoughts on how trade-led economic growth co uld be made an integral part of this Agenda.  
2.5  Duty-free and quota-free market access for LDCs 
2.12.  DFQF market access for LDCs remained a standing item on the CTD's agenda. At the 
90th Session, the Chairman brought to Members' attention the Bali Ministerial Decision of 
7 December 2013 (WT/MIN/13/44 - WT/L/919) which, inter alia , 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 this review, the Decision additionally instructs the Secretariat to prepare a report on Members' DFQF market access for LDCs at the tariff line level 
based on their notifications.  Discussion under this agenda item continued at the 91
st Session, at 
which the LDCs called on Members to provide DFQF market access for all products originating from LDCs in a manner that ensures stability, security  and predictability. The CTD conducted its annual 
DFQF review at the 92
nd Session on the basis of the Secretariat report circulated in document 
WT/COMTD/W/206. 
2.6  Review of the Transparency Mechanism for PTAs 2.13.  At the 90
th and 91st Sessions, the Chairman drew Members' attention to paragraph 26 of the 
Transparency Mechanism for PTAs, which mentions, inter alia , that Members will review the 
Transparency Mechanism after three years, and if necessary, modify it in light of the experience 
gained from its provisional operation. Noting that three years had elapsed since the 
General Council Decision which established the Transparency Mechanism, he indicated that 
Members would need to consider the question of the review. In order to assist Members in considering this question, he provided an overview at the 92
nd Session of the status of 
implementation of the Transparency Mechanism to date.  
                                               
5 The proposal to update the Secretariat paper is found in the submission by China, Cuba, Ecuador, 
India and the African Group (WT/COMTD/W/192). The Committee agreed to this proposal at its 87th Session on 
4 March 2013. The updated Secretariat paper was circul ated in June 2013 and was considered at the 88th and 
89th Sessions held in July and October of that year. WT/COMTD/86 
 
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  3  DEDICATED SESSION ON THE MONITORING MECHANISM ON SPECIAL AND 
DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT 
3.1.  The Dedicated Session on the Monitoring Mechanism on Special and Differential Treatment 
held two formal meetings during 2014, on 7 Ju ly and on 27 November 2014, both chaired by 
Ambassador Pierre Claver Ndayiragjie (Burundi). The minutes of these meetings are contained in 
documents WT/COMTD/MMSDT/M/1  and WT/COMTD/MMSDT/M/2,6 respectively. At the July 
Session, the Chairman provided an overview of th e Bali Ministerial Decision of 7 December 2013 
which established the Monitoring Mechanism (W T/MIN(13)/45 - WT/L/920), including its scope, 
functions and operations.  Several delegations made preliminary observations on how they perceived the working and usefulness of the Monitoring Mechanism. At the November Dedicated Session, the Chairman reminded Members that the monitoring of special and differential provisions 
is to be undertaken on the basis of written inputs or submissions made by them, as well as on the 
basis of reports received from other WTO bodies, to which submissions by Members could also be made. In this light, he again called on Members to make written submissions. 
4  DEDICATED SESSION ON PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS 
4.1.  The 1
st Dedicated Session on Preferential Trade Arrangements was held on 2 April 2014 and 
was chaired by Ambassador Pierre Claver Ndayiragjie (Burundi). The minutes of the meeting are 
contained in document WT/COMTD/PTA/M/1. The Committee considered the European Union's 
Emergency Autonomous Trade Preferences for Pakistan (WT/COMTD/N/41, WT/COMTD/PTA/1/1), as per the provisions of the 14 December 2010 General Council Decision on a Transparency Mechanism for PTAs (WT/L/806).  
5  DEDICATED SESSION ON SMALL ECONOMIES 
5.1.  Pursuant to paragraph 35 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the General Council, at its 
meeting on 1 March 2002, took note of the framew ork and procedures for the conduct of the Work 
Programme on Small Economies. The CTD was instructed to oversee this programme of work in 
dedicated sessions. At the 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Conference, Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the Work Programme on Small Economies and urged the adoption of specific 
measures that would facilitate the fuller integration of small, vulnerable economies into the 
multilateral trading system, without creating a sub-category of WTO Members. At Ministerial 
Conferences held in 2009, 2011 and 2013, Ministers instructed the CTD to continue the work in Dedicated Session and to monitor progress of the small economies' proposals in the negotiating 
groups and other bodies. 
5.2.  In 2014, the CTD in Dedicated Session held two formal meetings on the Work Programme on 
Small Economies on 10 October and 27 November. The meetings were chaired by 
Ambassador Pierre Claver Ndayiragije (Burundi). The minutes of the meetings are contained in 
document WT/COMTD/SE/M/ 27 and WT/COMTD/SE/M/28.
7 At the 27th Dedicated Session on 
10 October, Members discussed the Bali Ministerial Decision of 7 December 2013 (WT/MIN(13)/33 
- WT/L/908) which requests the Secretariat to prov ide relevant information and factual analysis on 
the challenges and opportunities experienced by small economies when linking into global value 
chains (GVCs) in goods and services. The Chairman informed Members that the proponents of Small Economies had begun discussing the follow-up activities to the Bali Decision and had also 
begun identifying relevant issues and areas of possible research and analysis concerning the 
challenges and opportunities experienced by small economies when linking into GVCs. He suggested that the outline of the identified issues be circulated in document WT/COMTD/SE/W/30 
for comments by Members. 
5.3.  At the 28
th Dedicated Session held on 27 November, Members discussed and agreed on a 
revised outline in WT/COMTD/SE/W/30/Rev.1 concer ning relevant information and factual analysis 
which the Secretariat was to provide in a report on the challenges and opportunities experienced 
by small economies when linking into GVCs in goods and services.  
                                               
6 To be issued. 
7 To be issued. WT/COMTD/86 
 
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  6  AID FOR TRADE 
6.1.  The CTD held three sessions on Aid for Trade in 2014, on 9 April, 18 June, and 10 October. 
The meetings were chaired by Ambassador Pierre Claver Ndayiragije (Burundi). The minutes of the 
meetings are contained in documents WT /COMTD/AFT/M/30, WT /COMTD/AFT/M/31 and 
WT/COMTD/AFT/M/32, respectively. Aid for Trade was also included as an agenda item for 
discussion at the General Council meeting of 12 May 2014, and a statement on Aid for Trade was 
made by the Director-General under "Other Business" at the General Council meeting of 
21 October 2014. 
6.2.  The format of each CTD Aid-for-Trade sessi on followed the customary headings of resource 
mobilization and implementation activities; mainst reaming; regional dimension; the private sector; 
and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of implem entation and development effectiveness. The 
sessions provided Members, Observer Governments and Observer Organizations the opportunity to 
discuss their Aid-for-Trade activities.   
6.3.  A joint ITC-WTO Workshop on Aid for Trade and SME Competitiveness was held under the 
auspices of the CTD on 9 October 2014 at which insights were given as to what was being done to 
integrate a trade dimension into SME support and attention was drawn to a number of Aid-for-Trade related projects that were benefitting SMEs. 
6.4.  The CTD's 30
th Session on Aid for Trade focused on the development of a new Aid-for-Trade 
Work Programme. The proposed work programme, to cover the period 2014-2015 and with an organizing theme "Reducing trade costs for inclusive, sustainable growth", would be framed by the core mandate on Aid for Trade and the Recommendations of the Aid for Trade Task Force 
(WT/AFT/1), the Bali Ministerial Declaration (WT/MIN(13)/DEC) and the 7 December 2013 
Ministerial Decision on Aid for Trade (WT/MIN(13)/34 - WT/L/909), and by past Aid-for-Trade Work Programmes. The work programme was finalized  on the basis of inputs provided by Members 
and submitted to the General Council by the CTD Chairman.
8 
6.5.  Australia provided information about its future aid programming and intention to give priority 
to the Indo-Pacific region and China updated the Committee on its South-South related work which 
included training activities, trilateral projects, an LDC accession programme and support to Pacific 
Island Countries. Pursuant to its Trade Policy Review, Peru reported on its intensified national Aid-for-Trade actions, and the Enhanced Integrat ed Framework (EIF) provided an update on its 
recent Aid-for-Trade related activities and work, including the EIF Strategic Action Plan for 
2014-2015 and the joint EIF-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) capacity building 
module. The Organization for Economic Cooper ation and Development (OECD) provided an 
overview of the Aid-for-Trade flows for 2012. The ITC announced new areas of focus for its 
Aid-for-Trade related work, noted a new version of its Trade for Sustainable Development 
platform, updated on its enhanced outreach acti vities, and informed of future ITC events. The 
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) noted its role in integrating 
economic development and related global economic  issues into the UN-led Post-2015 Development 
Agenda. The Secretariat presented findings from an analysis conducted in respect of country fact sheets included in the joint OECD-WTO publication Aid for Trade at a Glance 2013: Connecting to Value Chains, and a report was given with regard  to an independent evaluation of the OECD 
Development Assistance Committee (DAC)'s contributions to the Aid-for-Trade Initiative in 2013 
that had been commissioned as part of OECD's internal results-based management exercise. 
6.6.  At the General Council meeting of 12 May 2014, a statement was delivered by the 
General Council Chair on behalf of the CTD Chairman concerning the new biennial Aid-for-Trade 
Work Programme for 2014-2015 the organizing theme of which was "Reducing trade costs for inclusive, sustainable growth" and which was underpinned by an extensive M&E exercise. A 
number of delegations made interventions and the General Council Chair took note of the new 
Aid-for-Trade Work Programme. The report of the General Council debate is contained in document WT/GC/M/151. 
6.7.  At the CTD's 31
st Session on Aid for Trade, the Secretariat outlined the process for the 
2014-2015 M&E exercise that would inform the Fift h Global Review (5GR) of Aid for Trade. The 
                                               
8 WT/COMTD/AFT/W/51. The work pr ogramme was issued under the resp onsibility of the CTD Chairman 
on 7 May 2014. The General Council took note of the work programme at its meeting in May 2014. WT/COMTD/86 
 
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  M&E exercise would likely be based on a series of self-assessment questionnaires and a call for 
case stories to learn about initiatives to reduce trade costs in developing countries, and in particular LDCs. The African Development Bank (AfDB) reported on its Annual Meeting entitled "The Next 50 Years: The Africa We Want" which had included a side event on "Facilitating Africa's 
Trade" at which Deputy Director-General Agah had acted as a panellist, and provided information 
on the Africa Trade Fund which was to become th e financing vehicle for the implementation of the 
Bali package in Africa. The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation updated the Committee 
on the Aid-for-Trade Initiative for the Arab States. The World Bank informed of a 
recently-established multi-donor funded Trade Facilitation Support Program and of a Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice, and the OECD presented a study on the regional perspectives of Aid for Trade. A presentation was given by the Un ited Nations Economic and Social Commission for 
Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) on its work to strengthen the regional transport connectivity in 
South and South-West Asia, and a summary was given of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)'s regional projects supporting developing countries' integration in 
the global economy. The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) presented an outline of 
its work and activities in support of capacity building and technical cooperation, the EIF updated 
the Committee on its Tier 1 and Tier 2 related wo rk, and ITC reported on its export development 
strategies and activities in the area of public-private partnerships and SME competitiveness. 
6.8.  At the CTD's 32
nd Session on Aid for Trade, the Chairman announced the planned timeline 
and scheduling for the 5GR and Members considered draft monitoring formats of the self-assessment questionnaires and call for case stories to be disseminated as part of the 
accompanying M&E exercise. The deadline for submission of the self-assessment questionnaires 
and case stories was fixed at 31 December 20 14. The EU presented an overview of its 2014 
Accountability Report on Financing for Developmen t, reported on its Aid for Trade monitoring 
activities, and informed of a newly-adopted strategic framework to boost the private sector's role 
in inclusive growth in developing countries. China, Dominica (for Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) WTO Members), and Chinese Taipei updated the Committee on their 
Aid-for-Trade related activities pursuant to their Trade Policy Reviews. The EIF provided 
information on its Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects an d the work it was undertaking with respect to 
mainstreaming which included in particular a recently-established facility to provide customized support to EIF countries. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) briefed 
on its Aid-for-Trade related programmes for the Arab States and Africa and announced the 
preparation of a Trade Facilitation strategy. The Secretariat provided brief reports on the joint 
ITC-WTO Workshop on Aid for Trade and SME Compet itiveness held prior to the CTD Aid-for-Trade 
meeting and on a recently-held UNESCAP seminar entitled Aid for Trade and South-South Value 
Chains. The ITC reported on the September meet ing of the World Export Development Forum and 
Women Vendors' Exhibition and Forum and announ ced its upcoming bi-annual global conference 
for Trade Promotion Organizations. 
6.9.  At the General Council meeting of 21 October 2014, under "Other Business", the 
Director-General announced the dates of the 5GR (30 June-2 July 2015), recalled its theme "Reducing trade costs for inclusive, sustainabl e growth" which had been set by the 2014-2015 
Aid-for-Trade Work Programme, and announced the launch of the accompanying M&E exercise that 
was central to the Review.
9 The report of the General Council debate is contained in document 
WT/GC/M/153.10 
7  SUB-COMMITTEE ON LEAS T-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES 
7.1.  In 2014, the Sub-Committee on Least-Developed-Countries (hereafter the Sub-Committee) 
held three formal meetings on 4 April (71st Session), 30 June (72nd Session) and 6 November 
(73rd Session). The minutes of the meetings are contained in documents WT/COMTD/LDC/M/71, 
WT/COMTD/LDC/M/72 and WT/COMTD/LDC/M/7311, respectively. The Sub-Committee took up the 
following subjects pursuant to the WTO Work Programme for the LDCs (WT/COMTD/LDC/11/Rev.1): (i) market access for LD Cs; (ii) trade-related technical assistance 
and capacity-building initiatives for LDCs; and (iii) accession of LDCs. The other item considered 
was a report by the Coordinator of the LDC Group on the Workshop it had organized, in 
                                               
9 A joint WTO-OECD communication launching the M&E exercise was issued on 21 October 2014 
(WT/COMTD/AFT/W/54). 
10 To be issued. 
11 To be issued. WT/COMTD/86 
 
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  cooperation with UNCTAD, from 4-5 March 2014 on the outcome of MC9. At all meetings, the 
delegation of Uganda acted as the Coordinator of the LDC Group. 
7.1  Market access for LDCs 7.2.  At the 71
st Session, the Secretariat provided an update on trends in LDC trade, building on 
the information and analysis provided in the 2013 market access review Note 
(WT/COMTD/LDC/W/58). Members welcomed the update, including the efforts to monitor the non-tariff measures (NTMs) faced by LDC exports.  The need for timely and regular notifications 
was underlined to further improve transparency and the WTO database. 
7.3.  At the 72
nd Session, Members considered the DFQF market access scheme of Chile.12 The 
LDCs expressed appreciation to Chile for adopting  the scheme which offers DFQF access to LDCs 
on 99.5% of its tariff lines, with the exception of wheat, flour and sugar. The Sub-Committee took 
note of the scheme.  
7.4.  At the 73rd Session, Members considered the 2014 market access review Note by the 
Secretariat circulated as WT/COMTD/LDC/W/59, which had a specific focus on LDC trade in 
commercial services. The Note was considered useful  in reviewing the export performance of LDCs, 
as well as market access conditions faced by them. Some Members provided specific comments on the Note, which will be taken into account in its revised version. At the same session, the 
Secretariat provided a report on the first annual review of preferential rules of origin for LDCs 
conducted by the Committee on Rules of Origin on 30 October 2014, pursuant to the Bali Ministerial Decision of 7 December 2013 on Prefer ential Rules of Origin for LDCs (WT/MIN(13)/42 - 
WT/L/917). The LDCs invited the attention of Members to their submission (G/RO/W/148) made at 
the Committee on Rules of Origin, outlining the challenges faced by them in complying with 
preferential rules of origin. 
7.2  Trade-related technical assistance an d capacity-building initiatives for LDCs 
7.5.  At the 72
nd Session, the Secretariat gave an overview of technical assistance and training 
provided to the LDCs in 2013. The LDCs were invited to 57% of all technical assistance activities undertaken by the Secretariat in 2013. The LDCs acknowledged the priority being attached to 
them in WTO's technical assistance activities, and made a number of suggestions to further 
strengthen their human and institutional capacity-building. At the same session, the EIF Secretariat provided an update to the Sub-Committ ee on the current status of implementation of 
the EIF. The LDCs reiterated the usefulness of the programme for their trade capacity-building, 
and made a few suggestions to further improve th e functioning of the programme. In the context 
of the ongoing evaluation of the EIF, the LDCs called for an extension of the programme beyond 
2015. 
7.6.  At the 73
rd Session, the Secretariat of the STDF provided an update to the Sub-Committee on 
the STDF's coordination and funding activities, in particular in favour of LDCs. The importance of investments in SPS capacity building to meet  the SPS requirements of export markets was 
highlighted. At present, close to 50% of STDF's project funds are allocated to the LDCs. The LDCs 
welcomed the STDF's work and looked forward to its continued support towards assisting LDCs consolidate their capacity in the area of SPS. 
7.3  Accession of LDCs 
7.7.  At the 71
st Session, the Secretariat provided an overvi ew of the state of play in the accession 
working parties of the LDCs. The rationale and purpose of the accession process, as well as 
transparency and outreach efforts of the Secretar iat to advance LDC accessions were elaborated to 
Members. Members reiterated their commitments to LDC accessions, and underlined the need to 
explore ways to activate some LDC accessions which continued to remain at a dormant state for a long period. 
                                               
12 As mentioned above, the scheme was notified in 2014 to the CTD and to the Council for Trade in 
Goods. WT/COMTD/86 
 
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  7.4  Report by the LDC Coordinator on the Workshop on MC9 outcomes, held at UNCTAD, 
4-5 March 2014 
7.8.  At the 71st Session, the LDC Coordinator briefed the Sub-Committee on the Workshop, held 
at UNCTAD from 4-5 March 2014, to take stock of the results of MC9 and to define the way 
forward for the LDC Group, including in the context of the post-Bali Work Programme.  
7.5  Other Business 7.9.  At the 72
nd Session, UNCTAD briefed the Sub-Committee on the Workshop it had organized 
on 9 April 2014, in cooperation with the Government of the Netherlands, to advance the Bali 
Decision on Preferential Rules of Origin for LDCs. At the same session, the World Bank Group announced that it had established a Trade Facilitation Support Programme to help developing countries to reform their Trade Facilitation laws and practices consistent with WTO's Trade 
Facilitation Agreement. The programme is support ed by Australia, Canada, the European Union, 
Norway, Switzerland and the United States. 
 
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