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Roberto Azevêdo 
  Director-General 
 
   
26 September 2013 
  
 
 Dear Ambassadors/Permanent Representatives, 
 
 I am pleased to forward with this letter the 16
th version of the Evolving Table on Cotton 
Development Assistance (WT/CFMC/6/Rev.15) 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 Evolving Tabl e (ET) was made possible by contributions 
from Brazil, the European Union (and some of  its member States), Japan, Switzerland and 
the United States, as well as from several multilateral institutions, namely, the CFC, the FAO, 
the IMF, the ITC and the World Bank. Noteworthy is the continuous support and important contributions from Brazil, China and India on  the platform of South-South Cooperation. 
 
I would like to stress that the Cotton Dossier will be high on my agenda priorities, as it is 
one of the key elements which embody the development dimension of the Doha Round negotiations. It is widely recognized that the development assistance track of the Doha mandate 
on cotton is an area where positive and tangible results have been registered, through 
an all-encompassing monitoring process, where developed and developing countries, together with relevant multilateral institutions, have worked collectively, in support of LDCs.  
 
I am pleased to inform Members that the numeric al values in the Evolving Table (ET) have 
improved further.  This is significant as it shows the ever-increasing value and relevance of the ET 
as our main tool for tracking development assistance to the cotton sector. More information has 
been notified on the disbursement status of several projects in Part III, related to "Available Resources Accessible for Cotton Development Assistan ce". The Table also shows a reduction in the 
gap between commitments and disbursements, in particular in Part II, which lists "Agriculture 
and Infrastructure-Related Development Assistance". 
 Furthermore, in the process of qualitative assessment of various activities in the ET, recent 
initiatives have emerged in the Consultative Framework to try to evaluate the impact 
of infrastructure-related assistance for the cotton sector on the ground, identifying constraints and needs, while seeking possible solutions, cond ucive to enhancing the effectiveness of such 
assistance. I encourage Members to pursue this kind of initiatives which will help consolidate 
and expand even further the partnership and constructive dialogue amongst all stakeholders. 
 
       
./. WTO   OMC  
- 2 - 
 
 
 The updated commitments and disbursements of active operational activities in this version 
of the Table are the following:   
 
 In Part I, on Cotton Specific Development Assistance , the number of individual 
beneficiaries increased to 32 from 25 in the previous version, whereas the total 
number of commitments increased to 46 from 43. The total value of commitments decreased by US$2.3 million, primarily beca use of an administrative transfer of 
completed projects to the relevant Annex, and now stands at US$363.2 million. 
Disbursement flows diminished by US$13.1 million to reach US$118.5 million. 
The ratio of total disbursements to total commitments decreased slightly to 33%, compared to 36% earlier.  
 
 In Part II, on Agriculture and Infrastructure-Related Development Assistance , 
the number of individual beneficiaries remained stable at 28, while the total number 
of commitments increased from 44 to 46.  The total value of these 
commitments decreased to US$4.86 billion. The disbursement flows increased markedly by US$593.9 million to reach US$2.19 billion. The ratio of total 
disbursements to total commitments climbed to 45%, from 29% in the 
previous version.   
 
I am also pleased to attach the 8
th version of the Domestic Cotton Sector Reform Table 
(WT/CFMC/21/Rev.7), reflecting new contributions from Burkina Faso, and the continuation of 
efforts undertaken by Benin, Chad and Mali. These regular updates reflect the steady progress on the reforms that go hand-in-hand with development assistance. 
 
I have decided to convene the 20
th Round of the DGCFMC on 30 October 2013. 
The updated 16th version of the Evolving Table as well as the 8th version of the Domestic Cotton 
Sector Reform Table will form the basi s for this Round of Consultations.   
 
        
Yours sincerely, 
 
 
 
Roberto Azevêdo