WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
WT/COMTD/M/86 
18 December 2012  
 
(12-6917) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Eighty-Sixth Session  
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 19 NOVEMBER 2012 
 
Chairperson: H.E. Ms. Elin Østebø Johansen (Norway)1 
  
A. 
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  ......................................................................................................... 2  
B.  OBSERVERS  .............................................................................................................................. .... 2 
(i)  Request for attendance of ad hoc observers ............................................................................... 2  
(ii)  Further consideration of requests for observer status by the League of Arab States, 
the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf 
Organization for Industrial Consulting, the Organisation Internationale de la 
Francophonie, the Common Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and th e Groupe de la Banque Africaine de 
Developpement ................................................................................................................. ........... 2 
C. 
TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING  .................................................................................. 3  
-  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PLAN : UPDATE BY 
THE SECRETARIAT ON THE STATUS OF  THE DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA GLOBAL 
TRUST FUND  .............................................................................................................................. .. 3 
D.  TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT - WORK IN THE COMMITTEE ON THE BASIS OF THE 
CHAIRMAN 'S CONCLUDING STATEMENT FROM THE EIGHTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
(WT/MIN(11)/11) ...................................................................................................................... ... 4 
E.  ELECTRONIC COMMERCE - DECISION OF 17 DECEMBER 2011  (WT/L/843) ............................... 11  
-   WORKSHOP ON "E-COMMERCE , DEVELOPMENT AND SMES " - STATEMENT BY THE 
CHAIRMAN  .............................................................................................................................. ... 11 
F.  NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE  ....................................................................... 12  
-  GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC) NOTIFICATION OF CUSTOMS UNION – 
COMMUNICATION FROM CHINA , EGYPT AND INDIA (WT/COMTD /W/175) .................................. 13  
-  NOTIFICATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN GOODS BETWEEN THE ASSOCIATION 
OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN ) AND KOREA  .............................................................. 14  
-  NOTIFICATION OF THE COMPREHENSIV E ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT  
BETWEEN INDIA AND KOREA (GOODS ) ...................................................................................... 14  
-  GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES - NOTIFICATION BY SWITZERLAND 
(WT/COMTD /N/7/ADD.5) ............................................................................................................ 16  
G.  NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE 
ARRANGEMENTS  ........................................................................................................................ 16  
                                                      
1 The meeting was chaired by H.E. Ms. Elin Østebø Johansen (Norway), the Chair of the General 
Council, who stood in for the Chairman of the Committee on Trade and Development, H.E. Dr. Anthony Mothae Maruping (Lesotho).  As was explained, Ambassador Maruping had recently relinquished his official 
duties in Geneva, and had requested Ambassador Johansen to chair the 86
th Session of the Committee. WT/COMTD/M/86 
Page 2  
 
  H. 
ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTA TION OF THE HONG KONG DECISION ON DUTY -
FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET ACCESS FOR LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  ........................ 17  
I.  DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2012  (WT/COMTD /W/190) ........................................................... 17  
J.  OTHER BUSINESS  ....................................................................................................................... 17  
 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairperson said that the draft agenda for the 86th Session of the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD) was contained in document WTO/AIR/4043 circulated on 9 November 2012.   
2. The agenda was adopted. 
B. OBSERVERS  
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers 
3. The Chairperson recalled that, at previous sessions  of the CTD, Members had agreed to invite 
a number of intergovernmental organizations on an ad hoc, meeting-by-meeting basis.  These 
included the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Economic Community of West African States 
(ECOWAS), the Economic Cooperati on Organization (ECO), the Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee 
Corporation, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the African Union (AU), the Organization of the 
Islamic Conference (OIC), the South Centre, th e Pacific Islands Forum, the United Nations 
Environment Programme (UNEP), the West Afri can Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and 
the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) .  She said that, following the decision taken at 
the previous meeting of the Committee, the organiza tions had been invited to the present meeting.  
She proposed that these organizations be invite d to the next formal meeting of the CTD. 
4. It was so agreed.  
(ii) Further consideration of requests for observer st atus by the League of Arab States, the 
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting, the Organisation Int ernationale de la Francophonie, the Common 
Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) 
and the Groupe de la Banque Africaine de Developpement 
5. The Chairperson said that the positions of dele gations were on the record.  Members were 
aware that she had, in her role as Chair of the General Council, been holding informal consultations 
on issues relating to requests for observer status in the WTO.  Some Members had also requested that 
the CTD Chairman hold independent consultations on this matter.  Th e Chairman had, indeed, held 
consultations, including at an informal, open-ended,  CTD meeting held on 5 October 2012, where one 
of the issues for discussion was requests for observer st atus in the Committee.  She expected that this 
issue would be brought to the attention of the new Chair of the CTD, who would take over in 2013.  
She expressed her hope that it would soon be po ssible for Members to find convergence on a way 
forward.  In the meantime, Memb ers were encouraged to consult amongst themselves.  She suggested 
that the Committee revert to this matter at its next meeting.  
6. It was so agreed.   WT/COMTD/M/86 
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  C. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING  
- IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PLAN : UPDATE BY 
THE SECRETARIAT ON THE STATUS OF  THE DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA GLOBAL 
TRUST FUND  
7. The Chairperson invited the Director of the In stitute for Training and Technical Cooperation 
(ITTC) to provide Members with an update on the status of the Doha Development Agenda Global 
Trust Fund (GTF).  
8. The Director of the ITTC said that it had been possible to carry forward from the end of 2011 
an amount of Sw F 10.2 million.  By June 2012, Sw F 4.6 million had been received from seven 
Members, out of a total budget of Sw F 18 million.  In addition, pledges of Sw F 4 million were made 
by two Members.  As of 31 October 2012, Sw F 10.7 million had been received, representing about 
59% of the total GTF budget for 2012 activities.  Since mo st of the contributions had been received in 
the second half of 2012, the amount carried forward from 2011 had helped the Secretariat to implement planned activities in the first half of 2012 .  She added that a small number of Members had 
increased their contributions in 2012.  For exam ple, Norway had increased its contribution by 
50% compared to 2011.  Furthermore, in order to increase the predictability in funding, a number of 
countries - including Switzerland and Canada - had made multi-year contributions.  
9. She also observed that there had been a slight deterioration in the timeliness of contributions 
per quarter compared to previous years.  Furtherm ore, the total number of countries contributing to 
the GTF had decreased, from 24 in 2008 to 14 as of  August 2012.  While this had not had a very 
serious impact on the level of funding to implemen t planned activities in 2012, it had the potential to 
impact negatively on the number of activities for 2013,  if the trend continued.  She explained that the 
WTO's technical assistance activities were heavily dependent on extra budgetary contributions, and 
that it was only possible to incur expenditures against cash received.  The lack of predictability as to 
when resources would be received made the tim ely implementation of activities challenging.  
10. It was expected that an amount of Sw F 9 m illion would be carried forward at the end of 
2012, thereby allowing activities to be implemente d from the beginning of 2013.  The accumulation 
of this amount was partly due to cost saving measures by the Secretariat, as well as to existing partnerships in the delivery of technical assistan ce.  In addition, host governments had in some 
instances contributed to the costs of hosting activ ities.  Singapore, for example, had funded all 
participants in the activities it had hosted.  While  the existence of partnerships did allow the 
leveraging of some resources, there remained a number of issues to consider, particularly with respect 
to non-traditional donors.  For example, it was necessary to explore on what basis it would be 
acceptable to partner with a particular institution or  organization.  While these were not new issues, 
they would nevertheless require more attention as partnership arrangement s expanded and become 
more creative.  A revision to existing policies and practices might be required. 
11. She went on to say that the number of nationa l activities in 2012 had remained at the same 
level as for 2011 in all regions.  There had, however , been a slight decrease in the number of regional 
activities - from about 71 in 2011 to 58 as of 31 October 2012.  The most important reduction had 
been observed in Africa.  In particular, while 32%  of the regional activities had taken place in Africa 
in 2011, the figure had shrunk to 19% in 2012.  Th e Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the 
Caucus (CEECAC) region had also registered a s light decline, from 11% to 9%, as had the Arab 
region - from 13% to 10%.  If this remained the cas e at the end of 2012, there would be a need to 
explore the reasons for the declines.  In contr ast, the Asia-Pacific region's share of the regional 
activities had increased, from 21% in 2011 to 28% in  2012. Similarly, Latin America's share had 
increased from 14% to 17%, while the share of th e Caribbean region had increased from 8% to 9%. WT/COMTD/M/86 
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  12. With regard to the internship programmes, sh e said that there had been an increase in the 
resources contributed to both the Netherlands Trai nee Programme and the Mission Intern Programme.  
There was also continued support by China for th e China WTO Programme.  As for the Progressive 
Learning Strategy, she indicated this would continue  to be applied to all activities, including national 
activities.  In this regard, work was ongoing to make  changes to the technical assistance request form 
that was being used for national activities.  The inte ntion was to introduce the new form at some point 
in 2013.  She noted that most of the courses offere d thus far had been intermediate-level courses.  
About 29% of resources had been spent on courses of  a general nature, while 28% had been spent on 
specialized training activities.  She concluded by th anking all the Members that had contributed to the 
GTF. 
13. The Committee took note of the intervention by the Director of the ITTC. 
D. TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT - WORK IN THE COMMITTEE ON THE BASIS OF THE CHAIRMAN 'S 
CONCLUDING STATEMENT FROM THE EIGHTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE (WT/MIN(11)/11) 
14. The Chairperson recalled that, at the Eighth Ministerial Conference (MC8), Ministers had, 
inter alia , reaffirmed the link between trade and de velopment and called on Members to fully 
operationalize the mandate of the CTD as a focal point for development work.  The CTD had been 
directed to report the results of its work under th e MC8 mandate to Ministers at the Ninth Session. 
15. She went on to say that the MC8 mandate ha d been discussed at each of the formal CTD 
meetings in 2012.  In addition, the CTD Chairman had held several informal consultations in the 
course of the year to hear views and suggestions on what specifically could be done by the CTD under 
this mandate.  On several occasions, the Chairm an had invited Members to consider submitting 
written proposals on concrete areas of work for the CTD, as written proposals were more conducive to 
focused discussion, and would ensure a Member-driven process.   
16. She recalled that a written proposal by Cuba a nd Ecuador had been circulated earlier in 2012 
in document WT/COMTD/W/188 and Addendum 1.  Th is proposal, which was made in relation to 
paragraph 3 of the CTD's terms of  reference, called for an update to a Secretariat document on the 
implementation of special and di fferential treatment (S&D) provisions.  The proposal was discussed 
at the 85th Session, and was generally welcomed by Members.  However, the similarity was also noted 
between this proposal and one of the proposals in a non-paper by the African Group that was introduced by Egypt at the same meeting.  Th ese Members were therefore encouraged to work 
together.  Subsequently, at the informal, open-e nded CTD meeting held on 5 October 2012, Members 
had been informed that the African Group was i ndeed working with Cuba and Ecuador, as well as 
with other delegations, in concre tizing proposals on the basis of earlier work.  She said that she now 
wished to inform the Committee that a proposal by China, Cuba, Ecuador, India and the African 
Group had been made available for the present mee ting.  Since the proposal had only been received 
shortly before the meeting, it had not yet been fo rmally circulated as a CTD document.  The proposal 
would be circulated as a CTD document after the present meeting.
2  
17. She went on to say that, also at the 5 October 2012 informal, open-ended CTD meeting, 
Australia had introduced a proposal contained in a non-paper.  This non-paper put down in writing 
some of the suggestions that had previously been made concerning the potential usefulness of 
presentations by Members on their trade and devel opment experiences and their participation in the 
multilateral trading system.  Australia had indicated at that meeting that it would be continuing its 
consultations with Members on the proposal.  She sai d that she now wished to inform the Committee 
that an updated version of this proposal had been recently circulated in document 
                                                      
2 The proposal was circulated after the meeting in document WT/COMTD/W/192.  WT/COMTD/M/86 
 Page 5 
 
 
  WT/COMTD/W/191.  The co-sponsors of this pr oposal were Australia, Chile, Colombia and 
Singapore. 
18. She indicated that the Committee would consider  each of the proposals in turn.  She invited 
China, Cuba, Ecuador, India or the African Group to introduce their proposal first. 
19. The representative of Egypt, on behalf of the African Group, said that the proposal by China, 
Cuba, Ecuador, India and the African Group containe d three elements on proposed ways forward for 
the CTD in the context of the MC8 mandate.  Th e first element, which essentially re-produced the 
earlier proposal by Cuba and Ecuador, called for an update to the Secretariat document on the 
implementation of S&D provisions.  
20. Under the second element, the document highli ghted the importance of development in the 
GATT and the WTO.  The mandate of the CTD was hi ghlighted, and in particular the first paragraph 
of the CTD's terms of reference, which instructed the CTD to serve as a focal point for consideration 
and coordination of work on development in the WTO and its relationship to development-related 
activities in other multilateral agen cies.  The specific proposal under the second element was for the 
CTD to recommend that the General Council am end the second paragraph of the Decision on 
"Procedures for an annual overview of WTO activ ities and for reporting under the WTO", contained 
in document WT/L/105.  In particular, it was propo sed that the following be added after the first 
sentence of the second paragraph:  "The CTD is instructed to report, within its mandate, on 
development-related activities and issues raised in other WTO bodies; and provide the necessary 
recommendations to the General Council on achie ving better coordination within the WTO on 
development issues."  On how this would function in  practice, he said that it was envisaged that each 
WTO body would annually submit information on its development-related work to the CTD.  The 
CTD would then use the information provided by ot her WTO bodies to prepare a report.  He observed 
that this would allow the CTD to truly be a focal point for development-related work in the WTO.  
21.  He went on to say that the third element of the proposal was concerned with the 
implementation of the Transparency Mechanism (T M) for Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs).  He 
noted in this regard that Members had for a numbe r of years been debating the issues relating to the 
RTAs with a dual notification under both the En abling Clause and GATT Article XXIV.  In the 
context of this debate, there were three sub-items that had been continuously appearing on the CTD's 
agenda under the item "Notifications under the En abling Clause".  It was hoped that Members would 
view the third element of the proposal as a constructiv e effort to avoid future problems of this nature.  
The idea was for the CTD to recommend to Members which were parties to RTAs to jointly fulfil 
their notification and information obligations laid out in paragraphs 1, 3, 4, 14, and 15 of the TM for 
RTAs.  He added that the proponents were aware that some Members were of the view that issues relating to the review of the RTAs TM had to be  discussed in the Negotiating Group on Rules (NGR).  
In this regard, he emphasized that what was e nvisaged was a recommendation by the CTD, which the 
NGR could then look into.  
22. In closing, he returned to the first element of  the proposal, which concerned the update to the 
Secretariat document on the implementation of S&D pr ovisions.  He said that it was important for the 
co-sponsors of the proposal to assess the utilizatio n of S&D provisions, and to get feedback on the 
provisions that could not be utilized for technical  reasons.  Any other information regarding the 
utilization of S&D provisions would also be usef ul.  These points needed to be included in the 
updated Secretariat document.  
23. The representative of Cuba expressed his delega tion's support for the intervention by Egypt.  
He noted that the proposal under consideration de monstrated the unity of developing countries and 
their interest in seeing the CTD deliv er on development-related issues. WT/COMTD/M/86 
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  24. The representative of China said that his dele gation was of the view that the earlier 
submissions by the African Group, and by Cuba and Ecuador, raised pertinent issues and proposed 
appropriate actions.  In this light, China was ple ased to co-sponsor the proposal that was currently 
under consideration.  The implem entation of the proposed actions would help to strengthen the 
functioning of the CTD and would also help devel oping countries to integrate into the multilateral 
trading system.  This would be to the benefit of the membership as a whole. 
25. The representative of Argentina expressed his delegation's suppor t for the elements contained 
in the proposal. 
26. The representative of El Salvador indicated th at, while her delegation was still studying the 
proposal, the feeling was that it laid out a number of appropriate ways to proceed in order to comply 
with the MC8 mandate.  
27. The representative of the United States said that  the proposal under consideration, and in 
particular the package of elements, would be review ed in his capital.  In the meantime, he indicated 
that he would provide some preliminary reactions .  On the first element, he recalled that his 
delegation had viewed favourably the earlier propo sal by Cuba and Ecuador.  The US would look 
carefully at the new text in this light.  The US w ould also examine the second element closely, with an 
eye to the CTD's mandate.  As for the third element, he said that this was a non-starter for his delegation.  The CTD was not the proper forum for addressing horizontal issues with respect to RTAs. 
28. The representative of Nigeria expressed his delegation's support for the proposal under 
consideration.  The three elements in the propo sal took into account the MC8 mandate, as well as the 
terms of reference of the CTD.  The proposal w as not complex, and could be operationalized in a 
straightforward manner.  
29. The representative of the European Union said th at her delegation would study the proposal 
carefully.  She asked whether the representative of Egypt could elaborate on his observation that some 
S&D provisions could not be utilized for technical reasons. 
30. The representative of Australia said that his dele gation, like others, would study the proposal.  
He recalled that his delegation had been open to the initial submission by Cuba and Ecuador calling 
for an update to the Secretariat document on the implementation of S&D provisions, and it appeared 
that the first element of the proposal under considerat ion was a reproduction of that idea.  In this light, 
his delegation was keen to see the first element take n forward.  With regard to the second and third 
elements of the proposal, he indicated that hi s delegation was interested in discussing some 
operational and mandate-related issues with the co-sponsors.   
31. The representative of Barbados said that her dele gation recognized that there was work to be 
done to strengthen the CTD.  In particular, there was scope for the CTD to take greater initiatives in 
certain areas.  It appeared that the proposal under consideration was a step in the right direction.  Her 
delegation would carefully consider the elements in the proposal, th ough the initial feeling was that 
they could be supported by Barbados.  She went  on to say that the small, vulnerable economies 
(SVEs) had also prepared a document on strengthening the CTD, which was still in draft form.  Given 
that there was some overlap between the SVEs' doc ument and the proposal under consideration, the 
SVEs would need to consider how best to pr oceed with their ideas on strengthening the CTD.  
32. The representative of Canada welcomed the propo sal as a basis for further discussion.  She 
recalled that her delegation had previously suppor ted the submission by Cuba and Ecuador.  Noting 
that the proposal under consideration had other elements to it as well, she said that it would be sent 
back to her capital for further review.    WT/COMTD/M/86 
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  33. The representative of Dominica indicated that th e proposal appeared to contain ideas that his 
delegation could support.  The proposal woul d be studied in detail by his delegation. 
34. The representative of Ecuador said that, at the CTD's various formal and informal discussions 
on the MC8 mandate in 2012, his de legation had suggested that the Committee resume its review of 
the implementation of S&D provisions.  A formal pr oposal on this matter had been submitted by Cuba 
and Ecuador.  The African Group had also presented its ideas to the CTD in this regard.   In response 
to the CTD Chairman's invitation, Cuba, Ecua dor and the African Group had coordinated and 
consolidated their ideas and put together a singl e proposal.  The proposal under consideration was 
based on three elements, these being the review of the implementation of S&D provisions, the 
consolidation of the CTD as a focal point for the consideration and coordina tion of development in 
the WTO, and a recommendation from the CTD for Me mbers which were parties to RTAs to jointly 
fulfil their notification and information obligations as contained in the TM for RTAs.  In closing, he 
said that it was of fundamental importance for his delegation that an assessment be made of the 
utilization of S&D provisions.  It was also important to obtain feedback on provisions that could not 
be used because of the expiry of timeframes.  Any other information on the use of S&D provisions 
would also be useful.  He indicated that the Secret ariat needed to include these elements in its work. 
35. The representative of South Africa expressed her delegation's support for the proposal.  She 
noted that the proposal came at an appropriate junc ture, as the implementation of the elements of the 
proposal would help to deliver a meaningful out come to the MC8 mandate, and would also help 
developing countries to better integrate into the multilateral trading system.  
36. The representative of Nicaragua indicated that his delegation was favourable to the proposal, 
and was open to discussing it further with the co-sponsors.  
37. The representative of Egypt said that he wished  to respond to some of the points that were 
raised by delegations on the proposal.  With rega rd to the question of how the second element of the 
proposal fitted into the mandate of the CTD, he explained that the CTD was not the only WTO body working on development-related issues.  The CTD ha d the mandate to serve as a focal point for the 
consideration and coordination of  work on development in the WTO, and it was therefore necessary 
for other WTO bodies to provide the CTD with per tinent information so that it could fulfil its 
mandate.  
38. He next turned to the third element in the proposal , in particular to react to the indication that 
this element was a non-starter for the US.  He said  that a number of developing countries were, in 
fact, of the view that the issues relating to RTAs with a dual notification could be resolved in the 
CTD.  In explanation, he referred to paragr aph 4 of the CTD's terms of reference which, inter alia , 
provided the Committee with the mandate to consider any questions that might arise with regard to 
either the application or the use of special provisi ons in the Multilateral Trade Agreements and related 
Ministerial Decisions in favour of developing count ry Members.  He pointed out that questions had 
arisen with regard to the application or use of  the Enabling Clause, and the CTD therefore had the 
mandate to consider these questions.  He added, however, that the co-sponsors were trying to be 
constructive, and were therefore only seeking a reco mmendation from the CTD.  This would be a first 
step towards avoiding any future problems relating to RTAs with  a dual notification. 
39. Finally, in response to the EU's request for an elaboration on his observation that some S&D 
provisions could not be utilized for technical reas ons, he pointed in particular to the timeframes 
contained in some S&D provisions that had elapsed.  He explained that the co-sponsors wanted to 
know how many S&D provisions coul d no longer be used by developing countries.  This would also 
be useful for the future work of the Committee. WT/COMTD/M/86 
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  40. The Chairperson said that Members would need mo re time to consider the proposal by China, 
Cuba, Ecuador, India and the African Group.  The Co mmittee would therefore n eed to come back to 
this proposal.  In the meantime, sh e encouraged the co-sponsors to continue their consultations with 
Members.  Turning next to the proposal by Aust ralia, Chile, Colombia and Singapore, she invited the 
co-sponsors of this proposal to introduce their submission. 
41. The representative of Australia said that the pr oposal set out a simple but useful initiative to 
add value to the work of the CTD.  The proposal a ddressed the key issues that had been raised in the 
initial discussions that had taken place in the in formal, open-ended CTD meeting on 5 October 2012.  
The co-sponsors had also subsequently welcomed the opportunity to engage with  other delegations on 
the proposal.  
42. He went on to highlight several aspects of the pr oposal.  He said firstly that the proposal was 
within the core business of the CTD, as set out in its  terms of reference.  In particular, part of the 
CTD's mandate was to keep under continuous revi ew the participation of developing country 
Members in the multilateral trading system.  The country experiences presentations would create a flexible, Member-driven process to contribute to this aspect of the CTD's mandate.  The proposed 
exercise would not replace any other work in the CTD, and would be without prejudice to other 
proposals by Members.  Second, the proposal would not overlap with the work of other WTO bodies.  
Some Members had asked what the difference woul d be between the proposed country presentations 
and the Trade Policy Review (TPR) process.  He e xplained that the country experiences presentations 
were envisaged to operate on a very different scale.   They would be smalle r, more Member-driven, 
and focused on priority issues defined by individu al Members.  Members could circulate a brief 
background note in advance if they wanted to, but th is would not be mandatory.  This contrasted with 
the months of preparation and the detaile d reports required for the TPR process.  
43. As his third point, he said that the proposal a llowed for an approach that was flexible and 
simple.  Members themselves would decide if they wanted to present.  Furthermore, Members could decide who presented for their delegations, and they  could decide what issues in their trade and 
development experiences they would highlight.  Members could present in groups to highlight 
regional successes and challenges, or individually.  Members and Observers to the CTD would be able to contribute to the discussion as appropriate.  Procedurally, it was foreseen that Members would 
inform the Secretariat at least ten days in advance of the Regular Session of the CTD if they wished to 
make a presentation, so that their presentation coul d be included on the agen da for the meeting.  If 
there was high demand for presentations beyond the three or more Regular Sessions of the CTD held 
each year, the Chair could adjust the meeting schedul e as needed.  This would be consistent with the 
CTD's rules of procedure.  Turning to his fourth point, he said that the co-sponsors did not think it would be possible or appropriate to set a specific outcome from this proposal, since it was not possible to prejudge the issues that could emerge.  However, it was highly likely that useful lessons, 
problems in Members' development, or areas for further work would be identified after hearing 
Members' experiences.  The objective would be to h ear from several Members and then take stock on 
what had been achieved before the Ninth Ministerial Conference.  
44. In closing, he reiterated that the proposal coul d be agreed to without prejudice to any other 
proposals by Members.  He said that it would be ideal to strengthen the CTD by adding value to its work in a number of areas, and one of these areas should be through implementing the work laid out 
in the proposal under consideration.  He also emph asized the limited time rema ining before the Ninth 
Ministerial Conference.  Members would need to start the country experiences presentations as soon 
as possible in order to have something of substance to report to Ministers. 
45. The representative of Singapore said that the pro posal added a dimensi on that would enhance 
the discussions in the CTD, and would also comple ment existing discussions.  There was merit in the 
central idea of the proposal, which was to have vo luntary, flexible and focused presentations from  WT/COMTD/M/86 
 Page 9 
 
 
  individual Members or regional groups.  One aspect that his delegation felt added value to the CTD 
was that the proposal highlighted the pragmatic dimension of the relationship between trade and 
development.  His delegation believed that there wa s plenty to learn from the concrete experiences of 
Members.  The virtue of the proposed exercise was that it was really what Members wanted to make 
of it in terms of scope and topic, and it did not pr e-judge the outcome or prejudice other areas of work 
in the CTD.  The co-sponsors were also not pr oposing something that was burdensome and required 
months of preparation.  Work in the CTD could, in fact, begin immediately. 
46. The representative of Colombia said that he r delegation had decide d to co-sponsor the 
proposal under consideration because the suggested work would contribute to strengthening the CTD, 
and would also add dynamism and vitality to the Co mmittee.  She stressed the value of hearing the 
experiences of Members, so that a better understanding  could be obtained as to what had worked - and 
under what circumstances - and what obstacles some  nations faced.  She added that the proposed 
country experiences presentations would not overlap w ith other work in the CTD, and also would not 
duplicate the work of other WTO bodies. 
47. The representative of Korea expressed his delegation's support for the proposal under 
consideration.  He said that there was a huge dive rsity in Members' economic development and trade 
policy experiences.  Sharing information was a good approach, which would provide a clearer picture 
for future work.  While other me chanisms such as the TPR and Aid -for-Trade processes were already 
in existence, the proposed work for the CTD would be more suitable for describing a country's unique 
development story, and would also reinforce the CTD's function to review the participation of 
developing countries in the multilateral trading system. 
48. The representative of Nigeria said that the proposal had been transmitted to his capital for 
review.  He also indicated that his delegation was open to further discussion on the proposal.  One 
question that his delegation wished to raise at this  point was whether the proposal would contribute to 
the objective of mainstreaming development work in  the CTD.  He emphasized the importance of the 
CTD's mandate contained in paragra ph 51 of the Doha Declaration.  
49. The representative of Mexico said that his dele gation attached great importance to the MC8 
mandate.  He expressed his delegati on's support for the proposal under consideration, as it appeared to 
be going in the right direction towards strengthening the work of the CTD.  The proposal was flexible 
and practical.  It provided Members with the oppor tunity to draw lessons from various experiences in 
using trade policy, and to assess how these policies had contributed to development.  Given the 
limited time available until the Ninth Ministerial Conference, he stressed the importance of beginning 
work in the CTD as soon as possible.  
50. The representative of Pakistan indicated that th e proposal, which had been transmitted to her 
capital, appeared to be going in the right directi on.  She said that it was important for Members to 
have an idea of what the final objective of the propos ed exercise would be.  If the idea was to come up 
with some recommendations to present to Ministers, it would be necessary for the CTD to explore not 
only the success stories, but also some of the challe nges that Members faced.  It was also important 
for Members to keep in mind that a set of policies ne eded to be in place in order to ensure that trade 
worked for development.  Finally, she suggested  that presentations from developing countries could 
also touch upon their experiences in using one or more S&D provisions. 
51. The representative of Dominica said that the propo sal had been transmitted to his capital.  It 
appeared, however, that his delegation could suppor t the overall thrust of the proposed work, as it 
would provide useful information on Members' successes and on some of the key challenges that 
Members faced.  He welcomed the suggestion that presentations could be made on a regional basis.  
He also noted that there was a need to start work under the MC8 mandate as soon as possible. WT/COMTD/M/86 
Page 10  
 
  52. The representative of Argentina said that his cap ital was still analyzing the proposal.  While 
the proposal contained some interesting elements, he indicated as a preliminary comment that 
Members would need to discuss how to incorporate the suggested work within the dynamics of the 
CTD, as well as how to ensure consistency with  other processes.  He expressed his delegation's 
interest to participate in any future informal consultations on the proposal. 
53. The representative of India said that his dele gation did not understand how the sharing of 
country experiences could help to fulfil the MC8 mandate, particularly when country experiences 
were not included as part of the CTD's terms of refere nce.  In this light, his delegation was of the view 
that the proposed discussions should take place in workshops and side events, where eminent 
economists could deliver presentations. 
54. The representative of the United States said that his delegation considered the proposal to be 
helpful.  While it was clear that the further contours of the proposal would need to be worked out, his 
delegation appreciated that it left Members with significant flexibility to discuss their individual experiences in using trade in the service of develo pment.  The proposal provided a platform for 
Members to gain valuable insights on the re lationship between trade and development. 
55. The representative of Egypt said that his delegati on had in earlier informal consultations made 
the point that country experiences presentations needed  to be related to the work of the WTO.  In 
particular, there could only be value to the country pr esentations if the outcome of the exercise was to 
help Members gain a better idea of  what needed to be done to serve the interests of developing 
countries in the WTO.  His delegation was willing to  work with the co-sponsors to explore how this 
could be achieved.  He noted that Secretariat doc uments on the participati on of developing economies 
in global trade had in previous years helped the Committee to address its mandate to keep under 
continuous review the participati on of developing country Members in the multilateral trading system.  
56. The representative of Barbados encouraged de legations to study the TPRs as a first step 
towards better understanding the trade-related polici es of Members.  She added that, while it was 
useful to share experiences, the country presenta tions exercise should not become a monitoring 
exercise of Members' policies.  Finally, she obser ved that developing countries were in need of 
detailed and substantive analysis on specific issues.  In this light, there was a risk that the country 
presentations exercise as presented in the proposal w ould be too general for developing countries to 
benefit.   
57. The representative of the European Union sai d that the proposal was pragmatic and 
constructive.  Undertaking the proposed work w ould make a contribution to Members' collective 
understanding of how developing countries participate in the multilateral trading system.  The country 
presentations could be made in the context of the challenges faced by Members, or on the basis of 
particular topics.  
58. The representative of Canada said that, while the proposal was still being reviewed in her 
capital, the preliminary feeling was that her delegati on could be supportive of it.  She also noted the 
comments that had been made at the present meeti ng, and indicated that her delegation wished to 
participate in any information cons ultations concerning the proposal. 
59. The representative of the Dominican Republic indi cated that it was important for Members to 
better understand and appreciate the difficulties that developing countries were facing in integrating 
into the multilateral trading system.  The country presentations exercise could be a step in this direction.  She believed that Members needed to continue thinking about the proposal, which had a 
number of useful aspects to it.  WT/COMTD/M/86 
 Page 11 
 
 
  60. The Chairperson said that Members would need  more time to consider the proposal by 
Australia, Chile, Colombia and Singapore.  The Committ ee would therefore need to come back to this 
proposal.  In the meantime, she en couraged the co-sponsors to continue their consultations with 
Members.  In closing the discussion on the MC8 mandate, she once again encouraged Members to consider submitting written proposals on possible areas of work for the CTD.  She also emphasized 
that starting work in some areas under the MC 8 mandate would not prevent the Committee from 
subsequently bringing in other areas of work, if Memb ers so wished.  It was important to ensure that 
the Committee had enough time to make progress befo re a report was submitted to Ministers at the 
Ninth Ministerial Conference. 
61. The Committee took note of all interventions.  
E. ELECTRONIC COMMERCE - DECISION OF 17 DECEMBER 2011  (WT/L/843 ) 
-  WORKSHOP ON "E-COMMERCE , DEVELOPMENT AND SMES " - STATEMENT BY THE 
CHAIRMAN  
62. The Chairperson said that the CTD's discussi on on electronic commerce (e-commerce) since 
the beginning of 2012 had been in relation to th e 17 December 2011 Decision taken at MC8, which 
was contained in document WT/L/843.   
63. She recalled that a proposal by Cuba and Ecuador, circulated in document 
WT/COMTD/W/189, had been considered at the 85th Session.  The proposal was for a workshop on 
"E commerce, Development and SMEs" to be held at the end of 2012.  In the discussion that took 
place at the meeting, it was apparent that some Members wanted to have further discussions on the programme for the workshop.  The CTD Chairman  had therefore encouraged the proponents to 
continue their consultations with Members.  S ubsequently, in a fax dated 10 September 2012, the 
Chairman had informed Members that further consultations between the proponents and these 
delegations had allowed an unders tanding to emerge on the programme for the workshop.  He had 
attached the draft programme for Members' informati on.  However, he had also informed Members in 
the fax that the necessary funds for inviting key speakers from Asia, Africa and Latin America had 
not yet been secured.  In this light, the propone nts had asked that the workshop be postponed to 
April 2013 to allow for adequate planning and prepar ations and to ensure that sufficient funding was 
available for a successful  event.  At the 5 October 2012 informal, open-ended CTD meeting, the 
Chairman had informed Members that the Secretaria t was in the process of establishing contact with 
possible speakers, and had secured some funding from the budget of the Technical Assistance and 
Training Plan for 2013.  If it proved necessary, the Secretariat would look into other possible sources 
of funding as well.  In closing, she proposed that the workshop be held on 8 and 9 April 2013. 
64. The Committee agreed that th e workshop on "E-commerce, Development and SMEs" would 
be held on 8 and 9 April 2013. 
65. The representative of Ecuador said that the Ch airperson's summary accurately reflected the 
discussions that had taken place on the proposal by Cuba and Ecuador.  He noted that the proposal 
had its roots in the 17 December 2011 Decision, and in  particular the call by Ministers to reinvigorate 
the development dimension of the Work Programme  on Electronic Commerce through the CTD.  The 
underlying objective of the proposal was to ex amine e-commerce access by SMEs, including small 
producers and suppliers, in developing countries.  He expressed appreciation to Members for their 
support for the proposal.  
66. The representative of the United States said that  his delegation was supportive of this work 
going forward, and was available to consult with the proponents as the details of the programme for 
the workshop were fleshed out.  He added that the US was in close consultation with its own services WT/COMTD/M/86 
Page 12  
 
  and e-commerce experts on this matter.  The US wa s also working with other delegations in putting 
together an e-commerce workshop in the Council for Trade in Services, which was expected to be 
held in the second half of 2013. 
67. The representative of Chinese Taipei expressed support for the workshop.  His delegation 
believed that the workshop would not only help de veloping countries with technical assistance and 
capacity building, but would also facilitate greater access to e-commerce.  It was hoped that SMEs in 
particular would benefit from the workshop.  His delegation appreciated the efforts of the CTD to 
bring into effect the 17 December 2011 Decision, which would give developing countries, and in 
particular LDCs, the opportunity to benefit from the rapid growth of e-commerce in the global 
economy.  
68. The Committee took note of all interventions.    
F. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE  
69. The Chairperson said that she wished to prov ide Members with a brief update on the RTAs 
notified under the Enabling Clause that were to be considered in the CTD's Dedicated Sessions on 
RTAs.  She firstly informed the Committee that fo r a number of RTAs – namely, RTAs between India 
and Nepal, India and Afghanistan, India and Bhut an and India and ASEAN – the full set of data 
needed to complete the factual presentations had no t been submitted by the parties.  She urged the 
parties to these Agreements to pr ovide the data as soon as possible. 
70. Turning to the India-MERCOSUR Agreement, sh e said that the Secretariat had drafted the 
factual presentation on the Agreement, which would shortly be sent to the parties for comments.  
Following the receipt of comments, the factual prese ntation would be circulated to Members and the 
Agreement would be considered in a Dedicated S ession on RTAs.  The Secretariat would schedule a 
meeting of the Dedicated Session in the first half  of 2013.  With regard to the India-Malaysia 
Agreement, she said that the Secretariat was in the process of drafting the factual presentation, and 
would send it shortly to the parties for comments.  She additionally drew Members' attention to a 
notification concerning the accession of Rwanda and Bu rundi to the Protocol on the Establishment of 
the East African Community (EAC) Customs Union.   This notification had been circulated on 
15 October 2012 in document WT/C OMTD/N/14/Add.2.  For purposes of preparing the factual 
presentation, the Secretariat had requested the partie s to the Agreement to provide the required data 
by 8 March 2013.   
71. With regard to other Agreements notified unde r the Enabling Clause, it was the Secretariat's 
understanding that Venezuela had acceded to ME RCOSUR in August 2012, and Panama had acceded 
to the Latin American Integration Association (L AIA), also in 2012.  It was additionally the 
Secretariat's understanding that the South Asian Fr ee Trade Agreement had now been ratified by all 
the parties, and in particular that the Agreem ent had entered into force for Afghanistan in 
August 2011.  The Secretariat would check on the status  of these RTAs with the parties.  She went on 
to say that there remained one RTA notified under the Enabling Clause that had not been ratified by 
all the parties.  This was the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA).  Following the 
procedures of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA), an RTA falling in this category would only be considered by the CTD after it had b een ratified by all the parties.  The parties to 
PICTA were urged to inform the Secretariat as soon as all ratifications were complete.   
72. She added that the delegation of Uruguay had submitted to the Secretariat on 4 October 2012 
a number of biennial reports from past years on measures taken by member countries of the LAIA 
under the 1980 Treaty of Montevideo.  While some of  these reports had been previously circulated as 
GATT or WTO documents, it turned out that others had not, as the Secretariat had not previously 
received them.  The Secretariat was currently in th e process of preparing these reports for circulation  WT/COMTD/M/86 
 Page 13 
 
 
  as WTO documents.  Taking into account current work loads, the aim was for the documents to be 
circulated in the three official languages in the first quarter of 2013. 
73. Finally, she said that she wished to say a word on the implementation reports that were 
required under paragraph 15 of the TM for RTAs.  A ccording to this paragraph, at the end of the 
implementation period of an RTA, the parties were  to submit to the WTO a short written report on the 
realization of the liberalization commitments in the RTA as originally notified.  With regard to the 
way forward on the implementation reports, she said that the CRTA would continue its discussion at 
its 66th Session on 20 November 2012.  She emphasized once again what had been said before, 
namely that it would be important for the CTD to monitor the outcome of the CRTA's discussion.  
The CTD could then hold its own discussion on the is sue of implementation reports for RTAs notified 
under the Enabling Clause.  From a practical point of view, she believed that it was in Members' 
interests to continue to maintain similar pro cedures between the two Committees when it came to 
implementing the TM for RTAs. 
74. The representative of the United States, referri ng to the notification concerning the accession 
of Rwanda and Burundi to the Protocol on the Esta blishment of the EAC Customs Union, said that the 
US' view concerning the proper legal basis and notif ication of customs unions was well documented.  
It was not necessary to rehash this point. 
75. The representative of Egypt said that he wished to emphasize the need to maintain on the 
CTD's agenda the first three sub-items under the present agenda item until the time when Members 
could agree on a way forward.  
76. The Committee took note of all interventions. 
- GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC) NOTIFICATION OF CUSTOMS UNION – 
COMMUNICATION FROM CHINA , EGYPT AND INDIA (WT/COMTD /W/175) 
77. The Chairperson said that the first sub-ite m under the present agenda item concerned the 
GCC Customs Union notification.  The sub-item al so referred to the communication from China, 
Egypt and India which was circulated in document WT/COMTD/W/175. 
78. The representative of the United States said that  his delegation continued to have concerns 
with the present sub-item being listed on the CTD's agenda.  The sub-item had fulfilled its purpose of 
informing Members of the notification made, and needed to be removed from the agenda.  He 
regretted that this matter had taken up so much of the CTD's time over the past few years.  These were the types of issues that took time, resources and attention away from other pressing development matters.  The US had clearly stated its position on th is matter.  It was hoped that Members could move 
forward constructively, recognizing that the GCC Customs Union was not an issue of dual 
notification, but rather something to be addressed under the RTAs TM in the CRTA.  He added that 
the GCC Customs Union had been incorrectly noti fied under the Enabling Clause.  This had been 
subsequently corrected, and the GCC Customs Union was in the pipeline to be considered in the 
CRTA, in line with the procedures of the RTAs TM.  His delegation considered this issue closed, and 
continued to request that it be removed from the CTD' s agenda.  The US wanted to be very clear that 
it had no quarrel with any developing country not ifying a qualifying agreement under the Enabling 
Clause.  However, this was not what the GCC Cu stoms Union notification issue was about.  The GCC 
Customs Union notification concerned a customs union, which made it different from non-customs 
union RTA notifications.  
79. He next turned to the communication from China, Egypt and India contained in document 
WT/COMTD/W/175.  He said that, in reviewing the communication, his delegation had not seen any 
specific issues relating to the GCC Customs Union no tification.  The paper appeared to be seeking a WT/COMTD/M/86 
Page 14  
 
  systemic discussion of RTAs, particularly with regard  to the issue of dual notifications.  Given that 
the GCC Customs Union was incorrectly notified as an  Enabling Clause Agreement, and that this was 
subsequently corrected by the notifying Members, the GCC Customs Union notification was not a 
dual notification.  His delegation had explained its  arguments on this Agreement in detail over the 
past few years, and found it of little utility to c ontinue to rehash these points.  He expressed his hope 
that the CTD could move beyond this matter in orde r to allow Members to fo cus on the other work of 
the Committee. 
80. The representative of Egypt noted that the US' intervention had referred to the procedures of 
the RTAs TM and the consideration of the GCC Cu stoms Union in the CRTA.  In this regard, he 
wished to remind Members that the procedures of  the RTAs TM also provided for RTAs notified 
under the Enabling Clause to be considered in the CTD.  Furthermore, while the GCC Customs Union 
was presently notified under both the Enabling Clause and GATT Article XXIV, the Agreement 
which established the GCC Customs Union had been  notified in 1984 under the Enabling Clause only.  
The notification under the Enabling Clause had, th erefore, been made several years before the 
notification under GATT Article XXIV.  His delega tion did not understand why the consideration of 
the GCC Customs Union could not go ahead in the CT D, in line with the provisions of the RTAs TM. 
81. The representative of China expressed support for th e intervention by Egypt.  He said that this 
matter was of significance to developing countries, as well as to the multilateral trading system as a 
whole.  The CTD was the focal point for develo pment issues in the WTO, and this matter was 
certainly a subject for discussion in the CTD.  In cl osing, he said that the present sub-item needed to 
remain on the CTD's agenda. 
82. The Committee took note of all interventions.   
- NOTIFICATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON TRADE  IN GOODS BETWEEN THE ASSOCIATION 
OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN ) AND KOREA   
 - NOTIFICATION OF THE COMPREHENSIV E ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT 
 BETWEEN INDIA AND KOREA (GOODS )3 
83. The Chairperson said that the second sub-item under the present agenda item concerned the 
notification of the ASEAN-Korea Agreement.  The third sub-item under the present agenda item 
concerned the notification of the India-Korea Agreement. 
84. The representative of Korea said that two of Ko rea's RTAs formed part of the discussion 
concerning dual notifications.  His delegation was well aware of the complicated systemic issues 
behind this discussion.  However, the view of his de legation was that the matter had been sufficiently 
discussed in the CTD.  He requested in particular th at the sub-items concerning the notifications of the 
ASEAN-Korea Agreement and the India-Korea Agr eement be removed from the CTD's agenda.  He 
went on to say that Korea had been trying to conclu de high-level RTAs that would cover substantially 
all trade in accordance with GATT Article XXIV.  In this light, his delegation was of the view that it 
was preferable for the detailed factual considerati ons of Korea's RTAs to take place in the CRTA, 
rather than in the CTD.  Nevertheless, he indicat ed his delegation's willingness to provide any factual 
information to the CTD. 
                                                      
3 The discussion under the second and third sub-items  is presented together in this Note.  This is 
because the Chairperson, observing af ter Korea's intervention (see paragr aph 84) that this intervention had 
addressed both the second and third sub-items, invited othe r Members to similarly make interventions on both of 
these sub-items together.    WT/COMTD/M/86 
 Page 15 
 
 
  85. The representative of Egypt noted that Korea had indicated in its intervention a preference for 
having the ASEAN-Korea Agreement and the India-Ko rea Agreement considered in the CRTA.  The 
view of his delegation, on the other hand, was that  it was preferable for the two Agreements to be 
considered in the CTD.  Furthermore, according to the RTAs TM, the CTD was to proceed with the 
consideration of RTAs notified under the Enabling Clau se.  He noted with concern that this had not 
happened yet for the ASEAN-Korea Agreement and th e India-Korea Agreement, and indicated that 
the sub-items concerning the notifications of these two Agreements needed to remain on the CTD's 
agenda.  
86. The representative of India expressed support for the interventions by Egypt under the present 
agenda item.  He indicated that his interventi on would address the first three sub-items under the 
present agenda item, since in the view of his delega tion there was a clear linkage between the three.  
He recalled that the GCC Customs Union notification was first discussed at the 69th Session, under 
"Other Business".  Since the 73rd Session, a sub-item concerning the notification had been appearing 
on the CTD's agenda.  He noted with concern th at discussions in the CTD had largely focused on 
procedural issues.  In an effort to promote cons tructive and substantive e ngagement, the delegations 
of China, Egypt and India had made a formal submission in September 2010 contained in document 
WT/COMTD/W/175.  He said that he wished to list a few issues in this regard.  
87. He noted firstly that some Members were of the view that the Enabling Clause did not 
provide an appropriate legal basis for the notificati on of customs unions.  In this light, his delegation 
wished to know these Members' positions on the legal validity of a number of customs unions notified under the Enabling Clause including the And ean Community, MERCOSUR, the Economic and 
Monetary Community of Central Africa, the E ast African Community and the West African 
Economic and Monetary Union.  As his second poi nt, he wished to know how Members viewed any 
potential conflicts between the WTO accession commitm ents of some parties to an RTA, and the 
rights and privileges of other parties to the same RTA.   He added that the process to consider the GCC 
Customs Union had been set in motion at the 69
th Session.  Since the NGR had not concluded its 
deliberations on the dual notification question, and since no decision had been taken to interrupt the 
process set in motion at the 69th Session, his delegation did not understand why some Members 
continued to insist that the consideration of  the GCC Customs Union take place in the CRTA. 
88. He went on to say that some Members had s uggested that many of the issues raised in 
document WT/COMTD/W/175 were issues to be discussed  in the NGR.  His delegation's response to 
this was that the mandate of the NGR was limited and could not capture the entire gamut of systemic 
and specific issues arising from the dual notification of  the GCC Customs Union.  Furthermore, at the 
present time, Members were not entirely sure of the fu ture work schedule of the NGR.  In this light, it 
was even more important for a discussion on the ma tter to take place in the CTD.  The CTD had the 
necessary mandate, and furtherm ore the Enabling Clause was lex specialis .  In closing, he said that his 
delegation had perceived attempts to deflect atte ntion away from critical development issues, in 
particular through the suggestion that the NGR was a more appropriate forum for a discussion on dual 
notifications.  It was a fact that the RTAs TM in  its present form did not contain procedures for RTAs 
with a dual notification.  India wanted an early resolution to the matter so  that the transparency 
process with respect to all RTAs could proceed.  However, the NGR could do justice to only a few 
issues highlighted by developing countries.  It  was the responsibility of the CTD to deal 
comprehensively with the systemic and specific issues relating to the three RTAs with a dual 
notification, and to justify its mandate as the focal  point for the considera tion and coordination of 
development work in the WTO.  
89. The representative of the United States said that  his delegation continued to have concerns 
with the sub-items concerning the notifications of the ASEAN-Korea and India-Korea Agreements 
being listed on the CTD's agenda.  These sub-items  had fulfilled their purpose of informing Members 
of the notifications made, and needed be removed from the agenda.  The issue of dual notifications WT/COMTD/M/86 
Page 16  
 
  was directly linked to the functioning of the RTAs TM and went beyond just the CTD.  As far as his 
delegation was aware, the Secretariat had not receive d all the required data from the parties for the 
preparation of the two factual presentations.  This  made any discussion unripe as to where the RTAs 
would be considered.  
90. The representative of the European Union said that her delegation had made its position on 
this matter known at previous CTD meetings.  The first three sub-items had fulfilled their purpose of 
informing Members of the notifications made.  In this light, her delegation once again wished to request that the three sub-items be removed from th e CTD's agenda.  With regard to the problematic 
arising from dual notifications, the EU was willing to work constructively in the NGR to find a 
solution. 
91. The representative of Egypt said that his dele gation did not understa nd why the EU and the 
US had indicated that the three sub-items had fu lfilled their purpose of informing Members of the 
notifications made.  The provisions of the RTAs TM stated that, after a notification was made, a 
factual presentation was to be prepared and the no tified RTA was to be considered by Members. 
92. The representative of China said that the notif ications of the ASEAN-Korea Agreement and 
the India-Korea Agreement faced the same systemic problems as the GCC Customs Union 
notification, as reflected in the points raised  in document WT/COMTD/W/175.  The sub-items 
concerning the notifications of these two RTAs ther efore also needed to be retained on the CTD's 
agenda.  
93. The Committee took note of all interventions. 
- GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES - NOTIFICATION BY SWITZERLAND 
(WT/COMTD /N/7/ADD.5) 
94. The Chairperson said that a notification had been received from Switzerland concerning its 
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) scheme.   The notification was contained in document 
WT/COMTD/N/7/Add.5.  She invited Swit zerland to introduce the notification. 
95. The representative of Switzerland said that he r delegation did not have any additional 
information to share on its GSP scheme at the present time, but was willing to respond to any 
questions that Members might have. 
96. The Committee took note of the notification by Switzerland. 
G. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE 
ARRANGEMENTS  
97. The Chairperson said that she wished to provide Members with a brief update on the 
preferential trade arrangements (PTAs) that were to  be considered in the CTD's Dedicated Sessions on 
PTAs.  She indicated that there had been no significant developments since the last report by the CTD Chairman.  As had been reported at the last meeting,  three notifications of PTAs to be considered in 
Dedicated Sessions had been made to the CTD sin ce the establishment of the TM for PTAs.  These 
concerned PTAs being implemented by India, Ch ina and Chinese Taipei.  All three PTAs were 
notified in 2011 under paragraph 1(b) of the TM.  This paragraph concerned PTAs taking the form of 
preferential treatment accorded by any Member to products of LDCs.  At the present time, the full set 
of data required for the preparation of the factua l presentations of the three PTAs had not yet been 
provided to the Secretariat.  She urged the notifyi ng Members to provide the required data as soon as 
possible.  WT/COMTD/M/86 
 Page 17 
 
 
  98. The representative of the United States said that, consistent with the requirements of the TM 
for PTAs, the US had submitted guides for all of  its preference programmes.  In addition, a 
notification by the US concerning changes to produ ct and country coverage in its GSP scheme had 
been circulated in July 2012.  The information pr ovided in that notification satisfied the information 
requirements of the TM for PTAs, and therefore also  served as the US' notification of its GSP scheme 
under the TM. 
99. The Committee took note of the intervention by the United States. 
H. ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HONG KONG DECISION ON DUTY -FREE 
AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET ACCESS FOR LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  
100. The Chairperson said that an  item concerning the Hong Kong Decision on DFQF market 
access for LDCs had been on the CTD's agenda sin ce early 2006.  Under this item, delegations had 
provided information on the steps they were taking, or had already taken, to provide DFQF market 
access to LDCs.  Written communications by some Members had also been considered.  At the 
present meeting, the CTD was to undertake its seven th annual review of the implementation of the 
Hong Kong Decision, as mandated in Annex F of  the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration. 
101. No Member took the floor under this agenda item.  
I. DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2012  (WT/COMTD /W/190) 
102. The Chairperson said that, on 9 November 201 2, a fax was sent to Members from the CTD 
Chairman, indicating that the CTD's draft annu al report had been circulated in document 
WT/COMTD/W/190.  It was noted in the fax that the draft contained a number of square brackets 
relating to items under consideration at the CT D meetings of 19 November 2012, namely the 
86th Regular Session and the 24th Dedicated Session on Small Economies.  Members were informed 
that, as part of the process of adopting the report,  the square brackets woul d be removed, and the 
discussion taking place at these meetings would be a ppropriately reflected in the report.  The CTD 
Chairman had also requested that  any comments on the draft annual report be submitted in writing to 
the Secretariat by 15 November 2012.  No writte n comments had been received from Members on the 
content of the report. 
103. The Committee adopted its annual report for 2012.4  
J. OTHER BUSINESS  
104. No matter was raised under "Other Business". 
105. The Chairperson said that the next Regular S ession of the CTD was tentatively scheduled to 
be held on 13 March 2013.  In closing the 86th Session, she said that she wi shed to request Members, 
as the CTD Chairman had done before, to submit any documentation for a CTD meeting sufficiently 
in advance of the meeting.  She explained th at documentation could thereby be placed on the 
Members' website, and Members would have time to prepare for substantive discussions. 
106. The meeting was adjourned.  
 
__________  
                                                      
4 The report was issued in document WT/COMTD/79.