RESTRICTED  
 
TN/AG/GEN/33  
TN/AG/SCC/GEN/12  
24 October 2013  
(13-5897)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Agriculture 
Special Session 
Sub-Committee on Cotton  Original: French  
 
  WTO NEGOTIATIONS ON AGRICULTURE 
Communication from the Co-sponsors of the Sectoral Initiative in Favour of Cotton1 
This communication, dated 24 October 2013, is being circulated at the request of the co-sponsors 
of the Sectoral Initiative in Favour of Cotton. 
 
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DRAFT DECISION ON COTTON2 
 
The Ministers , 
 Stressing  the vital importance of cotton to the economies of several African countries in general 
and those of the Least Developed Countries ( LDCs ) in particular; 
 Concerned  at the adverse consequences for the cotton market of trade-distorting domestic 
support measures and export subsidies; 
 
Also concerned  at the consequences of these measures for the economies of the developing 
countries, and particularly those of the LDCs, and for the social conditions of populations 
in the rural cotton-producing communities in those countries; 
 Stressing the urgency  of settling the problems faced by the countries belonging to the 
Group of Least Developed Countries as a result of the trade-distorting domestic support measures 
and the cotton export subsidies;  Referring  to the Declaration adopted at the 5
th Ministerial Conference of the 
World Trade Organization (WTO) held in Hong  Kong in December 2005, and especially 
paragraphs 11 and 12 thereof relating to cotton;  
Concerned  at the lack of progress on the cotton issue in the trade negotiations; and 
 Without prejudice to the overall conclusion of th e negotiations on agriculture in the framework 
of the Doha Development Agenda; 
 Decide as follows:  
                                               
1 Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad. 
2 This submission will take account, where appropriat e, of the data, implications and economic and trade 
factors associated with the production and marketing of  cotton on the world market and in the trade policies 
of Members between now and the 9th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Bali 
in December 2013, and beyond, where their effects or impacts have been established. TN/AG/GEN/33 • TN/AG/SCC/GEN/12 
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  1  TRADE COMPONENT 
1.1  MARKET ACCESS 
1. Developed country Members, and developing country Members declaring themselves 
in a position to do so, shall grant, as from 1 January 2015, duty-free and quota-free market access 
for cotton from the cotton-exporting LDCs. 
2. Developing country Members declaring themselves not to be in a position to grant duty-free 
and quota-free market access for exports of cotton from the cotton-exporting LDCs shall 
undertake, as from 1 January 2015, to look positi vely at the possibilities for increased import 
opportunities for cotton from LDC Members. 
3. In the course of its sessions, the Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries shall review 
the implementation by Members of paragraphs A.1 and A.2 above. 
4. In accordance with its mandate under the Work Programme for LDCs, the Sub-Committee 
on LDCs shall include in its work the following specific elements: 
i. identification and examination of market access barriers, including tariff and 
non-tariff barriers for the entry of cotton exported by the cotton-producing LDCs; 
ii. annual reviews in the Sub-Committee of the market access improvements and of any 
market access measures undertaken by Members, including the identification 
of access barriers to cotton exported by the cotton-producing LDCs in markets 
of interest to them. These reports will be on the basis of factual annual studies by the Secretariat of the WTO or any other relevant international organizations; and 
iii. examination of possible additional meas ures for progressive and predictable 
improvements in market access, in particular the elimination of tariff and non-tariff 
barriers to cotton exported by the cotton-producing LDCs. 
1.2  DOMESTIC SUPPORT 
5. Reaffirm the mandate given by Members in the Decision adopted by the General Council 
on 1 August 2004 according to which cotton was to be addressed ambitiously, expeditiously 
and specifically , and calling upon all stakeholders in the cotton issue to engage effectively 
and without delay in the negotiations, on the basis of the outcomes of the work carried out 
in the Special Session of the Committee on Agricu lture and contained in the reports of the Chair 
of the agriculture negotiations; 
6. Instruct the Special Session of the Committee on Agriculture and the Sub-Committee 
on Cotton to intensify and complete the work on this important issue, on the basis of the official 
proposals by Members, and to submit a draft Deci sion on the definitive resolution of the cotton 
issue to the General Council by 31 December 2014 at the latest ; 
7. Request that the WTO Secretariat circulate a compilation of all domestic support measures 
(AMS, blue box, de minimis , green box, etc.) over the past ten years in the main 
cotton-producing, -exporting and -importing countries. 
1.3  EXPORT SUBSIDIES 
8. The WTO Secretariat shall report to Members at each session of the Ministerial Conference 
on implementation by the developed country Me mbers of the Decision adopted in Hong Kong 
relating to the elimination in 2006 of all forms of export subsidies for cotton. 
9. The developed country Members that have not yet complied with the implementation 
of the decision adopted in Hong Kong relating to the elimination in 2006  of all forms of export 
subsidies for cotton shall do so immediately following the adoption of the present Decision. 
 TN/AG/GEN/33 • TN/AG/SCC/GEN/12 
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  2  "DEVELOPMENT" COMPONENT 
10. The necessary link will have to be establis hed between the development aspect of cotton 
and the Aid-for-Trade (AfT) initiative in order to create, on the basis of the priorities identified by the cotton-producing LDCs, a framework co nducive to the development of subregional 
or regional multidimensional and integrated programmes or projects, for submission to the 
development partners. 
11. The developing countries, and in particular the LDCs having a substantial trade interest 
in cotton, shall prepare, for submission to the development partners, regional-scale integrative 
projects, if necessary, linked to cotton or related sectors. 
3  IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW-UP 
12. The Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries, in conformity with its mandate under the 
Work Programme for the LDCs, shall establish an  item on its agenda entitled "Follow-up 
to Ministerial Decisions/Declarations" where Members will be invited to report on measures taken 
in fulfilment of WTO Ministerial Decisions and Declarations on cotton. 
13. Pending the deadline of 31 December 2014 mentioned in paragraph 6 above, 
the General Council is instructed, in the course of 2014, to conduct periodic reviews of the 
implementation of this Decision, based on th e reports submitted by the Trade Negotiations 
Committee, the Sub-Committee on LDCs, the Special Session of the Committee on Agriculture, and the Sub-Committee on Cotton. 
14. Finally, the WTO Director-General is invited to furnish periodic reports 
on the implementation of this Decision, taking account of both the trade policy aspects of cotton and the aspects relating to development assistance.  
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