RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/M/62 
4 May 2007 
 
 (07-1857) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Sixty-Second Session  
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 6 MARCH 2007  
 
Chairmen:  Mr. Faizel Ismail (South Africa) for items A to K 
and H.E. Mr. Shree B. C.  Servansing (Mauritius) for item L 
  
A.
 ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA ........................................................................................................3  
B. OBSERVERS ............................................................................................................................... ..3 
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers ...............................................................................3  
(ii) Further consideration of the 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 
Développement.................................................................................................................. ..........3
 
C. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE .......................................................................4  
- COMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ON THE AGREEMENT ON 
TRADE IN GOODS OF THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC 
COOPERATION BETWEEN THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH EAST ASIAN NATIONS 
(ASEAN)  AND THE PEOPLE 'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (WT/COMTD/51/A DD.2) ..........................4  
- COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES ON THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON 
COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN ASEAN  AND THE PEOPLE 'S 
REPUBLIC OF CHINA , THE PROTOCOL TO AMEND THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON 
COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN ASEAN  AND THE PEOPLE 'S 
REPUBLIC OF CHINA , AND THE AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN GOODS OF THE 
FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN 
ASEAN  AND THE PEOPLE 'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (WT/COMTD/51/A DD.3).............................4  
- COMMUNICATION FROM JAPAN ON THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON 
COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN ASEAN  AND THE PEOPLE 'S 
REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND THE AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN GOODS OF THE 
FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN 
ASEAN  AND THE PEOPLE 'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (WT/COMTD/51/A DD.4).............................4  
- COMMUNICATION FROM BRAZIL ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD//57/A DD.1) .............4  
- COMMUNICATION FROM CHINA ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD/57/A DD.2) ..............4  
- COMMUNICATION FROM INDIA ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT//COMTD/57/A DD.3) .............4  WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 2  
 
  -
 COMMUNICATION FROM PAKISTAN ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD/57/A DD.4) ..............4  
- COMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES – RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS 
SUBMITTED BY BRAZIL , CHINA , INDIA AND PAKISTAN ON THE REVISED 
GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
(WT/COMTD/57/A DD.5) ...........................................................................................................4  
- PROTOCOL ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EAST AFRICAN CUSTOMS UNION 
(WT/COMTD/N/14/A DD.1 AND WT/COMTD/25/A DD.1) ........................................................6  
- LATIN AMERICAN INTEGRATION ASSOCIATION (LAIA)  – BIENNIAL REPORT TO THE 
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION : INFORMATION ON MEASURES TAKEN BY LAIA  
MEMBER COUNTRIES UNDER THE 1980  TREATY OF MONTEVIDEO (FOR THE PERIOD 
1/1/2004-31/12/2005)  (WT/COMTD/59) ...................................................................................6  
- NOTIFICATION BY THE UNITED STATES ON THE GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES (WT/COMTD/N/1/A DD.4)..................................................................................6  
D. DECISION ON THE TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR REGIONAL TRADE 
AGREEMENTS (WT/L/671)..........................................................................................................7  
E. DECISION ON TRANSPARENCY FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS 
(WT/L/672)..................................................................................................................... ............8  
F. PROPOSAL BY THE COMMITTEE ON REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS TO THE COUNCIL 
FOR TRADE IN GOODS , THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES AND THE COMMITTEE 
ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT ON A NOTIFICATION FORMAT FOR REGIONAL TRADE 
AGREEMENTS (WT/REG/16) ......................................................................................................9  
G. DECLINING TERMS OF TRADE FOR PRIMARY COMMODITIES , AND ITS IMPLICATION TO 
TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY COMMODITY EXPORTING COUNTRIES ....................10  
- PANEL DISCUSSION :  PRESENTATIONS BY LA BOURSE DU CAFÉ ET DU CACAO , CÔTE 
D'IVOIRE ;  THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE UNCTAD/WTO  (ITC)  AND THE 
UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT (UNCTAD) ........................10  
H. PARAGRAPH 51 OF THE DOHA DECLARATION ON IDENTIFYING AND DEBATING 
DEVELOPMENTAL ASPECTS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS , IN ORDER TO HELP ACHIEVE THE 
OBJECTIVE OF HAVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATELY REFLECTED .............20  
I. REVIEW OF STEPS TAKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY-FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET 
ACCESS TO LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (WT/COMTD/W/149/A DD.1 AND 
WT/COMTD/W/149/A DD.2)....................................................................................................21  
J. DRAFT WORK PROGRAMME FOR 2007  (WT/COMTD/W/156) ................................................22  
K. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING ..............................................................................22  
- INFORMATION BY THE SECRETARIAT ON THE ANNUAL REPORT ON TECHNICAL 
ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING (1 JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER 2006)..........................................22  
L. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT ..........24  
M. OTHER BUSINESS ......................................................................................................................24  
  WT/COMTD/M/62 
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A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairman  said that the draft agenda for the 62nd Session of the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD) was contained in document WTO/AIR/2961/Rev.1 issued on 1 March 2007.   
2. The agenda was adopted . 
3. The Chairman  said that he wished to raise a point  concerning the CTD's work on Aid for 
Trade.  He recalled that the Director-General 's 14 December 2006 report to the General Council, 
following on the recommendations of the Aid for Trade Task Force, had called on the CTD to 
undertake periodic reviews of Aid for Trade, leading up to the annual Aid for Trade debate in the General Council.  For the CTD's first periodic re view, he said that he had invited the OECD's 
Development Assistance Committee to give Members a global picture of Aid for Trade flows.  The 
meeting was to take place on 2 April 2007 and woul d include an assessment of how much Aid for 
Trade was spent on what programmes and in which countries.  Plans were also underway for regional 
Aid for Trade reviews in the CTD.  These reviews were due to be held in June, July and September, and the exact dates would be communicated soon to Members. 
B. O
BSERVERS  
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers 
4. The Chairman  recalled that at previous sessions of the CTD, Members agreed to invite a 
number of intergovernmental organizations on an ad  hoc, meeting-by-meeting basis.  These included 
the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), th e Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the 
Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation, th e Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the African 
Union (AU), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the South Centre, the Pacific Islands Forum, the United Nations Environment Progra mme (UNEP), the West African Economic and 
Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the World Intellectua l Property Organization (WIPO).  He said that, 
following the decision taken at the previous meeti ng of the Committee, the organizations had been 
invited to the present meeting.  He proposed that the organizations be invited to the next formal 
meeting of the CTD. 
5. It was so agreed
. 
(ii) Further consideration of the 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 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 Développement 
6. The Chairman
 said that at previous meetings, the Committee had had before it a number of 
requests for observer status.  He said that if there was no change in positions to extend observer status 
to any of those applicants, then the Committee would take note and would revert to those requests at 
the next meeting.   
7. It was so agreed . WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 4  
 
  C. N
OTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE  
- C OMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ON THE AGREEMENT ON 
TRADE IN GOODS OF THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC 
COOPERATION BETWEEN THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH EAST ASIAN NATIONS 
(ASEAN)  AND THE PEOPLE 'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (WT/COMTD/51/A DD.2) 
- C OMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES ON THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON 
COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN ASEAN  AND THE PEOPLE 'S 
REPUBLIC OF CHINA , THE PROTOCOL TO AMEND THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON 
COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN ASEAN  AND THE PEOPLE 'S 
REPUBLIC OF CHINA , AND THE AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN GOODS OF THE 
FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN 
ASEAN  AND THE PEOPLE 'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (WT/COMTD/51/A DD.3) 
- C OMMUNICATION FROM JAPAN ON THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON 
COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN ASEAN  AND THE PEOPLE 'S 
REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND THE AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN GOODS OF THE 
FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN 
ASEAN  AND THE PEOPLE 'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (WT/COMTD/51/A DD.4) 
8. The Chairman  said that communications from the European Communities (EC), the 
United States (US) and Japan raising questions on the notifications made by ASEAN and China in 
2005 had been circulated as documents WT/COMTD/ 51/Add.2, Add.3 and Add.4 respectively.  He 
recalled that he had informed the Committee at its 58th Session on 6 July 2006 that the responses from 
ASEAN and China had been submitted bilaterally to each of the three Members that had raised 
questions.  A number of delegations had then indicated  that they wished to see all the responses, and 
were of the view that the responses should be circul ated as a CTD document.  It had been agreed that 
he would consult with the concer ned delegations, and would report back to the CTD at the present 
meeting.  He said, however, that his consultations had not yielded any concrete results, and suggested 
that his successor consult with the concerned delegati ons with a view to reporting to the CTD at its 
next meeting.  
9. It was so agreed .  
- C OMMUNICATION FROM BRAZIL ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD//57/A DD.1) 
- C OMMUNICATION FROM CHINA ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD/57/A DD.2) 
- C OMMUNICATION FROM INDIA ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT//COMTD/57/A DD.3) 
- C OMMUNICATION FROM PAKISTAN ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD/57/A DD.4) 
- C OMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES – RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS 
SUBMITTED BY BRAZIL , CHINA , INDIA AND PAKISTAN ON THE REVISED 
GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
(WT/COMTD/57/A DD.5)  WT/COMTD/M/62 
 Page 5 
 
 
  10. The Chairman  recalled that the EC had notified its revised Generalized System of Preferences 
(GSP) scheme at the 57th Session of the CTD on 11 May 2006.  Communications raising questions on 
the EC's revised GSP scheme had been received from Brazil, China, India and Pakistan and were circulated in documents WT/COMTD/57/Add.1 to Add.4 respectively.  The EC's responses to the 
questions were circulated in document WT/COMTD/57/ Add.5.  He said that it had been agreed at the 
last meeting of the CTD that the item would rema in on the agenda for the present meeting.  He 
inquired whether any Member wished to take the floor. 
11. The representative of Brazil
 said that his delegation had been  requesting information from the 
EC on its revised GSP scheme for some time, and had received relevant information in 
December 2006.  However, his delegation still had con cerns with regard to the degree of transparency 
shown by the EC in its revised GSP scheme.  In addition, he observed that the EC did not provide data 
to a particular GSP beneficiary country on the natu re of GSP-covered imports  from other beneficiary 
countries, which was important information to eval uate possible deviations from the Most-Favoured-
Nation (MFN) clause and the EC's criteria for GSP eligibility. 
12. The representative of India  said that the view of his delegation was that the EC had not been 
fully transparent in presenting its revised GSP scheme.   He remarked that the EC's decision to not 
universally provide preferential import data re lating to its GSP scheme set it apart from other 
providers of non-reciprocal preferential market acce ss. He asked the EC to explain why it was not 
sharing such data more widely with Members.  His delegation had still not received satisfactory 
responses to the questions it had raised, and wished to know whether further clarifications from the 
EC could be expected.  He highlighted one questio n he had raised at an earlier meeting, which was 
whether there was a publicly available list of countr ies that had applied to benefit from the special 
incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance ("GSP-plus").  He also 
inquired whether the EC would be providing answers to  the questions that had been raised by Pakistan 
at the last meeting. 
13. The representative of China  said that his delegation associated itself with Brazil and India in 
requesting the EC to provide info rmation on its revised GSP scheme in a more transparent manner in 
order to allow Members to better understand the operation of the scheme.  
14. The representative of th e European Communities  said that his delega tion had provided Brazil 
with the data that had been requested.  Informal meetings had also been held with the concerned 
delegations to explore some of the questions they  had raised on the EC's revised GSP scheme and in 
particular the GSP-plus.  An explanation had also  been provided to the Committee as to why the EC 
felt it was not appropriate to share the preferen tial import data for one country with other GSP 
beneficiary countries.  He added that the EC did not have the intention to respond in writing to the 
questions that had been raised by Pakistan at th e last CTD meeting, since those questions touched 
upon issues that the EC had already responded to.  He believed that the EC had satisfied its 
requirements relating to transparency, and that th e process in the CTD had been taken as far as it 
could go.  His delegation was, however, willing to continue dialogue on a bilateral basis with any 
Member that still sought further informat ion on the EC's revised GSP scheme. 
15. The representative of India  said that he disagreed with the EC representative's assessment of 
the quality and nature of the responses that had been  provided by the EC.  However, if the EC was not 
willing to provide any further information to Me mbers on its revised GSP scheme, he noted with 
regret that there was little that could be achieved by  continuing the discussion in the CTD.  He wished 
to put on record once again that his delegation rema ined dissatisfied with the responses from the EC.  
He also emphasized that other providers of preferential market access had made preferential trade data available in the public domain, and it was therefor e difficult to understand why the EC would not.  WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 6  
 
  16. The representative of Brazil
 said that his delegation supported what had been said by the 
representative of India.  He disagreed that the EC had satisfactorily discharged its transparency and notification duties, particularly in light of para graph 4(a) of the Enabling Clause.  His delegation 
could not understand why the EC was not willing to  make preferential trade data more widely 
available. 
17. The representative of China
 said that his delegation preferre d to maintain this item on the 
CTD's agenda.  He added that his delegation would also consult with the EC and other Members to 
find a satisfactory outcome to the Committee's c onsideration of the EC's revised GSP scheme.  
18. The Chairman  proposed that the Committee take note of all interventions, and that the item 
concerning the EC's revised GSP scheme remain on the CTD's agenda.  
19. It was so agreed .  
- P ROTOCOL  ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EAST AFRICAN CUSTOMS UNION 
(WT/COMTD/N/14/A DD.1 AND WT/COMTD/25/A DD.1) 
20. The Chairman  said that the Protocol on the Establishment of the East African Customs Union 
was notified to the CTD at its 61st Session on 28 November 2006 by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.  
The notification was circulated in document WT/COM TD/N/14/Add.1, while the text of the Protocol 
was circulated in document WT/COMTD/25/Add.1.  He  recalled that it had been agreed at the last 
meeting of the CTD that the item would remain on the agenda for the present meeting.  He inquired 
whether any Member wished to take the floor. 
21. The representative of the United States  said that her delegation had raised a number of issues 
at the last CTD meeting concerning the Protocol on  the Establishment of the East African Customs 
Union.  These were on the record, and her delegation was willing to close the matter at this point.   
22. The Committee took note  of the notification. 
- L ATIN AMERICAN INTEGRATION ASSOCIATION (LAIA)  – BIENNIAL REPORT TO THE 
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION : INFORMATION ON MEASURES TAKEN BY LAIA  
MEMBER COUNTRIES UNDER THE 1980  TREATY OF MONTEVIDEO (FOR THE PERIOD 
1/1/2004-31/12/2005)  (WT/COMTD/59) 
23. The Chairman  said that the Secretariat of the LAIA had submitted a biennial report to the 
WTO, circulated in document WT/COMTD/59, pr oviding information on measures taken by LAIA 
member countries in the period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2005. 
24. The Committee took note  of the report. 
- N OTIFICATION BY THE UNITED STATES ON THE GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES (WT/COMTD/N/1/A DD.4) 
25. The Chairman  said that the notification by the United States had been circulated in document 
WT/COMD/N/1/Add.4.  He invited the US re presentative to introduce the notification.  
26. The representative of the United States  said that the notification by her delegation concerned 
the recent extension of the US GSP programme.  She said that the US' efforts to foster the further 
integration of developing countries into the global trad ing system were a vital part of US trade policy, 
and that the US GSP programme was a cornerstone  of that policy.  The GSP programme provided 
preferential duty-free treatment for 3,400 products  from 134 designated beneficiary developing  WT/COMTD/M/62 
 Page 7 
 
 
  countries and territories, while an additional 1, 400 products received duty-free treatment when 
supplied by LDC beneficiaries.  A single transparent rules of origin regime applied for all US imports 
under the programme.  
27. She informed the Committee that the statute th at extended the GSP programme – which could 
be found in Annex I of the notification – passed US  legislation in December 2006.  A  review of 
waivers concerning the competitive need limitation provision was currently underway in the US, and 
her delegation was ready to provide more information to interested de legations on the process.  Also 
included in the notification – in Annex II – was a compendium of internet resources on the US GSP 
programme.  She explained that information on the entire US trade regime, including data relating to 
its preference programmes, was available in a use r-friendly and freely accessible format to the public.  
She added that the US GSP programme had c overed over US$32 billion of imports in 2006 – an 
increase of 22 per cent from the previous year – and that the US was committed  to continue working 
to improve the effectiveness of its efforts to inte grate developing countries more fully into the global 
trading system. 
28. The representative of China  said that his delegation had noted with concern that the statute 
found in Annex I of the US submission mentioned that a communist country might not be eligible for 
benefits under the GSP.  His delega tion believed that it was time the US dropped this type of language 
from its GSP statute, and that trade take place on an economic and commercial basis.      
29. The representative of Brazil  said that his delegation welcomed the notification by the US, and 
in particular appreciated the guide to internet r esources in Annex II.  His delegation would study the 
notification, and would possibly come back with comments or questions.   
30. The representative of Cuba  said that she supported the intervention made by China. 
31. The representative of India  said that his delegation would study the US notification, and may 
come back with questions or comments.  He expr essed appreciation for the information provided in 
Annex II of the notification.  He added that there was likely quite a bit of overlap between the beneficiaries of the EC's GSP scheme and those of the US GSP scheme, and therefore could not 
understand the explanation given ear lier by the EC as to why it could not share preferential import 
data more widely. 
32. The Chairman
 said he had noted that some Members had indicated that they were still 
studying the US notification.  At this time, however , he proposed that the Committee take note of the 
notification. 
33. It was so agreed .  
D. DECISION ON THE TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS 
(WT/L/671) 
34. The Chairman  said that the General Council, on 14 December 2006, had adopted a Decision 
establishing, on a provisional basis, a Transparen cy Mechanism for Regional Trade Agreements 
(RTAs).  The Decision could be found in documen t WT/L/671.  He said that the CTD had been 
instructed to implement the Tran sparency Mechanism for agreements falling under paragraph 2(c) of 
the Enabling Clause.  All RTAs notified under the En abling Clause would, therefore, now be subject 
to the procedures laid out in the 14 December 2006 Decision.  For purposes of performing the functions established under the Mechanism, the CTD w ould convene in dedicated session.  As a rule, 
a single formal meeting in dedicated session would be devoted to consider each notified RTA. WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 8  
 
  35. The representative of the United States
 said that her delegation looked forward to 
implementing the Transparency Mechanism in the CTD in a way to ensure that the expectations of  
the Negotiating Group on Rules were fully realized.  The Mechanism would contribute to improved transparency and would allow the implementation of a common vision on the process for consideration of RTAs in the CTD.  She noted that  the consideration of particular RTAs would take 
place in dedicated sessions and, in that regard, wo ndered whether the Chairman could at some point 
provide some details concerning th e implementation of the Mechanism, including in relation to any 
technical support that would be provided by the Secr etariat to developing countries.  Her delegation 
hoped that the Decision would lay the groundwork fo r a new chapter in Members' consideration of 
RTAs in the CTD. 
36. The representative of India
 welcomed the Decision.  He said that a number of developing 
countries had worked to ensure that the consider ation of RTAs notified under the Enabling Clause 
continue to take place in the CTD.  His delegati on looked forward to the greater transparency that 
would arise from the implementation of the Transparency Mechanism. 
37. The representative of Australia  welcomed the Decision and said that her delegation looked 
forward to implementing the Transp arency Mechanism in the CTD. 
38. The representative of Canada  said that the Decision was an important one.  He said that the 
discussion that would take place in dedicated session s should be based on practical questions in order 
to allow Members to gain a full unders tanding of each RTA under consideration. 
39. The representative of Brazil  said that his delegation was fully committed to the Decision and 
to implementing the Transparency Mechanism in the CT D.  He said that he would like to eventually 
hear more on how the Mechanism would be implemented in the CTD. 
40. The Chairman  said that Members were in a learning phase with regard to the Transparency 
Mechanism.  As the process evolved, the CTD woul d have to deliberate on the procedures with regard 
to implementation. 
41. The Committee took note  of all interventions. 
E. DECISION ON TRANSPARENCY FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS (WT/L/672) 
42. The Chairman  said that the General Council, on 14 December 2006, took a Decision relating 
to "Transparency for Preferential Trade Arrange ments", contained in document WT/L/672.  In 
particular, the General Council, having regard to Ar ticles IV:1, IV:2, IV:7 and IX:1 of the Marrakesh 
Agreement Establishing the WTO, pursuant to para graph 9 of the Enabling Clause and the terms of 
reference of the CTD, and in light of the improve ments agreed to in the provisional Transparency 
Mechanism for RTAs, had invited the CTD to consid er transparency for preferential arrangements 
under paragraph 2 of the Enabling Clause – other than  RTAs – and to report back within six months 
for appropriate action by the General Council.  He  opened the floor to allow the CTD to begin its 
consideration of transparency for preferential arrangements, as per the mandate from the General Council. 
43. The representative of India
 said that when the Negotiating Group on Rules was discussing 
transparency for RTAs, there was a feeling among some Members that preferential trade 
arrangements notified to the WTO by developed countries should also undergo a transparency 
process.  It was in this context that the CTD had be en given the mandate to consider transparency for 
preferential trade arrangements notified under the Enabling Clause.  His delegation was seeking to 
make the information provided on preferential tr ade arrangements more coherent and easier to  WT/COMTD/M/62 
 Page 9 
 
 
  understand, and looked forward to working with Members on this issue.  He said that any input from 
the Secretariat would also be welcome. 
44. The representative of Brazil  said that his delegation was committed to working with Members 
to allow the CTD to fulfil its mandate with regard to transparency for preferential trade arrangements.  
He also invited the Secretariat to provide input into the process. 
45. The representative of the United States  welcomed the Decision.  Rather than requesting the 
Secretariat to provide input into the process, howev er, her delegation was of the view that a more 
useful first step would be for Members to provide input on the type of information they would like to 
see in notifications of preferential trade arrangements. 
46. The representative of Pakistan  said that preferential trade arrangements took away a lot from 
the effectiveness of the MFN principle.  It was hope d that the exercise that was to be undertaken by 
the CTD would not only enhance transparency, bu t would also ensure that such arrangements 
remained within the mandate of the Enabling Clause. 
47. The Chairman  said that the CTD had had a usef ul initial discussion on the issue of 
transparency for preferential trade arrangements notified under the Enabling Clause.  He suggested 
that the Committee take note of all interventions , and that his successor continue to work with 
Members and the Secretariat on this issue.  He al so proposed that the item remain on the agenda for 
the CTD's next meeting. 
48. It was so agreed . 
F. PROPOSAL BY THE COMMITTEE ON REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS TO THE COUNCIL FOR 
TRADE IN GOODS , THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES AND THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE 
AND DEVELOPMENT ON A NOTIFICATION FORMAT FOR REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS 
(WT/REG/16) 
49. The Chairman recalled that at the 61st Session of the CTD on 28 November 2006, he had 
brought to the attention of Members a recomme ndation that had been made by the Committee on 
Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) to the Counc il for Trade in Goods, the Council for Trade in 
Services and the CTD.  It had been agreed th at the CRTA's recommendation would be considered by 
the CTD at the present meeting.  
50. He said that the CRTA had agreed at its 44th Session on 13 October 2006 to recommend the 
introduction of a common and simplified format for the notification of RTAs, including those notified 
under the Enabling Clause.  The recommendation could be found in the annex to document WT/REG/16.  He explained that, in forwarding its recommendation, the CRTA had indicated that the 
proposed format would facilitate the task of the par ties to comply with the requirement to notify an 
RTA while making available to other WTO Members the necessary basic elements in a systematic 
and coherent way.  He said that it was his und erstanding that the proposed format for RTA 
notification, now under consideration by the CTD, w as in line with the overall approach to RTAs that 
Members agreed to adopt in the 14 December 2006 Decision relating to the establishment of the 
provisional Transparency Mechanism for RTAs.  He inquired whether Members agreed with the 
format proposed by the CRTA for the notifi cation of RTAs under the Enabling Clause. 
51. The representative of the United States
 said that her delegation had no difficulty in adopting 
the proposed format for the notifi cation of RTAs under the Enabling Clause, in particular because of 
the uniformity it would provide in the notification of RTAs. WT/COMTD/M/62 
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  52. The representative of India
 said that his delegation had no problem in approving the proposed 
format.  He suggested that a minor modification could be made in Item 3 of the format, since in the case of the CTD it was clear that all notifica tions would be under the Enabling Clause. 
53. The representative of th e European Communities
 said that his delegation could approve the 
format, which was useful in terms of the uniformity  it would provide in the notification of RTAs.  
54. The Chairman  proposed that the CTD adopt the propo sed notification format, noting that all 
notifications of RTAs to the CTD would be under the Enabling Clause, and would be reflected as 
such in Item 3 of the format.      
55. The Committee adopted  the proposed notification format. 
G. DECLINING TERMS OF TRADE FOR PRIMARY COMMODITIES , AND ITS IMPLICATION TO TRADE 
AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY COMMODITY EXPORTING COUNTRIES  
- P ANEL DISCUSSION :  PRESENTATIONS BY LA BOURSE DU CAFÉ ET DU CACAO , CÔTE 
D'IVOIRE ;  THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE UNCTAD/WTO  (ITC)  AND THE 
UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT (UNCTAD) 
56. The Chairman  said that, based on the discussion under this agenda item at the last CTD 
meeting, he had decided to hold a panel discussion at  the present meeting with the participation of a 
limited number of panellists, in order to allow a focused discussion.  He introduced 
Ambassador Guy-Alain Emmanuel Gauze of Côte d' Ivoire, Mr. Antony Sandana, Senior Commodity 
Officer in the Market Development Section of the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC), 
and Mr. Olle Ostesson, the Officer-in-charge of the Commodities Branch at UNCTAD.  He explained that it had initially been expected that a repr esentative of "La Bourse du Café et du Cacao" – a 
producers' organization located in Abidjan, Côte d' Ivoire – would participate in the panel discussion, 
but this had unfortunately not proven possible.  Th e Ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire had, however, 
kindly offered to participate in the discussion.  He said that each of the panellists had been asked to 
make a brief presentation on their experiences and th e work of their organizations on the issues of 
fluctuating prices, adding value to products a nd medium- to long-term strategic planning.  
57. The Ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire
 said that it was impossible to conduct in absolute terms a 
critical analysis of the questions of fluctuati ng world commodity prices, of manufacturing value 
added, and of medium- to long-term strategic planning .  To be credible, such an analysis would have 
to be based on, or at least supported by, a few speci fic cases.  With that in mind, he said that he 
wished to highlight a number of points, includi ng:  (i) the strategic importance of agricultural 
commodities and, above all, the importance of export agriculture in producer developing countries;  
(ii) dependence on the international market in a re gulated environment as well as in a deregulated 
environment;  (iii) the need to create manufactur ing value added, thereby generating employment and 
providing an alternative mechanism for regulating s upply;  and (iv) the prospects for restoring the 
central role of commodities in the problems surround ing the development of producer countries in the 
context of globalization and the new development paradigm. 
58. He said that in Côte d'Ivoire, long considered  an area of political and social stability and a 
focal point for economic growth, it was customary to  assume that the country's success was based on 
a well-balanced agricultural sector, focusing both on food crops to ensure the country's food 
self-sufficiency, and on export crops to earn the fore ign exchange needed to finance development. 
Agriculture accounted for about 70 per cent of Cô te d'Ivoire's gross domestic product (GDP), of 
which 40 per cent represented export agriculture, co nsisting mainly of three commodities – coffee, 
cocoa and wood – as well as cotton, rubber, oilseeds,  jute, pineapples, and bananas.  These crops 
made up the essence of Côte d'Ivoire's economy .  However, owing to the importance of the  WT/COMTD/M/62 
 Page 11 
 
 
  commodities industry to the country's economy, and because the economy was heavily exposed to 
world price fluctuations and to the impact of th ose fluctuations on the country's macroeconomic and 
financial balances, these commodities were factors of  both strength and weakness  for Côte d'Ivoire.  
59. The same was true for all developing count ries dependent on one or two commodities, 
reflecting these countries' economic fragility in a ma rket that was becoming increasingly deregulated. 
With regard to certain African countries' depe ndence on coffee, he said that the rates were 
approximately 70 per cent for Burundi, 60 per cent for Ethiopia, 50 per cent for Uganda and 
40 per cent for Rwanda.  In the cotton sector, the ra tes were about 46 per cent for Mali, 42 per cent for 
Chad, between 39 and 40 per cent for Burkina Faso, and 38 per cent for Benin. Côte d'Ivoire was 
40 per cent dependent on cocoa for its export re venue, while Ghana was slightly more than 
25 per cent dependent.  The depende nce of certain African countries on agricultural commodities was, 
therefore, clear.  However, far from improving over the years as a result of horizontal diversification efforts, the situation was getting worse.  He said that the terms of trade provided a measure of the 
impact of commodity price trends in terms of th eir effects on a country's export revenue.  In this 
regard, a recent IMF study comparing average prices from 1998 to 2000 and 2002 to those of the 
period 1995 to 1997 revealed that, while the oil-producing and exporting African countries recorded 
gains, losses amounted to 34 per cent in Uganda, 33  per cent in Burundi, 32 per cent in Ethiopia, 
28 per cent in Mali, Rwanda and Sao Tome and Pr incipe, 25 per cent in Burkina Faso, Zambia, and 
Sudan, and 20 to 30 per cent in Chad and Côte d'Ivoi re.  He said that an analysis of Côte d'Ivoire's 
export structure (excluding petroleum and mining pr oducts) suggested that, in spite of the significant 
horizontal diversification efforts undertaken over th e past three decades of agricultural policy, coffee 
and cocoa remained the real safety valves of the country's economy. 
60. He recalled the initiatives coordinated at th e global level under the auspices of UNCTAD on 
the regulation of world agricultural commodity ma rkets, coupled with the creation of national 
marketing mechanisms in producing countries.  These initiatives had resulted in international 
agreements on a number of commodities, including coffee,  cocoa and rubber.  He said that in spite of  
more recent criticism on the relevance and structural  efficiency of these agreements, they had been 
useful as market regulation mechanisms, and made  sense during periods of world over-supply.  The 
structural changes that had affected the inte rnational economic environment and the commodity 
markets over the past 20 years had resulted in incr easingly rapid market deregulation, the questioning 
and ultimate scrapping of the economic clauses in  international commodity agreements, and the 
privatization of national marketing systems, with the consequent risks posed by the withdrawal of 
state intervention.  
61. In Côte d'Ivoire, the withdrawal of state inte rvention from the various segments of production, 
management and marketing of commodities was pr eceded, as in all other raw material-producing 
African countries, by sectoral structural adjustment programmes, notably the Plan d'Ajustement 
Structurel Agricole  (PASA) and the Crédit d'Ajustement Sectoriel Agricole  (CASA).  It was under the 
Programme d'Ajustement Structurel Renforcé  (PASR) that the coffee and cocoa sectors were fully 
liberalized in Côte d'Ivoire – in 1998 for co ffee, and in 1999 for cocoa.  By opting for the 
liberalization of its agricultural sector, Côte d'I voire – like Cameroon, Togo, Benin, Madagascar, the 
Central African Republic and many other producer countries – was responding to the requirements of 
multilateral donors as laid down in what had come to be known as the "Washington Consensus".  This 
required compliance with the two main objectives of  liberalization, namely economic efficiency – 
through growth of value added, including processi ng – and social efficiency  and poverty reduction – 
through better distribution of the overall value a dded in favour of producers.  This reform and 
liberalization process had led in the producer countries to the setting up of a new parastatal or purely 
private institutional management mechanism.  In Côte d'Ivoire, the reform produced three bodies in 
charge of administrative regulations, fina ncial regulations and trade regulations. WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 12  
 
  62. Empirical analysis revealed that, following th e liberalization of the commodities sector in 
Côte d'Ivoire between 1998 and 1999, the first year s were marked by a collapse in world prices of 
about 50 per cent.  While market analysts differe d on the causes of this sharp fall in world prices and 
its relationship with liberalization, it was clear to  some that the prospects for the market of an 
abundant – and hence unregulated – supply of cocoa from a major global actor such as Côte d'Ivoire 
(accounting for 45 per cent of world production and 55 to 60 per cent of exportable production) was 
seen as exerting a downward pressure on prices.  This observation was further upheld by the fact that liberalization in Côte d'Ivoire was carried out with out any internal mechanism to regulate supply.  In 
fact, the responsibilities of the trade regulations bo dy were confined to recording and coordinating 
purchases and exports of all coffee and cocoa in Côte d'Ivoire.  Spot sales were organized, but these 
had the effect of depressing prices. 
63. He said that coffee and cocoa played a major role in the economy of Côte d'Ivoire.  With 
coffee plantations covering 1,400,000 hectares and cocoa plantations covering 1,500,000 hectares, 
more than 6 million growers and their families ( 40 per cent of the active population and more than 
two-thirds of the active rural popul ation) depended directly on these crops for their subsistence.  
Production areas had become genuine employment hubs .  This dimension was all the more significant 
when one considered the existence of, or at l east the potential for the creation of, packaging and 
processing plants that would contribute to genera ting value added in the secondary sector while also 
contributing to physical planning, the development of regional industrial hubs, and the emergence of 
industrial subcontractors.  The current internatio nal environment lacked any coordinated market 
regulation mechanism, and prices were set by el usive and unpredictable parameters such as the 
dynamics of supply and demand, variations in pr oducer and consumer stocks, the responsiveness of 
hedge funds and the political or social situation in  the producing countries.  However, even if the 
concept of liberalization was not challenged any more, and even though the reactivation of the 
international commodity agreements on the basis of past economic models could not be expected, it 
was, nevertheless, important for the internati onal community, in conjunction with the producing 
countries, to come up with an innovative and effec tive overall strategy in order to minimize market 
risks and the impact of price fluctuations on producers.  
64. He proposed that a strategy could consist fi rstly of the design and implementation in the 
producing countries of a marketing mechanism that  favoured forward sales.  Second, it would be 
useful to introduce in commodity chains a system ic total quality approach that took into account 
international requirements with respect to traceability,  compatibility and labelling of origin.  It was 
important for producing countries to bear in mind that the frequently-updated requirements of the 
industrialized countries in the areas of standards,  human health, consumer security, environmental 
protection and ethical production could be factors de termining competitiveness.  In this connection, 
the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and the Agreement 
on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) would have to be updated.  Third, he proposed the development 
of an industrial policy strategy on the basis of consultations between  the producing countries, 
development partners and interna tional institutions with a view to  achieving a substantial increase in 
value added.  The massive industrial processing of certain commodities could become a powerful 
market regulation tool.  In conclusion, he said that  the aim of liberalization was to strengthen the 
competitiveness of any given sector, to improve transparency in the management of the sector by separating technical, financial, trade, developmen t and regulation operations, and to improve the 
incomes of farmers and their representation in the sect or's management structures.  However, because 
there were no proper support measures in place, th e results of liberalization had failed to live up to 
expectations. 
65. 
The representative of the ITC  said that the ITC's assistance to developing countries in the area 
of commodities focused on agro-based  commodities.  The objective of the ITC's assistance was to 
improve the participation of bene ficiary countries in global commod ities trade.  He said that the 
problems that were faced by developing countri es in the commodities area included shrinking  WT/COMTD/M/62 
 Page 13 
 
 
  demand, declining prices and increasing competition.   The ITC provided three types of assistance to 
commodities producers, namely sector strategy, value addition and commodity promotion.  In the area of sector strategy, the ITC had recently developed a sector strategy for the jute sector in Bangladesh and India, including a road map.  Other commod ities for which the ITC was providing sector strategy 
assistance included coffee, cocoa leather, hides a nd skins, spices, cotton and various agro-based 
tropical products.  He noted that limited financial resources were availa ble for this type of work, so 
activities were usually undertaken based on demand or the needs of countries.  
66. He said that the ITC also work ed in the area of value addition, either through product and 
market development, or through product adaptation.  For example, in the area of jute the ITC had 
helped develop furnishing fabrics and shopping bags .  Similar work had been done with coir, where 
the ITC had helped develop value-added products such  as geotextiles, car seats, pot liners and peat.  
In the area of coffee, the ITC was working w ith producers in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi to 
develop the market for gourmet coffee.  He also highlighted that the ITC, along with the Food and 
Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNCTAD, the World Bank and the Common Fund for 
Commodities, was implementing an EC project to assist develop the commodities sector in African, 
Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. In the cont ext of this project, the ITC was working on the 
transfer of technology in the cotton sector from As ian countries such as China and India to African 
commodity producers.  This Asia-Africa partnershi p programme would also deal with a number of 
other agro-based commodities.   
67. The third element in the ITC's work on commod ities related to promotional activities.  He 
explained that, in view of the limited resources av ailable, much of the ITC's initiatives in this area 
were generic, meaning that promotional activities in  major markets (particularly in Europe, Japan and 
the US) were undertaken for several developing countries producing the same commodity.  The ITC 
held strategy meetings with producers and importe r groups to assess the availability of resources for a 
particular sector, and also collaborated closely w ith the international comm odity bodies (ICBs) in this 
regard.  The types of tools being used for pr omotional activities included market intelligence and 
analysis, promotional design and strategy, produc er-importer joint strategy, collaboration with 
international commodity bodies, trade fairs, media,  technical advisory visits, brochures, buyer-seller 
meetings, creation of logos and advertisements.  He added that  the ITC had also developed 
product-specific websites, where experts and consu ltants contributed their technical knowledge in 
answering questions from  producers. 
68. He said that while the ITC continued to work  on the major commodities, its work had also 
expanded to other commodities such as tropical fruits,  nuts and vegetables, oilseeds, silk and cotton, 
fruit juices, spices, leather, rubber and wood.  He concluded by saying that the ITC had very close collaboration with other partners w ho were also actively involved in the trade of commodities.  These 
partners were mainly small and medium-size en terprises in developing countries and transition 
economies, other UN bodies and donor partners, the ICBs, national trade promotion bodies, national 
and international trade associations, as well as an extensive network of traders. 
69. The representative of UNCTAD
 said that demand for several commodities had been growing 
positively for a number of years.  Much of this  demand was coming from Asian countries, and in 
particular China. While it was unlikely that this  boom would last forever, he believed that it 
nonetheless provided a great opportunity for commodit y-producing developing  countries to develop 
their commodities sectors.  He said that th e main areas of UNCTAD's activities concerning 
commodities were:  (i) policy-oriented research and strategy formulation;  (ii) commodity 
information;  (iii) diversification, adding value and meeting market requirements;  (iv) commodity 
finance and price risk management;  and (v) energy issues and natural resources.  He would talk briefly about each of these areas. WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 14  
 
  70. Regarding policy-oriented research and strategy  formulation, he said that UNCTAD focused 
on the link between commodities production and trad e and poverty reduction.  The organization  
aimed to develop strategies for governments, enterp rises and the international community, often in the 
form of partnerships and multi-stakeholder initiati ves.  The main mode of work was cooperative 
ventures with other organizations, industry and ci vil society.  UNCTAD produced biannual reports on 
commodities trade for the UN General Assembly, whic h had been fairly upbeat in recent times about 
the commodity situation. UNCTAD was also follo wing up on a project concerning trade and the 
Millennium Development Goals, and was additiona lly engaged in the EC project to assist ACP 
countries that had been mentioned by the ITC representative. 
71. He said that commodity information was a very  large part of UNCTAD's work.  This included 
the production and dissemination of statistical data and market reviews as publications and databases, 
as well as a very comprehensive commodity info rmation portal called Infocomm, which could be 
visited on the internet at:  www.unctad.org/infoco mm.  Infocomm currently covered 23 commodities, 
with more expected in the future, and presented in formation in English, French and Spanish.  The 
Infocomm website received 10,000 visits per day.   UNCTAD was also trying to bridge the gap 
between producers that had internet access and those that did not, by disseminating price and strategic 
market information to small producers through a pr oject called Infoshare.  This project had been 
recently selected by the UN as "one of the ten storie s the world should hear more about".  The project 
aimed to help solve some of the infrastructure s hortcomings faced by small producers in developing 
countries.  
72. Another area of UNCTAD's work concerned di versification, adding value and meeting 
market requirements.  This part of the or ganization's work focused on market entry and 
competitiveness issues, in particular on the issue of  how developing country producers could convert 
the formal market access negotiated in the WTO into  actual exports.  To this end, UNCTAD provided 
technical assistance focusing on government polic ies and capacity building to help improve 
competitiveness, meet standards, exploit niche ma rkets and diversify away from a dependence on a 
small number of commodities.   
73. Commodity finance was another important area of  UNCTAD's work.  He said that access to 
credit was often the single biggest obstacle to the expansion of agricultural production, to diversification and to income growth in developi ng countries.  UNCTAD's work in this area focused 
on solving the problems of high interest rates and lack  of collateral.  He said that this was done in a 
number of ways including through the strengtheni ng of government policie s and regulations, the 
strengthening of banking systems to reduce the le nding and borrowing spread, and the introduction of 
structured financing methods to allow producers to  use commodities as collatera l.  On the issue of 
price risk management, he said that price fluctua tions were a major obstacle to diversification, 
because producers were risk averse and lacked instruments to manage price risk.  In this regard, one 
of the main ways by which the private sector coul d fulfil the role formerly played by governments 
was through commodity exchanges.  He explained that commodity exchanges reduced counterparty 
risk, which was the risk that the buyer would not pay or that the seller would not deliver.  These 
exchanges also improved market tr ansparency, since prices were made  public.  They could also help 
in the setting of quality standards, thereby creating cer tainty and stability in the market.  In addition, 
they could facilitate access to finance, and could reduce exposure to price risk through the use of 
forward operations.  He said that UNCTAD assisted in the development of commodity exchanges.  In 
cooperation with the African Union, UNCTAD had launched a pan-African commodities exchange.  
The organization had also done advisory work on exchanges in India, two of which were now the 
world’s third and fourth-largest commodity excha nges.  Work was also ongoing in this area in 
Ethiopia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Ukraine.   
74. In introducing the final area of UNCTAD's work on commodities, he said that the 
organization was looking into the problems of trade in energy commodities for both developing  WT/COMTD/M/62 
 Page 15 
 
 
  country exporters and importers.  This included work  on bio-fuels, which had the potential of being an 
enormous source of trade income for developing c ountries, also providing access to reasonably-priced 
energy for development and reducing the effects of global warming.  However, fulfilling this potential 
depended on the elimination of price distortions a nd barriers to trade in order to provide investors 
with the assurance of market access.  He continue d by saying that UNCTAD's work in the area of 
natural resources focused on mining.  The organiza tion had in particular done some work at the 
sub-national level to try to ensure a well-balanced  and broadly-based devel opment and diversification 
in mining-dependant areas.  This was done by strengthening linkages and building capacity using 
partnerships, as well as by establishing networks for policy dialogue and information exchange. 
75. He said that he wished to move on to address the question of what UNCTAD was doing to 
deal with fluctuating prices, adding value to produc ts and medium- to long-term strategic planning.  
He believed that traditional commodity agreements we re not going to solve the problem of fluctuating 
prices because there was no political support for mark et intervention.  One alternative was for 
producer cooperation to be enhanced.  He said th at UNCTAD did not believe such cooperation to be 
in contradiction with WTO rules, and that ther e were several examples  of producer cooperation 
agreements currently in place.  There were, however , also some problems with these agreements.  One 
was the free-rider problem, since even producers th at did not actually join the agreements could 
potentially benefit from them.  Another problem wa s that producer cooperation sometimes required 
government control of exports, and this was di fficult to achieve since most governments had 
dismantled many of the necessary instruments for these controls.  
76. He said that price fluctuations had an im portant impact on developing economies through 
export revenues.  UNCTAD was looking at compensa tory financing schemes aimed at smoothing out 
export revenue fluctuations so as to reduce strain on the balance of payments.  These types of schemes 
had thus far not proven very effective.  Some  of the problems with these schemes included long 
processing times and issues relating to the burden of pr oof.  He believed that what was needed was a 
user-friendly scheme with a high degree of au tomaticity.  UNCTAD was exploring how these 
schemes could be improved based on a mandate from the UN General Assembly and under a project 
financed by the Government of Finland.  He said that a third way to deal with price fluctuations was by helping producers and exporters directly thro ugh price risk management.  In this context, 
UNCTAD carried out research, provided policy advice and training, and helped  with the development 
and establishment of commodity exchanges.  This  was also linked to UNCTAD's work on commodity 
finance and commodity information.  He said that this was a promising area of work where there had 
already been some successes, helped by  the development of new technologies.   
77. Regarding the adding of value, he said that the way UNCTAD addressed this issue was to 
look at how producers could get higher prices for their commodities by finding the right markets, although increasing processing was also an option.  He explained that there had been some structural 
changes in the commodities market, as supply chains  had become shorter, market requirements had 
become more stringent and there had been rapid grow th in high-value market segments.  On the issue 
of standards, he noted that while official standa rds had become more demandi ng, there had also been 
a proliferation of private standards in recent tim es, including sustainability labels.  UNCTAD had also 
observed that sustainability criteria were enteri ng "mainstream" standards, for example European 
standards now included many conditions that had b een borrowed from the fair trade standards.  In 
many cases, however, there was a lack of mutual r ecognition between standards.  Certification costs 
also remained high, and there was a lack of deve loping country input in the setting of standards. 
78.
 He said that UNCTAD had done work in est imating the costs of compliance with SPS 
standards in a number of countries, which had led to  follow-up work financed by the Standards and 
Trade Development Facility (STDF).  This work involved capacity-building projects in Guinea and 
Mozambique on meeting SPS standards and private standards.  UNCTAD had also held discussions 
with standard setters, especially private ones, on how to ensure more developing country input in  the WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 16  
 
  setting of standards.  The organiza tion had additionally done some wo rk on helping meet other market 
requirements, including through the preparati on of a manual on assessing competitiveness, which was 
to be field-tested in Mali.  Cooperation was al so ongoing with supermarket chains to facilitate 
contacts with developing country producers in order to help the latter get their products to markets. 
79. UNCTAD was additionally looking at how to exploit niche markets through the Sustainable 
Commodities Initiative, which was an initiative of  UNCTAD and the International Institute for 
Sustainable Development (IISD).  Through coopera tion with governments, ICBs, industry and civil 
society, the initiative aimed to improve developing  country producers' returns from sustainability 
labels.  UNCTAD also worked to disseminate in formation about sustainability labels, and was 
undertaking assessments of the costs and benefits to  small producers.  The work currently focused on 
coffee, but would soon be extended to bananas, cocoa and palm oil. 
80. Regarding support to strategic planning, he  said that UNCTAD's objective was to reduce 
poverty through economic diversification based on commodity production and exports.  In this 
context, the organization was addressing supply-side obstacles and market entry issues.  The work 
was carried out in the context of market-based solutions, with a focus on LDCs and on the poorest 
populations within countries, and with recognitio n of the differences between countries and the 
underlying reasons for poverty.  He said that work on support to strategic planning had three 
dimensions:  (i) generating ideas through strategica lly oriented research reports and coverage of 
commodities in general UN reports;  (ii) supp orting debate though wo rkshops, seminars for 
governments, industry and civil society;  and (iii) working with a regional dimension through cooperation with regional economic  organizations.  He concluded by saying that as part of 
UNCTAD's upcoming Commission on International Tr ade in Goods and Services and Commodities, a 
meeting devoted to commodities would be held on 21 March 2007.  The three themes for that meeting 
were "meeting market requirements, standards and niche markets: the situation of small producers", 
"commodity market fluctuations: dealing with the income effects" and "energy: promoting 
international dialogue and achieving better energy mixes". 
81. The Chairman
 said that a significant increase in the prices of commodities had been observed 
in the past few years, due particularly to growing demand from a number of developing countries, particularly in Asia.  He asked the panellists to comment on the c onditions under which it might it be 
possible for a structural change to take place in the world economy that would provide for a 
sustainable rise in commodity prices.  He then opened the floor for other comments and questions. 
82. The representative of Nigeria
 said that while the interconnection between commodity 
dependence and development was not a new issue, it had not been the focus of international debate for 
some time.  His delegation, therefore, welcom ed the present discussion.  He said that market 
liberalization and the abandonment of internationa l market intervention in the 1990s had left 
commodity producers in developing countries to str uggle on their own.  The rules and institutions 
governing commodity trade were designed by develo ped country actors in accordance with their own 
aspirations.  Although most commodities were produ ced in developing countries, they were largely 
processed for sale to consumers by the developed c ountries.  He said that renewable energy offered 
great prospects to African countries, but expansion in to this area also posed great challenges.  He 
believed that the establishment of commodities ex changes served useful purposes, and should be 
taken into consideration in terms of development objectives a nd aspirations.  Concerning commodity 
agreements, he observed that there was a lack of political support for market intervention.  However, 
producer cooperation was a useful area to explore.  He said that cooperation between producers and 
supermarket chains was useful, and should be further encouraged.  
83. The representative of Kenya  said that he would like to hear more on what should be done to 
address the problem of the declining prices in co mmodities.  He gave the example of coffee as the 
commodity he believed most affected by price collap se following market liberalization.  He explained  WT/COMTD/M/62 
 Page 17 
 
 
  that the price collapse led to a situation where sm all-scale farmers had to produce more to maintain 
their income levels, thereby further depressing prices .  Furthermore, with the advice of international 
institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank, some countries had started producing commodities, 
for example coffee, where there we re already several traditional supp liers occupying the market.  He 
commented that perhaps what was needed to alleviate the current  situation regarding commodities 
prices were rules at both the domestic and internationa l levels that could help stabilize prices.  While 
some articles in the GATT could be used for th at purpose, he believed more generally that the 
solution to the decline in prices would not be found  entirely in the WTO, but would require a joint 
effort with other international organiza tions such as the ITC and UNCTAD.     
84. The representative of Côte d'Ivoire  said the present discussion showed that progress could be 
made in the CTD and elsewhere to find solutions to the problems of commodity-exporting countries.  
He commended the work of the ITC and UNCTAD, wh ich addressed many of the concerns that had 
been expressed by commodity-dependent developing countries.  He said that he would focus his 
comments on a number of issues that had been brought up in the presentations.  His first comment related to the problem of the increase in the suppl y of commodities on world markets.  He remarked 
that this overproduction risked causing an imbala nce between supply and de mand.  The second issue 
concerned the transfer of technology.  He said that , as noted in the ITC's presentation, transfer of 
technology was taking place from China and India to  the African countries.  However, he believed 
that there was sometimes a reluctance and resistance on  the part of some actors in developed countries 
to share appropriate technology with developi ng countries.  The third issue concerned the 
development of South-South trade.  Although he agreed that South-South trade in commodities had 
the potential to increase, he emphasized that the most  lucrative markets at present remained those of 
the developed countries.  In this regard, effort s to establish links between producers and the big 
supermarket chains were useful.  He added that it was important to promote local consumption, and 
asked whether the ITC and UNCTAD were doing any work in this area.   
85. The representative of Australia
 said that the presentations brought out the vast amount of 
work that was already being done on commoditi es. She asked the panellists whether they could 
comment on the role they believed the WTO could play  in finding solutions to the problems faced by 
commodity-dependent developing countries.  She highlighted the potential benefits that could arise from the conclusion of the Doha Round, in particul ar in terms of market access and reductions in 
domestic support in agriculture, as well as the Aid for Trade initiative. 
86. The representative of Brazil
 inquired whether the representative of the ITC could elaborate on 
what work the ITC was doing in the area of cotton,  and in which countries.  He also asked whether 
any preferential schemes notified to the WTO had b een considered in the commodities-related work 
of the ITC and the UNCTAD.   
87. The representative of Pakistan  said that the Ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire had remarked in his 
presentation that one of the reasons for the problems being faced by commodity-dependent 
developing countries was the lack of a coordinating mechanism.  She wondered whether Côte d'Ivoire 
was considering setting up such a mechanism. 
88. The representative of Burkina Faso  said that a substantial fall in commodity prices had been 
observed since deregulation had taken place in a number of African countries based on the recommendations of the IMF and the World Bank.  Citing cotton as an example, he outlined the difficulties faced by cotton producers in a number of  African countries.  He asked what mechanism 
could potentially be put in place to help producers in commodity-producing countries, in particular 
since it appeared that developed countries often di d not seem to agree with the types of solutions 
being proposed by the commodity-exporting countries.       WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 18  
 
  89. The representative of Nicaragua
 said that there were environmental aspects to the 
commodities problem.  Mining, for example, could be  quite harmful to the environment.  She asked 
whether the UNCTAD representative in particular could respond to this. 
90. The Chairman  invited the panellists to respond to th e comments and questions that had been 
raised. 
91. The Ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire  said that the phenomenon of commodity price fluctuations 
was not new, and a long-term sustainable solution to  the problem had still not been found.  It was 
extremely difficult to have a development strategy  in place when fluctuations in prices for some 
commodities, for example cocoa or coffee, contributed  to such a high degree of uncertainty.  He said 
that deregulation and liberalization in Côte d'Ivoire  and in some other African countries had not led to 
strengthened production capacity, and producers in these countries did not have the necessary 
knowledge of market conditions to ga in real benefits.  Measures needed  to be taken to strengthen the 
agricultural sectors in these count ries and to ensure that the sector would not provide low-quality 
products in the post-liberalization period.  
92. He said that Côte d'Ivoire sought the assist ance of a number of agencies including UNCTAD 
and the ITC to help in establishing proper marketin g mechanisms.  He explained that producers in 
Côte d'Ivoire were currently supplying the spot  market with large amounts of output, which was 
affecting prices.  If the system was better regulated, prices could be stabilized.  His Government wanted to set up a marketing mechanism through which about 80 per cent of commodities exports 
would be sold on the futures market and the remain ing 20 per cent on the spot market.  The objective 
of such measures was to minimize the negative imp act of liberalization by setting up an appropriate 
safety net.  He added that the fact that stabilizati on boards did not exist anymore also placed a certain 
element of risk on importers, given that there was no longer any guaranteed system for purchasers to 
receive what they had paid for.  He believed that  the WTO could play an important role in finding 
solutions to the problems faced by commodity-e xporting countries.  A number of developing 
countries could potentially develop the capacity to engage in the processing of primary commodities, 
but the SPS and TBT agreements were factors limiti ng their ability to gain e ffective market access in 
developed countries. 
93. The representative of the ITC
 said that it was important to keep in mind that some producers 
in developing countries were not able to supply pro ducts at the appropriate level of quality to compete 
in international markets.  This was an area that the ITC was looking into.  On the issue of processing, 
he said that there had been tremendous progress ma de by some developing countries in certain 
commodities, but it was necessary for more developi ng countries to benefit from such progress.  He 
said that the consumption side was also important  to consider, and that consumption should be 
promoted not only in developed countries, but also in developing countries.  The ITC believed there 
was great potential in this regard and would be wil ling, subject to the availability of resources, to 
work on promotional projects of this nature. 
94. The representative of UNCTAD  said that in 2005, developing countries' share of global GDP 
at purchasing power parities surpassed that of devel oped countries for the first time.  This showed the 
importance of developing country demand, which cam e out even clearer when looking at commodity 
markets alone.  At present, about one half of de veloping countries' exports  of commodities went to 
other developing countries, up from about 40 per cent a decade ago.  More than  half of developing 
countries' imports of commodities came from othe r developing countries.  Given the high economic 
growth rates observed in some developing countries in recent years, there was cause for optimism that 
developing countries could increasingly serve as major markets for commodities.  There was no indication that the commodity boom would come to an end anytime soon.  However, at some point it could be expected that supply would catch up to demand, so the boom would probably not last forever.   WT/COMTD/M/62 
 Page 19 
 
 
  95. He noted the comment made by the representati ve of Nigeria that the institutions that 
governed commodities trade were designed by developed countries.  In this regard, and given that an 
increasingly large proportion of trade was taking pl ace between developing countries, the question 
arose as to whether the institutions should be modi fied accordingly.  He cited the example of the 
Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID), which 
was an initiative taken at UNCTAD XI, and which was growing rapidly.  On the consumption 
potential in developing countries, he pointed to the coffee market as an example.  After the slump in 
the coffee market that lasted until 2002 to 2003, the market was turned around by a tremendous 
growth in coffee consumption in Brazil, and not by  a fall in supply or a rise in demand in traditional 
markets.  He said that UNCTAD was not doing that much in the area of consumption promotion, 
though it was working with the International Cocoa Organization in promoting chocolate 
consumption in Russia.  On the potential contri bution of the WTO to finding solutions to the 
commodities problem, he said that UNCTAD hoped fo r a successful outcome to the Doha Round, and 
for a substantive and ambitious Aid for Trade pr ogramme.  UNCTAD also hoped for a continuation of 
the STDF. 
96. He said that one of the regrettable effects of lib eralization in many countries was that many of 
the weaker producers were left behind.  In many countries, marketing boards and similar institutions 
previously had the function of enabling producers to sell their products and to receive an assured 
price.  These institutions were no longer there to shield the weaker producers, and the private sector 
had not always been able to fill that gap.  He believed that government in tervention and support from 
donors in certain critical areas could help alleviat e the situation.  One example was through the 
provision of affordable credit to small producers.  On the issue of sustainability in mining, he gave the 
example of a project UNCTAD was undertaking in Peru with a provincial government on local diversification in an area highly dependent on mini ng.  The environmental aspects had automatically 
entered into the project, since it involved workin g with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) 
and local authorities, which were highly concerned with the environment.  He emphasized the 
importance of working in a multi-stakeholder framework.  He said that UNCTAD was also 
establishing networks of various kinds, in par ticular over the internet.  One website, a joint 
undertaking with the International Council on Mi ning and Metals (ICMM), the UK Department for 
International Development (DfID) and the Unite d Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was 
concerned with good practices in mini ng (www.goodpracticemining.org).    
97. The Chairman
 said that he sensed the interest of  several Members in the commodities 
discussion in the CTD.  He suggested that another panel discussion be held at the next CTD meeting, 
to which could be invited the Food and Agricu lture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank. 
98. The representative of Kenya  said that he supported the Chairman's proposal.  In addition, he 
proposed that UNCTAD be invited back to brief the CTD on the outcome of the meeting on commodities which would be held on 21 March 2007. 
99. The representative of Côte d'Ivoire
 said that he supported the Chairman's proposal as well as 
the proposal by Kenya.  He said that he was partic ularly interested to hear what the World Bank had 
to say on its work and on the impact of liberalization. 
100. The Chairman  said that a panel discussion would be organized at the next CTD meeting, to 
which would be invited the World Bank and the F AO.  UNCTAD would also be invited to report on 
its 21 March 2007 meeting on commodities.      
101. It was so agreed . WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 20  
 
  H. P
ARAGRAPH 51 OF THE DOHA DECLARATION ON IDENTIFYING AND DEBATING 
DEVELOPMENTAL ASPECTS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS , IN ORDER TO HELP ACHIEVE THE 
OBJECTIVE OF HAVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATELY REFLECTED  
102. The Chairman  said that under this agenda ite m, the Committee had since its 54th Session on 
5 October 2005 been undertaking a review of the developmental asp ects of the negotiations based on 
a periodically updated background paper prepared by th e Secretariat.  Members had, however, agreed 
at the 59th Session on 4 October 2006 to temporarily suspend their discussion under this agenda item, 
in view of the fact that the negotiations were su spended at the time.  The matter was discussed once 
again at the 61st Session, and it was decided that the Committe e would revert back to this item at the 
present meeting to consider how to proceed.  
103. He said that the Director-G eneral had informed the Gene ral Council at its meeting of 
7 February 2007 that negotiations had resumed acr oss the board, and that political conditions were 
now more favourable for the conclusion of the Doha  Round than they had been for a long time.  In 
light of these developments, he asked whether the CTD could agree to revert to its discussion under 
this agenda item at the next meeting.  If so, he  further suggested that the Secretariat's background 
paper be revised for that purpose.  
104. The representative of the United States  said that her delegation wondered if discussion under 
this agenda item would be more productive if it resumed after there had been more substantive 
progress in the negotiations. 
105. The representative of Côte d'Ivoire  said that there had been times during the Doha Round 
when the negotiations had been taken away from Geneva, and African countries had been requesting 
that the negotiations be brought back to Geneva.  In that context, he said that it would be useful if the 
CTD resumed its discussion under this agenda item. 
106. The representative of Nigeria  said that his delegation wanted the CTD to resume its 
discussion under this agenda item. 
107. The representative of Mali  emphasized that development was at the heart of the Doha Round 
and it was, therefore, important for the CTD to re sume its discussion of the developmental aspects of 
the negotiations. 
108. The representative of Cuba  said that her delegation supported the idea of the CTD resuming 
its discussion under this agenda item, and of the S ecretariat revising its background paper for that 
purpose. 
109. The representative of Kenya  said that the Secretariat should revise its background paper in 
order to allow the CTD to resume its discussion under th is agenda item at the ne xt meeting.  He added 
that the resumption of the discussion would allow Me mbers to identify what gaps still remained in 
order to make the Doha Round a development round. 
110. The representative of the United States  said she had noted that other Members wished to 
resume discussion under this agenda item, and indi cated that her delegation was willing to proceed 
along these lines.    
111. The Chairman  said that the CTD would resume its discussion on the developmental aspects of 
the negotiations at the next meeting, and that th e Secretariat would revise its background paper for 
that purpose.     
112. It was so agreed .  WT/COMTD/M/62 
 Page 21 
 
 
  I. REVIEW OF STEPS TAKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY-FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET ACCESS TO 
LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (WT/COMTD/W/149/A DD.1 AND 
WT/COMTD/W/149/A DD.2) 
113. The Chairman  said that two communications had been  received from the United States under 
this agenda item.  The communications had been  circulated in documents WT/COMTD/W/149/Add.1 
and Add.2.  He invited the US repr esentative to introduce the submissions. 
114. The representative of the United States  said that her delegation wished to bring to the 
attention of Members two important steps in the US' domestic consultative process related to the implementation of the Hong Kong Decision on duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market access for LDCs.  Document WT/COMTD/W/149/Add.1 inform ed Members of a Federal Register notice 
requesting public comments on issues relating to DFQF market access to LDCs.  Document 
WT/COMTD/W/149/Add.2 announced the transmittal of a request by the Office of the US Trade 
Representative (USTR) to the US International Trad e Commission (USITC) to initiate a study on the 
probable economic effects on US producers and cons umers on a tariff-line basis of providing DFQF 
market access to LDCs.  These steps would allow policymakers to make informed evaluations and 
move towards taking decisions on critical vari ables in the design and implementation of a 
commercially meaningful programme for the LDCs.  Her delegation welcomed  questions from other 
Members on these submissions, both in the formal CTD meetings as well as informally.   
115. The representative of Bangladesh
, on behalf of the LDC Group, thanked the US for its report 
on the process recently initiated to provide DFQF  market access to the LDCs. The LDC Group 
understood that the mandate of the CTD was to re view the steps taken by the developed country 
Members, and the developing country Members d eclaring themselves in a position to do so, to 
provide DFQF market access to LDCs.  The LDCs w ould continue to negotiate on this issue in the 
relevant negotiating bodies, including the CTD in Special Session, the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session and the Negotiating Group on Market Access. 
116. He said that document WT/COMTD/W/149/Add.1 outlined the procedure of submission of 
comments on the issue of DFQF ma rket access, and also set a deadline of 15 March 2007 for the 
receipt of comments.  It was understood from document WT/COMTD/W/149/Add.2 that a study would be conducted by the USITC to evaluate th e impact of DFQF market access on different 
stakeholders.  The LDCs understood the necessity of th e study, but wanted to know the date by which 
the US authorities planned to complete it.  The LDCs were also interested to know what steps the US 
authorities were envisaging after the study had been completed, and what deadlines were being set for 
different stages of the process before the LDCs woul d receive DFQF market access.  He said that the 
LDCs encouraged other developed country Members,  and also the developing country partners, to 
come forward with the offer of DFQF market acces s for LDCs.  The LDCs asked them to execute and 
operationalize the instructions given by Mini sters in Hong Kong, China in December 2005. 
117. The representative of the United States
 said that the US was working to put in place the 
necessary legislation to implement the Hong Kong Decision, and that the content of documents 
WT/COMTD/W/149/Add.1 and Add.2 was part of this  process.  There were no explicit deadlines for 
completion of the process, but the objective was to  have legislation in place to implement the 
Decision alongside the results of the Doha Round.  With regard to the study to be undertaken by the USITC, she said that internal discussions would take place over the next six months. 
118. The Committee took note
 of all interventions. WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 22  
 
  J. D
RAFT WORK PROGRAMME FOR 2007  (WT/COMTD/W/156) 
119. The Chairman said that a draft 2007 work pr ogramme for the CTD had been issued as 
document WT/COMTD/W/156.  He invited the Comm ittee to consider the draft work programme 
with a view to adopting it. 
120. The representative of Switzerland  said that he wished to make a number of comments on the 
draft work programme.  With regard to the ag enda item concerning commodities, his delegation 
believed that the discussion in the CTD lacked focus,  and it was not clear where it was leading.  He 
proposed that either the item be dropped from the CTD's agenda, or that Members establish a work 
programme on commodities with speci fic objectives to meet.  He also inquired what specifically was 
meant by the item concerning the participation of  developing countries in the multilateral trading 
system.  Finally, he asked for some clarification as to why there was no mention of Aid for Trade on 
the draft work programme. 
121. The Chairman , in response to the questions raised by Switzerland, said that the item 
concerning the participation of developing countries in the multilateral trading system referred to a 
regular statistical update prepared by the Secretariat.   He said that the CTD's scheduled discussions on 
Aid for Trade would be held in dedicated sessions , whereas the draft work programme only referred 
to the regular sessions of the CTD.  As for the matter raised by Switzerland on the agenda item concerning commodities, he said that he would leave it to Members to discuss. 
122. The representative of Côte D'Ivoire
 said he did not agree that the item concerning 
commodities should be taken off the CTD's agenda.  He believed that the discussions in the CTD 
under this agenda item were useful, and should continue. 
123. The representative of Kenya  said that he supported  the intervention by Côte d'Ivoire.  He 
believed that Members needed more discussion in the CTD in order to understand the problems faced 
by producers of commodities, and what could be don e to help them.  Among the issues that could be 
discussed in more detail was the processing of primary commodities.  He emphasized that the 
commodities discussion in the CTD had been introdu ced with certain objectives in mind, and it was 
important not to water down these objectives.       
124. The representative of Nigeria  said he did not believe that the CTD was yet in a position to 
remove the item concerning commodities from its ag enda, since there were still many issues that 
Members could discuss. 
125. The Chairman  proposed that the Committee adopt the draft work programme found in 
document WT/COMTD/W/156.   
126. The Committee adopted  its work programme for 2007.1 
K. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING  
- I NFORMATION BY THE SECRETARIAT ON THE ANNUAL REPORT ON TECHNICAL 
ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING (1 JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER 2006) 
127. The Chairman  said that the Secretariat wished to provide some information on the Annual 
Report on Technical Assistance and Training for the period 1 January to 31 December 2006.  The 
document in question would be issued for cons ideration by the CTD at its next meeting. 
                                                      
1 The work programme was circulat ed as document WT/COMTD/61.  WT/COMTD/M/62 
 Page 23 
 
 
  128. The Director of the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC)  said that 
486 activities had been carried out in 2006, of wh ich 44 took place in Geneva.  The activities ranged 
in duration from one day to three months.  Particip ant days continued to be used as a measure of 
implementation.  In 2006, 29,752 participant days had been counted out of the 35,430 foreseen in the Technical Assistance and Training Plan.  Of the pl anned activities for 2006, 93 per cent were carried 
out.  There were almost 4,500 days of staff travel  involving 229 staff members and consultants, and 
882 separate trips to venues outside Geneva.  He sai d that 37 per cent of the activities took place in 
Africa, 20 per cent in Asia and the Pacific, 11 per cent in Latin America, 8 per cent in Central and 
Eastern Europe, and 7 per cent in the Caribbean a nd in the Arab and Middle Eastern regions.  The 
remainder of the activities had taken place in Geneva . LDCs had participated in 44 per cent of the 
activities, either exclusively in the case of nationa l activities, or in the context of regional or 
Geneva-based activities.  He added that LDCs we re entitled to three national activities as opposed to 
two for other beneficiaries, and a number of TA pro ducts were particularly relevant to LDCs.    
129. There had been a total of 246 national activities and 163 regional activities.  There had also 
been a number of activities organized by other institu tions, in which the Secretariat had been asked to 
participate.  The number of regional activities had remained relatively stable, while the number of 
national activities had increased.  He said that 2006 had also been the year in which preparations had 
been made for the closure of phase II of the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme 
(JITAP).  Consideration had begun on what might fo llow, and this was work in progress.  He added 
that the Secretariat would continue to dialogue regular ly with Members so as to be able to respond in 
the most appropriate ways to their needs and expectations. 
130. He said that out of the foreseen 2006 technical assistance budget of CHF 24 million, an 
amount of CHF 20.2 million had been spent.  This was equivalent to 84 per cent of the foreseen budget, which was higher than the corresponding figur e for 2005.  However, the present financial 
situation was alarming, as there was only CHF 300, 000 left for technical assistance activities.  Once 
these funds were committed, and if no new funds beca me available, the Secretariat would be obliged 
to halt the planning of further technical assistance activities.  The active support of Members was 
required in order to rectify the situation. 
131. The representative of Nigeria
 urged donor countries to provide the necessary funding to allow 
the WTO's technical assistan ce activities to continue. 
132. The representative of Côte d'Ivoire  said that his country had benefited from technical 
assistance activities, but was in need of more.  His delegation wished to see JITAP extended and 
expanded.  He urged donors to make the necessary contributions. 
133. The representative of Australia  said that she would transmit to her capital the message 
concerning the critical financial situation. 
134. The representative of the European Communities  said that he would transmit to the EC and its 
member States the message concerning the critical financ ial situation.  In terms of the process to adopt 
and implement the TA Plan, he said that there need ed to be a closer link between the process in the 
CTD and the process in the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration.  He also inquired whether the LDCs had availed of their en titlement to have three national activities. 
135. The representative of the United States
 said that the US contribution to the WTO technical 
assistance budget would be provided so on, though an exact date could not be given at this time. 
136. The representative of Mali  said that his country had greatly benefited from technical 
assistance, and particularly from JITAP.  He urged donor countries to conti nue to provide funding to 
the WTO's technical assistance budget. WT/COMTD/M/62 
Page 24  
 
  137. The representative of Brazil
 expressed his appreciation for the technical assistance activities 
of the WTO.  His delegation looked forward to reading the 2006 Annual Report. 
138. The representative of Cambodia  thanked the donor countries for the technical assistance that 
had been provided to his country. 
139. The Committee took note  of all interventions.  
140. The Committee expressed its appreciation for the work and contributions of the Director of 
the ITTC, who would be retiring at the end of March 2007. 
L. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT  
141. The Chairman said that the General Council at its meeting on 7 February had announced the 
new Chairpersons for 2007.  He was pleased to inform the Committee that H.E. Mr. Shree Baboo 
Chekitan Servansing, Ambassador and Permanent Re presentative of the Republic of Mauritius to the 
United Nations Office at Geneva, had been chosen as the new Chairman of the CTD. 
142. The Committee elected  Ambassador Servansing as Chairman of the CTD. 
143. The outgoing Chairman  said that Ambassador Servansing had been with the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs of Mauritius for several years.  From 2002 to 2004, Ambassa dor Servansing was the 
personal representative of the Prime Minister to the New Partnership for Africa's Development 
(NEPAD) and the national focal point of NEPAD in  Mauritius.  Ambassador Servansing had also 
served as the Chairman of the WTO's Committee on Trade and Environment, and had been the 
Coordinator of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group in Geneva. 
144. The incoming Chairman  thanked Members for having placed their trust in him to chair the 
CTD.  He also thanked the outgoing Chairman for th e work that had been put in over the course of the 
previous year.  He emphasized the importance of the CTD, and remarked that the Aid for Trade 
discussion would lead to increased responsibilities for the Committee.  He said that, whenever 
necessary, he would consult informally with Member s on the various issues under consideration in the 
CTD. 
145. The Committee expressed its appreciation to the outgoing Chairman.    
M. OTHER BUSINESS  
146. No matter was raised under "Other Business". 
147. The Committee expressed its appreciation for the work and contributions of the Director of 
the Development Division, who would be  retiring at the end of March 2007. 
148. The meeting was adjourned . 
 
__________