RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/SE/M/17 
18 February 2008 
 (08-0717) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Seventeenth Dedicated Session  
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 3 DECEMBER 2007 
 
Chairman:  H.E. Mr. Shree B.C. Servansing (Mauritius) 
  
A.
 ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA .........................................................................................................1  
B. PARAGRAPH 41 OF THE HONG KONG MINISTERIAL DECLARATION :  MONITORING 
PROGRESS OF THE SMALL ECONOMIES ' PROPOSALS IN THE NEGOTIATING GROUPS AND 
OTHER BODIES .............................................................................................................................1  
- COMPILATION PAPER PREPARED BY THE SECRETARIAT (WT/COMTD/SE/W/22/REV.1) ..............1  
C. OTHER BUSINESS .........................................................................................................................4  
 
 A. 
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The draft agenda for the meeting as c ontained in Airgram WTO/AIR/3119 issued on 
13 November 2007 was adopted . 
B. PARAGRAPH 41 OF THE HONG KONG MINISTERIAL DECLARATION :  MONITORING PROGRESS OF 
THE SMALL ECONOMIES ' PROPOSALS IN THE NEGOTIATING GROUPS AND OTHER BODIES  
- COMPILATION PAPER PREPARED BY THE SECRETARIAT (WT/COMTD/SE/W/22/REV.1) 
2. The Chairman  recalled the mandate agreed to in the Hong Kong Declaration concerning the 
Work Programme for Small Economies, mainly that the Committee on Trade and Development 
(CTD) in Dedicated Session will continue to monito r the progress of the small economies' proposals 
in the negotiating groups and other WTO bodies, w ith the aim of providing responses to the trade-
related issues of small economies.  He also recalle d that in July 2006, at the Fifteenth Dedicated 
Session, the Secretariat was requested to prepare a document that would assist the Dedicated Session 
in its monitoring role.  However, due to the susp ension of the negotiations, the former Chairman had 
suggested that the Dedicated Session's monitoring f unctions be resumed once the situation regarding 
the suspension of the negotiations had evolved.  In  May 2007, after the negotiations had resumed, the 
Chairman had asked the Secretariat to circulate a preliminary version of the compilation paper and 
had convened an informal meeting of the Dedicated Session.   
3. The Chairman recalled that at the informal meeting on 24 May 2007, many delegations had 
welcomed the Secretariat's compilation paper as a useful  tool to keep track of the various proposals by 
the small economies in the negotiating and other WTO bodies.  They had requested that it be 
circulated as WTO document, WT/COMTD/SE/W/22.  Another request at the informal meeting was 
for the Secretariat to periodically update the compil ation paper to reflect the latest developments in 
the negotiations.  The Secretariat had done so, and the latest version of the compilation paper was 
circulated as document WT/COMTD/SE/W/22/Rev.1. WT/COMTD/SE/M/17 
Page 2  
 
  4. The Chairman explained that the main updating changes in the document could be found in 
the Sections on the agriculture and non-agricultura l market access (NAMA) negotiations, where the 
relevant paragraphs of the draft modalities texts pr esented by the Chairmen had been included, as well 
as a new submission by the small economies to the NAMA Negotiating Group.  The paper also 
reflected the decision of the General Council regard ing extensions of the transition period for the 
elimination of export subsidies under Article 27. 4 of the Subsidies and Countervailing Measures 
(SCM) Agreement, and a new proposal of the sm all economies in the area of fisheries subsidies 
submitted to the Negotiating Group on Rules.  The Chairman then opened the floor for comments on 
the revised paper. 
5. The representative of Barbados
 said that his delegation endorsed the compilation paper and 
that the new inclusions responded and recognized the work that had been done by the small, 
vulnerable economies (SVEs) in the areas of agricu lture, NAMA and fisheries subsidies, as well as 
bringing to a closure the negotiations regarding exte nsions of the transition period for the elimination 
of export subsidies under Article 27.4 of the SCM Ag reement.  He said that the proponents of the 
Work Programme on Small Economies were pleased w ith the progress that had been achieved in the 
areas captured in the compilation doc ument, but that their work was not over.  He hoped to discuss 
some of the issues reflected in the compilation pa per in more detail at a future meeting of the 
Dedicated Session. 
6. The representative of El Salvador  emphasised the importance and value of the Dedicated 
Session.  His delegation wished to highlight th e negotiations on services as one area where the 
proponents of the work on small economies woul d become increasingly involved and where there 
would be more contributions. 
7. The representative of the United States  said that the compilation paper should include two 
new proposals to the Negotiating Group on NAMA made  by Jordan and Panama on behalf of the 
recently-acceded, SVE Members.   
8. The Chairman  clarified that since the compilation paper covered only proposals made on 
small economy issues, and the proposals by Jordan and Panama referred to  the treatment of the 
recently-acceded Members (RAMs), they had no t been included in the compilation paper. 
9. The representative of Guatemala  said that it was important to keep the compilation paper up 
to date with the latest devel opments in the negotiations.   
10. The representative of Barbados  confirmed that Jordan and Panama were not among the group 
of SVE proponents and the inclusion of their s ubmissions in the compilation paper required more 
thought. 
11. The representative of the European Communities  highlighted the importance of monitoring 
the small economies' proposals in the negotiations, having in mind that the solutions would have to be found in the appropriate bodies.  He said that a nother important aspect was who should benefit from 
the flexibilities accorded to  the SVEs.  His delegation continue d to be engaged in the search of 
solutions and this was shown in the recent Aid for Trade review where the EC's efforts in providing 
technical assistance to the SVEs were presented.  He  urged all Members to engage constructively in 
finding solutions to the challenges faced by the small, vulnerable economies. 
12. The Chairman
 thanked all delegations for their interv entions and informed Members that the 
compilation paper would be continuously updated to reflect the latest developments in the 
negotiations.  He then asked Members for their vi ews on what else the Dedicated Session could do to 
move forward the Work Programme on Small Economies.  WT/COMTD/SE/M/17 
 Page 3 
 
 
  13. The representative of Barbados  informed Members that his delegation was the coordinator for 
the SVE proponents and led its efforts in the area of  services and rules.  The delegation of Barbados 
shared the burden of work with all of the other small economy proponents and in particular with the 
delegations of the Dominican Republic and El Salvador that led their efforts in the areas of agriculture 
and NAMA, respectively.  
14. He said that matters of importance to the small economies were being dealt with in the 
negotiating bodies and the work in the Dedicated Session was the foundation for the work in those 
bodies.  He was of the view that the Dedicated Sessi on could play an important role in clarifying some 
of the issues related to the small economies which we re being discussed in the negotiating bodies.  He 
made it clear that this would not involve a paralle l negotiation in the Dedicated Session.  In his view, 
the Dedicated Session could serve as a useful forum to  clarify and further explore some of the issues 
of interest to the small economies.   
15. He was also of the view that another area wh ere the Dedicated Session could focus its efforts 
was the accession of SVEs.  He explained that WTO accession was a big challenge for SVEs and the Dedicated Session could assist in trying to reduce the burden they faced in acceding to the WTO.   
16. He also said that vulnerability to natural di sasters was still an enormous challenge for the 
SVEs and the Dedicated Session could explore what type of relief could be provided, within the 
framework of rules in the WTO, to economies facing na tural disasters.  In this context, the Dedicated 
Session could examine whether current WTO rules we re adequate to address trade disruptions in 
Members suffering natural disasters and support the econom ic recovery following such an event.  This 
work could also include the effects of climate change on the SVEs. 
17. The representative of the Solomon Islands
 said that WTO accession was an important issue 
for the Pacific islands as there were currently tw o LDC small economies in the Pacific that were 
trying to accede to the WTO.  He said that vulnera bility to natural disasters was also an important 
issue for the SVEs in the Pacific.  
18. The representative of Guatemala  said that monitoring and clarifying in the Dedicated Session, 
did not constitute double negotiations. The work  of the Dedicated Session should focus on 
information and not be another forum to debate th e positions of the SVEs in the negotiations.   
19. The representative of the European Communities  highlighted the importance of avoiding 
double negotiations when discussing issues that were being addressed in the negotiating groups in the 
Dedicated Session.  He was also of the view that the Dedicated Session lacked the technical expertise 
to deal with some of those issues.  Regarding accessi ons, he said that this was also being addressed by 
the specific groups in charge of this matter.  However, he did not exclude the possibility of the 
Dedicated Session being informed about progress being made in the accession working parties of 
small economies and what was being done to assist them in their accession process.    
20. The Chairman  thanked delegations for their comments.   He said that the ideas that had been 
put forward were useful and that they merite d further consultation among the Members to see how 
these ideas, and others which may arise, could be pur sued in Dedicated Session to help move forward 
the Work Programme on Small Economies. 
21. The Dedicated Session took note  of all interventions.   WT/COMTD/SE/M/17 
Page 4  
 
  C. 
OTHER BUSINESS  
22. No matter was raised under "Other Business". 
23. The meeting was adjourned . 
__________