RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/M/56 
21 April 2006 
 
 (06-1864) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Fifty-Sixth Session  
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 3 MARCH 2006 
 
Chairmen:  H.E. Mr. Gomi Tharaka Senadhira (Sri Lanka) for items A – I 
and Mr. Faizel Ismail (South Africa) for item J 
 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA ........................................................................................................2  
B. OBSERVERS ............................................................................................................................... ..2 
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers ...............................................................................2  
(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 .......................................................................3  
- 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) ..........................3  
- 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).............................3  
D. DECLINING TERMS OF TRADE FOR PRIMARY COMMODITIES , AND ITS IMPLICATION TO 
TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY COMMODITY EXPORTING COUNTRIES ......................4  
E. 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 ...............6  
- STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN .................................................................................................6  
F. DRAFT WORK PROGRAMME FOR 2006  (WT/COMTD/W/147) ..................................................6  
G. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING ................................................................................9  
- ANNUAL REPORT ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING , 1 JANUARY TO 
31 D ECEMBER 2005  (WT/COMTD/W/146) ...............................................................................9  WT/COMTD/M/56 
Page 2  
 
  H.
 OTHER BUSINESS ......................................................................................................................14  
I. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE CTD.........................................................................17  
J. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON LEAST -DEVELOPED 
COUNTRIES ............................................................................................................................... .17 
 
 
 A. A
DOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairman  said the draft agenda for the meeting was contained in airgram 
WTO/AIR/2578 circulated on 7 February 2006  and a revision issued on 24 February.  He recalled 
that it was mentioned at the last meeting of th e Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) that a 
representative of the European Communities (EC) would attend the 56th Session to make a 
presentation on the EC Export Helpdesk for Developi ng Countries.  The representative was, however, 
unable to attend the present meeting and it was for this reason that the item was not included on the agenda.  He hoped the EC representative would be ab le to make the presentation at the next meeting 
of the CTD. 
2. The representative of India
 said his delegation wished to raise under "Other Business" the 
issue of negotiations in WTO bodies which could ha ve an impact on the functioning of the CTD. 
3. The representative of the European Communities  said he wished to make a brief intervention 
under "Other Business" relating to the notificati on of the EC's revised Generalized System of 
Preferences (GSP) scheme. 
4. The Chairman  said he also wished to make an intervention under "Other Business" 
concerning the Strategic Review of WTO-Provided Trade-Related Technical Assistance.  He proposed that the agenda item relating to "Other Bu siness" be considered before the agenda items 
relating to the election of the Chairpersons of the CTD and the Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries (LDCs).   
5. The Committee adopted
 the agenda as amended. 
B. OBSERVERS  
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers 
6. 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 Organisation (ECO), the 
Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation, th e Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the African 
Union (AU), the Organisation of the Islamic Confer ence (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. 
7. It was so agreed .  WT/COMTD/M/56 
 Page 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 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 
8. The Chairman
 said that as was the case at previous meetings, the Committee had before it a 
number of requests for observer status.  He inquire d whether there was any change in positions to 
extend observer status to any of those applicants. 
9. The representative of Egypt , on behalf of the Arab Group, said the positions of Members were 
well known.  He said he wished to put on record that the Group's position remained the same with 
regard to any new requests, whether they be for re gular observer status or ad hoc observer status.  
10. The Chairman proposed that the Committee revert  to the requests at the next meeting.   
11. It was so agreed . 
C. NOTIFICATIONS 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) 
12. The Chairman  recalled that the Framework Ag reement on Comprehensive Economic 
Cooperation between ASEAN and China was notified to the CTD at the 52nd Session in 
February 2005.  In addition, the Agreement on Trade in Goods of the Framework Agreement on 
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between ASE AN and China was notified to the CTD at the 
54th Session in October 2005.  The notifications were  discussed in the Committee over the course of 
2005.  
13. He said that written questions on the notifi cations had recently been received from the 
European Communities and the United States (US).  The questions had been circulated in document 
WT/COMTD/51/Add.2 and document WT/COMTD/51/Add.3 respectively.  He proposed that the Members that submitted the questions first intr oduce them and that representatives of the ASEAN 
member countries and China would then respond.  
14. The representative of the European Communities
 said the communication from the EC was 
largely self-explanatory.  He said that in previous CTD meetings his delegation had indicated that it 
was still examining the notification on the Agreem ent on Trade in Goods between ASEAN and China 
and reserved the right to raise questions on the notification.  Document WT/COMTD/51/Add.2 was 
the outcome of his delegation's examination of the no tification.  It contained twelve questions falling 
under five broad categories.  In his delegation' s view the level of ambition and scope of the 
Agreement was such that it was appropriate for it to be notified under the provisions of GATT WT/COMTD/M/56 
Page 4  
 
  Article XXIV.  His delegation encouraged ASEAN and China to take the necessary steps in that 
regard.  He looked forward to the responses from ASEAN and China and hoped they could be provided at the present meeting. 
15. The representative of the United States
 said his delegation appreciated the opportunity to 
explore the notifications between ASEAN and China in greater depth.  With trade among the parties 
reaching well over US$100 billion in 2004, and with  a population numbering a quarter of the world's 
population, his delegation believed all WTO Members ha d an interest in having a full understanding 
of the notifications and their operation.  He said that following the tariff reductions on about 
7,000 tariff lines under the terms of the Agreemen t, trade among the parties increased by 23 per cent 
last year to surpass US$130 billion.  His delegation welcomed the opportunity for Members to consult 
with the parties as provided for by the Enabling Cl ause.  However, the breadth and scope of the 
Framework Agreement and the Agreement on Trad e in Goods went far beyond tariff reduction and 
elimination and brought into play an array of  provisions under both GATT Article XXIV and GATS 
Article V.  Moreover, the Committee on Regional Tr ade Agreements (CRTA) had expertise that could 
add greatly to the clarity and depth of Members'  understanding of the provisi ons of the Agreements, 
and also provided an efficient process for consultatio ns and exchange regarding the Agreements.  The 
notifications were of undeniable significance for the multilateral trading system.  There was little 
doubt that greater regional integration could contri bute to economic growth and development.  His 
delegation saw an opportunity for promoting greater  understanding among all Members of the specific 
contributions of such extensive and complex agr eements for the further integration and economic 
development of the parties.  His delegation also ex tended its appreciation to the EC for the questions 
it submitted and looked forward to receiving r esponses to both sets of questions.     
16. The representative of Malaysia , on behalf of the ASEAN member countries and China, 
informed the CTD that the questions from the EC a nd the US had been received and had been sent to 
the capitals.  It was her understanding that a coor dinating committee would meet at the end of the 
present month to prepare a coordinated response, and the CTD would be informed accordingly. 
17. The representative of Japan  said her delegation shared interest in most of the questions posed 
by the EC and the US.  She looked forward to receiving the responses from ASEAN and China.  Her 
delegation also had some additional questions for A SEAN and China.  As the questions were rather 
detailed, she inquired whether they could be submitted in written form. 
18. The Chairman  said that if the questions were comprehensive it would be better if they were 
submitted in written form and circulated among Memb ers.  He urged the delegation of Japan to 
submit the questions as soon as possible, since the representatives of ASEAN and China could then 
prepare responses to these questions as we ll as those of the EC and the US.  
19. The Chairman said the Committee was looking  forward to receiving responses from ASEAN 
and China to all the questions raised. He proposed th at this item be on the agenda for the next meeting 
of the CTD. 
20. It was so agreed .   
D. DECLINING TERMS OF TRADE FOR PRIMARY COMMODITIES , AND ITS IMPLICATION TO TRADE 
AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY COMMODITY EXPORTING COUNTRIES  
21. The Chairman  said he had proposed to the Committee at its 54th Session in October 2005 to 
postpone a detailed discussion on commodities until th e present meeting.  He mentioned that Kenya 
had intended to make a presentation at the presen t meeting on its experiences with commodities but 
that the representative from Kenya who was to make the presentation was unable to attend.  He said 
the Committee hoped to hear a presentation from Ke nya at a future meeting of the CTD.   WT/COMTD/M/56 
 Page 5 
 
 
  22. The Chairman asked Members wh ere they wished to go with the present agenda item relating 
to commodities.  He said that at the 53rd Session of the CTD in May 2005, the Committee had agreed 
to hear presentations from a Member experienci ng difficulties in managing its commodities trade, a 
private institution or an international organization.   He proposed that the Committee continue along 
the lines of what had been agreed at the 53rd Session, namely to continue listening to presentations 
from Members and relevant institutions.  He par ticularly encouraged Me mbers to present to the 
Committee their experiences with commodities.  Otherwise, there were several interesting 
presentations that could be heard from organizations working in the area of commodities.  He said he 
had taken note of a number of sugg estions that had been made by Members in that regard, including 
for invitations to be extended to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International 
Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC), the World Bank, the International Tropical Timber Organization 
(ITTO) and the International Coffee Organization (IC O).  He inquired whether Members wished to 
invite any particular organization. 
23. The representative of Kenya  confirmed that due to unforeseen circumstances it would not be 
possible for Kenya to make a presentation at the present meeting.  Her delegation would be informing 
Members as to when the presentation could be made.  Her delegation planned to circulate a synopsis 
in advance of the presentation in order to  allow a fruitful discussion in the CTD.  
24. She said she wished to recall the mandate on commodity issues in the Hong Kong Ministerial 
Declaration.  Ministers had clearly recognized the problems that developing and least-developed countries were facing with their dependence on the e xport of commodities.  They had instructed the 
CTD to intensify its work in cooperation with other relevant international or ganizations and to report 
regularly to the General Council with possible recommendations.  She said the CTD should pay 
special attention to the fulfilment of this mandate. 
25. She said her delegation was of the view that the CTD should continue to function as a think-
tank on commodity issues, and should also monito r progress in the negotiating bodies.  There should, 
therefore, be two aspects to the work of the CTD on commodity issues.  With regard to presentations 
in the CTD, her delegation wished to hear from pr oducer organizations and associations, particularly 
those from Africa.  Her delegation stood ready to sh are the names of particular associations with the 
CTD. 
26. The Chairman
 inquired whether Kenya had any sugg estions at this time for producer 
associations that could be invited to make a presentation to the CTD. 
27. The representative of Kenya  said she did not have any specific names to provide at this time 
but asked the Committee to take note of her delega tion's interest in hearing a presentation from such 
an association.   
28. The representative of the United States  said he regretted that Kenya would not be able to 
make a presentation at the present meeting.  He  welcomed Kenya's idea of having a synopsis 
circulated in advance of the date of the presentati on and noted Kenya's interest in a presentation in the 
CTD from a producer association.  His delegation proposed hearing presentations with a focus on 
specific commodities.  This could help Members compare and contrast experiences, as well as identify appropriate roles for international organizati ons.  Such presentations w ould be consistent with 
earlier presentations in the CTD by UNCTAD and the Common Fund for Commodities.  They could 
also focus attention on the critical role of the priv ate sector in both trade and development outcomes.  
His delegation welcomed hearing presentations by the ICO and the ITTO. He said these presentations 
would provide the opportunity to examine different experiences and also draw on the perspectives of 
the private sector, which played an important  role in both the ICO and the ITTO.  WT/COMTD/M/56 
Page 6  
 
  29. The representative of Djibouti
 said his delegation believed that the main issue relating to 
commodities was not one of marketing, but one of life or death in several countries, particularly least-developed countries (LDCs).  At Hong Kong, Ch ina, the CTD was instructed to intensify its 
work on commodity issues. He said the participation of other international or ganizations was vital in 
the work of the CTD, as this would enable the Committee to hear about the experiences these 
organizations had in specific areas. 
30. The Chairman proposed that either the ICO or the ITTO be invited to make a presentation at 
the next meeting of the CTD.    
31. It was so agreed
.  
E. 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  
- S TATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN  
32. The Chairman  said that at the last meeting of the CTD, the Committee had continued its 
review of the developmental aspects of the negotiations based on a revised background paper 
prepared by the Secretariat, circulated as document WT/COMTD/W/143/Rev.1.  He said the 
Committee had had a very interesting and constructi ve discussion and was to continue its review of 
the developmental aspects of the negotiations at the present meeting.  The Secretariat was to  revise its 
paper once again for this purpose. 
33. He said he had reflected on how best the Co mmittee could continue with its work on this 
agenda item and now believed that the CTD's next  review of the developmental aspects of the 
negotiations, based on a revised version of the Secret ariat document, would be of greater value if it 
were to take place after the Apr il deadline for modalities.  This would provide an opportunity for 
Members to assess the developmental value of any agr eed modalities.  He said he was encouraged to 
see several Ambassadors present at the last meeting of the CTD when this agenda item was discussed.  
He encouraged representation at the Ambassador ial level when the Committee undertook its next 
review of the developmental aspects of the negotiations. 
34. He added that the Secretariat would need sufficient time to revise its document on the 
developmental aspects of the negotiations in order to take into account any possible modalities, and 
also to have the document translated in the three languages.  While there was a CTD meeting 
scheduled on 11 May 2006, he believed that woul d be too soon after the April deadline.  He, 
therefore, proposed that the Committee's next review  of the developmental aspects of the negotiations, 
based on a revised Secretariat document, take pl ace at the CTD's meeting of 6 July 2006.   
35. It was so agreed . 
F. DRAFT WORK PROGRAMME FOR 2006  (WT/COMTD/W/147) 
36. The Chairman said a draft 2006 work programme  for the CTD had been issued as document 
WT/COMTD/W/147.  He invited the Committee to cons ider the draft work programme with a view to 
adopting it.  WT/COMTD/M/56 
 Page 7 
 
 
  37. The representative of Zambia  made the following statement on behalf of the LDC Group: 
"Mr. Chairman, The mandate of this Committee remains central  to the full and effective integration of 
developing countries, and least-developed count ries in particular, in the global trading 
system.  It is no doubt that the work undert aken thus far has been valuable and will 
continue to be so in enhancing the pa rticipation of our economies in the global 
trading system, with the ultimate objective of  attaining sustained levels of economic 
development. 
Our Ministers in Hong Kong, China adopted a Declaration that sets out important 
parameters for the continuation of work in several committees of the WTO, including 
this Committee. 
The Ministers instructed this Committee to, among other issues, intensify its work on 
commodities, in cooperation with other rele vant international or ganizations and to 
report regularly to the General C ouncil with possible recommendations. 
They also gave this Committee the task of receiving notifications and conducting the 
review of implementation of the schemes a dopted under Decision 36 of Annex F on 
duty-free and quota-free market access granted in  favour of least-developed countries. 
In addition, the Ministers underscored the importance of designing technical 
assistance programmes in a manner that addr esses the needs and priorities of the 
beneficiary countries. 
Mr Chairman, I am confident that in the months ahead, we shall all work towards 
fulfilling the mandate given to us by our Ministers, not necessarily in the technical 
sense, but more in the spirit within which these were adopted. 
It is, therefore, our view that the starting poi nt is for us to structure our work in this 
Committee in a manner that would facilitate attainment of the objectives set before us by our Ministers.  We believe that an early  start to this work is essential.  It is, 
therefore, important to have these issues as standing items on the agenda of this 
Committee, bearing in mind that the work to  be undertaken has a close link to work 
being undertaken in other bodies.  In particular, the work relating to the implementation of market access schemes has a close link to negotiations under NAMA and agriculture.  We see work on this as a process that would require constant updates as negotiations unfold.  It is, therefor e, critical to have this and other areas 
where Ministers have given instructions , as standing items on the agenda.  We, 
therefore, look forward to working with  you to have these issues effectively 
addressed as early as possible. 
Mr. Chairman, I would like to assure you of  the continued cooperation of the LDC 
Group in your work and accomplishment of  the tasks under this Committee." 
38. The representative of Egypt
 observed that according to the draft work programme, the report 
of the Strategic Review of WTO-Provided Trade-Related Technical Assistance was to be discussed at the 59
th Session of the CTD in October 2006.  He said there had been an understanding at the 
Hong Kong Ministerial Conference that negotiations we re to be concluded by the end of 2006, which 
would presumably entail intense negotiations towards the end of the year.  The idea of the Review 
was to allow planning of the future direction of technical assistance (TA) provided by the WTO.  He WT/COMTD/M/56 
Page 8  
 
  expressed concern about whether discussion of the report at the October meeting of the CTD would 
allow delegations adequate time to  express their views and explore how  the results of the report could 
be integrated into future TA.  He inquired whet her it might be possible to discuss the report at the 
58
th Session of the CTD in July instead. 
39. The Chairman  said that a mid-term review meeting between consultants and the Steering 
Committee of the Strategic Review w as originally scheduled to take place in April 2006.  However, it 
was later agreed that April was not an appropriate  time, as the Geneva-based members of the Steering 
Committee would be heavily involved in the negotia tions during that month.  The meeting had, 
therefore, been postponed to May 2006.  This had al so postponed the expected date for finalization of 
the report to the latter part of June 2006.  The July  meeting of the CTD would, therefore, probably be 
too early to have a comprehensive discussion of the report. 
40. The representative of Senegal  said he supported the statement made by the representative of 
Zambia.  He agreed with the importance of havi ng a standing item on the CTD agenda relating to the 
decision on duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market  access for LDCs taken at Hong Kong, China. 
41. The Chairman  said that if Members so wished, the Committee could begin discussing the 
DFQF decision already at the next meeting of the CTD.    
42. The representative of Djibouti  said he supported what had been said by Zambia and Senegal.  
He said the work programme of the CTD should give  importance to issues of interest to LDCs.  He 
also wished to thank the WTO for the TA that had been provided to LDCs. 
43. The representative of Norway  said his delegation supported the draft work programme.  He 
said the representative of Egypt had made a valid poi nt with regard to the proposed timing of the 
discussion on the report of the Strategic Review.  He , however, also agreed that it would be difficult 
to have a comprehensive discussion on the report at the July meeting of the CTD.  He, therefore, proposed that informal consultations could be he ld to allow Members to comment on the report and 
make suggestions on items for inclusion in the 2007 TA Plan. 
44. The Chairman
 said he would take steps to try and hold informal consultations to discuss the 
report of the Strategic Review. 
45. The representative of China  said he understood that LDCs may prefer having their concerns 
addressed in the CTD, but inquired whether their concerns would not be better addressed in the 
Sub-Committee on LDCs.  He also fully supported Norw ay's proposal to have informal consultations 
relating to the report of the Strategic Review, in particular if it was not feasible to discuss the report at the July meeting of the CTD.  He wondered, ther efore, whether it was necessary to hold the July 
meeting of the CTD, as the proposed items for th at meeting could potentially be discussed at other 
meetings during the year. 
46. The Chairman
, in response to the query from China c oncerning the CTD's July meeting, said 
the Committee had agreed to undert ake its next review of the developmental aspects of the 
negotiations at that meeting.  The discussion that would take place under the agenda item relating to 
paragraph 51 of the Doha Declara tion warranted a full meeting.  
47. The representative of Zambia  said the decision taken in Hong Kong, China on DFQF market 
access for LDCs should be reflected as a standing item on the agenda of the CTD.  With regard to the 
query raised by the representative of China, he sai d that the mandate given by Ministers was for the 
CTD to deal with the matter.  WT/COMTD/M/56 
 Page 9 
 
 
  48. The Chairman  said that an item relating to the decision on DFQF market access for LDCs 
could be incorporated in the CTD's work programme fo r all meetings of the year.  With regard to TA 
for LDCs, he proposed that this issue be discu ssed in detail in the Sub-Committee on LDCs.  If 
necessary, the Chairman of the Sub-Committee could bring to the attention of the CTD Chairman any 
relevant TA issue discussed in the Sub-Committee.    
49. The representative of India  said his delegation supported the concern expressed by Egypt.  
The purpose of the Strategic Review was to provide  input for the future TA Plan.  The timeframe 
provided in the draft work programme for discussion of the report of the Strategic Review would not 
permit this.  Norway's proposal was one possible way to address the concern.  Members should be 
allowed sufficient time to put in their views on how the results of the Strategic Review would feed in 
to the future TA Plan. 
50. The Chairman  said he would consult with the members of the Steering Committee and the 
consultants, as well as with the Secretariat, to find  a way to move forward.  He believed informal 
consultations should be held before  the finalization of the 2007 TA Plan.  He said all efforts would be 
made to take into account the concerns of Members. 
51. He proposed that the Committee adopt the draf t work programme with the change proposed 
by Zambia, namely to include an agenda item fo r all remaining meetings of the CTD in 2006 on the 
decision relating to DFQF market access for LDCs. 
52. The Committee adopted  its work programme for 2006.1 
G. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING  
- A NNUAL REPORT ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING , 1 JANUARY TO 
31 D ECEMBER 2005  (WT/COMTD/W/146) 
53. The Chairman  said he wished to invite the Secretariat to introduce the 2005 Annual Report on 
Technical Assistance and Training, which had b een issued as document WT/COMTD/W/146.  The 
floor would then be opened for questions and comments. 
54. The Director of the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC)  said the report 
contained in document WT/COMTD/W/146 followed th e structure of the Tec hnical Assistance (TA) 
Plan.  This permitted an easy cross-referencing with the TA Plan.  The report contained both 
qualitative and quantitative inform ation, which was in line with Members' wishes.  In 2005, 
462 activities were implemented, plus an additional 59 of a project natu re, for a total of 521 activities.  
The corresponding figure for 2004 was 501.  This seemed to confirm that a maximum had been 
reached with regard to what could be physically undertaken with the current resources.  To have a 
more meaningful way of counting and assessing the activities, the notion of "participant days" was 
used in the report.  For 2005, about 31,200 participan t days had been foreseen.  The actual number of 
participant days for the year had, in fact, b een approximately 28,000, which was a 90 per cent 
implementation rate.  
55. He said that four three-month trade policy cour ses had been held in Geneva, and five in the 
regions.  An attempt had been made to maintain a geographical balance in the activities, while also 
paying particular attention to LDCs, the African region and small and vulnerable economies.  Of the 
activities carried out, 38 per cent were for the Africa n region, 23 per cent were for the Asia-Pacific 
region and the rest were spread among the other re gions.  A total of 218 national activities had been 
held, which was a little less than the desired level.  This was due to a number of reasons including 
                                                      
1 The work programme was circulat ed as document WT/COMTD/56. WT/COMTD/M/56 
Page 10  
 
  some difficulty experienced in getting Members to  come forward with their requests for such 
activities.  A total of 169 regional activities had been  held.  Of the activities, 40 per cent related to 
LDCs, either through national or re gional activities.  The needs of LD Cs were also being addressed in 
the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Progra mme (JITAP), the Integrated Framework, the 
Netherlands Trainee Programme and the introduction courses held in Geneva specifically for LDCs. 
56. The ITTC Director said that Secretariat staff in the operational divisions had been asked for 
their inputs in describing the regional activities undertaken  in their areas.  The relevant sections of the 
report gave an indication of how the various activiti es were carried out and what their objectives were.  
He also drew the attention of Members to the descr iption of distance learning in the report.  Distance 
learning came in the form of an e-learning plat form or a CD-based platform.  ITTC was making 
substantial efforts to develop the distance learni ng product.  Significant progress had been made in 
2005, in particular through the development of cour ses of apparent interest to Members.  The ITTC 
Director said that support of various kinds was c ontinuing for regionally-based academic institutions 
that wanted to be involved in teaching or research  relating to the multilateral trading system.  One 
example of this type of support was the seminars that were held for academics who wanted to be 
briefed on WTO matters.  Another example was the support that was provided to selected universities 
upon their request for the delivery of  teaching on WTO-related matters.  
57. He continued by noting that two Geneva Weeks ha d been held in 2005.  He mentioned that in 
addition to the more traditional internship progr ammes in the WTO, the year 2005 also saw the 
inception of the Netherlands Trainee Programme (NTP).  He expressed his appreciation to the Government of the Netherlands for making the NTP possible.  The NTP had a heavy emphasis on 
needs assessment, as this was one of the areas that inte rns were asked to work on.  The ITTC Director 
said that the reference centre programme was also  continuing.  The content of the programme was 
divided between the installation of new reference cen tres and the upgrading of older reference centres. 
Older reference centres were upgraded after three to five years.  The report also contained a relatively 
long description of partnerships and outsourcing.  There was an analysis by region and also an 
indication of what types of activities had been undertaken with the various partners and how 
complementarities were being sought.  
58. The ITTC Director said the final section of th e report was devoted to the issue of funding.  
In 2005, there was CHF 24 million in the Global Trust Fund (GTF).  An amount of CHF 21.5 million had been spent, representing approximately 90 per cen t of the allocated funds.  Under the regular 
budget, CHF 4.6 million had been spent out of the CH F 5.3 million.  He said that taking into account 
the left over funds from 2005, as well as the pledges on record, an amount of CHF 15 million in fresh 
money was requested from Members.  Activities had gotten off to a good start in 2006 and money was being spent rapidly.  He, therefore, appealed to Members to provide the requested funds.  He said donors would be receiving a letter on this subject, which would serve as a follow-up to a first letter 
sent in November 2005. 
59. The representative of the European Communities
 said the 2005 report provided a 
comprehensive overview of the trade-related tec hnical assistance (TRTA) activities undertaken.  His 
delegation welcomed the high implementation ra te across the board and the generally positive 
feedback.  He said that more emphasis could be give n to a systematic approach to reflect the lessons 
learned and the areas where the WTO was trying to improve quality.  Examples included the issue of 
needs assessment and the selection of participants for activities organized by the Secretariat.  His 
delegation was pleased that the Secretariat had re ported progress with needs assessment, but regretted 
that no mention was made on any progress made in sel ecting the right candidates for participation in 
TRTA activities.  He said his delegation found it su rprising that Members did not seem to be making 
full use of the opportunity to request national activ ities.  He inquired whether there was a specific 
group of countries that did not re quest activities, and what could be  done to encourage Members to 
become more active in this regard.  WT/COMTD/M/56 
 Page 11 
 
 
  60. He said he wished to make some specific comme nts on various paragraphs in the report.  In 
paragraph 40, with regard to Ge neva-based specialized courses, his delegation was interested in the 
methodology adopted.  He believed it was a useful a pproach to ensure follow-up on the SPS course 
through the establishment of an electronic platform a nd a stock-taking meeting.  He inquired whether 
the Secretariat could provide more detailed results of the methodology.  He also asked whether the 
Secretariat thought the methodology could be used in other activities.  With re gard to paragraphs 124 
to 127, he asked to what extent the academic s upport activities contributed to sustainable capacity.  
He wondered whether the Secretariat could give a more detailed analysis of this point and in 
particular on concrete progress whic h could be made in building sustainable institutional capacities at 
national levels on WTO-related matte rs.  On paragraph 129, and in pa rticular the sub-section on CBT 
modules, he inquired how many people used distance training modules.  His delegation also wished to 
know when the financial report and the techni cal cooperation audit report would be released. 
61. The representative of Zambia  said that many developing countries, and in particular LDCs, 
had benefited greatly from the WTO TA activities.  On behalf of the LDC Group, he thanked the 
Secretariat for the TA activities and the Government of the Netherlands for the NTP.  He hoped other 
Members would follow the example set by the Netherla nds. With regard to the question on the lack of 
requests from Members for TA activities, he said that several requests from LDCs would be forthcoming.  This was due mainly to a recent meeting with the ITTC Director where it had been 
explained how to formulate appropriate requests. 
62. The representative of Benin
 said the African Group greatly appreciated the WTO TA 
activities.  He said the report showed that there had been a range of activities in different areas.  There 
had also been useful cooperation with national a nd regional institutions.  His delegation recommended 
that this type of cooperation be stepped up.  Wi th regard to national act ivities, he said some 
developing countries faced a number of constraints.   There were logistical and financial problems 
because such activities were meant to  be organized and paid for by the countries.  He said it would be 
useful to think about how the Secretariat could help  with the logistics and financial implications of 
national activities.  Another issue was that in pr actice it was difficult to harmonize dates and confirm 
the timetables for events.  Many activities therefor e tended to be postponed.  This situation would 
improve as capitals became more fl exible and benefited from the expe rience of ITTC.  He thanked the 
Secretariat for the quality of the TA activities and al so thanked the Government  of the Netherlands for 
the NTP.  His delegation urged other Members to follow the example of the Netherlands in this 
regard. 
63. The representative of Japan  said the report was very comp rehensive in terms of the 
breakdown of activities by division.  In the area of needs assessment, he said the Secretariat had made 
a substantial effort, and improveme nts had been achieved.  He belie ved it might be useful for the 
WTO and bilateral donors to coordinate their effo rts in the context of needs assessment.  His 
delegation shared the concern of others that some  Members were not requesting national activities.  If 
there was some sort of systemic difficulty in requ esting national activities, one idea could be to have 
an informal meeting to try to resolve the difficultie s.  With regard to e-training and e-courses, he 
noted that this was mentioned in paragraphs 83 to 87 in the context of the Rules Division's activities, 
but was otherwise not included in a comprehensive manner in the report.  His delegation wished to 
know the extent to which e-training and e-courses we re being used.  He inqui red whether it would be 
possible in next year's report to have an independe nt section on this, as it would help to evaluate how 
to better utilize such training. 
64. The representative of Djibouti  said his delegation welcomed the methodology followed in the 
provision of WTO TA.  Djibouti had been benef iting from WTO TA at the national and the regional 
level since the establishment of the WTO.  He sa id that TA was one of the main reasons why 
developing countries were Members of the WTO.  TA was essential in allowing developing country 
Members to meet their WTO obligations, as well as to  participate effectively in the negotiations and WT/COMTD/M/56 
Page 12  
 
  benefit from them.  However, TA seminars of two or three days were not long enough for officials 
from some developing countries to gain any concrete  knowledge or benefit.  Seminars lasting a week 
or ten days would be more beneficial.  He sa id it was important to emphasize the important 
contribution of the Government of  the Netherlands.  He believed this was the first time such an 
initiative had been taken in the WTO by an individual country.  It was vital that other donor countries 
follow the example of the Netherlands.   
65. The representative of Norway
 made the following statement: 
"Norway is a firm supporter of the tec hnical assistance and training programme 
through our annual contribution to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust 
Fund.  In our view, the annual report shows that the WTO and its Institute for 
Training and Technical Cooperation contributes substantially to the efforts being 
made in order to help integrating the deve loping countries into the multilateral trading 
system.  The principles and priorities fundamental to the technical assistance and training plan have been discussed extensiv ely in this Committee on earlier occasions.  
Hence, we will only give some few remarks. 
The use of "needs assessments" could be br oadened.  Such assessments could be used 
more frequently to ensure that the activ ities are designed according to beneficiary 
countries' needs and priorities.  National ow nership should be an important element in 
the assistance activities.  
Partnerships with relevant  institutions, organizations and academia will give 
synergies and added value.  It should be kept  in mind, however, that such partnerships 
are coordinated and integrated with other relevant initiatives at the country level. 
The Integrated Framework is a key instrument in assisting the LDCs.  We appreciate 
the participation of the WTO in the IF, as reflected in the annual report.  Our 
intention is to contribute substantially to an  enhanced IF based on the work of the task 
force. 
According to the annual report, LDCs ha ve been associated with approximately 
40 per cent of the assistance activities. From the Norwegian side, we are in favour of 
giving continued strong emphasis and priority to the LDCs in the technical assistance and training activities. 
Reviews and evaluations are of great importance in order to make the assistance 
activities as efficient and useful as possible.  We look forward to the report and 
findings from the team from the Consumer Unity & Trust Society that will review the 
TRTA activities of WTO." 
66. The representative of Egypt
 said that in comparing the present report to past reports, his 
delegation had observed that there had been an im provement and a positive evolution of concepts in 
the provision of TA.  There also seemed to be improvements in implementation efficiency.  The 
concept of participant days was welcomed.  His delegation noted with appr eciation the internship 
programmes.  It was regretful, however, that not all interns could be accommodated in the WTO premises.  He said there was a need to improve the quality of the TA activities, in particular by 
including more advanced material.  He proposed th at the ITTC should come up with a mid-term or 
long-term strategy when designing the TA Plan, so th at allocations could be made for activities to be 
held a few years in the future.  With regard to partnerships and outsourci ng, his delegation observed 
that useful foundations had been laid down.  Howeve r, there was still much to be done in this regard. 
He suggested that a forum for further discussion on partnerships could be  held, perhaps on the  WT/COMTD/M/56 
 Page 13 
 
 
  sidelines of Geneva Week.  His delegation expressed  its appreciation for the TA provided by WTO, 
and urged donors to pr ovide the necessary funds to allo w the TA activities to continue. 
67. The representative of Colombia  observed that there was an increasing number of countries 
requesting TRTA.  She noted that beneficiary coun tries did not always know exactly what type of 
assistance they required.  She, therefore, sugg ested that future annual reports could include 
information on successful TA activities so as to allo w Members to learn how to request appropriate 
assistance.  With regard to the reference centres, sh e noted that beneficiaries were not always making 
full use of them.  She said that while the repor t was very comprehensive, it did not make any 
reference to monitoring or follow-up.  Her dele gation felt that monitoring and follow-up were 
important and should be undertaken.  On the issu e of the trade policy courses, she wondered whether 
it would be possible for participants from Member countries coming out of the courses to share their 
experiences with other Members. 
68. The representative of Mongolia  said his delegation was very appreciative of the initiative of 
the Government of the Netherlands.  He hoped that  other donor countries would follow this example. 
He said that one way to make TA more effect ive was for recipient governments to be held 
accountable for the TA received.  These governments s hould, to the extent possible, make efforts to 
make appropriate use of the assistance available.  His delegation was willing during future informal 
consultations to share its ideas with Members on how to make WTO TA more useful for developing countries. 
69. The representative of the United States
 said his delegation appreciated the informal 
consultations that had previously taken place to discu ss the annual report.  He noted that some reasons 
why countries were not requesting national activities had already been given, but inquired whether the 
Secretariat could also provide some explanation.  His delegation appreciated the NTP, but also saw 
some practical limitations in terms of the number of trainees.  He wondered whether the ITTC had 
given any thought on means to conduct such a ha nds-on training in a broader way, assuming funds 
were available.  He agreed that partnerships we re a useful means of delivering TA, and wished to 
know how relationships with partne rs could be further improved.  With regard to the Geneva-based 
specialized courses, he noted that SPS and dispute settle ment attracted the most attention in 2005.  He 
inquired how the selection of topics for these courses w as made.  Finally, he asked for clarification on 
the financial situation, and how the Secretariat ha d calculated that an amount of CHF 15 million of 
fresh money was required. 
70. The Director of the ITTC  said the Secretariat was doing all it could through correspondence, 
meetings and personal contacts to remind Members of their entitlements under the national activity 
programme.  It was for those Members not utilizing their opportunity for national activities to clarify 
why this was so.  The way the Secretariat budgeted fo r national activities was in terms of the cost of 
taking the resource person to the country.  The rema ining costs of holding the activity had to be met 
by the beneficiary country.  He agreed with the observation made by the representative of Benin that 
national activities were frequently postponed after a da te had already been fixed.  It then became 
difficult for resource persons to fit these activities in to their busy schedules.  He said the Secretariat 
would continue to work with Members to tr y to deliver as many national activities as it was 
committed to.  That being said, 218 such activ ities had been delivered in 2005, which was a 
considerable amount. 
71. He said the Secretariat was working hard on the needs assessments and more were being 
submitted.  Once a needs assessment was in place, how ever, it was for the beneficiary country to use 
it to identify its TRTA priorities and put forward a ppropriate bids for activities.  With regard to 
e-training, he said that useful information could be found in paragraph 129 of the report.  Five on-line 
courses had been held, of which four were intr oductory courses on WTO.  Two of the introductory 
courses were in English, while one each in French  and Spanish had been held.  A course on trade WT/COMTD/M/56 
Page 14  
 
  remedies for the Asia-Pacific region had also take n place.  As for CD-based distance learning, it was 
difficult for the Secretariat to assess how many people were actually benefiting.  What was known was that the Secretariat had sent out one thousand CDs in 2005.  Distance-learning was certainly one 
way to address the question of how to move toward s organizing more advanced training courses.  In 
particular, participants in the advanced courses woul d be required to have already followed one of the 
e-training modules. 
72. With regard to the academic programme, he  said each regional trade policy course was 
organized in close cooperation with a partner uni versity.  These partners were in the process of 
developing their own training activities on the multila teral trading system.  Workshops for academics 
were held to allow them to enhance their teaching,  and documentation was also provided.  In addition, 
under the JITAP programme, reference centres had b een set up in academic institutions.  There was, 
therefore, a sustainable capacity being built up in  regionally-based academic institutions.  On the 
question of the appropriate duration of activities, he said this needed to be discussed and was a 
question of balance.  He noted that activities rela ting to some topics were now only being organized 
on a biennial basis. 
73. On the issue of partnerships, he said the Secret ariat worked closely with some institutions to 
ensure that there was not a duplication of work.  What was still lacking, however, was an information 
base on which to build a greater degree of coherence.   This was particularly the case with regard to 
bilateral donors.  The Secretariat would, however, try to  move forward on this issue.  With regard to  
internships, he noted the practical  limits to the number of interns that could be accommodated in the 
Secretariat.  While some interns were currently be ing housed in their respective missions, the question 
of how and where to accommodate interns had not b een resolved.  There were also signs that other 
Members may wish to offer similar internship progr ammes to the NTP in the future.  The question of 
the extent to which all interns could be accommodate d was therefore a real issue that would have to 
be dealt with.  On the question of multi-year planni ng, he said this had been tried a few years ago.  
However, multi-year planning was difficult unless mu lti-year financing was available, which was 
currently not the case.  It was difficult to move forward on a programme if it was not entirely clear 
where the financing for the programme would come from.  He said, however, that a multi-year plan 
certainly had some benefits and could be considered if a way was found to resolve these practical 
constraints. 
74. The representative of Benin
 said he wished to clarify his earlier intervention regarding the 
problems faced by some countries when organizing national activities.  These activities had to be 
organized so that participants got the most out of them.  Relevant representatives from all over the 
country had to be brought toge ther, and their transportation and accommodation costs had to be 
covered.  The budgetary problems of some countries made  this difficult.  Funds needed to be voted for 
and allocated sufficiently in advan ce.  The Secretariat and its partne rs needed to take these problems 
into account so that the system could be improved.    
75. The Committee took note  of the 2005 Annual Report on Tec hnical Assistance and Training 
and of all interventions. 
H. OTHER BUSINESS  
76. The representative of India  said he wished to raise the issue of negotiations being undertaken 
in other bodies of the WTO which could have a direct impact on the functioning of the CTD.  In particular, the Negotiating Group on Rules (NGR) in  the context of negotiations on regional trade 
agreements (RTAs) was in the process of discussi ng a transparency mechanism for notification and 
consideration of RTAs.  The Chairman of the NGR  had prepared a paper on the subject.  Among the 
issues discussed in that paper was the issue of RT As notified under the Enabling Clause.  Since the 
operation of the Enabling Clause was the responsib ility of the CTD, and that an item relating to  WT/COMTD/M/56 
 Page 15 
 
 
  notifications under the Enabling Clause was a standi ng item on its agenda, it was crucial that any 
discussions likely to impact the functioning of th e Committee should be brought to its attention.  
Accordingly, his delegation proposed that the NGR Chairman be requested to make a presentation in 
an informal meeting of the CTD on the negotiations on RTAs insofar as they dealt with notifications 
under the Enabling Clause.  This was particularly im portant given that partic ipation of developing 
countries in the NGR was often rather low.  Since Ministers had agreed to a deadline of 30 April 2006 
for a provisional decision on RTA transparency, his delegation proposed that an informal meeting of 
the CTD be called within the next few weeks. 
77. The representative of Brazil  said his delegation shared the concern expressed by the 
representative of India, and wished the CTD to be kept fully aware of the progress in the negotiations 
on RTAs.  He said the discussions on a transparency  mechanism for RTAs were quite advanced and 
that there was a good possibility that the 30 April 2006 deadline would be met.  It was, therefore, 
important for the CTD to be briefed by th e NGR Chairman in advance of this date. 
78. The representative of Thailand  said several delegations from developing countries did not 
participate fully in the discussions in the NGR.  He , therefore, supported India's proposal for the NGR 
Chairman to brief the CTD in an informal meeting. 
79. The representative of the Philippines  said his delegation supported the proposal made by 
India.  
80. The representative of the United States  said his delegation appreciated the interest shown by a 
number of Members in the negotiations on RTAs taking place in the NGR.  Making the process as transparent as possible was to the benefit of all Members.  His delegation, therefore, supported the 
proposal made by India.  He additionally proposed  that the Chairman of the Committee on Regional 
Trade Agreements (CRTA) be invited to participate in the informal CTD meeting.  This was because 
the transparency mechanism being discussed in th e NGR related to procedures that concerned the 
review of RTAs, and some of these procedures were  already being applied in the CRTA.  He also 
suggested that delegations bring to the informal  CTD meeting their representatives who covered the 
RTAs negotiations. 
81. The Chairman
 proposed that his successor consu lt with the NGR Chairman and take 
appropriate action to allow the CTD to meet informa lly with the NGR Chairman to discuss the state of 
play of the RTAs negotiations, and in particular issues relating to Enabling Clause notifications. 
82. The representative of the European Communities  said the EC had submitted to the Secretariat 
a notification on its revised GSP scheme.  The notif ication was being prepared for circulation to 
Members.  His delegation looked forward to presenti ng the notification at the next meeting of the 
CTD and responding to any questions from Members on the notification. 
83. The Chairman  said that for transparency purposes he had agreed to make a short presentation 
in the CTD whenever possible on progress made with regard to the Strategic Review of 
WTO-Provided Trade-Related Technical Assistance.  He said that in consultation with the Steering 
Committee, a final selection was made by the consulta nts in the early part of 2006 of the countries to 
be visited for fieldwork.  The countries chosen  were Bangladesh, Barb ados, Cambodia, Ecuador, 
Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Senegal and Yemen.   On 2 February 2006, a further meeting was 
held in Geneva between the Steering Committee, the Review Team of consulta nts and delegates from 
the countries identified for field visits.  The delega tions were represented at  Ambassadorial level and 
expressed their full cooperation.  The Review was progressing well.  The Inception Report including 
the Work Plan and the Review Matrix had been rece ived.  The field visits were due to take place in 
March, following which the nine country studies woul d be prepared.  A mid-term review meeting to 
discuss the preliminary findings and recommendations of the Strategic Review was scheduled to take WT/COMTD/M/56 
Page 16  
 
  place in May 2006.  The meeting had originally been scheduled for April 2006, but had been 
postponed because of the heavy negotiating workload  of Geneva-based delegations expected during 
that month. 
84. He said that at the last meeting of the CTD,  one delegation had requested more information 
on the selection process used by the Steering Committe e.  He had since consulted with the other 
members of the Steering Committee and now wished to provide a r esponse.  He said the Steering 
Committee would not be in a position to provide any other written reports on the selection process 
other than what would be found in the minutes of the present CTD meeting and the previous CTD 
meeting.  He said that after careful examination of over 40 bids, the Steering Committee established a 
shortlist of four candidates.  These included two based in developed countries and two based in 
developing countries. During the selection process, attention was focused on the following criteria: 
- Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA) evaluation expertise; 
- TRTA capacity-building expertise; 
- Knowledge and experience in WTO tr ade policy and trade negotiations; 
- Extent of relevant experien ce with developing countries; 
- Capacity to mobilize relevant expertise from the South; 
- Whether the members of the suggested te am had worked together before in 
comparable settings and on similarly complex tasks; 
- Whether the bidder had given any explanation on the methodology and the 
division of labour for the Strategic Review; 
- Whether the bid reflected a transp arent division of the tasks and 
responsibilities of the team members; 
- Whether the bidding company had agreed on a system of quality control to 
guarantee overall adherence to the quality  standards spelled out in the Terms 
of Reference (TOR) of the Strategic Review; 
- Whether the bidder would take care of  the administration and backstopping 
of the Strategic Review; 
- The price of the bid.     
85. The Chairman said that the Steering Committee invited the four selected candidates to 
participate in telephone conferences held on 13 and 14 October 2005.  At these conferences all 
candidates were asked the same questions which aime d to verify their understanding of the TOR, and 
were invited to briefly state their approach to the review.  In addition, the candidates were asked to 
further improve their bids and provide additional in formation.  After considering the responses, the 
Steering Committee found that the offer by the Consum er Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) appeared to 
be the most complete, corresponding to all the required criteria.  The offer was also at a very competitive price.  Based on the unanimous decision of its members, the Steering Committee recommended that a contract be offered to CUTS.  WT/COMTD/M/56 
 Page 17 
 
 
  I. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE CTD 
86. The Chairman  said that the General Council at its m eeting on 8 February had announced the 
new Chairpersons for 2006.  He was pleased to info rm the Committee that Mr. Faizel Ismail, Head of 
the South African delegation to the WTO, had b een chosen as the new Chairman of the CTD.  
87. The Committee elected  Mr. Faizel Ismail as Chairman of the CTD. 
88. The outgoing Chairman  said that Mr. Ismail had been the Head of the South African 
delegation to the WTO since April 2002.  He was pa rticularly well known in the development area, as 
he served as Chairman of the CTD in Special Session  for two years.  Prior to coming to the WTO, he 
held several senior positions in the Department of Trade and Industry of South Africa, including Deputy Director General for International Trade and Economic Development.  He had also been 
South Africa's chief negotiator for a number of trade agreements including the South Africa-European 
Union Free Trade Agreement, the South Africa-Sout hern African Customs Union, the South Africa-
Southern African Free Trade Agreement, the Sout h Africa-Mercosur Trade Agreement and the South 
Africa-India Trade Agreement.  
89. The incoming Chairman
 thanked Members for the confidence they had placed in him by 
electing him Chairman of the CTD.  He also thanked the outgoing Chairman on behalf of the 
Members and the Secretariat for steering the Committee and its Dedicated Session over the last year.  He said he was aware of some of the issues being treated in the CTD, but looked forward to the guidance and cooperation of Members.  He was awar e of the importance of the CTD as the focal point 
for consideration and coordination of work on development in the WTO.  He assured Members of his 
intention to continue to give a high profile to the work of the CTD and to its Dedicated Session. 
J. E
LECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON LEAST -DEVELOPED 
COUNTRIES  
90. The Chairman  said he had been informed that consultations had led to the proposal for 
H.E. Mr. Ian de Jong, Ambassador of the Netherland s, to serve a third year as the Chairman of the 
Sub-Committee on LDCs.  He asked if this was acceptable to Members. 
91. It was so agreed . 
92. The Chairman  said that Ambassador de Jong had broad diplomatic experience.  Before taking 
up his post as Ambassador in Geneva, he se rved as Deputy Permanent Representative of 
the Netherlands to the European Un ion in Brussels and as Minister Plenipotentiary at the Netherlands 
Embassy in Bonn.  He was previously Director for Multilateral Aid in the Hague for five years.  He 
served in several other capitals including the Hague , Washington, Khartoum and Beirut.  He also 
served as an Executive Director of the Inter-Ame rican Investment Corporation in Washington.  
Ambassador de Jong's long experience was a va luable asset to the work conducted in the 
Sub-Committee. 
93. The Chairman of the Sub-Committee on LDCs  said it was with great pleasure and humility 
that he accepted his re-election.  He was grateful  for the confidence the LDC Group placed in him by 
supporting him for the position.  He also saw his re-e lection as a reflection of the commitment of the 
European Communities to the LDCs.  He said that s ubjects of special interest to the LDCs could be 
treated in a focused manner in the Sub-Committee.   These included market  access for LDCs, trade-
related technical assistance and capacity-building for LDCs, support for the diversification of LDCs' 
production and export base, mainstreaming of the Brussels Declaration and Programme of Action, 
participation of LDCs in the multilateral trading system, accession of more LDCs to the WTO, and 
follow-up to WTO Ministerial Decisions and Declara tions including the developmental aspects of the WT/COMTD/M/56 
Page 18  
 
  Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration.  The agenda of the next meeting of the Sub-Committee focused 
on problems related to preferential market access fo r LDCs and the options for LDCs to improve their 
competitiveness in the textiles and clothing business.  He said he looked forward to working closely 
with the CTD Chairman to see what could be done to assist LDCs.      
94. The meeting was adjourned
. 
 
__________