RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/M/79 
3 September 2010 
 
 (10-4558) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Seventy-Ninth Session  
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 28 JUNE 2010 
 
Chairman:  H. E. Mr. Erwidodo (Indonesia)  
  
 
A.
 ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA ........................................................................................................1  
B. OBSERVERS ............................................................................................................................... ..2 
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers ...............................................................................2  
(ii) Further consideration of requests for observer status by the League of Arab States, 
the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting, the Organisation Internationale de la 
Francophonie, the Common Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and th e Groupe de la Banque Africaine de 
Developpement.................................................................................................................. ..........2
 
C. REPORT OF THE 43RD SESSION OF THE JOINT ADVISORY GROUP ON THE 
INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE UNCTAD/WTO  (ITC/AG(XLIII)/232) ................................3  
D. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE .......................................................................4  
- GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC)  NOTIFICATION OF CUSTOMS UNION .................................4  
E. DECISION ON TRANSPARENCY FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS ............................6  
- GENERAL COUNCIL DECISION OF 14 DECEMBER 2006  (WT/L/672) ............................................6  
- TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS - DRAFT 
PROPOSAL BY BRAZIL , CHINA , INDIA AND THE UNITED STATES (JOB(08)/103/R EV.2) ..............6  
F. REVIEW OF STEPS TAKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY-FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET 
ACCESS TO LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ..............................................................................7  
G. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING ................................................................................9  
(i) Annual Report on Technical Assistance and Training, 1 January to 31 December 
2009 (WT/COMTD/W/173).........................................................................................................9  
(ii) Technical Cooperation Audit Report for 2009 (WT/COMTD/W/174)........................................9  
H. OTHER BUSINESS ......................................................................................................................13  
 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairman  said that the draft agenda for 79th Session of the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD) was contained in document WT O/AIR/3568 issued on 4 June 2010.  He drew 
Members' attention to agenda item D concerning notifications under the Enabling Clause, and in WT/COMTD/M/79 
Page 2  
 
  particular the sub-item relating to the notifica tion of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Customs 
Union.  He said that he had been consulting with a number of the concerned delegations on this matter 
and that, while the sub-item appeared on the agenda for the present meeting, he did not intend to open 
the floor for any substantive discussion.  He said th at he would continue hi s consultations, and that 
Members would be kept informed. Turning next to agenda item E, he said that the proponents of a 
Transparency Mechanism (TM) for Preferential Tr ade Arrangements (PTAs) – Brazil, China, India 
and the US – had recently circulated, in document JOB(08)/103/Rev.2, a second revision to their draft 
proposal. Members had been informed by fax that it was this second revision  that was the appropriate 
one for consideration under agenda item E, a nd not the previous version of the document – 
JOB(08)/103/Rev.1 – which appeared on the draft agenda for the 79
th Session.  
2. The representative of India  said that his delegation intended to make an intervention under 
agenda item D. 
3. The representative of Egypt  said that Members had agreed at the 78th Session of the CTD to 
postpone discussions on the notification of the GCC Customs Union, on the understanding that the 
Chairman's informal consultations with all concer ned delegations would cont inue.  However, since 
the 78th Session, his delegation had not been consulte d on the matter, nor had it taken part in any 
informal consultations called by the Chairman.  In light of this, his delegation wished to make an 
intervention under agenda item D. 
4. The Chairman  said that he wished to add a matter under "Other Business" concerning the 
periodic update of the Secretariat paper on th e Developmental Aspects of the Doha Round of 
Negotiations. 
5. The agenda was adopted  as amended. 
B. OBSERVERS  
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers 
6. The Chairman  recalled that, at previous sessions of the CTD, Members had agreed to invite a 
number of intergovernmental organizations on an ad  hoc, meeting-by-meeting basis.  These included 
the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Economic Co mmunity of West African States (ECOWAS), the 
Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Inte r-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation, the 
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 
Programme (UNEP), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the World 
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  He said th at, following the decision taken at the previous 
meeting of the Committee, the organizations had be en 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
. 
(ii) Further consideration of requests for observer st atus by the League of Arab States, the 
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for 
Industrial Consulting, the Organisation Int ernationale de la Francophonie, the Common 
Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and the Groupe de la Banque Africaine de Developpement 
8. 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  WT/COMTD/M/79 
 Page 3 
 
 
  to any of those applicants, then the Committee would take note and would revert to those requests at 
the next meeting. 
9. It was so agreed . 
C. REPORT OF THE 43RD SESSION OF THE JOINT ADVISORY GROUP ON THE INTERNATIONAL 
TRADE CENTRE UNCTAD/WTO  (ITC/AG(XLIII)/232) 
10. The Chairman  said that the report of the 43rd session of the Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on 
the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WT O (ITC) was contained in ITC document 
ITC/AG(XLIII)/232.  He welcomed Ambassador Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago, the 
Chairman of the 43rd session of the JAG, and Ms. Eva Murray, the Director of the Division for 
Programme Support at the ITC.  He invited Am bassador Francis to introduce the report.  
11. The Chairman of the JAG  said that the JAG had held its 43rd session on 14 and 
15 December 2009.  The Group had been convened to discuss the ITC's Annual Report for 2008 and the preliminary Annual Report for 2009, the Consol idated Programme Document for 2010, and the 
ITC's Strategic Plan for 2010 to 2013.  In his openi ng remarks, the Director-General of the WTO had 
welcomed the ITC's follow-up on its commitment to  enhance its monitoring and evaluation capacity, 
as well as its focus on improving export competitiveness.  The Deputy Secretary-General of 
UNCTAD had emphasized the important role that the ITC had in helping the private sector respond to 
new market opportunities and develop business capabilities.   The need to mainstream trade into the 
national development strategies of developing countries, and th e importance of inter-agency 
cooperation on trade issues were also highlighted in  the opening session.  In her statement to the 
Group, the Executive Director of the ITC had indi cated that the essential ingredients for market 
success and maintaining competitiveness were long-t erm strategic planning, flexibility and agility. 
There was also a need to embrace innovation, and to establish regional, intra-regional and 
public-private partnerships and alliances.  The Exec utive Director had further indicated that the ITC 
was in the second year of its Strategic Planning cy cle and, having completed the change management 
process, was now focused on quality, delivery, results  and impact.  The results from the ITC's annual 
client survey showed that satisfaction with th e agency's performance had improved from 38 per cent 
in 2007 and 43 per cent in 2008, to 56 per cent in 2009.  
12. The JAG Chairman continued by saying that the Group had endorsed the Consolidated 
Programme Document for 2010 and the Strategic Plan for 2010 to 2013.  Many delegations had 
stressed the importance of the IT C's work, and in particular the support for small and medium-sized 
enterprises in developing countries.  Delegations were particularly appreciative of the connection 
between the ITC's programmes and ef forts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.  In this 
regard, the ITC's activities in developing the capacity  of poor communities to engage in international 
export trade were highlighted.  Delegations also em phasized the need to mainstream gender concerns 
and to factor considerations related to climat e change into ITC programmes.  The JAG further 
underlined the importance of the Aid-for-Trade Initia tive, in the context of which the ITC focused on 
the private sector.  Appreciation was expressed for efforts undertaken to improve the performance and 
effectiveness of trade support institutions in de veloping countries, as well as for a new initiative to 
assist LDCs in the WTO accession process.  
13. He informed the Committee that the JAG ha d welcomed the introduction of results-based 
management.  However, some delega tions had felt that there was still c onsiderable work to be done to 
establish clear baselines for measuring performance, prio r needs assessment, verifiable indicators and 
links between outputs and outcome  and developmental impacts.  Finally, he mentioned that 
government representatives had announced voluntary cont ributions to the ITC.  In this regard, he 
thanked Canada, China, Finland, Germany, th e Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, 
Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. WT/COMTD/M/79 
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  14. The representative of Canada
 welcomed the progress made by the ITC in the area of 
results-based management.  He indicated that his de legation would continue to  support the ITC in its 
efforts to implement a results-based system, in whic h outcomes and indicators were well identified so 
as to allow performance measurement. 
15. The representative of Zambia, on behalf of the LDC Group,  expressed appreciation for the 
ITC's efforts to enhance the participa tion of LDCs in international trade. 
16. The Director of the ITC's Division for Programme Support  said that the ITC looked forward 
to continuing to work collaborativel y with delegations in the future. 
17. The Committee took note  of the report of the 43rd session of the JAG and forwarded  it to the 
General Council for adoption.  
D. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE  
- GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC)  NOTIFICATION OF CUSTOMS UNION  
18. The representative of Egypt  said that his delegation wished to raise a number of matters 
arising from the dual notification of the GCC Customs Union under the Enabling Clause and GATT Article XXIV, which were believed to have substantive systemic implications.  The systemic issue 
that his delegation believed required consideration did not relate specifically to when a notification of 
a regional trade agreement (RTA) should be made, or  whether an RTA qualified for notification under 
a specific WTO provision.  Nor did it relate to th e rationale justifying the use of two distinct 
provisions as the legal basis to notify the GCC Agre ement.  Rather, the issue related to the legal 
implications of notifying the GCC Agre ement under both the Enabling Clause and GATT 
Article XXIV without either notification being re voked or withdrawn.  These legal implications 
affected how the CTD delineated its responsibilities and fulfilled its terms of reference (TORs) and, 
more broadly, how the CTD would deal in the future with RTAs betw een developing country 
Members that were notified under the Enabling Clause.  
19. He went on to say that the issue had become more relevant in light of the process that the 
GCC Agreement had gone through.  In particular, th e concerns raised by some Members when the 
Agreement was notified exclusively under the Enab ling Clause had led to another notification under 
GATT Article XXIV.  This had been done notwithst anding the fact that the former CTD Chairman 
had indicated at the 69
th and 70th Sessions that the GCC Agreement was scheduled to be considered in 
a dedicated session of the CTD.  Furthermore, hi s delegation believed that the arrangement through 
which it had been decided that the Agreement woul d be referred to the Committee on Regional Trade 
Agreements (CRTA) for consideration tested a number of procedural and legal understandings 
relating to the notification of RTAs between developing countries.  He pointed to one of the 
conclusions drawn by the Secretariat in its 200 3 Legal Note on Regional Trade Arrangements under 
the Enabling Clause – circulated as document WT/C OMTD/W/114 – which was that if consultations 
of an RTA among developing countries to which the Enabling Clause might apply were to be conducted by the CRTA, they should be carried out according to the procedures and TORs provided 
to the CRTA by the CTD.  Accordingly, clarification was sought as to what TORs the CTD had 
provided the CRTA with to consider the GCC Agreement.  
20. He said that Egypt – along with China, India and Pakistan – had requested an update to the 
Secretariat's Legal Note.  The purpose was to addres s the legal and procedural systemic implications 
arising from the dual notification of the GCC Agreem ent, as well as to provide further clarity on the 
respective roles of the CTD and the CRTA and to re flect changes in ground realities as they related to 
the application of the TM for RTAs.  He pointed to  paragraph 1 of the CTD's TORs, which stated that 
the CTD was to serve as the focal point for th e consideration and coordination of work on  WT/COMTD/M/79 
 Page 5 
 
 
  development in the WTO.  In light of this, he observed that the CTD should not casually pass on this 
systemic issue to other WTO bodies, including the Negotiating Group on Rules (NGR).  In fact, Egypt was of the view that the NGR should be invite d to the proceedings of the CTD under the present 
agenda item, with a view to assisting in the upda te of the Legal Note.  Finally, he recalled that 
paragraph 4 of the CTD's TORs entitled the Committ ee to consider any questions which may arise 
with regard to either the application or the use of special provisions in the Multilateral Trade 
Agreements and related Ministeria l Decisions in favour of developi ng country Members, and report to 
the General Council for appropriate action.  He said that this justified the basis upon which his 
delegation was requesting that the present item be maintained on the agenda for the CTD's next 
meeting.  
21. The representative of India
 supported the intervention by Egypt.  He expressed appreciation 
to the Chairman for his informal consultations on the GCC issue, and supported the intention to 
continue these consultations with all interested pa rties.  He said that it was a well-known fact that 
discussions in the CTD on the important systemic is sues relating to the notification and consideration 
of the GCC Customs Union had eluded consensus.  He hoped that the informal consultations would 
help the CTD in taking decisions relating to the notification and consideration of the GCC Customs 
Union and other related matters, such as th e updating of the Secretariat's Legal Note. 
22. The representative of Pakistan  supported the intervention by Egypt and expressed his 
delegation's interest to participate in a ny informal consultations on this matter.  
23. The representative of China  associated himself with the statements made by Egypt and India.  
He said that his delegation had previously raised  systemic concerns on the GCC issue, but had not 
been consulted since the last CTD meeting.  He believed that informal c onsultations called by the 
CTD Chairman, and involving all the interested pa rties, would contribute to a satisfactory and 
expeditious solution.  His delega tion looked forward to participati ng in these consultations, and to 
engaging in a fuller discussion on this matter at the next CTD meeting. 
24. The representative of the United States  expressed disappointment that this matter was being 
discussed at all in the CTD, sin ce it was the subject of ongoing informal consultations.  The GCC item 
had been dealt with according to procedures, and the matter had been resolved.  Her delegation felt 
that what China, Egypt, India and Pakistan we re seeking was a systemic discussion on RTAs under 
the Enabling Clause.  If this was th e case, the US was willing to engage in such a discussion, but not 
under the present agenda item and not until the propone nts had further elaborated their concerns.  
Until then, the US would not agree to accept a standi ng agenda item on this matter.  Regarding the 
request for a revision to the Legal Note, her delega tion's position had not changed.  In particular, the 
US would not accept a decision to allow the Secretariat to formulate an opinion on the legal status of Members' actions, as this would be wholly inappr opriate.  The US saw no practical reason for the 
Legal Note to be revised or updated.  
25. The representative of the European Union
 said that his delegation was disappointed that the 
present item remained on the CTD's agenda.  However,  the EU was willing to work with others in 
order to try to find a satisfactory solution.  Noti ng that the present item remained on the CTD's agenda 
because of the systemic concerns of some Members,  he recalled that at the last meeting of the 
General Council there had been broad support for a pr oposal by China, India and Pakistan to review 
the operation of the TM for RTAs.  He suggested that this might be the appropriate process through 
which any systemic concerns relating to RTAs could be addressed. 
26. The Chairman  said that he intended to continue hi s consultations on this matter with all 
interested delegations. 
27. The Committee took note  of all interventions.  WT/COMTD/M/79 
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  E. D
ECISION ON TRANSPARENCY FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS  
- GENERAL COUNCIL DECISION OF 14 DECEMBER 2006  (WT/L/672)  
- TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS - DRAFT 
PROPOSAL BY BRAZIL , CHINA , INDIA AND THE UNITED STATES (JOB(08)/103/R EV.2)1 
28. The Chairman  said that the 14 December 2006 Gene ral Council Decision on "Transparency 
for Preferential Trade Arrangements" – contai ned in document WT/L/672 – invited the CTD to 
consider transparency for preferential arrangement s under paragraph 2 of the Enabling Clause – other 
than RTAs – and report back within six months fo r appropriate action by th e General Council.  The 
Council had since extended the deadline to its July 2010 meeting. 
29. He said that, since the last CTD meeting, he had been speaking individually to a number of 
delegations on the issue of transparency for PTAs.   He had engaged in talks with some of the 
proponents of the TM for PTAs, as well as with some of the other delegations that had been 
participating in the small-group informal consulta tions on this matter.  He had recently called a 
small-group informal consultation in order to ta ke stock of where things stood on the discussions 
regarding the establishment of the TM for PTAs.  At the consultation, the proponents had indicated 
that they had been working with other delegations in  revising their draft text.  They had shared with 
the group a revised version of their draft proposal , which had subsequently been circulated as 
document JOB(08)/103/Rev.2.  This was an indication of real progress.  At the present meeting, he 
said that he would offer the proponents the opportunity to introduce their revision.  In case it became 
clear that more work was needed, he would hold further informal consultations leading up to the 
General Council meeting of 29 July  2010.  He was also keeping open the possibility of reconvening 
the CTD, in case he felt that this issue could be  brought to a closure before the General Council 
meeting.  On the other hand, if discussions had no t advanced to the point where the CTD could come 
to an agreement, he would report to the General Council on all the work that had been undertaken 
since the Council had last been briefed in December 2009. 
30. The representative of Brazil  recalled that, when adopting the TM for RTAs in 
December 2006, the General Council had also invited th e CTD to consider transparency for PTAs.  In 
this regard, Brazil and India ha d in October 2007 circulated a non- paper in document JOB(07)/142, 
calling for the establishment of a TM for PTAs.  The US and China had subsequently joined as 
proponents of the initiative.  He explained that, by  setting out procedural requirements, the proposed 
PTAs TM sought to enhance transparency, and therefore Members' understanding of the many 
existing PTAs.  Though there were several sim ilarities between the RTAs Mechanism and the 
proposed PTAs Mechanism, he noted that RTAs and PTAs were substantially different in their nature, 
their legal basis and their operation.  This implie d different notification a nd reporting obligations.  
Even though a number of issues had kept the CT D from agreeing to the draft proposal within the 
timelines that had been set out, substantial progress had been made.  Members now had greater clarity on the proposed PTAs TM and had also na rrowed the gaps in their positions.  
31. He indicated that the document that had recently been issued was a revised version of  
document JOB(08)/103/Rev.1 of 27 November 2009 , which had been circulated prior to the 
77
th Session of the CTD.  The latest revision was the result of several small-group meetings and 
bilateral consultations.  While the structure of  the document remained unaltered, a series of 
adjustments had been made at the request of certain Members, or as a reaction to many of their comments and suggestions.  Some of the modifications to the text were primarily stylistic, but others 
                                                     
 
1 As the Chairman indicated at the beginning of the meeting, the appropriate document for 
consideration under this item was JOB(08)/103/Rev.2, and not the Rev.1 version which appeared on the draft 
agenda.  WT/COMTD/M/79 
 Page 7 
 
 
  addressed specific concerns – both procedural and substantive – that had been raised through the 
consultation process.  The adjustments sought to incr ease the clarity and concision of the text.  They 
also took into account the concerns of developing countries – particularly the beneficiaries of PTAs – by addressing their technical constraints and their requ est for an adequate level of participation in the 
notification process.  He added that many changes to the draft proposal were aimed at keeping the 
burden on the notifying Members to a minimum, without reducing the necessary level of ambition of 
the Mechanism.   
32. Among the modifications, he drew the Committee's attention to what was now paragraph 16.  
He indicated that the paragraph had been significan tly restructured so as to make it more objective 
and precise.  Additionally, a new footnote to para graph 3 made a distinction between a new PTA and 
a renewed PTA.  The purpose of  this footnote was to clarify what changes in a PTA would require a 
full new notification.  He also pointed to paragr aph 7(c), which specified that beneficiary countries 
would have the opportunity to view the draft factual presentation of a PTA prepared by the Secretariat.  The proponents believed that such a fo rmulation met the needs of the beneficiaries in 
terms of their participation in the notificati on process, without imposing an unnecessary burden on the 
Secretariat or compromising the efficacy of the Mechanism.  Finally, a new paragraph 15 had been 
inserted, limiting the scope of the Mechanism to issues under the WTO's legal mandate.  The 
proponents felt that the text had evolved to a point where it was ready to be discussed in an informal, 
open-ended setting.  
33. The representative of India
 associated his delegation with the intervention by Brazil.  He 
shared the Chairman's optimism that the CTD could agree to the draft proposal either at the present 
meeting or at a separate CTD meeting convened before the July General Council meeting.  
34. The representative of China  supported the intervention by Brazil and highlighted the urgent 
need to conclude the discussions on the establishment of the TM for PTAs.  He noted that significant 
progress had been made, and expressed his hope that th is momentum would lead to a swift conclusion 
to the CTD's discussions.  
35. The representative of the United States  supported the intervention by Brazil.  She expressed 
her appreciation to the Chairman for his leadersh ip, and to other Members for their constructive 
engagement. 
36. The representative of Japan  said that his delegation had some comments on the revised draft 
proposal that would be shared with participants in  the next private informal consultation that the 
Chairman would be calling. 
37. The Chairman  said that he would continue to work with delegations on this matter over the 
coming weeks.  
38. The Committee took note  of all interventions. 
F. REVIEW OF STEPS TAKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY-FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET ACCESS TO 
LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  
39. The Chairman  said that an item concerning the Hong Kong Decision on duty-free and 
quota-free (DFQF) market access for least-developed countries (LDCs) had been on the CTD's agenda 
since early 2006.  Under this item, delegations ha d provided information on the steps they had been 
taking, or had already taken, to provide DFQF market access to LDCs.  Written communications by some Members had also been considered.  He recalled that the CTD had to date undertaken four of its 
mandated annual reviews of the implem entation of the Hong Kong Decision. WT/COMTD/M/79 
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  40. The representative of China
 said that, as a developing country faced with numerous 
developmental challenges, China fu lly understood the difficulties con fronting LDCs in their economic 
development.  China had, therefore, always done its utmost to expand its bilateral cooperation with 
LDCs, including through the provision of DFQF ma rket access for LDCs' exports.  In 2001, China 
had started to provide zero-tariff treatment to produc ts imported from LDCs.  Since then, the scope of 
beneficiaries and products had been gradually expa nding. China currently offered zero-tariff treatment 
on more than 1,000 tariff lines for products im ported from 41 LDCs, which covered most of the 
LDCs' exports to China.  This treatment, together  with many other bilateral initiatives, had made 
important contributions to the economic and trad e cooperation between China and the LDCs.  Data 
from the WTO showed that, in 2008, China had b ecome the world largest export destination for 
LDCs, absorbing 23 per cent of their total exports. 
41. He went on to say that, at the UN's high-level  meeting on the Millennium Development Goals 
in 2008, the Chinese Premier had made a commitmen t to provide zero-tariff treatment for LDCs' 
products on 95 per cent of tariff lines.  Just a few days prior to the present meeting, the Chinese 
Government had announced that, from 1 July 20 10, China would grant zero-tariff treatment on 
4,762 tariff lines for products imported from the 33 LD Cs that had completed the exchange of letters 
for that purpose.  A further eight LDCs would enjo y the same treatment once the exchange of letters 
was completed.  Members could find the relevant in formation on the website of  the Chinese Ministry 
of Finance: www.mof.gov.cn .  China had identified the 4,762 tariff lines together with its LDC 
partners, targeting the items on which LDCs ha d demonstrated their actual or potential export 
capacity.  These tariff lines accounted for 98.2 per cent of all LDCs' exports to China in value terms in 
2008.  China intended to continue to expand the scope of such treatment to th e LDCs with the aim of 
achieving the final objective of including 95 per cen t of tariff lines under zero-tariff treatment from 
relevant LDCs.  Given the uneven and fragile  economic recovery, China's actions clearly 
demonstrated its firm determination to maintain an open and fair multilateral trading system, and its 
good faith in honouring its commitments towards LDCs. 
42. The representative of Zambia, on behalf of the LDC Group,  thanked those Members that had 
taken initiatives to provide enhanced market access  for products originating from LDCs.  Enhanced 
market access was a critical  element for LDCs in their efforts to integrate into the global economy.  
She noted, however, that there was still additional wo rk to be done – by developed countries and by 
developing countries in a position to do so – to fully and effectively implement the Hong Kong Decision, including with regard to rules of orig in.  This was one of the issues on which the LDCs 
were seeking an early implementation as part of the development outcome of  the Doha Development 
Agenda.  The LDC Group looked forward to Memb ers' positive actions to fully implement the 
Hong Kong Decision. 
43. The representative of India
 said that his country was the first developing country to have 
announced a comprehensive scheme under the DFQF mandate to provide zero-duty and preferential 
market access for all LDCs.  In particular, the Du ty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme for LDCs 
had been announced by the Indian Prime Minister  on the occasion of the India-Africa Forum Summit 
of African Heads of States and Governments and their official representatives in New Delhi in 
April 2008.  India had taken the utmost care to en sure that the DFTP Scheme would not be a mere 
token measure, but that it would provide effective an d substantial market acce ss to products of export 
interest to LDCs.  Given India's large market and the demand for products of interest to LDCs, his 
delegation was confident that the DFTP Scheme would play a key role in ensuring that the share of 
LDCs in India's imports grew at an accelerated pace.   
44. He went on to say that the Scheme was co mprehensive, simple and non-reciprocal.  It 
provided preferential market access on tariff lines that  comprised 92.5 per cent of the global exports 
of all LDCs.  Products of imme diate interest to LDCs covere d under the DFTP Scheme included 
cotton, cocoa, aluminium ores, copper ores, cashew  nuts, cane-sugar, ready-made garments, fish  WT/COMTD/M/79 
 Page 9 
 
 
  fillets and non-industrial diamonds.  On ly 6 per cent of lines were in the exclusion list of the Scheme.  
The Scheme was open to all 49 LDCs, including 33 A frican LDCs.  It was procedurally simple to 
operate and required individual LDCs to submit a letter of intent and the list of agencies authorized to 
issue certificates of origin.  India would carry out more outreach activities in order to disseminate the 
benefits of the Scheme for LDCs, and would make efforts to dovetail the Scheme with other technical 
assistance (TA) activities provided to LDCs . The Committee would be kept updated. 
45. The Committee took note  of all interventions. 
G. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING  
(i) Annual Report on Technical Assistance and Training, 1 January to 31 December 2009 
(WT/COMTD/W/173) 
(ii) Technical Cooperation Audit Report for 2009 (WT/COMTD/W/174) 
46. The Chairman  said that there were two reports for consideration under this agenda item, 
namely the Annual Report on Technical Assistance and Training  for 2009 (TA Report) – circulated 
as document WT/COMTD/W/173 – and the Technical  Cooperation Audit Report  for 2009 (Audit 
Report) – circulated as document WT/COMTD/W/174.  He invited the Director of the Institute for 
Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) and the Head of the Technical Cooperation Audit Unit 
(TCAU) to introduce the TA Report and the Audit Report, respectively. 
47. The Director of the ITTC  expressed appreciation to Members for their active engagement 
with the Secretariat in the preparation of the Bien nial Technical Assistance and Training Plan for 
2010 and 2011 (TA Plan). This interactive process , which had included bilateral discussions and 
consultations with regional gr oupings, had allowed the Secretariat to gain an appreciation of 
Members' TA priorities and to reflect them in th e Plan.  The dialogue with Members would continue 
through the implementation period of the Plan.  
48. He said that the Secretariat had been able  to take into account almost all of the 
recommendations on TA that had been made by Memb ers.  The issue of progressive learning was one 
example.  He recalled that concerns had been e xpressed about the capacity of some LDCs to access 
the introductory e-training courses that had been  established as a pre-requisite to move to the 
mid-level regional courses and the advanced special ized courses.  In response, the Secretariat had 
introduced greater flexibility in the implementation of progressive learning, including through the development of a CD-ROM.  
49. Another recommendation from Members related to  the need for the WTO to strengthen its 
collaboration with regional institutions .  In this regard, he said that such collaboration was one of the 
priorities in the implementation of the TA Plan.  In Africa, collaboration was being strengthened with 
the African Development Bank, the African Un ion Commission, the United Nations Economic 
Commission for Africa and others.  In Asia, the S ecretariat collaborated with the United Nations 
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Asian Development Bank, among 
others.  As for the Arab region, links were bei ng strengthened with the Islamic Development Bank, 
the United Nations Economic and Social Commission fo r Western Asia and the Arab Monetary Fund.  
Finally, in Latin America, efforts were directed  to enhancing relations with the Inter-American 
Development Bank and the United Nations Econo mic Commission for Latin America and the 
Caribbean.   
50. A third issue that had been raised by Memb ers concerned outreach activities directed to 
national and regional media, as well as to members of  Parliament.  In this regard, he informed the 
Committee that links with the media were on the increase, and training activities were being WT/COMTD/M/79 
Page 10  
 
  implemented for members of Parliament.  Additionally,  efforts to enhance relations with universities, 
including through the WTO Chairs Programme, were be ing strengthened.  On a fourth point that had 
been made by Members, concerning the importance of the various internship programmes, he said 
that he was pleased to announce that financial cont ributions had allowed the number of interns to 
double to about 20.  He added that the Secretaria t's support for the WTO Reference Centres was being 
focused on LDCs, in response to the recognition by the membership of the particular needs of these 
countries.  Finally, in response to Members' re commendation for greater synergy between the WTO 
and other institutions, including the ITC and UNCTAD, he said that significant progress had been made in the coordination of activities.  Work w as close to completion on a new online database which 
would contain information on all TA activities being ca rried out in different beneficiary countries.  It 
was expected that the database would be online on an experimental basis as of 1 July 2010, and would 
be officially launched in September 2010.  
51. The Head of the Technical Cooperation Audit Unit (TCAU)
 said that the Audit Report 
focused on three topics, namely a follow-up on previous recommendations made by the TCAU, an ex-post evaluation of the long-term internship pr ogrammes, and the effects and impact on Members 
from the TA received from the WTO over the years. 
52. Regarding the follow-up on previous recommendations, he said that a number of 
recommendations on the management of TA activities and performance measurement had been implemented.  For example, a new task force bringi ng together regional desks and divisional TA focal 
points was promoting cross-fertilization among trainers.  Significant progress had also been observed with regard to both the volume and the quality of Back-to-Office-Reports on TA activities.  
Furthermore, consultations with regional groupings had been organized to prepare the TA Plan for 
2010 and 2011.  Some changes had also been ma de in the operation of the regional desks.  
53. He said that the TCAU had formulated a number of activity-specific recommendations 
concerning WTO Reference Centres, e-training, Trade Facilitation Needs Assessments and regional 
trade policy courses (RTPCs).  The new strategy for Reference Centres adopted as part of the TA Plan 
responded to the main recommendations that had been  formulated by the TCAU in 2007.  Progress on 
e-training continued but there were still a number of issues to settle, including the need to fill the gaps 
in the thematic coverage of the courses.  In the area of trade facilitation, he noted that one-week 
follow-up regional seminars were be ing organized to demonstrate how the proposals currently under 
negotiation had been implemented in certain parts of the world.  He added that many of the TCAU's 
recommendations on RTPCs had started to be impl emented in 2009, which had led to significant 
improvements in the management of the course pr ogramme.  Reporting was now systematic, and the 
programme and preparatory workshops had been re focused.  However, some past recommendations 
by the TCAU needed to be reinforced.  Notabl y, the TCAU had noted that there was continued 
pressure to organize too many activities, many of whic h were relatively short in duration but targeted 
to a relatively large number of participants.   
54. On the ex-post evaluation of long-term intern ship programmes, he said that the programmes 
were fulfilling their main capacity-building objectiv es and operated to the satisfaction of beneficiary 
countries.  The TCAU had suggested several manage rial adjustments, which would help eligible 
beneficiary countries gain access to the programmes. 
55. He went on to say that the TCAU had in 2009 started to measure the effects and impact on 
Members from the TA received from the WTO over the years.  Field visits were used as an 
opportunity to interview officials in charge of WTO matters, on the basis of a standard list of 
questions.  He explained that the TCAU had trie d to measure the impact on the officials who had 
participated in the activities, on the teams to whic h they belonged and for the country as a whole.  
Overall, on the basis of the limited  evidence gathered thus far, it  appeared that governments were 
highly satisfied with the assistance received from WTO, especially through the three-month trade  WT/COMTD/M/79 
 Page 11 
 
 
  policy courses.  The most visible outcome of the TA activities had been an increased involvement of 
beneficiaries in WTO negotiations.  Improvements in governments' capabilities to deal with WTO 
issues had also been noted.  The evidence was less clear on the question of whether there was better 
compliance with Members' WTO obligations.   
56. He said that the TCAU was issuing a limi ted number of new recommendations.  One 
recommendation related to the need to define – for each of the three layers of progressive learning – 
the curriculum on each subject and potential equivalen ces to help beneficiaries plan and organize the 
training of their officials on a longer-term basis.  In addition, in view of the increased importance 
ascribed to e-training by the progressive learning strategy, the e-training platform needed to be upgraded and human resources dedicated to this area n eeded be strengthened.  In conclusion, he said 
that the TCAU's overall assessment was that progr ess was being made.  However, results remained 
fragile and further improvements were still needed. 
57. The representative of Kenya
 indicated that his delegation had taken note of the various TA 
activities and the initiatives that had been put in place.  He expressed appreciation for the progress 
made in e-learning, and highlighted the need fo r more TA activities, including those designed to 
enhance trade negotiations skills.  He also appreci ated the importance that was being given to the 
various internship programmes.  
58. The representative of China  said that, as a beneficiary of technical assistance, China had 
enjoyed the high quality of the WTO's various  activities and the good cooperation with the 
Secretariat.  His delegation appreciated the inter active dialogue on TA issues between the Secretariat 
and Members – as well as amongst Members.  Th e new philosophy of progressive learning and the 
enhancement of e-learning were also appreciated.  He noted the financial difficulties that had been 
mentioned on page 41 of the TA Re port, and encouraged Members to  provide timely and adequate 
contributions for the WTO's TA activities.  He also  indicated that, for the second time, China had in 
2009 donated US$200,000 to the Doha Developmen t Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF).  His 
delegation hoped that this contribution would help a lleviate some of the current financial difficulties.  
59. The representative of Canada  welcomed the reporting on the WTO's TA activities.  However, 
in order to make the link between the activities and their impact on the ground, he said that his delegation would also welcome futu re reporting on outcomes.  This c ould be achieved, for example, 
through follow-up activities and evaluations pla nned a few years in advance.  From a donor 
perspective, his delegation was of the view that an  evaluation of the impact of activities was essential.  
He suggested that outcomes be identified early on in th e planning stage, in particular in the context of 
a logical framework. 
60. The representative of Zambia, on behalf of the LDC Group,
 said that the support provided by 
the Secretariat had enhanced LDCs' understanding  of the rules governing the multilateral trading 
system.  The LDC Group was pleased to note the in creased emphasis and priority placed on LDCs in 
the WTO's TA activities, as reflected on pages 6 and 7 of the TA Report.  The Group was of the view 
that the support for Reference Centres, the introduc tion of e-learning and the increased participation 
of candidates from LDCs in the internship progra mmes had added new and e ffective dimensions to 
capacity building in the LDCs.  
61. The representative of the United States  said that her delegation had a comment on the table in 
Annex 2 on pages 46 and 47 of the TA Report.  In pa rticular, it was recommended that a reference be 
included in the heading of the column labelled "Statu s", in order to explain the source the Secretariat 
had used to determine the assigned status for each of  the countries listed.  She said that it would be 
useful if the Secretariat could explain why the countries were broken down beyond LDCs and 
developing countries in the "Status" column. WT/COMTD/M/79 
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  62. The representative of the European Union
 welcomed the efforts by the Secretariat to improve 
the effectiveness of the TA activities and to impl ement a number of previ ous recommendations that 
had been made by the TCAU.  She noted, however, that some of the recommendations had not been 
fully implemented.  For example, there was s till room for improvement in the area of needs 
assessment.  Furthermore, while her delegation welc omed the efforts being made to begin evaluating 
the impact of the assistance provided, she noted th at this was still a small-scale endeavour based on a 
limited set of interviews.  She went on the sa y that her delegation had two questions for the 
Secretariat.  First, in relation to the RTPCs, she asked whether more details could be provided on the 
new segments of the programme which concerned the regional perspective.  The second question 
concerned the financial status of the TA Plan, whic h was mentioned in section VIII of the TA Report.  
She said that the EU and its member States represente d about 70 per cent of the contributions that had 
been made in the last four years, and that some of these donors had moved from annual to biannual 
contributions, precisely in order to alleviate the types of cash flow concerns that were pointed to in the 
TA Report.  However, it seemed that there had been no indications in the Committee on Budget, 
Finance and Administration that there was a problem with the cash flow dimension.  The Secretariat 
was asked to clarify this issue. 
63. The representative of Burkina Faso  highlighted the importance of  the internship programmes 
for small countries like his own, as well as the support being provided for WTO Reference Centres. 
64. The representative of Viet Nam  expressed particular appreciation for the e-learning 
programme and the regional activities.  She also noted that there many Geneva-based activities that 
were of interest to delegates in the Geneva-b ased missions.  In this regard, she inquired on the 
possibility of Geneva-based dele gates participating as observers in certain training courses. 
65.  The representative of Honduras  said that her delegation was appreciative of the various TA 
activities being implemented by the WTO.  She also  expressed her delegation's appreciation for the  
Reference Centre which had been established in Honduras.  
66. On the issue of the impact of TA activities, the Director of the ITTC  said that this was 
important not only for donors, but also for beneficiaries and for the Secretariat.  He pointed to the 
creation of the TCAU as a significant improvement in this regard, and further indicated that an 
external audit had recently taken place.  Neverthe less, he recognized that there was much that 
remained to be done to fully respond to the concerns that had been raised in this area.  The Secretariat 
was aware of the importance of improving the impact  of the WTO's TA activities, and would continue 
working with Members to find innovative and effective solutions. 
67. On the financial situation, he thanked Memb ers for having maintained the same level of 
commitments despite their budget constraints.  He sa w this as evidence of their confidence in the 
Secretariat and in their commitment to provide trad e-related assistance to developing countries, and in 
particular the LDCs.  As for the timing of the cont ributions, he expressed appreciation for the decision 
taken by some Members to move from annual to bian nual contributions.  He noted, however, that this 
was not yet an approach that had been adopted by all donors, hence some delays could still be 
expected.  The Secretariat had tried to respond to  these delays by putting more emphasis on national 
activities in the first quarter, since resources were available for these activitie s as of January.  While 
the financial situation was impr oving – in particular though the bi annual contributions and a better 
planning of the activities – he nevertheless expr essed the hope that more donors would adopt a 
biannual approach to contributions. 
68. With regard to the RTPCs, he said that im portant improvements had been observed.  In 
particular, while participation by regional experts ha d been a feature of the courses for some time, the 
Secretariat had tried to develop a new content for the programme.  The first three weeks of the courses would now deal with questions rela ting to trade policy in a given region – not only through theoretical  WT/COMTD/M/79 
 Page 13 
 
 
  discussions, but also through reflections on best practices and case studies.  This would help 
understand the impact of trade policies on devel opment from a regional perspective.  On the 
Geneva-based training activities, he said that some representatives from Geneva-based missions had already attended as participants, and were generally welcome to do so.  He also clarified that in the 
table in Annex 2 of the TA Report, the "Status" of the countries was based on the categorization used 
by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and De velopment (OECD).  On the usefulness of the 
internship programmes, he gave the example of  interns from Burkina Faso and Niger who had 
successfully contributed to the work  of their respective missions.  He added that, in addition to these 
examples, the substantive studies that the TCAU had done gave a more exhausti ve view of the scope 
and importance of the programmes. 
69. The Head of the TCAU
 agreed with the need to identify outcomes, effects and impacts of TA 
activities, in spite of the inherent limitations that existed in determining exact causal links between the 
actions and the observed results.  He indicated that he was particularly hopeful that tools could be 
developed to assess the medium-term impact of the WTO's activities. 
70. The Committee took note  of the reports and of all interventions. 
H. OTHER BUSINESS  
71. The Chairman  recalled that, at the last CTD meeting, his predecessor had brought to 
Members' attention the fact that the Secretariat paper on the Developmental Aspects of the Doha Round of Negotiations had not been updated sin ce May 2007.  Since Members had in the past 
recognized the value of this document, it had been suggested that the Secretariat paper be updated to reflect developments in the negotiations. One Member  had indicated that it would need some time to 
consider the Chairman's proposal.  That Member had subsequently informed the Secretariat, after the 
meeting, that it had no objection to the proposed upda ting of the paper.  The Chairman said that he 
had then sent a fax to all Members on 16 April 2010, informing them of his intention to request the 
Secretariat to update the paper, if no indication to the contrary were received in a one-week period.  
Since no communications had been received from an y Member on this matter, he said that the 
Secretariat had begun work to update the paper, wh ich would appear on the agenda of the next CTD 
meeting. 
72. The meeting was adjourned
. 
 
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