RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/M/54 
20 December 2005 
 
 (05-6198) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Fifty-Fourth Session  
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 5 OCTOBER 2005 
 
Chairman:  H.E. Mr. Gomi Tharaka Senadhira (Sri Lanka) 
 
 
 
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 and the Common Fund for Commodities ............................................................2
 
C. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE ........................................................................3  
- REVISED TREATY OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES 
(ECOWAS)  (WT/COMTD/N/21  – WT/COMTD/54) ................................................................3  
- 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/N/20/A DD.1 – WT/COMTD/51/A DD.1) .............................................................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 
(WT/COMTD/W/143) ............................................................................................................... .4 
F. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING ..............................................................................20  
(i) Training and Technical Assistance: Semi-Annual Review of the Implementation of 
Activities – 1 January to 30 June 2005 (WT/COMTD/W/141) .................................................20  
(ii) Technical Assistance and Training Plan 2006 (WT/COMTD/W/142)......................................20  
G. ANNUAL REPORT ......................................................................................................................27  
H. OTHER BUSINESS ......................................................................................................................27  
ANNEX ............................................................................................................................... .................................. 31  
 WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 2  
 
 A. A
DOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairman  recalled that the draft agenda for the meeting was contained in document 
WTO/AIR/2646 circulated on 7 September 2005 and a revision issued on 29 September 2005.  
2. The representative of Thailand  said he wished to make an intervention under "Other 
Business" on behalf of the member states of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) 
and China.  In particular, at the request of some  Members, further information would be provided on 
the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Ec onomic Cooperation betwee n ASEAN and China, 
which had earlier been notified to the Co mmittee on Trade and Development (CTD). 
3. The representative of the European Communities  said he wished to make a brief intervention 
under "Other Business" relating to the European Communities' Generalized System of Preferences 
(GSP). 
4. The Committee adopted  the agenda as amended. 
B. OBSERVERS  
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers 
5. 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, those organizations had been 
invited to the present meeting.  He proposed that t hose organizations be invited to the next formal 
meeting of the CTD. 
6. It was so agreed
. 
(ii) Further consideration of the requests for observer status by the League of Arab States, the 
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting, the Organisation Inter nationale de la Francophonie and the Common 
Fund for Commodities 
7. The Chairman
 said that at previous meetings, the Committee had had before it a number of 
requests for observer status.  He said that if there was no change in positions to extend observer status 
to any of those applicants, then the Committee would take note and would revert to those requests at 
the next meeting.   
8. It was so agreed .  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 3 
 
 
C. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE  
- R EVISED TREATY OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES 
(ECOWAS)  (WT/COMTD/N/21  – WT/COMTD/54) 
9. The Chairman said that two notifications un der the Enabling Clause had been received for 
consideration at the present meeting.  The first notification related to the Revised Treaty of the 
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).  The notification had been circulated as 
document WT/COMTD/N/21.  The Revised Treaty of ECOWAS had been circulated as document WT/COMTD/54. 
10. The Committee took note
 of the notification.   
- 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/N/20/A DD.1 – WT/COMTD/51/A DD.1) 
11. The Chairman  said the second notification received re lated to the Agreement on Trade in 
Goods of the Framework Agreement on Comp rehensive Economic Cooperation between the 
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASE AN) and the People's Republic of China.  The 
notification had been circulated as document WT/C OMTD/N/20/Add.1.  The text of the Agreement 
had been circulated as WT/COMTD/51/Add.1. 
12. The representative of China , on behalf of the ASEAN member states and China, said that he 
wished to introduce to the Comm ittee the notification under the Enabling Clause of the Agreement on 
Trade in Goods of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between 
ASEAN and China.  The notification was sent in a joint communication from the delegations of the 
ASEAN member states and China to the Chairm an of the Committee on 21 September 2005 and was 
circulated to Members on 26 September 2005  in documents WT/COMTD/N/20/Add.1 and 
WT/COMTD/51/Add.1.  A copy of the Agreement and its annexes, which included the products list, 
tariff reduction schedules for the normal track and th e sensitive track, as well as the rules of origin, 
were submitted to the Secretariat.  The documen ts were also available on the Internet at:  
www.aseansec.org.  He said it was the firm belief of  the Members notifying the Agreement that the 
notification and the documents referred to we re self-explanatory, and contained all necessary 
information for Members.  It was, therefore, not  necessary for him to repeat the details of the 
Agreement.  However, if the delegations of the ASEAN member states had anything to add, they 
would be most welcome to do so. 
13. The representative of the United States  thanked the ASEAN member states and China for the 
information that had been provided. She said her delegation had not had much time to examine the 
notification and that it would, therefore, like to reser ve its right to return to  questions relating to the 
notification at the next meeting of the CTD.  She said the sense of her delegation was that the 
Agreement appeared to go beyond just a tariff agreem ent, as it also covered non-tariff barriers (NTBs) 
and services.  Her delegation, therefore, wished to inquire whether there was an  intention to notify the 
NTB-related issues and the services-related issues under the regional trade agreement (RTA) process, 
as the Enabling Clause did not cover ag reements related to these issues. 
14. The representative of the European Communities  thanked the ASEAN member states and 
China for the notification.  He said his delegation, like that of the United States, had not had time to 
fully digest the circulated documents or consider wh ether it had a need for clarification on any points.  
He said his delegation would wish to return to this item at a future meeting of the CTD after having 
considered the notification in more detail. WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 4  
 
15. The representative of China
 said that the Members notifying the Agreement had taken note of 
the comments made. He said the comments would be sent back to the capitals of the notifying Members for possible reactions according to the relevant provisions of the Enabling Clause. 
16. The Chairman
 said the Committee would be returning to this item at its next meeting. 
17. The Committee took note  of the notification and the interventions made.    
D. DECLINING TERMS OF TRADE FOR PRIMARY COMMODITIES , AND ITS IMPLICATION TO TRADE 
AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY COMMODITY EXPORTING COUNTRIES  
18. The Chairman  recalled that it had been agreed at the last meeting of the CTD that 
presentations at the present session would focus on a Member that had experienced difficulties with 
its commodities trade, on a private institution work ing on commodities issues or on an international 
organization active in the area of commodities.  Ho wever, because of the lengthy discussion that was 
expected on the agenda item relating to technical cooperation and training, as well as his desire to 
concentrate during the present session on the agenda  item relating to paragr aph 51 of the Doha 
Declaration, he proposed that the CTD postpone its examination of the declining terns of trade of 
primary commodities until its first meeting of 2006.   He understood that Kenya would be willing to 
make a presentation at that meeting on its experiences with commodities.   
19. 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 
(WT/COMTD/W/143) 
20. The Chairman  recalled that at the last meeting of  the CTD, the Committee had agreed to 
undertake at the present session a review of the developmental aspects of the Doha Round of 
negotiations.  In order to assist the Committee with its deliberations on the subject, the Secretariat had 
been requested to prepare a background paper.  Th e paper in question had been issued as document 
WT/COMTD/W/143.  He also recalled that delegati ons were to request views from capitals for  
discussion on this agenda item at the present meeting. 
21. The Chairman said he believed a discussion on the developmental aspects of the negotiations 
was very timely.  As the date of the Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong drew closer, he thought it 
was important for Members to take stock of the ex tent to which the development dimension was being 
reflected in the negotiations. 
22. The Chairman said he wished to make a brie f presentation summarizing some of the main 
points that arose in the Secretariat's paper WT/COMTD/W/143.  He would then open the floor for 
comments and discussion. 
23. The Chairman made the following presentation: 
"I would like to provide an overview of th e developmental aspects  of the Doha Round 
of negotiations.  I will brie fly touch upon the key areas in which negotiations are 
taking place. 
Before I get to the negotiations themselves,  however, let me begin by reading out an 
excerpt from the Marrakesh Agreement Estab lishing the World Trade Organization.  I 
think this will set the stage for our discussi on today in the context of paragraph 51 of 
the Doha Declaration. The text of the Marra kesh Agreement starts with the following:  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 5 
 
 
'The Parties to this Agreement, 
Recognizing  that their relations in the field of trade and economic 
endeavour should be cond ucted with a view to raising standards of 
living, ensuring full employment and a large and steadily growing volume of real income and effective demand, and expanding the 
production of and trade in goods a nd services, while allowing for the 
optimal use of the world's resources in accordance with the objective 
of sustainable development, seeking both to protect and preserve the environment and to enhance the means for doing so in a manner consistent with their respective need s and concerns at different levels 
of economic development ...' 
It is also worth recalling the text of pa ragraph 51 of the Doha Declaration, which 
reads as follows: 
'The Committee on Trade and Development and the Committee on 
Trade and Environment shall, within their respective mandates, each 
act as a forum to identify a nd debate developmental and 
environmental aspects of the negotiations, in order to help achieve the objective of having sustaina ble development appropriately 
reflected.' 
Having set out this background, let me now turn to the main subject of the 
presentation, which is the developmental asp ects of the Doha Round of negotiations. 
Agriculture
 
The Agriculture negotiations are of cr itical importance for many developing 
countries.  This importance, and agricultur e's ability to contribute to the development 
objectives of developing countries, is reflected in the mandate for the Agriculture negotiations, paragraph 13 of the Doha Declaration.  
Paragraph 13 of the Doha Declaration has b een given further precision by the General 
Council Decision of 1 August 2004.  Annex A of the General Council's Decision, 
which is the Agreed Framework for the Ag riculture negotiations, contains several 
development-oriented provisions.  These provisions are quite complex, and, of 
course, many of the details remain to be settled.  Nevertheless, broadly speaking, it 
can be said that several developmental c oncerns have been taken into account.  
I would now like to turn to some of the developmental aspects in each of the three 
main pillars of the Agriculture negotiations. 
Agriculture:  Domestic support
 
Many developing countries are concerned by the high levels of subsidies provided to 
the agricultural sector by some countries.  Broadly speaking, developing countries 
would like to see large reductions in trad e-distorting support in developed countries, 
strict rules on Blue Box criteria and the review and clarification of the Green Box criteria so as to ensure th at such measures have no, or at most minimal, trade-
distorting effects or effects on production. 
At the same time, some developing countri es would like to reserve the right to use 
some level of agriculture support either now or in the future. WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 6  
 
As regards the Agreed Framework, in add ition to longer implementation periods and 
lower reductions in trade-distorting domestic  support, the Framework sets out several 
other areas where developmental aspects of agriculture in devel oping countries could 
be addressed.  
Agriculture:  Export competition
 
The objective for most developing countries is the rapid elimination of all forms of 
export subsidies. 
Paragraph 18 of the Agreed Framework commits Members to eliminate all forms of 
export subsidies, although the date for elimin ation is still subject to negotiation.   
Developing countries have longer implemen tation periods for the phasing out of 
export subsidies.  Furthermore, the Framew ork states that developing countries will 
continue to benefit from the exception in Ar ticle 9.4 of the Agreement on Agriculture 
– for certain types of export marketing and transport costs – for a reasonable period 
even after the phasing out of expor t subsidies has been completed. 
It should be said that some developing c ountries do have concerns about the possible 
negative impact of the disciplines to be agr eed in the areas of food aid, export credits 
and state trading enterprises, or STEs.  As regards export credit disciplines, the Agreed Framework states that appropriate  provisions will have to be made for 
differential treatment in favour of least -developed and net food-importing developing 
countries as provided for in the Decision of Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net 
Food-Importing Developing Countries.  Mo reover, where developing countries 
maintain STEs which enjoy special privile ges to preserve domestic consumer price 
stability and to ensure food security, such entities will receive special consideration 
for maintaining their monopoly status. 
Agriculture:  Market access
 
This is possibly the most difficult area in the Agriculture negotiations.  All Members 
are, of course, concerned about domestic  support and export competition, but not all 
Members have commitments relating to these pillars.  On the other hand, all Members have agriculture tariffs set out in th eir Schedules and all Members also export 
agricultural products to other countries.  
Once again, the Agreed Framework contains several development-oriented 
provisions.  These include provisions for lesser tariff reductions or tariff quota 
expansion commitments relative to those to be undertaken by developed countries, as 
well as Special and Differential Treatment (S&D) on the tariff reduction formula, the number and treatment of sensitive prod ucts and the implementation period. 
One of the key objectives of many developing countries is to achieve significant 
improvements in market access, not only in  developed country markets, but also in 
other developing countries.  With this obj ective in mind, some developing countries 
have expressed concern that some of the flexibilities available to both developed and 
developing countries could impair pot ential future trading opportunities.  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 7 
 
 
Non-Agricultural Market Access:  Tariffs  
From the developing country point of vi ew, objectives in the tariff area can be 
categorized as being defensive or offensive. 
Broadly speaking, the defensive interests of developing country Members in the Non-
Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) negotiati ons are often expressed as the need to 
have flexibilities that would allow them to make less tariff cuts, exempt tariff lines 
from new bindings or reduction commitments, or to maintain the status quo.  The 
principle of less than full reciprocity in reduction commitments is also frequently mentioned in this context.  Some of the ar guments that have been put forward in the 
context of defensive interests include the following: 
• The need to preserve "policy space" 
• The need to protect or encourage infant industries 
• The need to preserve unbound duties 
• The need to deal with non-reciprocal preference erosion 
• The need to prevent tariff revenue loss 
The NAMA framework – Annex B of the 1 August 2004 Decision of the General 
Council – contains a number of provisions that aim to treat some of the defensive concerns of developing countries. 
Turning to the offensive interests of deve loping countries in the tariff negotiations, 
these are usually expressed as the need to obtain improved and secure market access 
conditions through new tariff reductions and bindings.  Market access is sought not 
only in developed country markets, but also  in other developing countries in order to 
boost South-South trade.   
As regards the status of the deliberations in the Negotiating Group on Market Access, 
discussion on the non-linear formula has been  very intensive since the start of the 
year.  Various proposals have been submitted by both develo ped and developing 
countries.  The sectorial tariff component of the negotiations is also being pursued actively by some Members.  There has also been discussion on other tariff-related 
issues including how unbound tariffs are to be treated, and the question of non-reciprocal preferences. 
Non-Agricultural Market Access:  Non-tariff barriers
 
Discussion on non-tariff barriers (NTBs) has been relatively limited so far, though 
NTBs have received increased attention si nce the adoption of the NAMA framework.  
It should be said that NTBs are a very complex area of the Negotiating Group's work.  
At the same time, however, addressing non-tariff barriers is very important for many developing country Members.  This is an area of the work of the Negotiating Group 
that is, therefore, of great interest to many developing countries. WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 8  
 
Services
 
The developmental aspects of services trade liberalization were addressed by 
Members as early as 1999, when the S ecretariat was requested to prepare a 
background note on the developmental imp act of trade liberalization under the 
GATS.  Since then, the developmental aspect s of services trade liberalization have 
remained a central topic of the negotiations. 
More recently, the elaboration of the r ecommendations to the TNC of the Special 
Session of the Council for Trade in Services, finally adopted as part of the 1 August 2004 Decision, provided another opportunity for Members to focus on the 
developmental aspects of the Services nego tiations.  Developing countries considered 
some of those recommendations as being clearly linked to the development 
dimension of the Doha Round.  These include  the call for greater quality of offers, 
particularly in sectors and modes of supply of export interest to developing countries, the call for special attention to sectors a nd modes and supply of export interest to 
developing countries, the interest of deve loping countries in mode 4 and the mandate 
to provide targeted technical assistance w ith a view to enabling developing countries 
to participate effectively in the negotiations.  
Finally, in reviewing pr ogress in the negotiations, Members have stressed the 
importance of ensuring that a developmental thrust is embedded in the offers by, for 
example, paying attention to sectors and modes of supply of interest to developing countries. 
Trade Facilitation
 
The negotiations on Trade Facilitation were la unched more recently  than negotiations 
in other areas.  The modalities for the nego tiations on Trade Facilitation are found in 
Annex D of the 1 August 2004 Decision. 
Several proposals have been tabled by Members in the course of the last year.  A 
useful compilation of all the proposals has been prepared by the Secretariat, and is 
being used by the Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation.  The symbol for the Secretariat document is TN/TF/W/43, which,  I believe, is being updated regularly. 
The Secretariat document categorizes the cont ent treated in the various proposals.  
Among the categories used in the document are two of special interest to developing countries, namely S&D and technical assistance and capacity-building.  According to 
the compilation document, several proposals by both developed and developing 
countries make reference to these two issues. 
Special and Differential Treatment
 
The work on S&D is of particular inter est and importance to developing countries, 
and this has been brought out in a number of submissions by developing country 
Members. 
It should be said that some Members have stressed the distinction between 
development on the one hand, and the inte gration of developing countries into the 
multilateral trading system on the other.  For these Members, the main objective of S&D should be integration into the multila teral trading system, and not development 
per se.  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 9 
 
 
The issues treated by Members in their submissions can be classified as being 
Agreement-specific or cross-cutting in natu re.  Several developing country Members 
have expressed the view that work on Agreement-specific proposals should be 
completed before a detailed discussion on cro ss-cutting issues can begin, as this order 
of priority fulfils more closely the mandate given by Ministers at Doha, as well as the 
mandate in the 1 August 2004 Decision.  Ot her Members, however, feel that having a 
discussion on the cross-cutting issues is important as it would help Members in making progress on the Agreement-specific proposals. 
A total of 88 Agreement-specific proposals have been submitted by Members.  An 
in-principle agreement was reached on 28 of  them prior to the Fifth Ministerial 
Conference in September 2003, but these have yet to be adopted. 
In spite of differences between Member s on how to move forward with the S&D 
work programme, the CTD in Special Session is, I understand, continuing to examine the remaining Agreement-specific proposals.  
Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns
 
In their Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns, Ministers at Doha 
agreed to take immediate action to address a number of implementation concerns of developing country Members.  
They also agreed that outstanding implem entation issues be addressed in accordance 
with paragraph 12 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, either directly under the 
specific negotiating mandates in the Declaration – the so-called paragraph 12(a) 
issues – or in the relevant Councils an d Committees – known as the paragraph 12(b) 
issues. 
The paragraph 12(a) issues are being take n up in the relevant negotiating bodies, 
namely Agriculture and Rules.  
The paragraph 12(b) issues include consideration of technical assistance for 
developing countries, exemptions, flexibiliti es and extension of transition periods.  
The Director-General was mandated by the 1 August 2004 Decision to continue the consultative process on paragraph 12(b) issu es, but in the former DG's July 2005 
report to the General Council no significan t progress was reported.  The former DG 
therefore suggested that his successor be requested to continue the consultative 
process.     
Rules
 
Anti-Dumping is area of the Rules negotiations that has received the most attention to 
date.  
The largest number of proposals on Anti-Dumping has been made by a group of 
Members that call themselves the "Friends of Anti-Dumping Negotiations" or FANs.  
This group includes both developing and developed Members and calls for improved 
and strengthened disciplines on Anti-Dumping.   In addition to the FANs, several 
other Members – both developing and deve loped – have tabled extensive proposals 
and elaborated on anti-dumping rules.  
It should be added that a number of propo sals regarding developing countries have 
been made, including on the issue of S&D. WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 10  
 
As for the other areas of the Rules negotia tions, the extent to which the development 
dimension is being reflected varies. 
In the area of subsidies disciplines, a numb er of development-related proposals have 
been tabled, while no specific proposals on development have been submitted in the 
context of countervailing duties.  
Fisheries subsidies is the area of the Rul es negotiations in which Members have most 
clearly identified the "sustainable developmen t" aspects of their proposals.  The need 
to take into account the legitimate inter ests of developing Members in formulating 
disciplines has also been widely recognized. 
The final area of the Rules negotiations concerns regional trade agreements (RTAs).  
One important aspect of the mandate on RTAs is that it expressly directs Members to 
"take into account the developmental aspect s of regional trade agreements".  The 
developmental aspects of RTAs have been important to the Negotiating Group's work 
in mainly two areas:  the place of RTAs notified under the Enabling Clause vis-à-vis  
any improved RTA's transparency and review process resulting from current 
negotiations;  and the inclusion of S&D for developing countries in some WTO 
provisions relating to RTAs.  A number of submissions by Members in the context of RTAs have dealt with developmental issu es or development-related flexibilities.  
Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
 
Those developing countries that have been active in the work of  the Special Session 
of the Council for TRIPS have expressed diverging views about the merits of the 
proposals on the table for a multilateral syst em of notification and registration of 
geographical indications for wines and spirits , including on the implications for their 
development. 
A significant number of developing countries have yet to take a position and are still 
studying the various proposals. 
Discussion of S&D has been relatively limited so far.  The point has been made that 
the need for it would depend, to a signifi cant extent, on the nature and complexity of 
the basic notification and registration syst em to be chosen – which still remains 
unclear.   
Trade and Environment  
 Paragraph 31 of the Doha Declaration represents the "environmental 
package" of the Doha Round.  It has three main components: 
• Paragraph 31(i):  Negotiations on the relationship between WTO rules and 
Multilateral Environmental Agreements, or MEAs 
• Paragraph 31(ii):  Negotiations on how to enhance information exchange and 
cooperation between the WTO and MEAs , and on the granting of "observer 
status" to environmental organizations 
• Paragraph 31(iii):  Negotiations on trad e liberalization in environmental 
goods and services   WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 11 
 
 
Developing countries have participated activel y in the negotiations, with a number of 
them tabling submissions to clarify their positions.  Some submissions have focused 
on the developmental aspects of the negotiati ons.  In addition, some proposed lists of 
environmental goods take into account the development dimension by, for example, 
including goods of export interest to developing countries. 
Dispute Settlement Understanding  
The final item relates to the negotiations on dispute settlement, which aim to agree on 
"improvements and clarifications" of th e Dispute Settlement Understanding.  It 
should be kept in mind, as stated in paragr aph 47 of the Doha Declaration, that these 
negotiations are not to be treated as part of a single undertaking. 
Overall, more than 40 proposals have been  tabled in the DSB Special Session, 
covering virtually every provision of the DSU.  Many of these proposals have been submitted by developing countries or groups of developing countries, including some 
Members that have not been active users of  the dispute settlement system so far.  
Proposals put forward by developing country Members, like those of other Members, 
have been very diverse and relate d to all stages of the procedures. 
The work of the Special Session over the last  year has been primarily based on efforts 
by Members to work among themselves and develop areas of convergence, based on 
prior work.  Although no specific proposal relating to S&D as such has been put 
forward recently in this context, several de legations have indicated that they have 
been working on issues relating to the participation of developing country Members 
in WTO dispute settlement". 
24. The Chairman said his presentation, as well as the Secretariat document, did not claim to 
provide an exhaustive coverage of the developmen tal aspects of the negotiations.  Nor did it prejudice 
the right of any Member to raise other concerns or  views related to paragraph 51 or to the areas under 
negotiation in the Doha Developmen t Agenda.  He said his main objective in making the presentation 
was to set the stage for the discussion that  would take place at the present meeting. 
25. The representative of Colombia
 said she wished to congratulate the Chairman and the 
Secretariat for the presentation and the document.  The document provided a snapshot of the developmental aspects of the negotia tions and was a laudable effort.  Sh e said it was a shame that  not 
many delegations of developing country Members were represente d in the meeting room.  She 
wondered what developing countries wanted from th e Doha Round.  It was a difficult question, but 
her delegation had an answer, however partial.   Her delegation considered the Agriculture 
negotiations as mandated in the Doha Declarati on to be of great importance to Colombia's 
development.  Through the negotiations there w ould be less export subs idies and less domestic 
support, and market access in both developed and developing countries would be enhanced.  She said 
she was concerned that the section on Non-Agricu ltural Market Access (NAMA) made a distinction 
between the defensive interests of developing co untries and the offensive interests of developing 
countries, whereas the section on the Agriculture negotiations seemed to mainly touch on defensive 
interests.  This suggested that developing countri es' interests in the Agri culture negotiations were 
limited to protecting their own markets.  The D oha Round was not a Round of preferences.  She 
requested that a revised version of the Secretariat paper treat the offensive interests of developing 
countries in the Agriculture negotiations in more detail so as to better bala nce the Agriculture and 
NAMA sections.  She also requested that the paper a nd its revision be discussed at future meetings of 
the CTD.  She further suggested that other WTO bodies also debate in more depth what was being 
sought from the Round in terms of development.   WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 12  
 
26. The Chairman
 said the main objective of the Secretariat paper was to start a debate on the 
developmental aspects of the negotiations, and to take the issue forward in the CTD.  
27. The representative of Rwanda  said that it was timely to evaluate the development dimension 
of the Doha Round of negotiations.  He said ma ny of the development dimension aspects of the 
Round were still in the form of proposals, which was not surprising as the negotiations were still 
continuing.  He asked when the Chairman would be in a position to provide an updated assessment so 
that Members could be in a position to evaluate how best to change  the form and substance of the 
document.  He said there would be a need after the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference for an extensive assessment of the developmental aspects of the negotiations, with all elements included.  
This would allow Members to get an idea of what could be expected on the development side at the 
end of the Round.  
28. The Chairman
 said that any improvement of the document was largely in the hands of 
Members.  He said that the discussion of the Co mmittee and comments by Members would help the 
Secretariat to improve the document.  
29. The representative of China  thanked the Chairman for his presentation, and thanked the 
Secretariat for having prepared the paper.  He sai d his delegation, like the delegation of Colombia, 
was deeply concerned by the lack of progress in the development issues in the negotiations.  His 
delegation believed it was high time to have a fo cused discussion on the development issues in the 
negotiations.  The CTD, as the focal point for deve lopment issues in the WTO, was the appropriate 
place to have the discussion.   
30. The representative of China said that the Unite d Nations Millennium De velopment Goals set 
out the blueprint for addressing development issues.  In the past five years, however, slow progress 
had been made.  The gap in development between the North and South had been widening.  Many 
developing countries, in particular in Africa, were faced with serious  challenges to their economic and 
social development.  The recent United Nations Su mmit attached great importance to the issue of 
development. Trade was not an end in itself, but formed part of a country's national economic and 
social development strategy.  If development issues  in the Doha Round were not duly addressed, this 
would have a negative effect on the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference. 
31. The representative of China said he had some spec ific comments on the Secretariat paper.  In 
paragraph 2, it was mentioned that the paper attempted to address all the subject areas under 
negotiation in the Round, and was organized by nego tiating body and by work programme or working 
group.  This was reaffirmed in pa ragraph 102, which stated that the document identified some of the 
developmental aspects raised in the various ne gotiating bodies and working groups.  However, the 
paper did not contain any information on such Wo rking Groups as those on Trade and Transfer of 
Technology or on Trade, Debt and Finance.  He sugg ested that a distinction should be made between 
the negotiating bodies and the working groups, and sought clarification from the Secretariat or 
comments from Members on this issue.  
32. The representative of China said he had noted th at in paragraph 21, where issues relating to 
recently acceded Members were addressed, only a proposal by economies in transition was mentioned. China, as a recently acceded developing Member, had also submitted a proposal – JOB(03)/168 – in which specific proposals had been  put forward to address the concerns of newly 
acceded Members.  He hoped that the proposal by Chin a would be reflected in a revised version of the 
paper.  He said he supported the proposal of the representative of Colombia to have an in-depth 
discussion of the paper at future meetings of the CTD, and that his delegation reserved the right to 
make further comments on the paper.  
33. The Director of the Development Division
 said the Secretariat had reflected on the issue of 
whether to include a treatment of the working groups  and work programmes in the paper.  He said the  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 13 
 
 
mandate in paragraph 51 of the D oha Declaration dealt with the negotiations.  Some groups were 
discussing areas related to the negotiations, but were  not considered as negotiating groups under the 
Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC).  A discussion of  these groups was, therefore, not included in 
the paper. 
34. The representative of Nicaragua  thanked the Secretariat for the document.  He said several 
Members were concerned with the lack of progress in the Agriculture negotiations.  There was no 
indication of a political will for agriculture to be brought fully within the WTO system.  His 
delegation supported the view of the delegation of Colombia that the current Round was not a Round 
of preferences, nor a Round where protectionism w ould be perpetuated.  His delegation wanted the 
current Round to bring about greater development fo r all Members.  Although liberalization was not 
an end in itself, more open markets could lead to more jobs, particularly in developing countries.  
Developing countries like Nicaragua had a comparativ e advantage in agricultu re, as they produced at 
lower cost and had abundant manpower and natural r esources.  There was no reason for the status quo 
in the agricultural sector to be maintained.  
35. The representative of Japan  thanked the Secretariat and the Chairman for the paper and the 
presentation.  He said it was useful to have an overview of the developmental aspects of the 
negotiations in each negotiating body.  He said hi s delegation reserved the right to make future 
comments on both substance and procedural matters.  He personally wondered whether the CTD was 
the appropriate body to discuss the advancement of the developmental aspects of the negotiations. 
36. The Chairman  said the CTD had a mandate under paragr aph 51 of the Doha Declaration to 
address the developmental aspects of the negotiations .  The CTD was not a negotiating body, but was 
taking stock of the developmenta l aspects of the negotiations.  
37. The representative of the European Communities  thanked the Secretariat for the document.  
He said that after the compartmentalized discussi on that had taken place under this agenda item up to 
now, a more holistic discussion was welcome.  He no ted that under the mandate of paragraph 51 the 
CTD was limited to discussing the developmental asp ects of the negotiations.  His delegation took 
note of the caveats in the paper, in particular in terms of providing a non-exhaustive and preliminary 
presentation.  He noted that the Secretariat had pr esented the information in the paper in a factual 
manner, without prioritizing issues or suggesting that any issue was more important than another.  It 
was appropriate of the Secretaria t to have presented the informa tion in this manner, as Members 
would have their individual assessments of where th ings stood, and the Secretariat would not be in a 
position to present the paper in any other way without further guidance from Members.  His 
delegation was also aware of the work being unde rtaken by the Committee on Trade and Environment 
(CTE).  He said that Committee was organizing in  the following week an event on sustainable 
development.  The paper pointed clearly to the conclusion that the developmental aspects of the 
negotiations were very much to be found in the core negotiating areas such as Agriculture, NAMA, 
Services, Trade Facilitation and Rules.  Some of the supporting measures were outside the WTO 
altogether, but were certainly relevant  as part of the overall exercise.  
38. The representative of the European Communities sa id he thought the interventions made in 
the present meeting demonstrated that the developm ental aspects of the negotiations were not simply 
the sum of the requests made by developing coun tries.  Some positions by developing country 
Members tended to go against each other.  Such  differences could only be resolved through 
negotiations between Members.  The developmen t potential of the Round was to be found in the 
commercial opportunities in goods and services that w ould be available to developing countries in the 
future, as well as the capacity to take advantage of th em.  It was, therefore, important not to close off 
the potential for additional trading opportunities in both developed and devel oping country markets if 
the development potential of the Round were to be maximized.  He agreed that the paper should be 
kept on the agenda of the CTD.  His delegation cer tainly wished to come back to the paper in the 
future.  WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 14  
 
39. The representative of Pakistan
 thanked the Secretariat for the preparation of the document.  
Her delegation supported the intervention made by th e delegation of Colombia.  Her delegation also 
echoed the concerns of the delegation of Chin a regarding development issues and their proper 
reflection and inclusion in the negotiations.  She sai d it would be worthwhile if a treatment of the 
Working Groups on Trade and Transfer of Technolog y and Trade, Debt and Finance were included in 
a revised version of the paper.  In the context of  S&D, she said her delegation looked forward to an 
update on the status of the various Categories of propo sals.  She noted that while making an analysis it 
was important to keep in mind the question of wh at would be the commercial opportunities available 
to businesses in the future.  She said her delegation r eserved the right to come back to the paper in the 
future.   
40. The Chairman  said that Members would have to decide whether to include the Working 
Groups on Trade and Transfer of Technology and Trade, Debt and Finance, as well as the Work Programme on Small Economies, in a revised version of the Secretariat paper.  With regard to the 
revision, he said he welcomed comments fro m Members on any developmental aspects of the 
negotiations they felt were not ade quately reflected in the paper. 
41. The representative of Cuba
 thanked the Secretariat for the document.  The document provided 
a snapshot of the developmental aspects of the ne gotiations.  Her delegation was deeply concerned 
with the scant progress that had been made in the developmental aspects across the negotiations.  She 
said Members should pool their efforts in orde r to have a result which honoured the title of 
'Development Round'.  She said that the working groups and work programme not included in the Secretariat paper were of great importance to her de legation, as they were to other developing country 
Members.  They were  part of the Doha Agenda, an d it would be useful if they were included in the 
paper.  She said that in order to have a satis factory and balanced outcome to the so-called 
Development Round, both the offensive and the defens ive interests of developing countries must be 
satisfied.  Her delegation agreed that it would be useful to continue discussing the paper at future 
meetings of the CTD.  She wished  the records to show that her delegation supported the statements 
made by the delegations of China, Rwanda and Pakistan. 
42. The representative of China
 said he wished to clarify the statement made earlier by his 
delegation.  By making reference to discussions on development issues in other organizations, the 
intention of his delegation was not to suggest that those discussions be brought into the WTO.  Rather, his delegation wished to highlight the importance of development issues in the context of a wider international background, so as to emphasize the need  for development concerns  to be stressed to a 
greater extent in the WTO.  
43. The representative of India
 said the comments of his delegation at this stage would be very 
preliminary.  His delegation would revert with more  detailed comments at a later stage.  He thanked 
the Secretariat for the document, and noted the caveats in the paper.  He said that from the point of 
view of his delegation one clear omission in the pape r related to implementation issues.  In particular, 
under that heading his delegation would have wish ed to see a specific refe rence to the CBD/TRIPS 
issue, which his delegation regarded as a major pro-development element in the mandate with 
potential long-term benefits for developing countries.  
44. The representative of India said his delegation ha d for some time been speaking of the need 
for a development audit of the negotiations, and sa w the Secretariat paper as a first step in that 
direction.  It would be desirable if a way c ould be found to feed the CTD's discussion on the 
Secretariat paper into a larger stocktaking of the development dimensi on of the negotiations.  
Discussion could then focus on the concrete developm ent deliverables at Hong Kong, China.  He said 
that unless a way could be found to  reflect the deliberations of the CTD into a broader stocktaking 
exercise, the value of the present discussion would be limited.  He was aware that the mandate given 
to the CTD provided some limitations, but within th ose limitations perhaps the Chairman would wish  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 15 
 
 
to give some thought as to how the CTD could communicate with other organs in the WTO on this issue.  
45. The Chairman
 said he certainly agreed that the CTD's discussion on the developmental 
aspects of the negotiations should be reflected outsi de of the Committee.  The Committee would have 
to decide at some stage on how to transmit the cont ent of its deliberations.  He recognized that the 
Indian delegation had been asking for a developm ent audit for some time, which was one of the 
reasons why the initiative had been taken to prep are a paper on the developmental aspects of the 
negotiations. 
46. The representative of Mauritius  thanked the Chairman and the Secretariat for having put so 
much effort into the preparation of the timely pape r on the developmental aspects of the negotiations.  
He was appreciative of the caveats and disclaimers in  the Secretariat paper.  He said the work being 
undertaken in the context of the Doha Developm ent Agenda (DDA) was at the present time being 
done on two tracks.  The first track was under the responsibility of the Chairman of the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) while the second track  was under the responsibility of the General 
Council Chairperson.  He suggested that non-TNC issu es should also be reflected  in the paper.  This 
would capture the whole thrust of the DDA.  He agre ed that discussion of the paper should continue in 
future meetings of the CTD and also agreed with the representative of India that the CTD's discussion 
on the subject should be reflected in negotiating an d other bodies concerned with the implementation 
of the work of the DDA.    
47. The representative of Costa Rica
 said his delegation had found valuable information in the 
Secretariat paper.  However, his delegation was deeply  concerned with the lack of balance in this and 
other documents dealing with the developmental asp ects of the negotiations.  The imbalances in the 
Secretariat document were very clear.  Prior to the adoption of the 1 August 2004 Decision his delegation had strongly defended the dual dimension of development.  He said his delegation had 
made the point that development in the negotiati ons seemed to be treated only along one track, which 
was to offer flexibilities to developing countries.  While flexibilities were important, they were only 
one component of the development dimension.  Developing countries needed to seek greater 
participation in world trade, greater market access and less trade barriers and distorting measures in developed countries.  The offensive, export interest s of developing countries must be treated in the 
Round, and should therefore have been reflected in  more detail in the paper.  His delegation had 
particularly stressed the importance of the offensive interests of developing countries in the context of 
tropical products in the Agriculture negotiations .  Paragraph 43 of the August 2004 Decision made 
reference to tropical products and reflected the need  for developing countries to secure greater market 
access for products of export interest to them.  That was why he was greatly surprised that the 
offensive needs of developing countries were exp licitly treated only in the NAMA section, and not in 
the Agriculture section.  It gave the impression that different people had authored different sections of 
the document. He could not understand th is on the part of the Secretariat. 
48. The representative of Costa Rica said his delega tion welcomed India's initiative calling for an 
audit of the developmental aspects of the Round a nd was grateful for the document that had been 
circulated by India.  However, it also suffered fro m significant omissions when treating the offensive 
interests of developing countries.  His delegation un derstood and respected India's position.  However, 
his country saw development in a different way.  His country had a high level of ambition in both 
Agriculture and NAMA.  In the document circulated by India, no mention was made of the mandate 
to substantially enhance market access, nor of tropical  products.  Even though preference erosion was 
part of the Agriculture and the NAMA mandate, the Indian document mentioned this only in relation 
to NAMA.  His delegation was of the view that this should also have been mentioned under Agriculture, thus leading to a more balanced treatment of the two areas.     WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 16  
 
49. The representative of India
 raised a point of order.  He said the comments made by the 
representative of Costa Rica pertained to a document that India had submitted in the Informal Group of Developing Countries, and not in the CTD. 
50. The representative of Costa Rica
 inquired whether the representa tive of India meant that the 
document submitted by India should not be discussed  in the present meeti ng because it was submitted 
in a different body. 
51. The representative of India  said the document in question was submitted in a different forum, 
and it was, therefore, not appropriate for it be discussed in the CTD. 
52. The representative of Costa Rica  said he would not mention the submission by India.  To 
conclude his statement, he said his delegation belie ved that work should be carried out on what Brazil 
had called the development deficit.  His delegation felt it was very im portant for developing countries 
to reach an agreement on the means of striking a balan ce, or even a surplus, in development. In order 
to do so, however, the interests of all developing co untries needed to be taken into account.  That was 
why his delegation considered it a serious omission and imbalance that not enough attention had been 
paid in the Secretariat document to achieving en hanced market access for developing countries.  
53. The representative of the United States  thanked the Secretariat for what her delegation felt 
was an outstanding first attempt to assist Members in looking comprehensively at the developmental 
aspects of the negotiations.  Her delegation acknowle dged the challenge faced by the Secretariat to 
present issues in a neutral manner, and felt that  on the whole the Secretariat had successfully 
described the different views of Members in a succinct and balanced way.  
54. The representative of the United States said her delegation noted that the paper did not, and 
perhaps could not, capture what it believed to be th e fundamental economic reality of the contribution 
of trade liberalization to economic development.   The preponderance of economic benefits to 
Members from the Round would be generated through the efficiency gains and increased 
competitiveness spurred by their own liberalization.  To her delegation, the key benefit was what was 
contributed rather than what was received in the negotiations.  While difficult to address, it was 
nevertheless important to keep this in mind.  
55. The representative of the United States said her delegation was struck by the serious attempts 
that had been made in every negotiating group to lo ok at the development aspects.  There were also 
serious challenges in addressing these issues, as th ere was not a universal view among developing 
country Members about what would be a pro-develo pment outcome to the Round.  Furthermore, the 
perspectives of developing and developed country Members varied very much by issue.  Her 
delegation was impressed by the extent to whic h substantive negotiations had been building in 
differentiation of flexibilities based on needs a nd concerns.  Examples included the needs of 
resource-poor farmers in the domestic support pillar, the net food importers, or the approach that had 
been taken in the NAMA negotiations with respect to  those countries with very low level of bindings 
and with respect to LDCs.  
56. With regard to the reference in paragraph 30  of the Secretariat paper to the NAMA mandate, 
the representative of the United States said that in  the view of her delega tion the NAMA mandate did 
not limit the addressing of tariff peaks, high tariffs a nd tariff escalation to developed country markets.  
Rather, the mandate addressed any market where pr oducts originating from de veloping countries were 
traded, including developing country markets.  It was important to emphasize that developing 
countries had export interests in each other's mark ets.  By and large the NAMA section of the paper 
highlighted that point, but there was some misimpre ssion in paragraph 30.  Also with regard to the 
NAMA section of the paper her delegation noted that NTBs were not given as much attention.  She 
said efforts were under way by her de legation and others to reach out to  the smaller trading nations to  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 17 
 
 
help them identify and explore solutions to the ba rriers they were facing in developed and developing 
country markets.    
57. In the area of trade and environment, the representative of the United States recalled that her 
delegation's modality proposal for environmen tal goods endeavoured to take account of the 
development dimension by proposing th at developing countries eliminate tariffs in a lesser percentage 
of products on the complementary list th an would apply to developed countries.  
58. The representative of the United States said her delegation joined others in expressing an 
interest in continuing the present discussion at future  meetings of the CTD.  Her delegation believed 
that the role of the discussion was to monitor and assess the developmental aspects of the negotiations 
rather than to direct other bodies.  With regard to the question of whether to include other areas of the 
Doha Declaration in the paper, she said those subj ects were not being discussed in negotiating groups 
and a distinction should therefore be made.   
59. The representative of Brazil  thanked the Chairman and the Secretariat for having prepared the 
background for the present discussion.  In his view, th e Secretariat paper was a very useful document.  
He said it was extremely difficult to keep track of the proposals in the various negotiating groups, and 
the document was a useful contribution as it summarized  the ongoing work in several areas.  He said 
the Secretariat had taken the right approach in  presenting the issues rather than making value 
judgements or suggesting possible solutions.  On a number of issues, however, the paper was perhaps 
a little too concise.  He was also of the view that  explicit mention should be made of the TRIPS/CBD 
issue.  He said it was easy to criticize the document because of the way things were presented, but in 
his view that was not useful.  What he wanted to  see was an as exhaustive list as possible of issues.  
He noted the Secretariat disclaimer.  While it was impossible to assure that all issues were included, 
he felt the Secretariat should try to be as exhaustive as possible. 
60. The representative of Brazil said he did not think it would be useful to include in the 
document a discussion of the economic efficiency ga ins from unilateral liberalization.  If everybody 
believed in such gains there would be no need for negotiations.  He said that when the argument for 
unilateral liberalization was brought up in his country  there were always commentators that noted that 
much richer countries had not liberalized.  
61. The representative of Brazil noted that proposals by developing countries were sometimes 
contradictory.  He believed that the role of a docum ent such as the one prepared by the Secretariat was 
to compile the proposals by developing countries without passing judgement.  Differences between 
developing countries needed to be discussed and sorted out.  Clearly, exceptions to market access 
would have a greater negative impact on those count ries exporting a small range of products than on 
larger economies with a more varied export struct ure.  Another example was Technical Barriers to 
Trade (TBT), which had a much greater negative imp act on countries at lower levels of development 
and with lower capacities.  These were structural  problems, and did not lend themselves to easy 
solutions. It was nonetheless important to discuss such issues and find ways to mitigate the problems.    
62. The representative of Brazil said he believed the present discussion fell squarely within the 
mandate of the CTD.  However, issues related to the developmental aspects of the negotiations needed 
also to be taken up elsewhere.   
63. The representative of Australia  said the Secretariat document provided a neutral and balanced 
overview of the developmental aspects of the ne gotiations.  She thanked the representative of 
Colombia for the lucid and powerful intervention,  echoed in the interventions by Nicaragua and 
Costa Rica.  Her delegation was in full agreement that the Agriculture negotiations were of critical 
importance to developing countries, and that the offe nsive interests of developing countries should not 
be overlooked.  Her delegation was of the view th at the major developmental benefits of the Round 
would be found in the core negotiating areas.  In particular, her delegation believed that achieving an WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 18  
 
ambitious outcome in the Agriculture negotiations ac ross the three pillars was central to realizing the 
development potential of the Round.    
64. The representative of Canada
 said the Secretariat paper was a useful factual compendium. 
The paper demonstrated how deve lopment had permeated the discu ssions in all negotiating bodies.  
He noted that what had been brought out in the present discussion was that development did not 
necessarily mean the same thing to all delegations .  He said the paper should be a living document, 
which should evolve as the negotiations evolved.  There were missing elements in the paper, for 
example the TRIPS/CBD issue.  He encouraged the S ecretariat to revise the paper.  He also agreed 
that the present discussion should continue at future meetings of the CTD.  
65. The representative of Moldova  said the concerns of small transition economies had been 
reflected in the Agriculture section of the Secret ariat paper but not in the NAMA section.  In 
particular, the NAMA section did not make refe rence to document TN/MA/W/56/Rev.1 which was 
submitted by a group of small transition economies.  She requested the Secretariat to reflect in its 
revised paper the concerns of small trans ition economies in the NAMA negotiations.    
66. The representative of Egypt  said that some points would have to be addressed if the 
Secretariat paper was to be a living document.  It was firstly important to ensure that there was a 
balance in the treatment of the various negotiating ar eas.  He also noted that in some parts of the 
document, the treatment of issues moved from being factual to being judgemental, for example in paragraph 24 relating to cotton.     
67. The representative of Ecuador
 said the Secretariat paper was a good basis for discussion, 
though it could certainly be improved.  She said she fully agreed with what had been said by the 
representatives of Colombia, Costa Rica and Nicara gua.  She also found the intervention by the 
representative of Brazil to be most relevant. 
68. The representative of Brazil  said that, if possible within th e mandate relating to paragraph 51 
of the Doha Declaration, it would be useful to suppl ement the Secretariat paper with a treatment of the 
non-TNC issues, in line with what had been sugg ested by the representative of Mauritius.    
69. The Chairman  said he had been informed that the Secretariat had received some proposed 
amendments to the Secretariat paper from Benin, Bu rkina Faso, Chad and Mali.  As there had been no 
intervention from these Members at the meeting, he would inform the Committee of the changes 
proposed.  First, in paragraph 7,  page 4, it was proposed that the phrase "which is one reason why 
some West and Central African cotton producing countries are pursuing their interests through the 
Sub-Committee on Cotton" at the end of the paragraph be deleted.  The last sentence in paragraph 7 
would therefore read:  "An additional factor for some countries is their dependence on a relatively 
small range of commodities".  Second,  in paragraph 22, page 7, it w as proposed that the first sentence, 
which read "Although not originally a specific elemen t of the Doha Declaration, the trade-related 
aspects of cotton are now a core part of the negotia tions" be deleted.  In its place would appear the 
following:  "The Sectorial Initiative on Cotton was submitted to WTO in May 2003.  The Cotton issue 
is a core part of the negotiations".  Also in para graph 22, it was proposed that the phrase "Tasked with 
addressing cotton "ambitiously" and "expeditiously"" be replaced with:  "Tasked with addressing 
cotton "ambitiously, expeditiously and specifically"".  Finally, in paragraph 24 it was proposed that 
the first sentence, as well as the latter part of the second sentence, be deleted.  Thus what would be 
left of paragraph 24 would simply be the following:  "In the Chairman's status report, (JOB(05)/126), 
he noted the vital need for progress in bo th the trade and development tracks".   
70. The Chairman said the Secretariat would prep are a revision to the document based on the 
points raised in the present discussion.  He noted that a number of Members had suggested that it 
would be useful if the non-TNC issues were include d in the revised Secretariat paper.  He inquired  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 19 
 
 
whether the delegation of the United States would be  opposed if these issues were placed in a separate 
section of the paper. 
71. The representative of the United States  said she would confer with her capital about whether 
the non-TNC issues could be included in the revised Secretariat paper.  She said she was concerned 
with the changes proposed in the paper on the lang uage relating to cotton, as the paper was quite 
factual as it was.  She said she would also confer with her capital on this point.    
72. The representative of Benin  confirmed the amendments proposed by Benin, Burkina Faso, 
Chad and Mali.  He said his delegation considered  that the amendments were necessary and reflected 
the facts and the discussion that had taken place on co tton.  The amendments were believed necessary 
in order to have a balanced treatment of the issue in the Secretariat paper. 
73. The Chairman  said he would hold consultations with  certain delegations that had raised 
concerns relating to the Secretariat paper in order to see how the paper could be revised.   
74. The representative of Mauritius  said he was aware that the Chairman would in coming weeks 
be submitting his report to the General Council.  He wondered whether the report could have the  
Secretariat paper annexed to it, or at least have so me aspects of the present discussion reflected in it.   
75. The representative of Colombia  said the Secretariat paper was a very important document that 
went to the very heart of the negotiations.  She requested that a discussion on the document take place again as soon as possible.  She said she wished to promote the document and the discussion that 
would take place.  
76. The representative of Costa Rica
 said the present discussion had demonstrated that there were 
a number of elements lacking in the Secretariat paper.  He hoped the Secretariat could revise the 
document quickly so that discussion could contin ue in the CTD based on the revised paper.  
77. The Chairman  said he could see valid reasons for th e concerns of the representative of 
Costa Rica.  There was a need to improve the pa per before promoting it outside the CTD.  The 
question was how to go about that process, whethe r it would be through consultations or perhaps 
another meeting of the CTD.   
78. The representative of Costa Rica  said he believed there was no need for consultations to 
revise the document.  The Secretariat could certain ly revise the document based on the discussion that 
had taken place at the present meeting.  The document was meant to be a factual compilation, and records were available to make the necessary revisions.  
79. The Chairman
 said the Secretariat would, therefore, revise the paper before the Ministerial 
Conference in Hong Kong, China.  He said that consultations would neve rtheless be necessary in 
certain areas, for example on whether the non-TNC issues could be included in the revised paper. 
80. The representative of China  inquired whether the discussion on paragraph 51 of the Doha 
Declaration would continue at the next CTD meeting in November 2005. 
81. The Chairman  said that the plan had been to have a more limited meeting of the CTD in 
November, where the annual report of the Committ ee would be adopted.  However, if Members 
wished to continue the present discussion at the ne xt CTD meeting it would certainly be possible. 
82. The representative of Colombia  requested that the discussion on paragraph 51 of the Doha 
Declaration be on the agenda of the next CTD mee ting.  She said it was important to give Members a 
chance to continue the discussion based on the revised Secretariat paper.   WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 20  
 
83. The Chairman
 said that discussion on paragraph 51 of the Doha Declaration would continue 
at the next meeting of the CTD. 
84. The Committee took note  of the Secretariat paper and of all interventions. 
F. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING  
(i) Training and Technical Assistance: Semi-Annual Review of the Implementation of Activities – 
1 January to 30 June 2005 (WT/COMTD/W/141) 
(ii) Technical Assistance and Training Plan 2006 (WT/COMTD/W/142)  
85. The Chairman  said there were two reports for the Co mmittee to consider under this agenda 
item.  He wished to invite the Secretariat to present both reports, after wh ich the floor would be 
opened for questions and comments. 
86. The Director of the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC)  said he would 
start by introducing document WT/COMTD/W/141, wh ich was the first of the twice-yearly reports 
that the Secretariat had undertaken to provide Me mbers with.  The report unde r consideration covered 
the first six months of 2005.  The last six months  of 2005 would be covered in the annual report which 
Members would receive in the first part of 2006. Me mbers had also been kept informed of progress in 
the implementation of the 2005 Technical Assistan ce (TA) Plan through the informal consultation 
process that had been initiated the previous year.  One of the informal sessions had been held in 
conjunction with Geneva Week, thereby allowi ng non-resident Members to participate.  
87. The IITC Director said he wished to highlight  some salient points in the document under 
consideration.  The document was divided into tw o parts.  The first part contained a quantitative 
report of the activities.  In the second part, two par ticular products were analyzed in more depth.  
88. On the quantitative part, the ITTC Director said that the implementation rate showed that the 
process was on track to provide a level of delivery similar to that of 2004, where approximately 
500 activities were delivered.  In th e first semester of 2005, 263 activities had been delivered.  Using 
the procedure agreed to the previous year for measuring the implementation of especially regional 
activities and Geneva-based activities, namely in te rms of participant days, 17,000 such days were 
recorded in the first se mester of the year.  Up to 30 Septem ber 2005, 385 activities had been delivered 
with 28,700 participant days. 
89. The ITTC Director said that paragraph 6 of the report outlined some of the main features of 
the activities that had been conducted.  Some nume rical and other parameters of these features were 
highlighted.  There had been some innovations in th e area of e-training, in the Netherlands trainee 
programme and the trade negotiations skills semi nars.  Particular emphasis was being placed on 
activities in Africa and in LDCs.  In respect of national activities, however, LDCs were not fully 
taking up the opportunities being offered to them.  Pa rtnership agreements with  other institutions were 
allowing a leveraging of resources beyond what co uld be done by the Secretariat on its own. 
90. The ITTC Director said that, as he had mentioned earlier, the second part of the report 
considered in more detail two par ticular products.  The first was the trade negotiations skills seminars, 
which were held both on a regional basis a nd as national activities upon request.  These were 
simulations of a real negotiation aimed at cutti ng tariffs on industrial goods and agricultural goods, 
and on establishing new rules governing trade.  They  were done on the basis of role-playing. The 
participants in the activities took on the roles of ne gotiators for different types of countries, ranging 
from LDCs to highly developed economies.  An agre ement was hammered out during the five days of 
the seminar.  The seminars were particularly well received by participants from developing countries, 
who indicated that they left the seminars feeli ng better prepared to participate in real trade  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 21 
 
 
negotiations.  Trade negotiations si mulations were also carried out in the trade policy courses in 
Geneva and in the regions. 
91. The other product considered in detail in th e second part of the report was the traineeship 
programme sponsored by the government of the Netherlands, which had a budget of CHF 3 million 
over four years.  Approximately 25 trainees were ei ther already functioning as part of the programme 
or were about to join for periods up to ten mont hs.  The trainees came from LDCs and low-income 
countries, as required by the terms of reference of  the programme.  The trainees were working on 
specific topics, and many were engaged in un dertaking needs assessment s from the countries from 
which they came.  They were working in a number of Divisions of the Secretariat.  Because of space 
constraints, however, some of them had been placed in Missions or elsewhere. 
92. The ITTC Director said he wished to bring the Committee up to date on the funding situation. 
The situation had markedly improved since the l ast time he had addressed the Committee.  Of the 
CHF 20 million of fresh money that had been requested from Members for 2005, almost all the amount had been received.  There were, therefore,  sufficient funds to carry out the programme of 
work for the year.  There would also be funds av ailable to begin activities in 2006, because in addition 
to any left over funds from the present year, a number of pledges for contributions for 2006 had been 
received. 
93. The ITTC Director said he wished to turn to the proposed Technical Assistance and Training 
Plan for 2006 contained in document WT/COMTD/W /142.  The approach had been refined every 
year, attempting to incorporate new features based on lessons learned from implementing the Plan in the previous year.  In the proposed Plan for 2006 an attempt had been made to make training more 
targeted, both in terms of the issues dealt with an d in terms of the audience being addressed.  An 
attempt was being made to raise the level of the training in some activities by making some 
assumptions about the background knowledge partic ipants had, though basic training on WTO issues 
also continued to be offered.  More em phasis was being placed on hands-on exercises and 
simulations.  In addition to the trade negotiations  simulations exercises that had been mentioned 
earlier, simulation exercises also existed in vari ous areas including Dispute Settlement, Services 
negotiations and Rules negotiations.  A more careful  selection of participants in training courses was 
also being undertaken.  
94. With regard to the duration of training activities,  the ITTC Director said that an effort was 
being made to keep them to the minimum time  required to appropriately present the material. 
Participants regularly made the remark that a l onger activity would have pr ovided additional benefits, 
and it was therefore necessary to strike a balance so as to ensure that all activities remained at a high 
level within the allotted time frame.  The partners hip programme was also being pursued actively with 
a view to enhancing ownership by the beneficiary countries of the training that was being received. 
95. The ITTC Director said that the main objective of the Plan continued to be to provide a 
framework for a coherent and cost-effective pursu it of the key development and capacity-building 
objectives mandated by Members, particularly tho se mentioned in the Doha Declaration and the 
1 August 2004 Decision of the Genera l Council.  An effort was being ma de to enhance the capacity of 
developing country Members in a sustainable wa y to understand the WTO agreements and to 
participate more actively in the negotiations and other work of the WTO.  As in past years, the Plan 
contained a range of products.  The main objec tives of each product were listed in the Plan.  
96. The ITTC Director said that the key features of the Plan, which had not changed much from 
the previous year, were found in paragraph 8.  Th e Plan was demand-driven.  A list of what could 
reasonably be foreseen had been provided, but there was flexibility to deal with demands from 
beneficiary countries, in particular with regard to national activities.  WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 22  
 
97. The ITTC Director said that the Plan had been budgeted at CHF 31 million.  About 
CHF 5.5 million of the amount was under the regul ar budget, while the rest came from the Global 
Trust Fund (GTF) and other funds.  The budget for technical assistance was the same as in the previous two years.  In particular, the total budge t for the GTF had been foreseen once again to be 
CHF 24 million.   
98. A representative of the Budget and Control Section
 made the following statement: 
"I have been asked to provide you with an overview of the Secretariat's cost estimates 
for WTO-provided technical assistance and training activities in 2006.  
Cost estimates for the 2006 Pl an have been circulated.1 
I hope that these figures, taken together with  the details contained in the document 
presenting the 2006 Plan will provide Member s with the information they need. 
The results of the discussions in the CTD will be taken into consideration by the 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration later this year, when it will make a recommendation the General Council on a ta rget amount for the Doha Development 
Agenda (DDA) GTF in 2006. 
The document that that you have in front  of you follows the structure of the 2006 
Plan, as presented in Annex 1 to document WT/COMTD/W/142. 
The Director of ITTC mentioned that the structure of the Plan for 2006 is similar to 
the previous two Plans.  This makes a dir ect comparison of the cost estimates for the 
different parts of the Plan easier. 
In arriving at these figures, the Secretaria t also applied the same standard cost 
methodology as in the previous years.  
The methodology consists of assigning different  standard costs for one day of activity 
for one person depending upon whether the ev ent is a national activity, a regional 
activity, a training course or an activity in Geneva headquarters.   
With the exception of national activities, fo r which the standard cost increased by 
9 per cent, these figures are either iden tical to or less than last year's. 
When applying the standard costs for all ac tivities organized at the regional level, we 
anticipated a participation level of 85 per cent. 
Globally, the costing we have arrived at fo r the 2006 Plan comes to CHF 31 million.  
The total is comprised of the following elements:  1. Estimated overall cost  
2. Reduction in cost due to cost sharing arrangements 
3. Net total for WTO to be finan ced from the regular budget and extra-
budgetary funds. 
                                                     
 
1 The table circulated during the meeting is reproduced in the Annex to this Note.  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 23 
 
 
We have assumed that Members, when revising the regular budget for 2006, will 
maintain an envelope for technical assistan ce (TA) and training activities similar in 
size to what has already been proposed .  In other words, an amount of 
CHF 5,346,300. 
In that case, the estimated cost of the TA activities contained in the Plan, and 
requiring financing from the DDAGTF would amount to CHF 24 million. 
I will now try to give you a better understa nding of how the Secretariat anticipates 
spending the money. 
CHAPTERS A & B  
General WTO-Related Training and Technical Assistance in Chapter A, and 
Specialised and Advanced Training and Tec hnical Assistance in Chapter B combine 
Geneva-based activities traditionally finan ced out of the WTO regular budget, and 
activities in the field financed by the Global Trust Fund. 
Members accept that the Geneva-based ac tivities, like the four three-month trade 
policy courses, constitute the core of the tr aining provided by the WTO to developing 
country officials.  Therefore, they are incorporated in the regular budget of the 
Organization.  The budget for this line has been reduced by 1.2 per cent. 
For the activities included in chapters A a nd B, globally we have anticipated a budget 
increase of  4 per cent.  
As indicated earlier by the ITTC Director, activities in the field financed through the 
DDAGTF have been reconsidered in the light of the most recent developments. 
Examples of the cost evolution are as follows, compared to the Plan for 2005: 
The cost of the regional three-month trade policy courses would decrease by 
11 per cent.  This is mainly due to the lo wer standard cost and revised discount rate 
for non-participation.  Regional Trade Po licy Courses – both the three-month and the 
short courses – represent some 42 per cent of the total expenses financed through the 
GTF.  This is the clearest indication of the efforts made by the Secretariat to reinforce 
the activities that have the most impact for beneficiaries.   
The cost of shorter national activities of a w eek or less, decrease by 7.5 per cent in 
2006. 
The estimated cost of the regional semina rs and Trade Negotiations Skills Course are 
in line with that of last year. 
The cost of outreach activities has been reduced significantly. 
The budget for Geneva-based topic-specific symposia has been reduced by 
40 per cent compared to 2005.  
For costing purposes, we have grouped the cost of L posts and other short-term 
contracts, WTO contribution to the STDF (Standards & Trade Development Facility), 
UNIDO, the Joint WTO/OECD, Integrated Database Projects, and WTO 
documentation under Chapter E. WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 24  
 
In 2006 it is proposed to finance 12 to 14 L posts  which are directly associated with 
the delivery of TA or training to beneficiary countries.  You may recall that 19 L posts were created in 2002 in order to  give the Secretariat the additional human 
resources needed to implement the DDA.  The remaining L posts consist of internal support positions in the implementation of th e Plan and will be financed out of the 
Programme Support Fund.  This is a continuation of the current practice. 
Chapters F and G
 deal with the overheads of 13 per cent charged on all direct costs 
financed by extra-budgetary resources and with the sharing of costs with certain of our partners.  The cost sharing hypothesis on which our estimates are based is ambitious:  CHF 7,113,762.  This reflects the fact that the WTO is further increasing 
and exploiting it's partnership arrangements. 
In conclusion, I would like to underline that  the Secretariat has been very careful to 
make sure that the continuous re-engineer ing of the TA and Training Plan presented 
to you today is designed to enhance the Pl an's effectiveness and efficiency in 2006, 
while maintaining costs at the same level as for the last two years. 
I hope this information is useful to you. 
Thank you." 
99. The Chairman
 thanked the Secretariat for the presentations and opened the floor for questions 
and comments.  
100. The representative of Barbados  said her delegation welcomed the fact that the 2006 Plan was 
built largely on the success of previous Plans.   She emphasized that the Plan should be 
development-oriented, results-oriented and flexible, and that it should respect the priorities that were 
laid out in paragraph 38 of the Doha  Declaration.  Of particular im portance to her delegation were the 
trade policy courses – and in particular the Regional Trade Policy Courses (RTPCs) – and her 
delegation was pleased to note that an RTPC was scheduled to be held in 2006 for Caribbean 
countries.  In terms of national activities, her delega tion was satisfied that the same number would be 
delivered as in the previous year.  Other products to which her delegation attached great importance 
were academic support for training and capacity-build ing and Geneva Week for non-residents.  With 
regard to the internship programmes, she was please d to note that the regional coordinator internship 
programme had been maintained.  She also urged that the WTO Mission internship programme be continued, and that donors come forward to replen ish the funds without excluding participants from 
any particular country from being able to benefit from the programme.  She said that the increase in 
synergies between the delivery of TA and th e conduct of trade policy reviews was a positive 
development.  She commended the innovative products  that were being continuously elaborated 
through the use of information technology.  She al so highly commended the work of the Development 
Division and the ITTC, and the excellent contributions  of Secretariat officials who were travelling to 
capitals to deliver national a nd regional TA activities.   
101. The representative of the European Communities
 said his delegation welcomed the 2006 Plan 
and acknowledged the progress made by the Secretar iat in programming and implementation.  He said 
he had two specific queries.  First, the Plan indi cated that national activities would be based on needs 
assessments where possible.  He in quired how the Secretariat intende d to encourage beneficiaries to 
actually use such material when submitting requests.   Second, the Secretariat had announced that it 
would allocate CHF 225,000 to pay for the operati on of the Standards and Trade Development 
Facility (STDF).  He requested clarification on which budget this amount would come from.  In 
particular, he inquired whether it would come from the regular budget, the programme support cost of 
the STDF or from another budget.  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 25 
 
 
102. The representative of the China  said the ITTC had done some very good work, and that China 
had benefited from technical coopera tion activities.  He expressed the thanks of his delegation to the 
donor Members, without whom it would have not b een possible for technical cooperation activities to 
be carried out.  He pointed to some potential erro rs in the two Secretariat documents, and requested 
clarification from the Secretariat.  First, in  paragraph 6 of documen t WT/COMTD/W/141, his 
delegation believed that reference to research  on Textiles and Clothing and related Import 
Competition should be deleted, as this activity di d not take place.  Second, in paragraph 93 of 
document WT/COMTD/W/142 it was stated that the cost of planned joint research programmes in 
2006 would be met from the regular budget.  His de legation believed that the cost of planned joint 
research programmes were, in fact, to be met from the GTF. 
103. The representative of Ecuador  said her delegation was very interested in the RTPCs, and 
hoped that an RTPC would take place in Ecuador.  Her delegation was interested in hearing about the 
results of the Internet-based training courses.  During the year, Ecuador had received assistance in 
vital sectors.  Thanks to TA provided by the Secret ariat, Ecuadorean officials were beginning to get a 
feel for the notification process relating to Sa nitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS).  The 
Permanent Mission had requested and received in formation on which Ecuadorean officials had 
participated in which TA activities, including tho se organized with other institutions.  This was 
important information, as it allowed an assessment of  the value of TA to the country.  Her delegation 
expressed its gratitude to the donors.      
104. The representative of Canada  said he saw a marked improvement in the TA Plan relative to a 
few years ago.  The Plan seemed to be taking a more strategic and proactive approach.  He had 
noticed that there was an increasing utilization of development partners in the implementation of 
activities, which he felt was the correct way to mo ve forward.  He had also noticed the link to 
identification of needs coming from the countries them selves and from the Integrated Framework.  He 
saw considerable progress in performance reporting,  but believed some improvements could still be 
made.  In particular, he was of the view that a move away from the quantitative approach and towards 
a qualitative approach would be useful.  The Plan seemed a little sparse on the subject of Technical 
Barriers to Trade (TBT), and the Secretariat could c onsider doing more in this area.  In relation to 
distance learning, he noted that in the previous year UNCTAD had launched its Virtual Institute.  He 
wondered whether the Secretariat had any involvement in that.  He also inquired on the reasons for 
the underutilization of the available training.  
105. The representative of the United States  said her delegation was pleased with the manner in 
which the TA Plan had evolved.  There was certa inly more work to be done in terms of needs 
assessment, partnerships and performance indicators, and her delegation was willing to participate in 
continuing to improve the TA Plan.  More simula tion activities were especially welcome and useful. 
The Netherlands traineeship progra mme offered an interesting demons tration of how, in addition to 
the general work that all donors were undertaking, th e strengths of individual donors could be used to 
help in specific ways.  She wondered how the qualitative  benefits of TA could be better captured.  She 
asked if the Secretariat could comme nt on the extent of the usefulness of partnerships with other 
institutions.  She inquired whether there was yet an  example of a programme in which an evaluation 
component had already been built in, and what the results had been. 
106. The representative of Kenya  said that TA and capacity-building had been very useful for 
African countries, and had allowed their representativ es to participate in the work of the WTO in a 
meaningful way.  On the issue of regional partners hips, the University of Nairobi had been host to a 
regional course for the past three years.  He hoped the ITTC would continue to work with the University of Nairobi in the future.  He thanke d the donor countries, and said that without their 
support several developing countries would not have b een able to participate so effectively in the 
WTO.  He requested the donors to continue their su pport, as the funds they were providing were being 
put to very good use. WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 26  
 
107. The representative of Rwanda
 said his delegation was satisfied with the quality of the TA 
activities.  The simulation exercises had been particularly useful.  His delegation appreciated paragraph 138 of the 2006 Plan concerning the STDF, and supported the STDF initiative.  He said 
that the Common Market for Eastern and Sout hern Africa (COMESA) and the East African 
Community (EAC) were recently established regi onal arrangements that would benefit from a 
seminar to better understand and appreciate WTO issues.    
108. The representative of Japan
 said her delegation saw some improvements in the TA Plan on 
issues relating to needs assessment.  Her delega tion commended the partnerships between the WTO 
and other international organizations.  She asked the Secretariat to comment in particular on its 
partnership with UNCTAD with regard to the Virt ual Institute.  She inquired whether any specific 
work had been undertaken in securing pa rticipation in TA activities.     
109. The representative of Ethiopia  said the work undertaken by the ITTC was well recognized by 
his delegation.  He inquired whether it would be pos sible for the WTO to provide a dedicated training 
programme at headquarters for acceding countries.   This would allow representatives of these 
countries to benefit from the wealth of expertise available in the house. 
110. The Director of the ITTC  thanked delegations for the s upport they had shown for the 2006 
TA Plan.  On the issue of how to encourage count ries to use the needs assess ments when making their 
requests, he said that when the Secretariat wrote to Members with regard to national activities it was 
made clear that requests submitted should be based on the needs assessments.  While this was not yet 
happening in all cases, requests were increasingly bei ng submitted in this way.  As far as regionally 
based activities were concerned, the ITTC was organized  in terms of country desks.  The heads of the 
country desks had very close contact with their co unterparts in the regions.  Communication therefore 
took place on what would constitute a request from a country that corresponded to an identified need.  
Incrementally, therefore, countries were being enc ouraged to make their requests based on identified 
needs.  However, because the WTO was a Member-dri ven organization, there was a limit to how far 
the Secretariat could push Member s to follow a specified format. 
111. The ITTC Director said the contribution to th e SDTF would be made as required.  The reason 
for this wording was that the programme suppor t funds from which such resources normally came 
would only become available when the programme started disbursing grants for activities, which was 
not the case at the moment.  A bridging arrangement of sorts was therefore probably called for until the programme support funds became available. 
112. The ITTC Director confirmed the points raised by the representative of China. Reference to 
research papers in the first bullet point of pa ragraph 6 of document WT/COMTD/W/141 should not 
include mention of research on Textiles and Clothing  and related Import Competition.  In addition, 
there was a mistake in paragraph 93 of documen t WT/COMTD/W/142.  The activities referred to in 
that paragraph were financed from the GTF, and not from the regular budget.  Appropriate changes 
would be made to the documents. 
113. On the issue of the Regional Trade Policy Course (RTPC) for Latin America, the ITTC 
Director said that one such course was taking place at  the present time in Santiago.  Ecuador had been 
a candidate to host that course.  The decision to hold the course in Santiago had been based on very 
fine considerations.  When the hosting of the RTPC for Latin America was once again open for 
application, however, Ecuador was welcome to apply. 
114. The ITTC Director said the evaluation side of the TA activities was the responsibility of the 
TA Audit Unit.  In general, an effort was being made to capture the qualitative aspects of evaluation.  
There were two major programmes in which particul ar attention was being paid to the qualitative 
aspects.  These were the Geneva trade policy courses and the RTPCs.  Some of the shorter courses in  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 27 
 
 
Geneva also had built-in evaluation processes.  Work was additionally being undertaken to build 
performance indicators into the various activities. 
115. The ITTC Director said that a number of activities were now being offered on a bi-annual 
basis.  The decision to do so had been taken in consultation with the rele vant Divisions.  The TBT 
activity was one of those that was now being offered bi-annually. 
116. On the issue of e-training, the ITTC Director said that training was being offered at a basic 
level and at an advanced, specialized level.  The objectives of the basic-level courses were firstly to 
provide training at an even more basic level and at a lower cost than what could be offered in 
face-to-face courses, and secondly to serve as a buildi ng block to more advanced training.  In the 
context of specialized training, a course had already b een offered in the Rules area.  It was planned to 
prepare specialized courses in other areas.  The ITTC was also working with UNCTAD on the latter's 
Virtual Institute. 
117. On the question of why some Members were not fully using their entitlement for national 
activities, the ITTC Director said that significant effo rts had already been made to bring the issue to 
the attention of the authorities.  Efforts would, however, be intensified. 
118. With regard to partnerships, the ITTC Director said it was desirable for these to be more than 
just co-hosting arrangements.  In fact, cost-shari ng was becoming more prevalent.  Other institutions 
were increasingly providing training on WTO issues, and the Secretariat was assisting in various ways, for example by providing speakers and documen tation or by helping in drafting the programme 
for a course. 
119. The ITTC Director said the Secretariat would look into the possibility of undertaking an 
activity in the COMESA or EAC regions. 
120. With regard to the request for a dedicated training session for acceding countries, the ITTC 
Director drew the attention of the Committee to  the table annexed to document WT/COMTD/W/142, 
in which it was mentioned that one of the topic- specific Geneva Symposiums planned for 2006 was 
for the benefit of acceding countries. 
121. The Committee took note
 of the Semi-Annual Review of th e Implementation of Activities and 
adopted  the Technical Assistance and Training Plan 2006,  with the changes noted during the meeting. 
G. ANNUAL REPORT  
122. The Chairman  said that the annual report of the CTD contained the reports of the CTD in 
Regular Session, the CTD in Dedicated Session and the Sub-Committee on LDCs.  The draft annual 
report would be completed shortly by the Secretariat,  and would be issued for circulation.  The annual 
report would be adopted at the last meeting of  the year, which was scheduled for 29 November. 
123. It was so agreed . 
H. OTHER BUSINESS  
124. The representative of Thailand  said he wished to provide responses to requests for further 
information by Members on the notification under the Enabling Clause concerning the Framework 
Agreement on Comprehensive Econom ic Cooperation between ASEAN and China.  He said the first 
request was for elaboration on the relationship between the Framework Agreement, the Free Trade 
Agreement and the Early Harvest Programme .  The Framework Agreement, signed on 
4 November 2002, was an umbrella agreement for the establishment of the ASEAN-China Free Trade 
Area (ACFTA).  It contained general provisions fo r the establishment of ACFTA within ten years, WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 28  
 
covering the progressive elimination of tariffs and NT Bs in goods and the prog ressive elimination of 
trade in services and investment.  The Framework Ag reement also incorporated the implementation of 
the Early Harvest Programme (EHP) as an integral  part of ACFTA.  The EHP provided for earlier 
tariff elimination on products in Chapters 1-8 of the Customs Harmonized System and a limited 
number of products outside these Chapters prio r to the actual implementation of ACFTA.  The 
Framework Agreement additionally outlined ot her areas of economic cooperation including 
agriculture, information and telecommunicati on technology, human resource development, 
capacity-building and Mekong River Basin Development. 
125. The representative of Thailand said that separat e agreements for trade in goods, services and 
investment were to be signed between ASEAN and China to provide specific and comprehensive 
provisions for the respective areas.  The Agreem ent on Trade in Goods,  for which a separate 
notification had been submitted to the CTD, was si gned on 29 November 2004.  It was expected that 
the Agreement on Trade in Services would be  signed during the ASEAN-China Summit in 
December 2005.  Negotiations were ongoing with  regard to the Agreement on Investment. 
126. The representative of Thailand said a sec ond request was for elaboration on the 
implementation timetable for tariff reductions on trade in goods under the EHP and the Framework 
Agreement.  He said the tariff elimination tim etable for products in the EHP commenced on 
1 January 2004 and would be completed by 2006 for the six original members of ASEAN (ASEAN-6:  
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singa pore and Thailand) and 2010 for the new members 
(Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam, or CL MV). The implementation timetable for tariff 
reduction or elimination for products outside the EHP was as follows, with details to be found in the 
Agreement on Trade in Goods: 
• For products placed in the normal track, ASEAN-6 and China would reduce import 
duties to 0-5 per cent on at least 40 per cent of the products beginning 1 July 2006, on 60 per cent of the products by 2007 and elimination of duties on the remaining products in 2010.  Flexibility up to 2012 was allowed for a limited number of products not 
exceeding 150 tariff lines. 
• CLMV countries would eliminate their tariffs  by 2015 with flexibility up to 2018 for a 
limited number of products not  exceeding 250 tariff lines. 
• For products placed in the Sensitive List, duti es would be reduced to 20 per cent by 2012 
and to 0-5 per cent by 2018 for ASEAN-6 and China.  For CLMV countries, products in the Sensitive List would be reduced by 20  per cent by 2015 and to between 0 and 
5 per cent by 2020. 
• For products in the Highly Sensitive List, ta riffs would be reduced to 50 per cent by 
2015 for ASEAN-6 and China and 2018 for CLMV countries. 
127. The representative of Thailand said a third request was to clarify how tariff reductions would 
be phased in the EHP and the Framework Agreement.   He said the tariff reduction or elimination for 
products under the EHP was contained in the Framew ork Agreement.  Details of tariff reduction or 
elimination on products other than the EHP were c ontained in Annexes 1 and 2 of the Agreement on 
Trade in Goods. 
128. The representative of Thailand said a final request was to provide information on the 
coverage of tariff reductions under the two paths in terms of both trade volume (percentage of current 
trade between the parties) and tariff lines (percenta ge of tariff lines in respective tariff schedules) for 
each party to the Agreement.  He said trade in almo st all products would be covered.  Except for a 
limited number of tariff lines excluded under the ge neral exceptions clause, duties on all products 
would be subject to either reduction or eliminati on.  Details could be found in the Agreement on 
Trade in Goods.  He said that ASEAN and China stood ready to respond to any further queries that 
Members might have.  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 29 
 
 
129. The representative of the United States  thanked ASEAN and China for the clarifications 
provided and for the transparency shown. 
130. The representative of Rwanda  said he wished to make an in tervention relating to the agenda 
item concerning paragraph 51 of the Doha Declaratio n.  He said that commodities were an important 
source of livelihood for many in developing countries.  His delegation requested that the revised paper 
that the Secretariat was to prep are for the next session of the Committee include a discussion of 
commodities. 
131. The representative of the United States  said that in follow-up to the discussion the Committee 
had had on the developmental aspects of the negotia tions at the present meeting, she wished to 
confirm that her delegation did not support the incl usion of non-negotiating items  in the revised paper 
that the Secretariat would prepare.  Paragraph 51 of the Doha Declaration mandated the CTD to limit 
its discussion to the areas under negotiation.  She said that Rwanda’s request could be treated in the 
revised paper in the context of the Agriculture  and NAMA negotiations, but  a separate section on 
commodities was not appropriate.  On the proposed changes to the language relating to cotton, she 
said her delegation welcomed any additional factua l points that the proponents may wish to make.  
However, her delegation did not want to see the de letion of factual points, which seemed to be the 
case with the language proposed.  
132. The representative of Barbados  said she took the point of not expanding mandates in the 
absence of a Ministerial Conference or General Counc il decision.  She remarked, however, that what 
had been observed since Doha was that some issues  which were subject to a non-negotiating mandate 
had acquired a negotiating touch.  With the evoluti on since Doha, and in particular the 1 August 2004 
Decision of the General Council, it was necessary to look at the revision of document 
WT/COMTD/W/143 in light of what had transpired. She, therefore, urged the Chairman to undertake 
consultations on this issue.  
133. The Chairman  said his aim was to hold limited consultations on certain issues including the 
one referred to by the representative of Barbados. 
134. The representative of Rwanda  said he agreed that the Chairman should hold consultations on 
the issue raised by the representative of Barba dos.  He said the mandate for negotiations on 
commodities was to be found in the 1 August 2004  Decision of the General Council under "Other 
Development Issues". 
135. The representative of the United States  said she agreed that commodities could be dealt with 
in the sections of the Secretariat paper dealing w ith the Agriculture or NAMA negotiations.  However, 
the work on commodities that had been undertaken in th e CTD should not be reflected in the paper, as 
the CTD was not a negotiating body. 
136. The representative of the European Communities  thanked ASEAN and China for the 
information that had been provided on the Framew ork Agreement.  His delegation was amongst those 
that had raised questions on it.  
137. The representative of the European  Communities said he wished to bring the attention of the 
Committee to a recent piece of legislation in the European Communities (EC). Council Regulation 980 of 2005, concerning arrangements fo r applying a GSP scheme in the EC, was passed 
on 27 June 2005.  The legislation allowed for the replacement of the current EC GSP scheme.  It 
would enter into force on 1 January 2006, althoug h certain elements of the regulation had already 
entered into force in July 2005.  The formal notif ication would be made in the future under the 
relevant provisions of the Enabling Clause.  Copi es of the regulation could be obtained from the EC 
delegation in Geneva or on the Internet. WT/COMTD/M/54 
Page 30  
 
138. The Chairman
 reminded Members that the next m eeting of the CTD was scheduled for 
29 November 2005. 
139. The meeting was adjourned .  WT/COMTD/M/54 
 Page 31 
 
 
ANNEX 
WTO Technical Assistance and Training Plan for 2006 
WT/COMTD/W/142 
Swiss francs 
 
  Chapter Regular 
Budget  DDAGTF  Other 
Trust 
Funds  Total  
        
A  General WTO-Related Training & Technical Assistance   
 (a) Trade Policy Courses 2,206,800 5,487,000 -  7,693,800 
 (b) Introduction Courses 481,400     481,400 
 (c) Regional Short Trade Policy Courses   4,677,338   4,677,338 
   Total 2,688,200 10,164,338 -  12,852,538 
        
B  Specialised & Advanced Traini ng & Technical Cooperation   
 (a) Geneva-based Specialised Courses 540,000     540,000 
 (b) National Activities 1,258,000 1,250,300   2,508,300 
 (c) Regional Seminars - 8,072,450 -  8,072,450 
 (d) Trade Negotiations Techniques   962,838   962,838 
 (e) Outreach Activities   306,935   306,935 
   Total 1,798,000 10,592,523 -  12,390,523 
        
C  Academic Support for Training and Capacity-building:  An Integrated Approach  
  (i) Regional Trade Policy Courses    See A.a.ii   - 
  (ii) Workshops for University Professors   887,570   887,570 
  (iii) Doctoral Studies   129,600   129,600 
  (iv) Visiting Academics   -   - 
  (v) Research Collaboration 213,000     213,000 
  (vi) Document Dissemination 37,000     37,000 
   Total 250,000 1,017,170 -  1,267,170 
        
D  Support Training & Technical Assistance Facilities    
 (a) Geneva-based 536,600 2,028,773 1,400,000  3,965,373 
 (b) In the Field - 440,000 -  440,000 
 (c) Others 73,500 166,500 -  240,000 
   Total 610,100 2,635,273 1,400,000  4,645,373 
        
E  Other Programmes and Support Activities with Funding Requirements 
 (a) Staffing: L-Posts and other Short-Term Contracts 2,480,000 -  2,480,000 
 (b)  Programme activities  645,000 50,000  695,000 
   Total  3,125,000 50,000  3,175,000 
        
F  Overheads  3,579,459 188,500  3,767,959 
        
G  Cost Sharing  (7,113,762)   (7,113,762) 
        
  Grand Total 5,346,300  24,000,000 1,638,500 30,984,800 
        
 
 
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