RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
12 May 2010 
 
 (10-2714) 
Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries 
Fifty-Fifth Session  
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 12 MARCH 2010 
 
Chairperson:  Ambassador Jean Feyder (Luxembourg) 
  
A.
 ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA .........................................................................................................1  
B. WTO WORK PROGRAMME FOR THE LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES 
(WT/COMTD /LDC/11) ...................................................................................................................1  
(I) Market Access for Least- developed Countries............................................................................2  
- Market Access for Products and Services of Export Interest to Least-developed 
Countries (WT/COMTD/LDC/W/46/Rev.1)................................................................................2  
(II) Trade-related Technical Assistance and Capacity-building Initiatives for Least-developed Countries...................................................................................................... ....7
 
- WTO technical assistance and training to the least-developed countries, including in 
the area of the Doha Work Programme:  oral report by the Secretariat ...................................7  
- Overview of progress in the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF):  
report by the STDF Secretar iat (WT/COMTD/LDC/W/47)........................................................9  
C. OTHER BUSINESS .......................................................................................................................14  
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairman  welcomed the new Coordinator of th e LDCs, Ambassador Darlington Mwape 
(Zambia).  He also recalled the important contri bution made by the previous LDC Coordinator, 
Ambassador Lumbanga (Tanzania), to the work of the Sub–Committee.   
2. He said that under "Other Business", the representative of United Nations Industrial 
Development Organization (UNIDO) had requested to make a statement on the LDC Ministerial 
Conference held in December 2009 in Vienna.  Ther eafter, he would make a brief statement on LDC 
accessions.  He also drew Members' attention to an error in the English and Spanish versions of the 
draft agenda contained in document WTO/AIR/3522,  where "Other Business" had been shown as 
item D, instead of item C.  With these observations, he proposed that Members adopt the draft agenda.  
3. The Sub-Committee  adopted the draft agenda contained in WTO/AIR/3522. 
B. WTO WORK PROGRAMME FOR THE LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (WT/COMTD /LDC/11) 
4. The Chairman  said that he would take up two elements of the WTO Work Programme for the 
LDCs, namely:  (i) market access for LDCs;  and (ii) trade–related technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives for LDCs.   WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
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  (I) Market Access for Least-developed Countries 
- Market Access for Products and Services of Ex port Interest to Least-developed Countries 
(WT/COMTD/LDC/W/46/Rev.1)  
5. The Chairman
 recalled that a substantive discussion had taken place at the last meeting on the 
Secretariat note entitled "Market Access for Products a nd Services of Export Interest to LDCs".  That 
Note highlighted the main trends in LDC exports.  It reviewed the market access conditions for LDC 
exports and provided information on the latest in itiatives taken by Members to improve market access 
for LDC products.  It also contained a section on the impact of the global economic crisis on LDC 
exports.  At the last meeting, a number of Member s had made substantive and technical comments on 
the Note and had requested that those comments be ta ken into account in the revised version of it.  
Accordingly, the Secretariat had issued a re vision of the Note contained in document 
WT/COMTD/LDC/W/46/Rev.1.  The Chairman invited the Secretariat to take the floor. 
6. The representative of the Secretariat  (Chief Statistician) provided an update on trade 
developments of LDCs since the issuance of the Note in October 2009, in particular the trade 
performance of LDCs in the ongoing global economic  crisis.  He said that there had been a 
considerable increase in international trade sinc e 2001, which had continued to rise until the end of 
2008.  This increase in international trade to a large extent could be attributed to an increased demand 
from emerging countries.  Noting that all economies ha d experienced a decline of their trade since the 
beginning of the crisis in September 2008, the va lue of LDC exports had dropped by 31 per cent 
between 2008 and 2009 (as against the world average of 24 per cent), corresponding to a volume drop 
of 12 per cent.  He pointed out that the drop in the price of oil had had a major impact on the value of 
LDC exports.   
7. He went on to say that the recovery in worl d trade in late 2009 had been characterized by 
erratic fluctuations.  The LDC e xports had experienced a decline (–12 per cent) in November 2009, 
while in the following month (December) their exports had gone up by 18 per cent.  He said that price 
fluctuations had had an impact on LDC exports.  Th e prices of products of export interest to LDCs 
tended to fluctuate from one quarter to another dur ing 2008–2009.  In particular, energy prices in 
2009 had dropped by 37 per cent.  There had also been a fall in the prices of mineral products, which 
had an impact on the value of LDC exports in 2009.  He then drew the attention of Members to the 
fact that the fall in the prices of food products incl uded products such as maize, soya and wheat which 
were being produced in the tropical countries.  On the other hand, the prices of coffee, cotton and 
sugar, exported by the LDCs, had considerably incr eased in 2009.  He hoped that the figure of LDC 
exports would be better, as oil prices had started to rebound from the second quarter of 2009 and in 
view of increased oil imports by China.   
8. He said that there had been little price effect  on the manufactured goods, including textile and 
clothing products.  The volume of e xports of textile and clothing pr oducts had fallen in 2009, due to a 
combination of factors such as lower demand and u se of stock by the importing countries.  He added 
that the drop in exports of manufactured goods to wards the end of 2009 could be attributed to a 
seasonal factor, linked to inventory effects.  The price effect was less pronounced on agricultural products, including food products, compared to products  such as oil and minerals.  The exports of 
agricultural products had also experienced a declin e in 2009 due to reduced imports by developing 
countries such as China and India and also due to the f act that the value of the Euro in relation to the 
US dollar had fallen;  a majority of exports from African LDCs were destined to Europe and were 
traded in Euros.  
9. The representative of Zambia
, on behalf of the LDCs, expressed appreciation to the 
Secretariat for the improvements made to the Note, in  light of the suggestions that had been made at 
the last meeting held in November 2009.  He comme nded the Secretariat for including an analysis on  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
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  LDC trade in services, as well as for trends in Sout h–South trade.  He added that continued reflection 
of the impact of the ongoing economic crisis was an important element for the examination of factors 
affecting LDCs' capacity to enhance their exports.   
10. He reiterated the point made in the Note that  the LDCs were the most vulnerable economies 
in the world due to their high export concentr ation and high dependence on primary commodities.  
Continuous challenges were being faced by the LDCs  to expand their product and market base.  These 
could be attributed to several factors, includi ng the low degree of development of the productive 
sector in the LDCs as well as certain market access  conditions maintained by their trading partners.  
The LDCs, as a group, continued to experience large trade imbalances.  As noted in paragraph 59 of 
the Note, the agricultural exporters had been registering trade deficits higher than other categories of 
LDC exporters.  He further noted from paragraph 66 that the market for primary commodities had 
been among the first to rebound, with prices rising in  the second and third quarters of 2009.  However, 
he cautioned that recovery of the LDC economi es from the overall impact of the ongoing economic 
crisis would not be immediate.   
11. He expressed concern with the slow progress in fulfilling the mandate with regard to 
duty-free and quota–free (DFQF) market access for LD C products.  He noted from paragraph 43 that 
no new market access initiatives in favour of LDCs had been notified to the WTO since the last 
review by the Secretariat (2008).  He hoped that developed countries, and developing countries in a 
position to do so, would continue to support the development efforts of LDCs, including through 
providing improved market access for LDC products.  He suggested that the next report by the 
Secretariat on this topic include an in–depth analysis of LDC services trade as well as non-tariff 
barriers faced by the LDCs in merchandise exports.   
12. The representative of the United States  noted that the revised Note had taken into account 
some of the suggestions made at the last meeting.  Her delegation considered that the Note provided 
valuable insights on the export performance of LDCs.  Many sections of the Note made a valuable 
contribution to the literature in th is area.  Paragraph 8 indicated th e limitations of data availability 
with developing economies.  Given that the Secret ariat did not have information for all of the 
developing economies, she suggested that the fourth sentence of that paragra ph be made more precise 
by stating that the estimates were based on mirror statistics from "some" or "a number of" developing 
countries.  She added that the sentence in its present form could indicate that data had been uniformly 
collected from all developing countries.   
13. She appreciated the discussion in paragra ph 22 of the Note, which highlighted the 
geographical redistribution of LDC trade flows, w ith LDC exports to devel oping countries expanding 
particularly to major developing economies such as China and India.  However, paragraph 42 noted 
that the weighted average tariff faced by LDCs in developing countries had been nearly 12 per cent in 
2006 and that only 30 per cent of their agricultura l exports were accepted duty free, while the 
remaining agricultural exports had faced an averag e duty of 26 per cent.  She agreed with the 
Secretariat's conclusion made in that paragraph and said that: "This situation illustrates the wide 
dispersion of tariffs facing South-South trade, and the potential for improving LDCs' market access in developing countries".  Given that conclusion and the need for the LDC exporters to gain market 
access into advanced developing countries, her delega tion was of the view that it would be helpful to 
include additional discussion in the report on how LDCs could improve their market access into developing countries.  Her delegati on also believed that the conclusi on in paragraph 42 demonstrated 
a strong incentive for LDCs to pursue a market ope ning outcome in the Doha Round negotiations that 
ensured new trade flows for LDC exports, including th at of their finished and value–added goods, into 
advanced developing countries.   
14. She took note of the discussion in paragra phs 30 and 31 of the Note, regarding "true 
preferential treatment" versus MFN duty–free treatment .  She pointed out that paragraph 30 seemed to WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
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  imply that preferential duty–free treatment was so mehow better than MFN duty–free treatment.  She 
stressed that MFN duty–free treatment should not be discouraged.  With respect to paragraph 33, she 
appreciated the fact that the Secretariat had take n into account some of the comments made by her 
delegation at the last meeting.  However, it w as still not clear what had been the basis for the 
statement on utilization of preferences made in that paragraph, which read as: "... and the actual rate 
of utilization may be as low as 40 per cent for produc ts such as textiles and clothing".  She requested 
that the Secretariat provide the basis for its cu rrent assumptions in the next report, including 
presenting related data.  She further requested the S ecretariat to explore whether there were factors 
other than rules of origin that might preven t full utilization of preferences by the LDCs.   
15. She said that the mere conclusion of the R ound, as had been mentioned in paragraph 82, 
would not be able to help LDCs recover from th e ongoing economic crisis.  It was the conclusion of 
the Round, with further market openings and crea tion of new trade flows, which could generate 
economic growth and development in the LDCs.  Sh e said that paragraph 82, therefore, needed an 
acknowledgement that the conclusion of the Round  alone was not enough, particularly given the 
discussion and statistics provided in the Note that indicated the importance of developing country 
market access for LDC exports. 
16. The representative of Brazil
 provided an update on the process and implementation of the 
Brazilian DFQF programme for the LDCs.  He reca lled the announcement made by the Minister of 
External Relations of Brazil at the Seventh WTO Ministerial Conference, to grant DFQF access for 
products from LDCs covering 80 per cent of all tariff  lines, by the middle of 2010.  That Decision was 
taken in line with the Hong Kong Ministerial Declara tion.  He added that the DFQF access would be 
increased in successive instalments until 100 per cent  of tariff lines were covered.  He informed 
Members that the implementation of the DFQF scheme was currently under discussion within the 
ambit of an inter–Ministerial Working Group, which would establish the parameters for the 
application of the scheme.  Topics under discussion included the legal instrument for the adoption of the scheme, applicable rules of origin and a t echnical–assistance mechanism for LDCs wishing to 
benefit from the scheme.  He said that the Workin g Group would continue to meet on a regular basis 
and the outcome of its work would be  announced in the coming months.   
17. The representative of Bangladesh
 said that his delegation had been attaching high importance 
to the periodic review of market access for LDC products.  He pointed out that the Note had been 
issued under the Secretariat's own responsibility and without prejudice to the position of Members and 
to their rights and obligations under the WTO, which was clearly stated in footnote 1 of the Note.  
Therefore, the status of the Note should remain so.   
18. He underlined the importance of the developmen t of productive capacities in the LDCs, given 
their narrow base of exports.  Market access was require d in the sectors of major export interest to the 
LDCs.  These sectors, few in numbers, were we ll known to LDCs' development partners.  He urged 
Members, particularly the developed countries, to gr ant enhanced market access to the LDCs.  He said 
that the Secretariat's future report should contin ue to provide information on the market access 
initiatives taken in favour of LDCs .  He lauded Brazil's decision to provide DFQF market access to 
LDCs and hoped that other Members would be forthcoming as well.  
19. The representative of Lesotho  associated himself with the statement made by Zambia, on 
behalf of the LDCs.  He appreciated the fact that  LDCs' trade developments were being tracked on a 
regular basis.  All LDCs, in varying degrees, had b een affected by the ongoing economic crisis.  It had 
caused a major setback in the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals 
(MDGs).   
20. He emphasized the need for strengthening the productive capacities in LDCs, especially to 
develop an expanded export base.  He said that the Aid-for-Trade initiative could play a critical role in  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
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  addressing the supply–side constraints.  He called for the enhancement of Aid-for-Trade support as 
well as increased resources for the implementation of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF).  He 
urged LDCs' development partners to make more contributions to these frameworks in order to 
strengthen trade capacity in the LDCs.  He underlin ed the importance of the early implementation of 
the Decision on DFQF market access for LDC products taken at the Hong Kong Ministerial 
Conference in 2005.  He equally stressed that non-ta riff barriers faced by the LDCs needed to be 
effectively addressed, in particular the preferential ru les of origin which needed to be simplified to 
promote trade from the LDCs.  He welcomed the in itiative of Brazil to grant DFQF market access to 
the LDCs.  He requested other developing countries in a position to do so, to adopt similar schemes 
for the LDCs.   
21. The representative of the European Union  thanked the Secretariat for providing the meeting 
with the latest data on LDCs' trade and for the re vised Note.  Her delegation had welcomed the Note 
at the previous meeting, which had provided an in –depth analysis on LDCs' trade.  She recalled the 
observation made at the previous meeting concerni ng Table 7 of the Note, which presented data on 
the tariff treatment of LDC exports in developing coun tries.  In this regard, she wondered whether the 
Secretariat could provide detailed information on ta riff lines that were dutiable as well as those lines 
that had been entering developing countries duty fr ee.  She welcomed the announcement from Brazil 
concerning DFQF market access to the LDCs.  She l ooked forward to receiving details of the scheme, 
including the content and the legal aspects.  She in formed Members that a number of agreements had 
recently been signed in the context of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) negotiations.  In 
this regard, she would provide some factual sugges tions relating to paragraph 54 of the revised Note 
which had presented information on the EPAs.  She reite rated the support of her delegation to the EIF.   
22. The representative of India  noted with concern that the global crisis did not spare the LDCs, 
which had come as a major setback, against the backdr op of an average growth rate of over 6 per cent 
during 2000–2008.  He underlined the importance of keeping trade finance open to LDCs in order to 
assist them in enhancing their value addition and tr ade capacities.  He also underscored the need to 
provide the LDCs with enhanced market access.  In this regard, he said that India had been the first 
developing country to adopt a comprehensive scheme under the DFQF Decision of the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in 2005.  Th e scheme, designated as the Duty Free Tariff 
Preference (DFTP) scheme for LDCs had been annou nced by the Prime Minister of India on the 
occasion of the India–Africa Forum Summit of A frican Heads of States/Governments held in 
New Delhi on 8 April 2008.   
23. He said that the DFTP scheme had not been a mere token measure, but provided effective and 
substantial market access especially for products of e xport interest to LDCs.  Given the market size of 
India, the scheme would play a key role in raisin g LDCs' share in India's imports.  The scheme was 
simple, comprehensive and completely non-recipro cal.  Products of immediate export interest to 
LDCs had been covered in the scheme which, inter alia,  included cotton, cocoa, aluminium ores, 
copper ores, cashew nuts, cane–sugar, ready–made ga rments, fish fillets and non–industrial diamonds;  
this implied that only 6 per cent of tariff lines were  in the exclusion list of the scheme.  The scheme 
was open to all 49 LDCs, including 33 LDCs in Africa.   It was procedurally simple to operate and 
required the individual LDC to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) and the list of agencies/officials 
authorized to issue the certificate of origin.  The ru les of origin criteria stipulated a change in tariff 
heading (CTH) along with a value addition of 30 per cent.   
24. He informed Members that 21 LDCs had submitte d their LOIs.  Out of these 21 LDCs, 14 had 
submitted details of agencies which would be responsible for issuing certificates of origin as required 
under the scheme.  That had allowed the full opera tionalization of the scheme for these 14 LDCs.  He 
urged the remaining LDCs to finalize their intern al process and intimate their LOIs to benefit from 
India's substantial market access opening for LDC products.  His delegation would carry out more 
outreach activities in due course to disseminate th e benefits of the scheme to the LDCs.   WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
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  25. He went on to say that there had been a good feedback from the traders in India to import 
under the DFTP scheme.  In this regard, his authoriti es were in the process of collating relevant trade 
figures.  He believed that the scheme would play a key role in the economic development of LDCs.  
He said that getting the scheme through had not been an easy task given the impact of the global economic and financial crisis on the Indian economy.  Economic c onditions in many parts of his 
country were similar to the situation in the LDCs .  Nevertheless, India had shown a political will and 
commitment to adopt the scheme for the benefit of  all LDCs.  His authorities were ready to dovetail 
the scheme with other technical as sistance activities that India had been providing to the LDCs.  He 
looked forward to seeing enhanced exports from LDCs to India. 
26. The representative of Nigeria
 associated himself with the statements made by the delegations 
of Zambia and Lesotho.  He expressed concer n that the LDCs had continued to face daunting 
challenges in their efforts to increase trade.  Echoi ng the point made in paragraph 89 of the Note, he 
said that further initiatives were needed to improve  market access conditions for LDC exports.  He 
also emphasized the need to build trade–related infrastructure and supply–side capacity in the LDCs.  
He said that paragraph 43 had indicated that no new market access initiatives in favour of LDCs had 
been notified to the WTO, since the issuance of the last report by the Secretariat.  The same paragraph 
had also indicated that a number of decisions ha d been taken which would provide opportunities for 
improved market access for LDCs;  those decisions had not been highlighted in the Note.  He 
commended the developing countries, in particular Brazil, China and India for their market access 
initiatives in favour of LDCs.  He encouraged othe r developing countries to adopt similar initiatives, 
which, inter alia,  would strengthen South–South cooperation.   
27. The representative of China  noted that paragraph 47 of the Note had summarized the 
information provided by Members to the WTO Comm ittees regarding developments in the area of 
market access for LDCs.  In this regard, he reca lled the interventions made by his delegation at a 
meeting of the CTD where his delegation refe rred to China's commitment made at the 4th Ministerial 
meeting of the China–Africa cooperation Forum held  in November 2008 to provide DFQF treatment 
to 95 per cent of tariff lines imported from the African  LDCs having diplomatic relations with China.  
He requested that this information be reflected in paragraph 47 of the No te.  His delegation would 
keep the Sub–Committee informed of developm ents of this initiative in due course. 
28. The Secretariat  said that the revision of the Note was not intended to change the structure of 
the document.  Nor had an attempt been made to a dd or revise the substance provided in the Note.  He 
added that some of the substantive suggestions ma de at the last meeting had been noted by the 
Secretariat, and would be reflected in its next report.  He informed Members that the Secretariat was 
in the process of obtaining detailed information on tariff treatment faced by LDCs in developing 
country markets.  A decision had been taken by the WTO's Committee on Market Access on 13 July 2009, which would improve the quality of th e database.  The transparency mechanism for all 
Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) was also expected  to improve the availability of data on the trade 
coverage of developing countries.   
29. He went on to say that the Note had been track ing the developments with regard to the DFQF 
schemes by developing countries, and that the Note should be seen as a part of a chain.  He requested Members to read the Revised Note in conjunction w ith previous notes prepared by the Secretariat on 
this topic.  He further said that the Secretaria t usually focused on specific topics in preparing the 
market access review of LDC products, and that a ll issues relating to the market access could not be 
accommodated in one single document.  For inst ance, issues such as non–tariff measures (NTMs) 
including rules of origin associated with non–recipr ocal preference schemes ha d been covered in past 
Secretariat papers.  He concluded by saying that th e Secretariat would continue to update information 
on all aspects of LDCs' market access in future versions of the Note.    WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
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  30. The Chairman  said that price fluctuations and price volatility had continued to be a challenge 
for products of export interest to the LDCs, especia lly for fuels, minerals and agricultural products.  
With regard to manufactured products, price volatility  was less pronounced.  He was encouraged to 
see that new opportunities were being created for LDCs  in developing country markets, in particular 
in Brazil, China and India.  In order to seize these opportunities, the productive capacity of LDCs 
needed significant enhancement.  He drew Member s' attention to paragraph 56 of the Note which 
stated that the vast majority of LDCs had conti nued to suffer from trade deficits;  these had further 
widened in the last two years as a result of the global economic crisis.  He understood that these 
deficits, inter alia,  were attributed to increased food imports  by the LDCs.  He hoped that the next 
report by the Secretariat would include an examinati on of trade deficits experienced by the LDCs.   
31. He went on to say that the document that th e Secretariat prepared every year, on market 
access of LDCs, was a key contribution from the Sub–Committee.  The Sub–Committee would 
continue to attach high priority to issues pertai ning to market access for LDCs.  The Secretariat had 
taken due note of the points raised by Members to  further build on the paper and to make it more 
useful to all Members.  He proposed that the Su b–Committee take note of the document contained in 
WT/COMTD/LDC/W/46/Rev.1, as well as of the statements made.   
32. It was so agreed . 
(II) Trade-related Technical Assistance and Capac ity-building Initiatives for Least-developed 
Countries  
- WTO technical assistance and training to the least-developed countries, including in the area 
of the Doha Work Programme:  oral report by the Secretariat  
33. The Chairman  recalled that according to the Work Programme for the LDCs, the 
Sub-Committee was required to monitor the techni cal assistance support provided by the WTO to the 
LDCs.  Pursuant to this mandate, the Sub-Comm ittee had been considering the item entitled "WTO 
technical assistance and training to the LDCs, including in the area of the Doha Work Programme" on an annual basis.  He invited the representative of  the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation 
(ITTC) to make a report on this item. 
34. The representative of the Secretariat (ITTC)
 said that continuous priority had been given to 
the LDCs in the WTO Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building Programme with a view to facilitating their full integration into the multilatera l trading system.  The LDCs had benefited from 
48 per cent of all TRTA activities conducted by the Secretariat in 2009.  Out of the 185 national 
activities, 61 had taken place in the LDCs.  With resp ect to regional seminars, LDCs had participated 
in 79 out of a total of 111 activities.  The LDCs had also been associated with all the 65 global 
activities organized in 2009.  He said that information on the WTO's TRTA activities in 2009 would be contained in the annual report (2009) on tech nical assistance and training, which would be 
available prior to the meeting of the CTD in May 2010.   
35. He went on to say that the LDCs were being given priority in the trainee and internship 
programmes, in particular the Netherlands Trai nee Programme (NTP) and the Mission Internship 
Programme (MIP).  He expressed appreciation to th e donors for their generous contributions to these 
programmes.  In 2009, out of the 11 trainees under the NTPs, six had come from the LDCs;  and out 
of the nine trainees under the MIP, five represented LDCs.  He added that a number of LDCs had also 
been benefiting from the Regional Coordinator Internship (RCI).   
36. He continued by saying that the views of LDCs – the prime beneficiaries of WTO's TRTA 
activities – had been taken into account in the ru n up to the adoption of the Biennial Technical 
Assistance and Training Plan (2010–2011) in 2009.  He was aware of concerns expressed by some WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
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  Members on the WTO's progressive training approach, in  particular the prerequisite of completing an 
eTraining online introduction course to participate in  a regional trade policy course.  In view of the 
technical and logistical difficulties, a great degree of flexibility had been given in the TA Plan in order 
to ensure that this condition was not applied automatically for LDC participants.  He pointed out that 
the Secretariat had been organizing two Introduction Courses for LDCs each year, which would 
enable the LDCs to integrate into the progressive lear ning strategy of the Secretariat.  Greater efforts 
were also being made to further improve CD–based training material for the LDCs.  He further said that the LDCs had been given priority under the new strategy for Reference Centres (RCs);  the 
majority of the RCs in 2009 were established in the LDCs.  He considered that the RCs could assist 
LDCs, particularly those without Missions in Gene va, to keep abreast of developments in the DDA 
negotiations and other WTO–related work.  Officials in  the LDCs' capitals could also make use of the 
RCs to complete online eTraining courses in orde r to fully benefit from the introduction of the 
progressive learning strategy.  
37. In conclusion, he reiterated that the LDCs woul d continue to be the primary beneficiaries of 
the WTO's TRTA programme.  The ITTC had been working closely with the LDCs to assess their 
TRTA needs and to design dedicated programmes so  as to further strengthen their institutional and 
human capacities.  He reiterated his commitment to at tend to any concerns or difficulties faced by the 
LDCs in benefiting from the WTO's TRTA.   
38. The representative of Zambia,
 on behalf of the LDCs, thanked the representative of the ITTC 
for his report on the technical assistance and cap acity–building initiatives for LDCs.  The TRTA 
programmes conducted by the WTO had been useful , in particular assisting officials to better 
understand the rules of the multilateral trading syst em.  He appreciated WT O's continued support for 
training of government officials, including throu gh national and regional semi nars on issues relating 
to the regular work of the WTO as well as on the negotiations.  The approach taken by the WTO to 
keep the TRTA demand–driven had been useful, in pa rticular in meeting the trade capacity needs of 
each beneficiary country.  He underlined the im portance of the eLearning programmes, which had 
proven to be an important training method.   
39. He commended the Secretariat for its con tinued cooperation and synergies with other 
international organizations, especially with re gional bodies, to ensure coherence in the 
implementation of regional programmes as well as outreach programmes for the academia, parliamentarians and the private sector.  He reiterated the support of the LDCs for the Biennial Technical Assistance and Training Plan (2010–20 11).  He welcomed the inclusion of activities 
relating to accession, notifications and scheduling of commitments into the Plan.  In conclusion, he 
emphasized the need for enhancing supply–side capacity in the LDCs.  Tailor–made support for 
product development as well as for diversification w as needed in order to make a real impact on 
LDCs' trade.   
40. The representative of Benin
 associated himself with the statement made by Zambia, on behalf 
of the LDCs.  He took note of the presentation by  the Secretariat, which focused on the quantitative 
aspect of the delivery of WTO's TRTA.  In this re gard, he underscored the importance of a qualitative 
assessment of the TRTA provided to the LDCs.  He noted that the TA Plan was being implemented through a multi–modal approach.  One of the featur es of the Plan was the adoption of a progressive 
approach, especially for training activities.  In this re gard, he requested the Secr etariat to consider the 
limitations faced by the LDCs, especially with regard  to logistics and internet facilities, to benefit 
from eTraining programmes – which had become a prerequisite to access advance training courses 
offered by the Secretariat.   
41. The representative of Lesotho
 associated himself with the statement made by Zambia, on 
behalf of the LDCs.  He welcomed the Biennial  Technical Assistance and Training Plan, and hoped 
that it would be fully implemented.  He under lined the importance of the various internship  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
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  programmes, which were contributing towards build ing sustained capacity of government officials 
from LDCs in dealing with trade issues.  He express ed appreciation to the donors for their support to 
these programmes, and hoped that it would be furthe r strengthened.  He also expressed a wish for 
further strengthening of all forms of  TRTA provided to the LDCs.   
42. The representative of Uganda  associated herself with the statement made by Zambia, on 
behalf of the LDCs.  As regards the eLearning pr ogramme, she said that on a number of occasions, the 
Geneva-based delegates had not been allowed to participate in the eLearning programme (conducted 
by the Secretariat in the WTO building).  She wonde red whether this was due to space constraints in 
the Secretariat.  She underlined that small–size d delegations had been facing challenges to keep 
themselves abreast of developments in the WTO.   While building capacity in LDC capitals was 
necessary, it was equally important for the Geneva –based delegates to acquire the necessary capacity 
to deal with WTO matters.  She requested the Secr etariat to consider allowing the Geneva–based LDC 
delegates to participate in the eLearning programme.   
43. The representative of the Secretariat (ITTC)  thanked the LDCs for their appreciation for the 
TRTA provided by the WTO, in particular the inte rnship programmes.  The Secretariat had increased 
the number of interns from the LDCs, following a request from them;  the number of interns had 
increased to 20 in 2009 from 10 in 2008.  He added that the Director-General of the WTO had been attaching importance to the internship programmes,  especially in view of its usefulness to small 
delegations in Geneva.  He th anked donors for supporting the internship programmes, which had 
initially started with the contribution from the Ne therlands.  Over the years, the donor–base had 
expanded;  the latest donor contributing to the programmes being the Government of France.  He 
noted the observation made by the representative of  Uganda on the eTraining programme.  He said 
that the Secretariat had been receiving around 500 applications for each eTraining session, while it had a capacity of accommodating a maximum of 200 participants.  There was no policy by the Secretariat to discourage the Geneva–based delegates from participating in the eTraining sessions.  He 
would look into the matter to see how to provide an opportunity to the Geneva–based delegates to 
participate in the eTraining activities.  In this rega rd, he also encouraged the LDCs to contact him in 
case they faced any difficulties in th e future, so as to find a practical and pragmatic solution.  With 
regard to the observation made by Benin, he said that performance evaluation was of utmost 
importance to the Secretariat.  He would soon share with Members some of the outcomes of the performance evaluation done in 2009.   
44. The Chairman
 noted that the Secretariat had continued to attach priority to the LDCs in its 
technical assistance and capacity-building programm es.  It was making all efforts to increase the 
capacity of LDCs to implement WTO Agreements a nd to better participate in the DDA negotiations.  
He said that continuous improvement of human and institutional capacity was essential to benefit 
from the multilateral trading system.  He encouraged  the LDCs to make maximum use of the products 
offered by the Secretariat.  He proposed that the Sub-Committee take note of the oral report made by 
the Secretariat as well as of the statements made.   
45. It was so agreed . 
- Overview of progress in the Standards and Tr ade Development Facility (STDF):  report by 
the STDF Secretariat (WT/COMTD/LDC/W/47)  
46. The Chairman  recalled that the Work Programme mandated the Sub–Committee to monitor 
capacity-building initiatives taken in favour of LDCs to promote information flows and coordination.  
The STDF was a capacity-building initiative to help  developing countries enhance capacity to comply 
with international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures.  The Sub–Committee had been 
considering this item for the past few years.  He sa id that the Secretariat had prepared a brief Note WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
Page 10  
 
  contained in document WT/COMTD/LDC/W/47.  He invited the representative of the STDF 
Secretariat to introduce its document. 
47. The representative of the STDF Secretariat
 provided a progress report on the activities of the 
STDF, since the report made at the Sub-Committee meeting held in June 2009.  He said that the 
STDF was a partnership of five agencies, namely :  the Food and Agriculture Organization of the 
United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the World Bank, the World 
Health Organization (WHO) and the WTO.  The Fac ility was funded by a pool of donors, the numbers 
of which currently stood at 13.  Along with donors, four representatives of developing countries 
including one from the LDCs were members of th e STDF governing bodies.  The core Mission of the 
STDF was to help developing countries overcome c onstraints in the areas of food safety, animal 
health and plant health.  The STDF partners had ad opted a medium–term strategy covering the years 
2007–2011.  An Operating Plan had also been devel oped to  implement that strategy, focussing on 
three main areas of work:  (i) coordination and info rmation dissemination; (ii) project development;  
and (iii) project funding.   
48. In the area of coordination and informati on dissemination, the STDF Secretariat had 
conducted a series of activities in the second half of 2009.  At the global level, two activities had been 
held.  First, the STDF, in close collaboration w ith the World Bank's Development Research Group, 
had organized an expert seminar in Washington,  D.C. on 22-23 September 2009, entitled "Climate 
Change and Agriculture Trade: Risks and R esponses".  The seminar had helped increase the 
awareness of the participants about the implications  of climate change for SPS risks.  Second, a 
workshop relating to the importance of economic an alysis for SPS–related decision–making had been 
organized in Geneva on 30 October 2009;  the work shop was attended by more  than 200 participants, 
including delegates dealing with the SPS Committee.  Participants at that workshop were convinced 
that economic analysis was not merely a practical tool for allocation of resources but one that could assist policy makers take conscious decisions on SPS capacity–building.   
49. At the regional level, the STDF had been working with Regional Economic Communities 
(RECs), in particular the Economic Community fo r West African States (ECOWAS).  Along with the 
ECOWAS and the World Bank, the STDF had held a stakeholder meeting in Bamako, Mali, from 
29 to 30 September 2009.  The objective of the event was to validate the Regional Action Plan to control fruit fly in West Africa.  He pointed out th at fruit fly was responsible for loss of up to nearly 
80 per cent of mango exports from West Africa.  Around 100 participants from governments, donors and research institutions had taken part in that me eting, which had adopted the Bamako Declaration.  
The meeting validated the €25 million Regional Action Plan and sought to mobilize funds for its 
implementation.   
50. In addition to thematic events, the STDF had or ganized two "training-of-trainers" workshops 
for SPS officials of African RECs as well as for African SPS experts in Nairobi and Bamako, both in 
July 2009.  These events were part of STDF's i nvolvement in the project entitled "Participation of 
African Nations in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards–Setting Organizations (PAN-SPSO)".  The 
project totalling €3.35 million had been funded by  the EU and implemented by the African Union 
Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU/IBAR).  He said that at the national level, the STDF 
was collaborating with bilateral donors.  It was al so seeking synergies in project formulation and 
project funding, including through the EIF process.   
51. A number of activities were being planned, in the first half of 2010:  (i) At the global level, 
following–up on the work in 2009, the STDF intended to fund a pilot project on the relationship 
between economic analysis and SPS-related decision making;  and (ii) a background study was being 
conducted by the STDF on the development of SPS indi cators which would be presented in July 2010.  
A workshop on public/private part nerships (PPPs) in SPS capacity –building was planned in the 
second half of 2010.  He added that the STDF would conduct a scoping study, in early 2011, on SPS  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
 Page 11 
 
 
  technical assistance provided by the private sect or and through South–South cooperation.  At the 
regional level, STDF intended to hold one ac tivity which was awaiting approval from the STDF 
Working Group.  At the national level, the STDF w ould continue to build synergies with the EIF and 
the Trade Facilitation Facility of the World Bank.   
52. As part of the awareness raising and inform ation dissemination role, the STDF had produced 
a film in June 2009 entitled: "Trading Safely: protec ting health, promoting development".  The film 
featured three case studies which demonstrated how countries were rising to the challenge of meeting 
SPS standards in order to access foreign markets.  In  the second half of 2009, a shorter (eight-minute) 
version of the film was produced.  A short institu tional clip about the mission and functions of STDF 
had also been prepared.  He stressed that a great d eal of efforts had been made to revamp the existing 
STDF website (www.standardsfacility.org), to make it more accurate and effective in disseminating 
information.  In this regard, the ultimate goal was to have a database that could act as the centre of 
coordination of SPS–related technical assistance which, inter alia,  could contain STDF-funded 
projects as well as projects funded by bilateral and mu ltilateral partners.  He informed Members that 
with the assistance of two trainees, the STDF would s hortly start work on project fact sheets for all 
STDF projects.  He drew Members' attention to  the STDF newsletters de veloped for regional and 
global activities, copies of which were av ailable at the back of the room.  
53. The second pillar of the STDF Operating Plan  (2010–2011) was project  development.  The 
STDF had been allocating considerable time in  helping developing countries transform good ideas 
into bankable projects, which could be financed th rough bilateral or multilateral donors.  The Project 
Preparation Grants (PPGs) were available for a maximum amount of US$30,000.  Special emphasis 
was being given to partnership with the EIF a nd the World Bank's Trade Facilitation Fund.  The 
STDF had been assisting LDCs to identify the SPS–r elated constraints emanating from their DTISs 
and helping them in the formulation of appropriate  projects for potential financing through different 
bilateral and multilateral channels, including through the EIF Trust F und (Tier 2).  In the second half 
of 2009, the STDF had funded five PPGs, two of wh ich benefited the LDCs, namely:  (i) supporting 
competitiveness of cabbage in Senegal;  and (ii) building an SPS management system in Guinea 
Bissau.  He informed Members that since the incep tion of the STDF, 24 PPGs had benefited the LDCs 
out of a total of 34 PPGs.  At the end of 2009, 76 pe r cent of the Facility's project resources had been 
devoted to LDCs and other low–income countries (LICs).  Sixty-three per cent of the project resources exclusively benefited LDCs.  Over 70 per cent of PPGs benefited the African region.  He 
noted that the requests for PPGs were demand driv en and decisions to award PPGs were based on 
quality, rather than conferring a right to a specific country to benefit.   
54. The third pillar of the Operating Plan was grant financing, which was available for a 
maximum amount of US$600,000 for project implem entation.  However, no specific limits were 
applied to the size of the projects that were submitted to the STDF under co–funding arrangements.  
In cases where the STDF was a sole donor, the project duration was two years.  In the second half of 
2009, five project grants had been approved, two of which benefited the LDCs, namely:  (i) support 
for SPS risk assessment in the mango export sector in Ma li;  and (ii) continuation of the West African 
Fruit Fly Initiative (WAFFI) in 2010.  Since its inception, 41 projects had been approved for STDF 
funding.  Of these projects, 14 had exclusively be nefited LDCs, which was equivalent to 34 per cent 
of all projects by number.  Sub-Saharan Africa,  so far, had benefited the most accounting for 
54 per cent of total projects and PPGs. 
55. The representative of Zambia
, on behalf of the LDCs, thanked the representative of the STDF 
Secretariat for his report.  He said that the LDCs  had found this initiative useful and that it would 
continue to be an important Facility for enha ncing LDCs' capacities to analyze and implement 
international standards.  Several LDCs had accessed resources under this Facility as indicated on 
pages 7 to 13 of the Note.  The Facility had been addressing SPS problems in an integrated and 
coordinated manner.  He welcomed the close c ooperation of the Facility with other technical WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
Page 12  
 
  cooperation partners, including the EIF, which had been contributing to the planning and 
implementation of SPS measures in a systematic manner.   He also appreciated the dual functions of 
STDF – project preparation and project implementation.   
56. He commended the STDF Secretariat for organi zing global and regional events in the second 
half of 2009, including the seminar held in Washington, D.C. on Climate Change and SPS.  The 
outcome of that seminar highlighted how devel oping countries and LDCs could reduce vulnerability 
to SPS risks through proper management of SPS– related challenges, including through effective 
risk-based disease surveillan ce targeted at points of entry.  He wished to know what steps would be 
taken to implement the outcome of that seminar.   He welcomed the planned activities for 2010, in 
particular the ones relating to economic analysis in SPS decision–making processes and policy 
considerations regarding private–public  partnerships in SPS capacity–building. 
57. The representative of the South Centre
 said that the standards c ould be an impediment to 
market access.  In fact, market  access was conditioned by both tariff and non–tariff measures.  The 
STDF, therefore, could help developing countries to build capacity in an area important for accessing 
markets of their products.  He noted that one of th e important functions of the Facility was to prepare 
the developing countries to tap bankable projects.  He underlined the need for building appropriate 
institutions in the LDCs to conform to standards required from their trading partners;  this would 
require more long–term assistance than the project cycles envisaged under the STDF.  In this regard, 
he also wondered whether the Regional Action Plan on West Africa to control fruit fly would be able 
to achieve its objectives in a life span of two years.   
58. The representative of Nigeria  welcomed the Operating Plan of the STDF.  He appreciated the 
awareness building and information dissemination func tions of the STDF.  He encouraged the STDF 
Secretariat to undertake more activities at the regiona l level.  He noted that the STDF Secretariat, on 
some occasions, had communicated directly with the focal points in capitals, without intimation to the 
Geneva–based Missions.  He emphasized the need  for improved coordination between the STDF 
Secretariat and the beneficiary countries' missions in Geneva.   
59. The representative of the European Union,  on behalf of the EU as well as of the member 
States of the EU, expressed appreciation for the over all direction of the STDF.  She said that the 
member States of the EU represented substantia l donor support for the STDF.  She welcomed the 
Facility's progressive shift from direct project financing and implementation to more activities of coordination and information dissemination.  She we lcomed the Operating Plan and appreciated the 
spirit of partnership embedded in the programme.  She reiterated continued support of her delegation 
to the initiative.   
60. The representative of Switzerland
 said that the Facility had provided an important niche to 
strengthen the capacity of the developing countri es to apply SPS standards.  The performance of the 
programme had been excellent.  He reiterated hi s delegation's full support to the programme.  He 
underlined the importance of increased coordinatio n and synergies between various programmes in 
the area of SPS.  He recognized the need for further strengthening of SPS capacity in the developing 
countries.  In this regard, the STDF alone would not be  able to meet all the ne eds in the area of SPS.  
The Facility had been working in coordination with  other programmes.  The EIF, with which the 
STDF had been working closely, could respond to so me of the needs of the LDCs.  Referring to the 
observation made by the South Centre, he said th at projects spanning over a period longer than 
two years needed closer examination.  He stre ssed that complementarities and synergies were 
important considerations for funding of projects. 
61. The Chairman  said that there had been debate over the compatibility between private 
standards and official standards, including in the area of SPS.  The international community had been 
exploring how to ensure coherence in this area.    WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
 Page 13 
 
 
  62. The representative of the STDF Secretariat  thanked Members for their kind remarks.  He said 
that the STDF had started with a seed funding from the World Bank.  The funding had reached 
US$5 million per year from a mere US$300,000 in the year 2003.  Initially, the programme intended 
to support only project implementation.  Over the years, with experience, the STDF constituents had 
requested that more attention be given to project  development.  The coordination and information 
dissemination functions gradually b ecame an integral part of the Facility.  He said that the Facility 
would attach more attention to its match-maki ng function, through project development so that 
beneficiaries could access large–scale funding. 
63. Referring to the comment from the South Centre , he acknowledged that institution building 
needed long–term support.  In fact, the STDF Secret ariat had been receiving requests for extension of 
duration of projects.  This issue would be ex amined at the next meeting of the STDF Policy 
Committee (December 2010) and also in view of the next medium–term strategy for the STDF.  He 
added that the STDF was shifting its focus on developing projects with a view to helping its beneficiaries access bigger resources than the STDF coul d offer.  He underlined the importance of the 
participation of the LDC representative in the STD F governing bodies.  He invited the LDCs to 
nominate an official representative as soon as possible.   
64. He said that the STDF would continue to undert ake activities at the global and regional level.  
He took note of the observation made by the representative of Nigeria and reiterated the efforts of the Secretariat to keep the Geneva Missions informed of  developments in their respective countries.  This 
had not been an easy task as the STDF had been m onitoring a large number of projects and PPGs.  He 
said that the seminar held in Washington, D.C. ha d been the first of its kind.  Follow-up activities 
arising from that seminar would depend on the advice of the STDF governing bodies as well as 
continued cooperation from the World Bank's Development Research Group.   
65. He went on to say that private standards had become an additional barrier to developing 
countries in accessing markets.  Where compliance to the official international standards advocated by 
the OIE, CODEX and IPCC could allow exporting countries to pass through the borders of the 
importing countries, it might not be sufficient for them to access the supermarkets.  Some of these 
standards, developed by supermarke t chains, had been voluntary in na ture.  He recognized that these 
standards could pose additional constraints to de veloping countries and LDCs.  The STDF had been 
supporting some projects, linked to private standards.   He noted that private standards were being 
discussed in the SPS and TBT Committees.  The  STDF Secretariat would continue to monitor 
developments in this area.   
66. The representative of Canada
 said that he had been following the discussion on private 
standards at the SPS Committee.  He said that th ere had been continuing discussions at the SPS and 
TBT Committees as well as with appropriate intern ational organizations on private standards and 
where they might deviate from international norms .  Those discussions had not resulted in any 
decision at this juncture vis-à-vis  their applicability to both SPS and TBT measures within the WTO.  
He underlined the need for continued policy dialogue on this issue.   
67. The Chairman  underlined the importance of overcomi ng standards–related constraints faced 
by the LDCs so as to fully u tilize market access opportunities offered to them.  The STDF had been 
making a direct contribution in building capacity in th e area of standards.  This was also a successful 
example of how the WTO was working with other or ganizations to improve supply–side capacity in 
the LDCs.  The number of LDCs benefiting from this  programme had also been increasing.  He hoped 
that donors would continue their support for this important initiative.  He suggested that the 
Sub-Committee take note of the document contai ned in WT/COMTD/LDC/W/47 as well as of the 
statements made. 
68. It was so agreed . WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
Page 14  
 
  C. 
OTHER BUSINESS  
69. The Chairman  invited the representative of UNIDO to make a report on the LDC Ministerial 
Conference which had taken place in Vienna in December 2009.   
70. The representative of the United Nations  Industrial Development Organization  said that the 
LDC Ministerial Conference, held from 3 to 4 Decem ber 2009 in Vienna, was one of the main events 
in preparation for LDC–IV Conference to be he ld in Turkey in 2011.  The Conference had been 
jointly organized by UNIDO and UN–OHRLLS.  It ha d brought together 42 LD Cs, out of a total of 
49 LDCs as recognized by the UN.  LDCs' developmen t partners, including RECs and regional banks 
had also taken part in it.  He thanked the Chair fo r his participation.  He also expressed gratitude for 
the participation of the WTO Director–General, th e Secretary General of UNCTAD, the Chair of the 
EIF interim Board and the Executive Secretariat.  He th anked them all for their valuable contributions.   
71. He said that the theme of the Conference wa s "Impact of the economic crisis on LDCs' 
productive capacities and trade prospects:  threats and opportunities".  It had focussed on issues 
related to the productive sector, with particular at tention on the impact of the crisis on LDCs' 
economies.  It had also explored viable regi onal and inter–regional so lutions and opportunities, 
including an enhanced potential for South–South tr ade and investment flows to overcome the effects 
of the ongoing economic downturn.  He added that  the Conference had also explored the best 
response strategies and lessons from various countries in the context of the current crisis, and had 
devised a Plan of Action urging development partners' assistance to the LDCs.   
72. He went on to say that UNIDO had commissioned four sector–specific studies covering 
cotton, fruits and vegetables, fi sheries and dairy sectors in eight LDCs from Africa as well as Asia.  
The studies included reviewing of existing policies a nd analyses of their effectiveness in the regional 
and global contexts, and had identified key gr owth drivers and provided a set of policy 
recommendations.  He said that the Ministerial Declaration reaffirmed the Ministers' commitment to the principles and aims of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the Brussels 
Programme of Action for the LDCs for the Deca de 2001–2010.  It also recognized the primary 
responsibility of the LDCs for their own developmen t, and expressed concern for low levels of aid 
commitments earmarked for productive sectors.  It  was mentioned in the Declaration that only 
6 per cent of US$121 billion of aid was earmarked for the productive sector.  It called for a balance of 
aid in this regard and also called for an appropria te balance between the role of the state and the 
private sector, particularly in key sectors which had been drivers of diversification, namely:  (i) Agro-industries;  (ii) innovation, technology transfer and productivity;  (iii) private sector 
development and investment;  (iv) industrial in frastructure;  and (v) policy space, governance and 
institution building.  He hoped that the implementa tion of the Plan of Action would provide useful 
findings and concrete inputs for the preparation of th e LDC-IV Conference.  He said that copies of the 
Declaration and the Plan of Action we re available in the meeting room. 
73. The Chairman
 said that he had participated in the LDC Ministerial Conference held in Vienna 
in December 2009.  He underlined the need for the international community to assist in building 
productive capacity in the LDCs.  He noted that onl y a small per cent of aid was being earmarked to 
strengthen LDCs' productive sectors.  In particular, th e LDCs needed aid in the agriculture sector the 
development of which had long been neglected.  He recognized the role of the state in the economic 
development of the countries.   
74. The representative of the South Centre  congratulated UNIDO for the Conference.  The South 
Centre had closely cooperated with UNIDO in the preparation of the Conference.  One of the 
Conference documents was prepared under the superv ision of the South Centre.  The Conference had 
allowed it to work in the area of industrial polic y and regional integration.  He underscored the 
importance of building productive capacity in the LDCs.    WT/COMTD/LDC/M/55 
 Page 15 
 
 
  75. The Chairman  recalled that the Sub-Committee had been  attaching special attention to the 
item on accession of LDCs to the WTO.  The Secretariat had prepared a detailed note on LDC accession in 2009, discussion of which had led to th e organization in May 2009 of the first-ever 
"Dialogue" between acceding LDCs and WTO Member s.  The Sub-Committee had also considered a 
report on that dialogue in its November 2009 meeting.  At that meeting, the LDCs had made a request 
for mainstreaming the process of dialogue in th e work of the Sub-Committee, which had received 
support from Members.  He understood that the LDC Group had been consulting on the process and 
substance for the current year's dialogue.  He said that the dialogue would be held under his 
Chairmanship, and could be timed during the "G eneva Week" event tentatively scheduled for 
May 2010.  He would reflect on this further and would revert to Members in due course.
1   
76. In the absence of any other business, the meeting was adjourned . 
 
  
__________  
                                                     
 
1 Since the meeting of the Sub-Co mmittee, an informal Dialogue  with acceding LDCs and Members 
took place on 5 May 2010.