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1400 GENEVA TIME ( 1200  GMT) 15 SEPTEMBER 2006  
 
PRESS/TPRB/269 
15 September 2006 
 
(06-4396) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: BANGLADESH 
Good economic performance and re forms should lead to sustained 
growth 
Since its previous Trade Policy Review, Bangladesh has pursued prudent structural reforms in 
priority areas and trade liberalization with positive results on growth and foreign direct investment inflows.  Nevertheless,  development constraints persist such as infrastructure bottlenecks and 
institutional and other policy limitations, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade 
policies and practices of Bangladesh.  
The report points out that Bangladesh remain s heavily dependant on exports of ready made 
garments, despite the risks from the elimination of  quotas in accordance with the Agreement on 
Textiles and Clothing (ATC).  Moreover, it has ye t to take full advantage of its agricultural 
potential, and cope with inefficiencies and shortages in the important services sector, which 
accounts for more than half of Bangladesh's GDP.  
The report also says that the economic performance in the last few years, together with the 
authorities commitment to reform, the strengthening of the legal system and the promotion of exports and market diversification should lead the country towards sustained growth and poverty 
alleviation. 
  The report, along with a policy statement by the Government of Bangladesh, will be the basis for 
the third Trade Policy Review (TPR) of Bangladesh by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 
13 and 15 September 2006.  
The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp269.htm  
 
• Secretariat report 
> Contents and summary observations  > Economic environment  
> Trade and investment regimes  
> Trade policies and practices by measure  > Trade policies by sector  
> Appendix tables  PRESS/TPRB/269 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
 • Government report  
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). 
Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member 
countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each 
review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William 
Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
https://secure.vtx.ch/shop/boutiques/wto_index_boutique.html  or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press , 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States 
Next reviews: 
Congo : 27 and 29 September 2006 
Kyrgyz Republic : 9 and 11 October 2006 
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda : 25 and 27 October 2006 
 For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews  
 
END