PRESS RELEASE 
EMBARGO  
NOT FOR PUBLICATION, OR DISTRIBUTION BY NEWS AGENCIES UNTIL 
1400 GENEVA TIME ( 1200  GMT) 11 JUNE 2007  
 
PRESS/TPRB/284 
11 June 2007 
 
(07-2387) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 
Reconstruction efforts are starti ng to have a positive impact 
After several years of conflict, the Central African Republic has returned to economic growth, with 
a rate of 3.7% in 2006, compared to an annual average of 0.6% from 1998 to 2005. Its economic 
recovery process is expected to continue in 2007 and 2008 with the implementation of 
macroeconomic and structural reforms, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of the Central African Republic. 
 
The Central African Republic, a Least-developed Country (LDC), faces major challenges to its 
economic development. It suffers from irregular electricity supply, the absence or poor conditions 
of basic infrastructure (including transport, fixe d telephony, hotels), and high costs of related 
services.  
The report notes that the resumption of support from the international community should help to 
reinforce the incipient positive impact of the country’s reconstruction efforts. Reforms (including structural reforms) aimed at reducing the numerous supply-side constraints will have to be 
pursued and should facilitate the Central African Republic’s access to the Heavily Indebted Poor 
Countries Initiative. This would provide debt relief and attract capital needed to exploit the country’s enormous potential. 
 
The report, along with a policy statement by the Government of the Central African Republic, will 
be the basis for the first Trade Policy Review (TPR ) of the Central African Republic by the Trade 
Policy Review Body of the WTO on 11 and 13 June 2007. 
 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/tp284_e.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/284 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
 • Report by the Government of India 
• 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: 
Indonesia: 27 and 29 June 2007 
Bahrain: 18 and 20 July 2007 
Panama: 17 and 19 September 2007 
 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