RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/M/75 
28 September 2009 
 
 (09-4529) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Seventy-Fifth Session  
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 15 JULY 2009 
 
Chairman:  H.E. Mr. Shree B.C. Servansing (Mauritius) 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA .........................................................................................................1  
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, the Common Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and th e Groupe de la Banque Africaine de 
Développement.................................................................................................................. ..........2
 
C. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING ..................................................................................2  
(i) Annual Report on Technical Assistance and Training, 1 January to 31 December 2008 
(WT/COMTD/W/168 ).....................................................................................................................2  
(ii) Technical Cooperation Audit Report for 2008 (WT/COMTD/W/169  and 
WT/COMTD/W/169/Rev.1 ).............................................................................................................2  
D. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE .........................................................................8  
(i) Communications on the Generalized Syst em of Preferences scheme of Norway 
(WT/COMTD/65  and Add.1  to Add.3 ) ............................................................................................8  
(ii) Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) notification of Customs Union ( WT/REG222/N/1  and 
Corr.1 , WT/COMTD/N/25, WT/COMTD/66  and Add.1  to Add.3 ) .....................................................8  
E. DECISION ON TRANSPARENCY FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS (WT/L/672) ...........9  
F. REVIEW OF STEPS T AKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY -FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET ACCESS 
TO LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ...........................................................................................10  
G. OTHER BUSINESS .......................................................................................................................11  
 
 A. 
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairman  said that the draft agenda for the 75th Session of the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD) was contained in document WT O/AIR/3391/Rev.1 issued on 9 July 2009.  He 
said that he wished to add a matter under "Oth er Business" concerning the CTD's reporting 
requirements in light of the Seventh Ministerial Conference, which would be held later in 2009. 
2. The agenda was adopted  as amended. WT/COMTD/M/75 
Page 2  
 
  B. 
OBSERVERS  
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers 
3. The Chairman  recalled that, at previous sessions of the CTD, Members had agreed to invite a 
number of intergovernmental organizations on an ad  hoc, meeting-by-meeting basis.  These included 
the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Economic Co mmunity of West African States (ECOWAS), the 
Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Inte r-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation, the 
Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the African Union (AU), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the South Centre, the Pacific Islands Forum, the United Nations Environment 
Programme (UNEP), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the World 
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  He said th at, following the decision taken at the previous 
meeting of the Committee, the organizations had be en invited to the present meeting.  He proposed 
that the organizations be invited to the next formal meeting of the CTD. 
4. 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 Int ernationale de la Francophonie, the Common 
Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and the Groupe de la Banque Africaine de Développement 
5. 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. 
6. It was so agreed . 
C. TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING  
(i) Annual Report on Technical Assistance and Training, 1 January to 31 December 2008 
(WT/COMTD/W/168) 
(ii) Technical Cooperation Audit Report for 2008 (WT/COMTD/W/169 and 
WT/COMTD/W/169/Rev.11) 
7. The Chairman  said that there were two reports for consideration under this agenda item, 
namely the Annual Report on Technical Assistance and Training (TA Report) for 2008 – circulated as document WT/COMTD/W/168 – and the Technical C ooperation Audit Report for 2008 – circulated 
as document WT/COMTD/W/169.  A revision of the Audit Report, in English only, had been issued. 
8. He said that the WTO's technical assistance (TA) activities were related to the mandate on 
Aid for Trade.  The Second Global Review on Aid for Trade, which had been held on 6 and 7 July 2009, dealt with the coordination aspect of the WTO's work on Aid for Trade.  The present agenda item was concerned with the delivery aspect of  the WTO's Aid-for-Trade work.  He said that 
discussion under this agenda item would begin with introductory remarks by the Director-General.  
This would be followed by brief presentations of th e TA Report and the Audit Report by the Director 
of the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) and the Head of the Technical 
                                                     
 
1 In English only.  WT/COMTD/M/75 
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  Cooperation Audit Unit (TCAU), respectively.  The floor would then be opened for questions and 
comments. 
9. The Director-General  said that the Second Global Review on Aid for Trade had been a 
success in a number of ways.  The presence of the UN Secretary-General, as well as the heads of 
international organizations, re gional economic communities and re gional development banks, had 
provided a clear signal of their political commitment to the Aid-for-Trade agenda, and of their 
recognition of its potential to help developing countri es enhance their capacity to trade.  The Review 
had also reaffirmed the commitment of donors to de liver on their pledges, and had provided a clear 
picture of Aid-for-Trade flows and their positive tr end.  Developing countries had reaffirmed their 
commitment to the mainstreaming of trade into their development strategies.  Key areas had been 
highlighted that would constitute the WTO's Aid- for-Trade agenda moving forward.  These included 
the need to enhance the regional dimension of Ai d for Trade, the need to maintain momentum on 
commitments, the need to enhance the role of the private sector in Aid for Trade, and the importance 
of devoting attention to evaluating the impact of Ai d-for-Trade interventions in developing countries.  
10. All of this demonstrated the role of the WTO as the coordinator of the Aid-for-Trade 
initiative.  The WTO, however, also had another role, which was that of a provider of Aid for Trade.  
The WTO's TA programme represented the organiza tion's core Aid-for-Trade contribution in this 
regard.  The present meeting was a welcome o pportunity to assess how the organization was 
delivering on this mandate and to hear from Memb ers on how the impact of TA could be enhanced.  
11. He indicated that efforts to improve the c ontent, delivery and scope of the WTO's TA 
activities had yielded results.  The regional dimens ion of TA had been stre ngthened by expanding the 
organization's network of regiona l partners.  The WTO now delivered more TA with regional 
economic communities and institutions, in line with  the general trend of Aid for Trade.  The 
organization had expanded ways to deliver TA, in particular by en hancing the e-training programme, 
thereby ensuring that TA reached more recipients  in a cost effective manner.  The e-training 
programme was one of the most dynamic domains of activities of the WTO.  It was being expanded to 
cover more areas of the WTO's work.  It was also be ing used as a prelude to the advanced training 
programmes, thereby maximizing efficiency and impact.  The organization had achieved positive 
results from widening the scope of the recipients of TA to include not just government ministries, but 
also legislatures and civil society.  The WTO was continuing to make efforts to match its activities 
with Members' priorities.  By ensuring consistenc y with priorities, the TA activities would remain 
relevant and would achieve the desired results. 
12. On the evaluation side of the WTO's TA progr amme, the focus had shifted from evaluating 
input to evaluating output.  A continuous evaluation of the impact of the organization's TA activities 
would ensure that the WTO was able to demonstrate more clearly the results of its interventions.  The 
focus on evaluating output was also in line with the global direction that the Aid-for-Trade initiative 
would take.  While important progress had been made , there was also scope for improvement.  In the 
Technical Cooperation Audit Report, a number of ar eas had been identified where further work was 
required to enhance the TA progr amme.  Those included the need to redouble the WTO's efforts on 
assessing the needs of Members, making wider use of information technologies like video 
conferencing, and improving performance measurement.  The Audit Report also highlighted elements of  the Regional Trade Policy Courses (RTPCs) that required improving.  He co ncluded by saying that 
the WTO's TA activities could not be implemen ted without the continued support of the donor 
community.  This support was highly appreciated.  Given the current global economic realities, it was 
needed more than ever.  The WTO was fully aware of the budgetary constraints within which donors 
were operating, but urged them nevert heless to continue their support. 
13. The Director of the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC)
 said that 
42 per cent of the 496 activities implemented in 2008 had benefited the least-developed countries WT/COMTD/M/75 
Page 4  
 
  (LDCs). Africa had benefited from 33 per cent of the activities.  He explained that the reforms that 
had been undertaken in TA since the beginning of 2008 had the objective of bringing TA activities in 
line with the directions that had been set in the Aid -for-Trade context.  In this regard, he said that he 
wanted to emphasize six points in particular.  
14. His first point concerned the regional dimension of the TA activities.  He explained that 
significant efforts had been made to favour the regional dimension in the implementation of the 
activities.  In 2008, a total of 148 regional activiti es had been carried out, wh ich was a major increase 
relative to previous years.  Secondly, he highlight ed the need to strengthen cooperation with regional 
partners.  He expressed his satisfaction that almost  all regional activities in 2008 had been organized 
and implemented with regional pa rtners.  This had been appreciated by Members, since it had 
provided a regional aspect to the activities.  His third point concerned coordination between TA 
providers, on which substantial progr ess had been made.  He recalled that he had informed the CTD at  
an earlier meeting of a mechanism wh ich had been put in place to coor dinate the activities of agencies 
involved in trade-related TA.  In this context, a database of planned TA activities was being set up, 
and would likely be operational before the end of the year.  The CTD would be informed on progress 
made on the database, which he believed would be a useful coordination tool. 
15. He said that his fourth point related to the process of opening up to new actors.  Small steps 
had been taken in this direction in recent years,  but initiatives had been strengthened in 2008.  For 
example, activities had been organized in almo st all the regions to promote awareness among 
parliamentarians of issues relating to internationa l trade and trade negotiations, particularly in the 
context of the current economic crisis.  Activities ha d also been organized with academics, the media 
and the private sector.  The fifth point was concerned with the identification of needs.  In particular, 
he informed the Committee that significant efforts we re being made to put in place new mechanisms 
which would allow a clearer identification of countr y needs.  Broad-based consultations on needs had 
been carried out recently in the context of prep arations of the TA work programme for 2010 and 
2011, so as to ensure that the TA activities refl ected the priorities that had been expressed by 
Members.  Finally, he indicated that the evaluation of TA activities was also a priority.  He explained 
that this would ensure that TA really did cont ribute to building capacity in developing countries.  
16. The Head of the Technical Cooperation Audit Unit (TCAU)
 said that the Audit Report 
focused on three topics, namely the recommendations th at had been made in past annual reports, the 
ex-post evaluation done for the RTPCs, and the Tr ade Facilitation Self-Assessments of Needs and 
Priorities (TFSANP) programme. 
17. On the first topic, he said that many recomme ndations from previous years had been followed 
by the Secretariat.  This had led to a better ma nagement of TA and a higher quality of activities. 
Improvements had been observed in the assessment of government priorities prior to national 
activities, as well as on the selection of the participan ts.  Through more interactive training methods 
and a better measurement of performance, there had additionally been an improvement in the delivery 
of the activities.  Progress was, however, still needed in a number of areas.  For example, there was a 
need for a better assessment of Members' needs for planning and organizing regional activities, and 
for more use of video-conferencing.  In add ition, improvements were required in reporting, 
performance measurement and the training of trainers .  Work to make improvements in these areas 
was receiving particular attention in 2009.  The TCAU's overall assessment was that, while significant progress had been made, further improvements were required.   
18. On the evaluation of the RTPCs, he said that a number of specific recommendations had been  
made to improve the WTO's partnerships with re gional academic institutions.  One objective was to 
maximize the regional partners' owne rship of the activities.  In additi on, there was a need to reinforce 
the WTO's cooperation with regional partners on course design and pedagogy, to improve joint 
teaching arrangements, to strengthen the management  of the activities – in particular through better  WT/COMTD/M/75 
 Page 5 
 
 
  reporting – and to facilitate networking among RTPCs partners.  These recommendations were 
designed so that the RTPCs would fulfil their obj ective of building training and teaching institutional 
capacity in the regions.  Most of these reco mmendations had already been implemented. 
19. Finally, he turned to the TFSANP programme , which had been launched late in 2006, and 
was financed through a dedicated trust fund.  Ev en if certain recommendations were made in the 
Audit Report, the programme was seen as a source of in spiration for other TA activities.  It had fully 
achieved its two main objectives, which were to draw up preliminary findings of national trade 
facilitation needs and priorities, and to contribute to a more effective participation of Members in the 
Trade Facilitation negotiations.  The programme, whic h covered 55 countries by the end of 2008, had 
remained within the allocated budget.  It was considered highly effective and efficient.   
20. The representative of Egypt  said that a number of developing countries and LDCs did not 
have the necessary capacity to foll ow the work of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures (SPS).  In this light, he wondered whethe r it would be possible to put in place a mechanism 
for funding the participation of one of the enquiry points from such countries – at least from the LDCs – in the SPS Committee's meetings.  A mechanism of th is nature, which would be of great benefit to 
some countries, could possibly be implemented in  coordination with regional organizations.  He 
indicated that his delegation would continue to expl ore the idea with the Secretariat and in the SPS 
Committee.  
21. The representative of Sri Lanka
 expressed particular appreciation for the WTO's internship 
programme, which he saw as being of great benef it to Members with small missions.  He expressed 
hope that this programme would cont inue, and be enhanced.  He also suggested that there could be a 
broadening of the subjects covered by the e-trai ning programme, and generally encouraged more 
enrolment in e-training activities.  Specifically w ith regard to the TA work programme for 2010 and 
2011, he said that Sri Lanka was very keen on benefiting from an e-training course on non-agricultural market access negotiations.  
22. The representative of th e European Communities
 encouraged the Secretariat to continue its 
TA work in light of the recommendations that had been made, in particular those concerning 
monitoring, reporting and the measurement of im pact.  She added that her delegation would 
appreciate it if contributions made by donors could be given greater visibility, including through the 
prompt issue of a press release.  This would help the EC maintain its comm itment internally to the 
WTO's TA activities.  
23. The representative of Angola  proposed that some TA activities be delivered in Portuguese.  
While recognizing that Portuguese was not an offici al WTO language, his delegation was making this 
proposal after having seen that many offici als from Portuguese-speaking African countries 
encountered serious linguistic difficulties when they  participated in training activities that were 
provided in French or English.  Angola could help  to organize activities in Portuguese.  He observed 
that his country still had considerable difficulties in accessing e-training programmes, since it lacked 
much of the necessary equipment. 
24. The representative of China  said that the recently-held Second Global Review on Aid for 
Trade had highlighted the essential role that Aid fo r Trade could play in helping developing countries 
cope with the economic crisis.  His delegation ca lled for increased, high quality, technical assistance 
and capacity building, which would need the collec tive efforts of the Secretariat and of all WTO 
Members. China was pleased to have contributed fina ncially to this process.  In particular, in 2008 
China had for the first time made a donation to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund 
(DDAGTF).  It was China's intention to make a further contribution shortly. WT/COMTD/M/75 
Page 6  
 
  25. The representative of Canada
 appreciated the Secretariat's efforts to improve the management 
of its TA activities, including through the selecti on of higher quality activiti es and through initiatives 
to better measure performance.  In this regard, he  encouraged the ITTC to develop a performance 
management framework.  He also appr eciated the efforts that had been made with regard to e-training, 
and in strengthening the regional dimension of the TA  programme.  The regional  focus, which was of 
great importance in addressing capacity issues, implied a greater role for the WTO's regional desks.  
He noted that the evaluations that had been summ arized in the Audit Report were useful to his 
delegation, and also welcomed the reporting on th e implementation of past recommendations.  His 
delegation looked forward to the WTO's TA progra mme for 2010 and 2011, which he believed would 
be comprehensive and well appreciated. 
26. The representative of Senegal  welcomed the recent innovations in the WTO's approach to TA, 
including the focus on e-training and on the regional dimension.  He noted that the planned work for 
2010 and 2011 brought in the Enhanced Integrated Fr amework (EIF), which he saw as very positive.  
In terms of evaluation and assessment, Senegal was pl eased to see that the Secretariat was considering 
adopting relevant and objective evaluation criteria.  With regard to the WTO's outreach activities, he 
noted that mention had been made of the media.  He said that public opinion on the activities of the 
WTO was often in the hands of the press.  He obser ved that it would be useful if programmes could 
be instituted to help journalists understand the fundamental principles that governed the WTO.  This 
would help them reflect the work of the organization as objectively as possible. 
27. The representative of Oman  said that her country, as a member of a customs union, supported 
the regional dimension to TA and a strengthening of  cooperation with regional partners.  At the same 
time, in view of specific needs in certain areas, she also highlighted the importance of focusing on 
capacity building activities in individual countries.  She said that Oman was working in both directions, and hoped that the Secretariat would main tain the national approach in parallel with the 
regional approach.   
28. The representative of the Philippines
 said that his country had benefited from the various 
national, regional and e-training programmes that ha d been made available to developing country 
Members.  He expressed appreciation for the consu ltations that the ITTC had held with delegations 
from the Asia-Pacific region with regard to the TA  programme for 2010 and 2011.  He encouraged 
continued efforts to ensure that TA would cont inue to be demand-driven, and in harmony with 
Members' priorities. 
29. The representative of Bangladesh  said that the Director-General's presence served as a 
reminder that TA was an integral part of the D oha mandate to build the capacity of developing 
countries, particularly LDCs.  He observed that TA initiatives were more visible than initiatives 
relating to market access.  Bangladesh benefited from most types of TA activities, both in Geneva and 
outside.  He cited as examples the three national activ ities that were held each year, the internship 
programme and the upgrading of reference centres.  On possible ways to improve the WTO's TA, he 
suggested that a training programme for Geneva-based  delegates could be instituted.  He also noted 
that there had previously been a programme in place in the WTO which allowed Geneva-based 
delegates from LDCs to take part in some national activities.  This had helped build the capacity of 
the Geneva-based delegates and had also allowed be tter coordination with the various ministries and 
agencies in the capital.  His delegation wanted to  know the status of this programme.  He also 
indicated his delegation's interest in benefiting from a seminar devoted exclusively to Aid for Trade.  
Finally, he noted that the regional activities in 20 08 had almost all been held in non-LDC locations. 
He suggested that more LDCs could be chosen as venues for future activities.  
30. The representative of Nepal  associated his delegation with the interventions made by 
Bangladesh, Egypt and Sri Lanka.  He emphasized the importance of having interns attached to small 
missions like his own, and requested continued suppor t in this regard.  He also called for more  WT/COMTD/M/75 
 Page 7 
 
 
  regional activities to be held in LDCs.  He indicated  that an activity in Nepal would not only build 
capacity, but would also help the country emerge from a conflict situation.  As a third point, he 
requested assistance for LDCs in id entifying their technical needs, as it was not always easy for this 
group of countries to know where their priorities shoul d lie.  Finally, he pointed to the usefulness of 
having the participation of Geneva-based delegates in national activities.  This participation would 
help the Geneva-based officials to not only be awar e of the needs of their countries, but also to 
negotiate in Geneva. 
31. The representative of Guinea  said that her delegation was particularly appreciative of 
e-training initiatives, as they allowed large numbers of people to be trained in a cost-effective way.  In 
this regard, she indicated that existing WTO referen ce centres needed to be modernized in beneficiary 
countries, and new reference centres needed to be established in unive rsities.  She also appreciated the 
inclusion in the WTO's TA programme of activities re lated to the EIF.  She expressed her delegation's 
interest in the trade policy courses given in Geneva and in universities, and su ggested that more such 
courses could be held, particularly in French.  Mo re frequent courses on SPS and technical barriers to 
trade (TBT) were particularly welcome.  With regard  to Guinea's TA needs, she pointed in particular 
to  negotiation techniques, trade facilitation and Aid for Trade.  
32. The representative of Tonga  observed that TA activities were yielding more tangible benefits 
for some countries than those coming from market access  initiatives.  He pointed to the benefits of the 
internship programme for small Pacific Island countries, and encouraged the continuation and 
enhancement of this programme.  He encouraged the ITTC to continue to work to improve the quality 
of its activities, and also to look for more innova tive and effective delivery mechanisms for TA.  
Looking to the 2010-2011 biennium, he urged the I TTC to increase its engagement in the Pacific 
region, in specific areas that had been id entified, as well in the generic activities.  
33. The Director-General  said that he taken note of the comments that had been made.  He said 
that he wished to respond to a point made by Sene gal, which concerned activities directed towards the 
media.  For the time being, the media was not a pr iority in the WTO's TA programme.  There were, 
however, two kinds of activities that were being implemented for the benefit of journalists from 
developing countries.  The first concerned regular programmes organized in Geneva by the Friedrich 
Ebert Foundation and by the Swiss mission.  The second concerned ad hoc activities organized at the 
request of particular delegations, examples of wh ich included Sri Lanka, Namibia and Oman.  He said 
that more interaction with the media could be consid ered, if Members felt that this was a priority.  He 
noted, however, that more activities directed towards the media might come at the expense of other 
activities.  Given the resources available, this r eality had to be faced.  He invited the Deputy 
Director-General in charge of development issues to  respond to some of the other points that had been 
made. 
34. The Deputy Director-General  in charge of development issues began by responding to the 
point made by Egypt concerning SPS-related assistance.  She said that, as she understood it, the point 
was related to a capacity problem faced by some countries.  The Secretariat was analyzing how 
cooperation with regional organiza tions could be strengthened, a nd how SPS-related activities could 
be held at the regional level.  She also noted that the adjustments required to hold such activities 
would be made in response to the needs identified by Members but, given current resources, could not 
be additional to the regional activities that were planne d.  It was likely that sp ecific possibilities in this 
regard could be conveyed to Members before th e end of 2009.  On the question regarding the 
possibility of holding TA activities in Portuguese, she said that the Secretariat could only produce 
documents in the three official languages.  All ef forts were, however, made to be flexible in any 
particular circumstance.  For example, to the exte nt possible, a Portuguese speaker in the Secretariat 
would participate in a TA activity  in a Portuguese-speaking country. WT/COMTD/M/75 
Page 8  
 
  35. She next turned to the issue of e-training. On the basis of the number of enrolments, she 
observed that e-training was turning into a very su ccessful experiment.  The objective was to expand 
the coverage of e-training to include all areas of TA provided by the WTO.  She explained that the 
idea behind the e-training initiative was to bring pa rticipants to a basic level of knowledge.  She 
recognized that there were connectivity problems in some countries, but indicated that the Secretariat 
was trying to find ways around these problems by, for example, distributing CD-ROMs.  She also 
agreed on the need to upgrade and maintain WTO re ference centres. On the issue of assistance with 
the needs assessments of some countries, particularly  LDCs, she pointed to the EIF.  In addition to 
being a framework for coordination, she said that the EIF aimed to identify the needs of LDCs.  
Finally, on the question of increasi ng the visibility of what was bei ng done with respect to TA, she 
said that much progress had been made in this area recently, for example in terms of press releases 
and newsletters.  She added that by training jour nalists from developing countries, more visibility 
could be given to what was being done in TA  and the support that was being received.   
36. The Committee took note
 of the reports and of all interventions.    
D. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE  
(i) Communications on the Generalized Syst em of Preferences scheme of Norway 
(WT/COMTD/65  and Add. 1 to Add .3) 
37. The Chairman  recalled that Norway had made a notification at the 69th Session of the CTD 
concerning its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) scheme.  Two sets of questions from Brazil on the scheme had been circulated in documen ts WT/COMTD/65 and WT/COMTD/65/Add.2.  
Responses to Brazil's questions were circulated by Norway in documents WT/COMTD/65/Add.1 and 
Add.3.  It had been agreed at the last CTD meeti ng that this item would remain on the agenda for the 
present meeting. 
38. The representative of Brazil
 thanked the Norwegian delegation for the responses that had 
been provided to Brazil's questions.  He indicat ed that his delegation was still evaluating these 
responses. 
39. The Chairman  inquired whether Brazil wished to maintain the item on the CTD's agenda. 
40. The representative of Brazil  said that his delegation had no objection to removing the item 
from the agenda, with the understanding that it had th e right to revert to this matter if necessary. 
41. The Chairman  proposed that the Committee take note of Brazil's interventions.  He indicated 
that Brazil had the right to revert to this matter in the future if necessary.  
42. It was so agreed .  
(ii) Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) notification of Customs Union ( WT/REG222/N/1  and Corr.1 , 
WT/COMTD/N/25 , WT/COMTD/66  and Add.1 to Add.3) 
43. The Chairman  recalled that this item had appeared on the agenda of the last CTD meeting.  It 
had been agreed that the item would remain on th e agenda for the present meeting.  He understood 
that, since the last CTD meeting, the concerned dele gations had continued thei r informal consultations 
on the matter, and that some progress had been made.  
44. The representative of Oman, on behalf of the GCC countries , said that the GCC had had 
constructive and positive bilateral consultations with the US.  Good progress had been made, and it 
was hoped that an acceptable solution could be found soon.  WT/COMTD/M/75 
 Page 9 
 
 
  45. The representative of the United States  agreed that constructive bilateral consultations had 
been held. Her delegation hoped that th e matter could be resolved soon.   
46. The representative of Egypt  said that his delegation was looking forward to a resolution of 
this matter.  He recalled that his delegation had in dicated at the last CTD meeting that it would be 
useful if the Secretariat could provide relevant  information on customs unions previously notified 
under the Enabling Clause.  In this regard, he reite rated his delegation's view that such information 
would be of use to Members.  He also referred to the Legal Note on Regional Trade Arrangements 
under the Enabling Clause, which had been prepared  by the Secretariat in 2003 and circulated as 
document WT/COMTD/W/114.  He suggested that the S ecretariat could update this note, in particular 
to distinguish between the terms of referen ce of the CTD and the Committee on Regional Trade 
Agreements (CRTA) in light of developments si nce the circulation of the document.      
47. In response to the intervention by Egypt, the Chairman  said that the Secretariat had prepared a 
brief compilation of customs unions notified under the Enabling Clause.  He invited interested 
delegations to contact the Secretariat in this regard . He also indicated that due note had been taken of 
Egypt's request for an update to document WT/COM TD/W/114.  On the matter concerning the GCC 
notification, he encouraged the concerned delegati ons to continue their informal consultations, and 
expressed his hope that a solution could be found by the next CTD meeting.  He suggested that the 
concerned delegations coul d provide a status report at the next meeting, on the basis of which the 
Committee could decide on the course of action to take.  
48. It was so agreed . 
E. DECISION ON TRANSPARENCY FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS (WT/L/672 ) 
49. The Chairman  said that the 14 December 2006 Gene ral Council Decision on "Transparency 
for Preferential Trade Arrangements" – contai ned in document WT/L/672 – invited the CTD to 
consider transparency for preferential arrangement s under paragraph 2 of the Enabling Clause – other 
than RTAs – and report back within six months fo r appropriate action by th e General Council.  The 
Council had since extended the deadline to its July 2009 meeting. 
50. He recalled that he had informed the CTD on previous occasions of the small-group informal 
consultations that he had been holding to consider the draft proposal by Brazil, China, India and the 
US on a Transparency Mechanism (TM) for Prefer ential Trade Arrangements (PTAs).  At the last 
CTD meeting, he had mentioned that the proponents were consulting with delegations with a view to 
revising their draft proposal.  He said that his in tention remained to call an informal, open-ended 
meeting to consider the revised proposal shortly after it was circulated to Members.  He also indicated 
that he wanted the Secretariat's "mock" Factual Pr esentation of a PTA, based on the US' GSP scheme, 
to be considered at that informal meeting. 
51. The representative of the United States  expressed her delegation's continued support for the 
establishment of a TM for PTAs.  She said that her delegation had been working with the Secretariat 
in the preparation of a "mock" Factual Presentati on of the US' GSP scheme, which she hoped would 
be completed soon.  Since the "mock" was not read y yet, she suggested that it would be necessary to 
request the General Council for a time extension to a llow the CTD to continue its work on this matter. 
52. The representative of India  appreciated the interest that had been demonstrated by Members 
in the informal consultations called by the Chairm an.  His delegation believed that the TM for PTAs 
would contribute immensely to Members' understanding  of the contents and the working of PTAs.  
While substantial progress had been made on this matte r, it was always the last mile that was the most 
demanding.  His delegation looked forward to continued constructive e ngagement from Members 
with a view to an early conclusion to the technical work. WT/COMTD/M/75 
Page 10  
 
  53. The representative of Brazil
 supported the intervention by India.  He said that his delegation 
remained fully committed to completing the technical work as soon as possible. 
54. The representative of China  supported the call for a time extension to be granted to the CTD 
in its consideration of this matter.  His delegati on was committed to accelerating the work with a view 
to reaching an agreement as soon as possible. 
55. The Chairman  encouraged the proponents to continue  their consultations with delegations. 
Upon hearing back from the proponents on the status of their consultations, he would look into the feasibility of calling a small-group meeting before even tually having the revised text discussed in an 
open-ended setting.  He went on to say that he wo uld need to report to the General Council at its 
July 2009 meeting on the status of the CTD's consid eration of this matter.  He said that he would 
inform the Council of the progress that had been made since December 2008, and would essentially 
provide the Council with the same information that  he had been providing to the Committee.  He 
proposed to also ask the Council to grant the CTD additional time – until December 2009 – to 
consider the matter and report back for appropriate action.  He said  that he intended to continue 
working with Members on the issue of transparency for PTAs.  The item would, therefore, remain on 
the CTD's agenda.   
56. It was so agreed
. 
F. REVIEW OF STEPS T AKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY -FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET ACCESS TO 
LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES   
57. The Chairman  said that an item concerning the Hong Kong Decision on duty-free and 
quota-free (DFQF) market access for LDCs had been on the CTD's agenda since early 2006.  Under 
this item, delegations had provided information on the steps they we re taking, or had already taken, to 
provide DFQF market access to LDCs.  Written co mmunications by some Members had also been 
considered.  He recalled that the CTD had to date undertaken three of its mandated annual reviews of 
the implementation of the Hong Kong Decision.   
58. The representative of Bangladesh  said that intensive negotiations had culminated in the 
adoption of the Hong Kong Decision.  Developed countries had agreed to provide DFQF market 
access for all products from all LDCs.  For those de veloped countries that had difficulties in doing so, 
it had been agreed that they would provide DFQF market access for 97 per cent of products defined at 
the tariff line level, by 2008 or no later than the start of the implementation period.  So far, all 
developed countries except for the US had provided DF QF treatment to products of LDCs.  The LDCs 
did not know what difficulties the US was facing in  providing 100 per cent DFQF treatment to LDCs' 
products.  He added that the LDCs had taken part in an impact assessment of DFQF treatment that 
was carried out by the US International Trade Co mmission.  The provision of information by the US 
on any progress made towards ensuring meaningful ly enhanced market access to LDCs' products 
would be appreciated.   
59. While being mindful of the fact that the CTD was not a negotiating body, the LDCs had been 
stressing three issues.  The first was the need for information on the products that would constitute the 
initial 97 per cent coverage.  Second, informati on was sought on a time-frame or date by which 
developed countries would grant DFQF treatment to products for LDCs.  Finally, the LDCs wanted to 
know a time-frame for the phasing-in of the remaining 3 per cent of products.  He said that the LDCs 
were asking for this information for the sake of stability, security and predictability, as had been 
mentioned in Annex F of the Hong Kong Ministeria l Declaration.  They were only asking for the 
fulfilment of a commitment that had already been made.  He concluded by thanking the developed 
countries that were providing DFQF market access to LDCs, thereby de-linking the provision of this  WT/COMTD/M/75 
 Page 11 
 
 
  market access from progress in the Doha Round.  He  also thanked the developing countries that were 
providing DFQF market access to LDCs. 
60. The representative of Lesotho  expressed appreciation to the developed and developing 
countries that were offering DFQF market to LDCs, and invited other countries to do so as well.  He 
added that DFQF market access would only be benefi cial to LDCs if it was accompanied by simple, 
transparent rules of origin.  He also pointed to  the need to address non-tariff barriers which could 
potentially hinder the benefits of DF QF market access.  In the light of the economic crisis, he called 
on Members to consider providing DFQF market ac cess to LDCs as an "early harvest" to the results 
of the Doha Round. 
61. The representative of Guinea  echoed the previous speakers in appreciating the steps that had 
been taken by some countries to offer DFQF mark et access to LDCs, and also called on others to do 
the same.  She noted that enhanced market access in itiatives needed to be accompanied by appropriate 
measures to ensure that LDCs could actually benefit from the market access. 
62. The representative of Angola  supported the interventions made by Bangladesh, Lesotho and 
Guinea. 
63. The representative of the United States  said that the US took its Doha Round commitments 
very seriously.  The US continued to believe that  the best outcome for development would be an 
ambitious package agreed to in the Round that wo uld open new markets worldwide.  Her delegation 
looked forward to continued work in order to comp lete the Round and implement the agreed results.  
She added that her delegation believed in the need  for transparency in non-reciprocal preferential 
programmes.  The US had been transparent in its preferential programmes, including its GSP scheme.  
Through its support for the establishment of a Tr ansparency Mechanism for PTAs, the US was 
working to enhance transparency  in the preferential programmes maintained by all Members.  
64. The representative of Haiti  expressed his support for the interventions made under the present 
agenda item by representatives from other LDCs.  
65. The Committee took note  of all interventions.  
G. OTHER BUSINESS  
66. The Chairman  said that he wished to raise a matter concerning the CTD's reporting 
requirements in light of the Seventh Ministerial Conference, which would be held from 30 November 
to 2 December 2009.  In order to allow the Ministerial Conference to fulfil its overview function, it was necessary for the CTD – as well as all Counc ils and Committees under the General Council – to 
submit to the General Council, by the end of Oct ober, a report of activities in 2009.  The General 
Council would consider these reports at a meeting to take place in November, and would forward 
them to the Ministerial Conference.  For this purpo se, a draft report of the CTD would be circulated 
for adoption by the Committee at its next meeting, wh ich would be held in October.  The report, once 
adopted, would be forwarded to the General Counc il for consideration at the Council's November 
meeting.  He added that the CTD's last mee ting of 2009 would be held after the Ministerial 
Conference.  In order to reflect the CTD's full ra nge of activities in 2009, an  addendum to the annual 
report would be circulated for adoption by the CTD at its last meeting of the year.  The addendum would be forwarded to the General Council for cons ideration at the Council's December meeting.  
67. The meeting was adjourned
. 
 
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