RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
3 June 2009 
 
 (09-2655) 
Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries 
Fifty-Second Session  
 
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 25 MARCH 2009 
 
Chairperson:  Ambassador Jean Feyder (Luxembourg) 
  
A.
 ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA .........................................................................................................1  
B. WTO WORK PROGRAMME FOR THE LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES 
(WT/COMTD /LDC/11) ...................................................................................................................2  
(I) Accession of Least-Developed Countries to the WTO ( WT/COMTD/LDC/W/44 ) .........................2  
(II) Trade-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building Initiatives for Least-
Developed Countries............................................................................................................ .....11  
- WTO Technical Assistance and Training to the Least-Developed Countries, including 
in the area of the Doha Work Programme:  Oral report by the Secretariat ............................11  
(III) Market Access for Leas t-Developed Countries.........................................................................15  
- Market Access for Products and Services of Export Interest to Least-Developed 
Countries ( WT/COMTD/LDC/W/42/Rev.1 ) ..................................................................................15  
C. OTHER BUSINESS .......................................................................................................................19  
 
 1. The Chairman
 expressed gratitude to Members for re-electing him as the Chairman of the 
Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries.  He tha nked delegations for the continued confidence 
that they had placed in him.  He sought suppor t and cooperation from Members in discharging his 
responsibilities. 
2. The Chairman  said that the world was experiencing a difficult time.  The financial crisis had 
unfolded into a deeper economic crisis impacti ng heavily on the economies of developed as well as 
developing countries.  The ongoing economic crisis wa s having an impact on world trade.  The recent 
estimates of the WTO forecasted a 9 per cent decline in  world trade in 2009.  That was a substantial 
drop in trade.  It was important that the WTO keep a watchful eye on the developments in world trade.   
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
3. The Chairman  requested Members to consider the draft agenda contained in document 
WTO/AIR/3335.  In view of a request from the Secretariat, he proposed that item B(III) of the draft 
agenda be considered before item B(II).  He furt her informed Members that under Other Business, the 
UNIDO would make a report on the outcome of the LDC Ministerial Conference held in November 2008 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.   
4. The Sub-Committee
 adopted the draft agenda contained in WTO/AIR/3335, as amended.   WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
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  B. 
WTO WORK PROGRAMME FOR THE LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (WT/COMTD /LDC/11) 
(I) Accession of Least-Developed Countries to the WTO ( WT/COMTD/LDC/W/44 ) 
5. The Chairman  recalled that the LDCs had requested  him to facilitate a review of the 
implementation of the LDC Accession Guidelines  adopted by the General Council in 2002.  
Following that request, he had undertaken consultati ons with some key Members as well as with the 
WTO Secretariat on the possible way forward.  As  a result, the Sub-Committee at its previous 
meeting had invited the Secretariat to prepare an  elaborate note on LDC accessions for consideration 
by Members at the present meeting.  Accordingly, the Secretariat had prepared a Note contained in 
document WT/COMTD/LDC/W/44.  The Note provided information on the current status of each LDC in the process of accession.  In addition, it  provided information on the implementation of 
measures taken to facilitate and accelerate the accession of LDCs to the WTO.  It briefly highlighted 
some of the challenges faced by LDCs in thei r accession process, as well as technical assistance being 
provided to the acceding LDCs.  The Chairman inv ited the Secretariat to introduce the Note.  
6. The representative of the Secretariat
 (Director, Accessions Division) congratulated the 
Chairman on his re-election.  He said that the Dir ector-General attached high priority to the accession 
of LDCs to the WTO.  The Note should be seen as a part of a process of sustained dialogue and 
deeper engagement with Members and those in accession, in particular with acceding LDCs.  He pointed out that the WTO accession process was designe d to ensure that new Members could exercise 
their rights and obligations from the date of thei r entry into the WTO system.  Though the accession 
process was not perfect, it had been working to st rengthen the multilateral trading system;  accession 
to the WTO had advanced the commitment to ma rket opening, "rule of law" and contract 
enforcement. 
7. He said that 32 LDCs were Members of the WTO.  Three LDCs, namely Cambodia, Cape 
Verde and Nepal, had completed their accession negotia tions pursuant to the provisions of Article XII 
of the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the WTO.  Twelve LDCs were at various stages of their 
accession process.  He noted that the status of LD C accessions had been continually evolving.  For 
instance, two developments had occurred after the is suance of the Secretariat Note.  Afghanistan had 
submitted its Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Re gime (MFTR) on 17 March 2009, while Ethiopia 
had submitted its responses to the second round of  questions from Members on 16 March 2009.  
These developments indicated that the present No te should not be seen as a definitive document on 
the state of play of LDC accessions;  rather it shoul d be seen as an initial step to stimulate dialogue 
with the acceding LDCs as well as with Members with a view to advancing the accession of LDCs.  
He noted that the previous papers by the Secretar iat mainly focussed on the state of play of LDC 
accessions.  The present Note included, among othe rs, a section on challenges faced by the acceding 
LDCs.  The Secretariat would make efforts to period ically revise the Note based on developments in 
the accession of LDCs. 
8. He said that progress had been made in the acce ssion of LDCs since the adoption of the WTO 
Work Programme for the LDCs and the General Council Decision on the Guidelines on the Accession 
of LDCs, both of which were adopted in 2002.  He said that the accession process was not easy for 
any acceding government for a variety of reasons.  First, it required hard, technical systemic work to prepare the initial ground to launch the accessi on negotiations.  Second, the accession process 
involved intense negotiations with individual Me mbers.  In addition, acceding governments often 
needed to handle the pressure of simultaneous bilateral and multilateral negotiations along with 
accession negotiations, with limited resources.  Thir d, building and sustaining support for domestic 
reforms with a view to acceding to the WTO w as not a smooth process for any acceding country.  
Coordination with various domestic stakeholders was also a big challenge.  Fourth, geographical 
distance and non-residency had been a problem for a number of acceding countries to advance their 
accession negotiations.  In this regard, he noted that measures had been taken to facilitate the  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
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  accession of LDCs, in particular by routinely sch eduling Working Party meetings of non-resident 
acceding LDCs during the Geneva Week.  Fifth, each accession negotiation was unique, complex and long.  There usually was a considerable time-lag be tween the establishment of a Working Party for an 
acceding country and the submission of the MFTR of that acceding country, which provided the substantive basis for the accession negotiations to commence.  The time taken from the submission of 
the MFTR to accession had also been long for the recently acceded LDCs.  However, he underlined 
the importance of enhancing ownership of the WT O accession by an acceding country even though it 
might take some time to achieve.  In light of the above challenges, technical assistance for the 
acceding LDCs at all stages of their accession process was of vital importance.  He informed Members that the WTO Secretariat had delivered  600 activities to acceding LDCs between 2003 and 
March 2009.   
9. In conclusion, he stressed that every new accession would strengthen the multilateral trading 
system.  Universality of Membership was one of the goals of the WTO.  The good offices of the Director-General were available to assist the acced ing LDCs.  The acceding LDCs were encouraged 
to contact this office should they encounte r difficulties in their accession process.   
10. The representative of Tanzania
, on behalf of the LDCs, congratulated the Chairman on his 
re-election.  The re-election of the Chairman for the third consecutive term had reflected the 
confidence and trust that the Membership had pla ced in him.  He expressed appreciation to the 
Chairman for his active engagement with the LD Cs.  The main preoccupation of the Sub-Committee 
was to enhance opportunities for LDCs for their mean ingful integration into the multilateral trading 
system.   
11. He thanked the Secretariat for its Note, which had partly responded to a call made by the 
LDC Trade Ministers through the Maseru Declarati on adopted in February 2008 (WT/L/719).  The 
LDCs considered the Note useful .  It provided an analysis of  the LDC accession process, including 
information on the implementation of some measures to facilitate the accession processes of LDCs, as 
well as technical assistance and capacity build ing support provided to the acceding LDCs. 
12. He recalled the General Council's Decision of  10 December 2002 setting out the Guidelines 
for the accession of LDCs to the WTO, in particular  in the area of market access, WTO rules, process 
and trade-related technical assistance and capacity build ing.  The Decision had been taken in view of 
the inadequacies of Article XII of the Marrakesh  Agreement Establishing the WTO, which did not 
provide any criteria or guidance for negotiatin g the terms of accession between the acceding 
governments and WTO Members.  During the period 1 995 to 2002, not a single LDC had been able to 
accede to the WTO.  Therefore, the LDC Accession Guidelines demons trated a strong commitment by 
the Membership to facilitate and accelerate the accession negotiations through simplified and 
streamlined accession procedures.  Those Guidelines  also envisaged conclusions of LDC accession 
negotiations as quickly as possible.  It stipulated th at special and differential treatment, as set out in 
the Multilateral Trade Agreements, Ministerial Decisi ons, and other relevant WTO legal instruments, 
should be applicable to all acceding LDCs.  It was regrettable that despite these provisions, WTO 
Members had continued to urge LDCs to take  on onerous obligations over and above the ones 
undertaken by the original WTO LDC Members.  That was a contradiction to the letter and spirit of the LDC Accession Guidelines.  In addition, the accession negotiating process had been particularly 
tedious and burdensome for acceding LDCs that  often had limited negotiating capacity.  He 
appreciated the provisions contained in the Gu idelines for targeted technical assistance and 
capacity-building support for the acceding LDCs.  He emphasized the need for enhanced and 
sustained support to the acceding LDCs.   
13. He said that while the LDCs had welcomed the Note, it was in its present form an incomplete 
document according to the assessment by the LDCs.  The Note should be seen as work in progress.  
The item on accession should remain as a standing ite m on the agenda of the Sub-Committee as long WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
Page 4  
 
  as there remained LDCs in accession.   He then made three specific proposals on the way forward.  
First, he proposed that any review of the accession process of LDCs, including the LDC Accession Guidelines, should fully involve the WTO Members including the LDCs.  Second, he suggested that 
the Secretariat undertake consultati ons with the acceding governments, with a view to building on the 
present Note, including reflecting the views expressed by the LDCs on WTO accession.  That would 
make the Note more comprehensive.  Third, he recommended that the WTO explore the possibility of 
working with another intergovernmental orga nizations, such as UNCTAD, to facilitate a 
comprehensive review of the accession of LDCs to the WTO.   
14. The representative of Yemen
 said that the Sub-Committee had been overseeing key issues of 
importance to the LDCs, including the accession of LDCs to the WTO.  His Government had been 
conducting accession negotiations for the past nine y ears, which reflected the difficulties involved in 
the accession process.  Seventeen LDCs were yet to acced e to the WTO.  He reiterated his interest to 
work closely with the Director of the Accessions  Division of the WTO Secretariat to advance his 
country's accession negotiations and thereby fully integrate into the multilateral trading system.  He underscored the need for an enabling environment for the acceding LDCs to quickly accede to the 
WTO.   
15. He associated himself with the statement made by the LDC Coordinator.  The Doha 
Ministerial Declaration attached special priority to  the accession of LDCs to the WTO.  Accordingly, 
his Government had accelerated its preparatory wo rk and submitted its MFTR in November 2002, 
one month before the adoption of the LDC Accession Guidelines.  After the submission of the MFTR, 
his authorities had received more than 200 questions from Members.  That had required his 
Government to prepare additional documents, and had delayed the convening of the first Working 
Party meeting which was held in November 2004.  Thereafter, the Working Party on the accession of 
Yemen had met several times.  The accession process was lengthy and complex.   
16. His Government was motivated by the Ge neral Council Decision on the LDC Accession 
Guidelines, as it contained clear and precise guide lines to facilitate and accelerate the accession of 
LDCs.  However, the reality of negotiations was different from the flexibiliti es envisaged by the LDC 
Accession Guidelines.  While welcoming the Note, he  shared the point made by the LDC Coordinator 
to make the Note more comprehensive.  He said that the present Note represented an advancement 
from the past "state of play" notes by the Secr etariat which had only provided information on the 
status of LDC accessions.  He added his voice to the call made by the LDC Coordinator for a more 
inclusive and comprehensive review of the accessi on of LDCs, taking fully into account the views and 
concerns of acceding LDCs.  His delegation was keen to see the implementation of the Accession 
Guidelines in letter and spirit.  In  this regard, he stressed on two poi nts:  (i) bilateral market access 
negotiations should align with the provisions contained in the Guidelines;  and (ii) acceding LDCs 
should receive all special and differential treatme nt available to the present LDC Members of the 
WTO.   
17. The representative of Nepal
 associated himself with the statement made by Tanzania, on 
behalf of the LDCs.  He said that a number of commitments had been undertaken by Members with a 
view to beneficially integrating the LDCs into the multilateral trading system.  Special provisions were being accorded to the LDCs to enhance their pa rticipation in global trade.   He regretted the fact 
that the implementation of those commitments were  less than satisfactory.  The flexibilities accorded 
to the acceding LDCs were also not being adhered to.  His country had not been able to fully benefit 
from the flexibilities intended for th e acceding LDCs.  It had taken almost 15 years for his country to 
accede to the WTO.  Some of the commitments that his Government had undertaken were higher than 
the ones that had been undertaken by some deve loping countries in the WTO.  Therefore, the 
challenges before the acceding LDCs  were enormous.  In this cont ext, he underscored the importance 
of implementing the LDC Accession Guidelines in letter and spirit.  He said that most of the acceding 
LDCs lacked human and financial resources to negotiate  effectively with their trading partners.  As a  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
 Page 5 
 
 
  result, these LDCs  fell prey to engaging themselves uninformed in the negotiations, with the result 
that they were assuming higher obligations than t hose required from the LDC Members.  He made a 
few suggestions to further facilitate the accession process of LDCs.  These included:  (i) making the 
accession process of LDCs strictly time-bound and unconditional;  (ii) providing post-accession 
technical assistance to the recently acceded LDCs, with a view to reviewing their overall economic 
performance upon accession to the WTO;  (iii) providi ng assistance to implement measures identified 
through the post-accession reviews.    
18. The representative of Cambodia  associated himself with the statement made by Tanzania, on 
behalf of the LDCs.  As a recently acceded LDC, his delegation had acquired some experience in the 
accession process of LDCs.  He noted that th e LDC Accession Guidelines adopted by the 
General Council in December 2002 ha d proved to be useful, although to a limited extent.  He said that 
Members had been engaging with acceding governme nts with specific objectives and mandates from 
their respective governments, which were affec ting the smooth progress of the accession of LDCs.  
He urged Members to faithfully implement the co mmitments undertaken to advance the accession of 
LDCs to the WTO.   
19. He noted that for an acceding country to bring its domestic regulatory system in compliance 
with WTO agreements was both lengthy and resour ce-intensive.  Therefore, the accession process 
should take due account of the capacity of acceding g overnments, in particular the capacity of their 
national assemblies in assessing and adopting WTO co mpliant laws and regulations.  At the same 
time, it was important for acceding countries to carry out an impact assessment on their industries and 
institutions following accession to the WTO.  He em phasized the need for allowing an adequate 
transition period to the acceding LDCs to comply with WTO rules and disciplines.  Policy space was 
needed by acceding countries to promote their development objectives.    
20. He continued by saying that the Doha De velopment Agenda (DDA) negotiations had 
accorded special flexibilities for th e LDCs to beneficially integrate into the multilateral trading 
system.  In this regard, special and differential treatment provisions being agreed to by Members 
would go beyond providing a transition period to the LDCs to implement commitments.  The 
acceding LDCs should benefit from these flexibilities be ing offered to the current LDC Members.  He 
said that the post-accession phase was more challenging than the accession negotiations.  Therefore, acceding countries should mobilize resources to impl ement the accession commitments made at the 
time of joining the WTO.  In conclusion, he unde rscored the importance of technical and financial 
assistance to help acceding governments implement their accession commitments.   
21. The representative of Bangladesh
 endorsed the statement made by Tanzania, on behalf of the 
LDCs.  He expressed appreciation to the Secretariat for its efforts in preparing a substantive Note on 
LDC accessions.  It was important to have an  in-depth discussion on LDC accessions at the 
Sub-Committee.  He said that the Doha and the Hong Kong Ministerial Declarations had placed high priority to the accession of the LDCs to the WTO.  However, since the inception of the WTO in 1995 
only three LDCs, namely Cambodia, Cape Verd e and Nepal had joined the WTO through the 
Working Party procedures.  In this context, he t ook the opportunity to congratulate Cape Verde on its 
graduation from the LDC status in 2007.  He point ed out that the accession of only three LDCs in the 
past 14 years illustrated the complex and pa inful nature of the accession process.   
22. He noted from the presentation by the Secretariat that it had taken, on average, 11 years for an 
LDC to accede to the WTO.  He urged Members to show maximum flexibility to the 12 LDCs that 
were in the accession process so that they could qui ckly accede to the WTO.  In this regard, he 
recalled the Maseru Declaration adopted by the LDC Trade Ministers in 2008 which called for a 
binding mechanism to fast-track accession of LDCs, based on full and faithful adherence to the letter 
and spirit of the LDC Accession Guidelines.  He also urged Members to refrain from bringing in non-trade issues in the accession negotiations.  He also  recalled that the Maseru Declaration sought a WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
Page 6  
 
  comprehensive review by the Sub-Committee on LDCs of the accession process of the 
recently-acceded LDCs and an annual review  of the ongoing accessions to evaluate the 
implementation of the LDC Accession Guidelines.  He proposed that each year the Sub-Committee 
devote an agenda item regarding the review of the implementation of the Guidelines, based on a 
review report prepared by the Secretariat, in consultation with all stakeholders.   
23. He went on to say that the Maseru Declarati on underscored full and automatic application of 
all special and differential treatment provisions contained in the WTO Agreements to all acceding 
LDCs, including provisions that would emerge from the Doha Round of negotiations.  Increased and 
sustained financial and technical assistance and ca pacity-building support were required for acceding 
as well as newly acceded LDCs to enable them to effectively participate in the accession process and 
to adhere to their commitments in the WTO.  He drew Members' attention to the Accra Declaration, 
adopted at the UNCTAD XII Conference in Ap ril 2008, which called for full and faithful 
implementation of the LDC Accession Guidelines .  He recalled that the importance of speedy 
accession of LDCs to the WTO was also highlighted  at the Third UN Conference on LDCs held in 
2001.  He drew the attention of Members as well as th at of the Secretariat to a provision in the Work 
Programme for LDCs which stated that the Chairp ersons of the LDCs' Accession Working Parties 
would be invited to brief the Sub-Committee on pr ogress made by the Working Parties in fulfillment 
of the Doha Ministerial Mandate.  His delegation lo oked forward to reports from the Chairpersons of 
various LDC Working Parties at the Sub-Committee.   
24. He said that the Note highlighted the fact that WTO accession posed a formidable challenge 
to any acceding country irrespective of its level of  development.  The process and requirements of 
accession were highly demanding, often beyond the capacity of acceding LDCs.  There was no 
denying the fact that accession negotiations were  not negotiations among equals.  That was why 
Members needed to be more sympathetic to the special economic, trade and financial needs or 
institutional and administrative capacities of acce ding LDCs.  He noted that acceding LDCs were 
receiving assistance from a number of agencies including UNCTAD and ITC.  He emphasized the 
need for technical assistance and capacity-buildin g support at every stage of the accession process, 
and urged all technical cooperation agencies to stre ngthen their assistance for acceding LDCs.  At the 
same time, he urged Members to show flexibility to the acceding LDCs in the accession negotiations 
so that they could accede to the WTO on a fast-track basis.   
25. The representative of Senegal
 noted that there were long time-lags between the submission of 
an acceding country's MFTR and the convening of the Working Party meeting for that acceding 
country.  There had been occasions when a Workin g Party meeting was convened two to three years 
after the submission of the MFTR.  He wondered whet her this delay was due to some technical work 
that the WTO Secretariat needed to carry out prior to the convening of Working Party meetings;  and, if so, whether there was any way to shorten this tim e-lag.  He further said that if the delay in the 
accession process was due to capacity constraints in the acceding LDCs, it would be desirable to step 
up targeted technical assistance and capacity-build ing support to the acceding LDCs.  He underlined 
the importance of identifying the factors behind the delay in LDCs' accession processes and to address those factors on an urgent basis.   
26. The representative of Lesotho
 associated himself with the statement made by Tanzania, on 
behalf of the LDCs.  He said that the views e xpressed by the acceding LDCs should be taken into 
account seriously as they were the ones undergoing th e painful process of acceding to the WTO.  A 
number of commitments and pronouncements had been  made to speed up the accession of LDCs to 
the WTO.  The General Council had adopted Gu idelines on the accession of LDCs in 2002.  
However, these Guidelines had not resulted in en suring practical concessions to the acceding LDCs.  
He urged Members to fully adhere to the commitm ents made by Members to facilitate and accelerate 
the accession of LDCs.  Capacity constraints in acceding LDCs had been a major impediment in 
advancing their accession process.  In this regard, he  emphasized the need for enhanced and targeted  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
 Page 7 
 
 
  technical assistance and capacity-building support to the acceding LDCs.  He requested Members to 
give effect to the calls made by the LDC Trade Mi nisters through their Maseru Declaration adopted in 
February 2008. 
27. The representative of Guinea  associated herself with the statement made by Tanzania, on 
behalf of the LDCs.  She noted that accession to th e WTO was a complex and lengthy process.  It was 
a formidable challenge for a country to keep pace with the accession process.  Since the inception of 
WTO in 1995, only three LDCs had been able to ac cede to the WTO.  It took, on average, as long as 
11 years for an LDC to accede to the WTO.  Sh e expressed concern that the accession of LDCs was 
not progressing as it would have been desired afte r the adoption of the LDC Accession Guidelines in 
2002.   She called upon Members to show utmost flexib ility so as to enable the acceding LDCs to 
complete their accession negotiations as quickly as possible, thereby benefiting from the multilateral 
trading system. 
28. The representative of the United States  congratulated the Chairman on his re-election.  Her 
delegation found the Note to be factual.  It provide d valuable information on the current state of play 
of LDC accessions, as well as the means by which Members had adhered to the implementation of the 
Guidelines on LDC Accessions.  She drew Members'  attention to paragraph 52 of the Note, and 
quoted:  "Membership invariably entails signifi cant reforms as the acceding LDC establishes an 
economic and trade regime based on the rule of law in conformity with WTO obligations and requirements". 
29. Her delegation remained active in all accession negotiations.  Accession provided an 
opportunity for an applicant country to become fu lly acquainted with the obligations and rights of 
WTO membership.  She recognized the difficulties involved in implementing the necessary reforms 
required for accession.  She noted the unique challenges faced by the acceding LDCs in their accession negotiations, especially due to resource and cap acity constraints.  In her view, the greatest 
benefits would accrue to those acceding countries which fully embraced the rights and obligations of the multilateral trading system.  The opportunity to work with WTO Members, the connections 
developed with them in the accession process, the sh aring of best practices, and greater appreciation 
of the implementation of rules were some of the invaluable benefits that an acceding country could 
derive from the accession process.   
30. She expressed strong support for the LDC Ac cession Guidelines adopted in 2002.  In her 
view, those Guidelines could help facilitate succe ssful integration of LDCs into the multilateral 
trading system.  The Guidelines had worked well, in particular in encouraging the provision of 
technical assistance to LDCs and helping to en sure that LDCs were well prepared for the 
responsibility of Membership upon accession.  Membersh ip of WTO alone might not be worth all the 
work to many accession applicants;  it was in the accession negotiations themselves that applicants 
could get the benefits of Membership, including  by embracing WTO principles and disciplines and 
market liberalization. 
31. She said that her Government had been work ing closely with a number of acceding LDCs, 
and was providing them with extensive technical assistance which included resident WTO advisors, short-term technical training, a nd help with drafting and implem entation.  Several of the LDC 
delegations that had spoken at the present meeting were recipients of US technical assistance, and 
would continue to be so.  She said that some  of the recent WTO accession-specific technical 
assistance provided by the US, not reflected in the No te, included:  (i) technical assistance to members 
of the National Assembly of the Lao PDR in February 2009;  (ii) technical assistance to trade and 
agriculture experts of the Comoros, Ethiopia, Sao Tome and Principe and Liberia in September 2008. 
32. She went on to say that her delegation had been attending each and every meeting of the 
various Working Parties on accessions.  The accession  process was long and complex.  She regretted WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
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  the fact that the accession process for LDCs to join the WTO was long.  In this regard, she noted that 
often the delay in completing accession negotiations resulted from a decision by the applicant country 
to put its energies and resources elsewhere.  Memb ers should respect those decisions by the acceding 
governments.  She further noted that some Member s had never submitted a single notification in some 
committees of the WTO in 14 years to inform other Members of their policies under some WTO 
Agreements.  She was of the view that there c ould be reasons for these ac tions and her delegation 
would draw no conclusions from such actions by Members.   
33. She commended all LDCs currently engaged in  the accession process for the significant work 
they had undertaken to bring their trade regimes in line with WTO rules.  She reaffirmed that the US 
would continue to use the LDC Accession Guidelin es to shape the accession terms negotiated for the 
acceding LDCs.  The Guidelines asked Members to exercise restraint in seeking concessions and 
commitments on trade in goods and services from acceding governments.  She wondered how a country that acceded under the LDC Accession Gu idelines could consider the accession process 
onerous as the transition periods to implement commitments and action plans for compliance with WTO rules were set by the acceding LDCs themsel ves.  She urged all acceding countries which 
considered the accession process long to table thei r action plans quickly so that members of the 
Working Parties could work out transitional arra ngements, which could also facilitate technical 
assistance to acceding countries to implement thei r obligations and to be nefit from the multilateral 
trading system. 
34. She underlined the importance of active engage ment by the acceding LDCs in their accession 
processes.  She noted that countries that had jo ined the WTO, without an accession process, often 
faced difficulties in participating in the multilateral trading system.  She looked forward to further 
progress in the accessions of LDCs.  Her delegati on would participate in any evaluation of the 
accession process for LDCs.  She urged Members to attend accession Working Party meetings and encouraged them to make a contribution th ere to move forward accessions to the WTO. 
35. The representative of the European Communities
 congratulated the Chairman on his 
re-election.  She attached high importance to th e integration of LDCs into the multilateral trading 
system.  Her delegation found the Note factual, ne utral and balanced.  She noted from the presentation 
by the Secretariat that the accessi on process essentially was about preparing Members to enable them 
to exercise their rights and obligations immediately after their entry into th e WTO system.  The very 
nature of the accession process was technical, lengthy and complex.  It needed hard work from all 
stakeholders.  The accession process was also designed to help acceded Members  to take active part in 
the multilateral trading system in the post-accession period.   
36. Her delegation was sympathetic to the specific needs of LDCs that were in the accession 
process.  She reiterated the commitment of the EC  to the LDC Accession Guidelines, which had been 
developed by the Sub-Committee a nd later approved by the General Council in December 2002.  The 
EC would remain committed to follo w the Guidelines in letter and spirit.  She noted that the Decision 
on the LDC Accession Guidelines had mandated for a re gular review of the implementation of those 
Guidelines at the Sub-Committee.  Therefore, it was not the competence of organizations other than 
the WTO to review the accession process of LDCs.  However, all internationa l organizations, within 
their competence, should provide technical assist ance and capacity-building support to the acceding 
LDCs.  In this regard, the EU member States and the EC had been providing technical assistance to 
ten acceding LDCs.  The EC was also supporting the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) process 
as well as WTO's trade-related technical assistance (TRTA) activities, reflecting its continuous 
commitment and engagement in assisting LDCs in their accession process.  Finally, she said that her delegation would remain engaged in  the relevant Working Parties to advance the accession of LDCs 
to the WTO.  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
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  37. The representative of Australia  congratulated the Chair on his re-election.  She said that the 
Note, as well as the presentation made by the Secretariat at the Sub-Committee, provided valuable overview of the state of play of LDC accessions and the challenges faced by the LDCs in their 
accession process.  She reiterated full support to the accession of LDCs to the WTO on terms 
consistent with the General Council Guidelines on LDC Accessions.  She recognized the unique 
circumstances and the challenges that these LDCs had been encountering in their accession process.  
Her delegation was particularly engaged with the accessions of Lao PDR, Samoa and Vanuatu where 
it continued to provide a range of technical assistance to build trade negotiating capacity and 
contribute to development of WTO-consistent policies.  She hoped for a quick conclusion of 
accession negotiations of Samoa and Vanuatu, preferab ly by the end of 2009;  her authorities were 
engaged in their work relating to Working Party re ports and commitments to be undertaken in the 
accession negotiations.  As part of a wider strategy in the Pacific, Australia had also been providing Samoa and Vanuatu a wide range of assistance;  as part of "PACER Plus" negotiations, it had been 
providing support to these two acc eding LDCs which included, inter alia , support for training of trade 
officials, funding of country-specific trade analys is to assist negotiations and funding of trade 
facilitation needs assessment workshops.  This  support was helping them in their accession 
negotiations, and would help their future participa tion in the WTO as well as help realize the benefits 
of liberalization in their region.  In conclusion, she reiterated the commitment of her Government to 
LDC accessions to the WTO.  Her Government woul d continue to assist LDCs in their accession 
process. 
38. The representative of Canada
 congratulated the Chair on his re-election.  He considered the 
Secretariat Note factual and useful.  The presentation made by the Secretariat was informative.  He 
hoped to receive an electronic copy of that presen tation.  Canada had been providing assistance to 
several of the acceding LDCs to the WTO.  He e xpressed satisfaction with the progress made in the 
accession process of some countries in the ASEAN re gion.  He noted that the accession process was 
long and complex.  In this regard, he was of the view that it would be beneficial for the acceding 
LDCs to prepare themselves well to participate in the multilateral trading system.  That was why, it 
was important to implement some of the reforms needed before acceding to the WTO, which could 
limit the pain of adjusting to WTO rules and discip lines.  He agreed with the observation made by the 
representative of Cambodia that the accession process itself was a learning process for all delegations.  
He reiterated the commitment of his Government to  the LDC Accession Guidelines adopted in 2002.  
He looked forward to the continued review of th e accession process as well as of the implementation 
of the LDC Accession Guidelines at the Sub-Committee.   
39. The representative of China  said that the Note would be particularly useful for his authorities 
dealing with accession matters at the capital.  He reiterated the commitment of his Government to conclude the LDC accessions as soon as possible.  China had concluded market access negotiations 
with several acceding LDCs.  It took fifteen years fo r China to accede to the WTO.  His Government 
had gained enormous experience a nd lessons from this long and painfu l process;  this experience was 
being shared with acceding governments through bilate ral channels;  the most recent was the bilateral 
discussion with the Lao PDR.  He emphasized the im portance of technical assistance to, as well as 
continued dialogue with, the acceding LDCs to faci litate their entry to the WTO.  His authorities 
would continue to undertake all types of assistan ce and activities to advance the accession of LDCs to 
the WTO. 
40. The representative of the International Trade Centre
 (ITC) said that in his previous capacity 
as a Minister in the Cambodian Government, he had been actively involved in the accession of 
Cambodia to the WTO.  As a result, he had been  able to develop an understanding of the accession 
process of the WTO.  He had been invited by the Government of Lao PDR to share Cambodia's 
accession experience with their parliamentarians.  He found that those parliamentarians were keen to 
learn from actual experiences of acceding countries.  It was important for those parliamentarians to 
comprehend the reality on the ground which could well prepare them for the accession negotiations.  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
Page 10  
 
  He offered his availability to the acceding LDCs to share the accession experience of Cambodia.  
Moreover, as a representative of the ITC, he stood  ready to extend all possible assistance to the 
acceding LDCs in their accession process, including through the EIF. 
41. The representative of the Secretariat
 (Director, Accessions Division) thanked Members and 
acceding governments for their contributions in the debate.  He noted the support from Members and 
acceding governments to continue the dialogue initi ated at the Sub-Committee.  Referring to the 
intervention by the LDC Coordinator, he said that the Secretariat would continue to build on the 
present Note in accordance with th e rules established by Members and in line with the objectives of 
the accession process.  In this regard, he pointed out that the Secretariat, as a rule, detached itself from 
the entirety of the Membership in the preparation of its notes.   
42. He said that the aim of the Secretariat was to prepare a factual and objective Note in line with 
the rules and procedures as well as practices of th e organization.  The Sub-Committee provided the 
Secretariat with an opportunity to better unde rstand and appreciate the views of Members and 
acceding LDCs on the LDC accession process.  The dialogue initiated at the Sub-Committee would be 
further strengthened.  In this regard, the Secret ariat was ready to further engage with the acceding 
LDCs through the LDC's Consultative Group in the WTO.  
43. He underlined the importance of coordinate d inter-agency support for acceding LDCs.  The 
EIF could provide a unique opportunity to the acceding LDCs to seek assistance from multiple channels.  In this regard, the WTO Secretariat ha d been exploring areas where it could work closely 
with the EIF Executive Secretariat to provide assi stance to the acceding LDCs.  He echoed the point 
made by the representative of the EC that the mandate for WTO accessions including its rules of 
procedures were within the competence of the WTO.   
44. He went on to explain the factors behind the de lay between the submission of an MFTR by an 
acceding government and the convening of its first Working Party meeting.  He explained that 
building a domestic coalition on WTO accession was not  an easy task for the acceding governments.  
That was why advancing the work relating to WT O accession had proved to be a challenge.  There 
had been occasions where the accession process had fa llen in between the electoral cycles and/or 
constitutional changes which had caused considerable delay in the accession process.  In this regard, 
he underlined the need for conti nuous dialogue with the recently acceded LDCs so as to enhance the 
understanding of acceding LDCs as well as Members on the entire gamut of issues involved with the 
accession process.   
45. He encouraged acceding governments to avail of  the good offices of the Director-General in 
case of any difficulties encountered  in their accession process.  The WTO Director-General was the 
guardian of the multilateral trading system and could play a facilitating role in the accession process, 
in particular for the LDCs.  He said that the Secretariat would build on the Note, based on the 
comments received at the meeting.  He looked forward to continuing the discussion on LDC accessions at an appropriate time in future. 
46. The Executive Director
 of the Executive Secretariat of the EIF congratulated the Chairman on 
his re-election.  She said that the EIF process inte nded to meet the needs of the beneficiaries, as 
identified through their Diagnostic Trade Integr ation Studies (DTISs) and its accompanying Action 
Matrices.  A number of acceding LDCs were in the EIF process.  These LDCs had indicated their needs in the area of accession.  These needs were be ing addressed in a manner so as to avoid overlap 
between the support provided through the EI F process and assistance coming through other 
mechanisms.  In this regard, she noted that the EIF Secretariat was not only collaborating with the 
Accessions Division of the WTO Secretariat but also with other technical cooperation agencies, to provide technical assistance to the acceding LDCs .  She emphasized the need for strengthened 
collaborative efforts from all agencies to cater to the needs of acceding LDCs.  The EIF Secretariat  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
 Page 11 
 
 
  would make all possible efforts to deepen colla borations with all technical-assistance delivery 
mechanisms.  That would enable the acceding LD Cs to access the broader aid-for-trade support that 
these acceding LDCs needed as part of advancing their development agenda. 
47. The Chairman  made a couple of points before concl uding the discussion on the item.  First, he 
welcomed the Note prepared by the Secretariat.  This demonstrated the high importance that the 
Secretariat was attaching to the LDC accession.  He considered that Members as well as acceding 
LDCs had benefited from the presentation by the Secr etariat.  Second, he was pleased to note the 
special priority which the Director-General of  the WTO attached to the accession of LDCs.  He 
encouraged the Director-General to intensify his efforts to further facilitate the accession of LDCs 
including through the provision of technical advi ce and support to acceding LDCs.  Third, he noted 
that technical assistance to acceding LDCs had not only  been a priority in th e WTO but had also been 
a priority with other multilateral agencies and bila teral donors.  The accedi ng LDCs should make best 
use of the assistance provided to them by various development partners.  He  urged all development 
partners to strengthen their assistance to acced ing LDCs, based on articulated needs from the 
beneficiaries.  He also invited the acceding LDCs  to enhance their dialogue with the recently acceded 
LDCs so as to benefit from their experiences in the accession process.  Fourth, he took note of the fact 
that continuous progress was being made to advan ce the accession of LDCs.  He encouraged all 
parties involved in the accession process to make an extra effort to help speed up the accession of 
remaining LDCs to the WTO.  Fifth, he said that the WTO Secretariat was available to continue the 
dialogue with acceding LDCs and interested Member s with a view to advancing the LDC accession 
process.  Finally, he said that the accession of LDCs was one of the elements of the WTO Work 
Programme for the LDCs.  The Secretariat had stepped up its efforts to accelerate the accession of 
LDCs.  Therefore, the item on accession would contin ue to be considered at the Sub-Committee, on a 
stronger basis than in the past.  He proposed th at the Sub-Committee take note of the document 
contained in WT/COMTD/LDC/W/44 as well as of the statements made. 
48. It was so agreed . 
(II) Trade-Related Technical Assistance and C apacity-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 
49. The Chairman  recalled that according to the Work Programme for the LDCs, the 
Sub-Committee was required to monitor the WTO technical assistance provided to the LDCs.  
Pursuant to this mandate, the Sub-Committee 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 Secretar iat to make a report on this item. 
50. The representative of the Secretariat  (Institute for Training and Te chnical Cooperation) gave a 
presentation on WTO's trade-related technical assist ance (TRTA) activities undertaken for the LDCs 
in 2008.  He explained that the Secretariat's appr oach to trade capacity building and its activities was 
specifically geared towards the LDCs.  He informed  the Sub-Committee that the Secretariat was in the 
process of preparing its annual report on technical assistance and training for the year 2008, which would provide a detailed account of how the Secret ariat had implemented its technical assistance and 
training activities;  the report would be consid ered at the Committee on Trade and Development 
(CTD) meeting scheduled for May 2009.   
51. The main objective of the biennial Technical Assistance and Training Plan (2008-2009) was 
to build long-lasting human and institutional capacity in beneficiary countries.  The Secretariat had been following a demand-driven approach in the de livery of its TRTA with a view to enhancing WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
Page 12  
 
  ownership in the beneficiary countries.  The Secretariat had undertaken a total of 
500 technical-assistance activities in 2008.  Regional balance had been maintained in the distribution 
of the TRTA activities.  Particular emphasis was put on assistance provided to Africa.  In fact, one-third of all WTO's TRTA activities in 2008 was undertaken in Africa.  He noted that LDCs had 
been associated with 42 per cent of all TRTA provided by the Secretariat in 2008.   
52. A number of products were offere d to the LDCs, which included, inter alia , various 
internship programmes, assistance in conducting needs assessments, national technical-assistance 
activities and establishment of Reference Centres in the LDCs.  He pointed out that the LDCs were 
entitled to three national technical-assistance activitie s per year, as opposed to two activities for other 
developing countries.  In this regard, the Secret ariat had been reminding Members to submit requests 
for national technical assistance, on a regular basis;   it had been flexible in accommodating requests 
coming at different times in the year.  He regretted the fact that, despite the efforts by the Secretariat, national technical-assistance activities were not fully utilized by the LDCs.  In 2008, the Secretariat 
received requests for national technical-assistance acti vities from 37 countries in Africa.  In the first 
three months of 2009, the Secretariat had r eceived requests from 24 countries based on which 
64 national activities had been identified.  He ur ged Members to submit their requests for national 
technical-assistance activities as soon as possible.   
53. He went on to say that the Secretariat, in cooperation with agencies like AITIC, ITC, 
UNCTAD, and the World Bank, had been conducti ng three-week introduction courses for the LDCs 
in Geneva.  These courses were conducted each year, one in English and one in French, focussing on 
issues of interest to LDCs.  He elaborated on the WTO Internship Programme;  there were three 
different components with the common underlying objective of building human capacity in 
beneficiary countries in a systematic manner.  Th e Netherlands Trainee Programme (NTP), started in 
2005, was being fully utilized by the LDCs.  In 2008, the NTP had been extended for a period of four 
years.  LDCs represented two-thirds of NTP trainees.  A total of 11 NTP trainees were selected in 2009, out of which six were from the LDCs.  Alt hough trainees from Africa and LDCs remained the 
focus of NTPs, there had been representation from other developing countries in this programme as 
well.   
54. The WTO Mission Internship Programme was being funded by the Governments of Denmark 
and Ireland.  Over the past five years, 25 offi cials had benefited from this programme.  Nearly 
60 per cent of the interns under this Programme were from the LDCs.  The objective of this 
programme was to provide support to Missions in Ge neva that had limited staff to participate in 
various WTO meetings.  He further informed Memb ers that 17 officials had benefited from the WTO 
Regional Coordinator Internship Programme, which was available to nine groups including the WTO 
LDC Consultative Group.  The coordinators of these groups , ex officio, were eligible to have an intern 
for a period of six months.   
55. He said that the WTO Reference Centres Programme was designed for the officials of 
beneficiary countries to have better access to WTO -related information, documentation as well as 
training materials.  The LDCs had been receiving sp ecial priorities under this programme.  One of the 
objectives of the establishment of Reference Centres in beneficiar y countries was to cater to the 
e-training programme of the Secretariat;  this mode of training had been strongly encouraged by the 
Secretariat as it could familiarize participants w ith the WTO Agreements and the multilateral trading 
system.  He, however, noted that the use by the LDCs of the e-training programme had been limited, 
which could partly be attributed to weak or fluctu ating levels of internet connectivity in the LDCs.  
He said that the Secretariat had been working on a new strategy for the Reference Centre Programme 
to better cater to the needs of the beneficiaries.  The Secretariat had also been assisting Members in 
conducting their needs assessments.  He argued that  WTO's TRTA could more effectively contribute 
to building lasting capacity in the beneficiary countr ies if it were planned and designed on the basis of 
a thorough assessment of the Members' needs.  Th e ITTC had been working closely with relevant  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
 Page 13 
 
 
  Divisions of the Secretariat such as the Trade Policy Review and Accessions Divisions to assist 
beneficiary countries in undertaking their needs assessments.   
56. In conclusion, he said that the preparatory pr ocess for the formulation of the next biennial 
Technical Assistance and Training Plan (2010-2011) had begun.  The Secretariat was ready to discuss the Plan with Members;  he considered that Members' engagement at the early stage of the 
formulation of the Plan would enable the Secretaria t to better articulate their needs in the Plan.  The 
LDCs would continue to remain a priority in th e delivery of WTO's TRTA activities.  Although the 
DDA Global Trust Fund operated on an un-earmarked  basis, donors contributing to this Fund often 
had indicated their preference for the utilization of their contributions in favour of LDCs.   
57. The representative of Tanzania
, on behalf of the LDCs, expressed appreciation to the 
Secretariat for its TRTA provided to the LDCs, whic h had enhanced the capacity of LDC officials to 
deal with multilateral trade matters.  He stressed th at technical assistance should be demand driven;  it 
should be flexible to cater to the needs of LDCs.  He noted that the Secretariat would soon issue its annual report on technical assistance and training for the year 2008.  In this regard, he underlined the 
importance of qualitative evaluation of the programm es undertaken by the WTO.  That would enable 
the Secretariat to make necessary adjustments, if ne eded, to any programme to make it more effective 
for the LDCs.  He expressed appreciation for the various internship programmes available to the 
LDCs.  His delegation was benefiting from the Re gional Coordinator Internship Programme.  He 
hoped that such internship programmes would be furt her strengthened to help LDCs better participate 
in the multilateral trading system. 
58. The representative of Bangladesh
 said that the Doha Declaration had recognized technical 
cooperation and capacity building as core elements of the development dime nsion of the multilateral 
trading system.  At Doha, Ministers had stressed that the delivery of technical assistance should be designed to assist LDCs, inter alia , to implement WTO obligations and to exercise right of 
membership, and to draw on the benefits from an ope n, rules-based multilateral trading system.  There 
was no alternative for sustained technical support to the LDCs to enhance their understanding of 
WTO agreements and to effectively participate in WT O's work.  He was pleased to note that priority 
had continuously been accorded to the LDCs in the delivery of WTO's TRTA.  He expressed 
appreciation to donors for their contributions, whic h enabled LDCs, including his country, to benefit 
from the technical assistance undertaken  by the WTO Secretariat.  He said that the NTP as well as 
other internship programmes had enabled the LDCs' trade officials to gain first-hand knowledge of 
WTO matters.  The Mission internship programme had been useful for resource-constrained LDC 
Missions in Geneva.  He hoped that these internship  programmes would be further strengthened.   
59. Institutional capacity building was another pillar of WTO's TA Plan.  In this regard, he 
underlined the importance of involving more LDC institutions in the WTO's TA activities which 
could contribute to building endogenous capacity to  deal with trade matters.  Apart from government 
officials, researchers, academi cians and civil society, representatives in LDCs should also get 
opportunities to be involved in WTO work on a regula r basis.  He requested the Secretariat to explore 
organizing events with LDC institutions in a regular  and systematic manner.  He noted that a number 
of initiatives were in place to enhance the capacity of  LDCs' trade officials.  In this regard, he 
requested the Secretariat to design some specific and targeted technical assistance for Geneva-based 
LDC delegates, especially in the area of the DDA ne gotiations.  For instance, the Secretariat could 
organize periodic technical-assistance programmes on specific negotiating topics, which could 
enhance effective participation of Geneva-based de legates in the DDA negotiations as well as in the 
regular work of the WTO.  He noted that UNC TAD had been organizing such training programmes 
on a regular basis.   
60. The representative of Lesotho
 associated himself with the statement made by Tanzania, on 
behalf of the LDCs.  He expressed appreciation to  the donors for their contributions to the DDA WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
Page 14  
 
  Global Trust Fund.  He noted that some of the tec hnical-assistance activities were not fully utilized by 
the LDCs.  In this regard, he pointed out that many  of the LDCs lacked capacity to make full use of 
the different types of TA available to them.  He stressed that these LDCs  needed assistance to 
formulate appropriate requests to take advantage of  the TA offered by the WTO Secretariat.  He 
emphasized the need to further strengthen the Missi on Internship Programme, which had been useful 
for LDC Missions in Geneva.  
61. The representative of Canada
 underlined the importance of a qualitative assessment of the TA 
and training activities undertaken by the WTO.  The results achieved, and the lessons learnt, through 
the delivery of WTO's TA could contribute to furt her improving its TA and training provided.  He 
hoped that the forthcoming annual report on TA and training for the year 2008 would include a 
qualitative overview of the TA and training activiti es undertaken by the Secretariat in 2008.   
62. The representative of Guinea  associated herself with the statement made by Tanzania, on 
behalf of the LDCs.  Guinea had been benefiting from the technical assistance and training activities 
undertaken by the WTO.  The Reference Centre Programme had been useful for Guinea;  the 
Programme had served to train a number of governme nt officials on multilateral trade issues.  Guinea 
was also benefiting from the NTP.  She  thanked the Government of the Netherlands for its assistance, 
and hoped to see more LDC trainees at the WTO.  Sh e also thanked other donors for their continuous 
support to help LDCs better integrate into the multila teral trading system.  Finally, she said that her 
delegation would soon contact the Secretariat to di scuss the holding of national technical-assistance 
activities in Guinea.   
63. The representative of Cambodia  expressed appreciation to the Secretariat for undertaking a 
wide range of technical assistance and training ac tivities in favour of LDCs.  His Government had 
benefited from the NTP as well as from the Mission  Internship Programme.  The Reference Centre 
Programme could enhance the understanding and knowledge of the beneficiary countries of 
multilateral trade issues.  He would soon contact the Secretariat to benefit from this Programme.  He 
thanked donors for their contributions, which enab led the Secretariat to undertake TA and training 
activities for the LDCs.   
64. The representative of the Secretariat  noted the suggestions made by a few Members to include 
a qualitative overview of TA and training activities in the Secretariat's annual reports on TA and 
training.  In this regard, he pointed out that the objective of the Secretariat was to provide factual information on the activities carried out in a give n year.  The Technical Cooperation Audit Division 
was responsible for preparing t echnical cooperation audit reports, which had been addressing a few 
selected features of the planning, design, delivery,  evaluation of and repor ting about TRTA activities 
by the Secretariat;  it was based on the analysis of  information and data on the key results achieved, 
the recommendations as well as lessons learned emergi ng from evaluations by TRTA providers.  He 
said that in order to avoid duplication, the S ecretariat's annual reports focussed on the factual 
information while the technical cooperation audit reports contained an evaluation of the TRTA 
activities.  Nevertheless, the Secretariat would make  efforts to include as much qualitative information 
as possible into its annual reports on TA and training.  He said that an interactive consultative process 
would soon commence to prepare the biennial TA Plan for 2010-2011.  The Secretariat would be 
ready to discuss any suggestions made by Member s concerning all TRTA-related products.  Referring 
to the recommendation from the representative of Bangl adesh, he said that the Secretariat would look 
into the possibility of organizing events for Ge neva-based delegates on specific negotiating issues 
under the DDA.   
65. The Chairman
 noted that the Secretariat had continue d to attach priority to LDCs in its 
technical assistance and capacity-building programmes.   It had been making all efforts to increase the 
capacity of LDCs to implement WTO Agreements a nd to better participate in the DDA negotiations.  
Continuous improvement of human and instituti onal capacity was essential to benefit from the  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
 Page 15 
 
 
  multilateral trading system.  He encouraged the LD Cs to make maximum use of the products offered 
by the Secretariat.  The LDCs should also syne rgize with other technical-assistance programmes like 
the EIF to articulate their needs and to solicit targ eted assistance from the WTO.  On behalf of the 
Sub-Committee, he thanked all donors, in particular  the Government of the Netherlands, for their 
contributions.  He proposed that the Sub-Committee take note of the oral report made by the 
Secretariat as well as of the statements made. 
66. It was so agreed . 
(III) Market Access for Least-Developed Countries 
- Market Access for Products and Services of Expor t Interest to Least-Developed Countries 
(WT/COMTD/LDC/W/42/Rev.1 ) 
67. The Chairman  recalled that a substantive discussion ha d taken place at the previous meeting 
of the Sub-Committee on the Secretariat Note en titled "Market access for products and services of 
export interest to LDCs".  The Note highlighted the main trends in LDC exports, for both goods and 
services.  It reviewed the market access conditions for LDC exports;  and provided information on the 
latest initiatives taken by Members to improve mark et access for LDC products.  At that meeting, a 
number of delegations had made substantive and technical comments on the Note and had requested 
that those comments be taken into account in the revised version of the Note.  Accordingly, the 
Secretariat had issued a revision of the Note contained in document WT/COMTD/LDC/W/42/Rev.1, 
which incorporated some of the comments made by the representatives of the US, EC and China at 
the previous meeting.  He invited the Secretariat to introduce the revised Note. 
68. The representative of the Secretariat  (Chief Statistician, Statistics Group) said that the 
revision of the Note included the comments and sugg estions made by a number of delegations at the 
previous meeting of the Sub-Committee.  Th e paragraph concerning the relationship between 
preferential treatment and export diversification in LDCs under the Section on the utilization of 
preferences had been dropped in the revised vers ion of the Note, as it would require comprehensive 
research to substantiate that paragraph.  The Secretariat had contacted the delegation of the 
European Commission to improve the statistics on pref erence data used in the Note.  He hoped that 
statistics on the EU would be furthe r improved in the next version of  the Note.  He said that any 
further comments on the revised Note would be ta ken into account in the next annual market access 
review paper by the Secretariat intended for Member s' consideration at the October 2009 meeting of 
the Sub-Committee.  He then made a few comments on th e recent trends in LDC trade.  In this regard, 
he pointed out that the data presented to the Su b-Committee was provisional;  more complete data 
would be available during the second quarter of 2009.   
69. He said that in 2008, the value of LDC exports  grew by 36 per cent while that of imports 
grew by 27 per cent.  Trade of the LDCs, as a group,  grew faster than total world trade in 2008.  The 
oil exporting LDCs enjoyed a growth rate of 50 pe r cent in 2008;  trade of agriculture and mineral 
LDC exporters grew by 20 per cent and 17 per cent,  respectively.  LDC exporters of manufactures had 
witnessed a growth rate of 15 per cent in 2008.  He underlined the importance of analyzing the 
structural factors behind the recent dynamics in LDC trade.  The Note ha d used the shift-share 
analysis, with the objective of measuring the relative effects of the following factors in the evolution 
of LDC exports.  First, the methodology looked at the global trends affecting international trade.  It 
was found that the global effect had been substan tial for LDCs, making it difficult to decouple the 
economies of the LDCs from global trends;  exports of manufactures, in particular, moved in tune 
with global trends.  The second factor examined was th e impact of specialization.  Trends in the past 
five years had indicated that the LDC exporters of commodities – oil or minerals – had enjoyed 
favourable commodity prices which had contributed  to their robust performance in trade.  For 
example, energy prices had increased by 40 pe r cent in 2007.  The price of food products had WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
Page 16  
 
  continued to rise in 2008.  However, export of ma nufactures from LDCs, mainly textiles and clothing, 
had experienced stagnation of prices for these products  over the past seven years.  The third factor 
examined was the dynamism of exports destinati ons.  Traditionally, a majority of LDC exports was 
destined to developed countries, especially exports  of agriculture and manufacture goods.  This 
specialization was a negative factor for the LDCs in 2008, since demands in developed countries did 
not increase as fast as demands in emerging countries;  in fact demands in the EU and Japan were 
negative.  The fourth structural factor analyzed was the competitivity effect;  whether a country was 
able to adapt its trade to follow the trends on the demand side.  It was found that over the past seven 
years, the LDCs had been able to positively respo nd to the challenges arising from the global market.  
A number of LDCs had been able to respond to  the demands emerging from countries like India, 
China and Brazil.  The LDC exporters of primary pro ducts had been able to respond better to a change 
in demand as it was relatively easier to re-channel these products from one market to another.   
70. He continued by saying that preliminary estimates had suggested that during the first quarter 
of 2008, LDC exports grew more rapidly than wo rld exports.  However, LDCs were among the first 
countries to experience the effects of the economic a nd financial crisis.  There had been a decline of 
LDC exports from the second half of 2008.  The drop of LDC exports could mainly be attributed to 
the decline of commodity prices, which accounted for th e majority of their exports.  He noted that the 
commodity prices had experienced a high fluctuation in 2008.  There had been a rise in prices of 
commodities up until the middle of 2008 which had then fallen sharply, in particular the price of oil, in the second half of 2008.  The prices of agricu lture products, which were less volatile than other 
products, had also experienced a downward trend in  the latter half of 2008.  He said that the 
commodity prices had come back to the averages of mid-2005 by the end of 2008.  However, a certain 
stability in the prices had been observed in the beginning of 2009.  
71. He outlined the emerging trends in world trade fo r 2009.  First, he said that the estimates by 
the WTO suggested a sharp drop of 9 per cent in  world trade in 2009 as a result of the global 
economic downturn.  Second, the ongoing recession would impact heavily on  trade in manufactures, 
especially investment goods and goods for processing.   Third, the LDCs would experience a decline 
in exports, although to a lesser degree than global exports.  Fourth, the LDC exporters of commodities 
would be able to resist, to a certain extent, the cu rrent downward trends in trade.  Fifth, the most 
negative aspect of the ongoing economic and financial crisis was lack of finance for exports.  Among 
the 49 LDCs, only eight had enjoyed a surplus in 2 008.  Access to trade finance for a majority of 
LDCs would be difficult in 2009.   
72. The representative of Tanzania
, on behalf of the LDCs, expressed appreciation to the 
Secretariat for its revised Note.  The LDCs attach ed great importance to the annual review of the 
market access for products originating from LDCs .  The Note provided a comprehensive presentation 
of LDCs' trade and market access conditions.  It show ed that the overall LDC exports outstripped the 
world average in 2007, mainly due to some oil exporting LDCs which maintained a dominant position 
in LDCs' export profile.  He was concerned with th e lack of satisfactory export performance of many 
LDCs.  He noted that the LDC exporters of agri culture and manufacture products had continued to 
register trade deficits.   
73. Production and export concentration continued to  be one of the main features of LDCs' 
economies.  This had undermined the ability of  LDCs to utilize the market access opportunities 
offered to them.  He underlined the importance of  increasing exports of value-added products by the 
LDCs, including by moving up the production chains.  That could be achieved through enhanced 
export opportunities for LDC products as well as by st rengthening productive capacity in the LDCs.  
Enhanced market access opportunities and capacity deve lopment were intertwined to have an impact 
on LDC trade.  He urged Members to provide meaningful and effective market access to LDC products.  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
 Page 17 
 
 
  74. He expressed thanks to those Members that had provided duty-free quota-free (DFQF) market 
access to the LDCs.  He called upon other Member s to expeditiously implement the Hong Kong 
Decision on DFQF market access for LDC products.  If DFQF market access remained dormant on 
paper, it would be of no use to the LDCs.  He poi nted out that all LDC products should be covered 
under the DFQF access, as was agreed by Members at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference.  At the 
same time, parallel efforts should be  made in the simplification of preferential rules of origin, as 
restrictive rules of origin would nullify the prospect s of LDC exports.  He pointed out that the current 
financial crisis was rapidly dege nerating into a global economic cris is.  The weakening global demand 
had been a concern for LDC exports.  He express ed concern that the reduction of export earnings 
would have a severe strain on the external curre nt account balance of LDCs.  The ongoing crisis 
might adversely affect the overseas development as sistance (ODA), investment inflows and ultimately 
the attainment of the millennium development goals including poverty alleviation efforts.  Therefore, 
drastic measures were needed at international as well as national level to arrest the adverse effects of the ongoing financial and economic crisis.  Finally, he reiterate d the commitment of LDCs to 
contribute to a speedy conclusion of the Doha Round.  In this regard, he called upon Members to take 
on board all the submissions made by LDCs in the negotiations to realize the development promises 
of the Round. 
75. The representative of Lesotho
 associated himself with the statement made by Tanzania, on 
behalf of the LDCs.  He said that in light of the ongoing financial a nd economic crisis, the 
developments in LDCs' trade should be monitored cl osely.  LDC exports were sensitive to the growth 
of world trade.  Demand in developed countries was highly elastic.  There had already been a sharp 
drop in exports from some LDCs.  The LDCs, wh ich had been the beneficiaries of favourable 
commodity prices, had experienced a fall in thei r export earnings towards the latter part of 2008 
caused by falling commodity prices.  He hoped that the ongoing crisis would not lead governments to adopt protectionist measures.  In this regard, th e statements made by Members would have to be 
followed in practice.  He expressed concern ove r the rise in protectionism through the use of 
non-tariff barriers which had been affecting exports  from LDCs.  Scarcity of trade finance was 
another impediment to expand trade from LDCs.  He noted that the current economic crisis was 
moving into a socio-economic and political crisis th reatening some of the fragile democracies in 
LDCs.   
76. The representative of Senegal
 endorsed the statement made by the LDC Coordinator.  He 
found the presentation by the Secretariat useful and interesting.  Overall, LDC trade had performed 
better than the global trends in world trade in 2008.  However, LDC exports continued to be 
concentrated on a limited number of products.  Th at constituted a source of vulnerability for the 
LDCs.  He underscored the need for diversification of LDCs' export base.  He noted from the revised 
Note that tariff escalation had been steeper on prod ucts of interest to LDCs than on products from 
other developing countries.  This had been a cau se of concern for his delegation.  He expressed 
concern that trade finance would not be forthcomin g easily in view of the ongoing crisis.  Another 
challenge would be in the area of trade in services.  Many LDCs had been relying on services trade, in particular on tourism.  Most of the revenues in to urism had been coming from tourists from the North, 
economies of which were undergoing a recession.  As a result, revenues from tourism activities would decline in the LDCs.  He underlined the need for c ontinuous support to LDCs to  beneficially integrate 
them into the multilateral trading system.   
77. The representative of Bangladesh
 associated himself with the statement made by the LDC 
Coordinator.  He said that meaningful enhancement of market access for products of export interest to 
LDCs was the key to integrate LDCs into the multilateral trading system.  He noted from the presentation made by the Secretariat that the value of LDC exports and imports grew by 36 per cent 
and 27 per cent, respectively, in 2008.  However,  he expressed concern that the total LDC trade 
remained below 1 per cent of global trade.   WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
Page 18  
 
  78. He said that the world was in the grip of an unprecedented recession for more than a year.  
According to some estimates, the ongoing financial crisis would be worse than the previous Great 
Depression of the 1930s.  Governments around the globe were announcing st imulus or bale-out 
packages to combat the impact of world recessi on.  The economy of one country was tied to the 
economy of another country, in an interdependent world, including through trade in goods, movement 
of natural persons and capital flows.  Since LDCs we re most vulnerable to external shocks, the impact 
of the recession would be severe on them.  In fact, the LDCs had started to face the adverse impact arising from the ongoing recession.  As an exampl e, he illustrated that Bangladeshi workers abroad 
were being sent back home which would greatly re duce remittance flows to his country.  Moreover, 
the ready-made garments sector – the major export earner of the country – had reported lower orders 
from importers compared to previous years, whic h indicated a downfall of earnings from garments 
exports. 
79. According to World Bank estimates, global impor ts and exports had falle n by 13 per cent and 
17 per cent, respectively, in 2008.  Trade finance had also been drying up.  The WTO Secretariat 
report suggested that world trade might fall by 9 per cent in 2009.  It was a challenging time for the 
LDCs.  In view of falling aggregate demand, it was im portant to analyze the trends in LDC trade.  He 
expected that the annual market access study for the year 2009 would reflect on the financial crisis 
and its impact on the LDCs.  He went on to say  that the Hong Kong Ministerial Decision on the 
DFQF market access for LDC products was a milestone  to integrate LDCs into global trade.  He 
thanked all developed a nd developing country Members which had already granted DFQF market 
access to the LDCs.  He stressed that that in the f ace of the current financial crisis, the implementation 
of the DFQF Decision was more compelling than before.  It had been 36 months since the Decision on 
DFQF had been adopted in Hong Kong in 2005.  To date, one developed country Member had not 
offered all LDCs with DFQF market access.  That Decision, inter alia , asked the developed country 
Members to provide DFQF for at least 97 per cent of  products originating fr om LDCs by 2008 or no 
later than the start of the implementation period.  Members had also been asked to achieve compliance 
with the Decision, of providing 100 per cent DFQF market access to LDCs, in a progressive manner.  
It was frustrating to his delegation that the progress in the implementation of that Decision was not satisfactory;  the product composition under the 97 pe r cent DFQF coverage wa s not made available 
by one developed country Member.  He urged Members to faithfully implement the DFQF Decision 
without any further delay.  He also requested Memb ers to de-link the implementation of this Decision 
from the progress of the Doha Round.   
80. The representative of the European Communities
 made a number of suggestions for future 
work in the area of market access for LDCs.  Refe rring to Chart 6 of the revised Note (top 15 markets 
for LDC merchandise exports, 2000 and 2006), she sai d that presentation on statistics on percentage 
terms often could give a distorted picture;  she illust rated this point by saying that imports into the EU 
from the LDCs since 2000 had continued to increase in nominal terms by 6 per cent a year, reaching 
US$20 billion in 2007.  Chart 6 showed that the LDC exports into the EU had declined in 2006 as 
compared to the year 2000, while in nominal terms the EU imports from LDCs had been growing;  and half of those imports were manufacture product s with high value-added content.  She further 
pointed out that aggregate figures often could lead to  incorrect conclusions.  She illustrated this point 
by saying that Chart 10 had examined the issue of tariff escalation by comparing average tariffs faced 
by LDCs on processed, semi-processed  and unprocessed exports to deve loped markets for the period 
1996-2006.  While the Chart indicated the existence of  tariff escalation on produc ts of export interest 
to developed country markets, there was no tariff escalation on LDC products in the EC markets since 
all manufacture and processed goods from LDCs ente red duty free and quota free.  She informed 
Members that as of 1 October 2009, the transition pe riod for sugar and rice would come to an end, 
thereby allowing LDCs 100 per cent DFQF market access to the EC.  She welcomed Tables 13 and 15 
of the Note which presented detailed statistics on market access conditions, including DFQF access, 
in selected developed and developing country markets for the year 2006;  in this regard she noted that there was scope for further improvement of ma rket access for LDC products.  She extended her  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
 Page 19 
 
 
  support to the call made by the LDCs for Members to comply with the Hong Kong Decision on DFQF 
market access for LDCs.   
81. She then made a specific suggestion with regard  to the future work in the Sub-Committee.  
She said that as a complement to the discussion on market access, it would be useful if the Sub-Committee could also review actions taken by  the LDCs, in particular to improve their 
supply-side capacity, to take advantage of the mark et access opportunities provided to them.  In this 
context, the Executive Secretariat of the EIF could brief Members on the developments under the EIF;  
it could draw from the DTISs to present the proble ms faced by LDCs in the area of supply-side 
capacity and actions that were being taken to a ddress these constraints.  She recommended that the 
Executive Director of the Executive Secretariat of the EIF be given a more prominent role in the 
Sub-Committee.  
82. The representative of the United States
 appreciated the Secretariat's efforts to incorporate the 
edits and corrections proposed by her delegation at the 51st Session of the Sub-Committee.  She then 
pointed out a few additional technical corrections on the revised Note.  She quoted a sentence from 
paragraph 5 of the Note:  "... Sales of other goods (agricultural and manufactured products) in 2007 
were in line with their medium-ter m average, growing around 12 per cent...".  In this regard, she noted 
that the annual rate of growth of other goods was es timated to be 20.2 per cent in 2007 (Table 1 of the 
Note).  It appeared to her delegation that the figur e provided in the descriptive part of the Note needed 
to be corrected.  She noted that page 55 of the Note contained info rmation on US measures taken in 
favour of LDCs.  In this regard, the date used in  the cell concerning the US GSP needed to be updated 
to reflect the fact that it would expire on 31 December 2009.  
83. She went on to make one substantive suggestion.   She considered that the conclusion of the 
Note could be further improved by a better reflec tion of the discussion on services trade contained in 
the Note.  For instance, some additional context c ould be added to the discussion of the relationship 
between diversification and preference programmes to  reflect some of the important points made in 
the Note about tourism;  she quoted from paragraph 37 of the Note:  "... the economic and social 
impact of export earnings from tour ism is at least comparable, if no t greater, than those received from 
exporting more conventional products".  She requested the Secretariat to take on board all the above 
comments in any future revision of the Note. 
84. The representative of Cambodia  reiterated the statement made  by the LDC Coordinator and 
other LDCs to implement the Decision on DFQF market access for LDC products taken at Hong Kong in 2005.  That implementation had beco me a necessity to help LDCs cope with the 
current financial crisis.  He also urged Members to fully operationalize the EIF so as to improve the 
trade capacity of LDCs.   
85. The Chairman
 proposed that the Sub-Committee take note of the document contained in 
WT/COMTD/LDC/W/42/Rev.1, as well as of the st atements and suggestions made by Members. 
86. It was so agreed .  
C. OTHER BUSINESS  
87. The representative of UNIDO  said that an LDC Ministerial Conference entitled "Aid 
for Trade:  An industrial agenda for the LDCs ", was held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on 19 and 
20 November 2008.  The Conference had been jointly organized by the WTO and UNIDO, in cooperation with the Government of Cambodia;  it had been attended by high-level representatives 
from 39 LDCs.  A wide range of regional and intergovernmental organizations as well as donor 
representatives had taken part in the Conference.  The Conference report was being finalized.  It WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
Page 20  
 
  would be distributed following the clearance by the Conference Chair, Senior Minister of the Royal 
Government of Cambodia, H.E. Mr. Cham Prasidh. 
88. The Conference had adopted the "Siem Reap Mi nisterial Declaration of LDCs", which was 
available on the UNIDO website.  Some copies of the Declaration were also made available at the back of the meeting room.  He informed the Comm ittee that the next Conference would be held in 
Vienna on 3 and 4 December 2009, which would focus on the impact of the global financial crisis on 
LDCs.  UNIDO would be contacting it s partners in the near future to  launch another joint effort that 
would help them explore new avenues of cooperatio n, including mechanisms for greater South-South 
cooperation.   
89. He said that the LDC Ministers, through the Siem Reap Ministerial Declaration, had 
highlighted the expected impact of the economic crisis on LDCs and had underlined the need to 
promote balanced and expeditious  development in LDC economies.  While recognizing the primacy 
of ownership in the development process, the Mini sters had recognized the vital role of development 
partners in development progra mmes of LDCs, and had urged them to work towards building 
productive capacities in LDCs which could enable the LDCs to benefit from the existing opportunities 
provided by the international trading system.  The LDC Ministers had recognized the need for 
strengthening inter-agency dialogue to build capacity in LDCs.  In this context, the Ministers had 
called upon the agencies to work closely with the EI F as a way for furthering aid coherence.  The 
Ministers had also called upon all parties to c onclude the Doha Round of negotiations as soon as 
possible and had stressed the importance of comi ng to an agreement on the agricultural and 
non-agricultural market access modalities by the end of 2008. 
90. He went on to say that since the Siem Reap Conference, UNIDO had been working with its 
partners for the finalization of the eight pilot pr ogrammes in Benin, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Lesotho, 
Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, and Yemen.  A follow-up meeting with UNCTAD and ITC had been 
held in Vienna in January 2009 to discuss the impl ementation of these programmes.  Plans were being 
elaborated to hold a meeting with donors and bene ficiaries in Geneva in June 2009, in cooperation 
with the WTO.  It was agreed that a more fo rmal tripartite committee should be established for 
regularizing inter-agency collaborati on.  He stressed that the current economic crisis had made 
inter-agency collaboration even more imperative than  before.  The UNIDO would continue with its 
partnership approach, in particular with WTO, UNCTAD and ITC in the prep arations for the next 
LDC Ministerial Conference to be held in December  2009.  In conclusion, he thanked the Chairmen 
of the Sub-Committee and of the EIF Interim Boar d as well as the Coordinator of the LDC Group in 
the WTO for their participation at the Siem Reap Conference which had immensely contributed to the 
success of the Siem Reap Conference. 
91. The representative of Rwanda
 welcomed the statement made by the representative of UNIDO 
on the outcome of the Siem Reap Conference he ld in November 2008.  UNIDO had been an 
important partner in the development process in the LDCs, in particular on the industrial development 
front.  He hoped for an active and increased participation of UNIDO in the EIF process.   
92. The representative of Lesotho  said that the issue of the food crisis should not loose 
importance in the wake of the financial crisis.  Th e food crisis was continuing, which needed attention 
from the Members.  He requested the Chairman to include an agenda item on the food crisis at the 
next meeting of the Sub-Committee.  He recalle d that the LDC Group in the WTO had organized a 
"Policy Reflection" on the food crisis in Geneva on  17 July 2008 in partnership with the Centre for 
Socio-Eco-Nomic Development (CSEND).  The report of that Conference was circulated to Members, 
including as a Sub-Committee document (WT/COMTD/LDC/14).  Members could reflect on this report.  Moreover, the United Nations Special  Rapporteur on the Right to Food had made a 
presentation at the United Nations Human Rights C ouncil in March 2009.  He requested that the UN  WT/COMTD/LDC/M/52 
 Page 21 
 
 
  Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food be invite d to the Sub-Committee to exchange views with 
Members on the food crisis.  
93. The representative of the European Communities  said that her delegation had been following 
the discussions at the UN Human Rights Council on the Right to Food.  Her delegation was of the view that it would not be opportune to bring hum an rights discussions into the WTO Committees.  
She emphasized the need to avoid duplication of wo rk on an issue, which had been conducted in the 
UN Human Rights Council.  However, she would welcome any discussion on issues relating to the food crisis, as was done in the Sub-Committee last year.   
94. The Chairman
 said that the presentation by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food 
at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2009 included a report on the mission to the WTO 
conducted over a period of six months.  It would be desirable for WTO Members to know the 
outcome of that mission.  He would explore furt her on the appropriateness and modalities to take up 
this issue at a future meeting of the Sub-Committee.   
95. The Chairman said that the next meeting of the Sub-Co mmittee would be held in June 2009.   
96. In the absence of any other business, the meeting was adjourned . 
 
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