WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/L/614 
7 July 2005 
 (05-3000) 
 Original:   English/ 
 French 
 
 
 
FOURTH LDC TRADE MINISTERS' MEETING 
Livingstone, Zambia, 
25 – 26 June 2005 
  
 The following communication, dated 6 July 2005,  is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Zambia.  
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LIVINGSTONE DECLARATION
1 
 
 
 We, the Ministers responsible for Trade of the Least Developed Countries  (LDCs), meeting in 
Livingstone, Zambia, with a view to adopting a common position on LDC agenda prior to the Sixth 
WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Hong Kong, China, from 13  to 18  December 2005: 
  Reaffirming  the principles and objectives as set out in  the Marrakesh Agreement establishing 
the World Trade Organization (WTO), and reiterating the commitment to further strengthen the rules-
based multilateral trading system to m eet the development needs of LDCs; 
 
 Recalling  the commitments made , inter alia , at Ministerial Conferences  held in Singapore 
(1996), Geneva (1998) and Doha (2001) by the WTO Me mbers in assisting LDCs to secure beneficial 
and meaningful integration into the multila teral trading system and the global economy; 
 
 Recalling  in particular the commitment of the Doha Ministerial Declaration to meet the 
development needs of LDCs, which is further re-e nforced by the Decision Adopted by the General 
Council on 1 August 2004 on the Doha Work Programme;   Recalling  the commitments undertaken by the inte rnational community at the Third UN 
Conference on LDCs held in Brussels in 2001 to promote, inter alia , sustained economic growth in 
LDCs and for beneficial integration into world economy; 
  Recalling the LDC Ministers’ Declarations adopted at Zanzibar (2001), Dhaka (2003) and 
Dakar (2004) prior to the WTO Ministerial Conferences  in Doha, Cancún and before the July  2004 
General Council Meeting respectively; 
 
 Reaffirming  the commitments made at Doha to cond uct the negotiations in a transparent and 
all inclusive manner;  
                                                     
 
1 As adopted by the Ministerial Meeting on 26 June 2005. WT/L/614 
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  Welcoming  the reaffirmation by the General Council to renew its determination to fulfill the 
commitments made at Doha concerning LDCs a nd not to detract in any way from the special 
provisions agreed by Members in respect of LDCs;  
Appreciating  the improved market access initiatives taken by some  WTO Members in favour 
of LDCs; 
  Welcoming  the adoption on 21 March 2005 by the Dispute Settlement Body of the Report of 
the Appellate Body on the United States – Subsidi es on Upland Cotton and the Report of the Panel as 
modified by the Appellate Body, and endorsing th e draft modalities on cotton contained in document 
TN/AG/SCC/GEN/2 with a view to achieving ambiti ous, expeditious and specific results on Cotton, 
as agreed in the 1st August 2004 Decision of the General Council;   Concerned  that the failure to meet deadlines set out in  the Doha Ministerial Declaration, and 
the failure even to meet subsequent deadlines, is  jeopardising the development objectives of the Doha 
Development Agenda, which is lead ing to a continuous marginalisa tion of LDCs and their exclusion 
from the multilateral trading system;   Concerned  about the slow progress in finding a perm anent solution through amendment of the 
TRIPS Agreement to enable countries with no or insufficient manufacturing capacity to access pharmaceutical products at affordable prices;  
Concerned  about the slow pace in addressing the secula r deterioration of the terms of trade of 
commodities;  
 Recalling  Members’ commitment to place the needs and interests of Least Developed 
Countries at the heart of the Doha Work Programme and highlighting the special needs of inter alia , 
post conflict, small island, landl ocked and vulnerable economies in the multilateral trading system; 
 
Concerned  at the continuing onerous demands put by some WTO members  in the accession 
process of LDCs; 
 
Appreciating  development partners and internati onal organizations especially UNCTAD and 
WTO for their technical assistance and capacity bui lding support, extended to acceding LDCs at all 
stages of the accession process ; 
 
Appreciating  the recent initiative taken by the United Kingdom in an effort  to address the 
concerns of Africa and the new direction proposed by the  Commission on Africa Report, as it 
compliments Africa's own initiatives such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD);   
Appreciative  of the recent decision of G-8 Ministers of Finance to cancel the debt of some 
LDCs to the World Bank, IMF and the African Development Bank; 
 
Seeking  additional, adequate and timely support fr om all of our development partners and 
International Financing Institutions  in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other 
programmes aimed at significantly reducing poverty;  
Call upon the relevant WTO bodies and the Sixth Ministerial Conference  to agree on: 
 
1. Binding commitment on duty-free and quota-free market access for all products from 
LDCs to be granted and implemented immediately, on  a secure, long-term and predictable basis, with 
no restrictive  measures introduced;   WT/L/614 
 Page 3 
 
 
 2. Complete exemption for LDCs from any reduction commitments;  
 
3. Further strengthening the existing preferen tial schemes and the incorporation of 
provisions in the modalities to address the erosion of preferences;   
4. The need for non-debt creating financial r esources from international organizations 
and bilateral partners, for adju stment required in LDCs as a consequence of changes in the 
multilateral trade rules;  
5. Incorporation of special provisions in th e modalities to maintain preferences until 
such time as all domestic and export subsidi es are removed that affect LDCs’ commodities, 
complemented by compensatory and transitional me asures to allow LDCs to fully prepare their 
commodity industries for open and fair competition;  
6. Increased resources and an effective deliv ery mechanism for trade capacity building 
to address the inherent supply-side capacity constrai nts faced by LDCs with a view to enabling them 
take advantage of increased market access opportunities;  
7. Strengthening the effectiveness of the Integrated Framework, inter alia , by a 
significant resource increase, including through othe r initiatives, with a view to building up supply-
side capacity, technological and physical infrastruct ure that would support diversification of LDCs’ 
production and export base; 
 
8. The need for “Aid for Trade” as an additional, substantia l and predictable financial 
mechanism to strengthen supply-side and infrastructur e capacity, diversification of trade in LDCs and 
address adjustments challenges and costs for the effec tive integration of LDCs into the International 
Trading System; 
 
9. The need for all development partners to effect full debt cancellation for all LDCs, 
including in the measures of implementation, in  order to address their trade and development 
concerns;  
10. The need for all development partners to assist LDCs in attaining the MDGs, by 
making concrete efforts to achieve the targets on Official Development Assistance (ODA) with 
respect to LDCs as contained in the Brussels Progr amme of Action and the Monterrey Consensus, in 
particular to address the trade concerns of LDCs;  
11. The special circumstances and needs of  inter alia, post conflict, small island, 
landlocked and vulnerable economies to be taken into consideration in meeting their commitments in 
the WTO; and the provision of adequate financia l and technical assistance and capacity building 
programmes on a sustained basis for such countries to  enable them to integrate more fully into the 
multilateral trading system;  
12. Incorporation of provisions in the modaliti es on realistic, flexible and simplified rules 
of origin, certification and inspection requirements and technical and safety standards;   
13. A moratorium on safeguard measures and antidumping actions against LDCs so as to 
facilitate exports from LDCs; 
 
14. Binding commitments on targeted and substantive  technical assistance programmes  in 
favour of LDCs to enhance their capacity, inter alia,  to meet SPS measures, standards requirements, 
Rules of Origin and other Non-Tariff measures in the importing countries;   WT/L/614 
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 15. Ambitious, expeditious and specific co tton-related decisions, in particular  the 
elimination of domestic support measures and export subsidies that distort international trade in 
cotton, as indicated in the African Group submissi on by no later than the Sixth WTO Ministerial 
Conference.  The decision includes bound duty-fr ee and quota-free access for cotton and products 
derived from cotton for the LDCs cotton producers and exporters;  
 
16. The creation of an Emergency Support Fund for Cotton as well as the commitment by 
WTO Members to address the development-relate d aspects of the Cotton Initiative, ensuring the 
coherence between the trade and deve lopment aspects of this issue; 
 
17. A credible end-date for the elimination of all forms of export subsidies and significant 
reduction of all forms of trade distorting domestic support, while taking into account all Special and Differential Treatment provisions and recognising the need for transitional measures that will offset 
the negative, short-term effects of removal of subsidies in terms of reducing or removing LDCs' 
preferential margins into the markets of developed countries;  
18. Engaging in the review and clarificati on of the green box criteria and improve 
obligations for monitoring and su rveillance to avoid box shifting; 
 
19. Establishing a Special Safeguard Mechanis m (SSM) to respond to the needs and the 
particular circumstance of LDCs enabling them to  adopt temporary emergency measures in order to 
address import surges and price declines with a view  to safeguarding food and livelihood security as 
well as rural development. The SSM to be agreed  must take into account the institutional capacities 
and available resources of LDCs, and thus must  be simple, effective and easy to implement; 
 
20. Full implementation of the commitments ma de in the Marrakesh Declaration and 
Ministerial Decisions in favour of LDCs, and th e Ministerial Decisions on Measures concerning the 
Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Program me on LDCs and Net-F ood Importing Developing 
Countries (NFIDCs);  
21. Modalities on food aid that will discipline the commercial displacement  effects of 
food aid while ensuring that food aid is available at all times to meet the needs of LDCs and NFIDCs.  
Modalities must include commitments by donors in  the context of the Food Aid Convention and 
improved monitoring of food aid transactions, while at the same time encouraging local and regional 
purchase, where possible, and which limits to a mi nimum, the impact of food aid on the local 
production of recipient countries;  
22. Flexibilities for LDCs to determine the leve ls of binding commitments of their tariff 
lines consistent with their trade, development and financial needs; 
 
23. The need to urgently amend the TRIPS Agreement to incorporate the 30 August 2003 
Decision on the Implementation of paragraph 6 of th e Declaration of TRIPS and Public Health as a 
permanent solution to the problems of LDCs with insufficient or no manufacturing capacity;  
 
24. An expeditious mechanism to address, th rough Modalities in relevant negotiation 
bodies, the concern of declining, and volatile commodi ty prices and the deterioration of the terms of 
trade as well as an increase in the participation of LDCs in the value chain of production.  LDCs 
welcome the launch of an international Task Force on Commodities at UNCTAD and call on the 
International Community to provide support for its effective operation;  
 
25. The urgent need to operationalize the obj ective of coherence mandate between the 
WTO and International Financial Institutions (IM F, World Bank), in line with the rights and  WT/L/614 
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 flexibilities that LDCs have obtained under the WTO, since these are aimed at achieving and 
supporting LDC development objectives;  
26. Full implementation of the Modalities for th e Special Treatment for LDCs in the 
Negotiations on Trade in Services; 
 
27. Full market access and national treatment to LDCs in the sectors and modes of supply 
of export interest to them, including less- skilled and non professional services providers under 
Mode 4  on a temporary and contractual basis; 
 
28. Adequate targeted technical and financial assistance to LDCs, including to carry out 
sectoral assessments and take part in the reques t/offer process in a beneficial and meaningful way;  
 
29. Increased, sustained and targeted technical  and financial assistance in favour of 
LDCs, consistent with the spir it of the Doha work programme; 
 
30. Strengthening the Joint Integrated Tec hnical Assistance Programme (JITAP) for 
Selected Least Developed and Other Afri can countries and extend it to all LDCs; 
 
31. Developing and applying domestic regulati on disciplines, including recognition of 
qualifications, simplification of admini strative practices and visa requirements,  and without asking for 
economic needs tests, that enhance market access to the sectors and modes of supply of export interest 
to LDCS.  Further, take into account the special de velopment, financial and trade needs for LDCs in 
this respect;  
32. Ensuring that the Special Modalities for LD Cs and Guidelines and Procedures for the 
negotiations in services adopted by the Council for Trade in Services in 2001 and 2003 respectively 
continue to remain the basis for the negotiations;  
33. The full implementation of the provisions of Special and Differential Treatment,  and 
to make them more precise, effective and operational; and  adoption of new special and differential 
measures to take into account problems encountered  by LDCs and address meaningfully the special 
and differential proposals of LDCs;  
 
34. Providing LDCs adequate policy space to e ngage in regional trade arrangements in 
the pursuit of their development goals and objectives;  
 
35. The need for the negotiations on systemic i ssues to address the principle of less than 
full reciprocity, asymmetry in market access and th e development concerns of LDCs entering into 
regional arrangements with developed countries under the GATT 1994 Article XXIV and GATS 
Article V;  
36. Operationalizing the flexibilities agreed in  the Modalities for Negotiations on Trade 
Facilitation which, 
inter alia , stipulates that LDC Members will only be required to undertake 
commitments to the extent consistent with their i ndividual development, financial and trade needs or 
their administrative and institutional capabilities;  
37. Full and faithful implementation of the Modalities for Negotiations on Trade 
Facilitation that ensure adequate financial and t echnical assistance and capacity building including 
support for infrastructure development of LDCs, th rough coordinated and sustained flow of funding 
that also address cost implications of proposed measures affecting LDCs;  WT/L/614 
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 38. Full and faithful implementation of the Gu idelines for LDCs accession to the WTO 
adopted by the General Council on December 2002, en sure the full application of the S&D provisions 
that would emerge from the Doha Round of negotia tions to the acceding LDCs and intensify the 
provision of adequate financial and technical assistance and capacity building support to the acceding 
LDCs at all stages of the accession process, including through the Integrated Framework; 
 
39. The provision of adequate financial a nd technical assistance and capacity building 
programmes on a sustained basis for newly acceded  LDCs to enable them adhere to their 
commitments in the WTO as well as to expedite thei r integration into the multilateral trading system; 
 
Agree  to mandate Zambia, in her capacity as Coordinator  of the WTO LDC Group to further 
pursue  the negotiating agenda as contained in this Declaration  and to present it to the Sixth WTO 
Ministerial Conference  to be held in Hong Kong, China, from 13 – 18 December 2005; 
 
Express  our appreciation to the Government a nd People of the Republic of Zambia for 
hosting our meeting in Livingst one and to thank the UNCTAD and WTO secretariats as well as our 
development partners for their support.  
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