PRESS RELEASE 
EMBARGO  
NOT FOR PUBLICATION, OR DISTRIBUTION BY NEWS AGENCIES UNTIL 
1400 GENEVA TIME ( 1200  GMT) 26 OCTOBER 2009  
 
PRESS/TPRB/321 
26 October 2009 
(09-5259) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: MALDIVES 
Economic diversification is needed to sustain growth  
The Maldives is a physically and economically small, vulnerable developing country, heavily 
dependant for its prosperity on international tr ade. Real GDP growth averaged 7,4% between 2003 
and 2008, driven mainly by the tourism sector. However growth is expected to contract by 1,3% in 
2009 due to a decline in tourism activity, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade 
policies and practices of the Maldives.  
Given the concentration of the economic activity in few areas, the report highlights that to be able 
to sustain growth, the country needs to diversify the economy, specially in light of its expected 
graduation from least developed country (LDC) status in 2011, and to create a viable tax 
structure. Diversifying the economy would require significant private sector involvement, for which 
a conducive business environment also needs to be created, the report notes.  
The Secretariat report also states that the Maldives’ tariff remains unduly complex and its level 
and structure is a major potential distortion to the allocation of resources and domestic efficiency, and an impediment to the competitiveness of the economy. 
 
The report, along with a policy statement by the Government of Maldives, will be the basis for the second Trade Policy Review (TPR) of the Maldives by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 
26 and 28 of October 2009. 
 
The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp321_e.htm  
• Secretariat reports 
> Contents and summary observations  
> Economic environment  
> Trade and investment regimes  > Trade policies and practices by measure  
> Trade policies by sector  
> Appendix tables  
• Report by the Government of the Maldives 
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). PRESS/TPRB/321 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO Agreement, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each 
review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William 
Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
http://onlinebookshop.wto.org/shop/articles.asp?Id_Rayon=38
 
or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan  
Press, 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706-4346, United  
States. Please call 1-800-865-3457 or e-mail: customercare@bernan.com.” 
Next reviews: 
Southern African Customs Union (SACU): 4 and 6 November 2009 
Niger/Senegal: 11 and 13 November 2009 
Georgia: 8 and 10 December 2009 
 
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews 
  
 
END