WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/COMTD/LDC/W/32 
6 May 2004  
 
(04-2016) 
Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries  
   
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR ACCEDING LDCS 
 
Note by the Secretariat
1 
 
 
I. INTRODUCTION 
1. In paragraph 9 of the Doha Ministerial D eclaration, Ministers committed themselves to 
accelerate the accession of Least-Developed Countries (LDCs).  In paragraph 42 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the Secretariat was instructed  to reflect the priority of LDCs' accession in the 
annual plans for technical assistance.  The need for targeted technical assist ance and capacity building 
for acceding LDCs has been underscored and ac knowledged by World Trade Organization (WTO) 
Members in different fora.   
2. The adoption of the WTO Work Programme for LDCs
2 and the subsequent Guidelines on 
Accession for LDCs3 was an important step in addressing the needs of acceding LDCs.  The 
Guidelines call for targeted and coordinated tec hnical assistance and capacity building by WTO and 
other relevant multilateral, regiona l and bilateral development partne rs to assist acceding LDCs.  Such 
effective and broad-based technical co-operation a nd capacity building measures shall be provided, on 
a priority basis, to cover all stages of the accession process.   
3. At the 36th Session of the Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries, the Secretariat was 
requested to prepare a note on technical assistance for acceding LDCs.  This note has been prepared 
by the Secretariat to facilitate discussion on this i ssue.  It provides a brief overview of the type of 
technical assistance required  and provides a non- exhaustive summary of the type of technical 
assistance offered by the WTO Secretariat, by WTO Members, and by other organizations. 
II. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE REQUIRED FOR ACCEDING LDCS 
4. Of the 50 countries classified by the United Nations as least-developed, eight are in the 
process of accession:  Bhutan, Cape Verde, Ethiop ia, Lao PDR, Samoa, Sudan, Vanuatu and Yemen.4 
A number of steps have been taken to fac ilitate the accession negotiations.  One significant 
development in the implementation of the Work  Programme for LDCs was the adoption of the 
Guidelines on LDCs' Accession by the General Counc il in December 2002.  This facilitated the 
adoption by Ministers in Cancún of the protocols of accession for Cambodia and Nepal, making them 
the first LDCs to conclude their accession negotia tions under the provisions of Article XII of the 
Marrakesh Agreement.  On 24 Marc h 2004, Nepal ratified the terms a nd conditions of its membership 
and became the 147th Member of the WTO on 23 April 2004.  Cambodia was granted a six-month 
extension to ratify its accession protocol at th e February 2004 General Council meeting.   
                                                      
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and without prejudice to 
the positions of Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO. 
2 WT/COMTD/LDC/11. Paragraph 18 of the Work Pr ogramme requests the Director-General to report 
to the Fifth Ministerial Conference on the Implementation of the Commitment by Ministers to Facilitate and Accelerate the Accession of th e LDCs.  This report is contained in WT/MIN(03)/2. 
3 WT/L/508 
4 Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tomé and Principe are observers. WT/COMTD/LDC/W/32 
Page 2  
 
5. Efforts have been made to reduce the number  of formal Accession Working Party meetings 
for LDCs to an absolute minimum,  normally three or four.  A pragmatic approach to the conduct of 
negotiations now places greater emphasis on focused informal consultations between interested Members and the acceding LDC with the possibility of the Secretariat acting as a proxy in the 
negotiations.  This has been done with a view to  accelerating the accession process and lessening the 
financial and human resource burdens.  Nonetheless, the complex nature of WTO related obligations 
required for Membership, particularly in the area of legislation and enforcement, as well as the need to create capacity in acceding LDCs to meet the ch allenge of accession, remains the main concern for 
acceding LDCs.  The Guidelines on LDCs' Accession emphasize the importance of technical assistance and capacity building on all aspects of the accession process.  
6. The type of technical assistance required for acceding LDCs is broad and ranges from 
awareness generation and the preparation of docum entation to the setting up of the legislative 
infrastructure and enforcement mechanisms.  The as sistance required differs depending on the various 
stages of the accession process.  Some of the common  problems faced by acceding LDCs are:  lack of 
human and financial resources;  lack of understa nding of the WTO Agreements and the multilateral 
trading system;  lack of WTO-consistent legislation and mechanisms to administer the WTO 
Agreements;  lack of information on the impact of WTO accession;  lack of institutional capacity to 
manage the accession process and a lack of adequate  negotiating strategies.  An awareness of the 
multilateral trading system and the WTO amongst the pr ivate sector, legislators, civil society and the 
academia is also important.  In addition to th e need for technical assistance to address general 
understanding of the WTO agreements and training officials, acceding LDCs  need assistance in 
ensuring conformity with the multilateral trade rul es.  This includes reviewing existing laws and 
drafting new legislation, as well as support for institu tional building, national coordination efforts and 
enforcement mechanisms. 
7. Some countries may require technical assistance to  help them identify their needs.  Informal 
discussions on how to carry out country specific needs assessments are being carried by the 
Secretariat and Members. 
III. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OFFERED BY THE WTO SECRETARIAT, BY WTO 
MEMBERS AND BY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 
A. T
HE WTO  SECRETARIAT  
8. The WTO continues to respond to the needs a nd challenges faced by LDCs through its annual 
Technical Assistance Plans.  In order to support thei r effective integration into the multilateral trading 
system, the WTO attaches priority to the delivery of technical assi stance to LDCs, including those in 
the process of accession.  Since the launch of th e Doha Development Agenda, the number of national 
and regional activities for LDCs increased significan tly.  Activities for LDCs as reflected in the 
Annual Technical Assistance Plans include: na tional/regional seminars, technical missions, 
workshops, conferences and symposia;  setting-up or upgrading the WTO Reference Centres; and 
Geneva Week briefing sessions for Non-Residents.  The Secretariat has also organized activities such 
as WTO Seminar on Accessions in Geneva in Ju ly 2002 to share experiences among acceding 
countries.  Acceding LDCs continue to benefit from these activities, which help them acquire the 
necessary information and knowledge of WTO agreemen ts and trade negotiations.  In the Technical 
Assistance plan for 2003, there were 447 activities.   Out of these activities, 250 activities were for 
LDCs.  This included some 120 activities, involving LD Cs, that had been carried out at the regional or 
subregional level, as well as 72 national seminars or technical missions that had been undertaken in 33 
LDCs.  The number of LDC officials taking part in  the Geneva-based regular trade policy courses and 
the three-week courses organized specifically for LD Cs has increased.  In 2003, 109 officials from 
about 40 LDCs had participated in the training courses organized in Geneva.    WT/COMTD/LDC/W/32 
 Page 3 
 
 
9. The WTO Secretariat has taken steps to me et the special challenges faced by the 
Non-Residents and to enhance their participation in  the multilateral trading system.  Currently, three 
of the eight acceding LDCs do not have representa tion in Geneva (Lao PDR, Samoa and Vanuatu).  
The WTO organizes, twice a year, Geneva Weeks fo r non-resident Members and Observers to brief 
participants on the state-of-play of the work in th e WTO, to provide information about the range of 
technical assistance offered, to familiarize particip ants with the work processes of the WTO and to 
provide an opportunity for participants to be invo lved in the work of the WTO bodies and to interact 
with Geneva based officials and Secretariat sta ff.  Their participation in the Geneva Week 
programmes provides them with an opportunity to be  kept abreast of developments in the WTO.  
Some have used their presence during Geneva Week to organize informal meetings of their Accession 
Working Parties as well as to hold bilateral meetings with WTO Members. 
10. With regard to accession-specific technical assistance, between 2003 and the first quarter of 
2004, all acceding LDCs were invited to the differe nt WTO training courses and regional activities.  
Technical missions on accession were held in Samoa, Sudan and Yemen.  The Secretariat spends considerable time assisting governments at all stages  of the accession process to ensure that there is a 
timely flow of information between acceding go vernments and WTO Member governments.  The 
WTO has continued to develop information technology tools to assist LDCs in their integration into 
the multilateral trading system and world economy.  Reference Centres have been established in all 
eight acceding LDCs. 
B. T
ECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY WTO  MEMBERS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS  
11. The challenges facing LDCs are numerous and complex and the WTO cannot, on its own, 
meet all the challenges.  Co-operation with othe r organizations and bilateral donors is therefore 
important.  In recognition of the need for effective collaboration with other or ganizations and bilateral 
donors, the Integrated Framework (IF) was launc hed at the High-Level Meeting on Integrated 
Initiatives for Least-Developed Countries' Trade Development in October 1997.  The IF is a 
partnership between the IF core multilateral agencies (IMF, ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, World Bank and 
WTO), bilateral donors and the LDCs themselves with the objective of mainstreaming trade into the  
LDCs' national development plans.   
12. As part of the IF process, the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS), prepared for each IF 
country, is the main tool to address both the technical assistance side and the policy side of the trade agenda.  The DTIS provides a detailed analysis  of competitiveness of an LDC’s economy and 
identifies the impediments to the effective integr ation into the multilateral trading system and the 
global economy.  The preparation of a DTIS has been  effective in stimulating domestic discussion on 
trade matters, building consensus for trade polic y reform, and co-ordinating donor assistance to 
respond to the trade capacity needs of the LDCs.  Th ere is therefore a strong link between the IF and 
the accession process, as the IF process identifi es and proposes follow-up actions to the accession 
needs identified by the DTIS.  This was the case  of Cambodia and Nepal where the IF made an 
important contribution to the accession process. 
13. Members have raised the importance of synergy between the IF and the accession process in 
the Sub Committee on LDCs.  At its 36
th Session, Members highlighted the need for the DTIS of an 
acceding LDC to have a strong accession component th at would include an in-depth assessment of 
institutional and legislative needs related to the ac cession process.  The IF also provides a mechanism 
for follow-up in the post-accession phase.  Donors ha ve appreciated the value of a co-ordinating 
framework that the IF offers for providing their accession support.  Ethiopia, Lao PDR, Sudan and 
Yemen are currently in different stages of the IF process.  Further details are provided in the country 
specific section below.  
14. A number of organizations and agencies indivi dually provide technical assistance to acceding 
LDCs within their respective areas of competence.  These include, for exampl e, the World Bank, the WT/COMTD/LDC/W/32 
Page 4  
 
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) , the World Customs Organization (WCO), the 
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),
5 the IMF, UN Regional 
Economic Commissions and regional development ba nks.  Technical assistance provided by WTO 
Members constitutes an important part of the accession process.  The WTO/OECD Doha 
Development Agenda Trade-Related Technical Assi stance and Capacity-Building Database provides 
information on technical assistance offered by bilate ral development partners  and by international 
organizations.  Ensuring co-ordination between  the different technical assistance providers 
(organizations, WTO Members and the Secretariat) is important.  The IF can play a role in this as one 
of its objectives is the coordinate d delivery of technical assistance. 
IV. COUNTRY-SPECIFIC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 
15. This section provides a summary of some of th e technical assistance activities that have taken 
place in acceding LDCs.  The information provided is not exhaustive and is based on information 
contained in the WTO/OECD database, as well as  information received fro m some acceding LDCs.  
A brief introduction concerning the state-of-play of each accession process is provided. 
A. BHUTAN  
16. Dormant since 1999 when an accession working party for Bhutan was established, the 
accession process was reactiv ated early in 2003 following the submission of a Memorandum on the 
Foreign Trade Regime.  Members were invite d to comment on the Memorandum under a shorter 
deadline than usual to give the best opportunity to  have a first Working Party meeting as early as 
possible.  Bhutan's replies to questions and ot her documents concerning check-lists for technical 
barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures  and aspects of Bhutan's regime for intellectual 
property rights were circulated in mid-April 2004.  The first meeting of the Working Party is expected 
to take place in autumn 2004.   
17. In 2002, Bhutanese officials participated in the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy 
Training Programme and attended courses on regional el ectricity grids and cross-border energy trade. 
The US funded programme focused on the need to ha ve regional agreements in place before trade in 
electricity services could take place. The same y ear, Japan sponsored a project implemented by 
UNCTAD to strengthen the international trade capacities of small and medium-sized businesses in Bhutan by using improved information and communi cation technologies.  In 2003, Norway and India 
began funding a project to be implemented by Un ited Nations Industrial Development Organization 
(UNIDO) for market access and trade facilitation support, including Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Standards (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), for Asian LDCs by strengthening 
institutional capacities for standards, metrology, t esting, quality and productivity in the South Asian 
Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) regi on. Also that year, the European Commission 
began a five-year programme in Bhutan to st rengthen veterinary servi ces and legislation and 
management systems for owners of livestock. 
18. The Netherlands and Austria are assisting Bhutan with a tourism development project, 
whereas the European Commission is implementing a technical assistance plan through 2005 which 
focuses on enhancing export promotion in the ag riculture and wood sectors and on WTO accession. 
Agencies involved include the International Trad e Centre (ITC) and the UN Economic and Social 
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) with assistance from the WTO.  The European 
                                                      
5 The WTO Secretariat works in close cooperation with UNCTAD, which has extensive experience in 
providing technical assistance on accession matters and national proj ects. UNCTAD delivers technical 
assistance by: undertaking advisory missions and working directly with national negotiating teams;  assisting in the preparation of documentation required by the WTO accession negotiations;  preparing analytical papers and 
briefings for national policy-makers;  organising brainstorming meetings and seminars and, diffusing trade 
policy information.    WT/COMTD/LDC/W/32 
 Page 5 
 
 
Commission (EC) and UNIDO assisted in 2003 with  market access and trade facilitation support in 
the areas of SPS and TBT for Asian LDCs wher eas Japan assisted with Customs Technical 
Cooperation in 2002.  Bhutan benefited fro m UNESCAP activities related to WTO accession 
processes for Asian developing countries and from se veral regional seminars and national workshops 
organized by the WTO in the areas of accession pr ocedures, dispute settlement, trade-related aspects 
of intellectual property rights, services, agriculture , WTO rules and tariff negotiations for industrial 
products.  UNCTAD has provided assistance with th e accession process and has written papers on the 
impact of WTO accession for Bhutan on the fina ncial services and teleco mmunications sectors, 
whereas the Food and Agriculture Organization of  the United Nations (FAO) has assisted with 
training officials for food inspection and rural project development. 
19. Bhutanese officials have requested further assistance with export diversification and 
promotion, in particular letters of credit, product packaging and shipping requirements.  Also needed 
are mechanisms to help the country's banks lend to existing and potential expor ters and to increase the 
number of tourists visiting the country.  The EC  project which will focus on changes in national 
legislation and building institutional capacity shoul d help with the WTO accession process as will 
further training of government staff to deal with  WTO Agreements, especially in the area of SPS and 
TBT notifications and training for food testing.  
B. CAPE VERDE  
20. Cape Verde applied for accession in July 2000.  A Memorandum on the Foreign Trade 
Regime was submitted in July 2003.  Replies to questions as well as other information provided by 
the Government on TBT, SPS, TRIPS and Cape Verde's agricultural policy were submitted in 
January 2004.  These documents and a draft legisla tive action plan provided the basis for the first 
meeting of the Working Party in March 2004.   
21. Since 2001, Government officials from Cape Verde have attended numerous WTO technical 
assistance activities including regional workshops, semin ars and missions designed to provide training 
on WTO Agreements and negotiations.  These activ ities have been supplemented by additional 
training to private sector enterprises. 
22.  Cape Verde participated in training sessions in 2002 funded by Portugal and implemented by 
UNCTAD to assist developing countries with the negotiations under the Doha Work Programme and 
with WTO accession proceedings and negotiations.  Th e same year, the United States began assisting 
Cape Verde with the implementation of certain WTO obligations and provided assistance to the 
government, certain trade organizations and the pub lic sector to build institutional capacity and to 
ensure that the country's legal and regulatory framework were in conformity with the WTO's 
agreements.  Portugal sponsored a project im plemented by UNCTAD in 2002 to increase the 
participation of Cape Verde a nd other Portuguese-speaking developing countries in the multilateral 
trading system and in the negotiations under the Doha Work Programme.  The WTO will organize 
two technical assistance activities in Cape Verde in 2004, the first on preparing legislation on 
Safeguards and Anti-dumping and the second, a technical mission on the preparation of schedules of 
tariff concessions and commitments on services.  
23. During the First WTO Accession Working Party meeting in March 2004, Cape Verde 
officials stressed the need for more capacity build ing and technical assistance to support the country's 
accession process.  
C. ETHIOPIA  
24. The Working Party was established in February 2003.  Ethiopia has yet to submit a 
Memorandum, though it seems that the drafting of this key document is in its final stages in Addis 
Ababa.  WT/COMTD/LDC/W/32 
Page 6  
 
25. A number of Ethiopian officials have participated in numerous WTO technical assistance and 
training activities.  The training programmes c onducted by the WTO include sessions on SPS and 
TBT, accession, dispute settlement, intellectual prope rty and agriculture.  Many bilateral donors have 
provided technical assistance ranging from private sector development, business management, trade promotion, design and implementation to market anal ysis and development.  Ethiopia has a number of 
development partners, both bila teral and multilateral. The main bilateral partners include the 
European Commission, the Department for Interna tional Development (DFID)of the UK, Japan, the 
United States, the Netherlands, Norway and Italy.  Multilateral agencies include the World Bank, ITC, 
UNIDO and UNCTAD.  In January 2004, the Gove rnment of Ethiopia, in collaboration with 
UNCTAD, organized a national workshop on the WTO accession process.   
26. Ethiopia is a beneficiary of the Integrated Framework for LDCs.  Ethiopia's DTIS should 
assist Ethiopia's accession to the WTO as it provides a detailed analysis of the trade regime as well as the legal and institutional framew ork and provides the necessary r ecommendations.  Ethiopia should, 
much like Cambodia, make full use of its status as an Integrated Framework beneficiary country to 
secure much needed trade-related capacity buildin g.  In December 2003, Ethiopia submitted five 
project proposals for funding under Window II of the IF Trust Fund.  The five projects are:  Trade 
Documentation and Information Centres;  Str eamlining Duty Draw Back System and Bonded 
Warehouses Facilities;  Export bundle;  Institutiona l Support;  and Tourism.  The project on 
Institutional Support, for which funding has been approved, aims to build human and institutional 
capacity for full and more effective participation in the WTO.  This includes expertise in the 
economic and legal aspect of WTO accession. 
D. L
AO PDR 
27. The Working Party on the Lao People's Democra tic Republic was established on 19 February 
1998.  Information required for a first meeting is available and preparations are ongoing to schedule a 
first Working Party meeting in 2004..  
28. The Government of Lao PDR received technical  assistance from Australia through a United 
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project to  help Lao PDR accede to the WTO and to make 
better use of the multilateral trading system.  In itiated in 1999 for three years, the project was 
extended to the end of 2004.  Lao PDR is taking part in the Integrated Framework and the World 
Bank will soon start work on a diagnostic trade in tegration study (DTIS).  The IMF provided Lao 
PDR with assistance on customs registration in 200 1 and customs administration in 2003 while the 
ITC began a five-year programme this year for trade and export promoti on with financial support 
from Switzerland. 
29. The European Commission is assisting Lao PDR with its TBT and SPS requirements, 
notifications and institutional le gislation and is currently provid ing veterinary services to livestock 
owners.  France recently financed a UNIDO project to promote foreign investment at the institutional 
level, while Norway is currently funding another UNIDO project to facilitate industrial development 
and export capabilities. 
30. Over the past two years, Lao PDR benefited from UNESCAP activities and assistance related 
to WTO accession and from several regional seminars  and national workshops organized by the WTO 
in the areas of accession procedures, dispute settleme nt, trade-related aspects of intellectual property 
rights, services, agriculture, WTO rules and tariff ne gotiations for industrial products.  Japan has 
provided assistance to government officials for cu stoms clearance procedures and, as a new member 
of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Lao PDR has also received training in the areas 
of export promotion, internal trade management , customs procedures and consumer protection.  
Lao PDR benefited from activities organized by the Agency for International Trade Information and 
Co-operation (AITIC).    WT/COMTD/LDC/W/32 
 Page 7 
 
 
31. Lao PDR has requested further technical assist ance this year from the WTO related to the 
negotiations in services, trade in agriculture and non- agricultural products and in the area of accession 
negotiation techniques. 
E. SAMOA  
32. Samoa's accession process has been progressi ng steadily.  Key inputs were received in 
April 2003, enabling the Secretariat to draft and ci rculate a first version of the Working Party Report 
in June 2003. An informal consultation was organi zed in July with interested Members during the 
Geneva Week event for non-residents in July 2 003.  Members reported constructive discussions on 
the bilateral front and expressed their readiness to accelerate the negotiations.  Documents now 
overdue from Samoa include replies to additional qu estions raised by Members and revised offers on 
goods and services. 
33. Samoan Government officials have taken pa rt in numerous WTO workshops and training 
courses focusing on the following areas of WTO work: trade facilitation, the SPS and TBT Agreements, WTO rules, customs valuation, accession proceedings, trade-related aspects of 
intellectual property rights, services, tariff negotia tions for non-agricultural market access, trade and 
environment and trade competition policy. Govern ment officials attended three Geneva Week 
sessions in 2002 and 2003. They also  benefited from Australian technical assistance in regard to 
mainstreaming trade in national development plan s, a regional customs project and an in-country 
training programme in 2001.  Also in 2001, New Zealand provided business support for services and 
institutions and designed and implemented a trad e promotion strategy for Samoa. The UNDP and 
UNESCAP have assisted by organizing a national conference on WTO accession and providing 
technical advice to manufacturers and private en terprises showing how their businesses should adapt 
to a WTO trading environment and on how acceding countries in Asia can better manage the challenges of globalization.  In 2003, officials from Samoa participated in seminars organized by the 
Agency for International Trade Information a nd Co-operation (AITIC) on the Doha Development 
Agenda and capacity building for small Pacific Is land States.  In addition, the Commonwealth 
Secretariat funded a project on reviewing trade-re lated legislation and making them WTO compliant.  
The EC funded a programme to support the integr ation of ACP countries to the multilateral trading 
system and the WTO.  
F. S
UDAN  
34. Sudan has been in the process  of accession since 1994.  The Memorandum on the Foreign 
Trade Regime was circulated in 1999.  A number of key inputs were submitted before the summer, 
making it possible to hold the first meeting of the Working Party in July 2003.  Following the arrival 
of new inputs from Khartoum, the second meeting was held on 10 March 2004.   The next meeting, 
pending the arrival of documents, including initial offers on goods and service s, could be scheduled 
near the end of 2004. 
35. Sudanese officials have benefited from a number of technical assistance activities and training 
programmes, organized by the WTO, in the area s of SPS and TBT, trade facilitation, accession, 
dispute settlement, trade related intellectual propert y rights, tariff negotiations, rules and trade and 
environment.  A WTO technical mission on accession was held in Khartoum in 2002.  Since 2003, the Islamic Development Bank has been financia lly supporting accession-related studies for Sudan.  
Japan, the United States, and UNIDO have been providing various assistance to Sudan.  UNIDO 
financed a project on strengthening investment and te chnology promotion activities in Sudan.  In the 
context of the 2004 WTO Technical Assistance Plan , Sudan has requested the organization of a 
workshop on initial offers on goods and services and a le gal expert for the preparation of a legislative 
action plan.  At its second Working Party meeting, S udan indicated that technical assistance would be 
required to implement WTO requirements on SPS, TBT and TRIPS. WT/COMTD/LDC/W/32 
Page 8  
 
36. Sudan is currently in the initial stages of the IF process which will help address its 
trade-related technical assistance needs including in the area of accession.   
G. V
ANUATU  
37. Vanuatu applied for membership in July 199 5, submitted its Memorandum three and a half 
months later and answered to the first round of questi ons six months later.  The Working Party held its 
final meeting on 29 October 2001 in time for approval by  Ministers at Doha.  However, shortly before 
the Ministerial Conference, the Vanuatu authorities requested a technical delay in accepting the package.  This accession could be completed soon if  the Government of Vanuatu provides approval or 
final responses with respect to the accession package negotiated and agreed in the Working Party. 
38. Officials from Vanuatu participated in sever al Geneva Weeks and have attended numerous 
regional seminars and training courses and benefite d from WTO technical missions.  Events focusing 
on WTO accession were organized recently for Asian Pacific countries by UNESCAP and by the WTO and focused on WTO Agreements and strengthe ning the capacities of developing countries in 
the region.  Officials benefited from training offe red by New Zealand on customs valuation, by the 
European Communities on regional trade agreements  and by Japan on developing copyright systems. 
Australia and New Zealand funded and UNCTAD assisted with the implementation in 2003 of the 
Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) into  Fiji, Vanuatu and Samoa.  In 2003, Vanuatu 
officials participated in seminars organized by AITIC on the Doha Development Agenda and capacity 
building for small Pacific Island States.  A WTO tr ade policy seminar was also held in Vanuatu in 
July 2003.   
H. Y
EMEN  
39. Yemen's Working Party was established in July 2000.  The Memorandum on the Foreign 
Trade Regime, was circulated in November 2002.  Following a WTO technical mission to Yemen in 
December 2003, replies to questions raised by Member s are at a fairly advanced state.  Depending on 
how soon these inputs are received, a first Workin g Party meeting could be held in late 2004. 
40. Like other LDCs, Yemen has participated in th e numerous technical assistance and training 
programmes organized by the WTO.  Technical assistance provided by the WTO include training in 
the areas of SPS and TBT, trade facilitation, access ion, dispute settlement, tariff negotiations, rules, 
and competition policy.  The European Commission has provided support with the preparation of the 
Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime.  An UNCTAD project on assistance for WTO accession is ongoing since 2000.  In the context of the WTO Technical Assistance Plan for 2004, Yemen has requested  workshops on SPS and competition polic y, as well as a workshop for parliamentarians. 
41. Yemen has been benefiting from the Integrat ed Framework since 2001.  The Diagnostic 
Trade Integration Study was completed in Augus t 2003 and includes technical assistance for the 
accession process.  Yemen is curre ntly considering submitting project proposals for funding under 
Window II of the IF Trust Fund. 
V. CONCLUSION 
42. Experience with accession processes shows th at all acceding LDC governments face two 
main concerns:  putting into place all the legal,  administrative and enforcement mechanisms upon 
accession and ensuring capacity building and enhanced  technical assistance.  The pace of any 
accession is closely linked to the economic and stru ctural reform process being conducted at the 
national level in the acceding government.  Putting in place the WTO-related legal and enforcement 
structure is an arduous task for least-developed countri es and, therefore, technical assistance is critical 
for ensuring a smooth and early accession.  It must be provided both specifically and in general 
capacity-building terms. Indeed, in their comments on the accessions process, a number of  WT/COMTD/LDC/W/32 
 Page 9 
 
 
chairpersons have emphasised this key point and g one further to stress that the current level of 
technical assistance – multilateral as well as bilateral - should be increased. 
43. It is necessary to continue to ensure that  all technical assistance is well co-ordinated, 
appropriately focussed and does not lead to c onflicting or contradictory advice.  Acceding 
governments, of course, have a primary role in cl early laying down their priorities and needs in 
respect of the technical assistance required to enable them to be in a position to fully participate in and 
benefit from the WTO system upon accession.  In this  regard, they have the major responsibility of 
ensuring appropriate co-ordination of this assistan ce, although the Secretariat should also play an 
important role in this area through different mech anisms including the Integrated Framework (IF).  
 
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