WTO Ministerial Section • Volume  • Number  • 23rd November 2005

Small economies call for special accession, regional treatment

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A proposal (WT/COMTD/SE/W/17) to ensure that small and vulnerable economies are not faced with “unreasonable” demands during the WTO accession process met with resistance in the Committee on Trade and Development Dedicated Session (small economies) on 16 November. The paper, presented by non-resident Members who were at the WTO for Geneva Week (a bi-annual event to facilitate the participation of small delegations that don’t have a representative in Geneva), suggests that the terms of reference for the working parties on the accession of such countries should make clear that membership seekers “will only be required to undertake commitments commensurate with their level of development.” It also proposes allowing Working Party members to request the establishment of a special panel of experts appointed by the Director-General if it believes that these terms are not being observed.

In spite of the sympathy expressed by many Members, the proposal failed to garner consensus and was explicitly rejected by Switzerland, the US, Japan and Brazil. Several delegations questioned the plan’s feasibility, pointing out that differentiation among developing countries was a controversial issue and that the Doha Declaration stipulated that the ongoing talks would “not create a new category of Member” (see BRIDGES Weekly, 19 October 2005, http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/05-10-19/story3.htm).

The meeting also considered proposals calling for the recognition of regional bodies to provide technical support, notification and implementation functions for SVEs for the Agreements on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT, WT/COMTD/SE/W/15), Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS, WT/COMTD/SE/W/16) and Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS, WT/COMTD/SE/W/18), which most Members supported. Members agreed to a text for the draft Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration that broadly confirms that the CTD-DS has “made progress.” In addition, the group approved a report prepared by Chair Ambassador Gomi Theraka Senadhira (Sri Lanka) for the General Council (WT/COMTD/SE/4) that reviews discussions in the CTD-DS negotiations since July 2003.

ICTSD reporting.