Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest • Volume 5 • Number 35 • 16th October 2001

LDCs Strive To Have Their Voices Heard

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The 26th session of the WTO Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) met on 15 October for their final meeting before the Fourth Ministerial Conference on 9-13 November, currently scheduled for Qatar.

The agenda for the meeting encompassed a number of follow-ups and tabling of declarations from other LDC meetings. It covered the High Level Meeting on LDCs, the tabling of the report and declaration of the Third UN Conference on LDCs, and the LDC preparations for the upcoming Ministerial. In addition, Chiedu Osakwe, Head of the Secretariat Working Group on Integrated Framework (IF) and LDC Issues, presented a report on the status of the reorganisation of WTO technical cooperation (which is currently a restricted document). Finally, the draft work programme for 2002 was discussed.

Unfortunately, due to the ministerial gathering in Singapore over the weekend (see related article, this issue), combined with the hectic preparations going into the upcoming Ministerial Conference, the meeting did not enjoy its regular attendance level. It was described by one Member country delegate as "mainly factual" and "having little contention".

Follow-up on high-level meeting (HLM) on LDCs

An advance copy of the "Report by the Director-General on Follow-up to the [HLM]" (WT/COMTD/LDC/W/22) was also circulated. While some delegates wanted to make comments on the content of the document, sources say discussion was not allowed and that the document was for review only (as the document had already received endorsement by the IF Steering Committee). One unnamed LDC delegate questioned why such an important document was circulated after being endorsed and noted frustration in that if they cannot make comments in their own committee, how could they expect their voice to be heard in any other?As part of efforts to increase market access to LDCs, the European Community (EC) submitted notification of their ‘Everything But Arms’ (EBA) Initiative (see BRIDGES Weekly, 27 February 2001). As the latest Member to join the LDCs, Senegal spoke on this matter to ensure that its representation was included in the Initiative. A final comment came from a group of LDCs who made specific mention that such preferential schemes must be "meaningful" and "universal ".

Preparing for the fourth Ministerial Conference

The LDCs’ Coordinator tabled the ‘Zanzibar Declaration’, which came out of the LDC Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Zanzibar, 22-24 July 2000 (WT/L/409) (see BRIDGES Weekly, 31July 2001). Numerous LDC delegates voiced their support for the Declaration and one Quad delegate voiced appreciation for the receipt of a report collecting the perspectives of the LDCs with respect to many issues. One LDC Member went as far as suggesting the Declaration itself make up the future work programme for the Sub-Committee. This suggestion was noted and sources say several items contained in the Declaration are to be considered in formulating the Sub-Committee’s agenda for 2002.

On the logistics side of the discussions, it was confirmed that three delegates per LDC Member would be financed by the WTO to attend the upcoming Ministerial Conference.

Agenda 2002

In addition to the issues from the Zanzibar Declaration to be considered, the draft work programme for the following year was discussed but was not finalied as such - but rather accepted as a starting point, subject to revision. It included seminars on Trade Policy Reviews and Technical Assistance, TRIPs, trade policy courses, and a joint seminar on the Integrated Framework.

The 27th Session of the Sub-Committee on LDCs is scheduled for 28 February 2002.

"Twenty-sixth session of the sub-committee on LDCs," WTO (WTO/AIR/1631) 21 September 2001; "Report by the director-general on follow-up to the high-level meeting," WTO (WT/COMTD/LDC/W/22) 15 October 2001; ICTSD Internal Files.