WTO(IB)

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� Over three quarters of WTO members aredeveloping or least-developed countries.

� All WTO agreements contain special provision forthem, including

1. longer time periods to implement agreementsand commitments

2. measures to increase their trading opportunitiesand support to help them build the infrastructure

for WTO work3. handle disputes

4. and implement technical standards.

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� The 2001 Ministerial Conference in Doha setout tasks, including negotiations, for a widerange of issues concerning developing

countries

� Before that, in 1997, a high-level meeting ontrade initiatives and technical assistance for

least-developed countries resulted in anintegrated framework , to help least-developed countries

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� A WTO committee on trade and development,

assisted by a sub-committee on least-

developed countries, looks at developing

countries special needs.

� Its responsibility includes implementation of

the agreements, technical cooperation, and

the increased participation of developing

countries in the global trading system.

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The WTO deals with the special needs of developingcountries in three ways:

� the WTO agreements contain special provisions on

developing countries� the Committee on Trade and Development is the main

body focusing on work in this area in the WTO, withsome others dealing with specific topics such as tradeand debt, and technology transfer

� the WTO Secretariat provides technical assistance(mainly training of various kinds) for developingcountries.

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The efforts made by WTO to meet the special

needs of developing countries.

�

Aid for Trade� Technical assistance and training

� Enhanced Integrated Framework

�Joint Integrated Technical AssistanceProgramme (JITAP)

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Aid-for-Trade Work Programme 2010-

2011

� Aid for Trade aims to help developing countries,particularly least-developed countries, developthe trade-related skills and infrastructure that is

needed to implement and benefit from WTOagreements and to expand their trade.

� The aim of the Work Programme is to keep an on-going focus on Aid for Trade, a spotlight effect,

which will generate continued impetus toresource mobilization, mainstreaming,operationalization and implementation.

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Technical assistance and training

� The WTO organizes around 100 technical cooperationmissions to developing countries annually.

� It holds on average three trade policy courses eachyear in Geneva for government officials.

� The WTO set up reference centers in over 100 tradeministries and regional organizations in capitals of developing and least-developed countries

� They provide computer and internet access to enable

ministry officials to keep abreast of events in the WTOin Geneva through online access to the WTOsimmense database of official documents and othermaterial.

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Enhanced Integrated Framework

� The Integrated Framework (IF) is a process thatwas established to support least-developedcountries (LDCs) in trade capacity building andintegrating trade issues into overall nationaldevelopment strategies.

� The core agencies participating in the IF are theIMF, ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, the World Bank and theWTO. They combine their efforts with those of

LDCs and other development partners (donorsand other agencies) to respond to the tradedevelopment needs of LDCs

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Its main objectives are to:

� mainstream trade into LDCs' national

development plans (NDPs), such as Poverty

Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)

� assist in the coordinated delivery of trade-related technical assistance (TRTA) in response

to needs identified by LDCs

� develop the capacity of LDCs to trade,including through capacity building and

addressing supply constraints.

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JITAP

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WTO rules have been tightened on the use of measures that often target the exports of

developing countries, including those on

� subsidies

� countervailing and anti-dumping duties

� safeguard measures.

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Enabling Clause for developing

countries

� The Enabling Clause was adopted under GATT in1979 and enables developed members to givedifferential and more favorable treatment todeveloping countries.

� The Enabling Clause is the WTO legal basis forthe Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

� Under the GSP, developed countries offer non-reciprocal preferential treatment (such as zero orlow duties on imports) to products originating indeveloping countries. Preference-giving countriesunilaterally determine which countries and whichproducts are included in their schemes.

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WTO(IB)