Operationalising the 2002 LDC Accession Guidelines: An Analysis.
Benchmarks to ‘further strengthen, streamline and operationalize’ the 2002 LDC Accession Guidelines have been developed. The following conclusions can be made regarding these benchmarks: (more…)
LDCs seek exemption from WTO TRIPS agreement
By Kanaga Raja
The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have submitted a “duly motivated” request to the WTO TRIPS Council for an extension of the transition period for them to comply with the TRIPS Agreement “for as long as the WTO Member remains a least developed country”.
A proposed draft decision annexed to their request states that: “Least developed country Members shall not be required to apply the provisions of the Agreement, other than Articles 3, 4 and 5, until they cease to be a least developed country Member.”
LDCs seek exemption from WTO TRIPS agreement
By Mariama Williams
The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have submitted a “duly motivated” request to the WTO TRIPS Council for an extension of the transition period for them to comply with the TRIPS Agreement “for as long as the WTO Member remains a least developed country”.
A proposed draft decision annexed to their request states that: “Least developed country Members shall not be required to apply the provisions of the Agreement, other than Articles 3, 4 and 5, until they cease to be a least developed country Member.”
The twists and turns of the Doha talks and the WTO
By Martin Khor
Welcome to this session on Doha and the Multilateral Trading System – From Impasse to development? which the South Centre is pleased to co-organise.
This session aims to look at what the future holds for the WTO, in particular in relation to the development dimension, and the interests of the developing countries.
After the Uruguay Round, the developing countries went into a mood of reflection because many of them were not active in the negotiations and did not fully understand what they had signed on to or the implications. So for a number of years after 1995, for the developing countries, their priority in the WTO was to understand the obligations they had entered into and the problems of implementation, particularly in new issues such as TRIPS, Services, TRIMS which they had been obliged to take on as new obligations, in exchange for the re-entering of agriculture and textiles into the GATT system. And to get the WTO to review and possibly reform its rules.
Current issues in the WTO negotiations: a development view
By Jayant Dasgupta
Transcript of remarks of Ambassador Jayant Dasgupta, Permanent Representative of India to the World Trade Organization made at the WTO Public Forum session on Doha and the Multilateral Trade System: From Impasse to Development? on 26 September.
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WTO’s MC8: Some Critical Issues for Developing Countries.
This Analytical Note provides an overview of the following: issues at stake in MC8 for developing countries and key messages for Ministers; the state of play including the main events that took place in the production of the ‘Elements for Political Guidance’ text; the legal status of the Chairman’s Statement as the outcome document of the Ministerial; (more…)
Analysis Of Draft Waiver Decision On Services And Services Suppliers Of LDCs.
This Note is an analysis of the draft waiver decision submitted by the Chairman of the CTS to Ministers for adoption at the 8th Ministerial Conference. This is essentially a waiver from the most-favoured nation treatment clause (Article II. 1) in GATS to allow Members to provide preferential and more favourable treatment to services and services suppliers of LDCs. (more…)
LDC Package: State of Play and Proposed Language for WTO’s MC8.
The LDC Package was proposed by the WTO Director General, in his capacity as Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) Chair in May 2011 for early harvesting at the Eighth Ministerial Conference (MC8) in December 2011. Since then, these negotiations have run into problems due to the resistance of the United States. (more…)
Special and Differential Treatment Negotiations: State of Play and Proposed Language for WTO’s MC8.
There has been some but not a significant amount of progress made on the Special and Differential Treatment negotiations mandated in the Doha Declaration (para 44) for developing countries. This paper provides an overview of: (more…)
Trade Facilitation State of Play and Implications of an ‘Early Harvest’ on Developing Countries.
Recently there has been an indication that some WTO members (especially developed countries) are proposing that an agreement on Trade Facilitation be one of the items to be an Early Harvest in the Doha negotiations in the WTO. (more…)
Present Situation of the WTO Doha Talks and Comments on the 21 April 2011 Documents.
Although Doha started as a “Development Agenda” with a pledge that developing countries‟ interests would be at the centre, ironically there is hardly any development content left in the Doha elements. The WTO released on 21 April 2011, a 600-page package providing an overview of the last 10 years of Doha negotiations. The following papers provide analysis of this overall package. (more…)
Domestic Regulation of Services Sectors: Analysis of the Draft Negotiation Texts.
This document provides a paragraph by paragraph analysis of the draft domestic regulation texts which are currently being discussed at the WTO’s Working Party on Domestic Regulation (services negotiations).
