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The
mandate back to top
The
mandate of the Sub-Committee on
Least-Developed Countries
(LDCs) is to look specifically at
issues of particular importance to
LDCs. Its
terms of reference state its main areas of the work. Like the
Committee on Trade and Development, all members of the WTO are also
members of the Sub-Committee on LDCs.
Since the Doha Ministerial Conference in 2001, the Sub-Committee on
LDCs focuses on the implementation of the
WTO Work Programme for the LDCs. The Work Programme addresses
the following systemic issues: (a) Market Access for LDCs; (b)
Trade-related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Initiatives
for LDCs; (c) Providing, as appropriate, support to agencies
assisting with the diversification of LDCs' production and export
base; (d) Mainstreaming, as appropriate, into the WTO's work the
trade-related elements of the
LDC-III Programme of Action, as relevant to the WTO's mandate;
(e) Participation of LDCs in the multilateral trading system; (f)
Accession of LDCs to the WTO; (g) Follow-up to WTO Ministerial
Decisions/Declarations.
The Sub-Committee on LDCs also monitors the
work of the
Integrated
Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to
Least-Developed Countries.
The WTO recognizes as LDCs those
countries which have been designated as such by the United Nations.
There are at present 48 LDCs on the UN list,
32 of which
are Members of the WTO. Twelve LDCs namely Afghanistan, Bhutan, Union of the Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Lao PDR, Liberia, Samoa, Sudan, Vanuatu, Yemen and Sao Tome & Principe are in various stages of their accession process.
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  > The
Declaration > Declaration
explained
> Decision explained
> The
Decision on implementation-related issues and concerns
> Hong
Kong Ministerial Declaration (paragraphs 47-51)
Work
and documents in the Sub-Committee
on Least-Developed Countries back to top
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