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also:
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work together to reduce poverty.
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Introduction
to the WTO and developing countries back to top
- Definitions of “developing countries” and “least-developed countries” in the WTO.
-
Developing
countries — overview
Links to the WTO guide “Understanding the WTO”.
WTO bodies back to top
WTO work related to trade and development takes place mostly in the Committee on Trade and Development
and the Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries. Since the launching of the Doha Round in November
2001, trade and development issues related to special and differential
treatment are being negotiated in the CTD meeting in Special Session.
Other bodies dealing with development issues and established at the Doha
Ministerial Conference include the
Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance, and the
Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology. At Doha Ministers also launched the Work Programme
on Small Economies.
Other WTO bodies also consider trade and development issues.
In
addition, a number of WTO activities focus on developing countries in
the context of building trade capacity.
Work
on Special and Differential Treatment Provisions back to top
-
Several provisions in the WTO Agreements relate specifically to
developing and least-developed countries. Certain of these provisions
are referred to as “special and differential treatment” provisions
in favor of developing countries.
-
Ministers in Doha, in the Decision on Implementation-Related Issues
and Concerns mandated the Committee on Trade and Development
to identify which Special
and Differential Provisions are mandatory, and
to consider the implications of making mandatory those which are
currently non-binding. In addition, the Committee is to consider ways
in which developing countries, particularly the LDCs, may be assisted
to make best use of special and differential treatment.
Work in the CTD back to top
- The CTD meets
regularly in different modes to address specific development issues,
both as part of the WTO's regular work and as part of the Doha
negotiations:
- The CTD also has a subsidiary
body to deal specifically with matters concerning the LDCs
Additionally, two
WTO Working Groups were created during the Doha Ministerial Conference
in November 2001:
Building trade capacity
back to top
Describes the efforts made by
WTO to meet the special needs of developing countries.
Events
on trade and development
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-
The WTO regularly organizes a number of special
events
relating to issues of particular importance to
developing countries each year.
Other
developmental issues in the WTO
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-
As part of its activities on trade and
development, the WTO also participates in the Enhanced
Integrated Framework for LDCs.
At the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference, the WTO also launched the
Aid
for Trade initiative aimed at assisting developing countries to build
capacity to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the
multilateral trading system.
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