At the Round Table, Minister of Trade and Supply Ali Giddo Adam Bashr, Sudan's Chief Negotiator on WTO Accession, stated that the transitional government under Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is fully committed to the accession process. “The accession process is a catalyst to the Government’s effort to reform the economy and will pave the way for a better future of the Sudanese people in a ‘New Sudan’ with an equitable and inclusive society.”

Minister Bashr also noted: “Sudan is looking forward to receiving technical assistance to achieve its objectives of concluding its accession to the WTO before the end of the transitional governing period.” He presented a list of specific areas where Sudan requires technical assistance and capacity building to advance accession.  These needs ranged from support related to training, seminars and workshops on specific WTO agreements to the provision of infrastructural support such as information technology equipment, system software and website development.

The chair of the Working Party on the Accession of Sudan, Mr Katsuro Nagai (Japan), welcomed the support from the international community for Sudan's accession efforts to drive economic reforms which are integral to the Prime Minister's peace and stabilization efforts.  He added: “This goes hand in hand with the positive news from the IMF and the World Bank last Friday that Sudan can be eligible for debt relief under the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative.”

Representatives of WTO members and international organisations expressed their readiness to provide technical assistance and capacity building, while stressing the importance of coordination among them.

The Round Table was a follow-up to the Informal Meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Sudan, held virtually on 17 March. The delegation of Sudan was led by Minister Bashr, whose full statement is available here.

At the meeting of the Working Party, which was the first since July 2017, Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff stated that “Sudan is at an historic crossroads, with the prospect of moving away from internal strife and external conflict toward economic growth and political stability”. His full statement is available here. The chair of the Working Party outlined the documentary requirements which Sudan needs to submit to hold the next Working Party, including inputs to update the Factual Summary of Points Raised, a revised Agriculture Support Table and a revised Legislative Action Plan.