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 Introduction:
First: Special and Differencial Treatment ( S & Ds):
The Committee on Trade and Development – Special Session – was created in early 2002
Second: Aid For Trade:
Third: Quta Free- Duty Free:
Fourth: Monitoring Mechanism:
Fifth: Implementation Issues:
Sixth: Technical Assistance and Capacity Building:
The Committee on Trade and Development – Special Session – was created in early 2002 by the Trade Negotiations Committee to be the body responsible for the Doha Round mandate on special and differential treatment (S&D) for developing countries. S&D is the name given to those parts of WTO agreements that attempt to ensure that the particular needs and characteristics of developing countries are supported by more favorable and different treatment for them as compared to other WTO Members. The approximately 155 S&D provisions in the WTO Agreements form the core of the 'development' dimension of the multilateral trading system. They have, however, been criticized as not providing enough flexibilities, and not being set in mandatory language that would be binding on all Members and could be defended in dispute settlement. As a result of these problems, WTO Members agreed in paragraph 44 of the Doha Declaration that S&D provisions "shall be reviewed with a view to strengthening them and making them more precise, effective and operational."
Members have put forward 88 proposals to make the reform of S&D a reality in specific agreements, and these have been informally divided into three categories. The first category includes proposals that were dealt with intensively before the Cancun Ministerial, and includes the 28 proposals that have already been agreed upon in principle (Category I). The second category includes another 38 proposals that were sent to the WTO bodies to which they refer (Category II), and the third category includes 15 proposals on which delegates had the most difficulty finding consensus (Category III). The third category has not yet been discussed.
Some developing countries have asked that the more immediate and concrete issues covered by the agreement-specific proposals be dealt with first. Only then would Members turn to the so-called "cross-cutting issues." These include topics such as the principles and objectives of S&D -- i.e., whether such provisions are merely a way of integrating developing countries into the multilateral trading system under one set of rules or a way of harnessing trade to further development goals -- and the question of eligibility and differentiation, which questions whether all developing countries should receive the same treatment in trade rules.
At the meeting, the debate over the sequencing of negotiations continued, with developed countries such as Switzerland saying that the cross-cutting issues should be dealt with in parallel to the agreement-specific proposals, and developing countries such as Colombia and Peru saying that the July mandate specifies that the agreement-specific proposals must be dealt with first.
They called upon the Chair to organize more consultations and informal meetings to find solutions to the divergences among Members (not only between developed and developing countries but also among developing countries).
Role of the CD/WTO
During the ongoing S&D discussions, the role of the CD/WTO Trade and Development Department has involved the following:
- Reviewing S&D provisions in all agreements.
- Reviewing the three categories of S&D provisions agreed to at the WTO.
- Analyzing Category I proposals (largely accepted by WTO Members).
- Analyzing Category II proposals, identifying Egyptian stakeholders, and recommending an Egyptian position in the negotiations to the appropriate subcommittees of the High National Committee on Doha Negotiations.
- Analyzing Category III proposals, identifying Egyptian stakeholders, and recommending an Egyptian position in the negotiations to the appropriate subcommittees of the High National Committee on Doha Negotiations.
- Preparing a draft proposal for the three categories and submitting the proposal to the High National Committee and then to Egypt’s Geneva Office.
- Preparing a table containing all training courses provided or to be provided by the WTO Secretariat in 2005, including the objectives and timing of these courses.
For more information on the status of S&D negotiations, as well as implementation issues, technical cooperation and capacity building, please click here.
You can access other information about special and differential treatment below:
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