WTO BODY ON SMALL ECONOMIES DISCUSSES FUTURE WORK PROGRAMME

On 12 May the WTO's Committee on Trade and Development met to discuss the future work programme on small and vulnerable economies. The dedicated session saw two submissions from developing country Members on possible issues to be included in the body's future work programme, including one from Barbados, Fiji, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Trinidad and Tobago (WT/COMTD/SE/W/11, searchable at http://docsonline.wto.org) and another from a group of landlocked developing countries (Bolivia, Mongolia and Paraguay, WT/COMTD/SE/W/10). The former was an elaboration of an earlier proposal (WT/COMTD/SE/W/3), expanding specifically on the issues of preferences, subsidies and market access. The latter proposal, also building on WT/COMTD/SE/W/3, touched on a range of issues relevant to landlocked economies, including market access, export diversification, tariff quotas, sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade, increasing domestic production, the Integrated Framework for technical assistance, and accessions. Reportedly, participants raised the need to ensure that the concerns of small economies were dealt with in the context of the Doha mandate, and that there would be no attempt to create new categories of developing countries. Members requested further time to consider the proposals currently on the table, and will move to informal consultations to decide on how to proceed with the work programme.

The Doha mandate on small economies (paragraph 35) aims to examine trade-related issues pertaining to small economies. It specifically notes that responses to the trade-related concerns of small and vulnerable economies should not create a sub-category of WTO Members.

ICTSD reporting.

DELIBERATIONS ON PACKAGE DEAL FOR DSU REVIEW ONGOING

During the latest special (negotiating) session of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), held on 10 May, Norway briefly reported on the ongoing work of a group of seven countries developing a package of reforms for the Dispute Settlement Understating (DSU). Norway said the package was aimed at moving the negotiations forward, and the six countries had so far agreed on three issues under consideration: sequencing, remand and post-retaliation (see BRIDGES Weekly, 5 May 2004, http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/04-05-05/story3.htm). The Norwegian delegate noted, however, that the group still was working on transparency, third parties rights, compliance and developing country issues. Norway did not say when the anticipated package would be ready, leaving some delegates to speculate about the impact of differences among the members of the group developing the package. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico and New Zealand make up the other members of the group. The next DSB special session is scheduled for 24-25 May.

ICTSD reporting.