LDCs SAY MORE TIME NEEDED FOR S&D PROPOSALS

An informal consultation on special and differential treatment (S&D) at the WTO on 3 June failed to make substantive progress after least developed countries (LDCs) said they were not yet ready to discuss redrafting their S&D proposals.

At the last meeting of the Committee on Trade and Development Special Session (CTD-SS) on 10 and 12 May, WTO Member delegations considered five agreement-specific proposals for enhanced S&D that the LDCs had put forward earlier. At the time, Members suggested that the LDCs redraft the proposals, updating them to better address their concerns and needs (see BRIDGES Weekly, 18 May 2005). At the consultation, the LDCs said that they needed more time to examine possible new language. Chair Faizel Ismail urged the delegates to prepare material for the committee's upcoming 16-17 June meeting, saying that if new material on the LDC proposals was not available at that time, the negotiations would continue on S&D proposals from other countries.

ICTSD reporting.