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Paving the way for increased participation of LDCs in world trade requires effective market access. A step in the right direction was taken at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference (in 2005) when WTO Members agreed to the DFQF Decision. Since then, concrete progress has been made in providing DFQF market access to LDC products.  Today, most of WTO developed Members grant either full or nearly full DFQF market access to LDC products. Also, a number of key developing country partners grant a significant degree of DFQF market access to LDC products. Not all developed Members have met the requirements of the DFQF Decision. The Istanbul Programme of Action for the LDCs for the Decade...

The Canadian Government announced major changes to its General Preferential Tariff, its GSP scheme for all developing countries. Seventy-two countries, including major trading nations such as Brazil, China, India and the Republic of Korea will be excluded from the scheme from 1 January 2015. These are countries that have either achieved upper middle or high income status according to the World Bank classification  for two consecutive years or have a share in world exports of higher than 1 per cent. Among the current LDCs, Equatorial Guinea will be excluded from preferential access in Canada due to its high income status. The country had been recommended by the CDP for graduation...

Surveys on trade-related support measures contained in the various WTO commitments made in favour of LDCs were addressed to  LDCs  and their main trading partners. The purpose was to gain a better understanding of these measures and their use by LDCs as well as insights on how these benefits could be fully utilized and enhanced. An information manual was prepared to support participating trade officials responding to the surveys.   Country Summary Survey Results ⇒ Display of survey results   Country summary survey results on the awareness and use of trade-related ISMs Bangladesh Madagascar Tanzania Canada ...

Over 130 academics from around the world have signed a letter supporting the unconditional extension of the transition period within which LDCs Members of the WTO must become fully compliant with the TRIPS Agreement until any such country ceases to be an LDC.  The letter gives 10 reasons supporting the proposed extension, many drawn directly from the language of Article 66.1 itself. Source: www.Infojustice.org

Additional background on the extension of  the exemption of LDCs to fully implement TRIPS bas been made available by Intellectual Property Watch

Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) is voicing its support to the extension of the transition period for the LDCs to fully implement TRIPs obligations. The exemption is due to expire on 30 June 2013. The deadline does not apply to pharmaceutical patents. The 2001 Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health extended the period for least developed countries to comply with provisions on pharmaceuticals to 2016.  LDCs are campaigning to have their exemption renewed as well as to lift a clause imposed in 2005 which prevents them from amending or rolling back any legislation that reduces the degree of IP protection.  Article 5 of the 2005 Decision states that  "Least-developed...

Turkey is a rapidly growing market for LDCs, with total imports of almost US$ 1.5 billion in 2011. Exports from Bangladesh account for the majority of LDC exports to Turkey. See also Preferential Market Access: Turkey GSP . Source: UNCTAD-TRAINS , accessed through WITS 17 April 2013.

New Zealand is a small market for LDCs, absorbing no more than  US$ 30 million of LDC exports in 2009. As seen on the graph below, 2005 was an exceptional year and the realtively high value for imports from LDCs is due to exceptionally high oil imports from Timor-Leste and Yemen in that year. See also Preferential Market Access: New Zealand GSP . Source: UNCTAD-TRAINS , accessed through WITS 17 April 2013.

Morocco provides preferences for African LDCs. Though only 61 product lines are included in Morocco's DFQF scheme for LDCs, it covers 2/3 of all imports from LDCs and the average preference margin is more than 10 per centage points. Burkina Faso and Senegal are the main beneficiaries. See also Preferential Market Access for LDCs: Morocco . Source: UNCTAD-TRAINS , accessed through WITS 17 April 2013.    

Iceland is a very small and relatively stagnant market for LDCs, with imports of less than US$ 10 million in 2011. Only 27 LDCs have exported to Iceland since 2001. (See also Preferential Market Access: Iceland GSP ). Source: UNCTAD-TRAINS , accessed through WITS 17 April 2013.

Myanmar’s garment industry is expected to grow rapidly with DFQF access. In May, the European Parliament will vote on granting the country full access to the EU’s EBA initiative. Exports are already increasing in the current 2012/13 year, in anticipation of a retroactive reinstatement of Myanmar’s trade preferences as of 1 July 2012. Annual exports in the fiscal year 2012/13 are exceeding US$1 billion, up from US$360 million in fiscal year 2011-2012. Sources: Eleven Myanmar and Lexology .

The Office of the United States Trade Representative has announced that it will be conducting a public hearing on the possible designation of Myanmar and Laos as beneficiaries of the US GSP scheme and, if so decided, on their designations also as least developed country beneficiaries. The  hearings will take place on 4 June 2013. According to the USTR notice both countries indicated their interest in the review. While Laos had never had been a beneficiary under the US GSP programme,  Myanmar had its benefits suspended in 1989 as it failed to meet eligibility requirements regarding internationally recognized worker rights. Source:  Office of the US Trade Representative...

Indonesia, host of the the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference (Bali, December 2013) has announced it is considering the introduction of a DFQF scheme for LDCs that are Members of the WTO.  The scheme is anticipated to be implemented from the first quarter of 2014 onwards. The Indonesian autorities  are still to identify which products should be eligible for the DFQF facility. According to UN COMTRADE on-line data base, Indonesia imports from LDCs totalled some US$ 1 billion in 2011 and while exports  to LDCs reached US$3.7 billion in that year. Source: The Financial Express    

The table below illustrates those products and sub-sectors that are of particular importance to LDCs as highlighted in the Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS) and Action Matrices of 42 countries. It does not include any mentioning of cross-sectoral or policy related recommendations. Country-level details can be downloaded here . For further information, see Enhanced Integrated Framework . Source: Based on analysis conducted by the LDC/EIF team at the International Trade Centre (July 2012).

  On 2 February 2013, Lao People's Democratic Republic became the latest LDC to join the WTO. Negotiations lasted for 15 years and required Laos to make substantial changes in its legal and regulatory framework as well as to introduce new legislation. The working party on the country's accession involved 66 members of the WTO.  During the negotiations, Laos received technical assistance by the WTO, other multilateral organizations and development partners. The terms of accession package were agreed by late September 2012 and approved by the General Council of the WTO in October 2012. This implies that several of the recommendations adopted in July 2012 to further strengthen,...

The WTO Appellate Body has just issued its 2012 Report. It indicated that 70 WTO Member countries participated in appeals which Appellate Body reports were circulated between 1996 and 2012.  Among these 70 countries, 6 were LDCs which participated as third parties: Benin, Chad, Madagascar, Malawi, Senegal and Tanzania. Source : Appellate Body Annual Report 2012  

Serafino Marchese - Heads the WTO Training and Capacity-Building Section of the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC). Professionally, Mr. Marchese's interests span over distance-learning (he developed the first web-based Training Package on the WTO and promoted the use of videoconferencing in WTO training activities); quantitative analysis of trade flows and protection (tariffs and non-tariff measures), including simulating the effects of trade liberalization on trade flows and growth; market access issues for goods; and WTO notification requirements. He has a broad knowledge of the WTO Agreements and the Multilateral Trading System. Prior to joining the WTO...

WTO Secretariat, Geneva - 12 March 2013. The Support Measures Portal for LDCs was presented to 22 participants from the WTO LDC Group in Geneva. The presentation by the CDP Secretariat was followed by a question and answer session as well as a training focusing on assisting the participants in accessing the information provided by the Portal. Participating LDC delegates indicated the usefulness of the Portal as a tool to enhance their trade-related capacities and its value added to their work. The delegates also expressed their views on the need for continued training on how to access the information on the Portal and to inform their capital-based colleagues on the existence of the...

As of March 11, 2013, seven LDCs have submitted to the TRIPS Council their priority needs for technical and financial assistance for  the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. The countries are as follows: Year         Country             Document reference 2012 Mali IP/C/W/575 2011 Senegal IP/C/W/555 2010 Tanzania IP/C/W/552 2010 Rwanda IP/C/W/548 ; IP/C/W/548/Add.1 2010 Bangladesh IC/C/W/546 2007 Uganda IP/C/W/500 ; IP/C/W/510 2007 Sierra Leone IP/C/W/499 ; IP/C/W/523  

The WTO Council for TRIPS met on 5-6 March 2013 but took no decision on the extension of  the transition period for LDCs to implement the TRIPS agreement. Currently, LDCs have to comply with only articles 3, 4 and 5 of the Agreement (provisions on most favoured nation and national treatment). Discussions included whether the transition period should be extended up to a given date or whether the exemption from TRIPS disciplines (with the exception of for the articles mentioned earlier) should be applicable until a LDC graduates from the category. The transition period is due to expire on 1 July 2013. The TRIPS Council will consider the issue at its next meeting in June 2013. ...