The chair reported on his recent consultations with members on how to revitalize the work of the Committee. Ambassador Subedi said: “In view of multiple suggestions for a possible topic of the first thematic session, further consultations would be required.”
Ambassador Subedi also acknowledged members’ suggestions on ways to improve the Aid for Trade’s monitoring and evaluation exercise and to ensure that recipients and donors use this initiative efficiently to achieve concrete outcomes.
Members examined a communication by the United States entitled “Crop Diversification and Resiliency: Feed the World and Grow Exports. Heritage Crops and Localized Innovation”, which builds on the event held on this topic at the 9th Global Review of Aid for Trade in June 2024. The communication highlights how developing economies are using modern breeding technologies to accelerate the production of local traditional crops, with a view to facilitate exports, improve food security and promote economic growth.
The WTO’s Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation provided an update on members’ voluntary contributions to the Global Trust Fund and on ongoing technical assistance and capacity-building activities under the WTO Technical Assistance and Training Plan for the period 2024-2025, noting increasing budgetary constraints. Several members stressed the need to examine the impact of technical assistance on developing economies and least-developed countries in the context of the preparation of the next biennial Technical Assistance and Training Plan.
Briefing members on the latest session of the Joint Advisory Group (JAG) of the International Trade Centre (ITC) held in late June, the chair, Ambassador Hend Abdalrahman Al-Muftah of Qatar, outlined the challenges faced by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) due to climate change, conflicts and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also provided several examples of ITC success stories, highlighting the ITC’s unwavering commitment to support MSMEs in developing economies to fully harness the benefits from international trade. Members expressed their appreciation for ITC’s work.
The WTO’s LDC group requested that the WTO Secretariat resumes the preparation of the report pursuant to the Bali Ministerial Decision on duty-free and quota-free market access to facilitate the annual review of the steps taken by members to provide duty-free quota-free market access for LDCs. Reference was made to the WTO Secretariat’s note entitled “Market access for products and services of export interest to LDCs” for further information on duty-free quota-free market access for LDCs.
Members also considered the Economic Complementarity Agreement between Mexico and Cuba. The note on special and differential treatment provisions will be updated by the WTO Secretariat to facilitate future discussions under the WTO Monitoring Mechanism, a process established in 2013 to act as a focal point within the WTO for the analysis and review of the implementation of special and differential provisions. The Committee also adopted its 2024 Annual Report.
The next meeting is expected to take place on 24 March 2025.
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