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What should LDCs pack in their suitcase for Bali?

Volume
2,
Number
8
-
15 November 2013
WTO MC9 (Bali 2013)

LDCs: All roads lead to Bali

15 November 2013
This issue is published jointly with IDEAS Centre Geneva and aims at taking stock of the issues of special interest to the least-developed countries (LDCs) on the eve of the WTO's Bali Ministerial Conference. No one can deny that the rhythm of the negotiations has increased since the end of the...
WTO MC9 (Bali 2013)

Interview | Shanker D. Bairagi, Ambassador of Nepal and Coordinator of LDCs consultative group in WTO.

15 November 2013
Nepal Ambassador, LDC group Coordinator at the WTO S.D Bairagi
Shankar D. Bairagi is currently the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the World Trade Organization. He is also the Coordinator of LDCs consultative group in WTO. The LDC package to be harvested at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ninth Ministerial Conference (MC9) to be held in...
WTO Ministerial Conference

Bali, the Doha Round and the multilateral legal framework

15 November 2013
Nicolas Imboden
What are the changes that have occurred since Doha? What impact have they had on the LDCs and on the inclusive multilateral trading system? The Doha Development Round, launched in 2001, has not yet been able to produce substantial results. With little prospects for a breakthrough in the...
WTO Ministerial Conference

Challenges facing LDCs in Bali and Beyond

15 November 2013
Christophe Bellmann
What is the way forward for LDCs in a post-Bali and post-Doha context? Because of their structural handicaps reflected in low income levels, high economic vulnerability and weak human assets, least-developed countries (LDCs) face particular challenges in integrating into the global economy. As the...
WTO Ministerial Conference

Agricultural trade issues at the WTO ministerial conference in Bali: Stakes and challenges for African countries

15 November 2013
Yonov Frederick Agah
Negotiations for the progressive liberalisation of global trade in agriculture under Article 20 of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) remain an important objective for African countries, which would also need complementary domestic policy reforms to enhance...
WTO Ministerial Conference

How does the G-33 proposal address LDC concerns in the area of food security?

15 November 2013
Nicolas Imboden
This article assesses the G-33 proposal in regard to the food security issues faced by the LDCs. The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), which was negotiated during the Uruguay Round, addressed the trade issues that agricultural crops faced on the world market at that time, i.e. oversupply of food...
WTO Ministerial Conference

Trade facilitation: A forward agenda

15 November 2013
Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing
The Trade Facilitation deal needs to be reached with the required internal balance and a mix of some other development gains at the 9th Ministerial Conference in Bali. Trade Facilitation (TF) is at the heart of the current negotiations ahead of the World trade Organization (WTO ) Ministerial...
WTO Ministerial Conference

Boosting SME competitiveness through trade facilitation

15 November 2013
Arancha Gonzalez
A Trade Facilitation Agreement, whether reached in Bali or later, will create the conditions for businesses in LDCs to join value chains and benefit from export-led growth. An agreement on trade facilitation will bring benefits to developed and developing countries alike. By making it easier for...
WTO Ministerial Conference

Protecting and improving US market access for the poorest countries

15 November 2013
Kimberly Elliott
How could the United States provide duty- free, quota-free market access to Asian LDCs while protecting current preference beneficiaries? Support from the Obama administration for a compromise along these lines would help to ensure a positive outcome at the upcoming WTO ministerial meeting in Bali...
WTO Ministerial Conference

Preferential multilateral rules of origin for LDCs

15 November 2013
Mark Pearson
A look into the least- developed countries (LDCs) proposal on preferential rules of origin Rules of origin (RoO) define how much local processing takes place before a good can be considered to be a product of the exporting country. Rules of origin underpin FTAs Preferential RoO are the cornerstone...
WTO Ministerial Conference

The LDC Services Waiver beyond Bali

15 November 2013
Sherry M. Stephenson, Anne-Katrin Pfister
Two years after the waiver, allowing WTO Members to grant trade preferences in favour of services and service suppliers from least-developed countries (LDCs), no request for such preferences has been put on the table and the waiver still needs to be operationalised. What is preventing countries...
WTO Ministerial Conference

Cotton: What’s on the table for Bali and after Bali?

15 November 2013
Ammad Bahalim
Co t t on production, trade and support have changed dramatically since the issue was first introduced into trade talks and the WTO's Bali Ministerial may present an opportunity to lock-in some gains. The context that prevailed for cotton when ministers first put the issue on the agenda at the WTO'...
WTO Ministerial Conference

Aid for Trade: Future directions

15 November 2013
Vinaye Ancharaz
E i g h t y ea r s l a t er , w i t h the D oha Round in a n impasse, and world trade increasingly dominated by global value chains and dented by successive economic crises, it is useful to ask if the AFT initiative is on track, and to learn from its achievements and shortcomings. According to OECD...

ICTSD reporting | Azevêdo extends WTO negotiating deadline in bid to secure Bali deal

15 November 2013
Director-General Roberto Azevêdo announced that he would be extending their original 12 November deadline to allow negotiators reach a “Bali package” ahead of next month’s ministerial Conference. The trade chief was originally expected to announce on 12 november at the trade negotiations Committee...

Publications and resources

15 November 2013
Trade in Sustainable Energy Services - ICTSD - October 2013 Facilitating trade in goods that can promote sustainable energy is intuitive and potentially powerful in the search for energy security, the provision of access to energy, and the mitigation of climate change. Much less recognised, however...