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AITIC's Early Warning System

Selected WTO Meetings of Particular Importance to Less-Advantaged Countries
 (July – September 2002)

This list is intended to keep less-advantaged countries (LACs) – particularly the non-resident members and observers of the WTO – informed on upcoming meetings at the WTO in Geneva. It is hoped that this will help these countries better apply their limited resources so as to maximise their involvement in the areas that are of most importance to them.

Please note that not all WTO meetings are listed. We have not listed meetings of standard WTO bodies for which no information is available, or where the subjects to be covered are of limited direct relevance to LACs. All meetings are formal, unless indicated to be informal by an asterisk (*). The nature of informal meetings and consultations is often such that it is very difficult to have prior details, meaning that this list necessarily focuses on formal meetings.

The list is based on information available on 27 June 2002.


I. Negotiating Bodies & Special Sessions

WTO Body
Meeting Dates
Subjects to be Discussed

Committee on Agriculture (Special Session)

2-3*, 4 September

· Market access: technical elaboration of detailed possible modalities, including rules-related elements.

· See TN/AG/1.

23-25*, 27 September

· Domestic support: technical elaboration of detailed possible modalities, including rules-related elements.

·  See TN/AG/1.

Committee on Trade and Development (Special Session)

2 July

· Special and differential treatment, including consideration of members’ submissions.

· Consideration of elements of a draft report to the General Council.

· See WTO/AIR/1845.

17 July*

· Consideration of elements of a draft report to the General Council.

Committee on Trade and Development (Special Session)

16 September

· Agenda not yet available.

· Paragraph 12 of the Doha Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns assigns the following tasks to this committee:

- to identify mandatory and non-binding special and differential treatment provisions;
 - to consider the legal and practical implications of converting such provisions into mandatory ones and to identify those that should be made mandatory;
 - to examine ways of making special and differential treatment provisions more effective and helping developing countries make better use of them; and
 - to consider how special and differential treatment can be incorporated into WTO rules.

Council for Trade in Services (Special Session)

23-25 July

· Agenda not yet available.

· Paragraph 15 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration requires initial requests for specific commitments to be submitted by 30 June 2002 and initial offers by 31 March 2003.

Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (Special Session)

20 September

· Agenda not yet available.

· Continuation of discussions and ideas previously put forward, along with new ideas and proposals.

· Possible consideration of the proposed system of notification and registration of geographical indications.

· Continued identification of aims for phase two (final negotiations).

· See TN/IP/1, JOB(02)/49.

Dispute Settlement Body (Special Session)

15-16 July

· Agenda not yet available.

· Likely to include discussion of proposals already submitted (“track two”) and open-ended discussion of issues and objectives for the negotiations (“track one”).

· See TN/DS/1.

10-11 September

· Agenda not yet available.

Negotiating Group on Rules

8-10 July

· Subsidies and countervailing measures.

· Regional trade agreements.

· Antidumping.

· See TN/RL/1.

Negotiating Group on Market Access

11-12 July

· Agenda not yet available.

· Work programme still under discussion.

12-13 September

· Agenda not yet available.

Trade Negotiations Committee

18-19 July

· Agenda to be issued on 8 July.

· Discussions will focus on reports from the subsidiary negotiating bodies.

II. Other WTO Bodies

WTO Body
Meeting Dates
Subjects to be Discussed

Committee on Customs Valuation

3-4 July

· Implementation issues in tirets 57-61 of JOB(01)/152/Rev.1.

· Accuracy of declared values (see paragraph 1.2 of the Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns).

· See WTO/AIR/1830.

Committee on Market Access

23 September

· Agenda not yet available.

· Paragraph 1.2 of the Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns requires the committee to consider the meaning of “substantial interest” in the context of quota administration.

Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures

25 July

· Agenda not yet available.

· Implementation issues to be considered are found in paragraph 10 of the Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns and tirets 64-83 of JOB(01)/152/Rev.1.


WTO Body
Meeting Dates
Subjects to be Discussed

Committee on Trade and Development

1 July

· Requests for observer status.

· Technical cooperation and training: information from the WTO Secretariat.

· Notifications from Switzerland and Japan (generalised system of preferences) and India and Sri Lanka (enabling clause).

· Report of the Joint Advisory Group on the International Trade Centre.

· Participation of developing countries in world trade.

· Consideration of the EC’s submission on environment and development (WT/COMTD/W/99).

· Presentation by the NEPAD Secretariat.

· Review of GATT Article XVIII.

· Electronic commerce.

· Regular session to be followed by a Dedicated Session on Small Economies.

· See WTO/AIR/1825/Rev.1 & 1826.


WTO Body

Meeting Dates

Subjects to be Discussed

Committee on Trade-Related Investment Measures

10 July

· Agenda not yet available.

· Outstanding implementation issues in tirets 37-40 of JOB(01)/152/Rev.1:

- developing countries will have a further opportunity to notify existing measures which could then be maintained until the end of the new transition period;
- Article 5.3 must be amended and made mandatory;
 - developing countries will be exempted from disciplines on domestic content requirements; and
 - inclusion of specific provisions to give flexibility to developing countries to implement development policies.

· See WTO/AIR/1846.
Council for Trade in Services
17 July

· Agenda not yet available.

· Paragraph 15 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration requires initial requests for specific commitments to be submitted by 30 June 2002 and initial offers by 31 March 2003.


WTO Body
Meeting Dates
Subjects to be Discussed

Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights

17-19 September

· Agenda not yet available.

· Paragraph 11 of the Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns requires continued consideration of:

- non-violation complaints; and
 - technology transfer.

· See also tirets 87-95 of JOB(01)/152/Rev.1.

General Council

8-9 July

· Agenda not yet available.

30 July

· Dedicated session on electronic commerce.

31 July

· Agenda not yet available.

High Level Briefing / Meeting on Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building

16 July

· Agenda not yet available.

Seminar on Accessions

15-16 July

· Country experiences.

· The accession process and:

- market access;
 - agriculture;
 - technical barriers to trade;
 - sanitary and phytosanitary standards;
 - TRIPS; and
 - services.

Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries

16 July

· Work programme for LDCs.

· Accession of LDCs.

· See WTO/AIR/1848.


WTO Body
Meeting Dates
Subjects to be Discussed

Working Group on the Interaction Between Trade and Competition Policy

1-2 July

· Paragraph 25 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, specifically:

- provisions on hardcore cartels; and
 - modalities for voluntary cooperation.

· Technical assistance and capacity building.

· Stocktaking of national experiences and legislation.

· See WTO/AIR/1824.

26-27 September

· Agenda not yet available.

Working Group on the Relationship Between Trade and Investment

3-5 July

· Technical assistance: update by the WTO Secretariat.

· Paragraph 22 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, specifically:

- non-discrimination;
 - pre-establishment treatment; and
 - development provisions.

· Continued discussion of other issues.

· Submissions on paragraph 22 issues were requested by 24 June.

· See WTO/AIR/1840.

16-18 September

· Agenda not yet available.


WTO Body
Meeting Dates
Subjects to be Discussed
Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance

11-12 July

· Agenda not yet available.

· The draft work programme covers:

- trade and the financial architecture;
- trade policy and financial stability;
 - external debt and trade;
 - market access for highly indebted low-income countries;
 - coherence; and
 - WTO rules.

· See WT/WGTDF/M/1 and WT/WGTDF/W/1.

30 September

· Agenda not yet available.

Workshop on Trade and Investment

2 July (English)

· Scope and definition.

· Transparency.

· Non-discrimination.

· Modalities for pre-establishment commitments.

· Development provisions.

· Exceptions and balance-of-payments safeguards.

· Dispute settlement..

· NB: Open only to certain Geneva-based delegations.

· See WT/WGTI/INF/2.

13 September (French)

· To focus on subjects to be discussed at the 16-18 September meeting of the Working Group on the Relationship Between Trade and Investment.

· NB: Open only to certain Geneva-based delegations.

· See WT/WGTI/INF/2.

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