Examen de comunicaciones de los miembros de la OMC

 En sus reuniones de los días 18 y 21 de noviembre, el Comité de Comercio y Desarrollo (CCD) examinó tres nuevas comunicaciones de Miembros de la OMC. El Comité también debatió sobre varias nuevas notas de la Secretaría de la OMC, en particular las relativas a las tendencias comerciales y la aplicación de las disposiciones de trato especial y diferenciado contenidas en los Acuerdos de la OMC. Estas reuniones tuvieron lugar en el marco de la Semana del Desarrollo de la OMC, en la que también se celebraron sesiones específicas sobre los arreglos comerciales preferenciales y las pequeñas economías, así como reuniones sobre la Ayuda para el Comercio y los países menos adelantados.

A proposal from Japan addressed the missing link between domestic trade policies and the WTO trade rules. It aims to support the integration of developing economies and least developed countries into global trade and value chains. Two submissions from China focused on the development dimensions of carbon standards and on supporting the multilateral trading system.  

At the meeting, China also informed members about developments under the China-Africa Economic Partnership for a Shared Future, which would extend zero-tariff treatment for 100% of tariff lines to 53 African countries. In line with this, China informed members of an upcoming notification of the Early-Harvest Arrangement with Congo. 

Members welcomed the Secretariat's analysis on the implementation of special and differential treatment provisions as a useful basis for continued work to enhance  understanding of the use of available flexibilities in WTO agreements. Members also welcomed the latest addition in the series of biennial notes on the participation of developing economies in the global trading system. 

The note showed that developing economies increased their share in global merchandise exports to 47% in 2024, up from 46% in 2022, while their share of commercial services exports remained stable compared to 2022, at 33%. With regard to economic diversification, and despite progress in accessing new markets for merchandise and commercial services exports, many developing economies continue to face challenges in diversifying away from their main export destinations.

Other items discussed included the consideration of the Report of the 59th Session of the Joint Advisory Group of the International Trade Centre, notifications under the Enabling Clause, the CTD's mandate as a focal point for development work, progress in technical assistance, the annual review of steps taken to provide duty-free and quota-free market access for LDCs, and the draft annual report of the CTD.

Dedicated sessions of the CTD

At the CTD's Dedicated Session on Preferential Trade Arrangements, members took note of three new notifications. These included Japan's notification to grant a three-year extension of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for graduating least developed countries (LDCs), and notifications by China and the Russian Federation. The European Union noted an increase in utilization rates of its GSP scheme. 

During the Dedicated Session on Small Economies, members reviewed  a new Secretariat note on the interface between trade and climate change. Members welcomed the report, stressing that vulnerability to climate change is an issue faced by small economies, along with limited domestic markets, lack of economies of scale, and geographic remoteness.

LDC Sub-Committee

At the meeting of the WTO Sub-Committee on LDCs on 17 November, members examined LDCs trade trends and explored ways to support the integration of recently acceded LDCs into world trade.  Although LDC exports of goods and commercial services grew at an average annual rate of 6.7% between 2019 and 2024, their share in world exports has remained stagnant at around 1%. Members recognized the need for further efforts to enhance LDCs' export capacity to help them benefit from emerging trade opportunities.

Ambassador Antonio da Conceição of Timor-Leste and Economic Advisor Ahmed Mzé of the Permanent Mission of Comoros shared their experiences in integrating WTO rules into their domestic frameworks following accession. While highlighting progress in undertaking regulatory reforms and meeting transparency obligations, Comoros and Timor-Leste emphasized ongoing challenges in meeting post-accession commitments and effectively participating in WTO discussions.

The World Bank and the International Trade Centre shared examples of support provided to Comoros and Timor-Leste in their accession processes, including efforts to enhance the business environment, strengthen trade infrastructure and improve regulatory procedures. The WTO Secretariat highlighted examples of technical assistance activities available to recently acceded LDCs, including in agriculture, rules of origin, trade facilitation and standards. Members also discussed the benefits for LDCs of joining the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), which provides access to procurement markets among GPA parties valued at an estimated USD 1.7 trillion. Members welcomed the progress made by recently acceded LDCs and reiterated their support to help LDCs become more active participants in global trade.

 

Aid for Trade

During the Aid for Trade session of the CTD on 20 November, members received updates from international financial institutions and development partners. 

The World Bank, one of the largest providers of Aid for Trade, disbursed USD 74 billion from 2021 to 2023. Its Trade Facilitation Support Program was the main channel for technical assistance and capacity building to modernize customs and reduce trade costs; its USD 60 million in disbursements from 2014 to 2024 leveraged more than USD 800 million in lending.

The African Development Bank highlighted initiatives to  advance the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through its "Integrate Africa"and Industrialise Africa" strategies. It reported mobilizing USD 100 million for technical assistance via the Africa Competitiveness and Trade Fund.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development highlighted its work on trade facilitation, SME development, infrastructure and trade policy, noting the expansion of its operations into Sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq under its 2026-2030 strategy.

The Inter-American Development Bank emphasized trade-facilitation reforms, support for agriculture and knowledge-based services, and stronger investment-promotion tools to help countries attract and manage foreign direct investment.

Members also heard updates on the European Union's Global Gateway and China-Africa technical cooperation in agriculture as well as outcomes from the Global SME Ministerial Meeting held from 22 to 24 July 2025 in Johannesburg.

Members considered the latest communication from Australia and Barbados - a draft ministerial decision on "Reinforcing members' commitment to Aid for Trade partnerships". The proposal stresses the need to support developing members in implementing trade rules and building trade-related capacity. It also recognizes the importance of robust monitoring and evaluation and calls for improving awareness of multilateral technical assistance and capacity building programmes.

Australia, Cambodia, the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), the International Trade Centre, TradeMark Africa and the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) shared experiences on monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). Some of the lessons learned included using key performance indicators (KPIs) and achieving political buy-in.

The ITC's latest annual evaluation report pointed to early alignment with partners and real-time monitoring as being key to efficiency, and underlined the need for early, evidence-based evaluation as well as strong stakeholder engagement.

TradeMark Africa underscored the role of strong partnerships, institutions and political will, reporting major logistical gains, including a 40% reduction in transit time between Dar es Salaam and Tunduma, Tanzania.

The STDF showcased sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) innovations, such as ePhyto and Prioritizing SPS Investments for Market Access (P-IMA), highlighting scaling opportunities. National perspectives from Australia and Cambodia underscored MEL's role in assessing development impacts, with Australia's framework emphasizing co-design, systematic monitoring and transparent Aid for Trade reporting.

The Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) efforts in measuring South-South flows were also highlighted, including its mechanism for enabling verification of data by recipient countries.

 Fuente: Organización Mundial del Comercio 

                                     Fuente de fotografía: Organización Mundial del Comercio