Press report on the international conference on “Upcoming Ninth WTO Ministerial: Securing the LDCs Deliverables,” at the Brac Centre Inn Auditorium, during Friday, 25 October 2013 and Saturday, 26 October 2013.
For all press reports published during 26-27 October 2013, click here [pdf ~2.7 MB]
Published in The Daily Star
WTO Waiver on Services
Windows opened for LDCs
Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh would immensely benefit from WTO’s decision to grant waiver on services from the least developed countries (LDCs) in its ninth ministerial conference slated for December in Bali, Indonesia.
Debapriya Bhattacharya, economist and distinguished fellow of think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said this yesterday at an international conference at Brac Centre Inn in Dhaka on the upcoming WTO ministerial conference.
He said the adaptation of waiver on services would allow the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) member countries to grant preferential market access to the services and service suppliers of the LDCs.
“Since Bangladesh is a member of LDCs, it will also be benefited from the decision. The country will enjoy trade benefit on export of services to the developed and developing countries for the decision,” he said.
The WTO will also adopt another important decision on Rules of Origin (RoO) at the Bali conference to be held between December 3 and 6.
Once for the first time the proposed decision on RoO is adopted, governments will have to set multilaterally agreed guidelines, which should help make LDC exports to qualify for preferential market access to developed and developing countries easier.
Two important issues — duty-free and quota-free (DFQF), and cotton — would remain unresolved in the Bali conference although the LDCs had been negotiating to resolve the issues for a long time, Bhattacharya said.
Some African countries have been negotiating to reduce subsidies in cotton by the US government, as they can hardly benefit from global cotton trade for this move by the American government.
The Bali conference would be the deciding factor as to whether the multilateral trade negotiation would be in place or not, as governments prefer bilateral trade negotiations in global trade, although the LDCs were more benefited from multilateral trade platforms, he said.
Trade analysts at home and abroad, academicians, diplomats and researchers also spoke at the three-day international conference at Brac Centre Inn, a preparatory gathering for Bali conference, organised by the CPD.
William Hanna, ambassador of the EU delegation to Bangladesh, urged the WTO to negotiate the trade facilitation as it is considered as the common agenda of all countries.
Urging the LDCs to work unitedly to achieve the goals, Bangladesh Commerce Minister GM Quader said Bangladesh currently enjoyed duty benefit from almost all the developed countries except for the US.
CPD Executive Director Mustafizur Rahman presented the keynote paper at the conference.
Published in The Daily Star Business
LDCs to demand full duty waiver
Star Business Report
LDCs to demand full duty waiver Trade analysts yesterday demanded full duty-waiver for least-developed countries’ (LDCs) exports to developed countries, as promised in the Sixth World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in 2005.
They also urged the leaders of the developed countries to outline a specific timeline for implementation of the full duty-waiver on import of goods from LDCs, in the Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Bali from December 3 to 6.
Currently, the developed countries, particularly the US, offer duty benefits to 97 percent of the products from LDCs. The major exportable products, however, are excluded, so the LDCs do not enjoy any meaningful gains from the facility.
For instance, the country’s main foreign exchange earner, readymade garments, is not included in the duty benefit scheme to the American market; it is subjected to 15.30 percent duty upon entry to the US shores.
In 2012, the country paid $746 million as duty to the US customs for exporting a little above five billion dollars worth of garment items.
Bangladesh, however, was supposed to enjoy the zero-duty benefits on export for all products to the US market, as per the commitments in the 2005 Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong.
“So, we want inclusion of those 3 percent products in the WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali,” said Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), during a conference at the capital’s BRAC Centre Inn yesterday on the upcoming WTO Ministerial meet.
He also urged the developed countries for expeditious and effective implementation of the LDC services waiver.
Rahman also demanded that the WTO harmonise trade facilitation with other issues like customs valuation, as the LDCs would “benefit from flexibility of trade facilitation”.
Earlier, at a session on trade facilitation, Manzur Ahmed, an adviser to the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said the transit and energy transit are the newest issues in trade facilitation.
“So, those newest issues should be elaborated while any action is taken in this regard.”
Toufiq Ali, former permanent representative of Bangladesh to the WTO and UN offices in Geneva, said although the tariff rates are coming down, cohesive negotiation is needed by the LDCs to reduce them even further.
Also at the conference, the participants of the African LDCs demanded that the US reduces subsidy on cotton production as it creates an uneven competition in global cotton trade.
Debapriya Bhattacharya, economist and distinguished fellow of CPD, chaired the final session on ‘systemic issues and way forward’, while Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque was the chief guest. Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed also spoke.
Published in The Financial Express
LDCs should identify common interests to reap WTO’s benefit
FE Report
Speakers at an international conference Friday said the least developed countries (LDCs) should identify their common interests and work together to reap the maximum benefit from the WTO Doha round negotiations.
They said the LDCs have not even held any preparatory meeting ahead of the Ninth WTO Ministerial, scheduled to be held in Bali, Indonesia early December.
It is apprehended that the ministerial may bring a poor outcome for the LDCs due to lack of coordination among them, they opined.
“We saw the US used other LDCs against Bangladesh for not giving duty-free quota-free (DFQF) facility to the country. If the LDCs get united, the developed countries will not be able to use such tricks against their interest,” said Jane Seruwagi Nalunga, country director of the Kampala-based Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI).
The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the international conference titled ‘Upcoming Ninth WTO Ministerial: Securing the LDCs Deliverables’ at Brac Centre Inn in the city.
The conference was organised for defining, discussing and identifying concrete deliverables for the LDCs in the forthcoming WTO ministerial conference.
Commerce Minister G M Quader attended the programme as the chief guest.
Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, CPD distinguished fellow, Mustafizur Rahman, CPD executive director, Eloi Laourou, deputy permanent representative, Embassy and Permanent Mission of Benin in Geneva, Nicolas Imboden, executive director, IDEAS Centre, Geneva, Steffen Smidt, special representative of Denmark to the WTO and facilitator to the TNC chairman on LDC issues for the WTO Bali conference, and Fahmida Khatun, CPD research director, also spoke at the inaugural session of the conference.
The commerce minister said the LDCs should work together and single out their common interest for the 9th WTO Ministerial.
G M Quader said Bangladesh has benefited much from the WTO, as it got DFQF facility from across the world. The Bangladesh government is unable to hold any large-scale preparatory meeting ahead of the ministerial meeting, as it is now passing a transition period.
However, the government is going to be fully prepared before participating the meet, he added.
Mustafizur Rahman said the LDC package – DFQF and market access, cotton issue, preferential rules and origin and operation of the service waiver – are expected to be discussed in the ministerial as the LDCs’ interest.
Other interest for the LDCs may include – monitoring mechanism for special and differential treatment provisions, and the Cancun 28 proposals, relating to S&D treatment for the developing countries and the LDCs.
Steffen Smidt said the decision on operationalization of the LDCs service waiver, adopted by the WTO members in the last ministerial conference, is important for Bangladesh.
“Members have now agreed that once the LDCs table a collective request, identifying their sectors and modes of supply of export interest to them, they will hold a high-level meeting. In the meet they will indicate where they intend to provide preferential market access to the LDC service suppliers,” he added.
Published in The Financial Express
Trade facilitation issue at WTO’s Bali Ministerial
BD should seek developed economies’ support: Experts
FE Report
Bangladesh should not make any commitment at the upcoming Bali Ministerial of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) without being assured of developed countries’ support to undertake necessary investments required for enhancing trade facilitation, speakers said Saturday.
Speakers said there should be a minimum consensus on the newly included issues of transit and energy transit in the trade facilitation (TF) agreement as there are lots of things which need to be elaborated.
They were speaking at the opening session on trade facilitation on the second day of a three-day international conference on “Upcoming Ninth WTO Ministerial: Securing the LDCs Deliverables” at the Brac Centre Inn in the city.
The event was organised by the CPD in association with Geneva-based International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD).
CPD Executive Director Mustafizur Rahman moderated the dialogue participated by local and foreign experts.
Mustafizur Rahman said trade facilitation is very important for the country since it will not only help enhance exports through reducing production costs but also assist the country reduce the costs of import and production by lowering prices of inputs.
“Agreement on TF can really be helpful from the development perspective. But it is important that Bangladesh gets the support of the developed countries to undertake investments needed for enhancing the trade facilitation,” said Mr Rahman.
Without that window, Bangladesh should not be obligated to make any TF commitment, he said, adding, agreement is good but there should be commensurate technical and financial support to build up the needed infrastructure in the trade facilitation measures.
On technical assistance, Advisor to the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Manzur Ahmed said there is no scope for anybody to bypass the commitment made in the Hong Kong Declaration or July 24 package declaration. LDCs will not be required to undertake obligation which they cannot comply with because of lack of technical and other shortcomings.
He said though it is too late to influence the Bali conference, the government should raise voice regarding the problems the least developed countries (LDCs) face regarding implementing and agreeing with trade facilitation agreement.
“From the private sector I would request addressing the entire horizontal issues that affect all kinds of industries rather than the multinationals,” Mr Ahmed said.
He said there are a number of technical obligations but they need to be harmonised with individual WTO agreements like customs clearance procedure, customs valuation agreement, import licensing agreement etc.
“If we have different sets of obligations other than the parent WTO agreement, there will be confusion,” Mr Ahmed added.
In another session on “Agriculture Issues (including food security and cotton),” speakers said there is rhetoric going on in the WTO negotiations and any negotiation should highlight WTO’s implementation agenda in this regard.
Criticising the developed countries’ attitude towards technical assistance (TA), they said the assistance is provided by the donors to create jobs for their own people. An estimated 60 to 80 per cent of the TA is spent on the consultants of donors’ choice.
Productivity growth and price increase are the major challenges for the LDCs. Food import bill of the LDCs increased eight times in the last decade over what they export, they pointed out.
Published in Dhaka Tribune
Pre-Bali talks kick off in Dhaka
Doha Round might get impetus or face death if the Bali meeting failed to bring any positive outcome
Tribune Report Business
Failure in negotiations on trade facilitation in the upcoming WTO ministerial meeting in Bali will weaken the multilateral trading system, the interests of least developed countries (LDCs) like Bangladesh, analysts said on Friday.
They were also of the view that the Doha Round might get impetus or face death if the Bali meeting failed to bring any positive outcome. This will also create an opportunity for the developed countries to go for regional trade agreements, which will delay duty-free access of the LDCs’ products to the developed countries.
The remarks came at a three-day international conference on the upcoming ninth WTO ministerial in the city.
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) in association with a host of international organisations arranged the event aimed at creating a platform to discuss issues of concern and interests of the LDCs in the context of the current negotiations in Geneva and the upcoming negotiations in Bali, Indonesia on December 3-6.
The event brought together 15 overseas participants, including the WTO negotiators and ambassadors, officials from the WTO Secretariat, academics and trade policy experts and activists.
Commerce Minister GM Quader inaugurated the event and urged the LDCs to take a common stance to get preferential trade facilities from the developed countries.
“The LDCs should raise their voice together to get duty- and quote-free access for their products to the developed countries,” he said.
Debapriya Bhattacharya, a CPD distinguished fellow, said there had been a lot of commitments for trade facilitation but no effective measures were taken for implementing those.
“Failure of the Bali meeting may bring death for the Doha Round. So, Bali meeting is very important,” he said.
He also said if the multilateral trading system did not get impetus, many developed countries would revert to bilateral trade agreement, “which will lead to loss of competiveness of the LDCs’ products.”
The issue about duty-free access of LDCs to the development countries remained unresolved for too long, which was a matter of concern, he said.
CPD Executive Director Mustafizur Rahman said the current Doha Round negotiations had been the most prolonged event in the history of multilateral trade negotiations as it was ongoing for twelve years.
“The world has changed significantly since 2001 when ministers met in Doha. There are reasons for the LDCs to be frustrated as they observed that a round which was ambitiously termed ‘Development Round’ saw its development content gradually recede in the background.”
He said the LDCs continued to suffer significant preference erosion in the face of a growing number of regional trade agreements and weak commitment for aid for trade, high and volatile food and commodity prices.
Steffen Smidt, special representative of Denmark to the WTO, in a message said for the first time, the governments would have a set of multilaterally agreed guidelines, which should help make it easier for LDC exports to qualify for preferential market access both to developed and developing country markets.
Smidt is also the facilitator to the TNC chairman on LDC issues for the WTO Bali ministerial conference.
Members have now agreed that once the LDCs table a collective request indentifying their sectors and modes of supply of export interest to them, they will hold a high-level meeting. Then they will indicate where they intend to provide preferential market access to the LDC services suppliers.
The three-day conference endeavoured to articulate a common stance concerning key deliverables of the development package in Bali.
Sessions of the conference will discuss state of play of current negotiations in Geneva and the LDCs’ interests, and possible stance as regards negotiations on trade facilitation, agriculture issues, including food security and cotton, duty-, quota-free market access for the LDCs, and the LDC waiver in the services sector.
Discussions will also focus on systemic issues and the way forward. Based on the discussions and suggestions at the event, an outcome document will be prepared articulating the LDC deliverables.
Published in Dhaka Tribune
Trade experts for allowing 100% LDC products duty-free
Ninety seven percent of LDC products already enjoy the DFQF in the US, but most of the potential items of the LDCs fall in the rest 3% and not enjoy the DFQF status
Tribune Report Commerce
An international dialogue recommended allowing 100% duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) entry of products from least developed countries (LDCs) like Bangladesh to the US market for a better and equitable world.
“The developed countries should not impose restrictions on products of LDCs as they have limited export basket,” according to a set of recommendations that emerged out of the two-day meeting concluded in Dhaka on Saturday.
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), a local think-tank, in association with a host of international organisations arranged the event to prepare a document articulating the LDC deliverables in the context of the current negotiations in Geneva and the upcoming ninth WTO ministerial conference scheduled for December 3-6 in Bali, Indonesia.
CPD Executive Director Mustafizur Rahman unveiled the recommendations at the concluding session of the dialogue, pointing out that the issue of DFQF access of LDC products to the development countries, particularly the United States, remained unsettled for long.
Ninety seven percent of LDC products already enjoy the DFQF in the US, but most of the potential items of the LDCs fall in the rest 3% and not enjoy the DFQF status. For instance, the apparel items of Bangladesh, which is now passing a GSP suspension regime, are not provided with the status.
With 15 overseas participants, including WTO negotiators and ambassadors, officials from WTO secretariat, academics, trade experts and activists, attended the dialogue which was shortened to two days due to 60-hour strike beginning from today morning.
The recommendation covered four areas trade facilitation, agriculture issues, including food security and cotton, DFQF access for the LDCs, and LDC waiver in the services sector.
On DFQF for LDCs, the recommendations included identification of tariff lines to ‘safeguard’ interests of African LDCs and certain countries at similar level of development for time-bound exclusion from the immediate scope of DFQF implementation, stipulating a specific time line for fuller integration of the remaining excluded tariff lines (of the 3%) by the preference giving countries to achieve progressive compliance with the Hong Kong decision on DFQF, strengthening monitoring mechanism in the WTO to advance expeditious implementation of Hong Kong DFQF and measures undertaken since then.
For facilitating trade of LDCs, the recommendations included inking a possible trade facilitation agreement adequately taking into account the institutional capacity of LDCs, giving strong commitment on the provision of technical and financial support for the implementation of a trade facilitation agreement and harmonising aid for trade with other agreements in the WTO.
On agriculture issues, the recommendations included examining to devise a long-term solution for LDCs to benefit from disciplines of agriculture under WTO in the changing environment of global agriculture production, agricultural productivity and changes in climatic conditions, WTO commitment to not imposing any export restrictions to LDCs during times of food shortages, price volatility and high price when members are allowed flexibility through ‘peace clause’ or ‘due restraint’, endorsing the proposal submitted by Cotton Four on October 25, 2013 in both trade as well as development components of cotton, which calls for affirmation and implementation of the Hog Kong mandate, addressing distortions in the cotton sector including elimination of export subsidies and enhanced provision of Technical Assistance and capacity building.
About LDC waiver in the services sector, recommendations included expeditious and effective operationalisation of the LDC services waiver so as to provide meaningful preferences to LDC services and service suppliers, increased technical and financial assistance to strengthen the domestic services capacity of DLCs to take advantage of the preferences and LDCs to continue work after Bali to consolidate a collective request to identify the key sectors and modes of supply to appropriate to them.
Published in The Independent
WTO ministerial meet in Bali seen crucial
Failure in proper negotiation over trade facilitation for the least developed countries (LDCs) at the upcoming 9th WTO ministerial conference in Bali, Indonesia, may result in breaking up of the multilateral trading system.
Instead a bilateral trading system may be in order, Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said Friday.
Bali’s WTO Ministerial meeting is very important for the LDCs to negotiate properly over trade facilitation, he said adding: “If any concrete result does not come out from the upcoming Bali’s meeting, the ‘Doha Round’ may come to an end.”
Thus, the bilateral trading system may be established breaking up the multilateral trading system, Debapriya said while speaking at the inaugural session of international conference on “Upcoming Ninth WTO Ministerial: Securing the LDCs Deliverables” at BRAC Inn Centre in the city.
The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organized the conference aiming at defining, discussing and identifying concrete deliverables for the LDCs at the forthcoming Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia.
The conference was presided over by Debapriya Bhattacharya while commerce minister GM Quader attended the event as the chief guest.
Dr Fahmida Khatun, research director of CPD, gave the welcome address and Prof Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of CPD, made an introductory presentation at the meeting.
Among others, ambassador Steffen Smidt, special representative of Denmark to the WTO and facilitator to the TNC chairman on LDC issues for the WTO Bali Ministerial Conference, ambassador Eloi Laourou, Benin’s deputy permanent representative in Geneva, ambassador Nicolas Imboden, executive director of IDEAS Centre in Geneva, and Jane Seruwagi Nalunga, country director of Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute in Kampala, addressed the meeting as panellists.
GM Quader said, “We should take full preparation to negotiate over the demands of LDCs at the 9th Bali WTO Ministerial Conference.”
“The LDCs should work together and be united to push for their common interest for the upcoming WTO ministerial meeting,” he pointed out.
Although the government is not holding any large scale preparatory meeting for the 9th WTO ministerial meeting because it is going through a transition period. It will take full preparation before participating in the ministerial meeting, the minister asserted.
Bangladesh is now exporting not only agricultural products and readymade garment products but also manufactured goods, he said and added that production activities is result in creating employment opportunities and financial activities.
Thus, the trade facilitation for the LDCs like Bangladesh is needed to make progress in the other sectors, Quader added.
“Bangladesh has benefited much from the WTO as most of the developed countries except the US allowed us duty free quota free market access for Bangladeshi products,” saying it he urged the developed countries to continue their support to Bangladesh as a LDC to help the country in becoming a middle income country by 2021.
The panellists underscored the need for working together and identifying the common interests of the LDCs to get maximum benefits from the WTO Doha round negotiations scheduled to be held at Bali, Indonesia early December this year.
The LDCs even not held any preparatory meetings this time and lack of coordination among them it is apprehended that a poor outcome may emerge from the ministerial for LDCs interests, they said.
“We saw USA used other LDC countries against Bangladesh for not giving duty free quota free (DFQF) facility. If the LDCS became united, the developed countries will not able to use such tricks against LDC interest,” said Jane Seruwagi Nalunga, Country Director, Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI), Kampala.
Professor Mustafizur Rahman said the LDC package-DFQF and market access, cotton issue, preferential rules and origin and operation of the service waiver-is expected to be discussed at the ministerial as LDC interest.
Other interests for LDC include monitoring mechanism for Special and Differential Treatment provisions and the Cancun 28 proposals relating to S and D treatment for the developing countries and the LDCs’.
Published in The Daily Sun
LDCs should focus on common interest
CPD sees lack of coordination among LDCs before WTO ministerial
Staff Correspondent
Speakers at a conference Friday observed that the least developed countries (LDCs) should identify their common interests and work together to get the maximum benefits from the WTO Doha negotiations scheduled to be held at Bali in Indonesia early December this year.
They said LDCs even did not hold any preparatory meeting this time, and due to the lack of coordination among them, it is apprehended that a poor outcome may emerge from the ministerial meet for the LDCs.
The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the international conference on ‘Upcoming Ninth WTO Ministerial: Securing the LDCs Deliverables’ at Brac Centre Inn in the city to define, discuss and identify the concrete deliverables for the LDCs at the forthcoming WTO ministerial conference in Indonesia.
Commerce Minister GM Quader attended the conference as chief guest where Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow, Professor Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of CPD, Ambassador Eloi Laourou, deputy permanent representative of Benin to the UN organizations and WTO, Ambassador Nicolas Imboden, executive director of IDEAS Centre in Geneva, Ambassador Steffen Smidt, special representative of Denmark to the WTO and Facilitator to the TNC Chairman on LDC issues for the WTO Bali Ministerial Conference and Fahmida Khatun, research director of CPD spoke at the inaugural session of the conference.
While addressing the session, the commerce minister said the least developed countries should work together and sort out their common interest ahead of the ministerial meet.
Quader said Bangladesh was benefited from the WTO as it got duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market access from across the world. He said the government is now passing a transition period for which it is unable to hold any large-scale preparatory meeting for the WTO conference.
He, however, said the government will take full preparation before the ministerial meeting.
“We saw US used other LDC countries against Bangladesh for not giving duty-free quota- free (DFQF) facility. If the LDCS stay united, the developed countries will not able to use such tricks against the interest of the LDCs,” Jane Seruwagi Nalunga, country director, Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) of Kampala, said while addressing the function.
Professor Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of CPD, said the LDC package –DFQF and market access, cotton issue, preferential rules and origin and operation of the service waiver—are expected to be discussed at the ministerial meet.
Other interests for LDC include— Monitoring Mechanism for Special and Differential Treatment provisions and the 28 Cancun proposals relating to S&D treatment for the developing countries and the LDCs.
Ambassador Steffen Smidt said the decision on the operationalisation of the LDCs service waiver that WTO members adopted at the last ministerial conference is important for Bangladesh.
“Members have now agreed that once the LDCs table a collective request identifying their sectors and modes of supply of export interest to them, they will hold a high-level meeting at which they will indicate where they intend to provide preferential market access to LDC service suppliers,” he said.
Published in New Age
UPCOMING WTO MINISTERIAL
Experts seek time line for full DF-QF facility for LDCs
Staff Correspondent
Trade expert from across the globe on Saturday demanded that the ninth WTO ministerial meeting should stipulate a specific time line for full implementation of duty- and quota-free facility for the least developed countries in the market of the developed countries.
At an international conference styled ‘Upcoming Ninth WTO Ministerial: Securing the LDCs Deliverable’ held in Dhaka, they said that the developed countries including the USA should announce a time frame for inclusion of the remaining 3 per cent tariff lines which is now remained excluded in duty- and quota-free facility.
The Centre for Policy Dialogue hosted the two-day conference that ended on Saturday with declaring a draft outcome document of the conference.
Switzerland-based International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, IDEAS Centre, UK-based The Commonwealth, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Bangladesh office, Nepal-based South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment, and Think Tank Initiative Network were the joint organisers of the conference.
The conference also sought strong commitment from the WTO member countries for not to impose any export restrictions on food grains to the LDCs particularly during the time of food shortages and price volatility.
‘The ninth World Trade Organisation ministerial conference that will be held on December in Indonesia should stipulate a specific time line for fuller integration of the excluded tariff lines by the preference giving countries for implementation of the Hong Kong decision on DF-QF,’ CPD executive director Mustafizur Rahman said.
According to the Hong Kong decision, the developed countries committed to provide 100 per cent duty-free market access to the LDCs, he said adding that there is also a provision of providing the facility for 97 per cent tariff lines by the countries which are not in a position to provide full facility.
WTO development division counsellor Taufiqur Rahman said that the USA had granted the facility for 82.5 per cent of tariff lines as part of single undertaking principle of WTO.
Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute director Mostafa Abid Khan said that Bangladesh needed to discuss with the USA for getting the facility at 100 per cent.
Washington-based Center for Global Development senior fellow Kimberly Ann Elliott said that the USA was the only developed country that was well short of the goal of duty- and quota-free market access for all LDCs though it provided duty facilities to the developing countries in Africa and others.
The country also provides generalised system of preferences to some 14 Asian LDCs including Bangladesh. The facility does not cover apparel sector which has to pay 15 per cent average tariff.
Ann Elliott proposed an alternative that would allow LDCs duty- and quota-free market access to the USA without hampering the facility given to the African countries.
The draft outcome of the conference also proposed for strengthening monitoring mechanism in the WTO to advance expeditious implementation of 100 per cent DF-QF facility.
The outcome also said that there should be strong commitment to the provision of technical and financial support for the implementation of a trade facilitation agreement.
It also sought expeditious and effective operationlisation of the LDC service waiver initiative.
Foreign secretary Md Shahidul Haque, commerce secretary Mahbub Ahmed, CPD distinguished fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya, former permanent representative of Bangladesh to the WTO Toufiq Ali, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry adviser Manzur Ahmed attended the programme.
Trade experts and representatives from various international think-tanks were also present.