Analytical Note, January 2005
Selection of the WTO Director-General: Some Points to Consider.
WTO Members are currently engaged in the selection process for the next WTO Director General. There are four candidates for the position. (more…)
WTO
Analytical Note, December 2004
Revenue Implications of WTO NAMA Tariff Reduction.
It is generally accepted that trade liberalisation could have a detrimental impact on developing countries’ government revenue. Indeed, since tariffs collected at the border represent a large share of total government revenues in many WTO developing country members, an overall reduction or elimination of tariffs as a result of NAMA negotiations would force governments to find alternative sources of revenue. (more…)
Analytical Note, November 2004
Analysis of Actual Liberalisation Versus Quad Members GATS Commitments and Offers: Focus on a) Mode 1 and b) Tourism and Travel Related Services.
This note is focused on two areas: a) mode 1 or cross-border supply of trade in services, and b) the tourism and travel related services sector. The goal of this exercise is to assess whether GATS commitments made by a few of the most developed service economies, i.e. Quad members, can be considered “weak”, below actual levels of liberalisation and occurring outside of the WTO GATS regime. (more…)
Analytical Note, November 2004
Issues of Interest to LDCs in the WTO Services Negotiations – Series No. 1: Tourism and Travel-Related Services.
The specific goal of this primer on the tourism and travel-related services sector (hereinafter referred to as “tourism services”) is to provide LDCs with both basic information pertaining to economic activity of the sector and insights of the GATS negotiations related to the sector. (more…)
Background Paper for the G77, November 2004
Strengthening Developing Countries’ Capacity for Trade Negotiations: Matching Technical Assistance to Negotiating Capacity Constraints.
This paper looks at the negotiating needs and constraints of developing countries vis-à-vis international trade negotiations, and at the deficiencies of existing trade-related technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives in addressing such capacity needs and constraints. (more…)
Analytical Note, September 2004
From Doha to the July 2004 Framework Package.
On 31 July 2004, the WTO General Council decided to establish a framework for continued negotiations under the Doha Work Programme set out in the Doha Ministerial Declaration (DMD, WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1) of 2001. This note seeks to present a content analysis of the WTO General Council Decision of 31 July 2004 (WT/GC/W/535). (more…)
Analytical Note, June 2004
Considerations for the Submission of Initial Offers in Light of the Current State of Play of Negotiations.
This note discusses the differing negotiating scenarios for individual Members and aims to present a clearer picture of the near term prospects for market access negotiations. From this, general considerations and options are provided for Members facing pressure to submit initial offers. (more…)
Analytical Note, June 2004
Analysis of Actual Liberalisation versus GATS Commitments of Quad Members: Mode 4 and Health Services.
This note is the first of a series assessing the actual or current level of trade liberalisation in select modes and sectors of the Quad members (Canada, European Communities, Japan and the United States) compared with their General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) commitments in the respective areas. (more…)
Analytical Note, February 2004
Comments on the WTO Secretariat’s Paper – Tariff Reductions for Agricultural Products: Some Simulations of the Operation of the Blended Formula (JOB(04)/1).
One of the most contentious issues in agriculture negotiations is the blended approach for market access presented in the proposed framework on agriculture in the Draft Ministerial Declaration produced by the Chairman of the Cancun Conference on 13 September 2003. (more…)
Analytical Note, February 2004
Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns: The Way Forward After Cancun.
This paper looks primarily at the history of implementation issues in the WTO since the 2001 Doha Ministerial Conference, and at some of the major initiatives that developing countries have suggested in order to push the negotiations on implementation issues forward. (more…)
Analytical Note, December 2003
Background Note: Article VI (Domestic Regulations) with Emphasis on Paragraph 4 and the EU and Japanese Proposals.
Many subsectors within the service sector, such as infrastructure services, are regulated with the aim to ensure a certain level of quality, to protect consumers, or the environment. (more…)
Analytical Note, December 2003
Linking Mode 4 and Domestic Regulation.
This note discusses some possible ways in which Mode 4 could be addressed within Article VI:4 on domestic regulation. More specifically it tries to show how qualification requirements and procedures, technical standards and licensing requirements may impact the movement of natural persons under Mode 4. (more…)