Fifth Meeting of Trade Ministers of Landlocked Developing Countries

23-24 June 2016
Centre William Rappard, WTO – Room W, Geneva, Switzerland

.

Background

The LLDCs pay trade costs that are more than twice that of the coastal countries and receive relatively low amounts of foreign direct investment (FDI) due to high trade costs. Moreover, the LLDCs have heavy reliance on exports of raw material commodities which have little or no value added to them and lack diversification both of exports and markets. Addressing the trade-related challenges of the LLDCs requires a multi-dimensional approach that includes reducing trade costs at the border, between borders and behind the border, and addressing other supply-side constraints in order to increase the LLDCs’ trade competitiveness; improving the market access for their products; and enhancing structural transformation in order to help diversify their product and markets.

The Event 

The event, organized by UN-OHRLLS and WTO, would provide an important platform for an in-depth discussion to: offer practical support to the LLDCs on how they can utilize provisions in the new global development framework to enhance their ability to harness trade so that it positively contributes to their effective implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action and their achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals; to encourage them to ratify and implement the WTO TFA; and identify strategies, new measures and recommendations to further improve their trade potential.

Objectives

i. To review the progress made by the LLDCs in participating in international trade since the Fourth Ministerial Meeting; ii. To review the linkages on international trade between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Vienna Programme of Action and WTO negotiations;  iii. To share ideas, lessons and good practices on how to improve the trade potential of the LLDCs;  iv. To identify strategies, measures and recommendations on how to further improve the trade potential of the LLDCs; v. To identify concrete actions to be followed in order to obtain the launch of a Work Programme for LLDCs in WTO as requested by the Nairobi LLDC trade ministers’ communiqué; and vi. To promote ratification of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement by the LLDCs and its implementation.

Further Information:

GENEVA MINISTERIAL DECLARATION [ENG] [FR] [SP]

Day 1 

Opening Session – Enhancing Implementation of the Trade and Development Agendas for the LLDCs, the Vienna Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Item 2: Statements on promoting Trade in the LLDCs: 

Item 3: Improving participation of LLDCs in Regional and Global Value Chains by reducing trade costs:

Item 4: Aid For Trade – Enhancing connectivity of the LLDCs:

Day 2

Item 5: The Trade Facilitation Agreement – Ratification and impact on the LLDCs

Item 6: Value Addition and Structural transformation in LLDCs in the context of the Vienna Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Item 7: Legal Framework for Transit Co-operation

 Closing Remarks: 

Documentation:

Representatives from NGOs that would like to attend the meeting as observers should fill in the registration form and send it to registration-lldc@wto.org by Wednesday, 15 June 2016 before 17h00 (GMT+2). Given the limited amount of seating available accreditation will be allocated on first come first served basis. No funds are available to finance participation of NGOs at the meeting.