International Trade and Development

A/RES/57/235No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 84aInternational trade and development, published in 2003.

What other versions does this mandate have?

33 versions · 1994–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/121

2025A/RES/80/121International trade and developmentLatestCompare with previous version
2024A/RES/79/195International trade and developmentCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/134International trade and developmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/77/151International trade and developmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/76/190International trade and developmentCompare with previous version

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Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2003.

2003A/58/414International trade and development report of the Secretary-General

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What does this mandate say?

34 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms the commitments of the Ministerial Declaration of the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization2 to place the needs and interests of developing countries at the heart of the work programme adopted in the Declaration and to continue to make positive efforts designed to ensure that developing countries, especially the least developed among them, secure a share in the growth of world trade commensurate with the needs of their economic development;

Takes note of the in-depth review undertaken by the Trade and Development Board with respect to developments and issues in the post-Doha work programme of particular concern to developing countries and its contribution to an understanding of the actions required to help developing countries secure beneficial and meaningful integration into the multilateral trading system and the global economy and to achieve a balanced, development-oriented and successful outcome at the end of the Doha process;

Also takes note, in this regard, of the relevant work of other international organizations;

Expresses its concern about the adoption of a number of unilateral actions that are not consistent with rules of the World Trade Organization, harm the exports of all countries, in particular those of developing countries, and have a considerable bearing on the ongoing World Trade Organization negotiations and on the achievement and further enhancement of the development dimension of the trade negotiations;

Acknowledges the measures taken to increase market access consistent with the rules of the World Trade Organization for some developing countries, in particular for the least developed countries, and further recognizes the importance of enhanced and predictable access to all markets for the exports of developing countries;

Considers that, in the context of the current world economic situation, the multilateral trading system should be reinforced by achieving a balanced outcome of the Doha negotiations that responds to the interests of all members of the World Trade Organization, in particular developing countries, by giving concrete shape to the development-related provisions of the work programme of the World Trade Organization and by working to ensure that the concerns of developing countries, in particular in terms of implementation issues and special and differential treatment, are properly and effectively addressed in accordance with the Ministerial Declaration adopted at Doha, as amended by the action of the General Council of the World Trade Organization;

Reiterates the need for the deadlines in the negotiating process, as established in the Ministerial Declaration adopted at Doha, and as amended by the General Council of the World Trade Organization, to be respected;

Recognizes that trade rules and issues in the post-Doha framework should have a clear development content, and in this regard:

Expresses its determination to take concrete action to address issues and concerns that have been raised by many developing country members regarding the implementation of some agreements and decisions of the World Trade Organization, including the difficulties and resource constraints that have been encountered in the implementation of obligations in various areas;

Affirms that provisions for special and differential treatment are an integral part of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations by which the World Trade Organization was established and that all special and differential treatment provisions should be reviewed with a view to strengthening them and making them more precise, effective and operational, and notes the importance of paragraph 12.1 (i) of the Decision on Implementation-related Issues and Concerns of 14 November 2001, adopted by the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization;

Affirms that ongoing negotiations should aim at clarifying and improving disciplines in the areas of anti-dumping, subsidies and countervailing measures, taking into account the needs of developing countries, including the least developed countries, while preserving the basic concepts, principles and effectiveness of those agreements and their instruments and objectives;

Considers that, in the area of agriculture, without prejudging their outcome, the commitment to the comprehensive negotiations initiated under article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture, referred to in the Ministerial Declaration adopted at Doha and aimed at substantial improvements in market access, reductions of all forms of export subsidies with a view to phasing them out and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support, should be fulfilled, while agreeing that the provisions for special and differential treatment for developing countries should be an integral part of all elements of the negotiations and should be embodied in the schedules of concession and commitments and, as appropriate, in the rules and disciplines to be negotiated, so as to be operationally effective and to enable developing countries to effectively take account of their development needs, including food security and rural development, takes note of the non-trade concerns reflected in the negotiating proposals submitted by members of the World Trade Organization, and confirms that non-trade concerns would be taken into account in the negotiations as provided for in the Agreement on Agriculture, in accordance with the Ministerial Declaration;

Considers that negotiations in trade in services should be conducted with a view to promoting the economic growth of all trading partners and the development of developing and least developed countries, that there should be no a priori exclusion of any service sector or mode of supply and that special attention should be given to sectors and modes of supply of export interest to developing countries, and recognizes the work already undertaken in the negotiations and the large number of proposals submitted by members on a wide range of sectors and on several horizontal issues, as well as on movement of natural persons;

Reaffirms the commitments made with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property RightsError: Reference source not found in a manner supportive of public health and promotion of access to medicine for all, including full and timely implementation of the Declaration on the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and Public Health, adopted by the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization on 14 November 2001;

Acknowledges the seriousness of the concerns expressed by the least developed countries in the Zanzibar Declaration, adopted by their ministers responsible for trade in July 2001, and recognizes that the integration of the least developed countries into the multilateral trading system requires meaningful market access, support for the diversification of their production and export-base and trade-related technical assistance and capacity-building;

Stresses the importance of facilitating the accession of all developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, as well as countries with economies in transition, that apply for membership in the World Trade Organization, bearing in mind paragraph 21 of resolution 55/182 and subsequent developments;

Reaffirms the commitments made at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization held at Doha and at the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held at Brussels from 14 to 20 May 2001, and in this regard calls upon developed countries that have not already done so to work towards the objective of duty-free, quota-free market access for all least developed countries’ exports, and notes that consideration of proposals for developing countries to contribute to improved market access for least developed countries would also be helpful;

Also reaffirms the commitment to actively pursue the work programme of the World Trade Organization with respect to addressing the trade-related issues and concerns affecting the fuller integration of small, vulnerable economies into the multilateral trading system in a manner commensurate with their special circumstances and in support of their efforts towards sustainable development, in accordance with paragraph 35 of the Ministerial Declaration adopted at Doha;

Further reaffirms the commitment to full and faithful implementation of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing,Error: Reference source not found and calls for further progress in its implementation, which is a necessary and inherent condition of full implementation of the agreements arising from the Uruguay Round;

Stresses the importance of clarifying and improving disciplines and procedures under the existing provisions of the World Trade Organization applying to regional trade agreements in accordance with the relevant mandate of the Fourth Ministerial Conference, taking into account the developmental aspects of those agreements, and urges the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in accordance with its mandates, to provide technical inputs in this respect;

Also stresses the importance of the Doha mandate for negotiations on market access for non-agricultural products, which should aim to reduce or, as appropriate, eliminate tariffs, including the reduction or elimination of tariff peaks, high tariffs and tariff escalation, as well as non-tariff barriers, in particular on products of export interest to developing countries, and reaffirms that preferences granted to developing countries pursuant to the Decision of the Contracting Parties on Differential and More Favourable Treatment, Reciprocity and Fuller Participation of Developing Countries of 28 November 1979 (“Enabling Clause”) should be generalized, non-reciprocal and non-discriminatory;

Recognizes the importance for developing countries as well as countries with economies in transition of considering reducing trade barriers among themselves;

Notes the health and environment-related measures that have an impact on exports, stresses that the adoption or enforcement of any measures necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health should not be applied in a manner that would constitute arbitrary or unjustified discrimination or a disguised restriction on international trade, and recognizes the importance of capacity-building support for developing countries so as to enable them to put in place the appropriate measures necessary for meeting standards consistent with the World Trade Organization;

Encourages support for measures to simplify and to make more transparent the domestic regulations and procedures that affect trade, so as to assist exporters, particularly those from developing countries;

Stresses the importance of increased participation of developing countries in the work of relevant international standards-setting organizations and of increased technical assistance and capacity-building in this regard;

Expresses its satisfaction with the renewed and increased cooperation between the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Trade Organization as well as with the joint efforts to provide trade-related technical assistance, calls for a further strengthening of this cooperation, and stresses, in this respect, the importance of continuing and enhancing the implementation of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Programme of Capacity-building and Technical Cooperation for Developing Countries, Especially the Least Developed Countries, and Economies in Transition, in Support of their Participation in the World Trade Organization Doha Work Programme;

Invites, in this regard, donors and other countries in a position to do so to continue to provide the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development with the necessary resources to deliver effective and demand-driven assistance to developing countries, especially least developed countries, and countries with economies in transition, and to small and vulnerable economies, as well as to continue and enhance their contributions to the trust funds of the Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries and the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme and to the activities of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development/World Trade Organization International Trade Centre;

Also invites donors and other countries in a position to do so to make voluntary contributions to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund of the World Trade Organization, and further invites the World Trade Organization to cooperate closely with other organizations having the necessary expertise and comparative advantage in delivering technical assistance;

Invites bilateral and multilateral financial and development institutions, in cooperation with interested Governments and their financial institutions, to expand and coordinate their efforts, with increased resources, to further support national efforts to benefit from trade opportunities and effectively integrate into the multilateral trading system;

Reaffirms the commitment on the part of developed and developing countries to mainstream appropriate trade policies in their respective development policies and programmes;

Calls upon the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, within its mandate, to contribute to the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (“Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”), and welcomes the cooperation on trade, environment and development, inter alia, in the field of technical assistance to developing countries, among the secretariats of the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme and other relevant international developmental and environmental organizations;

Endorses the outcomes of the mid-term review of the work of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, which was aimed at reviewing the implementation of the commitments and of the work programme agreed upon at the tenth session of the Conference, and reiterates its profound gratitude to the Government and people of Thailand for hosting the mid-term review;

Welcomes the generous offer by the Government of Brazil to host the eleventh session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in 2004, and takes note of the invitation addressed to the Secretary-General of the Conference to prepare the draft provisional agenda and the timetable for the Conference for consideration by the Trade and Development Board in the first quarter of 2003;

Requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in collaboration with the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session on the implementation of the present resolution and on developments in the multilateral trading system, under the sub-item entitled “International trade and development”.

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International Trade and Development

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