International Trade and Development

A/RES/59/221No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 83aInternational trade and development, published in 2005.

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
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Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2005.

2005A/60/225International trade and development report of the Secretary-General

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What does this mandate say?

44 operative paragraphs

Recognizes that a universal, rule-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system, as well as meaningful trade liberalization, can substantially stimulate development worldwide, benefiting countries at all stages of development, thereby promoting economic growth and sustainable development necessary to achieve the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration;1

Reaffirms the value of multilateralism to the global trading system, and in this regard welcomes the progress achieved in the Doha work programme,4 with the adoption by the General Council of the World Trade Organization of its decision of 1 August 20045 on frameworks for further negotiations, which re-energizes the Doha round of the multilateral trade negotiations and recommits the members of the World Trade Organization to fulfilling the development dimension of the Doha work programme;

Welcomes the eleventh session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, held in São Paulo, Brazil, from 13 to 18 June 2004, and the adoption of The Spirit of São Paulo and the São Paulo Consensus, which, building upon the Plan of Action adopted at its tenth session, held in Bangkok from 12 to 19 February 2000, reaffirm the continued commitment of the international community to supporting the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in fulfilling its mandate in consensus-building, research and policy analysis, and in technical assistance on trade and development;

Welcomes also the commitment made at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, held in Doha from 9 to 14 November 2001, and in the decision of 1 August 2004 of the General Council of the World Trade Organization, to place development at the heart of the Doha work programme and to continue to make positive efforts 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;

Reaffirms that all countries have a shared interest in the success of the Doha work programme, which aims both at further increasing trading opportunities and reducing barriers to trade among nations and at making the trading system more development-friendly, which would contribute to the objective of upholding and safeguarding an open, equitable, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, and recalls that a major contribution of the Doha Ministerial Declaration4 was to place the needs and interests of developing countries at the heart of the Doha work programme and that this important objective needs to be pursued with a view to bringing about concrete development-oriented outcomes from the multilateral trade negotiations;

Looks forward to the early development of the frameworks outlined in the decision of 1 August 2004 of the General Council of the World Trade Organization, in an inclusive and transparent manner, into concrete, detailed and specific modalities for the early and successful conclusion of the negotiations, while ensuring balance and parallel progress within and between areas under negotiation bearing in mind the needs and concerns of developing countries, and ensuring a fair and development-oriented outcome of the Doha work programme based on a broad agenda, including enhanced market access, balanced rules and well-targeted, sustainably financed technical assistance and capacity-building programmes;

Recognizes, in regard to the decision of 1 August 2004 of the General Council of the World Trade Organization and consistent with the Doha work programme, the following issues of particular interest and concern to developing countries:

Reviewing special and differential treatment provisions with a view to making them more precise, effective and operational and, in this regard, expeditiously completing the review of the outstanding agreement-specific proposals and cross-cutting issues, and finding appropriate solutions to outstanding implementation issues, by July 2005, as provided for in paragraph 1 (d) of the decision;

The elaboration of modalities under the framework on agriculture, as contained in annex A to the decision, for negotiations, in accordance with paragraph 13 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, noting that reforms in all three pillars of market access, domestic support and export competition form an interconnected whole and must be approached in a balanced and equitable manner with operationally effective and meaningful special and differential treatment for developing countries, and recalling that agriculture is of critical importance to the economic development of developing country members of the World Trade Organization, particularly to the least developed countries and the net food-importing developing countries, and that they must be able to pursue agricultural policies that are supportive of their development goals, poverty reduction strategies and food security and livelihood concerns, and that non-trade concerns will be taken into account;

Implementing concretely the commitment to address cotton issues ambitiously, expeditiously and specifically within the agriculture negotiations, as provided for in annex A to the decision;

The elaboration of modalities on market access for non-agricultural products pursuant to annex B to the decision, with the aim of reducing or, as appropriate, eliminating 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, with a comprehensive product coverage and without a priori exclusions, and recalling also the importance of special and differential treatment and less than full reciprocity in reduction commitments for developing countries as integral parts of the modalities;

Negotiations on trade in services, as provided for in annex C to the decision, with a view to providing effective market access to all members of the World Trade Organization; in order to ensure a substantive outcome, members shall strive to ensure a high quality of offers by May 2005, particularly in sectors and modes of supply of export interest to developing countries, giving special attention to the least developed countries, and aiming to achieve progressively higher levels of liberalization with no a priori exclusion of any service sector or mode of supply; special attention shall be given to sectors and modes of supply of export interest to developing countries, noting the interest of developing countries, as well as other members, in mode 4;

Enhancing trade-related technical assistance and capacity-building to increase the effective participation of developing countries in the negotiations, to facilitate their implementation of World Trade Organization rules and to enable them to adjust and diversify their economies;

Advancing the negotiations aimed at clarifying and improving disciplines under the agreements in the areas of anti-dumping, subsidies and countervailing measures, while preserving the basic concepts, principles and effectiveness of those agreements, taking into account the needs of developing countries, in accordance with paragraph 1 (f) of the decision;

Advancing negotiations under the review of the dispute settlement understanding, in accordance with paragraph 1 (f) of the decision;

Negotiations on trade facilitation, the results of which should take fully into account the principle of special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries, in accordance with annex D to the decision;

Reaffirms the importance of market access, and in this context recalls the importance of respect for World Trade Organization disciplines, including in the area of anti-dumping, inter alia, to avoid the abusive application of anti-dumping and other trade-distorting measures;

Reaffirms also the importance of the full implementation of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing of the World Trade Organization, which provides for the complete phase-out of the quotas on textiles and clothing by 31 December 2004;

Reaffirms further the importance of the development dimension of the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights;15

Invites all members of the World Trade Organization to effectively implement the decision adopted by the General Council of the World Trade Organization on 30 August 2003 on the implementation of paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and Public Health to address the problems faced by countries with insufficient or no manufacturing capacity in the pharmaceutical sector in accessing medicines at affordable prices when combating serious public health problems afflicting many developing and least developed countries, especially those resulting from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other epidemics, and, as agreed by the World Trade Organization Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights on 16 June 2004, to expeditiously establish a permanent solution by amending the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights on the basis of the recommendations by the Council to be presented by March 2005;

Invites the World Intellectual Property Organization to continue further its development activities and to continue to cooperate with relevant international organizations;

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, while recognizing the rights of members of the World Trade Organization to determine their own appropriate level of sanitary and phyto-sanitary protection in accordance with World Trade Organization rules, and recognizes the need to facilitate the increased participation of the developing countries in the work of relevant international standard-setting organizations as well as the importance of providing financial and technical assistance and capacity-building efforts to enable them to respond adequately to the introduction of any new measures;

Emphasizes that issues related to trade, debt and finance and transfer of technology duly covered in the Doha work programme should be addressed as a high priority in accordance with the Doha work programme and the World Trade Organization General Council decision of 1 August 2004;

Recalls the commitment of the members of the World Trade Organization, in line with the Doha mandates, to progress in the areas of rules, trade and environment, and trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights, as stated in the World Trade Organization General Council decision of 1 August 2004;

Stresses the importance of an open, transparent, inclusive and democratic process and of procedures for the effective functioning of the multilateral trading system that allow for internal transparency and the effective participation of members, including in the decision-making process, and that enable them to have their vital interests duly reflected in the outcome of trade negotiations;

Also stresses the importance of facilitating the accession of all developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, as well as countries with economies in transition, that apply for membership in the World Trade Organization, consistent with its criteria, bearing in mind paragraph 21 of resolution 55/182 and subsequent developments, and calls for the effective and faithful application of the World Trade Organization guidelines on accession of the least developed countries;

Invites members of the international community to consider the interests of non-members of the World Trade Organization in the context of trade liberalization;

Emphasizes that bilateral and regional trade arrangements should complement the goals of the multilateral trading system, and in this context 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 paragraph 29 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, taking into account the developmental aspects of regional trade agreements, and urges the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in accordance with its mandate, to provide technical inputs in this respect;

Notes with appreciation the autonomous steps taken by some countries in providing trade-related assistance and by simplifying administrative procedures to facilitate access to their markets for exports from developing countries;

Reaffirms the commitments made at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, and at the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in Brussels from 14 to 20 May 2001, 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 country exports, and notes that the consideration of proposals for developing countries to contribute to improved market access for the least developed countries would also be helpful;

Welcomes 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 countries with 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 Doha Ministerial Declaration;

Recognizes the special problems and needs of the landlocked developing countries within a new global framework for transit transport cooperation for landlocked and transit developing countries, in this regard calls for the full and effective implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action,8 and stresses the need for the implementation of the São Paulo Consensus,13 adopted on 18 June 2004 at the eleventh session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in São Paulo, Brazil, in particular paragraphs 66 and 84 thereof, by the relevant international organizations and donors in a multi-stakeholder approach;

Recognizes also the importance of addressing seriously the concerns of commodity-dependent developing countries, owing to the continuing volatility of world commodity prices and other factors, and of supporting the efforts of such countries to restructure, diversify and strengthen the competitiveness of their commodity sectors, and in this regard notes the formation of an international task force on commodities by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development;

Emphasizes the importance of addressing the concerns of a number of developing countries in respect of the erosion of preferences and the impact of liberalization on their tariff revenues;

Stresses the importance of enhancing South-South trade and cooperation in the context of an emerging new trade geography that complements North-South trade and cooperation, and takes note of the decision, adopted in June 2004, to launch the third round of negotiations on the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries;

Recognizes that it is important for developing countries and countries with economies in transition to consider reducing trade barriers among themselves;

Expresses its concern about the adoption of a number of unilateral actions that are not consistent with the 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;

Emphasizes the importance of developing human, institutional, regulatory and research and development capacities and infrastructures aimed at enhanced supply-side capacity and competitiveness, as well as ensuring a conducive international environment for the full and effective integration of developing countries and countries with economies in transition into the international trading system;

Stresses the importance of strengthening and enabling the trade, investment and business environments through the adoption of appropriate domestic measures and conditions to encourage local, regional and international investment and efforts to prevent and dismantle anti-competitive practices and promote responsibility and accountability of corporate actors at both the international and the national levels, thereby enabling developing countries’ producers, enterprises and consumers to take advantage of trade liberalization, and encourages developing countries to consider establishing competition laws and frameworks best suited to their development needs, complemented by technical and financial assistance for capacity-building, taking fully into account national policy objectives and capacity constraints;

Notes that the outcome documents of the eleventh session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development emphasized the importance for all countries of enhancing coherence between national development strategies and global economic processes towards economic growth and development, in particular of developing countries, and, in that context, reinforced the consensus that trade is a means to growth and development and that the international trading system and trade negotiations should facilitate development gains;

Also notes the important and unique mandate of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, which was reaffirmed at its eleventh session, and supports the continued work of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in support of the effective and beneficial integration of developing countries and countries with economies in transition into the global economy in cooperation with relevant international organizations;

Invites the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in accordance with its mandate, to monitor and assess the evolution of the international trading system and of trends in international trade from a development perspective, and in particular to analyse issues of concern to developing countries and countries with economies in transition, supporting them in the formulation, implementation and review of national trade and trade-related policies and options with a view to maximizing their share of world trade;

Reiterates the importance of supporting the programmes and technical cooperation and capacity-building activities of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development that assist developing countries, especially the least developed countries and countries with economies in transition, in international trade and trade negotiations, in particular in support of their participation in the Doha work programme, including the Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries and the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme;

Requests the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, to report to the General Assembly at its sixtieth 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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