WORK PROGRAMME ON SMALL ECONOMIES –

PROPOSAL FOR MINISTERIAL DECISION

The following communication, dated 20 November 2025, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Guatemala, on behalf of the Group of Small, Vulnerable Economies.

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Ministerial Conference

Fourteenth Session

WORK PROGRAMME ON SMALL ECONOMIES

MINISTERIAL DECISION OF ___________

The Ministerial Conference decides as follows:

We reaffirm our commitment to the Work Programme on Small Economies and take note of all the work conducted to date. In particular, we note that document WT/COMTD/SE/W/22/Rev.12 and its previous revisions reflect the work of the Dedicated Session up to the Fourteenth Ministerial Conference.

We take note of the work carried out since 2024, including the analysis of the documents presented by the Secretariat: WT/COMTD/SE/W/51, WT/COMTD/SE/W/52, and WT/COMTD/SE/W/53, regarding the topics under the MC13 mandate related to e-commerce, supply chains, and climate change adaptation and mitigation policies for small economies.

Recognizing the need to deepen analytical and policy coherence among the areas identified in that Decision, and with a view to supporting the fuller integration of small economies into the multilateral trading system, particularly through productive transformation and economic resilience via digitalization, sustainable trade, and resilient supply chains,

We instruct the Dedicated Session on Small Economies to consider in further detail the various submissions that have been received to date, examine any additional proposals that Members might wish to submit and, where possible and within its mandate, make recommendations to the General Council on any of these proposals. The General Council shall direct relevant subsidiary bodies to frame responses to the trade-related issues identified by the CTD, with a view to making recommendations for action.

We instruct the WTO Secretariat to provide relevant information and factual analysis for discussion among Members in the CTD’s Dedicated Session on Small Economies, inter alia in the areas identified in item (k) of paragraph 2 of the Work Programme on Small Economies, and, in particular, to within its mandate and in cooperation with relevant international organizations to:

1._    Assist Members of small, vulnerable economies in identifying and implementing practical measures to enhance the resilience and sustainability of their supply chains. In doing so, the Secretariat shall support efforts to map key vulnerabilities in trade logistics, connectivity, and border processes, and promote the adoption of trade facilitation and digital tools while improving transparency and traceability.

2._    Assist small, vulnerable economies in enhancing their participation in global digital trade by promoting the development and implementation of practical digital trade facilitation measures, including best practices on policies and regulatory frameworks that foster digital inclusion of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

3._    Continuously update the Secretariat documents WT/COMTD/SE/W/51, WT/COMTD/SE/W/52, and WT/COMTD/SE/W/53, to reflect new research, analysis and case studies from small, vulnerable economies. 

The CTD in Dedicated Session shall continue monitoring the progress of the small economy proposals in WTO bodies and in negotiating groups, with the aim of providing responses, as soon as possible, to the trade-related issues identified for the fuller integration of small, vulnerable economies in the multilateral trading system, as well as assessing the effectiveness of the responses framed so far.

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