report by the chairman of the committee on trade and development in special session, ambassador kwok fook seng (Singapore)

to the chairman of the tnc^[1]

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1.1.  Following the TNC of 6 February, I held an open-ended series of informal meetings in bilateral and plurilateral format with Members to hear views on the forward agenda of the CTD-SS. I met plurilaterally with the Ambassadors and experts of the G90, namely, Kenya, Uganda and Lesotho, together with the African Group technical focal point, Egypt. Another 12 delegations inscribed for bilateral meetings with me in February, namely, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, the EU, Hong Kong China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, the USA and Uruguay. As the views expressed during these initial consultations were largely preliminary, I issued a transparency note to this effect, informing the CTD-SS on 3 March that I was extending my availability for consultations in the lead up to this meeting of the GC. No further delegations sought meetings during that period.

1.2.  In my note to Members on 3 March 2014, I reported that the views amongst delegations are still highly preliminary, but all colleagues who met me are committed to keeping an open mind on the possible elements in the Development pillar of the post-Bali work programme. In particular, the new coordinators among proponent delegations have indicated that they will need time to consult internally so as to frame their concerns, objectives and proposals for the consideration of Members. In this respect, I encouraged proponent delegations to revisit the three areas of outstanding work in the CTD-SS (the Cancun-28, the 6 Agreement-Specific Proposals, and the Category II Agreement Specific Proposals). I also noted the openness of delegations attending our consultations to any new ideas about the forward agenda, within the parameters of the DDA. This could include adjustments to existing proposals on the table. Many delegations appreciated the spirit of cooperation which led to a successful outcome for the CTD-SS in Bali, and committed to maintaining this positive spirit of work moving forward.