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.
[1] This document was previously issued as JOB/GC/67, dated 14 March
2014.