HC Deb 20 May 2002 vol 386 cc16-8W
Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which developing countries are members of the World Trade Organisation; and what progress has been made in streamlining the least-developed countries' accession process to the WTO. [56665]

Clare Short

[holding answer 16 May 2002]: As of 1 January 2002 there were 111 developing country members of which 301 are least-developed in the WTO. These are listed below with their respective accession dates.

  • Albania—8 September 2000
  • Angola1—23 November 1996
  • Antigua and Barbuda—1 January 1995
  • Argentina—1 January 1995
  • Bangladesh1—1 January 1995
  • Barbados—1 January 1995
  • Belize—1 January 1995
  • Benin1—22 February 1996
  • Bolivia—12 September 1995
  • Botswana—31 May 1995
  • Brazil—1 January 1995
  • Bulgaria—1 December 1996
  • Burkina Faso—3 June 1995
  • Burundi1—23 July 1995
  • Cameroon—13 December 1995
  • Central African Republic1—31 May 1995
  • Chad1—19 October 1996
  • Chile—1 January 1995
  • China—11 December 2001
  • Colombia—30 April 1995
  • Congo1—27 March 1997
  • Costa Rica—1 January 1995
  • Côte d'Ivoire—1 January 1995
  • Croatia—30 November 2000
  • Cuba—20 April 1995
  • Czech Republic—1 January 1995
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo1—1 January 1997
  • Djibouti1—31 May 1995
  • Dominica—1 January 1995
  • Dominican Republic—9 March 1995
  • 17W
  • Ecuador—21 January 1996
  • Egypt—30 June 1995
  • El Salvador—7 May 1995
  • Estonia—13 November 1999
  • Fiji—14 January 1999
  • Gabon—1 January 1995
  • The Gambia1—23 October 1996
  • Georgia—14 June 2000
  • Ghana—1 January 1995
  • Grenada—22 February 1996
  • Guatemala—21 July 1995
  • Guinea Bissau1—31 may 1995
  • Guinea1—25 October 1995
  • Guyana—1 January 1995
  • Haiti1—30 January 1996
  • Honduras—1 January 1995
  • Hungary—1 January 1995
  • India—1 January 1995
  • Indonesia—1 January 1995
  • Jamaica—9 March 1995
  • Jordan—11 April 2000
  • Kenya—1 January 1995
  • Korea, Republic of—1 January 1995
  • Kuwait—1 January 1995
  • Kyrgyz Republic—20 December 1998
  • Latvia—10 February 1999
  • Lesotho1—31 May 1995
  • Lithuania—31 May 2001
  • Macao, China—1 January I995
  • Madagascar1—17 November 1995
  • Malawi1—31 May 1995
  • Malaysia—1 January 1995
  • Maldives1—31 May 1995
  • Mali1—31 May 1995
  • Mauritania1—31 May 1995
  • Mauritius—1 January 1995
  • Mexico—1 January 1995
  • Moldova—26 July 2001
  • Mongolia—29 January 1997
  • Morocco—1 January 1995
  • Mozambique1—26 August 1995
  • Myanmar1—1 January 1995
  • Namibia—1 January 1995
  • Nicaragua—3 September 1995
  • Niger1—13 December 1996
  • Nigeria—1 January 1995
  • Oman—9 November 2000
  • Pakistan—1 January 1995
  • Panama—6 September 1997
  • Papua New Guinea—9 June 1996
  • Paraguay—1 January 1995
  • Peru—1 January 1995
  • Philippines—1 January 1995
  • Poland—I July 1995
  • Qatar—13 January 1996
  • Romania—1 January 1995
  • Rwanda1—22 May 1996
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis—21 February 1996
  • Saint Lucia—1 January 1995
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines—I January 1995
  • 18W
  • Senegal1—1 January 1995
  • Sierra Leone1—23 July 1995
  • Slovak Republic—1 January 1995
  • Slovenia—30 July 1995
  • Solomon Islands1—26 July 1996
  • South Africa—1 January 1995
  • Sri Lanka—1 January 1995
  • Suriname—1 January 1995
  • Swaziland—1 January 1995
  • Switzerland—1 July 1995
  • Tanzania1—1 January 1995
  • Thailand—1 January 1995
  • Togo1—31 May 1995
  • Trinidad and Tobago—1 March 1995
  • Tunisia—29 March 1995
  • Turkey—26 March 1995
  • Uganda1—1 January 1995
  • Uruguay—I January 1995
  • Venezuela—1 January 1995
  • Zambia1—1 January 1995
  • Zimbabwe—5 March 1995.

There are major difficulties faced by least-developed countries (LDCs) when attempting to accede to the WTO. The WTO Secretariat, UNCTAD and several donor countries are working to address the issue, but since the inception of the WTO no LDCs have acceded to the organisation. This was recognised in the WTO ministerial declaration at Doha in November 2001 which stated: Accession of LDCs remains a priority for the Membership. We agree to work to facilitate and accelerate negotiations with acceding LDCs. We instruct the Secretariat to reflect the priority we attach to LDCs' accessions in the annual plans for technical assistance. The WTO is working to help LDC accession candidates by streamlining the existing process in a number of ways. The aim is to have as few working party meetings as possible, to have clear agendas and work plans on exit, and to move as soon as possible towards the first version of the working party's draft report. However, the WTO would also like to see more action from WTO members, and is encouraging them to be more flexible and realistic in their market access negotiations with LDCs.

DFID is at the forefront of work on WTO accession, and since 1999 we have been providing assistance (£400,000) to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to support developing and least developed countries accede to the WTO on terms consistent with their respective development needs.