WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/1
14 November 2001
(01-5769)

MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fourth Session
Doha, 9 - 14 November 2001

MINISTERIAL DECLARATION

1. The multilateral trading system embodied in the World Trade
Organization has contributed significantly to economic growth,
development and employment throughout the past fifty years. We
are determined, particularly in the light of the global
economic slowdown, to maintain the process of reform and
liberalization of trade policies, thus ensuring that the
system plays its full part in promoting recovery, growth and
development. We therefore strongly reaffirm the principles and
objectives set out in the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the
World Trade Organization, and pledge to reject the use of
protectionism.

2. International trade can play a major role in the promotion
of economic development and the alleviation of poverty. We
recognize the need for all our peoples to benefit from the
increased opportunities and welfare gains that the
multilateral trading system generates. The majority of WTO
Members are developing countries. We seek to place their needs
and interests at the heart of the Work Programme adopted in
this Declaration. Recalling the Preamble to the Marrakesh
Agreement, we shall continue to make positive efforts designed
to ensure that developing countries, and especially the least-
developed among them, secure a share in the growth of world
trade commensurate with the needs of their economic
development. In this context, enhanced market access, balanced
rules, and well targeted, sustainably financed technical
assistance and capacity-building programmes have important
roles to play.

3. We recognize the particular vulnerability of the least-
developed countries and the special structural difficulties
they face in the global economy. We are committed to
addressing the marginalization of least-developed countries in
international trade and to improving their effective
participation in the multilateral trading system. We recall
the commitments made by Ministers at our meetings in
Marrakesh, Singapore and Geneva, and by the international
community at the Third UN Conference on Least-Developed
Countries in Brussels, to help least-developed countries
secure beneficial and meaningful integration into the
multilateral trading system and the global economy. We are
determined that the WTO will play its part in building
effectively on these commitments under the Work Programme we
are establishing.

4. We stress our commitment to the WTO as the unique forum for
global trade rule-making and liberalization, while also
recognizing that regional trade agreements can play an
important role in promoting the liberalization and expansion
of trade and in fostering development.

5. We are aware that the challenges Members face in a rapidly
changing international environment cannot be addressed through
measures taken in the trade field alone. We shall continue to
work with the Bretton Woods institutions for greater coherence
in global economic policy-making.

6. We strongly reaffirm our commitment to the objective of
sustainable development, as stated in the Preamble to the
Marrakesh Agreement. We are convinced that the aims of
upholding and safeguarding an open and non-discriminatory
multilateral trading system, and acting for the protection of
the environment and the promotion of sustainable development
can and must be mutually supportive. We take note of the
efforts by Members to conduct national environmental
assessments of trade policies on a voluntary basis. We
recognize that under WTO rules no country should be prevented
from taking measures for the protection of human, animal or
plant life or health, or of the environment at the levels it
considers appropriate, subject to the requirement that they
are not applied in a manner which would constitute a means of
arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between countries
where the same conditions prevail, or a disguised restriction
on international trade, and are otherwise in accordance with
the provisions of the WTO Agreements. We welcome the WTOｴs
continued cooperation with UNEP and other inter-governmental
environmental organizations. We encourage efforts to promote
cooperation between the WTO and relevant international
environmental and developmental organizations, especially in
the lead-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development to
be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 2002.

7. We reaffirm the right of Members under the General
Agreement on Trade in Services to regulate, and to introduce
new regulations on, the supply of services.

8. We reaffirm our declaration made at the Singapore
Ministerial Conference regarding internationally recognized
core labour standards. We take note of work under way in the
International Labour Organization (ILO) on the social
dimension of globalization. 9. We note with particular
satisfaction that this Conference has completed the WTO
accession procedures for China and Chinese Taipei. We also
welcome the accession as new Members, since our last Session,
of Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Jordan, Lithuania, Moldova and
Oman, and note the extensive market-access commitments already
made by these countries on accession. These accessions will
greatly strengthen the multilateral trading system, as will
those of the 28 countries now negotiating their accession. We
therefore attach great importance to concluding accession
proceedings as quickly as possible. In particular, we are
committed to accelerating the accession of least-developed
countries.

10. Recognizing the challenges posed by an expanding WTO
membership, we confirm our collective responsibility to ensure
internal transparency and the effective participation of all
Members. While emphasizing the intergovernmental character of
the organization, we are committed to making the WTO's
operations more transparent, including through more effective
and prompt dissemination of information, and to improve
dialogue with the public. We shall therefore at the national
and multilateral levels continue to promote a better public
understanding of the WTO and to communicate the benefits of a
liberal, rules-based multilateral trading system.

11. In view of these considerations, we hereby agree to
undertake the broad and balanced Work Programme set out below.
This incorporates both an expanded negotiating agenda and
other important decisions and activities necessary to address
the challenges facing the multilateral trading system.

WORK PROGRAMME

IMPLEMENTATION-RELATED ISSUES AND CONCERNS

12. We attach the utmost importance to the implementation-
related issues and concerns raised by Members and are
determined to find appropriate solutions to them. In this
connection, and having regard to the General Council Decisions
of 3 May and 15 December 2000, we further adopt the Decision
on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns in document
WT/MIN(01)/W/10 to address a number of implementation problems
faced by Members. We agree that negotiations on outstanding
implementation issues shall be an integral part of the Work
Programme we are establishing, and that agreements reached at
an early stage in these negotiations shall be treated in
accordance with the provisions of paragraph 47 below. In this
regard, we shall proceed as follows: (a) where we provide a
specific negotiating mandate in this Declaration, the relevant
implementation issues shall be addressed under that mandate;
(b) the other outstanding implementation issues shall be
addressed as a matter of priority by the relevant WTO bodies,
which shall report to the Trade Negotiations Committee,
established under paragraph 46 below, by the end of 2002 for
appropriate action.

AGRICULTURE

13. We recognize the work already undertaken in the
negotiations initiated in early 2000 under Article 20 of the
Agreement on Agriculture, including the large number of
negotiating proposals submitted on behalf of a total of 121
Members. We recall the long-term objective referred to in the
Agreement to establish a fair and market-oriented trading
system through a programme of fundamental reform encompassing
strengthened rules and specific commitments on support and
protection in order to correct and prevent restrictions and
distortions in world agricultural markets. We reconfirm our
commitment to this programme. Building on the work carried out
to date and without prejudging the outcome of the negotiations
we commit ourselves to comprehensive negotiations aimed at:
substantial improvements in market access; reductions of, with
a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies; and
substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support.
We agree that special and differential treatment for
developing countries shall be an integral part of all elements
of the negotiations and shall be embodied in the Schedules of
concessions and commitments and as appropriate in the rules
and disciplines to be negotiated, so as to be operationally
effective and to enable developing countries to effectively
take account of their development needs, including food
security and rural development. We take note of the non-trade
concerns reflected in the negotiating proposals submitted by
Members and confirm that non-trade concerns will be taken into
account in the negotiations as provided for in the Agreement
on Agriculture.

14. Modalities for the further commitments, including
provisions for special and differential treatment, shall be
established no later than 31 March 2003. Participants shall
submit their comprehensive draft Schedules based on these
modalities no later than the date of the Fifth Session of the
Ministerial Conference. The negotiations, including with
respect to rules and disciplines and related legal texts,
shall be concluded as part and at the date of conclusion of
the negotiating agenda as a whole.

SERVICES

15. The negotiations on trade in services shall be conducted
with a view to promoting the economic growth of all trading
partners and the development of developing and least-developed
countries. We recognize the work already undertaken in the
negotiations, initiated in January 2000 under Article XIX of
the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and the large
number of proposals submitted by Members on a wide range of
sectors and several horizontal issues, as well as on movement
of natural persons. We reaffirm the Guidelines and Procedures
for the Negotiations adopted by the Council for Trade in
Services on 28 March 2001 as the basis for continuing the
negotiations, with a view to achieving the objectives of the
General Agreement on Trade in Services, as stipulated in the
Preamble, Article IV and Article XIX of that Agreement.
Participants shall submit initial requests for specific
commitments by 30 June 2002 and initial offers by 31 March
2003.

MARKET ACCESS FOR NON-AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

16. We agree to negotiations which shall aim, by modalities to
be agreed, to reduce or as appropriate eliminate 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. Product coverage shall be comprehensive
and without a priori exclusions. The negotiations shall take
fully into account the special needs and interests of
developing and least-developed country participants, including
through less than full reciprocity in reduction commitments,
in accordance with the relevant provisions of Article XXVIII
bis of GATT 1994 and the provisions cited in paragraph 50
below. To this end, the modalities to be agreed will include
appropriate studies and capacity-building measures to assist
least-developed countries to participate effectively in the
negotiations.

TRADE-RELATED ASPECTS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

17. We stress the importance we attach to implementation and
interpretation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) in a manner
supportive of public health, by promoting both access to
existing medicines and research and development into new
medicines and, in this connection, are adopting a separate
Declaration.

18. With a view to completing the work started in the Council
for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
(Council for TRIPS) on the implementation of Article 23.4, we
agree to negotiate the establishment of a multilateral system
of notification and registration of geographical indications
for wines and spirits by the Fifth Session of the Ministerial
Conference. We note that issues related to the extension of
the protection of geographical indications provided for in
Article 23 to products other than wines and spirits will be
addressed in the Council for TRIPS pursuant to paragraph 12 of
this Declaration.

19. We instruct the Council for TRIPS, in pursuing its work
programme including under the review of Article 27.3(b), the
review of the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement under
Article 71.1 and the work foreseen pursuant to paragraph 12 of
this Declaration, to examine, inter alia, the relationship
between the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological
Diversity, the protection of traditional knowledge and
folklore, and other relevant new developments raised by
Members pursuant to Article 71.1. In undertaking this work,
the TRIPS Council shall be guided by the objectives and
principles set out in Articles 7 and 8 of the TRIPS Agreement
and shall take fully into account the development dimension.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADE AND INVESTMENT

20. Recognizing the case for a multilateral framework to
secure transparent, stable and predictable conditions for long-
term cross-border investment, particularly foreign direct
investment, that will contribute to the expansion of trade,
and the need for enhanced technical assistance and capacity-
building in this area as referred to in paragraph 21, we agree
that negotiations will take place after the Fifth Session of
the Ministerial Conference on the basis of a decision to be
taken, by explicit consensus, at that Session on modalities of
negotiations.

21. We recognize the needs of developing and least-developed
countries for enhanced support for technical assistance and
capacity building in this area, including policy analysis and
development so that they may better evaluate the implications
of closer multilateral cooperation for their development
policies and objectives, and human and institutional
development. To this end, we shall work in cooperation with
other relevant intergovernmental organisations, including
UNCTAD, and through appropriate regional and bilateral
channels, to provide strengthened and adequately resourced
assistance to respond to these needs.

22. In the period until the Fifth Session, further work in the
Working Group on the Relationship Between Trade and Investment
will focus on the clarification of: scope and definition;
transparency; non-discrimination; modalities for pre-
establishment commitments based on a GATS-type, positive list
approach; development provisions; exceptions and balance-of-
payments safeguards; consultation and the settlement of
disputes between Members. Any framework should reflect in a
balanced manner the interests of home and host countries, and
take due account of the development policies and objectives of
host governments as well as their right to regulate in the
public interest. The special development, trade and financial
needs of developing and least-developed countries should be
taken into account as an integral part of any framework, which
should enable Members to undertake obligations and commitments
commensurate with their individual needs and circumstances.
Due regard should be paid to other relevant WTO provisions.
Account should be taken, as appropriate, of existing bilateral
and regional arrangements on investment.

INTERACTION BETWEEN TRADE AND COMPETITION POLICY

23. Recognizing the case for a multilateral framework to
enhance the contribution of competition policy to
international trade and development, and the need for enhanced
technical assistance and capacity-building in this area as
referred to in paragraph 24, we agree that negotiations will
take place after the Fifth Session of the Ministerial
Conference on the basis of a decision to be taken, by explicit
consensus, at that Session on modalities of negotiations.

24. We recognize the needs of developing and least-developed
countries for enhanced support for technical assistance and
capacity building in this area, including policy analysis and
development so that they may better evaluate the implications
of closer multilateral cooperation for their development
policies and objectives, and human and institutional
development. To this end, we shall work in cooperation with
other relevant intergovernmental organisations, including
UNCTAD, and through appropriate regional and bilateral
channels, to provide strengthened and adequately resourced
assistance to respond to these needs.

25. In the period until the Fifth Session, further work in the
Working Group on the Interaction between Trade and Competition
Policy will focus on the clarification of: core principles,
including transparency, non-discrimination and procedural
fairness, and provisions on hardcore cartels; modalities for
voluntary cooperation; and support for progressive
reinforcement of competition institutions in developing
countries through capacity building. Full account shall be
taken of the needs of developing and least-developed country
participants and appropriate flexibility provided to address
them.

TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT

26. Recognizing the case for a multilateral agreement on
transparency in government procurement and the need for
enhanced technical assistance and capacity building in this
area, we agree that negotiations will take place after the
Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference on the basis of a
decision to be taken, by explicit consensus, at that Session
on modalities of negotiations. These negotiations will build
on the progress made in the Working Group on Transparency in
Government Procurement by that time and take into account
participants' development priorities, especially those of
least-developed country participants. Negotiations shall be
limited to the transparency aspects and therefore will not
restrict the scope for countries to give preferences to
domestic supplies and suppliers. We commit ourselves to
ensuring adequate technical assistance and support for
capacity building both during the negotiations and after their
conclusion.

TRADE FACILITATION

27. Recognizing the case for further expediting the movement,
release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit,
and the need for enhanced technical assistance and capacity
building in this area, we agree that negotiations will take
place after the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference on
the basis of a decision to be taken, by explicit consensus, at
that Session on modalities of negotiations. In the period
until the Fifth Session, the Council for Trade in Goods shall
review and as appropriate, clarify and improve relevant
aspects of Articles V, VIII and X of the GATT 1994 and
identify the trade facilitation needs and priorities of
Members, in particular developing and least-developed
countries. We commit ourselves to ensuring adequate technical
assistance and support for capacity building in this area.

WTO RULES

28. In the light of experience and of the increasing
application of these instruments by Members, we agree to
negotiations aimed at clarifying and improving disciplines
under the Agreements on Implementation of Article VI of the
GATT 1994 and on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, while
preserving the basic concepts, principles and effectiveness of
these Agreements and their instruments and objectives, and
taking into account the needs of developing and least-
developed participants. In the initial phase of the
negotiations, participants will indicate the provisions,
including disciplines on trade distorting practices, that they
seek to clarify and improve in the subsequent phase. In the
context of these negotiations, participants shall also aim to
clarify and improve WTO disciplines on fisheries subsidies,
taking into account the importance of this sector to
developing countries. We note that fisheries subsidies are
also referred to in paragraph 31.

29. We also agree to negotiations aimed at clarifying and
improving disciplines and procedures under the existing WTO
provisions applying to regional trade agreements. The
negotiations shall take into account the developmental aspects
of regional trade agreements.

DISPUTE SETTLEMENT UNDERSTANDING

30. We agree to negotiations on improvements and
clarifications of the Dispute Settlement Understanding. The
negotiations should be based on the work done thus far as well
as any additional proposals by Members, and aim to agree on
improvements and clarifications not later than May 2003, at
which time we will take steps to ensure that the results enter
into force as soon as possible thereafter.

TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT

31. With a view to enhancing the mutual supportiveness of
trade and environment, we agree to negotiations, without
prejudging their outcome, on:

(i) the relationship between existing WTO rules and specific
trade obligations set out in multilateral environmental
agreements (MEAs). The negotiations shall be limited in scope
to the applicability of such existing WTO rules as among
parties to the MEA in question. The negotiations shall not
prejudice the WTO rights of any Member that is not a party to
the MEA in question;

(ii) procedures for regular information exchange between MEA
Secretariats and the relevant WTO committees, and the criteria
for the granting of observer status;

(iii) the reduction or, as appropriate, elimination of tariff
and non-tariff barriers to environmental goods and services.

We note that fisheries subsidies form part of the negotiations
provided for in paragraph 28.

32. We instruct the Committee on Trade and Environment, in
pursuing work on all items on its agenda within its current
terms of reference, to give particular attention to:

(i) the effect of environmental measures on market access,
especially in relation to developing countries, in particular
the least-developed among them, and those situations in which
the elimination or reduction of trade restrictions and
distortions would benefit trade, the environment and
development;

(ii) the relevant provisions of the Agreement on Trade-Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights; and

(iii) labelling requirements for environmental purposes.

Work on these issues should include the identification of any
need to clarify relevant WTO rules. The Committee shall report
to the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference, and make
recommendations, where appropriate, with respect to future
action, including the desirability of negotiations. The
outcome of this work as well as the negotiations carried out
under paragraph 31(i) and (ii) shall be compatible with the
open and non-discriminatory nature of the multilateral trading
system, shall not add to or diminish the rights and
obligations of Members under existing WTO agreements, in
particular the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures, nor alter the balance of these rights
and obligations, and will take into account the needs of
developing and least-developed countries.

33. We recognize the importance of technical assistance and
capacity building in the field of trade and environment to
developing countries, in particular the least-developed among
them. We also encourage that expertise and experience be
shared with Members wishing to perform environmental reviews
at the national level. A report shall be prepared on these
activities for the Fifth Session.

ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

34. We take note of the work which has been done in the
General Council and other relevant bodies since the
Ministerial Declaration of 20 May 1998 and agree to continue
the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce. The work to date
demonstrates that electronic commerce creates new challenges
and opportunities for trade for Members at all stages of
development, and we recognize the importance of creating and
maintaining an environment which is favourable to the future
development of electronic commerce. We instruct the General
Council to consider the most appropriate institutional
arrangements for handling the Work Programme, and to report on
further progress to the Fifth Session of the Ministerial
Conference. We declare that Members will maintain their
current practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic
transmissions until the Fifth Session.

SMALL ECONOMIES

35. We agree to a work programme, under the auspices of the
General Council, to examine issues relating to the trade of
small economies. The objective of this work is to frame
responses to the trade-related issues identified for the
fuller integration of small, vulnerable economies into the
multilateral trading system, and not to create a sub-category
of WTO Members. The General Council shall review the work
programme and make recommendations for action to the Fifth
Session of the Ministerial Conference.

TRADE, DEBT AND FINANCE

36. We agree to an examination, in a Working Group under the
auspices of the General Council, of the relationship between
trade, debt and finance, and of any possible recommendations
on steps that might be taken within the mandate and competence
of the WTO to enhance the capacity of the multilateral trading
system to contribute to a durable solution to the problem of
external indebtedness of developing and least-developed
countries, and to strengthen the coherence of international
trade and financial policies, with a view to safeguarding the
multilateral trading system from the effects of financial and
monetary instability. The General Council shall report to the
Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference on progress in the
examination.

TRADE AND TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY

37. We agree to an examination, in a Working Group under the
auspices of the General Council, of the relationship between
trade and transfer of technology, and of any possible
recommendations on steps that might be taken within the
mandate of the WTO to increase flows of technology to
developing countries. The General Council shall report to the
Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference on progress in the
examination.

TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING

38. We confirm that technical cooperation and capacity
building are core elements of the development dimension of the
multilateral trading system, and we welcome and endorse the
New Strategy for WTO Technical Cooperation for Capacity
Building, Growth and Integration. We instruct the Secretariat,
in coordination with other relevant agencies, to support
domestic efforts for mainstreaming trade into national plans
for economic development and strategies for poverty reduction.
The delivery of WTO technical assistance shall be designed to
assist developing and least-developed countries and low-income
countries in transition to adjust to WTO rules and
disciplines, implement obligations and exercise the rights of
membership, including drawing on the benefits of an open,
rules-based multilateral trading system. Priority shall also
be accorded to small, vulnerable, and transition economies, as
well as to Members and Observers without representation in
Geneva. We reaffirm our support for the valuable work of the
International Trade Centre, which should be enhanced.

39. We underscore the urgent necessity for the effective
coordinated delivery of technical assistance with bilateral
donors, in the OECD Development Assistance Committee and
relevant international and regional intergovernmental
institutions, within a coherent policy framework and
timetable. In the coordinated delivery of technical
assistance, we instruct the Director-General to consult with
the relevant agencies, bilateral donors and beneficiaries, to
identify ways of enhancing and rationalizing the Integrated
Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least-
Developed Countries and the Joint Integrated Technical
Assistance Programme (JITAP).

40. We agree that there is a need for technical assistance to
benefit from secure and predictable funding. We therefore
instruct the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration
to develop a plan for adoption by the General Council in
December 2001 that will ensure long-term funding for WTO
technical assistance at an overall level no lower than that of
the current year and commensurate with the activities outlined
above.

41. We have established firm commitments on technical
cooperation and capacity building in various paragraphs in
this Ministerial Declaration. We reaffirm these specific
commitments contained in paragraphs 16, 22, 25-27, 33, 38-40,
42 and 43, and also reaffirm the understanding in paragraph 2
on the important role of sustainably financed technical
assistance and capacity-building programmes. We instruct the
Director-General to report to the Fifth Session of the
Ministerial Conference, with an interim report to the General
Council in December 2002 on the implementation and adequacy of
these commitments in the identified paragraphs.

LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

42. We acknowledge the seriousness of the concerns expressed
by the least-developed countries (LDCs) in the Zanzibar
Declaration adopted by their Ministers in July 2001. We
recognize that the integration of the LDCs into the
multilateral trading system requires meaningful market access,
support for the diversification of their production and export
base, and trade-related technical assistance and capacity
building. We agree that the meaningful integration of LDCs
into the trading system and the global economy will involve
efforts by all WTO Members. We commit ourselves to the
objective of duty-free, quota-free market access for products
originating from LDCs. In this regard, we welcome the
significant market access improvements by WTO Members in
advance of the Third UN Conference on LDCs (LDC-III), in
Brussels, May 2001. We further commit ourselves to consider
additional measures for progressive improvements in market
access for LDCs. 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. We reaffirm the
commitments we undertook at LDC-III, and agree that the WTO
should take into account, in designing its work programme for
LDCs, the trade-related elements of the Brussels Declaration
and Programme of Action, consistent with the WTO's mandate,
adopted at LDC-III. We instruct the Sub-Committee for Least-
Developed Countries to design such a work programme and to
report on the agreed work programme to the General Council at
its first meeting in 2002.

43. We endorse the Integrated Framework for Trade-Related
Technical Assistance to Least-Developed Countries (IF) as a
viable model for LDCs' trade development. We urge development
partners to significantly increase contributions to the IF
Trust Fund and WTO extra-budgetary trust funds in favour of
LDCs. We urge the core agencies, in coordination with
development partners, to explore the enhancement of the IF
with a view to addressing the supply-side constraints of LDCs
and the extension of the model to all LDCs, following the
review of the IF and the appraisal of the ongoing Pilot Scheme
in selected LDCs. We request the Director-General, following
coordination with heads of the other agencies, to provide an
interim report to the General Council in December 2002 and a
full report to the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference
on all issues affecting LDCs.

SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT

44. We reaffirm that provisions for special and differential
treatment are an integral part of the WTO Agreements. We note
the concerns expressed regarding their operation in addressing
specific constraints faced by developing countries,
particularly least-developed countries. In that connection, we
also note that some Members have proposed a Framework
Agreement on Special and Differential Treatment (WT/GC/W/442).
We therefore agree that all special and differential treatment
provisions shall be reviewed with a view to strengthening them
and making them more precise, effective and operational. In
this connection, we endorse the work programme on special and
differential treatment set out in the Decision on
Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns.

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE WORK PROGRAMME

45. The negotiations to be pursued under the terms of this
Declaration shall be concluded not later than 1 January 2005.
The Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference will take
stock of progress in the negotiations, provide any necessary
political guidance, and take decisions as necessary. When the
results of the negotiations in all areas have been
established, a Special Session of the Ministerial Conference
will be held to take decisions regarding the adoption and
implementation of those results.

46. The overall conduct of the negotiations shall be
supervised by a Trade Negotiations Committee under the
authority of the General Council. The Trade Negotiations
Committee shall hold its first meeting not later than 31
January 2002. It shall establish appropriate negotiating
mechanisms as required and supervise the progress of the
negotiations.

47. With the exception of the improvements and clarifications
of the Dispute Settlement Understanding, the conduct,
conclusion and entry into force of the outcome of the
negotiations shall be treated as parts of a single
undertaking. However, agreements reached at an early stage may
be implemented on a provisional or a definitive basis. Early
agreements shall be taken into account in assessing the
overall balance of the negotiations.

48. Negotiations shall be open to:

(i) all Members of the WTO; and

(ii) States and separate customs territories currently in the
process of accession and those that inform Members, at a
regular meeting of the General Council, of their intention to
negotiate the terms of their membership and for whom an
accession working party is established.

Decisions on the outcomes of the negotiations shall be taken
only by WTO Members.

49. The negotiations shall be conducted in a transparent
manner among participants, in order to facilitate the
effective participation of all. They shall be conducted with a
view to ensuring benefits to all participants and to achieving
an overall balance in the outcome of the negotiations.

50. The negotiations and the other aspects of the Work
Programme shall take fully into account the principle of
special and differential treatment for developing and least-
developed countries embodied in: Part IV of the GATT 1994; the
Decision of 28 November 1979 on Differential and More
Favourable Treatment, Reciprocity and Fuller Participation of
Developing Countries; the Uruguay Round Decision on Measures
in Favour of Least-Developed Countries; and all other relevant
WTO provisions.

51. The Committee on Trade and Development and the Committee
on Trade and Environment shall, within their respective
mandates, each act as a forum to identify and debate
developmental and environmental aspects of the negotiations,
in order to help achieve the objective of having sustainable
development appropriately reflected.

52. Those elements of the Work Programme which do not involve
negotiations are also accorded a high priority. They shall be
pursued under the overall supervision of the General Council,
which shall report on progress to the Fifth Session of the
Ministerial Conference.