Definition
of a “developing country” in the WTO back
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How is the selection made?
There are no WTO definitions of “developed”
and “developing” countries. Members
announce for themselves whether they are “developed” or “developing” countries.
However, other members can challenge the decision of a member to make
use of provisions available to developing countries.
What are the advantages of
“developing
country” status?
Developing
country status in the WTO brings certain rights. There are for example
provisions
in some WTO Agreements which provide developing countries with longer
transition periods
before they are required to fully implement
the agreement and developing countries can receive technical
assistance.
That a WTO member announces itself as a developing
country does not automatically mean that it will benefit from the
unilateral preference schemes of some of the developed country members
such as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). In practice, it
is the preference giving country which decides the list of developing
countries that will benefit from the preferences. For more information
about the GSP, see the
United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s website,
(opens in a new window).
“Least-developed countries” in the WTO
back
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For more information on least-developed countries,
see the
UNCTAD Website,
(opens in a new window).
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