Download or read book Making WTO membership work for least-developed countries written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As part of a strategy to promote broad-based growth, Nepal and Cambodia became Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2004 as the first least-developed countries (LDCs) to join the WTO since it was founded in 1995.2 Their bid for membership was motivated by a desire to ensure predictable market access and become eligible for the special concessions available to LDCs under WTO rules. [...] A number of LDCs had previously acceded to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the predecessor to the WTO, and these LDCs are among the founding members of the WTO. [...] Source: WTO website ( ); WTO Secretariat, information on current accessions, WT/ACC/* In any case, the speed of accession provides little indication on the ease of the process and the quality of the results. [...] This is not to say that the terms of accession on the whole or indeed the commitments discussed here will be disadvantageous for the countries (this would require a far more comprehensive assessment of both the terms and the associated impacts of WTO accession). [...] While Cambodia did not provide any export subsidies at the time of the negotiations, and was unlikely to do so to a significant extent for fiscal reasons, it seems only reasonable for the country to be allowed the flexibility to use such subsidies in the future if needed.12 Serv ces: Both Nepal and Cambodia made extensive commitments to liberalize the trade in services, opening up all of the 11 se.