The WTO agreement was signed in Marakesh of Morocco on 15 April, 1994 by 124 countries. Bangladesh and another five countries were among the 48 LDCs to be the founding members. Over the years, the number of LDCs has increased to 50 with Senegal and Benin. Countries that participated in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations (1948-1993) became automatically the members of the WTO. Bangladesh had entered into GATT negotiations in 1972. Another five LDCs had also participated in the negotiations. So, they became members as contracting parties by submitting their schedules. Other LDCs got one year extension to submit their schedules stating the trade, finance and social condition as required by Article 11 of the WTO agreement to be its member. Enjoying the privilege, another 22 LDCs became members of the WTO within a year which was ratified at the first WTO ministerial in December 1996 in Singapore.

China, then an LDC, was barred from enjoying the facility as they had been maintaining very protective and restrictive market. China after decade-long desperate negotiations with potential WTO members has got the membership in 2003. During the period she had to make agreements with founding members especially USA, European Union, Japan, Canada and Australia. This accession process is mandatory for new WTO entrants so that their trade regime is at par with the GATT. Russia, Saudi Arabia, LDC Vietnam with another 12-15 interested countries have been facing stiff negotiations for years under the accession process. LDCs' claim is that according to WTO commitment, the accession process for LDCs should be very liberal which has not been followed.

Recognising the plight and specific needs of the LDCs to ensure their effective participation in the world trading system through improving their trading opportunities and market access facilities, the WTO members, according to the agreement, decided to take five specific measures. The first step is "Expeditious implementation of all special and differential (S&D) measures taken in favour of LDCs including those taken within the context of the Uruguay Round (1986-1993) shall be ensured through, inter alia, regular review." Bangladesh as the coordinator of LDCs in the WTO since its inception has been pursuing duty-free and quota-free market access for the LDCs' products as S&D initiative. It was hoped that with this treatment the LDCs' products have been facing tariff and non-tariff barriers and uneven competition would be eliminated. It would help increase their export to the markets of developed and stronger developing economies. Employment would be increased. Income, consumption and savings of the people would be improved. Economic misery would be diminished.

Analysts revealed that tariffs of industrial products have been reduced worldwide by about 50 per cent since 1995 as expected by the industrialised countries. LDCs do not have trade capacities in any of these products. Rather import-substitution local industries became loosing concerns facing serious competition with the cheap and high-tech foreign products and thus laid-off the establishment.

On the other hand, non-tariff barriers have been widened. New barriers like environment protection, restoration of children's and women's rights, democratisation, pursuance of international standards in products' quality control, improvement of social values imposed on LDCs' products shrunk the market accessibility. LDCs' share in world market was about 3.5 per cent at the beginning of GATT negotiations in 1948. It came down to 0.98 per cent in 1980s and further declined to 0.58 per cent in 1990s. The share has slightly increased to 0.64 per cent during 2000-2004 period thanks to export and import surge in Angola, Bangladesh, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea and Mozambique. Increase of import by most of the LDCs also contributed to upping the share. As a result, most of the LDCs have been facing further marginalisation in integrating their economies with the global one.

The second commitment describes, "To the extent possible, Most Favoured Nation (MFN) concessions on tariff and non-tariff measures agreed in the Uruguay Round on products of export interests to the LDCs may be implemented autonomously, in advance and without staging. Consideration shall be given to further improve Generalized System of Preference and other schemes for products of particular export interest to LDCs." In reality, the developed and developing countries are providing MFN status only to those countries with which they have bilateral or regional trade agreements. There is not a single case available to take S&D measures on an autonomous basis. In the first WTO Ministerial, the developed economies had reaffirmed their commitment to provide LDCs duty-free access on an autonomous basis. But that still remains on papers.

The third commitment elaborates "The rules set out in the various agreements and instruments and the transitional provisions in the Uruguay Round should be applied in a flexible and supportive manner for the LDCs......." In return to this commitment, the developed countries had tried to impose new set of core labour standards subsiding ILO's jurisdiction. This shift should have serious consequences to poverty reduction initiatives of LDCs. The developed world does not yet give up their agenda. Rather they have been pursing to get approval in the coming Hong Kong conference that not ILO but WTO should deal with the labour standards. On the other hand, many countries imposed restrictions on imports of those countries' products who are not complying with labour standards on their scale. According to WTO rules, this is a non-tariff barrier to freer trade.

The fourth commitment states, "In the application of import relief measures and other measures referred to Article 37 of GATT 1947 and the corresponding provision of GATT 1994, special consideration shall be given to the export interests of LDCs." Since the right opportunities of LDCs have been barred by imposing tariff and non-tariff barriers implementation of special import relief measures is unthinkable.

The fifth and final commitment describes, "LDCs shall be accorded substantially increased technical assistance in the development, strengthening and diversification of their production and export bases including those of services, as well as in trade promotion, to enable them to maximise the benefits from liberalised access to markets." In Singapore conference, WTO members agreed to take an integrated approach to assisting LDCs in enhancing their trading opportunities. As a result, a high level meeting was organised jointly by IMF, ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, the World Bank and WTO in 1997 in Geneva, the headquarters of the WTO. Bangladesh along with another 11 LDCs presented their needs. Many countries and multilateral agencies renewed their commitment to provide duty-free market access and technical assistance.

They translated their high assurances after three years by providing two computers and two programmes for trade information management to each of the 12 LDCs as technical assistance. In case of having foreign direct investment, LDCs are being deprived more as the agreement on Trade Related Investment Matters under WTO is infringed greatly by the developed world. Thus the club for globalisation and liberalisation of trade is now acting as a double-edged blade for LDCs. They cannot sustain remaining isolated from the integration process for a long run, again there is no shade for them under the globalisation umbrella. In the coming Hong Kong conference, LDCs will again seek assurance of shade and comfort under the umbrella of global economic integration.

The poor world with 650 million population deserves realisation of the commitments of the WTO members.

Bijan Lal Dev is a trade analyst.