Towards a Revised GATT/WTO Special and Differential Treatment Regime for Least Developed and Developing Countries
| Author | Omphemetse S. Sibanda |
| Published date | 01 February 2015 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0015732514558140 |
| Date | 01 February 2015 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Towards a Revised
GATT/WTO Special
and Differential
Treatment Regime for
Least Developed and
Developing Countries
Omphemetse S. Sibanda, Sr.1
Abstract
The envisaged benefits of the special and differential treatment (S&DT) is that
developed countries will provide a supportive environment to least-developed
countries (LDCs) through amongst others: providing preferential access to their
markets; providing technical and other assistance which would permit them to
meet their WTO obligations; developed countries implementing WTO associ-
ated agreements subject to conscious and positive consideration of interests of
LDCs; LDCs given the privilege of more time to meet their obligations under WTO
agreements. However, the asymmetry that exists as regards developed countries
and LDCs in terms of the levels of development reveals some inefficiencies of
the application of S&DT regime. The current S&DT system needs be revised.
JEL: F100, F110, F130, F150
Keywords
Dispute settlement bodies, WTO, LDCs, comparative advantage, trade adjustment,
sustainable development, S&DT
Introduction
The special and differential treatment (S&DT) is one of the key principles of the
World Trade Organization (WTO) and its predecessor, the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT) of 1947. The gist of S&DT is to take into account the
Article
Foreign Trade Review
50(1) 31–40
©2015 Indian Institute of
Foreign Trade
SAGE Publications
sagepub.in/home.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0015732514558140
http://ftr.sagepub.com
Corresponding author:
Omphemetse S. Sibanda, Sr., Professor of Law, College of Law University of South Africa, Pretoria
0003, Gauteng Province, South Africa.
Email: sibanos@unisa.ac.za
1 College of Law University of South Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa.
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