Executive training workshop for the draft report to MC-13 on rules of origin for LDCs

The Executive Training in Preparation for the October 2023 CRO Meeting for LDC WTO Group is a two-day intensive executive training workshop on rules of origin entirely dedicated to developing the interventions of the WTO LDC Group at the next CRO scheduled to take place on October 2023. The workshop is part of the agreed LDC work program on rules of origin and a follow up to the previous workshop carried out in May 2023 to prepare WTO LDC delegates to actively participate in multilateral deliberations at the WTO Committee on Rules of Origin and other negotiating fora.

The course provides an overview of the status of the negotiations in the CRO about the report to MC13 and discusses the draft of the WTO LDC Group for the Report of the CRO to MC13 (based on the LDC work program) which will need to be negotiated with other WTO members, to be finalized and presented to MC13.

The event includes presentations and interactive discussions, preparing for the CRO meetings on the road towards MC13. Participants will also learn about requirements for the assessment of sufficient or substantial transformation, documentary requirements, convergence on product specific rules of origin, and lessons learned from the use of the notification of data on utilization rates. The presenters are officials of UNCTAD and CRO but the focus of the training is to enable the LDCs WTO Group to strengthen their position a be better prepared to put forward the different elements and content of the draft report.