   
  
WT/COMTD/PTA5/M/1  
 
29 November  2021 
(21-8977) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Trade and Development  
Seventh  Dedicated Session on Preferential  Trade  
Agreements    
 
 
THAILAND  – DUTY -FREE AND QUOTA -FREE SCHEME FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 10 NOVEMBER  2021 
Chairman: H.E. Dr Muhammad Mujtaba Piracha (Pakistan)  
1.  The Seventh  Dedicated Session on Preferential  Trade A rrangements  (PTAs) of the Committee on 
Trade  and Development (CTD) was convened in document WTO/AIR/COMTD/ PTA/6/Rev.1 of 
29 October  2021.  Under item  C (I) of the agenda, the Committee considered Thailand's duty -free 
and quota -free (DFQF) scheme for least d eveloped countries (LDCs) (WT/COMTD/ PTA5/N/1, 
WT/COMTD/ PTA5/1, WT/COMTD/ PTA5/2). The present document contains the minutes relating to 
the consideration of this PTA.1  
2.  The Chairman  said that Thailand's DFQF scheme for LDCs was notified under paragraph 1(b) of 
the Transparency Mechanism for PTAs on 21 July 2015, in document WT/COMTD/N/46. The 
notification was subsequently re -circulated on 15 July 2021 in document WT/COMTD/PTA5/N/1, in 
accordance with the new symbols for notifications and subseq uent documentation relating to PTAs 
agreed to by the CTD at its 108th Regular Session on 5 April 2019. The factual presentation on the 
DFQF scheme – document WT/COMTD/PTA5/1 dated 15 July 2021 – had been prepared by the 
Secretariat on its own responsibilit y and in full consultation with the notifying Member. Written 
questions on Thailand's DFQF scheme were received from the United States. These questions, as 
well as the written responses from Thailand, were circulated in document WT/COMTD/PTA5/2.  
3.  The repres entative of Thailand  thanked the Secretariat for having prepared the factual 
presentation. She said that her country attache d great importance to the DFQF initiative. The 
implementation of the initiative provide d an opportunity to ensure that LDCs were able to take 
advantage of the development benefits of trade. Thailand 's DFQF scheme for LDCs came into effect 
in 2015. Although the first phase of the scheme ha d expired on 31 December 2020, she was pleased 
to infor m Members that, in May 2021, the Thai Government ha d approved the renew al of the scheme 
until 31 December 2026. The second phase of the scheme would cover 66.47 % of national  tariff 
lines in accordance with the 2017 Harmonized Commodity Description and Codi ng System. At this 
stage, the concerned authorities in Thailand were working on the necessary domestic procedures to 
implement the second pha se of the scheme. When these  procedures were completed, Thailand would  
provide further information on the scheme to the Secretariat.  Finally, she expressed appreciation for 
the questions that had been circulated on the scheme, to which Thailand had already responded. If 
there were any additional questions , she requested that they be submitt ed officially. Her delegation 
would provide replies as soon as possible .  
4.  The representative of the United States  thanked Thailand for its notification and for answering 
the two questions her delegation had posed , regarding DFQF treatment eligibility following the 
gradua tion of a beneficiary from LDC status, and domestic procedures to renew the programme.  
5.  The representative of Chad, on behalf o f the LDC Group,  thanked the Secretariat for the 
preparation of the factual presentation, and expressed appreciation to Thailand f or the information 
provided, including with regard to the renewal of the DFQF scheme . The LDC Group welcome d the 
measures implemented by Thailand in favour of LDCs, as well as by other trading partners that 
offered DFQF market access to products originating in LDCs. He stressed the importance of 
 
1 The general minutes of the CTD's Seventh Dedicated Session on PTAs are contained in document 
WT/COMTD/ PTA/M/ 7. WT/COMTD/PTA5/M/1  
 
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  DFQF  market access, which contributed to stimulating the economies  of LDCs , fostering 
entrepreneurship, and creating employment.  
6.  The representative  of the European Union  thanked Thailand for the notification and  for the  
information provided . He also expressed appreciation to the Secretariat for the preparation of the 
factual presentation, and to the other delegations that had spoken. This was important in terms of 
the transpa rency objective  that Members had set themselves . 
7.  The Chairman  said that oral discussion of Thailand's DFQF scheme for LDCs could be concluded 
in accordance with paragraph 11 of the Transparency Mechanism for PTAs ( PTA TM). Follow -up 
questions by Members would need to be submitted in writing to the Secretariat within one week, by 
17 November  2021. Thailand  would then be given t wo weeks to submit written replies, by no later 
than 1 December  2021. In accordance with paragraph 13 of the PTA TM, all written submissions as 
well as the minutes of the present meeting would be circulated promptly in all WTO official languages, 
and would  be made available on the WTO website.  
8.  The Committee took note  of all interventions .  
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