In 1979, as part of the Tokyo Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the enabling clause was adopted in order to permit trading preferences targeted at developing and least developed countries which would otherwise violate Article I of the GATT. Paragraph 2(a) provides a legal basis for extending the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) beyond the original 10 years. In practice it gave a permanent validity to the GSP.
In 1979, during the Tokyo Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), a clause was added to allow for trade preferences specifically for developing and least developed countries. This clause, found in Paragraph 2(a), provided legal justification for extending the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) beyond its initial 10-year period.  This effectively made the GSP permanent.