The Committee of Participants is the governing body of the Global System of Trade Preferences (GSTP), a partnership framework for South-South trade cooperation.
This session will take stock of the current state of play in the GSTP, discuss the potential of the GSTP in addressing global uncertainty and possible areas of cooperation, and explore how the GSTP can move forward with renewed strength to ensure GSTP members reap commercial and development benefits under the current global economic and policy context.
The event will be hosted by the President of the GSTP, H. E. Omar Zniber, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco and Luz Maria de la Mora, Director of International Trade and Commodities at UN Trade and Development, will deliver the opening address.
Note
Participation in this meeting is reserved for the delegations of the parties to the GSTP Agreement.* The members of the Group of 77 and China that are not party of the GSTP are welcome to attend as observer.
The session will be held in person only, in Room VII, Palais des Nations, Geneva.
*Parties to the GSTP Agreement are the following:
Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe and Mercosur.
Programme
- Opening
- Adoption of the agenda
- South-South trade cooperation under global uncertainties
- Follow-up on the third round of GSTP negotiations (“the São Paulo Round”)
- Status of ratification
- Technical preparations for the Protocol’s entry into force: Updating of São Paulo Round tariff concessions
- Possible areas for future cooperation under GSTP
- South-South trade in the agricultural and marine fishery sectors (GSTP technical notes)
- New market access cooperation (Article 4 of the GSTP Agreement)
- Arrangements relating to non-tariff measures (NTMs)
- Arrangements relating to sectoral agreements (e.g. services)
- Proposed high-level GSTP event at the sixteenth session of UNCTAD (UNCTAD 16)
- Proposed work plan for 2026-2028
- Briefing on the GSTP trust fund and other administrative matters
- Any other business
- Closing
