Certain regional trade agreements contain special provisions for LDCs, including longer or delayed implementation periods, more favourable rules of origin, and others (click on the links for more information on LDC-specific provisions for each):
- African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) (by August 2019, had been signed by 54 countries and ratified by 27).
- South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) (Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka)
- Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) (Bangladesh, China, India, Lao PDR, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka; Mongolia concluded bilateral negotiations on tariff concessions and is to become the seventh member)
- Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER Plus) (Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Australia and New Zealand)
- Preferential Tariff Arrangement-Group of Eight Developing Countries (D8) (Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey) (Bangladesh, the only LDC, enjoyed a longer implementation period for tariff reduction)
Resources and references:
- Asian Regional Integration Center
- UNESCAP Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Agreement Database
- WTO Regional Trade Agreements Database
- Global Preferential Trade Agreements Database
- The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement – what is expected of LDCs in terms of trade liberalisation?” By Trudi Hartzenberg
Last updated: August 26 2019
