Making WTO Membership Work for Least-Developed Countries: Lessons from Nepal and Cambodia
In 2003, Nepal and Cambodia were welcomed into the folds of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the first least-developed countries (LDCs) to join the WTO since it was founded in 1995. This policy brief reviews Nepal’s and Cambodia’s experience during the accession process, examines the countries’ accession commitments and provides a preliminary assessment of how the countries have fared in the first five years of membership. Based on this analysis, the paper identifies some lessons that can help other acceding LDCs replicate the successful strategies and avoid some of the mistakes in an effort to gain maximum benefit from their WTO membership.
http://www.tradeknowledgenetwork.net/research/pub.aspx?id=1014