About two thirds of the WTO’s around 150 members are developing countries. They
play an increasingly important and active role in the WTO because of their numbers,
because they are becoming more important in the global economy, and because they
increasingly look to trade as a vital tool in their development efforts. Developing
countries are a highly diverse group often with very different views and concerns.
The WTO deals with the special needs of developing countries in three ways:
• the WTO agreements contain special provisions on developing countries
• the Committee on Trade and Development is the main body focusing on work in
this area in the WTO, with some others dealing with specific topics such as trade
and debt, and technology transfer
• the WTO Secretariat provides technical assistance (mainly training of various
kinds) for developing countries.