Challenges of “On Terms to Be Agreed” in WTO: LDC’s Experiences for Ethiopian

Abstract

Ethiopia has been in the process of accession to the WTO since January 2003. Accession to the WTO is not an end by itself but it's a key element for speed up national development goal directly or indirectly. Indeed, lessons from recently accessed countries indicate that, the WTO accession process is quit complex and demands well preparation in order to take decisions on trade policy reforms to meet the requirement of accession. Thus, this article examines the experience of Least Developed Countries which has been finalized their WTO accession process i.e. Cambodia, Nepal, and Yemen. Finally, the article has found that, in toting up to personal knowledge and skill of negotiators, Ethiopia shall bargain after deep studies on the commitment packages to reduce possible challenges and to prepare for remedy by formalizing institutional mechanisms open for stakeholder's participation.