Making WTO Membership Work for Least-Developed Countries: Lessons from Nepal and Cambodia

This policy brief analyzes the WTO accession experiences of Nepal and Cambodia, highlighting the strenuous nature of the process and the inadequacy of post-membership technical assistance. It argues that LDCs often face more stringent commitments than incumbent members and recommends simplifying the accession process, ensuring commitments do not exceed those of founding LDC members, and linking the implementation of obligations to the receipt of effective technical assistance.

• The WTO accession process for Nepal and Cambodia was strenuous and time-consuming, as both countries were required to follow the same complex procedures as non-Least-Developed Countries (LDCs), despite WTO commitments to streamline the process for LDCs.
• Nepal and Cambodia entered into trade commitments for goods and services that are more stringent than those of some developing country members and incumbent LDC members, contradicting assurances that WTO members would exercise restraint in seeking concessions from acceding LDCs.
• While technical assistance was vital for preparing documentation and building capacity during the accession phase, the assistance provided after WTO membership has been inadequate, contributing to a loss of momentum in implementing obligations.
• Nepal secured more favorable accession terms than Cambodia, which is attributed to technical assistance and stakeholder participation during the process, although many stakeholders in Nepal still felt excluded and government interaction with them ceased after accession.
• The brief recommends that the WTO simplify accession for LDCs by removing the requirement for bilateral negotiations on market access, ensuring commitments do not exceed those of founding LDCs, and making the implementation of commitments conditional on receiving timely technical assistance.

APA

Dahal,, H. B. A. (2008). Making WTO Membership Work for Least-Developed Countries: Lessons from Nepal and Cambodia. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/making-wto-membership-work-least-developed-countries-lessons-nepal-and-cambodia

Chicago

Dahal,, Heike Baumüller,Ratnakar Adhikari,Navin. Making WTO Membership Work for Least-Developed Countries: Lessons from Nepal and Cambodia. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2008. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/making-wto-membership-work-least-developed-countries-lessons-nepal-and-cambodia.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dahal, |first1=Heike Baumüller,Ratnakar Adhikari,Navin |title=Making WTO Membership Work for Least-Developed Countries: Lessons from Nepal and Cambodia |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=30 September 2008 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/making-wto-membership-work-least-developed-countries-lessons-nepal-and-cambodia |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dahal2008making, author = {Dahal,, Heike Baumüller,Ratnakar Adhikari,Navin}, title = {{Making WTO Membership Work for Least-Developed Countries: Lessons from Nepal and Cambodia}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2008}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/making-wto-membership-work-least-developed-countries-lessons-nepal-and-cambodia}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }