The Council for Trade in Services of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) met on 2 March 2018. At the meeting the least developed countries (LDCs) called on WTO members to implement capacity building measures so their suppliers could take advantage of preferential treatment permitted by the LDC services waiver. The LDCs encouraged WTO members to increase the awareness of the LDC services waiver domestically and asked members to explore recommendations the Council could make in relation to enhancing the operationalization of the waiver.

In December 2011 WTO trade ministers adopted a waiver allowing WTO members to provide preferential treatment to services and service suppliers originating in LDCs. The waiver released WTO member states from the obligation to provide non-discriminatory treatment to all their trading partners in the case of providing preferential trade treatment on services to LDCs.

In December 2013 the trade ministers adopted the decision on “Operationalization of the Waiver Concerning Preferential Treatment to Services and Service Suppliers of Least Developed Countries” establishing a process for a high level meeting to be held six months after the LDCs submitted a collective request. Following research the LDC members issued the collective request which was circulated to WTO members in July 2014. A high level meeting took place in February 2015 at which members set out how they intended to respond to the LDC request.

The Nairobi Ministerial Conference in 2015 adopted a decision to extend the LDC service waiver until 31 December 2030 and encouraged WTO members that had not yet notified preferences to do so. It also called on WTO members who have notified the intention to provide technical assistance and capacity building to do so, so that LDC members could benefit from the preferences granted.