Non-Tariff Measures : Evidence from Selected Developing Countries and Future Research Agenda

This publication is one of the first attempts by the United Nations to address in a comprehensive manner the issues relating to NTMs in this age of current global economic turmoil. One of the principal objectives of this report is to stimulate the discussion on NTMs and subsequent impact assessment of the trade strategies on the developing countries market access opportunities, and to contribute to UNCTAD's overarching mission of upholding an open, equitable, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, as enshrined in the UN Millennium Declaration, as well as to assuring development gains from international trade and trade negotiations. Part I contains the five country reports (Brazil, Chile, India, Thailand and the Philippines). Part II contains a research paper on the methodological approaches to the NTMs quantification. Part III contains the report by the Group of Eminent Persons on Non-Tariff Barriers (GNTB) to the Secretary-General of UNCTAD which was made available at the meeting held on 5 November 2009 in Geneva. The report highlighted the key issues of the UNCTAD initiative in collaboration with international partners in United Nations organizations and agencies, regional organizations and national governments and other partners, and provided policy and technical guidance and recommendations on the implementation of a possible multi-year programme to raise the profile of NTMs activities