The U.S. Trade Representative's Office said South Korea, Brazil, Singapore, and Costa Rica maintained their self-declared developing country status at the WTO despite pledging to forgo special treatment. The report was released on the eve of a WTO ministerial conference in Yaounde, Cameroon. It reiterated calls for WTO reform toward reciprocity and balance.
WASHINGTON — The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) stated on Monday, March 23, 2026, that four WTO members—Brazil, Singapore, South Korea, and Costa Rica—announced between March 2019 and March 2020 that they would forgo special and differential treatment (SDT) provisions in current and future WTO negotiations, yet maintained their self-declared developing country status. The report on WTO reform issues, including SDT eligibility, was released on the eve of a WTO ministerial conference in Yaounde, Cameroon, reiterating the need for reform to pursue reciprocity and balance in the international trading system. “Between March 2019 and March 2020, four WTO members—Brazil, Singapore, Korea, and Costa Rica—announced that they would forgo SDT provisions... yet they maintained their self-declared developing country status,” the report said. Separately, on China, it noted that China announced in September 2025 it would not seek SDT but a “closer examination raises questions about China's pledge.” Self-declaring as a developing country allows access to SDT, such as more time to implement WTO agreements or technical aid. The U.S. has advocated for a decade for “objective” criteria for SDT eligibility. It detailed a U.S. proposal excluding four categories from SDT: OECD members or applicants; G20 members; World Bank-designated high-income countries; and WTO members accounting for at least 0.5 percent of global merchandise trade. Benefits should be reserved for members “with the greatest difficulty integrating into the trading system,” it stressed. USTR Jamieson Greer said in a statement: “The WTO needs to change if it intends to have any relevance as the international trading system transitions to focus on reciprocity and balance. The United States, with this report, continues to lead on concrete proposals to promote Member-driven reform discussions.”
