Trade officials from the world's least developed nations have gathered in Bangladesh to work on an agenda for this year's World Trade Organization meeting in Mexico.
Ministers and officials from more than 30 Asian and African nations are attending the three-day meeting in the capital, Dhaka.
The conference will focus on how to improve access to the richer nations' export markets, as well as environmental issues.
Reuters news agency quotes Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury as saying least developed countries are losing their share of world trade to the industrialized world.
By the end of the conference, the officials are expected to have a unified declaration to take to the September W-T-O meeting in Cancun, Mexico.