The papers included in this volume were prepared to assist the Group of Experts which Commonwealth Heads of Government at their Meeting in Melbourne in October 1981 requested the Secretary-General to assemble in order “to investigate the impact of protection on developing country trade and report in time to assist governments in their preparations for the proposed GATT Ministerial Meeting”. During the first half of 1982 the Group met three times, and in July 1982 their Report was published by the Commonwealth Secretariat under the title “Protectionism: Threat to International Order; The Impact on Developing Countries”.