This paper explores the strategic pursuit of a “development package” within the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations on trade in services. Situating the current GATS round against the backdrop of stalled multilateral talks and proliferating preferential deals, we argue that the development dimension—long promised yet under-delivered—still holds untapped potential.

Methodology and findings:

Combining textual analysis of negotiating drafts with process-tracing of coalitional politics, we show how developing countries have incrementally tightened the link between services liberalisation and concrete development gains. We identify three catalytic shifts:

The reframing of “flexibilities” into enforceable Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) provisions;

The emergence of issue-specific alliances (e-services, Mode 4 mobility, and green services) that transcend traditional North–South blocs; and

The strategic use of plurilateral advances to recalibrate leverage inside the single undertaking.

Countering the moribund narrative:

Countering narratives that the Doha services agenda is moribund, the paper demonstrates that a coherent development package—anchored in regulatory cooperation, capacity building, and staged liberalisation commitments—remains within reach.

Conclusion and scenarios:

We conclude with scenarios for 2025–2030 that outline how sequencing pro-development rules, data-governance safeguards, and targeted Aid-for-Trade can convert rhetorical pledges into binding outcomes. The best, we contend, is indeed yet to come.