Sri Lanka, April 19 -- The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is calling on the Trump administration to exempt the world's poorest and smallest nations from "reciprocal" tariffs, warning of "serious economic harm."

In a report released Monday, UNCTAD highlighted 28 countries singled out by the U.S. president for tariff rates significantly higher than the 10% baseline, despite each accounting for less than 0.1% of the U.S. trade deficit. These nations face disproportionately high tariffs, with Laos facing a potential 48% tariff, Mauritius 40%, and Myanmar 45%, even as it recovers from a devastating earthquake.

The Trump administration's announcement of these punitive tariff rates earlier this month shocked many d...