The multilateral trading system time to re-energize

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The same can be said about industrial tariffs, even if a few issues remained for further clarification. And they had a promise before them of attractive services offers, based on the Services Signalling Conference that had been held.

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In agriculture, various elements of the Doha Package had been designed to address both the developed and the developing world's many sensitivities. In July, much progress was achieved on "sensitive products" for developed and developing countries, and on "special products" reserved exclusively for the developing world - these are all products that would take either a lower tariff reduction than the norm or no reduction at all, to make trade opening more gradual. The flexibilities were intended to allow for a "tailor-made" package as opposed to a "one-size-fits-all.

Countries could not agree on the circumstances in which this Safeguard could be used - the extent of volume surge, or price decline of imported products that would have to occur for it to be triggered.


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And nor could they agree on the extent of the remedy that it would provide when set in motion - the magnitude of the extra duty that would be imposed on imported goods to protect the domestic market. Efforts were made until the very last minute of the meeting to find a compromise over the Special Safeguard, but it eventually became clear that this thorny issue would require more work to build convergence.

It was not, in the end, as ripe as some thought it was. Because the negotiation stopped at the Safeguard, negotiators never made it to other critical issues, such as cotton. So, what now? Do we throw in the towel, and do we give up? Most WTO Members have already said that this would be highly irresponsible. To let a 7-year international effort to essentially "do good" collapse would be a calamity. Who is ready to shoulder that responsibility? Not only that, are we willing to tell producers and consumers alike that we blew away in a single month their hope for more open markets, and a more equitable, and development-friendly, trading system?

Are we willing to tell them that topics that would have followed these modalities, such as trade facilitation for small businesses, market opening for environmental goods and services and the reduction of environmentally-harmful fisheries subsidies, are now off the table without even a chance at a Ministerial discussion? There is simply no way. Hence the stance taken by WTO Members, asking that we preserve the enormous progress that had been achieved and to build on it for a final agreement. My sense is that there is scope for renewed engagement over the coming weeks, as confirmed by the technical discussions that have been held here in Geneva these past two days.

Today I ask you to help us close the July package. While it has now become clear that we cannot complete the Doha Round by the end of this year, let us at least aim to complete modalities in , so as to conclude the Round in In conclusion, let me add that completing the Doha Round is intimately linked to the themes that you have chosen for this conference, food security and climate change. The wave of rising food prices that we witnessed, would find at least a partial answer through the Doha Round, allowing increases in supply to adjust to increases in demand in different corners of our planet with much greater ease.

As for climate change, I must confess to you that what has happened in the WTO in July has left me with a bitter taste. If the international community cannot find the courage to do what it has done many times before - which is to open markets collectively through a trade round - will it have the courage to tackle what has "never" yet been tackled! Not to mention that the Doha Round contained the first-ever environmental chapter of a trade round of negotiations. Does busting that chapter in any way pave the road to a post-Kyoto regime?

What we now need is a bit more leadership and courage. You have shown both with your unwavering support for the WTO. Please try to transmit this same spirit to your country's negotiators. Please convey the message back home that, in view of the package that is currently on the WTO table, the Doha Round must see the light of day.

Further delays would weaken the multilateral trading system, our collective capacity to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and endanger other major international negotiations which are needed to stabilize our risky planet; such as the one on climate change.

The meeting featured a detailed briefing by Mr Azevedo on the state of play of trade negotiations in Geneva, with focus on preparations for the next WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Buenos Aires in December. The state of global trade was also central to discussion, particularly with on-going concerns regarding the slow rate of global trade growth in recent years, Mr Azevedo said that advancing multilateral trade negotiations was more important than ever and stated that the imminent entry into force of the Trade Facilitation Agreement TFA would be an important boost to the global trading system.

Indicating that agriculture issues would be at the top of the agenda during his talks with Mr Sitharaman, Mr Azevedo acknowledged the importance of agriculture for India and highlighted some of the decisions that had been taken at the Bali and Nairobi Ministerial Conferences in this regard. Asked by some ICC members about e-commerce issues being advanced by a number of countries at the WTO, Mr Azevedo confirmed that while there was a lot of interest on the issue, no consensus had been reached on how to move forward. Mr Azevedo acknowledged that some countries had expressed a number of concerns and reservations.

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With this in mind, he said it would be important for those countries advocating work on this issue to better define their objectives if they hoped to progress. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.

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Indian business and WTO DG talk future of global trade - ICC - International Chamber of Commerce

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