The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

ACP/61/041/06 FINAL Brussels, 27June 2006
Sustainable Economic Development Department

ACP HOUSE, 26-27 JUNE 2006

The ACP Ministerial Trade Committee at its meeting held in Brussels on the 26 and 27 June 2006 to assess among other issues, the state of play of the Doha work programme:

Reiterated that the successful completion of the Doha Work Programme requires a developmental oriented result in particular, in Agriculture and NAMA modalities;

Noted that Agriculture and NAMA negotiations constitute an essential pillar under the Doha Development Round. For ACP countries, the Agriculture and NAMA negotiations are crucially important. Beyond commercial interests, they revolve around primary considerations related to poverty reduction strategies, food security, livelihood concerns and development needs;

Emphasized that the ACP countries are committed to contribute to the Round as part of a collective effort by all members to achieve a positive development outcome;

Recalled the Doha Declaration clearly recognized the importance of developing countries interests and concerns stating that special and differential treatment (S&DT) shall be incorporated in all aspects of the negotiations and be reflected in the commitments and rules and disciplines as appropriate, to allow developing countries to effectively take account of their development needs;

Appreciated that the draft modalities in Agriculture and in NAMA incorporated a number of specific provisions on S&DT which were reiterated in the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration. These draft elements now need to be further translated into fully fledged modalities;

Asserted that the ACP Group can only be party to a consensus decision on Agriculture and in NAMA, if the modalities to be agreed upon fully take into account its vital concerns. These modalities should therefore meaningfully and effectively address all issues of interests to the ACP Group, inter alia, longstanding preferences, cotton, duty and quota free market access for LDCs, Special Products, Special Safeguard Mechanism, issues relating to Net Food importing Developing Countries (NFIDCs), commodities, principle of less than full reciprocity, greater flexibilities for SVEs and ACP Members who are covered by paragraph 6 of Annex B of the July 2004 Framework, enhanced policy space for the industrialization and diversification policies of ACP States;

Invited all WTO members to urgently engage in constructive discussions on special and differential treatment and development related issues for the establishment of modalities in Agriculture and NAMA. Also called on the United States, the European Union and the G20 to seek convergence in their positions so as to facilitate faster progress towards consensus on the overall negotiations;

Emphasized that only an overall balanced approach will allow the adoption of modalities and a successful conclusion of the Round in 2006.

Done in Brussels, 27 June 2006