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

Knight argues case of developing countries at WTO meeting

K D Knight, Jamaica's minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, told yesterday's World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong that "renewed efforts at fostering development in the Doha Round must now occupy centrestage".

Knight, who spoke on behalf of developing countries, cautioned that the deliberations would only be successful to the extent that there was a discernible movement on the development agenda.

Jamaica, Knight said, would continue to work towards a successful Doha Round, as he underscored the country's commitment to trade liberalisation and the WTO.

The Doha Round, which commenced in November 2001, was designed to place renewed emphasis on enhancing the economic growth and capacity of developing and least developed countries to participate in international trade.
Widespread concerns have been raised, however, that the round is yet to deliver on its mandate.

".Even while the projected gains for a large number of developing countries appear to be diminishing, the demands being made on them by negotiating partners appear to be going in the opposite direction," the minister told the WTO conference. This, he said, was of great concern to Caricom member states and to other vulnerable economies.

Minister Knight, who is spokesperson for the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Group of countries on non-agricultural market access (NAMA) negotiations, affirmed that the development agenda within the WTO context must include:

. the promotion of the productive sectors through trade;
. the sustained development of the commodity sector; and
. building supply capacity and competitiveness and increasing the effective market access for developing countries in the areas of exports including agriculture, commodities, apparel, labour and resource-intensive manufactures and services.

He also stressed that there should be sensitivity towards the adjustment concerns resulting from trade reforms and liberalisation as well as recognition of the imbalances between developed and developing countries.

"(The) development dimension remains a central concern, both as a cross-cutting issue and as well in our efforts to make special and differential treatment provisions more precise, effective and operational. We are hopeful that agreement can be reached at least on the treatment of the five LDCs - specific proposals at this conference."

The minister also identified other key negotiating areas where his delegation was committed "to having our interest clearly reflected".

He said Jamaica had supported varying levels of tariff reduction which would prove less onerous for developing countries. Jamaica remained committed, he added, to the inclusion of Special Products, the Special Safeguard Mechanism and longstanding preferences which were provided for in the agreed July Framework.

Regarding non-agricultural market access, Knight said that full recognition must be given to the impact on fragile industries and the revenue implications for small, vulnerable economies. "We will continue to argue for an appropriate formula," he said.

Meanwhile, the United States said yesterday it was ready to offer African cotton farmers duty-free access to US markets, providing a possible glimmer of hope at trade talks that have floundered so far.

The move, however, was given only a lukewarm welcome by the European Union and immediately dismissed as "an empty promise" by Oxfam International.

Making the cotton offer, US Trade Representative Rob Portman said progress towards an overall trade liberalisation pact was unlikely in Hong Kong, with another World Trade Organisation session needed near the end of March.

"If we don't make all the progress we'd hoped for in Hong Kong, and I'm afraid we won't, I feel strongly we should set a date (for a new meeting) before we leave here," he told reporters.

World Bank vice-president Danny Leipziger said that "so far the trade talks have been disappointing," blaming "vested interests within the national entities" for a standoff between the United States and the European Union on removing barriers to agricultural trade.