WTO urged to evaluate its impact on Millennium Development Goals

Ransford Smith, the Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General, has urged the World Trade Organization (WTO) to undertake an evaluation of the impact of its activities and efforts on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

This would help to mainstream development in the organisation, he suggested at the end of a two-day international trade conference held in New Delhi, India.

While addressing the conference on this subject, Mr Smith added that "it is important to recognise the great progress and value that the WTO has made in promoting growth in the global economy."

The conference brought together senior ministers, trade negotiators and other leading thinkers to consider the 'Global Partnership for Development', the eighth Millennium Development Goal.

In part, this MDG calls for the special needs of the least developed countries to be addressed. "This includes tariff- and quota-free access for their exports; enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction," it states.

Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the WTO, who took part in the conference, said that the mere existence of a system of rules within the organisation is in itself a major contribution to development. "It is the difference between the law of the jungle and the regulated system."

He went on to acknowledge that Development within Trade is a much more complex issue than it was 10 to 20 years ago. "Today Development is not a one size fits all," he observed, adding that this could be seen during the trade talks in Geneva last month during difficult discussions on areas such as market access.

Secretariat Links:

• Country Profile: India
• Economics and Trade