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Roundtable on way ahead for WTO negotiations

29 January 2004

“This roundtable discussion played an important part in the development of a post- Cancún strategy."

The Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) yesterday, 27 January, convened a roundtable discussion to identify the way forward for the stalled World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations. The roundtable took place at Marlborough House, the headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat in

 Following the roundtable, the CBC issued a statement summarising its conclusions. One was that developed countries must address the concerns of developing countries -- not least in declaring their willingness to substantially reform the system of agricultural subsidies. The statement also said that the political will to make progress needs to be intensified by all parties -- especially since many governments have to contend with important domestic political agendas.

Focusing on issues emerging from the unsuccessful meeting of trade ministers in Cancún, Mexico, in September 2003, the roundtable brought together leading experts from governments, the private sector and civil society organisations. It examined two specific areas of the WTO negotiations: the prospects for the Doha Round of negotiations (after the failure of the Cancún meeting) and the impact of increasing regional/bilateral arrangements.

 A further conclusion was that the tendency towards regional and bilateral agreements after the failure of the negotiations at Cancún was likely to intensify. This, however, should not come at the expense of or to the detriment of the multilateral process, which benefits all.

 Shondeep Banerji, Trade Spokesman for the CBC, stated: “This roundtable discussion played an important part in the development of a post- Cancún strategy. The Commonwealth Business Council is determined to represent the interests of the private sector and work towards a successful conclusion to the trade negotiations. In terms of helping the developing world and contributing towards greater global prosperity, the stakes could not be higher.”

 The CBC was established by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October 1997 to involve the private sector in the promotion of trade and investment. Further information on the roundtable can be found at www.cbcglobelink.org/cbcglobelink/cbcdocument.jsp?name=wto_roundtable. General information about the CBC can be found at www.cbcglobelink.com/.