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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Now Doha Must Deliver

15 November 2001

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon today welcomed the agreement reached by trade ministers at Doha on a new 'development round' of multilateral trade negotiations: "The breakthrough achieved at Doha is good news for developing countries and good news for the world economy. The task now is to ensure that Doha delivers actual results for those marginalised by the global trading system."

He stressed this should be a genuine development round, and recalled the great disappointment still felt by many developing countries that much of the Uruguay Round had not delivered the expected results. "We cannot allow the same thing to happen this time. International trade has great potential to combat poverty and we must work towards a multilateral trading system that shares its benefits more equitably."

Mr McKinnon endorsed the priority ministers placed on technical assistance and capacity building for developing countries as well as the need to ensure adequate representation in Geneva for all WTO members. This would help create the conditions for a level playing field in the forthcoming negotiations.

The Secretary-General was particularly pleased by the agreement reached on agriculture, and stressed that it should lead to a complete phasing out of export subsidies. "A situation where the OECD's annual agriculture subsidies amount to US$350 billion, exceeding the GNP of the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, is unsustainable.

"Increased access to industrial country markets for the agricultural exports of developing countries is crucial for any sustained attack on global poverty. Many of these developing countries are worried that the imminent expansion of the European Union could result in even higher agricultural subsidies."

Mr McKinnon was also cheered by the clarification of the anti-dumping agreement, and by the outcome on the TRIPS (Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement. "This breakthrough gives developing countries the flexibility to buy essential drugs at more affordable prices when they face public health crises."

The progress made at Doha to launch the new round was exciting, he said. "If this willingness to compromise, shown by both industrial and developing countries, is brought to the table at the next round of negotiations, a fairer distribution of wealth could become an achievable goal. Doha sets the scene for the generous globalisation we all need."

01/74 15 November 2001
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