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Organisers
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Symposium
on "Post Doha Marginalisation of LDC
Concerns"
Date: September 12, 2003;
1400 -1800 hrs. Venue: Picasso Conference
Room, Hotel Gran Meliá, Cancun, Mexico
There
is a growing concern among the least developed
countries (LDCs) that the spirit of the
Doha Ministerial Meeting has largely been
lost during the negotiation process. The
draft of the Cancun Ministerial Declaration
vindicates the apprehension of the LDCs
as issues of trade and development of the
LDCs have been grossly ignored in this document.
Given the circumstances, the Cancun
Ministerial will
testify the seriousness of the developed
countries' Members of the WTO regarding
their commitments towards the LDCs and shaping
a balanced and fair multilateral trading
regime.
To consolidate the position of the LDCs
during the Cancun Ministerial negotiations
Commerce Ministers of LDCs met in Dhaka
last May in Dhaka and adopted a declaration
from the LDC perspective.
Under the auspices of the Centre for Policy
Dialogue (CPD) a Global Civil Society Forum
took place in Dhaka at the advent of the LDC Ministers' meeting which raised the
concerns of the civil society and all stake-holders
and expressed solidarity to the LDC ministers
on behalf of the citizens of the LDCs to
take a bold stand for protecting the interest
of the LDCs. The Global Civil Society Forum
also adopted a declaration highlighting
the priorities for and demands of LDCs.
The declaration text mentioned that the
issues of duty-free and quota free market
access, special and differential treatment
for the developing countries (which have
been promised since the conclusion of the
Uruguay round), special modalities for the LDCs in GATS negotiations, movement of natural
persons, access to cheap medicines by the
poor countries, issues of standard and other
non-tariff barriers, meaningful technical
assistance and capacity building of the LDCs for "meaningful participation"
of the LDCs in the multilateral trading
system - have been marginalised in the course
of negotiations since the Doha Ministerial.
Thus far, Cancun ministerial will be the
forum for the LDCs to voice the concerns
of the LDCs again and fight back the context
of 'development', which was set in the Doha
Declaration.
The demands of the LDCs, reflected both
the Dhaka Declaration of the LDC Ministers
and Global Civil Society Forum are:
° Bind duty-free and quota-free market
access for all LDC products and exemption
from all safeguard measures
° Resolution of all implementation issues
prior to consideration of new issues
° A framework agreement on S&DT
premised on level of development, and incorporating
mandatory obligations on the part of developed
countries
° Flexibility for LDCs on agriculture
to enable LDCs to protect domestic agriculture,
safeguard food security and the livelihoods of farmers
° Technical and financial assistance
for LDCs
° Access to essential medicines
° Protection of the rights of farmers,
indigenous people and local communities
° Free movement of people
° Accession of LDCs to the WTO under
conditions no less favourable than those
that apply to existing LDC members
° Transparent and fully inclusive decision
making at Cancun and beyond
° Non-reciprocity and exemption for LDCs
in negotiations on industrial tariffs
The symposium titled Post Doha Marginalisation
of LDC Concerns is being organised by
the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka,
a leading civil society think tank in South
Asia in association with the International
Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development
(ICTSD), Geneva, to discuss the abovementioned
issues with a view to advance LDC interests
in the context of the Cancun Ministerial
Meeting. The co-organisers of the symposium
include Consumer International Regional
Office - Asia and Pacific (CIROAP), CUTS-Africa
Resource Centre (ARC), EU-LDC Network, Research
and Information System for the Non-Aligned
and Other Developing Countries (RIS), South
Asia Watch on Trade, Economics & Environment
(SAWTEE) and Southern and Eastern African
Trade Information and Negotiations Institute
(SEATINI). Experts, civil society leaders
and opinion makers from Africa, Asia, Latin
America and Europe will present papers and
take part in the discussion on the various
themes of the Symposium.
The objectives of the symposium are to:
° Highlight the trade interests and
concerns of the LDCs in the context of the
evolving WTO regime
° Mobilise broad based support in favour
of the LDCs during the negotiations to be
held at the Cancún Ministerial and
strengthen LDC solidarity around common
issues of concerns
° Project the legitimacy of the LDC
concerns to all stakeholders
° Discuss the future plan of action following
the Cancun Ministerial
The Hon'ble Minister for Commerce of the
Peoples' Republic of Bangladesh and Vice
Chairman of the Cancun Ministerial, Mr.
Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, MP will
deliver the introductory speech in the symposium
as Chief Guest.
Agenda for Discussion: Implementation issues;
Effective Market access; GATS: Movement
of natural persons; Special and Differential
Treatment; Technical assistance; Accession
to the WTO.
Speakers from: Centre for Policy Dialogue
(CPD), Dhaka ; ICTSD, Geneva; CIROAP; CUTS-ARC,
Africa; EU-LDC Network; RIS, New Delhi;
SAWTEE; SEATINI
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