Members
from both national and overseas
civil societies at a meeting yesterday
lashed out at unequal global trading
system under the World Trade Organisation
(WTO).
Speaking at the International
Civil Society Forum meeting at
a hotel in Dhaka, they said people
of the Least Developed Countries
(LDCs) wanted to see a new world
order to shed their underdevelopment
bred mainly by trade liberalisation.
Professor Rahman Sobhan, chairman
of the Centre for Policy Dialogue
(CPD), chaired the inaugural secession,
while Dr Debapriya Bhattachariya,
executive director of the think-tank
conducted the working session.
The speakers demanded special
and differential treatment (S&D)
as pledged by the developed nations
in favor of LDCs. The governments
of LDCs must not go for any further
negotiation under the WTO until
and unless the earlier commitments
are implemented, they added. The
civil society members alleged
that the multilateral trading
system was not working amid privileges
given to developed countries by
the WTO rule and denial of the
legitimate rights of the LDCs.
They also demanded unconditional
duty- and quota-free market access
of commodities from LDCs to developed
countries. Twenty-six overseas
representatives from 17 international
organisations and local civil
society members attended the meeting. The
forum will adopt a declaration
today ahead of the trade ministers'
meeting of the LDCs from May 31
to June 2.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said
the LDCs' global trade share declined
from two per cent in 1960 to one
per cent in 1970. It has now dipped
to 0.4 per cent due to marginalisation
of poor countries, he added. He
said the special and differential
treatments, pledged at different
ministerial meetings of the WTO,
were yet to be delivered to the
LDCs.
Debapriya demanded duty- and quota-free
access of all LDCs' products to
the markets of industrialised
nations. He also demanded a moratorium
on anti-dumping duties on the
products originating from the
poor countries. Dr Sothi Rachagan,
regional director of the Consumer
International, Malaysia, said
the LDCs were not able to cope
with international standards often
imposed by rich countries at the
time of exporting their products.
He demanded mandatory duty- and
quota-free access of goods from
LDCs to developed countries and
early implementation of S&D
to help avert further marginalisation
of poor countries. Max Van der
Sleen, head of the secretariat
of EU-LDC Network of the Netherlands,
said the LDCs should demand duty-free
access and preferential treatment
from the next ministerial meeting.
Murray Gibbs, project coordinator
of Asia Trade Initiative of Vietnam,
said the multi-lateral trading
system was not working due to
the developed countries. The interest
of LDCs has been kept out from
the WTO, he said. Ruth Mayne, policy
adviser of the Oxfam International,
UK, said rich countries controlled
the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), World Bank (WB) and the
WTO. They rigged international
trading rules in favour of them,
she observed.
She demanded a comprehensive ban
on export dumping originating
from the LDCs. Professor Rahman
Sobhan said there remained a gap
between the official voice and
voices of the common man in different
rounds of the WTO's ministerial
meetings. Due to unequal global
trading system, the poor countries
have been suffering from development
deficit, he observed.
Former Ambassadors Faruq Sobhan
and Walliur Rahman, Director General
(DG) of Export Promotion Bureau
(EPB) Toufiq Hasan, Director of
Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (DCCI) Monzur Ahmad,
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers
and Exporters Association (BGMEA)
Vice-President Zinnat Ali and
Director Anisul Hoque and President
of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association
M A Awal also spoke on the occasion.
