WTO Process Issues

WTO rejoices over Kamal Nath's exit from trade and commerce

1 June, 2009
Blog: Ground Reality

Geneva heaves a sigh of relief. With Kamal Nath moved out of the Indian Commerce Ministry, the probability of concluding the contentious Doha Development Round of the WTO appears much brighter. Not that Kamal Nath was un-necessarily throwing spanners but his strong grip over the trade negotiations helped India to resist bullying and arm-twisting by the big boys of international trade.

Developing countries nix Lamy's two-track approach to Doha talks

28 May, 2009
SUNS #6708
Many developing countries appear to have opposed and/or voiced concerns over a suggestion by WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy for work along "two simultaneous tracks", one on modalities in agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) and another for commencing the scheduling exercise in both these areas.

WTO to hold seventh Ministerial Conference end November

28 May, 2009
SUNS #6708
The WTO General Council on Tuesday decided to convene its seventh Ministerial Conference in Geneva from 30 November to 2 December, nearly four years after its last conference in Hong Kong-China in 2005.

Lamy Cites Need for Two-Track Approach For Concluding Doha Round of Trade Talks

27 May, 2009
Daily Report for Executives
World Trade Organization director-general Pascal Lamy said May 26 that WTO members should consider a two-track approach towards concluding the troubled Doha Round of trade talks, an idea already floated by the United States for breaking the deadlock in the negotiations.

COSATU commends government’s stance not to rush to conclude Doha round

26 May, 2009
COSATU
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) commends the Department of Trade and Industry for opposing the current Doha texts on agriculture and industrial goods. In a statement released on 22 May 2009, it said that SA would not rush for an imperfect Doha deal.

Meetings where WTO Doha round could be discussed

26 May, 2009
Reuters
Trade ministers and other leaders will have a number of opportunities in the coming months to negotiate the Doha round on the sidelines of a series of international meetings.

Kirk Highlights Need For New Doha Ideas, Doha Review Bumped Up To NEC

13 May, 2009
Daily News
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in a series of private and public gatherings this week in Geneva stressed the need for trading partners to consider new ideas to help break the current impasse in the Doha round of global trade talks, but also said the U.S. would look to build on the work done so far rather than scrapping it.

Kirk Opens Drive to Revive Doha Round To Achieve Successful Conclusion to Talks

12 May, 2009
Daily Report for Executives
United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk met with representatives of key World Trade Organization member countries May 11 for a first round of exchanges on how to get the stalled Doha trade talks back on track and towards a successful conclusion.

Report 3 on UNCTAD meetings: Doha talks should resume but on development basis

9 October, 2006
By Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Oct06/04)
The World Trade Organisation's Doha negotiations should resume as soon as possible, and on the basis of the development mandate and principle so that the developing countries will really benefit, according to many developing countries individually or through their groupings.

WTO General Council officially suspends talks indefinitely

26 July, 2006
Agence Europe
In Geneva, on Thursday, at the request of WTO Director General Pascal Lamy, the ambassadors of the 149 WTO member nations, meeting in General Council, officially agreed to suspend Doha Round talks indefinitely after the stalled meeting on 24 July when the major G-6 trading powers (EU, United States, Brazil, India, Australia and Japan) were unable to reach a compromise on the modalities (figures and other provisions) for trade liberalisation in agricultural products and non-agricultural manufactured articles (NAMA).

Questions, concerns abound in aftermath of WTO failure

26 July, 2006
By Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
A few days after the collapse of negotiations at the WTO, delegates of many developing countries are pondering over several issues that have emerged over the proposal, mooted by WTO director general Pascal Lamy and supported by the Ministers of the G6 members, to suspend the Doha negotiations across the board.

All Doha talks suspended at WTO as G6 Ministerial collapses

24 July, 2006
By Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
A decision has been made at the WTO to indefinitely suspend the WTO's Doha negotiations across the board after the breakdown of the meeting ofG6 Ministers that took place on Sunday and Monday.

ACP Group wants development focus at WTO's trade facilitation talks

16 February, 2006
Kanaga Raja (SUNS): Geneva, 17 Feb 2006
In the context of the current negotiations on trade facilitation, development must be the main objective and focus, said the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of developing countries in a proposal submitted to the WTO's Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation.

WTO members wait for action to shift from London to Geneva

8 November, 2005
By Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on Trade and WTO Issues
Negotiations seemed to have been put 'on hold' at the World Trade Organisation as delegates in Geneva awaited the outcome of a Ministerial meeting in London Monday involving the US, EU, India and Brazil.

No Breakthrough in Geneva

19 October, 2005
Washington Trade Daily
Chief trade ministers of the 'Five Interested Parties' the United States, the European Union, Australia, Brazil and India yesterday failed to 'break the ice' in the difficult market access area of the ongoing Doha Development Agenda agricultural trade negotiations

Bound to Applied Rates, Then Cut * US

7 August, 2005
Washington Trade Daily
The final formula for reducing industrial tariffs in the Doha Development Agenda negotiations must bring down high bound tariffs to existing applied rates

Anticipating Resumed DDA Negotiations

2 August, 2005
Washington Trade Daily
Incoming World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy is preparing to go 'full steam ahead' into an intensive negotiating phase of the Doha Development Agenda by directing the chairs of the agriculture and industrial market access negotiations commence text-based negotiations without delay

Developing countries voice concern over the substance and process of WTO negotiations

1 August, 2005
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Aug05/3)
At the WTO's Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) on 28 July, severaldeveloping countries expressed many concerns about the state and substance of the WTO negotiations, as well as the process which theyfound to be not transparent or participatory.(M.Khor)

WTO situation disappointing but not disastrous, says Supachai

31 July, 2005
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Aug05/1)
The Chair of the WTO Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, at a meeting of the TNC on 28 July, summed up the situation in the negotiations on the Doha work programme as 'disappointing but not disastrous'.

WTO Trade Negotiations Committee hears assessments on state of negotiations

31 July, 2005
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Aug05/2)
The Trade Negotiations Committee heard assessments from members on 28 July 2005on the state of play in the negotiations, with many members expressing disappointment that there had not been as much progress as scheduled, and urging that negotiating momentum pick up from September, after the summer break.