Nath calls for removal of trade distrotions at HK WTO meet
17 Dec '05
3 min read
Kamal Nath
In an unprecedented show of unity all the developing country groupings, for the first time in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), held a Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong during the Sixth Ministerial Conference where the G-20, the G-33, the African-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) countries, the least developed countries (LDCs), the Africa group and the Small Economies came together on a single platform and decided to better coordinate their efforts in order to develop a common approach to issues of common interest.
At a press conference where he shared the platform with trade ministers of other developing countries, Mr. Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce & Industry, said the coming together was not mere posturing, but a genuine reflection of developing countries' resolve to take multilateral trade negotiations forward in a manner that would ensure that global trade was not only open but also equitable and fair.
In a joint statement reiterating their shared interest in the development dimension of the current Doha Round and their expectations of the comprehensive development outcome, the Ministers of all the developing countries agreed as follows:
1 The round must result in the removal of the distortions that inhibit the export growth of developing countries and the provision of adequate policy spare to ensure their sustainable socio-economic development. To this end, they agreed that developed countries must eliminate export support measures by 2010 while addressing specific needs of LDCs and also substantially reduce trade distorting domestic support.
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