Critical contribution that Doha ministerial declaration, 2001 made to commercial diplomacy

Critical contribution that Doha ministerial declaration,

2001 made to commercial diplomacy

Introduction

In November 2001, at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of WTO members in Doha (Qatar), Ministerial Declaration, and it opened a new round of multilateral trade negotiations. It was supposed to make this a two-stage round. In the first stage to hold mutual consultations and negotiations with respect to content and format of a new round of talks in exchange for developed countries to more fully consider the interests of developing countries on all matters of negotiation. However, the Ministerial Conference is the highest decision-making body which meets level at least once every two years, as stipulated in the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization. As a compromise, the negotiations on the future content and format of the agreements in the second stage to open negotiations on the areas that will be agreed during the first phase and to reach such agreements, which will benefit all parties and will be prepared during the first phase (Abbott, 2002).

In this context, the Doha Ministerial Conference in November 2001 adopted a program for development, which requires a more coherent trade and development and put the needs and interests of developing countries at the center the activities of the WTO. The program includes new external trade negotiations, a plan of action to resolve the complaints of developing countries on implementation of the Uruguay Round agreements and a breakthrough of major importance: the TRIPS agreement to prevent the protection of patents block access of developing countries to affordable medicines. The conference also paved the way for China and Taiwan Province of China to become full members of the WTO (Abbott, 2002).

Discussion

The program of the New Round of negotiations in the form in which it was stated in the Ministerial Declaration, was a difficult compromise between the interests of developed and developing countries on the content and substance of the negotiations. The declaration announced that the talks will be aimed at further liberalization of trade in agricultural and non-agricultural goods, as well as the exchange of services. In respect of agricultural products it was assumed that the talks will be aimed at significant reduction of all forms of domestic support for agriculture, reducing all forms of export subsidies and reducing trade barriers in agricultural trade. With respect to non-agricultural goods in the Declaration stressed that the aim of the negotiations will be reduced and the abolition of tariffs, especially in cases where it could be a particularly high tariff rates (tariff peaks).

The round of talks, initiated at a 2001 meeting in Doha, Qatar, and referred to as the Doha round of trade negotiations, addressed the trade subsidies, import tariffs and quotas that governments use to give their nations' industries an edge in international trade. The talks ran into several roadblocks, as disputes emerged between blocs of developed and developing nations, and among developed nations (Gillespie, 2001).

Before the Doha meeting were consultations with NGOs and women's organizations in ...