Sixth ministerial conference concludes adopting Hong Kong declaration

December 19, 2005
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The sixth ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) concluded in Hong Kong on Sunday adopting a revised ministerial draft amidst growing anti-globalisation protests that swayed the city since the beginning of the meeting.

After some hard bargaining on the last day of the meeting, the negotiators agreed to phase out farm export subsidies by 2013, deliver a development package to the poorest countries and set a new deadline of April 30, 2006, to complete the full modalities of the agreement.

Analysts have dubbed the meet as semi-successful as it neither collapsed nor made a breakthrough. It cleared some glitches and left some of them to be finalised early next year.

Rajendra Khetan (File photo)

Rajendra Khetan (File photo)
Rajendra Khetan, vice-chairman of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and one of the members of the Nepalese delegation told Nepalnews from Hong Kong that the conference can be looked as like between Cancun and Doha, not a failure like Cancun or aggressive like the Doha round.

“Quota and duty free access by 2008 and eradication of agriculture subsidy by 2013 are major winning points for the least developed countries like Nepal,” he added.

The ministerial recognised the concerns of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) incorporated in the Livingstone Declaration by their trade ministers in June 2005. Nepal as an LDC member will benefit from this recognition.

“We reaffirm our commitment to effectively and meaningfully integrate LDCs into the multilateral trading system and shall continue to implement the WTO Work Programme for LDCs adopted in February 2002. We acknowledge the seriousness of the concerns and interests of the LDCs in the negotiations as expressed in the Livingstone Declaration,” stated the declaration.

”Members shall take additional measures to provide effective market access, both at the border and otherwise, including simplified and transparent rules of origin so as to facilitate exports from LDCs,” it reads.

However, the stance of some developing countries like Kenya, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Malaysia that developed nations should provide duty-free and quota-free market access to the LDCs products could not be met at the ministerial conference.

Other areas where Nepal benefits are aid for trade and Integrated Framework under the technical assistance.

“Aid for Trade should aim to help developing countries, particularly LDCs, to build the supply-side capacity and trade-related infrastructure that they need to assist them to implement and benefit from WTO Agreements and more broadly to expand their trade,” said the Declaration.

Industrialist Khetan described Aid for Trade in positive light. “But it depends on how the commitments are implemented,” he added.

The meet approved Tonga’s accession to the WTO with its members climbing to 150. Tonga still has to ratify the agreement before it formally becomes a member.

However, international development agencies Oxfam and Action Aid said that the text presented on the final day of the WTO meeting failed to deliver on development promises. “The proposal, which emerged after overnight negotiations, was unacceptable and reflected rich countries’ interests far more than those of developing countries,” these organizations claimed, in their separate press statements.

Meanwhile, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy declared the sixth WTO ministerial meet a success saying it resolved many trade issues. “We had an inclusive and transparent meeting at the ministerial,” reports quoted Lamy as saying during his last press briefing.

The anti-globalisation protestors continued their protest throughout the conference. Hong Kong police used tear gas, fire hoses and pepper spray to hold back hundreds of demonstrators. Dozens of people were also injured during the protest program on Sunday.

Nepal had participated in the meeting from the status of full member during this meeting only after receiving membership in 2003.