|
Introduction
-
The ongoing Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations are designed to strengthen dialogue to promote integration with the regional and global economies. A closer involvement of civil society, the private sector and the economic and social actors in the LDCs has emerged as an important new dimension to be promoted in the DDA negotiations. The CSOs are crucial to assist LDCs in the areas of implementation of WTO obligations and WTO negotiations based on five interdependent pillars: a comprehensive political dimension, participatory approaches, a strengthened focus on poverty reduction, a new framework for economic and trade cooperation and a reform of financial cooperation.
-
The Declaration1 of the latest Doha Agreement stated that there exists recalcitrance of the WTO Secretariat and the few rich nations who have greatest pull on the WTO agenda to address the developing country and civil society demands, to push the Doha Ministerial towards an outcome that may either spell disaster for the majority of its members or another Seattle. Under existing WTO agreements, the poorest countries' share of world trade has declined and many poor countries' development and health policies have come under attack as violations of WTO rules. Thus, they called for outright rejection of an invalid text.
-
In order to ensure maximum benefit is derived from this cooperation, LDCs need to have determined, prior to the serious WTO negotiations, the forms the financial cooperation should take to most effectively promote, protect and guarantee the flow of domestic and foreign direct investments to LDCs and how such cooperation could be incorporated in DDA negotiations.
-
This paper makes a contribution towards enhancing the negotiating strength of the LDCs in the area of investment, trade and poverty alleviation and provokes discussion on the LDC's common position and the LDC Ministerial Declaration as an input to the WTO's ongoing Doha Development Agenda negotiations. The LDCs Ministerial declaration should bear in mind that the international financial products both risk capital and technical assistance in terms of aid and/or grants are very central in the social and economic development agenda.
Footnote:
-
Alliance for Democracy, U.S. Contact Ruth Caplan (Washington DC): 202-244-0561 Arab NGO Network for Development, Lebanon Contact Ziad Abdel Samad (Beirut): +961-1-319-366 ECOROPA, France Contact Agnes Bertrand (Sauve): 33-4-66-77-0704 Focus on the Global South, Thailand Contact Aileen Kwa (Geneva): 41-22-791-8050 Friends of the Earth - International Contact: Alexandra Wandel (Brussels) +32-2-542-0185 or Ronnie Hall (London) +44-1243-602-756 Global Exchange, U.S. Contact: Juliette Beck (San Francisco): 415-255-7296 x 254 IBON Foundation, Philippines Contact Tony Tujan (Manila): +632-714-1580 Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, U.S. Contact Shefali Sharma (Geneva) +41-22-789-0724 and Sophia Murphy (Minneapolis) +612-870-3454 Institute for the Re-localization of the Economy, France Contact Agnes Bertrand (Sauve): 33-4-66-77-0704 Public Citizen, U.S. Contact Margrete Strand (Washington DC): +202-454-5106 Via Campesina, International Contact Nico Verhagen (Brussels): +32-2-343-8444 : Declaration of the Latest Doha Agreement 31 October 2001.
|
|
- 133Kb ~ 1 min (10 pages)
