wtoforum–doharound.doc

 PAGE 4  wto forum – doha round Chairperson, Mr Keith Rockwell Hello and welcome to WTO Forum. The Doha Development Agenda, launched in 2001, was the first multilateral trade negotiation specifically dedicated to improving the trading environment for developing countries. Now, more than eight years on, many believe the outlines of this deal offer a great deal for developing countries. Many others take the view that the results to date have been disappointing. So the question today is: what is on the table in the Doha Development Round for developing countries? We are very fortunate to have with us today two experts on this topic: Jeff Schott, Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and David Laborde, Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute. Gentlemen, welcome to you both. Jeff, lets start with you. Whats on the table for developing countries in this negotiation? Jeff Schott Well, the Doha Round is still a work in progress even though it has been going on for more than eight years. Already there is substantial agreement on how to cut tariffs and subsidies in agriculture and on manufactures in a way that would substantially benefit developing countries as a whole. The agreement is still not yet ratified because there are concerns about how the gains from trade will be distributed among the WTO participants. And indeed, there is a question of whether there is enough on the table to ensure that the overall deal will be ratified in some of the major industrial countries. So still more work to be done. But the work has to go beyond what is done in agriculture and manufactures because WTO?Agreements only create opportunities; they do not guarantee sales. And so for a developing country, and particularly for the poorest countries, there has to be a way to take advantage of the opportunities created to export more to industrial markets and to other developing countries. And therefore what is done