Trade ministers gathering at a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum issued a strongly worded statement on 31 May calling for an “urgent” conclusion to the Doha round of global trade talks, and appealing to delegates “to show strong leadership and willingness to compromise” in the negotiations.
”The current food-price escalation has increased the urgency to achieve substantial improvements in market access and reductions in market-distorting measures in global agricultural trade,” the statement said.
The upcoming weeks represent a crucial period as WTO negotiators seek middle ground in talks on to reduce barriers world trade before an expected meeting of ministers in Geneva this summer.
While urging WTO Members to act quickly, the APEC ministers also stressed that “all key issues must be addressed in a decisive and balanced way that takes into account the interests of all parties” and that recognises the importance of “the development dimension” of the negotiations.
There is an added sense of urgency to make tangible progress in the Doha round ahead of the US presidential election, which could further delay negotiations.
The statement was issued at the end of a two-day meeting of APEC trade ministers in Peru’s southern city of Arequipa. The 21-member group includes countries such as Australia, China, Japan and the US and accounts for close to 49 percent of world trade. APEC has consistently promoted multilateral trading as a way to achieve free trade and investment liberalisation.
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said in Brussels this week that the chances of a successful conclusion to the Doha round, now in its seventh year, were 60 percent.
The official statement is available on the APEC website at: http://www.apec.org/.
ICTSD reporting; “Statement on Doha Development Agenda,” APEC, 1 June, 2008; “APEC Ministers Determined to Bring a Conclusion to the Doha Development Agenda,” APEC, 31 May, 2008; “APEC trade ministers make Doha round push,” REUTERS, 1 June, 2008; “APEC Trade Ministers Take on Farm Subsidies, Doha,” BLOOMBERG, 31 May, 2008.