DDA - STATE OF PLAY
Introduction to the DDA
• Launched at MC 4 in Doha, Qatar.
• Places needs & interests of developing countries at centre
• Has mandate for negotiations under TNC & other areas of work programme under General Council
Principal elements of the DDA
• Doha Declaration (WT/MIN/(01)/DEC/1)
• 1 August 2004, General Council Decision (WT/L/579)
• Hong Kong Declaration (WT/MIN(05)/DEC)
Areas under negotiation
• Agriculture (including Cotton)• Services• Industrial products (NAMA)• TRIPS (multilateral system for registration &
notification of GIs)• WTO Rules (AD, Subsidies, RTAs)• Trade and Environment• Special and Differential Treatment• Trade Facilitation• DSU (outside Single-Undertaking)
Other areas of the DDA Work Programme
• Electronic Commerce
• Small Economies
• Trade, Debt and Finance
• Trade and Transfer of Technology
• Technical Cooperation & Capacity Building
• Least Developed Countries
DOHA ROUND « DOHA DEVELOPMENT
AGENDA - DDA »
GENERAL COUNCILGENERAL COUNCIL
TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE - TNC
TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE - TNC
SPECIAL SESSIONS
• Council For Trade In Services
• TRIPS Council
• Dispute Settlement Body
• Committee On Agriculture( SS on Cotton)
• Committee On Trade and Development
• Committee On Trade and Environment
SPECIAL SESSIONS
• Council For Trade In Services
• TRIPS Council
• Dispute Settlement Body
• Committee On Agriculture( SS on Cotton)
• Committee On Trade and Development
• Committee On Trade and Environment
NEGOTIATING GROUPS
• Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA)
• Rules
• Trade Facilitation
NEGOTIATING GROUPS
• Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA)
• Rules
• Trade Facilitation
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCEMINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
TNC IN SESSION
Negotiating Principles
• Single Undertaking- “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”: single package with all Members participating: “Early Harvest” possible
• Transparency and Inclusiveness• Bottom-up approach• Special & Differential Treatment for
developing countries to be fully taken into account
DECISION MAKING
Consensus !
Some Milestones in the DDA Negotiations
• 2003 Cancun setback
• 2004 July Framework Agreement
• 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Meeting
• 2006 July DDA Suspension
• 2007 Resumption
Developments in 2008
• Year started well, with clear determination to conclude talks in 2008
• Number of revised modalities texts in Ag and NAMA issued: Feb, May, July, Dec.
• Cross-cutting negotiation required to establish modalities – a negotiation across both texts envisaged in Ag and NAMA
• Comfort in the other areas under the Single Undertaking
July 2008
• About 30 Ministers in Geneva between 21-30 July to try and build convergence towards establishing modalities in Ag and NAMA
• Much hard work and progress made in the 10 days, but Ministers, especially of G7 unable to bridge differences
• Convergence could not be found in the area of SSM; sectorals. Cotton not even discussed
• Other issues: services; bananas; 3-TRIPS issues
• Unsuccessful meeting, but at July TNC, Members express clear determination to press ahead
Other events in 2008
• New Chairs: NAMA and TRIPS• Food crisis; global financial/economic crisis add
new importance and urgency to conclude Round• Further efforts after July, e.g. G7 Senior Officials
meeting- progress but not enough• Clear Round would not be concluded in 2008-
aiming for modalities by end of year• Political impetus: Meetings of G20, APEC, LDCs
December 2008
• Political testing exercise: Sectorals, SSM, Cotton• Political testing finds that overall, no significant
changes in positions• But, technically, much progress made and
Members not far from agreement on issues• In situation, a December ministerial meeting
would run a high risk of failure; Members faced reality, Ministerial not called
Assumptions for work in the DDA in 2009
• There is a clear DDA mandate which remains unchanged
• Ag and NAMA texts be preserved and work should continue starting from them
• Work to continue to close remaining gaps in Ag and NAMA, but also in other negotiating areas based on work plans outlined by Chairs at December TNC
• Early Harvest question
2009
• Since beginning of the year, work resumed in all negotiating areas according to work plans by Chairs in December
• New Agriculture Chairman: Amb. Walker (NZ)• Several Members gone/going through political changes.
Still a lot of work to do across the board to prepare for modalities
• Delegations recognise need to prepare everything, so they are ready when moment is right for political decisions
• Leaders underlined necessity to preserve and maintain the integrity & openness of rules-based MTS and resist protectionism/isolationism
Wider- WTO Front
• Trade-related developments in the context of the global economic/ financial crisis (two reports by DG Lamy)
• Trade Finance
• Aid for Trade: 2nd global review
• Other issues related to areas interfacing with WTO
• Regular WTO Ministerial Conference
Looking Ahead
• Members aims not changed
• Goal, not only to consolidate progress across the negotiations, but also to strengthen the relevance of the WTO as a system which is more than a forum for negotiations
Looking Ahead
• DG Lamy “ DDA is the best stimulus package”
• Concluding the Round remains the focus of Members; but this endeavour takes place within a more global portfolio of WTO activities