Our Trade Policy Position
The World Trade Organisation has greatly improved the transparency and predictability of international trade rules. It is the only global organization dealing with the rules of trade among nations. WTO’s goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters and importers to conduct their business.
To ensure the international trading system benefits everyone we believe the more powerful trading nations should not be allowed to dominate ther trade agenda. Developing nations need to be encouraged and helped to take a more active role. Developed countries have an obligation to help build capacity in developing countries, to ensure that in the international trade policy debate poorer nations are capable of effectively articulating their concerns and forwarding their interests. We also believe it is critical that developed countries help poorer nations to implement existing trade commitments, before seeking to expand further the current scope of the WTO.
We agree with the WTO Director – General Michael Moore, who said in July 2001, “The arguments in favor of launching a new round have been recognized by an increasing number of international institutions, notably by the Secretary – General of the UN himself, and by a succession of ministerial and leader’s summits. However, a large number of players are not yet convinced. I firmly believe the best answer- in fact the only answer – to those who remain skeptical about the merit of new negotiations is a forward looking work programme which caters for the interests of all members, but in particular the developing and least-developing countries. Similarity, the best response to those who deny the benefits of trade liberlisation in economic development is a negotiating agenda which strives to make international trade fairer.”
