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Report on the 8 th Ministerial Conference of the WTO (15-17 December 2011). Presented to Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry By Xavier Carim, DDG International Trade and Economic Development Division, the dti 22 February 2011. SA Preparations for MC8.
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Report on the 8th Ministerial Conference of the WTO (15-17 December 2011) Presented to Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry By Xavier Carim, DDG International Trade and Economic Development Division, the dti 22 February 2011
SA Preparations for MC8 • NEDLAC TESELICO consultations. • National Consultative Conference – Jo’burg, 28 Nov 2011. • SA Delegation to MC8 included MP and Business, Labour and Community constituencies. • Meeting of SACU Representatives in Geneva. • Historic first meeting of BRICS Trade Ministers and BRICS Ministerial Declaration. • Meetings of G20 and “Friends of Development” (new alliance of over 100 countries, including AU, LDCs, ACP and BRICS). • Minister Davies held 15 bilateral meetings in Geneva.
8th Ministerial Conference (1) • MC8 was not a negotiating session for Doha Round. • Recognition that Doha is at an impasse. • MC8 decisions focused largely on non-negotiating WTO matters. • However, some discussion on how to restart the Doha Round and on what basis: • Proposed new approach to advance negotiations amongst a limited number of Members (so-called plurilateral approaches); • New issues for negotiation as proposed by developed countries, including energy, food security, competition and investment;
8th Ministerial Conference (2) • Impasse due to attempts to erode Doha development mandate and demand that emerging economies take on greater commitments without reciprocal concessions. • Minister Davies delivered SA Country Statement reaffirming the development principles and mandate agreed in 2001. • Sets out SA position on Doha clearly. • SA advanced this position in 3 working sessions on the future of the Multilateral Trading System; Trade and Development; and the Doha Development Agenda. • Country positions indicate clear, profound divide on Doha. • Unclear when the Round can be restarted. • WTO DG proposed to convene a panel of multi-stakeholders in 2012 to consider the future of the WTO and DDA. • SA will need to consider and prepare for this process.
MC8 Key Decisions and Outcomes • Accession of new Members: Russia, Montenegro, Vanuatu and Samoa (WTO now covers 95% of world trade). • Standard decisions to extend waivers for e-commerce and TRIPS non-violation complaints. • Extension for LDCs to implement the TRIPS Agreement. • Reaffirmed the WTO’s work programme on SVEs. • Greater technical and capacity support for LDC accession. • Services waiver for LDCs. • Continued surveillance of trade and investment measures (SA has called for a broader understanding of protectionism). • Updated plurilateral Government Procurement Agreement.
South African Position • SA remains committed to concluding Doha Round on the developmental mandate agreed in 2001. • Development mandate remains relevant ten years on, especially reforming trade rules for Agriculture (litmus test). • SA is committed to the principles of multilateralism, transparency and inclusiveness. • Proposals for plurilateral negotiations undermine these principles and will further marginalise developing countries.
South African Position • New approaches aim to extract greater access into the markets of emerging developing countries. • While emerging economies are rising and dynamic (GDP and shares of world trade), they still confront profound development challenges. • Proposals to introduce new issues in WTO are premature given the unfinished business of the Doha Round. • New approaches are unfair, un-mandated, and anti-development. • LDC Package for poorest and most vulnerable Members, which would lend legitimacy/credibility to MTS.