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