He’s hopeful of Doha Round completion soon
The duty-free market access of Bangladesh’s readymade garment products to the US market depends on ‘successful completion’ of World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Doha Round, says its Director General Roberto Azevedo here on Tuesday.
“My hope and expectation is we’ll be able to conclude the Doha Round as quickly as possible,” he told reporters at the Commerce Ministry.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and Senior Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed were also present.
Earlier in another function with top business leaders, Azevedo said he already held meetings with the developed countries and encouraged them for successful completion of the Doha Round negotiation.
“We’ve an important meeting also in December in Geneva on the Doha Round. We’re expecting a good outcome from this meeting,” he said.
Bangladesh now enjoys duty-free access of all its products to almost all developed countries and it enjoys such access for 97 percent of its products to the US except apparel items, the major source of Bangladesh’s export earnings.
Azevedo, now on a two-day visit here, said the duty-free access of 97 percent products to the developed countries from the least developed countries (LDCs) was established in 2005 declaration of Hong Kong and the target has to be met by the time the Doha Round is concluded.
“The reality was that we didn’t conclude the Doha Round. What we’re trying to do now to conclude the world programme at the end of the year to finalise the Doha Round as quickly as possible,” said the WTO DG.
Azevedo mentioned that some countries are claiming that they cannot or they need not meet the 97 percent target because the Doha Round is yet to be concluded. “And this is precisely what we’re doing now.”
The other countries that are offering 100 percent, more that 97 percent or close to 97 percent duty-free market access, are undertaking it unilaterally, the WTO DG said.
“That’s their sovereign decision to do so. The countries that don’t feel they can reach the 97 percent now, they can’t reach that target. That’s what happening precisely now,” he added.
Responding to a question, Azevedo said the WTO is not an organisation that forces anything on members rather everything is decided by consensus. “What I’m saying is that I hope with the conclusion of Doha Round that an automatic mandate will be in place for duty-free for all products originated from the least developed countries.”
Sought comments on GSP suspension by the US government, the WTO DG said, “This is unilateral decision taken by the US.”
Earlier in another function, the WTO DG said the issue of duty-free market access is not ‘easy’ and ‘not straightforward’ but progress is possible.
He encouraged Bangladesh to reach out to all the stakeholders involved with the Bali package particularly with the other LDCs and continued to engage them in a pragmatic manner.
Azevedo, who came to Bangladesh for the first time, said Bangladesh is a country that is developing very quickly. “In my view, Bangladesh’s support will be extremely important…Bangladesh would be very important to take us to the position that we need to be in December to conclude the world programme to finalise the Doha Round.”
He hoped that the partnership between the WTO and Bangladesh will continue in the near future for the benefit not only for Bangladesh but also for other least developed countries.
Tofail Ahmed said his discussion with the WTO DG was successful and they would work closely with the WTO in multilateral trade negotiations.
Responding to a question, he said most of the developed countries gave Bangladesh duty-free market access and the rest of the countries are in the process to do so.
He hoped that the implementation of Bali Package will help Bangladesh get duty-free market access to all countries.
The Commerce Minister also said the government is in a process to sign Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with a number of countries to expand Bangladesh’s global trade.
In December last year, Azevedo successfully negotiated the Bali package, which was adopted after a hectic negotiation, in the Indonesian resort city Bali in the ninth WTO Ministerial Conference.
In Bali, the WTO member countries agreed on issues of food security, trade facilitation and LDC package.
In the LDC package, the developed countries agreed on increasing the percentage of duty-free access of goods originated from the least developed countries.
The developed countries agreed on providing duty-free market access to all products originated from the LDCs in the WTO’s Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in 2005.
But the commitments were not followed in some cases showing an excuse of the Doha Development Agenda.
Source: UNB Connect
