Trade ministers from over 30 least developed countries (LDCs) Sunday adopted the Livingstone Declaration as their common position for the incoming World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting in Hong Kong in December, reports the World Bank press review Monday.
The 38 points declaration adopted by the LDC ministers at the end of the deliberation in Zambias tourist capital Livingstone called for binding commitment on duty and quota-free market access for all products from LDCs.
Ministers said market access should come without demands that poor countries reduce their tariff barriers in return. They also criticized the European Unions proposal to slash the price it pays for sugar, saying it would damage the economies of poor producers of the crop.
The European Union already extends free access to its market for products from LDCs through the “Everything But Arms” program, though free entry for some sensitive products has been delayed. Sugar exports from LDCs, for example, will only become completely free from tariffs and quotas in 2009.
Ministers urged the EU to consider a slower and smaller price cut to give the poorest countries more time to build up their sugar industries.
Even the EUs Everything But Arms program has been criticized by developing countries for restricting exports with tough “rules of origin” against the use of imported components and exacting food hygiene standards.
The US has its own program for poor African countries, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which is regarded by some beneficiaries as less restrictive on rules of origin and hygiene than the EUs scheme, but does not cover all least-developed countries.
Meanwhile, civil society organizations from across Africa have called on the WTO and major trading partners to adopt pro-poor policies in further trade talks to facilitate development and poverty eradication.
Civil society representatives said Saturday there is little evidence of progress on the development concerns of LDCs since the adoption of the Doha Work Program.
The lack of progress on the special and differential treatment for LDCs manifests the absence of commitment by the major trading partners to promote development within the multilateral trading regime, said a statement by civil society organization from a dozen of African countries including Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria, among others.
Civil society also called for a flexible special safeguard mechanism for LDCs to protect domestic industries in the interest of food security, livelihood security and rural development.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
