27031: Lemieux: Carib Radio: World's least Developed or Poorest Nations Need Help (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

> From Caribbean World Radio
Caribworldrado.com

Lead
Commentary--World's least Developed or Poorest
Nations Need Help
By By Fritz Kenol
Dec 27, 2005, 13:46



Despite the differences expressed (during the
World Trade Organization Conference) in Cancun in
September 2003, I am convinced that we are all
aware of the need to give effect, as quickly as
possible to the commitments undertaken in Doha in
November 2001. Our presence in Hong Kong (at the
WTO Trade Ministerial conference was) a testament
to that resolve.

While the Fourth Ministerial conference held in
Doha in November 2001 marked the launch of the
Development Round (of WTO Trade negotiations),
the issue of development was in fact addressed in
the context of the multilateral trading system
prior to the inauguration of the Doha Round.

Thus in the Marrakech Agreement establishing the
WTO, signed on April 15, 1994, the (States)
Parties recognized the need to ensure that
developing countries, and especially the least
developed among them, secure a share in the
growth of international trade commensurate with
the needs of their economic development.

Special and differential treatment (S&D) in favor
of these countries is consistent with that
approach. We therefore request as provided in
Paragraph 44 of the Doha Declaration, that all
S&D provisions be reviewed with a view to
strengthening them and making them more precise,
effective and operational.

At the end of the 1980s, Haiti began a process of
trade liberalization, which reduced its MFN (Most
Favored Nation) duties to an average of 2.9 per
cent, with zero rates for roughly 67 per cent of
its tariff lines.

In addition, in the context of accession to the
WTO in 1996, Haiti bound its customs duties at a
very low rate and submitted a schedule of
specific commitments providing for a degree of
liberalization of trade in services. These
reforms were unfortunately not accompanied by
adequate measures to cushion the potentially
negative effects of the opening up of our
economy.

We cannot fail, in this connection, to refer to
the potential importance of the Integrated
Framework. As a pilot country in the first phase
of implementation of the program of trade related
technical assistance and capacity building on
behalf of the lesser-developed countries, Haiti
derived no great benefit.

It thus places great hope in the enhanced
integrated Framework to help it better integrate
trade into its national development.

While it is clear that each country bears
responsibility for its development strategies, it
is equally clear that the success of these
strategies, in the case of a country like Haiti,
depends largely on the complementary policies of
its development partners, both bilateral and
multilateral.

It is with this in mind that we venture to draw
the attention of our development partners to the
need for technical assistance to be provided to
us on the basis of the order of priority we have
ourselves established.

Much remains to be done in this Development Round
(of the WTO trade negotiations). However, we are
bound to acknowledge that the situation of the
least developed countries has received a measure
of special attention, particularly in the
negotiations on agriculture and market access for
non-agricultural products, NAMA. This is
reflected in the fact that the LDCs are under no
obligation to reduce customs duties in these two
areas of negotiations.

Regarding market access to the markets of the
developed countries, we are extremely concerned
about the preferences erosion to which these
negotiations might give rise. Given this reality,
we would argue in favor of flexible rules of
origin, and technical assistance enabling us to
comply with technical standards and the sanitary
and phytosantiary standards established by our
partners.

In the area of services, we hope that our
partners, particularly the developed ones, will
take greater heed of the interest we have always
shown in Mode 4. This mode of services supply is
of great export interest to Haiti.

We would also like to see tourism accorded more
importance in the services negotiations as we are
convinced that it can contribute to technology
transfer, to attracting foreign direct investment
and to strengthening our infrastructures.
---------------------------------------------------------

Fritz Kenol, Haiti's Minister of Commerce,
Industry and Tourism. The above is an edited
version of his address to the WTO Ministerial
Trade ministers conference in Hong Kong.



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