International Civil Society Forum on LDCs in Dhaka Initiatives by CSOs in enhancing LDCs interests a

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International Civil Society Forum on LDCs in
DhakaInitiatives by CSOs in enhancing LDCs
interests at WTO Hong Kong Ministerial

• By
• Kasote Singogo
• Research Advisor Trade and Investment Zambia
  Research for Development

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Presentation Outline

• Introduction Initiatives by CSOs
• Concerns Cairo Memorandum-June 5th -9th ,2005
• Livingstone Memorandum June 23rd -25th, 2005
• Accra Declaration August 16th -19th, 2005
• Suggestions

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Initiatives by CSOs

• Cairo Memorandum June - Early June 2005
• Livingstone Memorandum -Late June 2005
• Accra Declaration Mid August 2005
• Notice similarities in CONCERNS make up the
  initiatives
• Notice similarities in SUGGESTIONS make up the
  initiatives

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Cairo Memorandum

• Since adoption of Doha Work Programme CONCERN is
  Little Progress made in tackling LDC Development
  Issues raised
• Concerns raised on the pressurization of LDCs to
  undertake DEEPER LIBERALISATION COMMITMENTS in
  their Agriculture and industrial Sectors
• LDCs are CONCERNED with current imbalances in the
  INTERNATIONAL TRADE REGIME
• Concern that these are wreaking havoc on LDC
  economies
• CONCERNS on the Regional and Bilateral Agreements
  such as Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)

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Agricultures

• CONCERNS on the narrow view of issues raised by
  LDCs Link to Development, Food Security,
  Livelihood CONCERNS are absent in the proposals
• Key question WHAT IS THE PRICE of LDCs Opening
  up their Markets to developed countries

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Non- Agriculture Market Access

• Suffered severe deindustrialization as a result
  of trade liberalisation undertaken in the past
  few decades
• Concerns around the SCOPE and Level of tariff
  binding where African Countries at relatively low
  rates
• Concern that since cotton sector initiative was
  submitted the COTTON 4 Countries alone have lost
  US381 million dollars in export revenues

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Services

• WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services
  enshrines the Rights of Countries to Decide
  whether to Liberalize any of their Services
• CONCERN inspite of this LDCs continue to suffer
  bilateral and multilateral pressure to respond to
  REQUESTS and provide OFFERS

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Trade Facilitation

• CSOs remain convinced that Trade Facilitation
  should NOT be dealt through a Multilateral
  Agreement.

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Accra Declaration

• Right to Autonomously determined policies for the
  development of LDCs economies was emphasised
• CONCERN policies of economic liberalisation and
  deregulation imposed by WB and IMF which has led
  to serious economic collapse and social and
  environmental stress

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Non Agriculture Market Access (NAMA

• Concern African Countries have devastated by
  two decades of WB and IMF imposed policies in
  Trade Liberalisation,
• Concern Negotiation in NAMA will make this
  worse if DC succeed in imposing drastic reduction
  in tariffs as well as restrictions of the levels
  to which African Countries can in future raise
  their tariffs

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Agriculture

• In the ongoing negotiations African Countries
  face a danger of being forced to open up their
  markets to agriculture exports from DCs
• Demand was made that African Countries must NOT
  undertake any further reductions in their Tariffs
  for Agriculture Products and MUST not bind their
  tariffs at current levels
• Accra also suggested that African Countries MUST
  have the right to use measures to further
  strengthen their ability to protect their
  domestic industries.( Including the Special Safe
  Guard Measures and the Right to designate Special
  Products)
• DCs must eliminate all their subsidies ( DC
  subsidies enhance dumping)

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Services

• Concern about liberalisation and deregulation was
  raised especially as it subjects essential
  services such as education health, water to
  externally driven economic considerations CONCERN
  this undermines the role in the development of an
  integrated domestic economy
• Concern Pressure was also raised Special call
  is being made to African Governments NOT to
  accede to the requests of DCs for further
  liberalisation and NOT be coerced into committing
  their existing liberalisation under IMF and WB
  pressure

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Process

• Accra raised the concern that African Countries
  are disadvantages in the ongoing negotiations by
  untransprent and undemocratic methods and process
  being used such as mini ministerial meetings and
  meeting of small groups of countries from which
  Africa is excluded.

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