Press Release

News Hook: G4 meeting begins on Potsdam, Germany

Doha Round failing the poor say developing country negotiators in ActionAid survey

Geneva, June 20, 2007: Almost three quarters of developing country trade negotiators believe the Doha Round of world trade talks has failed in its mandate to bring development to the world’s poorest countries, according to a survey carried out by ActionAid.

Researchers spoke to forty delegates in Geneva last week - from African, Caribbean , Latin American and Asian countries - currently representing their countries as part of this round of trade talks which were launched in the Qatari capital in 2001.

Beside the promises like protecting smallholders and phasing out of farm subsidies, the declaration at the end of the Doha summit stated that this round of talks would promote ‘growth and development” and that the WTO would seek to put the needs of developing countries “at the heart of its work”.

In its anonymous survey, ActionAid asked negotiators: In your opinion, is the development agenda of the Doha Round being fulfilled in the current negotiations?  

28 negotiators said no, nine said it was too early to tell and just three answered yes.

“This really confirms our worst fears about the direction of these talks,” said Aftab Alam Khan, Head of ActionAid’s trade justice campaign. “Rich countries promised to make the Doha Round a mechanism for fighting poverty. Instead it’s remained a forum where the rich make the rules and poor face the consequences. With this in mind, developing countries would be well advised to walk away from the table.”

This week sees the EU, US, Brazil and India meeting in Potsdam , Germany , to try to thrash out a deal. Campaigners have criticised the WTO process for not including the world’s poorest nations in the negotiations. In ActionAid’s survey, all African delegates said that there was no development agenda in this round of trade talks.

Chris Kinyanjui, ActionAid’s Africa Director said: "African countries are clearly not happy with the process, and this week's G4 meeting proves their point. The big guns of the WTO are much happier forcing through deals at exclusive meetings than they are coming to the negotiating table with all parties to come up with a fair deal."

An African delegate told ActionAid:

“There is nothing in there for us. The development agenda is behind closed doors now. This is why we are concerned.”

A Caribbean delegate said:

“I have become so jaded. There has not been much movement. If you look at the broad negotiating issues, you do not see the development component. There is lip service. One does not see issues raised by developing countries given priority.”

A Middle Eastern delegate told us:

“Developed countries are backtracking on their commitments in the ministerial mandate and they are trying to rewrite the rules in the middle of the game, in Agricultural and Non Agriculture Market Access. And they tend to also be heavy handed in the services sector. In services – they want to have the whole cake. You give me, I don’t give you.”

Notes:

For media interviews please contact: Sarah Gillam, International Head of Media on 07738 884014

The text of the 2001 Doha declaration can be found at: http://www.wto.org/English/thewto_e/minist_e/min01_e/mindecl_e.htm

ActionAid spoke to forty trade negotiators from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean between 4 and 11 June 2007

The table below shows the full result of the survey by region

www.actionaidindia.org

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