LDCs aspire to forge a common stand at WTO meet

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Nazmul Ahsan
Duty-free market access by 2010 and lifting the ban on food exports by developed and developing nations to least developed countries (LDCs) are two major issues that Dhaka would raise at the upcoming Seventh Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva, trade officials said.
Commerce Minister Faruk Khan will lead a 17-member delegation at the multilateral trade talks, stalled for about four years, to be held between November 30 to December 2, 2009.
The LDCs would resist any possible move to benefit developing countries in terms of duty preferences to the markets of developed countries, at the WTO talks, sources confirmed.
The LDCs would also demand preferential access such as the Generalised System of Preference (GSP), from developed nations for their services sector.
"We will highlight the issues like duty-free and quota free market access for products originating from LDCs as pledged in the sixth WTO ministerial, preferential benefit for services sector," a top trade official in the Ministry of Commerce told the FE.
"A common stand to achieve our demands is expected to emerge at the trade ministers' meeting of the LDCs to be held the day before the WTO seventh Ministerial meeting.'
Faruk Khan will attend a meeting of LDCs trade ministers on November 29 in Geneva to forge a common strategy by the LDC member countries for the WTO general meeting , officials said.
Faruk will also hold a crucial meeting with the trade ministers of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation member countries at 10 am on November 30 for a common position on trade for South Asian countries, sources said.
According to the Sixth Ministerial Declaration of the WTO, all member countries including developed ones were to provide duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis, for all products originating from all LDCs by 2008 or no later than the start of the implementation period in a manner that ensures stability, security and predictability.
As an alternative, members of the WTO facing difficulties at this time to provide market access as set out above shall provide duty-free and quota-free market access for at least 97 per cent of products originating from LDCs, defined at the tariff line level, by 2008 or no later than the start of the implementation period.
"We are frustrated at the slow implementation of Hong Kong Declaration, adopted in December 2005 during the 6th WTO Ministerial conference,' a top official in the Tariff Commission said.
"Getting enhanced market access by Dhaka, being an LDC, will be our major thrust at the upcoming WTO talks.'
Trade diplomats said developing nations have long been lobbying for lower rate of duties for their products to the markets of developed countries. The move, if implemented, would hamper the trade interest of LDCs badly, particularly of Bangladesh.
"There remains every chances of erosion in our trade preferences in the markets of rich nations if developing countries are given similar or more duty preferences facility like LDCs," a high official in the MoC said.
"A common stand of LDCs, if built on the particular issue of preference erosion, would give us a great sigh of relief,'' he added.
He said the LDCs, already marginalised for their narrow export bases and climate change consequences would strongly ask for lifting the ban on food export by developed and developing nations to poor countries.
"We want uninterrupted food import facility from both developing and developed nations,' the high official in the ministry said further.