BRITAIN AND A DEVELOPMENT ROUND

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BRITAIN AND A DEVELOPMENT ROUND

The Secretary Of State For Trade And Industry, Patricia Hewitt, made a statement to the House of Commons, London, on 7 November 2001 regarding the 4th World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference.

She attached first priority to the reduction and elimination of trade protection in both developing and the developed countries. Reminiscent of the UK view at Seattle, the Doha forum is seen as the launch pad for a "Development Round." Reflecting this position, British objectives at Doha were centred on endorsing a trade round that put "social justice and poverty reduction at its heart." Ms. Hewitt went on to say that, "This means the reduction and, where possible, the elimination of trade barriers - in particular, those in developed countries that hamper exports from the developing world."

The UK also endorsed the view that the developing world must have access to the medicines they need while ensuring that intellectual property rights provide the incentive for companies to continue to develop medicines.

Other British priorities include agriculture, where Ms Hewitt acknowledged that it was necessary to "make a real commitment to liberalisation and - linked to this - further major reform of the EU Common Agricultural Policy." The remaining priorities, in order of rank are: the environment, foreign direct investment and competition, services, and labour standards.

Speaking to domestic regulatory concerns, she said, "…let me make clear we have no intention of making any commitments that could call into question our ability to maintain public services provided through the NHS or the state education system." On labour standards, she acknowledged that the ILO is the forum for setting labour standards, but suggested that "a broader dialogue" between the ILO and other international organisations including the WTO is desirable.

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