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The two-day G-20 Ministerial Meeting – the first Ministerial interaction on WTO to be hosted by India – began here this morning with developing countries of the G-20 (an alliance of countries in the WTO agriculture negotiations) along with other alliances and groupings such as the G-33, the Africa Group, ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) countries and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) coming together in the common cause of the entire developing world. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, said there was serious work ahead for member countries on the road to the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) scheduled for later this year so as to ensure that the concerns and positions of developing countries could be reflected in the modalities of the negotiations in different areas as well as the final commitments that members would agree to undertake. “The gathering here today signals a coming together in the common cause of almost the entire developing world”, Shri Kamal Nath said.
Member Countries present on the occasion were: Argentina (Mr. Alfredo Chiradia, Secretary of State of Commerce & International Economic Relations); Brazil (Mr. Celso Amorim, Minister of External Relations & International Trade); Bolivia (Mr. Alvaro Moscoso, Permanent Mission of Bolivia to the WTO); Chile (Mr. Carlos Furche, General Director for International Economic Affairs); China (Mr. Yi Xiaozhun, Assistant Minister of Commerce; Cuba (Mr. Ernesto M. Delgado, Joint Secretary of International Organisms of the Ministry of Foreign Trade); Egypt (Dr. (Mrs) Samiha Fawzy, Assistant Minister for Foreign Trade and Industry); Gautemala (Mr. Eduardo Sperisen-Yurt, Ambassador, Permanent Mission to the WTO); Indonesia (Dr. Ir. Anton Apriyantono, Minister of Agriculture; Mexico (Mr. Angel Villalobos Rodriguez, Deputy Minister of International Trade Negotiations); Nigeria (Mr. A.D. Idris Waziri, Minister of Commerce); Pakistan (Mr. Humayun Akhtar Khan, Minister for Commerce); Paraguay (Ms. Leila Rachid de Cowles, Minister of External Relations); Philippines (Mr. Sagfredo R Serrano, Under Secretary, Department of Agriculture); South Africa (Mr. Mandisi Bongani Mabuto Mpahlwa, Minister of Trade and Industry and Ms. Angela T Didiza, Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs); Tanzania (Dr. Juma A Ngasongwa, Minister for Industry and Trade); Thailand (Mrs. Puangrat Asavapisit, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Thailand to the WTO); Venezuela (Mr. Oscar Carvallo, Deputy Permanent Representative Permanent Mission); Zimbabwe (Mr. K.V. Manyonda, Deputy Minister of Industry and International Trade); Benin -- Coordinator for ACP (Mr. Fatiou Akplogan, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Promotion of Employment); Guyana -- Coordinator for CARICOM (Mr. Clement J Rohee, Minister of Foreign Trade & International Cooperation); Rwanda -- Coordinator for Africa Group (Prof. Manasseh Nshuti, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Promotion of Investment and Tourism); Zambia -- Coordinator for LDCs (Mr. Dipak Patel, Minister of Commerce, Trade & Industry); and Uruguay -- Observer (Mr. Ernesto Agazzi, Vice Minister of Livestock, Agriculture & Fishing) besides India (Shri Kamal Nath and Shri E.V.K.S. Elangovan, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry).
During the morning session, the Ministers deliberated on agriculture issues relating to Export Competition and Domestic Support and discussed market access issues in the afternoon session. Speaking at the morning session, Shri Kamal Nath said that agriculture remained at the core of the Doha Agenda for most developing countries and that elimination of all trade distorting support and export subsidies were at the heart of G-20’s own objectives. On market access, members noted that the critical “gateway” issue for developing countries were related was the issue of conversion of specific duties (non-ad valorem tariffs) to their ad valorem equivalents. He said the tariff reduction formula must have regard to the food security, livelihood and rural development needs of developing countries as recognized in the framework for negotiations agreed by WTO members in July last year, along with special products and special safeguard mechanisms as additional instruments to address specific situations in developing countries.
The Ministers also exchanged views on other areas of negotiations such as non-agricultural market access (NAMA), services, development issues etc. so as to have a composite assessment of the current state of play in the ongoing Doha Round of the WTO multilateral trade negotiations.
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