Civil G8 2006

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Gleneagles Statement on World Trade (Gleneagles, 2005)


1. A successful conclusion to the WTO Doha Development Agenda (DDA) would be one of the most effective ways to generate economic growth, create potential for development and raise living standards across the world. We are committed to strengthening the multilateral trading system. Last year we agreed on the importance of seizing the opportunity before us to help ensure that growth in trade would continue to be a key to boosting global prosperity for developed and developing countries alike. We welcome the progress since Sea Island to put these negotiations firmly back on track. We pledge ourselves to work to further increase momentum towards our goal of an ambitious and balanced outcome in the negotiations, our highest common priority in trade policy for the year ahead. We call on all WTO Members to work with greater urgency to bring these negotiations to conclusion by the end of 2006. The Hong Kong Ministerial in December will be a critical stepping stone towards that goal.
2. We are committed to improving the participation of developing countries and to supporting increased trade, including south-south trade, and regional integration which is crucial to catalyzing economic growth and raising incomes in developing countries. We recognize that, in particular, least developed countries face specific problems in integrating into the international trading system and will continue to work to ensure that there is appropriate flexibility in the DDA negotiations. This flexibility will help least developed countries to decide, plan and sequence their overall economic reforms in line with their country-led development programs and their international obligations. [We reaffirm our past agreements on key commodities].
3. We must focus on the core issues to create new market opportunities. In agriculture, we are committed to substantially reducing trade-distorting domestic support and substantially improving market access. We are also committed to eliminating all forms of export subsidies and establishing disciplines on all export measures with equivalent effect by a credible end date. We are also committed to opening markets more widely to trade in non-agricultural products, expanding opportunities for trade in services, improving trade rules and improving customs and other relevant procedures to facilitate trade. In this spirit, we also reiterate our commitment to the objective of duty-free and quota-free market access for products originating from LDCs. We will pursue a high and consistent level of ambition in all areas. We commit to work, in partnership with others and recognizing Members’ sensitivities, with renewed energy and constructiveness, to seize this historic opportunity to deliver on the ambitions agreed at Doha in 2001.

Expert opinion

Halter Marek

02.12.06

Halter Marek
Le College de France
Olivier Giscard d’Estaing

02.12.06

Olivier Giscard d’Estaing
COPAM, France
Mika Ohbayashi

02.12.06

Mika Ohbayashi
Institute for Sustainable Energy Poliñy
Bill Pace

02.12.06

Bill Pace
World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy
Peter I. Hajnal

01.12.06

Peter I. Hajnal
Toronto University, G8 Research Group


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