Sunday, January 27, 2013

LDCs lack market access, hit by NTBs

Nepal highlighted the issues of market access, non-tariff barriers (NTB), trade distorting subsidies, restrictive rules of origin, severe supply-side constraints and trade-related infrastructure deficits that are hindering Least Developed Countries (LDCs) trading prospects during the meeting of trade ministers in Davos, Switzerland at the margin of the World Economic Forum-2013, yesterday.
Vice chair of National Planning Commission (NPC) Deependra Bahadur Kshhetry on the occasion also highlighting the importance of the next World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial. "The ninth ministerial committee should unequivocally reaffirm commitment to rule-based multilateral trading system that is transparent, inclusive and development-friendly," he said, stressing for continued prioritisation of development dimension in all trade related discourses under WTO providing a clear roadmap to accomplish Doha round at the earliest. "It should prioritise opportunity with ambitious, comprehensive, balanced and development-oriented outcomes and demonstrate genuine political will that the global trade regime has committed to deliver on its promises in favour of LDCs."
The event also focused on current issues of multilateral trading system in the context of the ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation that is going to be held in Bali, Indonesia in December.
Also speaking on behalf of the group of LDCs in WTO, Kshhetry called upon the WTO members to deliver on the commitments made in favour of LDCs to help them meaningfully integrate into global trading system, according to the UN Permanent Mission in Geneva.
"Development needs should remain in centre in WTO's work and LDC issues need to be given high priority as mandated by the eighth Ministerial Meeting," he said, calling for an end to the continued deadlock in the negotiations of the Doha Development Agenda.
Nepal, as a member of global trade regime, has not been able to benefit from the global trading system due to various reasons including its own domestic and international barriers.
On domestic front, it has not yet been able to create global standard for exports certification and supply side constraints, whereas internationally it has been hit by non-tariff barriers, trade distorting subsidies and restrictive rules of origin from the importing countries.

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