Nepal
stressed on key challenge is to make the global trading system fully responsive
to the needs and aspirations of majority of the people around the globe, in
particular the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
Addressing
the the plenary session of the ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade
Organisation in Bali today, trade, commerce and supplies minister Shanker
Prasad Koirala, also conveyed LDCs' firm belief in multilateral trading system.
Nepal'
is the coordinator of the LDC Group in WTO.
Koirala
on the occasion, called upon all WTO members, especially key players, to
display necessary flexibility to conclude the Doha Development Agenda at the
earliest.
Referring
to this year's negotiations on proposed Bali outcome on three pillars – trade facilitation,
agriculture and development of LDC issues, he also stressed that the outcome
should be balanced and credible and should keep development issues at the core
of negotiations.
Highlighting
the key LDC issues, Koirala said there is a need for full and timely
implementation of decision on duty-free-quota-free market access together with
the implementation of provisions of simplified, transparent and facilitative
rules of origin. "The cotton issue be meaningfully addressed and the 2011
Decision to grant preferences to LDCs' services export be effectively and
expeditiously implemented."
He
also pointed out the need of effective and scaled up support to LDCs through
Aid for Trade (AfT) initiative and Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) in order
to increase LDCs' capacity to produce and trade.
On
the proposed Trade Facilitation deal, Koirala said that the concerns of members
lacking capacity to implement the provisions must be addressed. "On agriculture,
he reaffirmed LDCs' support to a meaningful outcome on the issues advanced by
developing countries," he said, underlining that the post-Bali work
programme must provide a clear road map to conclude the works under the Doha
Development Round.
The conference that
started on December 3 will conclude on December 6.
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