Doha - not good enough!

12.02.27pm GMT Tue 3rd Aug 2004

On Sunday night the members of the World Trade Organisation agreed to agree a new trade agreement by the end of the year. This was the latest in the long-running farce that has become of the Doha Development Agenda which was first launched in November 2001.

The Doha Development Agenda was supposed to start to end the unfair trading systems that exist across the world and to allow developing countries access to developed countries' markets. Two and a half years later, little progress has actually been made; the debacle that was the Cancun summit, where developed countries flatly refused to open up their markets, is mainly to blame.

What was actually agreed at the weekend was very vague, with very few figures being agreed. What was agreed was a framework for liberalising trade in agriculture, manufacturing and services, as well as updating customs procedures. It was agreed to eliminate export subsidies and other forms of government support for farm exports (with no timetable) and the highest agricultural import tariffs will face the biggest cuts, although nations will have the right to keep higher tariffs on some of the products they consider most important!

The next round of talks will be in Hong Kong in December. We shall see then if any progress is actually made. The World Trade Organisation itself has warned that, with the US Presidential Elections and a changed European Commission, a fresh impasse would set back the prospects of a deal for years and might create the conditions for a global trade war.

The developed countries really do need to change and stop these unfair systems currently in place. A good starting point would be the wholesale reform of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy. Whilst they are looking at reform it might be a good opportunity to increase international aid budgets to the UN recommended 0.7% of Gross National Income.