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| Kenya Hopes WTO to Grant Developing Countries Trade Preference |
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TUE, NOV 13, 2001
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Kenyan Minister for Trade and Industry Nicholas Biwott has said it is necessary for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to grant African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries trade preferences including waiver if they are to benefit from the WTO trade system.
In a press release issued by the Ministry of Trade and Industryhere on Monday, Biwott said special and differential treatment for developing countries is a core principle of the WTO and should be binding and be incorporated into the architecture of future WTO agreement and rules.
Biwott made the remarks during the on-going 4th Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference held in Doha, Qatar.
He said waiver was critical for the ACP countries and that failure to grant this would erode their faith and commitment to the WTO trading system.
The Kenyan minister urged the conference to critically deliberate on the WTO waiver of the Cotonou partnership and other elements of the on-going work program.
Trade preference including the ACP/EU waiver can only be meaningful with a positive and effective impact if bound in the multilateral trading system, he added.
He noted it was imperative that ACP countries maintain pace with the fast growing and changing developments and economic activities in international trade, saying "if we are to cope, we require technical and financial assistance to not only bridge the economic gap but also to improve our standing in the global marketplace".
He urged that technical assistance and capacity building in developing countries should revamped and enhanced within the regular budget of the WTO and the assistance should be directed towards addressing the supply constraints and stringent standards in the target market of developing countries.
Biwott also said that the concrete and specific demands made by the developing countries with a view to correcting the current imbalances of the Uruguay Round Table should be given special attention and brought on board in the ministerial declaration in order to forge a strong unified WTO.
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