The Doha Round and WTO

Essay by aberukUniversity, Master'sB, April 2006

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This Agreement provides the basis on which the Doha Round of negotiations will progress. For example, a detailed framework for establishing modalities in agriculture negotiations was adopted. As per the Framework Agreement, the Doha Round of negotiations will come to an end by December 2005, when the sixth Ministerial Conference of the WTO will take place in Hong Kong, China. However, given the realpolitik of negotiations, it is expected that the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference will adopt a work-in-progress report (the one that the Cancún Ministerial was suppose to do) and the Doha Round will continue at least till 2007 (when the seventh Ministerial Conference of the WTO will take place).

Other than contentious issues on agriculture, it is being perceived that 'services' negotiations will take much more time than expected, while countries are expected to buy more time to negotiate trade facilitation. 'The outcome of the Doha Round will have significant implications on international trade and national development.

This is more so for developing countries, as international trade is increasingly linked with livelihoods and associated national development (poverty reduction)strategies.'( WTO

Doha Round & South Asia Linking Civil Society with Trade Negotiations.htm)

INTRODUCTION

This report is organized into four chapters, each of which deals with a major aspect of the Doha Round of the WTO :In November 2003 the members of the WTO met to discuss the way forward for a new round of trade negotiations.

1.Why did they do this?

2.What issues were discussed?

3.Which were the most controversial and why?

4.What effect would the successful conclusion of the Doha Round have on international business?

'The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed...