AUSTRALIA URGES PROGRESS IN WTO DOHA ROUND
Australia continues to urge World Trade Organization (WTO) members, including the Philippines, to demonstrate the courage and political will required to ensure the Doha Round is completed this year.
“Progress must be made on agricultural market access to unlock the possibility of other countries – principally developing countries – doing more on industrial goods and services”, said Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Tony Hely.
The EU must show leadership on agricultural market access if the Round is to succeed. Critically, the EU must bring forward an offer which clearly gives rise to new commercial opportunities for agricultural exporters – this is not the case with their current proposal. A significantly improved EU market access offer is also critical to maintaining pressure on the US to go further on domestic support.
We do not want to let slip a historic opportunity to reform US domestic support for its farm sector. The US understands that it needs to do more than its current offer.
Agricultural trade reform is critical to pulling millions of the world’s poorest people out of poverty. The World Bank has found that freeing all merchandise trade will result in global welfare gains of $287 billion a year, of which 45 per cent will flow to developing countries. This will contribute to lifting 32 million people (living on less than $1US per day) out of poverty.
Australia will continue to work with the Philippines and other WTO members for an outcome that delivers significant new commercial opportunities for agriculture, non-agricultural goods and services.