Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
Annual 2011 Session
21-22 March 2011, WTO Headquarters, Geneva
Address by Senator Donald H. Oliver
Member of the IPU Executive Committee
Geneva, 21 March 2011
His
Excellency, President of the WTO General Council,
Distinguished representatives of governments and international organizations,
Fellow parliamentarians,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have great pleasure in welcoming you
to the annual session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO. A product of
the collaborative efforts of the IPU and the European Parliament, the
Conference is a unique tool for parliamentary scrutiny of international trade
policies. The IPU believes in it very strongly.
Indeed, throughout its entire history,
the IPU - the world organization of parliaments - has been proactively engaging
legislators in international cooperation. Trade between nations is one of the
cornerstones of this design.
Parliamentarians from all over the
world are joined at our Conference by trade diplomats, officials of
international organizations, and representatives of the academic community and
the mass media. I extend to all participants and observers the cordial
greetings of the IPU President, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, who is unfortunately
unable to attend due to political commitments in his country, Namibia.
For the first time in its eight-year
history, the Parliamentary Conference is holding its session on the premises of
the WTO. To a mere outsider, this might look like just another meeting among
the 8,000 that take place at WTO Headquarters every year. For parliamentarians,
however, this is a long-awaited and politically symbolic step along the way to
endowing the WTO with a meaningful parliamentary dimension.
By playing host to a meeting of
legislators specializing in international trade, the WTO has shown its
willingness to enhance its transparency and open itself to a greater degree of
democratic oversight and accountability. We salute this development. Our
gratitude goes first of all to the WTO Director-General, Mr. Pascal Lamy, who
has been very supportive of this initiative. Sincere thanks are also due to his
colleagues at the WTO Secretariat for their exemplary cooperation and
hospitality.
Mr. Lamy will join us for a special
hearing tomorrow. Ever attentive to questions from parliamentarians, he will
bring us up to date on the latest developments in the Doha Round. Let's make
good use of this opportunity. As national policy-makers, we need to identify
more clearly, for example, what elements constitute the famous "narrow but
real window of opportunity" that is often evoked in connection with
prospects of concluding the Round by the end of this year.
We share the view that the time to get
serious about Doha is long past. The issues that have stalled the negotiations
are real, but they can be resolved if negotiators keep in mind the benefits of
success and the costs of failure.
A successful deal would not only
provide a debt-free stimulus for the global economy, but could also be an added
spoke in the wheel of protectionism at a time when the world is still
recovering from the consequences of the financial and economic crisis. The
worst fears of global retreat from free trade have not been realized. Even so,
"legal protectionism" has propagated in government procurement,
investment and other areas not yet fully covered by WTO rules. New agreements
in the Doha Round could spell out an insurance policy that would enhance the
continued flow of growth-generating global trade.
Inversely, the costs of not reaching an
agreement would be prohibitive. Among other things, they would result in a
proliferation of bilateral and regional trade agreements, perhaps in ways that
would frustrate global hopes for the overall gains in jobs and growth.
Convinced of the pivotal importance of this aspect, the Steering Committee of
the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO has decided to devote one of the two
thematic debates to it.
The second theme deals with rebalancing
the rules of the multilateral trading system in favour of the poor. The
objective of development is central to the Doha Development Agenda. Governments
have made various pledges and pleas at the start of the Round, but tangible
results in this area are yet to be seen. Can parliaments help break the
deadlock?
We will listen to the views of
parliamentary delegates from both developed and developing countries. In
addition, we will benefit from the experience and inside knowledge of trade
negotiators whose job is to follow these issues on a daily basis in the WTO
Committee on Trade and Development.
In fact, it is our intention to make
dialogue and interaction between parliamentarians and WTO negotiators a
distinct feature of the entire session. An exciting feature, too, may I add.
After all, what can be more interesting and useful for us, legislators dealing
with trade matters in our respective parliaments, than to engage with top-level
WTO experts who are the best-placed to know because it is they who actually
lead the Doha negotiations?
The subject chosen by the Steering
Committee for the corresponding segment of the session's programme focuses on
the delicate interlinkage between trade and sustainable development, which
should give rise to a lively debate. I am sure that you have many questions to
ask our distinguished Ambassadors - just as you do in parliament during
questioning time with ministers and other government officials.
The concluding panel of the session
will be somewhat different. For once, we have invited not trade diplomats and
renowned international experts but journalists - those who write about the WTO
and influence the way millions of people think about globalization and trade.
There are many aspects of this relationship that may require clarification. Not
all questions can be dismissed off-hand by simply suggesting not to blame the
mirror. We can have an interplay of ideas that would be of interest and use to
all sides, including parliamentarians, of course.
The IPU and the European Parliament, as
the co-organizers of the session, have invested much time and energy in its
preparation. We hope that it will be crowned with success and look forward to a
rich and constructive debate, in the true parliamentary tradition.
With these words, let me officially
declare the annual 2011 Session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
open.
I now pass the floor to the
Vice-President of the European Parliament, Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis.