The Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
is a joint undertaking of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European
Parliament. Its primary objective is to enhance the external transparency of
the WTO and make it accountable to parliamentarians as elected representatives
of the people. The sessions of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO are held
once a year and on the occasion of WTO Ministerial Conferences.
2.Agenda
The annual 2011 session of the
Parliamentary Conference on the WTO Public Forum was held for the first time on
WTO premises in Geneva on 21 and 22 March 2011. As in the past, the 2011 annual
session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO was intended primarily for
parliamentarians, who specialize in matters of international trade in their
respective parliaments. The session provided them with an opportunity to obtain
first-hand information on recent developments in WTO talks and consider ways of
contributing to the revitalization of this process. It was also an occasion to
exchange views and experiences with colleagues in other parliaments, interact
with government negotiators and WTO officials, and engage in a dialogue with
civil society representatives. The Conference included the following agenda
items:
·Debate on substantive themes
oMultilateralism in the midst of the rising tide of bilateral and
regional trade pacts;
oRebalancing the rules of the multilateral trading system in favour
of the poor;
·Dialogue with senior WTO negotiators on the
theme “trade and sustainable development: from collision to cohesion”;
·Hearing with the WTO Director-General; and,
·Interactive panel discussion on the theme
“Connecting to society: Trade policy-making in the era of mass communication”
3.The Canadian delegation
Representatives from various
parliaments, members of the WTO and government or intergovernmental organizations
participated in the annual 2011 session. The following Canadian
parliamentarians attended:
The
Hon. Donald H. Oliver, QC, Senator
The Honourable Frank
Mahovlich, Senator
The Honourable Mac Harb,
Senator
As member of the IPU Executive
Committee, Senator Donald H. Oliver co-chaired this session of the
Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, with the Vice-President of the European
Parliament, Mr. Stravos Lambrinidis. Senator Oliver’s opening speech is
available in appendix 1.
4.The Discussions
The discussions are briefly summarized
in appendix 2.
5.Outcome
The commitment by world leaders at the
G-20 in Seoul to bring the Doha Development Round to a successful conclusion
injected much needed political momentum in the negotiations. Therefore, the
annual session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO took place at a time
when the interest in the conclusion of the Doha Round has been renewed.
Participants at the parliamentary session were afforded an opportunity to ask
questions to top WTO negotiators, receive first-hand information on the latest
developments in WTO talks, and exchange views on possible ways forward. At the
end of the session, the participants considered and adopted by consensus the
following declaration:
1.We, parliamentarians assembled in Geneva for the annual session of the
Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, welcome the signs of renewed energy and
broader engagement by WTO Members in the negotiations on the Doha Development
Agenda. The recently injected political momentum should be used to bring the
Round to a successful, ambitious, comprehensive, fair and balanced conclusion
that is consistent with its original mandate and builds on advances made so
far. We encourage WTO Members to seize the narrow but real window of
opportunity to conclude the Round by the end of 2011.
2.Convinced that multilateralism remains the best option to harness
globalization and manage interdependence, we reaffirm our commitment to the universal,
rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and fair multilateral trading system as
embodied in the WTO.
3.International trade is a powerful engine of sustained economic growth
and development and is required for the achievement of the Millennium Development
Goals. Against the background of a deep and widespread economic downturn, the
multilateral trading system has proven its value. The very existence of WTO
disciplines, rules and binding mechanisms played a crucial role in weathering
the threat of protectionism and jumpstarting the economic recovery.
4.The needs and interests of developing countries, in particular the least
developed countries are at the heart of the Doha Development Agenda, which
seeks to redress asymmetries and imbalances affecting them. Beyond greater
market access opportunities, it is important for small and vulnerable
economies, including the least developed countries, that special and
differential treatment be made more effective, meaningful and operational
across the negotiating areas and through greater policy flexibility and binding
commitments on technical assistance and capacity building. We call upon
developed countries that have not yet done so to provide immediate,
predictable, duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all
products originating from the least developed countries. Developing economies
that are advanced enough to do so, or declare themselves in a position to do
so, should also contribute to this process.
5.The Doha Round is premised on the consensus that, to be concluded
satisfactorily, the negotiations should advance in all domains under a single
undertaking. Recognizing the paramount importance of progress in areas such as
agriculture, non-agricultural market access, services, rules and trade
facilitation, as well as the Dispute Settlement Understanding, we call on WTO
Members to accelerate their work also on special and differential treatment
provisions, the development-related mandate concerning the TRIPS Agreement,
implementation-related issues and concerns, transfer and dissemination of
technology, and access to knowledge for the benefit of developing countries.
6.We believe it is important to ensure that market opening and fair trade
liberalization go hand in hand with sustainable development, which contains
three pillars: economic development, environmental protection and social
development. Drawing from the lessons of the financial and economic crisis, we
also see the need for greater coherence between the different segments of
global governance, including the WTO, the Bretton Woods institutions, the
United Nations, ILO and other like-minded organizations. Sustainable global
development policies are inconceivable without better coordination between
these multilateral organizations, which share to a large extent the same
objectives.
7.In order to make the WTO a truly universal organization, we underscore
the requirement to facilitate the accession process for all developing
countries, and in particular the least developed countries, while fully
respecting the need for special and differential treatment. We call for the
removal of political obstacles that stand in the way of ensuring the
inclusiveness and universal character of WTO membership and for greater
flexibility towards the least developed countries.
8.The protracted Doha Round negotiations have underscored a systemic need
to improve the functioning of the WTO as a negotiating forum. It is necessary
to rethink its processes and decision-making structures. We encourage WTO
Members to give thorough consideration to relevant ideas and proposals,
progressively forging a consensus on ways to do this. We are convinced that
this should be done so as to strengthen the democratic character and legitimacy
of the system, in particular for members with less economic power, and by
devising a modus operandi that can reconcile efficiency and equity in
negotiations.
9.We are convinced of the need for a strong and effective parliamentary
dimension to the WTO and welcome the fact that, for the first time ever, an
annual session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO takes place on the
premises of this intergovernmental organization. Parliamentarians, as elected
representatives of the people, have a duty to provide effective oversight of
international trade negotiations, ensuring their transparency and fairness at
the international and national levels. It is also their responsibility to
remain vigilant so that the multilateral trading system contributes to
sustainable development for all, taking fully into account the special and
differential needs and capacities of developing countries, in particular the
least developed countries.
10.The road to fairer and more equitable international trade starts with
the conclusion of the Doha Round. We, as parliamentarians, therefore, call on
all parties - both developed and developing countries - to show greater
leadership and flexibility to make the necessary breakthroughs that will enable
a successful outcome. We call on our parliamentary colleagues around the world
to use all the means at their disposal to convey to their respective
governments our shared sense of urgency concerning the present state of WTO
negotiations. It is imperative to change gear, fuelling and sustaining the
momentum in order to bring the negotiations to a close by the end of the
current year.
6.The Next Parliamentary Session on the WTO
The date for the next Parliamentary
Conference on the WTO remains to be determined. Its Steering Committee, of
which Canada is a member, decided to hold a parliamentary panel within the WTO
Public Forum, which will take place in September 2011. The next session of the
Steering Committee is also scheduled to take place during this forum.
Respectfully submitted,
Mr. Blaine Calkins, M.P.
Canadian Group of the IPU