Organized
jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament
1. Background
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 to make it accountable to legislators 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.
The Steering Committee of the
Parliamentary Conference on the WTO is responsible for all matters relating to
the organisation of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO.
2. Agenda
The Steering Committee of the
Parliamentary Conference on the WTO met on 3 October 2007 at IPU Headquarters
in Geneva, Switzerland. The session included the following agenda items:
oHearing with chief WTO negotiators of the four
major trading powers
oSpecial hearing with Ambassador Crawford (New Zealand)
oConsideration of revised draft guidelines for
relations between governments and parliaments in international trade issues
oDefinition of geographical regions for the
purposes of the Steering Committee
oComposition of the Steering Committee
oActivities of the Parliamentary Conference on
the WTO in 2007 and beyond
3. The Canadian Delegation
Forty-six participants from national
parliaments representing 20 countries and regional parliamentary assemblies
took part in the meeting of the Steering Committee, including the Honourable
Donald H. Oliver, Senator, P.C., and Mr. Ted Menzies, M.P., (Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation and the Minister of
International Trade), from Canada.
4. The Meeting
The IPU’s report on the 16th
Session of the Conference Steering Committee, which includes a summary of
decisions taken by the Committee, may be found in Appendix 1.
At the close of the Meeting the
Steering Committee adopted the following Statement:
Intensive discussions held in September
have yielded some tangible progress in the Doha Round. Agreements on modalities
on agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) remain crucial for the
Round to conclude within a reasonable time frame and to deliver on its
development commitment.
The information on the ongoing talks,
shared with us by the negotiators of the four major trading powers and the
chairman of the Agriculture negotiating group, stand proof of the fact that
convergence is still possible, albeit very challenging.
In the last months, some political
actors have raised the possibility of a minimalist "Doha-lite"
package, calibrating ambitions against sensitivities of countries and trade
blocks, as a realistic way forward in saving the Round. The case for a
realizable Doha package could be even stronger in view of the looming systemic
implications of a failure.
As members of parliament with a mandate
to oversee and encourage government action in the field of international trade,
we reiterate our call for an ambitious package: a compromise lies on the path
of mutual, balanced and fair concessions, taking into account the overall world
economic landscape and the enormous risks involved in a continued stalemate.
Therefore, we urge our governments to spare no efforts in ensuring an equitable
and development-oriented outcome of the Doha Round. As parliamentarians we
restate our commitment to provide our firm backing to this process.
Respectfully submitted,
The Honourable Donald H.
Oliver, Q.C., Senator
President, Canadian Group IPU