A NEW SPHERE OF ACTION FOR THE UNCTAD

The third United Nation Conference on LDCs in Brussels gave the international community, and LDCs themselves, an opportunity to respond to the challenges faced in the globalized economy and to identify measures that can be taken to help. WTO contribute to the conference with policies, programme and initiatives they call "deliverables" to assist LDCs are being followed-up by WTO Sub-Committee on LDCs. According to M. Moore, WTO is delivering in number of area. He noticed first significant improvements in market access opportunities for LDCs Twenty-nine WTO members (counting European Union as one) have now pledge market access improvements for LDCs. The second deliverable is in cooperation with other agencies, the successfully re-designed Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance (the IF). The third deliverable is a renewed commitment to give as much assistance as possible to those LDCs in the process of joining the WTO. The Director General informed the participants that LDCs account for over 20 percent of WTO’s membership, and this increase as more LDCs join the WTO.
Another deliverable is the host of initiatives the WTO has taken to help LDCs participate more fully in the WTO and multilateral trading system. The Director General presented where the WTO is today with the Doha Development Agenda. First, the institution have put the machinery for negotiations, the Trade Negotiations Committee. Second WTO members including the 30 LDCs Members of the instituion are fully engaged in the negotiations. The Wto is in parallel implementing their extensive mandate on technical assistance and capacity building. The Doha development Agenda offers great opportunities but to realise these opportunities we must overcome big challenges said M. Moore He noticed that protectionist pressurer group continue to exercise their influence in some of the world’s leading economies. And in another hand, the world according to M. Moore faces a number of new systemic challenges. But he expressed his optimism to the participants.