World Trade Organisation Director General Roberto Azevedo has urged the government to engage with all stakeholders to get duty-free and quota-free market access in the developed and developing world.
“I would thus encourage you to reach out to all the stakeholders involved, particularly other LDCs, and continue to engage them in a pragmatic manner [to get duty-free and quota-free market access],” Azevedo said at a programme at a city hotel yesterday.
In the WTO Bali Ministerial last year, it was agreed by everybody that developed and developing world would open up their market for LDCs without any duty before the next ministerial.
Azevedo said his experience in the negotiations on this issue had shown that the implementation of duty-free access is not straightforward.
“Progress is possible, but will very much depend on the level of ambition and the balance that can be struck taking into account the sensitivities surrounding the issue,” he said.
Many developed countries including members of European Union, Australia and Canada offered duty-free market access for Bangladesh but the biggest economy and the single biggest export destination of Bangladeshi products, the USA, is yet to provide duty-free access.
About preferential rules of origin, he said the Bali decision responded to the long-standing demand from the LDCs to make the rules of origin simple and flexible.
“The Bali decision therefore will further help members reform their individual rules of origin for LDCs,” he added.
Azevedo said another important decision taken at Bali concerns the LDC services waiver through which preferential market access is granted to LDC services and service suppliers.
“I understand that LDCs are working together to table a collective request in this regard. In my view, your aim should be high, but grounded in the fact that we are indeed dealing with new territory,” he said.
In Bali, ministers from all member countries instructed the officials of the WTO to prepare, by December, a clearly defined work programme to conclude the Doha Development Agenda.
“Negotiations on the Doha agenda have been running since 2001 – that’s far too long,” he said adding, “Now we have to go further.”
He said Bangladesh support is needed to take the position that is required to finalise Doha agenda.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said the main demand of Bangladesh is to get duty-free market access and some countries have already given the facility to it.
The minister said he would visit Washington from June 10 and meet US Trade Representative, some senators and Congressmen to negotiate the market access issue.
Bangladesh would negotiate with certain countries to have free trade agreement like Malaysia, Brazil and Chile.
