Doha Ministerial Draft: Market Access for Non-Agricultural Products
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Draft Declaration 26th September |
Reactions to the Draft |
Draft Declaration 27th October |
Comments |
Alternative Formulations Proposed |
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13. We agree to negotiations which shall aim, by modalities to be agreed, to reduce or as appropriate eliminate tariffs, including the reduction or elimination of tariff peaks and tariff escalation, as well as non-tariff barriers. Product coverage shall be comprehensive and without a priori exclusions. The negotiations shall take into account the special needs and interests of developing and least-developed country participants, including through less than full reciprocity in reduction commitments. |
The LDCs and a group of African countries expressed strong reservation on starting negotiations in this area. Their view was that before deciding on any such negotiations UNCTAD should carry out a detailed study on the impact of tariff liberalisation on domestic industries. Some developed countries insisted that if tariff peaks were being highlighted than so should be ‘high tariffs’ in a direct reference to some of the higher tariffs maintained by developing countries. The revised draft incorporated the concern expressed by just one or two developed countries and yet ignored the common expression of concern and reservation expressed by the 30 LDCs and many African countries. |
16. We agree to negotiations which shall aim, by modalities to be agreed, to reduce or as appropriate eliminate tariffs, including the reduction or elimination of tariff peaks, high tariffs, and tariff escalation, in particular on products of export interest to developing countries, as well as non-tariff barriers. Product coverage shall be comprehensive and without a priori exclusions. The negotiations shall take fully into account the special needs and interests of developing and least-developed country participants, in accordance with the relevant provisions of Article XXVIII bis of GATT 1994 and the provisions cited in paragraph 43 below. |
To begin to negotiate another round of industrial tariff reductions without first studying the effects of past tariff reductions on developing country economies would not be acceptable. Even during the Abuja OAU Ministerial Conference it had been decided that any engagement on industrial tariffs would be conditional on the completion of a study process to analyse the effects of previous and future tariff reductions on local industries and national economies of developing countries. Moreover, the specific reference to include all products can also not be accepted since it then takes away any flexibility for the developing countries, specially the LDCs amongst them, to address some of their concerns related to supporting nascent industries. The reference to ‘high tariffs’ is also detrimental to developing countries and has to be deleted. Accordingly, the changes can be proposed as in the next column. |
16. We agree to negotiations which shall aim, by modalities to be
agreed, to reduce or as appropriate eliminate tariffs, including the
reduction or elimination of tariff peaks, |