o, In services, Members agreed to submit their revised offers by the end of May 2005: utstanding initial offers should be tabled as soon as possible. Concerns had been expressed that the negotiations on services were falling behind in relation to the other two market access negotiations. By the end of 2004, almost two years after the target date for the submission of initial offers, there remained not only a very significant number of Members who had not yet done so, but there was also a sense of dissatisfaction with the substance contained in the offers that had been submitted. Moreover, on the rule-making side of the negotiations(domestic regulation, emergency safeguard measures, government procurement, and subsidies)that had been continued after the Uruguay Round, relatively little progre has been achieved, with the possible exception of domestic regulation, over the past 12 month Agreement was also finally reached on how the"Singapore Issues"-trade facilitation, trade and investment, trade and competition policy and transparency in government procurement-should be handled. Negotiations are to be launched on trade facilitation, while the other three issues will not be negotiated in this Round The July Decision commits Members to fulfilling the development dimension of the DDa and sets out a roadmap for further pursuing the review of special and differential treatment During the course of 2004, work on special and differential treatment had focussed on ing to build upon the progress that had been achieved up to the wTos Fifth Ministerial Conference where Members had agreed in principle to 28 agreement-specific proposals, but had not adopted them. Accordingly, work in the Special Session of the Committee on Trade and Development mainly focussed on exploring a broader and more overarching approach to pecial and differential treatment in the WTO, so as to break the impasse and try and reach an agreement on possible recommendations for the remaining Agreement- specific proposals It is hoped that this approach or some of the elements contained therein, would help to achieve convergence on the remaining work and enable the Special Session to"report to the General Council, with clear recommendations for a decision"by july 2005 as mandated in Over the course of 2004. work also continued on all other areas of the doha Development Agenda Although the work of the Negotiating Group on Rules was for a time delayed after the Ministerial Conference in Cancun, work resumed in the spring and intensified during the course of the year. In the area of Anti-Dumping and Subsidies and Countervailing Measures including Fisheries Subsidies, the Group shifted emphasis from a formal process of issue identification to an informal process involving an in-depth examination of detailed on trade remedies, an area attracting 21 out of 28 elaborated proposals submitted Ork was laborated proposals submitted by participants. The focus of the Group's informal In the area of regional trade agreements(RTA), considerable progress has been achieved ore focused discussions are needed at this stage to further the work on RTA system ents. identifying the essential elements for an improvement in transparency of such Issues In trade and environment, Members continued to explore the relationship between WTO rules and specific trade obligations in multilateral environmental agreements(MEA) Two approaches have been pursued in parallel under this mandate, and are still underway The first has consisted of national experience sharing on the negotiation and implementation of trade measures in MEAs; and the second of a discussion of certain potential outcomes Members have also stepped up work on the mandate relating to trade liberalization in environmental goods. The inputs of various international organizations such as UNCTAD and the World Customs Organization at the October meeting, as well as at a WTO Workshop Environmental Goods, contributed to this. otiations also continued with respect to improving and clarifying the Dispute nent Understanding. These negotiations had been extended in July 2003, with the new target date to conclude the negotiations set for May 2004. In the first half of the year, the Chairman of the Dispute Settlement Body Special Session urged Members to work togethe towards building the basis for an agreement. By May, some delegations had made some additional written contributions to the negotiations, which were welcomed by participants and the Chairman was able to report additional progress to the Trade Negotiations Committee. Although a final outcome still had not been reached by the end of May 2004, there was agreement among Members that the special Session continued to need more time to complete its work. Accordingly, the General Council adopted, in the context of the so-called July Package, a recommendation for the continuation of work in the Special arget date. In the second half of the continued on the basis in particular of the additional written contributions put forward by some Members, allowing good progress on the specific issues covered in these texts, which indude remand, "sequencing "and post-retaliation issues The negotiations on the Dispute fall outside the single undertaking of the DDA
)NSERVICES-EMBERSAGREEDTOSUBMITTHEIRREVISEDOFFERSBYTHEENDOF-AY OUTSTANDINGINITIALOFFERSSHOULDBETABLEDASSOONASPOSSIBLE#ONCERNSHADBEENEXPRESSED THATTHENEGOTIATIONSONSERVICESWEREFALLINGBEHINDINRELATIONTOTHEOTHERTWOMARKET ACCESSNEGOTIATIONS"YTHEENDOFALMOSTTWOYEARSAFTERTHETARGETDATEFORTHE SUBMISSIONOFINITIALOFFERSTHEREREMAINEDNOTONLYAVERYSIGNIFICANTNUMBEROF-EMBERS WHOHADNOTYETDONESOBUTTHEREWASALSOASENSEOFDISSATISFACTIONWITHTHESUBSTANCE CONTAINEDINTHEOFFERSTHATHADBEENSUBMITTED-OREOVERONTHERULE MAKINGSIDEOFTHE NEGOTIATIONSDOMESTICREGULATIONEMERGENCYSAFEGUARDMEASURESGOVERNMENTPROCUREMENT ANDSUBSIDIES THATHADBEENCONTINUEDAFTERTHE5RUGUAY2OUNDRELATIVELYLITTLEPROGRESS HASBEENACHIEVEDWITHTHEPOSSIBLEEXCEPTIONOFDOMESTICREGULATIONOVERTHEPAST MONTHS !GREEMENTWASALSOFINALLYREACHEDONHOWTHEh3INGAPORE)SSUESvnTRADEFACILITATION TRADEANDINVESTMENTTRADEANDCOMPETITIONPOLICYANDTRANSPARENCYINGOVERNMENT PROCUREMENTnSHOULDBEHANDLED.EGOTIATIONSARETOBELAUNCHEDONTRADEFACILITATION WHILETHEOTHERTHREEISSUESWILLNOTBENEGOTIATEDINTHIS2OUND 4HE*ULY$ECISIONCOMMITS-EMBERSTOFULFILLINGTHEDEVELOPMENTDIMENSIONOFTHE$$! ANDSETSOUTAROADMAPFORFURTHERPURSUINGTHEREVIEWOFSPECIALANDDIFFERENTIALTREATMENT $URINGTHECOURSEOFWORKONSPECIALANDDIFFERENTIALTREATMENTHADFOCUSSEDON TRYINGTOBUILDUPONTHEPROGRESSTHATHADBEENACHIEVEDUPTOTHE74/S&IFTH-INISTERIAL #ONFERENCEWHERE-EMBERSHADAGREEDINPRINCIPLETOAGREEMENT SPECIFICPROPOSALSBUT HADNOTADOPTEDTHEM!CCORDINGLYWORKINTHE3PECIAL3ESSIONOFTHE#OMMITTEEON4RADE AND$EVELOPMENTMAINLYFOCUSSEDONEXPLORINGABROADERANDMOREOVERARCHINGAPPROACHTO SPECIALANDDIFFERENTIALTREATMENTINTHE74/SOASTOBREAKTHEIMPASSEANDTRYANDREACH ANAGREEMENTONPOSSIBLERECOMMENDATIONSFORTHEREMAINING!GREEMENT SPECIFICPROPOSALS )TISHOPEDTHATTHISAPPROACHORSOMEOFTHEELEMENTSCONTAINEDTHEREINWOULDHELPTO ACHIEVECONVERGENCEONTHEREMAININGWORKANDENABLETHE3PECIAL3ESSIONTOhREPORTTOTHE 'ENERAL#OUNCILWITHCLEARRECOMMENDATIONSFORADECISIONvBY*ULYASMANDATEDIN THE*ULY$ECISION /VERTHECOURSEOFWORKALSOCONTINUEDONALLOTHERAREASOFTHE$OHA $EVELOPMENT!GENDA !LTHOUGHTHEWORKOFTHE.EGOTIATING'ROUPON2ULESWASFORATIMEDELAYEDAFTER THE-INISTERIAL#ONFERENCEIN#ANCÞNWORKRESUMEDINTHESPRINGANDINTENSIFIEDDURING THECOURSEOFTHEYEAR)NTHEAREAOF!NTI $UMPINGAND3UBSIDIESAND#OUNTERVAILING -EASURESINCLUDING&ISHERIES3UBSIDIESTHE'ROUPSHIFTEDEMPHASISFROMAFORMALPROCESS OFISSUEIDENTIFICATIONTOANINFORMALPROCESSINVOLVINGANIN DEPTHEXAMINATIONOFDETAILED ELABORATEDPROPOSALSSUBMITTEDBYPARTICIPANTS4HEFOCUSOFTHE'ROUPSINFORMALWORKWAS ONTRADEREMEDIESANAREAATTRACTINGOUTOFELABORATEDPROPOSALSSUBMITTED )NTHEAREAOFREGIONALTRADEAGREEMENTS24! CONSIDERABLEPROGRESSHASBEENACHIEVED INIDENTIFYINGTHEESSENTIALELEMENTSFORANIMPROVEMENTINTRANSPARENCYOFSUCHAGREEMENTS -OREFOCUSEDDISCUSSIONSARENEEDEDATTHISSTAGETOFURTHERTHEWORKON24!SYSTEMIC ISSUES )NTRADEANDENVIRONMENT-EMBERSCONTINUEDTOEXPLORETHERELATIONSHIPBETWEEN74/ RULESANDSPECIFICTRADEOBLIGATIONSINMULTILATERALENVIRONMENTALAGREEMENTS-%! 4WOAPPROACHESHAVEBEENPURSUEDINPARALLELUNDERTHISMANDATEANDARESTILLUNDERWAY 4HEFIRSTHASCONSISTEDOFNATIONALEXPERIENCESHARINGONTHENEGOTIATIONANDIMPLEMENTATION OFTRADEMEASURESIN-%!SANDTHESECONDOFADISCUSSIONOFCERTAINPOTENTIALOUTCOMES -EMBERSHAVEALSOSTEPPEDUPWORKONTHEMANDATERELATINGTOTRADELIBERALIZATIONIN ENVIRONMENTALGOODS4HEINPUTSOFVARIOUSINTERNATIONALORGANIZATIONSSUCHAS5.#4!$AND THE7ORLD#USTOMS/RGANIZATIONATTHE/CTOBERMEETINGASWELLASATA74/7ORKSHOPON %NVIRONMENTAL'OODSCONTRIBUTEDTOTHIS .EGOTIATIONSALSOCONTINUEDWITHRESPECTTOIMPROVINGANDCLARIFYINGTHE$ISPUTE 3ETTLEMENT5NDERSTANDING4HESENEGOTIATIONSHADBEENEXTENDEDIN*ULYWITHTHENEW TARGETDATETOCONCLUDETHENEGOTIATIONSSETFOR-AY)NTHEFIRSTHALFOFTHEYEARTHE #HAIRMANOFTHE$ISPUTE3ETTLEMENT"ODY3PECIAL3ESSIONURGED-EMBERSTOWORKTOGETHER TOWARDSBUILDINGTHEBASISFORANAGREEMENT"Y-AYSOMEDELEGATIONSHADMADESOME ADDITIONALWRITTENCONTRIBUTIONSTOTHENEGOTIATIONSWHICHWEREWELCOMEDBYPARTICIPANTS ANDTHE#HAIRMANWASABLETOREPORTADDITIONALPROGRESSTOTHE4RADE.EGOTIATIONS #OMMITTEE!LTHOUGHAFINALOUTCOMESTILLHADNOTBEENREACHEDBYTHEENDOF-AY THEREWASAGREEMENTAMONG-EMBERSTHATTHE3PECIAL3ESSIONCONTINUEDTONEEDMORETIME TOCOMPLETEITSWORK!CCORDINGLYTHE'ENERAL#OUNCILADOPTEDINTHECONTEXTOFTHE SO CALLED*ULY0ACKAGEARECOMMENDATIONFORTHECONTINUATIONOFWORKINTHE3PECIAL 3ESSIONBUTTHISTIMEWITHNOSPECIFICTARGETDATE)NTHESECONDHALFOFTHEYEARWORK CONTINUEDONTHEBASISINPARTICULAROFTHEADDITIONALWRITTENCONTRIBUTIONSPUTFORWARDBY SOME-EMBERSALLOWINGGOODPROGRESSONTHESPECIFICISSUESCOVEREDINTHESETEXTSWHICH INCLUDEREMANDhSEQUENCINGvANDPOST RETALIATIONISSUES4HENEGOTIATIONSONTHE$ISPUTE 3ETTLEMENT5NDERSTANDINGFALLOUTSIDETHESINGLEUNDERTAKINGOFTHE$$! /VERVIEW 4HE$OHA$EVELOPMENT!GENDA
Full implementation of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing 2004 was the last year of implementation of the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC). In the last quarter of the year, on the basis of the Comprehensive Report by the Textiles Monitoring Body(TMB)and documents by Members, the Council for Trade in Goods(CTG)conducted the final major review of implementation of the third stage of integration of the Agreement. The review was successfully concluded on 9 December, the the ctg considered an item on"Post-ATC Adjustment Related Issues". The discussions provided a better understanding of the challenges faced by concerned Members and how they could be better addressed. Members are continuing with consultations with the active and positive support of the Bretton Woods institutions. ATC expiry and the condusion of the ten- year transitional implementation period, not only has the potential to contribute to increased global welfare and efficiency gains, but also &5 enhanced the institutional and legal stability and predictability of the multilateral trading system. It was a historic achievement. WTO regular activity Dispute settlement In 2004, the dispute settlement mechanism continued to maintain a high level of activity Members initiated 19 new cases over the year, bringing the total number of cases over the first ten years of operation of the dispute settlement to a remarkable 324 (with about half of these cases eventually leading to the establishment of a panel). The DSB established seven new panels, 11 panel reports were circulated, and five appeals were notified. Appellate Body and/or panel reports were adopted in eight cases. Eight authorizations to retaliate were also granted, all in respect of a single matter. These figures confirm Members continued confidence in the dispute settlement system of the WTO, and also indicate the system's continued ability to handle a relatively heavy caseload Trade policy review The WTo also continued to perform its surveillance of Members trade policies and practices. Between January 2004 and end of March 2005, 21 Trade Policy Reviews were conducted by the Trade Policy Review Body. This exercise continues to be highly appreciated and valued by Members as one of the main elements providing transparency to trade regimes and in bringing greater understanding of, and hence providing improved adherence to, the rules and principles that underpin the multilateral trading system. Increasingly, also, the exercise has become an important element in technical cooperation and capacity Technical assistance and capacity-building commitment from donor Members. This is in recognition of the considerable expertise all countries need in order to exercise their WTO rights and obligations, to reap the benefit of membership in the multilateral trading system, and to participate more fully in the negotiations-defining their interests and understanding the implications of proposals by In order to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of technical assistance pproach to the design of the 2004 Technical Assistance and Training Plan was adopted The Plan was articulated around a set of products, with clearly defined objectives for each, which together with a greater degree of flexibility in implementation, was designed to the course of the year. These included eight three-month trade policy courses, held bof s increase responsiveness to the needs of Members. Over 450 les were undertaken in Geneva and in specific regions. In addition to the usual aims of such courses to provide broad but intensive training in all aspects of the WTO, the ones held regionally aimed at developing local capacity for training and analysis through partnerships with local academic institutions and with academics from within the region
/VERVIEW 74/REGULARACTIVITY &ULLIMPLEMENTATIONOFTHE!GREEMENTON4EXTILESAND#LOTHING WASTHELASTYEAROFIMPLEMENTATIONOFTHE74/!GREEMENTON4EXTILESAND #LOTHING!4# )NTHELASTQUARTEROFTHEYEARONTHEBASISOFTHE#OMPREHENSIVE2EPORT BYTHE4EXTILES-ONITORING"ODY4-" ANDDOCUMENTSBY-EMBERSTHE#OUNCILFOR4RADE IN'OODS#4' CONDUCTEDTHEFINALMAJORREVIEWOFIMPLEMENTATIONOFTHETHIRDSTAGEOF INTEGRATIONOFTHE!GREEMENT4HEREVIEWWASSUCCESSFULLYCONCLUDEDON$ECEMBERTHE SAMEDAYTHATTHE4-"HELDITSTHANDFINALMEETING $UETOCONCERNSRAISEDBY-EMBERSREGARDINGEXPECTEDADJUSTMENTCHALLENGESTHE#4' CONSIDEREDANITEMONh0OST !4#!DJUSTMENT2ELATED)SSUESv4HEDISCUSSIONSPROVIDEDA BETTERUNDERSTANDINGOFTHECHALLENGESFACEDBYCONCERNED-EMBERSANDHOWTHEYCOULDBE BETTERADDRESSED-EMBERSARECONTINUINGWITHCONSULTATIONSWITHTHEACTIVEANDPOSITIVE SUPPORTOFTHE"RETTON7OODSINSTITUTIONS !4#EXPIRYANDTHECONCLUSIONOFTHETEN YEARTRANSITIONALIMPLEMENTATIONPERIODNOT ONLYHASTHEPOTENTIALTOCONTRIBUTETOINCREASEDGLOBALWELFAREANDEFFICIENCYGAINSBUTALSO ENHANCEDTHEINSTITUTIONALANDLEGALSTABILITYANDPREDICTABILITYOFTHEMULTILATERALTRADING SYSTEM)TWASAHISTORICACHIEVEMENT 74/REGULARACTIVITY $ISPUTESETTLEMENT )NTHEDISPUTESETTLEMENTMECHANISMCONTINUEDTOMAINTAINAHIGHLEVELOFACTIVITY -EMBERSINITIATEDNEWCASESOVERTHEYEARBRINGINGTHETOTALNUMBEROFCASESOVERTHE FIRSTTENYEARSOFOPERATIONOFTHEDISPUTESETTLEMENTTOAREMARKABLEWITHABOUTHALFOF THESECASESEVENTUALLYLEADINGTOTHEESTABLISHMENTOFAPANEL 4HE$3"ESTABLISHEDSEVEN NEWPANELSPANELREPORTSWERECIRCULATEDANDFIVEAPPEALSWERENOTIFIED!PPELLATE"ODY ANDORPANELREPORTSWEREADOPTEDINEIGHTCASES%IGHTAUTHORIZATIONSTORETALIATEWERE ALSOGRANTEDALLINRESPECTOFASINGLEMATTER4HESEFIGURESCONFIRM-EMBERSCONTINUED CONFIDENCEINTHEDISPUTESETTLEMENTSYSTEMOFTHE74/ANDALSOINDICATETHESYSTEMS CONTINUEDABILITYTOHANDLEARELATIVELYHEAVYCASELOAD 4RADEPOLICYREVIEW 4HE74/ALSOCONTINUEDTOPERFORMITSSURVEILLANCEOF-EMBERSTRADEPOLICIESAND PRACTICES"ETWEEN*ANUARYANDENDOF-ARCH4RADE0OLICY2EVIEWSWERE CONDUCTEDBYTHE4RADE0OLICY2EVIEW"ODY4HISEXERCISECONTINUESTOBEHIGHLYAPPRECIATED ANDVALUEDBY-EMBERSASONEOFTHEMAINELEMENTSPROVIDINGTRANSPARENCYTOTRADE REGIMESANDINBRINGINGGREATERUNDERSTANDINGOFANDHENCEPROVIDINGIMPROVEDADHERENCE TOTHERULESANDPRINCIPLESTHATUNDERPINTHEMULTILATERALTRADINGSYSTEM)NCREASINGLY ALSOTHEEXERCISEHASBECOMEANIMPORTANTELEMENTINTECHNICALCOOPERATIONANDCAPACITY BUILDINGFORDEVELOPINGANDLEAST DEVELOPEDCOUNTRIES 4ECHNICALASSISTANCEANDCAPACITY BUILDING 4HE74/AGAINTOOKONAHIGHLEVELOFCOMMITMENTINPROVIDINGTECHNICALASSISTANCEAND CAPACITY BUILDINGTODEVELOPINGCOUNTRIESSUPPORTEDBYACORRESPONDINGLEVELOFFINANCIAL COMMITMENTFROMDONOR-EMBERS4HISISINRECOGNITIONOFTHECONSIDERABLEEXPERTISEALL COUNTRIESNEEDINORDERTOEXERCISETHEIR74/RIGHTSANDOBLIGATIONSTOREAPTHEBENEFITS OFMEMBERSHIPINTHEMULTILATERALTRADINGSYSTEMANDTOPARTICIPATEMOREFULLYINTHE NEGOTIATIONSnDEFININGTHEIRINTERESTSANDUNDERSTANDINGTHEIMPLICATIONSOFPROPOSALSBY OTHERPLAYERS )NORDERTOENHANCETHERELEVANCEANDEFFECTIVENESSOFTECHNICALASSISTANCEANEW APPROACHTOTHEDESIGNOFTHE4ECHNICAL!SSISTANCEAND4RAINING0LANWASADOPTED 4HE0LANWASARTICULATEDAROUNDASETOFPRODUCTSWITHCLEARLYDEFINEDOBJECTIVESFOREACH WHICHTOGETHERWITHAGREATERDEGREEOFFLEXIBILITYINIMPLEMENTATIONWASDESIGNEDTO INCREASERESPONSIVENESSTOTHENEEDSOF-EMBERS/VERACTIVITIESWEREUNDERTAKENIN THECOURSEOFTHEYEAR4HESEINCLUDEDEIGHTTHREE MONTHTRADEPOLICYCOURSESHELDBOTH IN'ENEVAANDINSPECIFICREGIONS)NADDITIONTOTHEUSUALAIMSOFSUCHCOURSESTOPROVIDE BROADBUTINTENSIVETRAININGINALLASPECTSOFTHE74/THEONESHELDREGIONALLYAIMEDAT DEVELOPINGLOCALCAPACITYFORTRAININGANDANALYSISTHROUGHPARTNERSHIPSWITHLOCALACADEMIC INSTITUTIONSANDWITHACADEMICSFROMWITHINTHEREGION
Many of the technical assistance activities were undertaken jointly between the WTO and other international agencies. The WTO continued to be active in two large-scale joint programmes: the Integrated Framework for Least-Developed Countries(IF), and the Joint er untries(ITAP). The Integrated Framework entered a new phase with the completion of its second evaluation in February 2004. The IF Work Programme, adopted by the IF Steerin Committee, outlines broad areas of action and governs the operations of the If until the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference. At the end of 2004, 37 LDCs were at different stages of Ways were sought to strengthen inter-agency cooperation in technical assistance and so they are able to better benefit from opportunities arising from participation m the apacity building. The need to help developing countries address supply side constra multilateral trading system is recognised, and involves action that goes beyond the mandate and competence of the WTO The WTO Secretariat also organized two one-week briefing sessions on WTO issues and the status of the negotiations, in may and November 2004, for those WTo Members and Observers that do not have a representation in Geneva. Representatives from 29 regional economic organizations were also invited to these two"Geneva weeks". This activity which was started in November 1999 has proven to be very popular and offers representatives of WTo Members without missions in Geneva an opportunity to keep abreast of the status of work in different WTO bodies, including the negotiating bodies. In addition, the Geneva Weeks also provide participants with the opportunity to meet some of their trading partners and for them to visit other Geneva-based international organizations Strengthening the WTO as an institution WTO continues to become a more universal and global organization. Following domestic tification, Nepal and Cambodia were received as Members in 2004. These were the first two lDCs to accede under the special procedures for LDCs established in 1995 The total membership of the WTO now stands at 148. Working Parties were established for Afghanistan, Irag and Libya in 2004. As of 31 December 2004, 28 Governments were actively pursuing accession to the WTO The year 2004 was also notable year in terms of WTO relations with civil society, parliamentarians and parliamentary groupings and international intergovernmental rganizations. The WTo hosted its public symposium in May 2004 which focused on the Doha Development Agenda. Attracting a record number of 800 participants from governments, parliaments, civil society, the business sector, academia and the media, the symposium has become an important fixture on the yearly calendar of trade- related international events. It is part of a broader ongoing effort by the WTo to engage with civil society. The WTo further extended its programme of outreach activities for civil society and parliamentarians. A first-ever regional workshop for civil society representatives in French-speaking Africa was held in Senegal in November. There were also regional workshops conducted in New Zealand (for parliamentarians from the Pacific), Morocco (for parliamentarians from Francophone Africa), and Singapore(for parliamentarians from various Asian countries). The workshops are designed to help civil society representatives and gislators better understand the WTo. Over the course of the year, the WTo continued its active and constructive engagement with the United Nations system and other international intergovernmental organizations, including through attendance at key international conferences and participation in regular meetings of the relevant institutions. Efforts were also made to step up policy coherence with the Bretton Woods institutions. During 2004 there were two General Council meetings devoted to Coherence issues. At the first meeting, the Acting Managing Director of the IMF, Ms Anne Krueger, presented the MFs new lending policy-the Trade Integration Mechanism Under the Trade Integration Mechanism IMF financing is being made available to help Members cope with balance-of- payments adjustment that is brought about by the effects of multilateral trade liberalization on their economies-for example the erosion of trade preferences resulting from the reduction of MFN tariffs, and the effects of the ending of import quotas on textiles and clothing exports. The Managing Director of the IMF, Mr. de Rato, and the President of the World Bank, Mr Wolfensohn, participated in the second meeting, at which they underlined their strong support for the Doha Development Agenda he WTO Secretariat has also been active in its research output, induding through the release of the 2004 World Trade Report in September. This includes a focus on the role of intemational cooperation in securing policy coherence as well as essays on: non-reciprocal preferences and the multilateral trading system; the liberalization of services trade through the temporary movement of labour and geographical indications. This is the second of Inderstanding of trade and trade- rela
/VERVIEW 74/REGULARACTIVITY -ANYOFTHETECHNICALASSISTANCEACTIVITIESWEREUNDERTAKENJOINTLYBETWEENTHE74/ ANDOTHERINTERNATIONALAGENCIES4HE74/CONTINUEDTOBEACTIVEINTWOLARGE SCALEJOINT PROGRAMMESTHE)NTEGRATED&RAMEWORKFOR,EAST $EVELOPED#OUNTRIES)& ANDTHE*OINT )NTEGRATED4ECHNICAL!SSISTANCE0ROGRAMMETO3ELECTED,EAST DEVELOPEDANDOTHER!FRICAN #OUNTRIES*)4!0 4HE)NTEGRATED&RAMEWORKENTEREDANEWPHASEWITHTHECOMPLETIONOF ITSSECONDEVALUATIONIN&EBRUARY4HE)&7ORK0ROGRAMMEADOPTEDBYTHE)&3TEERING #OMMITTEEOUTLINESBROADAREASOFACTIONANDGOVERNSTHEOPERATIONSOFTHE)&UNTILTHE 3IXTH74/-INISTERIAL#ONFERENCE!TTHEENDOF,$#SWEREATDIFFERENTSTAGESOF THE)&PROCESS 7AYSWERESOUGHTTOSTRENGTHENINTER AGENCYCOOPERATIONINTECHNICALASSISTANCEAND CAPACITYBUILDING4HENEEDTOHELPDEVELOPINGCOUNTRIESADDRESSSUPPLYSIDECONSTRAINTS SOTHEYAREABLETOBETTERBENEFITFROMOPPORTUNITIESARISINGFROMPARTICIPATIONINTHE MULTILATERALTRADINGSYSTEMISRECOGNISEDANDINVOLVESACTIONTHATGOESBEYONDTHEMANDATE ANDCOMPETENCEOFTHE74/ 4HE74/3ECRETARIATALSOORGANIZEDTWOONE WEEKBRIEFINGSESSIONSON74/ISSUESAND THESTATUSOFTHENEGOTIATIONSIN-AYAND.OVEMBERFORTHOSE74/-EMBERSAND /BSERVERSTHATDONOTHAVEAREPRESENTATIONIN'ENEVA2EPRESENTATIVESFROMREGIONAL ECONOMICORGANIZATIONSWEREALSOINVITEDTOTHESETWOh'ENEVAWEEKSv4HISACTIVITYWHICH WASSTARTEDIN.OVEMBERHASPROVENTOBEVERYPOPULARANDOFFERSREPRESENTATIVES OF74/-EMBERSWITHOUTMISSIONSIN'ENEVAANOPPORTUNITYTOKEEPABREASTOFTHESTATUS OFWORKINDIFFERENT74/BODIESINCLUDINGTHENEGOTIATINGBODIES)NADDITIONTHE'ENEVA 7EEKSALSOPROVIDEPARTICIPANTSWITHTHEOPPORTUNITYTOMEETSOMEOFTHEIRTRADINGPARTNERS ANDFORTHEMTOVISITOTHER'ENEVA BASEDINTERNATIONALORGANIZATIONS 3TRENGTHENINGTHE74/ASANINSTITUTION 74/CONTINUESTOBECOMEAMOREUNIVERSALANDGLOBALORGANIZATION&OLLOWINGDOMESTIC RATIFICATION.EPALAND#AMBODIAWERERECEIVEDAS-EMBERSIN4HESEWERETHEFIRST TWO,$#STOACCEDEUNDERTHESPECIALPROCEDURESFOR,$#SESTABLISHEDIN 4HETOTALMEMBERSHIPOFTHE74/NOWSTANDSAT7ORKING0ARTIESWEREESTABLISHED FOR!FGHANISTAN)RAQAND,IBYAIN!SOF$ECEMBER'OVERNMENTSWERE ACTIVELYPURSUINGACCESSIONTOTHE74/ 4HEYEARWASALSONOTABLEYEARINTERMSOF74/RELATIONSWITHCIVILSOCIETY PARLIAMENTARIANSANDPARLIAMENTARYGROUPINGSANDINTERNATIONALINTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS4HE74/HOSTEDITSPUBLICSYMPOSIUMIN-AYWHICHFOCUSEDON THE$OHA$EVELOPMENT!GENDA!TTRACTINGARECORDNUMBEROFPARTICIPANTSFROM GOVERNMENTSPARLIAMENTSCIVILSOCIETYTHEBUSINESSSECTORACADEMIAANDTHEMEDIA THESYMPOSIUMHASBECOMEANIMPORTANTFIXTUREONTHEYEARLYCALENDAROFTRADE RELATED INTERNATIONALEVENTS)TISPARTOFABROADERONGOINGEFFORTBYTHE74/TOENGAGEWITHCIVIL SOCIETY4HE74/FURTHEREXTENDEDITSPROGRAMMEOFOUTREACHACTIVITIESFORCIVILSOCIETY ANDPARLIAMENTARIANS!FIRST EVERREGIONALWORKSHOPFORCIVILSOCIETYREPRESENTATIVES IN&RENCH SPEAKING!FRICAWASHELDIN3ENEGALIN.OVEMBER4HEREWEREALSOREGIONAL WORKSHOPSCONDUCTEDIN.EW:EALANDFORPARLIAMENTARIANSFROMTHE0ACIFIC -OROCCO FORPARLIAMENTARIANSFROM&RANCOPHONE!FRICA AND3INGAPOREFORPARLIAMENTARIANSFROM VARIOUS!SIANCOUNTRIES 4HEWORKSHOPSAREDESIGNEDTOHELPCIVILSOCIETYREPRESENTATIVESAND LEGISLATORSBETTERUNDERSTANDTHE74//VERTHECOURSEOFTHEYEARTHE74/CONTINUEDITS ACTIVEANDCONSTRUCTIVEENGAGEMENTWITHTHE5NITED.ATIONSSYSTEMANDOTHERINTERNATIONAL INTERGOVERNMENTALORGANIZATIONSINCLUDINGTHROUGHATTENDANCEATKEYINTERNATIONAL CONFERENCESANDPARTICIPATIONINREGULARMEETINGSOFTHERELEVANTINSTITUTIONS %FFORTSWEREALSOMADETOSTEPUPPOLICYCOHERENCEWITHTHE"RETTON7OODSINSTITUTIONS $URINGTHEREWERETWO'ENERAL#OUNCILMEETINGSDEVOTEDTO#OHERENCEISSUES!TTHE FIRSTMEETINGTHE!CTING-ANAGING$IRECTOROFTHE)-&-S!NNE+RUEGERPRESENTEDTHE )-&SNEWLENDINGPOLICYnTHE4RADE)NTEGRATION-ECHANISM5NDERTHE4RADE)NTEGRATION -ECHANISM)-&FINANCINGISBEINGMADEAVAILABLETOHELP-EMBERSCOPEWITHBALANCE OF PAYMENTSADJUSTMENTTHATISBROUGHTABOUTBYTHEEFFECTSOFMULTILATERALTRADELIBERALIZATION ONTHEIRECONOMIESnFOREXAMPLETHEEROSIONOFTRADEPREFERENCESRESULTINGFROMTHE REDUCTIONOF-&.TARIFFSANDTHEEFFECTSOFTHEENDINGOFIMPORTQUOTASONTEXTILESAND CLOTHINGEXPORTS4HE-ANAGING$IRECTOROFTHE)-&-RDE2ATOANDTHE0RESIDENTOFTHE 7ORLD"ANK-R7OLFENSOHNPARTICIPATEDINTHESECONDMEETINGATWHICHTHEYUNDERLINED THEIRSTRONGSUPPORTFORTHE$OHA$EVELOPMENT!GENDA 4HE74/3ECRETARIATHASALSOBEENACTIVEINITSRESEARCHOUTPUTINCLUDINGTHROUGHTHE RELEASEOFTHE7ORLD4RADE2EPORTIN3EPTEMBER4HISINCLUDESAFOCUSONTHEROLEOF INTERNATIONALCOOPERATIONINSECURINGPOLICYCOHERENCEASWELLASESSAYSONNON RECIPROCAL PREFERENCESANDTHEMULTILATERALTRADINGSYSTEMTHELIBERALIZATIONOFSERVICESTRADETHROUGH THETEMPORARYMOVEMENTOFLABOURANDGEOGRAPHICALINDICATIONS4HISISTHESECONDOF SUCHREPORTSANDISDESIGNEDTODEEPENPUBLICUNDERSTANDINGOFTRADEANDTRADE RELATED
policy issues and to contribute to a more informed consideration of the options facing govemments As a contribution to debates about how to strengthen the wTo for the future, the Director-General had asked eight eminent persons to form a Consultative board to reflect upon the systemic challenges the WTo faces and how this institution could be reinforced and equipped to meet them. In January 2005, this group, chaired by Peter Sutherland, released their Report: The Future of the WTO: Addressing Institutional Challenges in the New Millennium. The Report and its recommendations are currently under consideration by wTO Members
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Chapter Two WTO ACTIVITIES WTO documents referred to in this report are identified by individual codes (ex WT/L/476)which can be used to find and download them from the wto websiteatwww.wto.org.LookunderdOcumentsfortheDocumentsOnline database. To retrieve a specific document select the Search function and insert the document code in the"document symbol "window
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