Development agencies and Congress alarmed by latest WTO proposals

Oxfam Ireland Press Release
29 July 2008

Irish development agencies and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions today expressed their alarm with the WTO trade deal emerging in ongoing talks in Geneva .

Development agencies, Christian Aid, Comhlámh, Oxfam Ireland and Trócaire together with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions believe the proposals being discussed are severely imbalanced. This is the outcome of an undemocratic and untransparent process. A handful of mainly rich countries are seeking to foist a deal on all 153 WTO members, the majority of whom are developing countries.

'The EU, US and other rich countries promised a fair trade deal - a Development Round - but current proposals fail to live up to the promise of a pro-development deal.' Said Colin Roche of Oxfam Ireland .

The current round of talks at the World Trade Organisation, the so-called Doha Round named after Doha, Qatar where the talks began in November 2001, promised to put the interests of developing countries 'at the heart' of the Round.

Between 30 and 35 trade ministers have been in Geneva for the last 10 days or more in what is seen as a last attempt to forge a trade deal before the US Presidential election.

Changes to trade rules that put poor countries first are desperately needed in the face of rising food and fuel prices and global economic insecurity. But current proposals at the World Trade Organization (WTO) would make the situation worse and undermine development.

"Now more than ever, poor countries need a fair trade deal. Rising food and fuel prices are hitting the poorest hardest and undoing progress on poverty reduction," said Michael O'Brien of Trócaire.

An agreement based on the current WTO proposals would result in the continuation of dumping of agricultural products from rich countries, undermining jobs and secure access to food in poor countries. By demanding greater reductions in industrial tariffs from developing countries than rich countries it will also have the effect of locking poor countries into low-value production, preventing them from building competitive industries.

Statements from the Irish government on the WTO negotiations have concentrated on protecting farmers and pushing to open up poor country markets. Ireland is becoming a leading donor of overseas aid but efforts to tackle global poverty are being undermined by unfair trade rules. Christian Aid, Comhlámh, Oxfam Ireland , Trócaire and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions call on Ireland to use its voice to ensure significant time is given to developing countries to consider any final proposals, and to be active in seeking a deal that is fair to poor countries and that lives up to our stated commitment to development. Developing country governments must not be rushed into another unjust trade deal; the costs for the world's poor are too high.

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Oxfam Ireland is an independent member of Oxfam International- a group of thirteen non-governmental agencies dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world.

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