World Trade Organisation

INTERIM WTO AGREEMENT IN DOUBT, SAYS BERNAL CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – “It is doubtful that agreement on “First Approximations” can be reached by the end of July,” said Director General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal, reflecting on what could be achieved at next week’s scheduled World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council meeting. That meeting had been slated as a deadline for a set of interim agreements to be arrived at for Doha Round talks, in advance of a key WTO Ministerial in December.

NEW GLOBAL REALITIES DEMAND NEW CARICOM TRADE POLICY GROS-ISLET, SAINT LUCIA – While Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Countries are committed to and are active participants in international trade negotiations, some uncertainty has emerged amongst Member States concerning the benefits to be derived and costs entailed. There is also mounting concern over the scope and pace of the adjustment process, which would result from the conclusion of any or all of these negotiations. These were the sentiments of Jamaican Prime Minister Most Hon. P.J.

MILESTONE FOR SMALL ECONOMIES IN GLOBAL TRADE TALKS CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – “The proposal represents a milestone for small economies in global trade talks,” said the Director General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM), Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal, reacting to a communication (WT/COMTD/SE/W/13/Rev.1-An Approach to Framing Responses to the Trade-Related Problems of Small Economies) tabled by twenty-two countries at the World Trade Organization (WTO), in late May.

CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – Minister Pierre Pettigrew, the Canadian Minister of International Trade, met his CARICOM counterparts in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on March 10. The meeting was co-Chaired by Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Trade and Industry Hon. Kenneth Valley. The meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to assess progress made in beleaguered global trade talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO). WTO Doha Agenda negotiations have stalled due to fundamental differences and entrenched positions on a number of key issues.

CHILE RALLIES BEHIND PORT-OF-SPAIN, FRONT-RUNNER IN SECRETARIAT RACE
CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS - Port-of-Spain has formally secured the backing of Chile, in connection with CARICOM’s bid for the Permanent Secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
Chile is the latest country to signal its endorsement of Port-of-Spain.  Recently, Port-of-Spain received the backing of Peru.

CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – A joint WTO/IDB-INTAL 'Regional Workshop on Government Procurement for Caribbean Countries' was held in Trinidad and Tobago, October 18 to 20. The workshop was opened by Hon. Conrad Enhill, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. Mr. William Robinson, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Representative in Trinidad & Tobago and Mr. Kodjo Osei-Lah of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat also addressed the opening ceremony.

CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – The WTO General Council last week approved a Framework which sets out the parameters for continued DDA negotiations. WTO Members negotiated intensively for two weeks prior to culminating in a marathon session which began at 5pm on Friday July 30, and ended almost 24 hours later on Saturday afternoon.