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* WTO Regional seminar on Trade and DevelopmentIn his opening address at a regional seminar on Trade and Development at Indian Resort Hotel, Le Morne, Minister Dulloo pointed out that the concept of development goes beyond mere changes in economic indicators and encompasses qualitative changes in living conditions. The regional seminar, organised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Secretariat in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation is being held from 20 to 23 August 2007.
According to the Minister, trade is not an end in itself but rather a valuable vehicle to achieve human development in terms of raising standards of living and ensuring full and adequately remunerated employment.
“While trade is the prime driver in attaining economic growth, it must also be complemented with a strong dose of development in terms of the fulfillment of human needs, appropriate measures to fight poverty, unemployment, production deficiencies, infrastructural gaps, food security, environmental challenges as well as the need to promote human cooperation and equity”, said the Minister.
The aim of the seminar is to enable African trade negotiators to take stock of the state of play on the development issues in the ongoing Doha Round of negotiations and to deliberate on how to move the development agenda forward from the African perspective. It will also help the participants formulate specific proposals on special and differential treatment needed by African countries in the current round of negotiations. This will also encompass a work programme on small economies and the Aid for Trade initiative.
It will be recalled that the Doha Development Agenda that was launched at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha in November 2001 seeks to mainstream development dimension in the multilateral trading system with a view to help developing countries to better integrate the global economy.