Developing Countries and the WTO : Policy Approaches

Contents Acknowledgements. 1. Introduction and overview/W. Bradnee Chambers and Gary P. Sampson. I. Market access 2. Why developing countries need agricultural policy reform to succeed under Doha/Kym Anderson and Will Martin. 3. The cotton initiative/Magda Shahin. 4. The WTO non agricultural market access negotiations opportunities and challenges for developing countries/Sam Laird. 5. Trade in services and policy priorities for developing countries/Gary P. Sampson. II. Legal flexibility 6. Special and differential treatment the need for a different approach/Constantine Michalopoulos. 7. Special and differential treatment for developing countries in the World Trade Organization/Manickan Supperamaniam. III. Facing challenges 8. Making TRIPS work for developing countries/Graham Dutfield. 9. The development objectives of the WTO state centred versus human rights approaches/Ernst Ulrich Petersmann. 10. A human rights approach to sustainable development within the World Trade Organization/Jens Possel. 11. Asymmetric integration the role of regionalism/Ken Heydon. IV. Process 12. Developing countries and the reform of the WTO dispute settlement system expectations and realities/George Akpan. 13. WTO negotiations on trade facilitation lessons for the future new perspectives for and from the developing world/Nora Neufeld. Index. It is widely accepted that a well functioning global trading system is a prerequisite for trade promotion and the development of developing countries. However it is equally well recognised that the trading system has not worked to the advantage of many developing countries. In this regard the Doha Development Agenda negotiations launched at the WTO to rectify the situation has failed. Compared to just ten years ago developing countries are much better informed with respect to trade negotiations. Also they now comprise two thirds of the membership of the WTO an organisation based on consensus giving them a new power and authority in future negotiations. For this reason it is of critical importance for developing countries to have clear proposals for reform that are both ambitious and realistic. Only then can they constructively promote their interests in the coming years. This book addresses the critical policy choices now facing developing countries with respect to trade policy. Experienced negotiators scholars and trade officials from very different backgrounds offer policy prescriptions to secure a world trading system that will meet the needs of developing countries. 328 pp.…