International Trade

General Council – Proposals on Singapore Issues for Inclusion in the Draft Text for Cancún –

WT/GC/W/513 23 August 2003
General Council

(03-4416)
Original:English

PROPOSALS ON SINGAPORE ISSUES FOR INCLUSION IN THE DRAFT TEXT FOR CANCÚN

Communication from Botswana on behalf of ACP Group of States, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Philippines

The following communication, dated 23 August 2003, has been received from the Permanent Mission of Botswana on behalf of the ACP Group of States, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Philippines.

We had earlier submitted a proposal on the Singapore Issues dated 14 August 2003 (WT/GC/W/510). Further to this, we would like to submit the following.

We are requesting you to circulate the submission as an official WTO document and also provide to us an opportunity to introduce the paper during the next relevant meeting.

Proposals for Decision on the Singapore Issues in general and on each of the Singapore Issues

At the Fifth Ministerial Conference, Ministers will have to make a decision, based on explicit consensus, on the Singapore issues.

We propose that the following texts be placed in the Draft Ministerial Text in the section on the Singapore Issues. Firstly, we propose a text for the Singapore Issues in general. We then propose texts for each of the Singapore Issues. The separate texts have been drafted so that they can placed in the appropriate places in the draft Ministerial Text.

The proposed texts below are in line with the decisions taken on these issues in the ACP Declaration on the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the WTO, adopted at the Sixth Meeting of ACP Trade Ministers (Brussels 31 July-1 August 2003); in the Mauritius Ministerial Declaration on the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the WTO, adopted at the African Union meeting of Minister of Trade (Grand Baie, Mauritius, 19-20 June 2003), and in the Dhaka Declaration, adopted at the Second LDC Trade Ministers’ Meeting (Dhaka, Bangladesh, 31 May-2 June 2003).

Proposal for Decision on Singapore Issues in general

Ministers take note of the discussions conducted in the respective Working Groups since the Fourth Ministerial Conference on the issues of the relationship between trade and investment, the interaction between trade and competition policy, transparency in government procurement, and trade facilitation.

We further note that each of the issues has its own peculiar aspects and complexities and that WTO members have not reached a common understanding on how each of these issues should be dealt with procedurally or substantively in a multilateral context. We recognize the concerns of many developing country members about the potential serious implications of these issues on their economies and that the benefits of negotiating a multilateral framework for each of these issues is not evident to them.

Moreover, many developing countries have scarce resources and limited capacity to meaningfully negotiate these issues, especially as they grapple with implementation of existing WTO rules and the expanded work programme after the Doha Ministerial Conference.

This situation does not provide a basis for the commencement of negotiations in these areas. We decide that further clarification of the issues be continued in the respective Working Groups (on the relationship between trade and investment, interaction between trade and competition policy, and transparency in government procurement) and in the Council for Goods (for trade facilitation).

Proposal for Decision on the Relationship between Trade and Investment

Ministers take note of the discussions that have taken place in the Working Group in Trade and Investment since the Fourth Ministerial Conference on the issues of the relationship between trade and investment.

We further note that this issue has its own peculiar aspects and complexities and that WTO members have not reached a common understanding on how this issue should be dealt with procedurally or substantively in a multilateral context consensus. We recognize the concerns of many developing country members about the potential serious implications of this issue on their economies and that the benefits of negotiating a multilateral framework for investment is not evident to them.

Moreover, many developing countries have scarce resources and limited capacity to meaningfully negotiate this issue, especially as they grapple with implementation of existing WTO rules and the expanded work programme after the Doha Ministerial Conference.

This situation does not provide a basis for the commencement of negotiations in this area. We decide that further clarification of the issues be continued in the Working Group on the relationship between trade and investment.

Proposal for Decision on the Interaction between Trade and Competition Policy

Ministers take note of the discussions that have taken place in the Working Group on the Interaction Between Trade and Competition Policy conducted since the Fourth Ministerial Conference on the interaction between trade and investment.

We further note that this issue has its own peculiar aspects and complexities and that WTO Members have not reached a common understanding on how this issue should be dealt with procedurally or substantively in a multilateral context. We recognize the concerns of many developing country members about the potential serious implications of this issue on their economies and that the benefits of negotiating a multilateral framework on trade and competition policy is not evident to them.

Moreover, many developing countries have scarce resources and limited capacity to meaningfully negotiate this issue, especially as they grapple with implementation of existing WTO rules and the expanded work programme after the Doha Ministerial Conference.

This situation does not provide a basis for the commencement of negotiations in this area. We decide that further clarification of the issues be continued in the Working Group on the interaction between trade and competition policy.

Proposal for Decision on Transparency in Government Procurement

Ministers take note of the discussions that have taken place in the Working Group on Government Procurement since the Fourth Ministerial Conference on transparency in government procurement.

We further note that this issue has its own peculiar aspects and complexities and that WTO members have not reached a common understanding on how this issue should be dealt with procedurally or substantively in a multilateral context. We recognize the concerns of many developing country members about the potential serious implications of this issue on their economies and that the benefits of negotiating a multilateral framework on trade and competition policy is not evident to them.

Moreover, many developing countries have scarce resources and limited capacity to meaningfully negotiate this issue, especially as they grapple with implementation of existing WTO rules and the expanded work programme after the Doha Ministerial Conference.

This situation does not provide a basis for the commencement of negotiations in this area. We decide that further clarification of the issues be continued in the Working Group on transparency in government procurement.

Proposal for Decision on Trade Facilitation

Ministers take note of the discussions that have taken place in the Council for Trade in Goods since the Fourth Ministerial Conference on trade facilitation.

We further note that this issue has its own peculiar aspects and complexities and that WTO members have not reached a common understanding on how this issue should be dealt with procedurally or substantively in a multilateral context. We recognize the concerns of many developing country members about the potential serious implications of this issue on their economies and that the benefits of negotiating a multilateral framework on trade facilitation is not evident to them.

Moreover, many developing countries have scarce resources and limited capacity to meaningfully negotiate this issue, especially as they grapple with implementation of existing WTO rules and the expanded work programme after the Doha Ministerial Conference.

This situation does not provide a basis for the commencement of negotiations in this area. We decide that further clarification of the issue be continued in the Council for Trade in Goods.