Declaration On WTO From Developing Countries

The developing countries, led by India, represented at a meeting last month in New Delhi, India (see also Marketletter November 25 and facing page), have produced the final declaration for the meeting, which focused on agenda issues for the Ministerial World Trade Organization meeting, scheduled to take place in Singapore in the week starting December 9.

Apart from examining the implementation of the Uruguay Round agreements, the Singapore meeting is also likely to propose a framework for dealing with trade and the environment, said the delegates. There are some delegations of the developed countries who would like to go beyond that, for example, raising social issues, including labor standards and the need to have a Multilateral Agreement in Investment (MAI), they said.

The declaration says that many of the existing rules, especially under the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property regime, seek to strike at the roots of human rights, particularly in the areas of health care, employment opportunities, and a minimum level of living in the developing countries. These are essential ingredients of the very Right to Life. "We are convinced these need immediate redressal," said the declaration.