UNCTAD VI and the Brandt Report (Hansard, 4 May 1983)

§ Lord Brockway
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, for some time we have been preparing for UNCTAD VI with our partners in the European Community and OECD on the basis of policy papers put forward by the UNCTAD secretariat. We shall be ready to discuss all proposals constructively, including those put forward by the non-aligned nations and by the Group of 77 at their meeting in Buenos Aires. The Community position will be decided by the Council of Ministers on 24th May. We welcome the publication of the second report by the Brandt Commission, on which we recently had a short debate in your Lordships' House. We promised to publish a White Paper setting out the Government's position on its recommendations.

§ Lord Brockway
My Lords, while welcoming that reply, may I ask the Minister whether he agrees that there has now been a deadlock between the North and the South for nine years? While endorsing the recommendations of the Brandt second report about immediate aid, may I ask the noble Lord whether he would not agree that it is more fundamentally 77 important that new economic relations should be established with the developing countries? I ask that question in view of the fact that every year three-fifths of the population of this country in those territories die from hunger and medical neglect, and bearing in mind that the present economic relations are very heavily weighted on the side of the industrialised nations.

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, the noble Lord draws attention to the North-South problem. We hope that there might be some discussion at UNCTAD VI of the very valuable suggestions which have already been made in the report of the Commonwealth Group of Experts, The North/South Dialogue—Making it Work, and the noble Lord will be aware that that was published at the end of last year. The United Kingdom has very firm proposals which we should like the conference to consider when it meets.

Lord Oram
My Lords, is not one of the most important subjects on the agenda of UNCTAD that concerning trade in commodities? Will the Minister call to the attention of the Minister for Trade the excellent report which was produced by a committee of this House under the chairmanship of the noble Lord, Lord Roberthall, which put forward a number of very practical proposals in this field? Will the noble Lord have that report taken off the shelves, where it no doubt is, dusted down, and given an airing at the Belgrade conference?

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, I can assure the noble Lord and indeed your Lordships' House that none of the reports that are debated in your Lordships' House ever gathers dust anywhere—

Noble Lords
Oh!

§ Lord Lyell
Indeed, my Lords, they are very much valued. The noble Lord's own debate last week was very much valued, and my noble friend has in front of him all the comments that were made last week and in the earlier debate initiated by the noble Lord, Lord Roberthall.

§ Lord Molloy
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that all the UNCTAD conferences for the past decade have been full of very good ideas when the conferences have been going on, but that very little has been implemented afterwards? Will the noble Lord be prepared to consider that after the forthcoming UNCTAD conference we have our own British conference to examine what really can be done to involve the Confederation of British Industry, people who are expert in commerce and industry, the trade unions, and everyone who in the end will have to make a real contribution? Would it not be a reasonable idea to consult them to see to what extent we can make a reality of some of the resolutions of UNCTAD?

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, the noble Lord has raised a very interesting, indeed a very important, suggestion, but I think that even he would agree that, with all its implications, it goes considerably wide of the Questions which are on the Order Paper today.

§ Lord Banks
My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Lord can give some indication of when the common fund for commodities is likely to be put into operation. It has been in preparation for a long time. Can he say what is now the position about global negotiations within the United Nations?

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, I am afraid that I cannot give the noble Lord an answer on the global negotiations, but perhaps I may find out what precisely is the position and let him know. So far as the common fund for commodities is concerned, I am sure that the noble Lord will be aware that the United Kingdom ratified the agreement as long ago as December 1981, but unfortunately the number of ratifications is still only half of the total required to put the agreement into force. We earnestly hope that the number of ratifications will rapidly reach the required level.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, within the context of the Minister's reply in which he said that the Government have specific proposals to put to UNCTAD VI, can he tell the House just what position the Government take towards the protectionism which has been condemned in both the Commonwealth document to which he referred and the Brandt Commission report? Can the noble Lord specifically address himself to the multifibre agreement, which is so resented in many third world countries? In connection with that, is he, unlike, it seems, the general public, aware that imports of textiles into this country are much greater—about eight times greater—from the developed countries than they are from the developing countries?

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, I am sure that we shall note the noble Lord's last point with interest. I would stress to the noble Lord, and indeed to your Lordships, that the Government attach the greatest importance to maintaining the open multilateral trade system. In the view of the Government, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade is the best instrument for achieving the aims which we all seek. Of course we recognise that UNCTAD has an important role to play, since both UNCTAD and the GATT are complementary.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, will the noble Lord answer my question? What is the Government's position on the protectionism that is condemned both in the Brandt Commission report and the Commonwealth report? Is it not a fact that the Government have boasted of increasing the amount of protection against imports to this country? What policy will they take through UNCTAD on this issue?

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, I shall, and can only, reiterate the first Answer that I gave to the noble Lord. We attach the greatest importance to a multilateral trade system since we believe that this is the best way to achieve what the noble Lord clearly wants and, above all, what the Government want.

§ Lord Glenamara
My Lords, can the noble Lord see any hope whatever of reducing the tragic levels of unemployment in all Western countries except by raising standards in the third world and therefore raising demand in the third world? Will the Government use all their influence to ensure that Western countries take this matter much more seriously?

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, we do take the question of our own economy, and indeed the economy of the entire world, very seriously. We shall note the noble Lord's comment.

§ Lord Drumalbyn
My Lords, will consideration be given in this conference to distinguishing between the very poor countries and the newly industrialised countries where the problems are quite different?

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, I am absulutely sure that this distinction will be drawn. We are grateful to my noble friend for drawing our attention to it.

§ Lord Brockway
My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether the Government at the UNCTAD meetings—I ask this very sincerely—will seek a partnership between the industrialised nations and the developing nations to end the deadlock of the last nine years; and whether they will appreciate that the developing countries represent two-thirds of the population of the world? Is it not the case that in the future the new world must reflect its partnership in our economic relations?

§ Lord Lyell
My Lords, we respect and note carefully what the noble Lord says. As he and, I am sure, your Lordships will agree, the purpose of UNCTAD and of our meetings is to reach international consensus. But we have been discussing our ideas with our partners in the Community and in the OECD.