§ Mr. John TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to encourage the World Trade Organisation to(a) give a higher priority to and (b) treat with greater urgency issues brought by poor countries under special and differential treatment. [97960]
§ Clare ShortWe are giving high priority to the issue of special and differential treatment for developing countries in the WTO. An effective system of special and differential treatment is a key element in ensuring that the current round of WTO negotiations is truly a development round. Special and differential treatment needs to ensure that the implementation of WTO rules and efforts to negotiate and implement future disciplines make sense from a development perspective.
DFID is working with other key partners such as the World bank in order to push this issue forward. As part of this on-going programme of work, DFID will be hosting a seminar on special and differential treatment on 7 March this year which will be attended by representatives of the WTO, UNCTAD, the World bank, and developing country Governments, as well as NGOs and academics working in the area.