§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what initiatives are being 29W pursued by her Department to provide targeted support and protection for local producers of developing countries in order for them to benefit from international trade; and if she will make a statement; [82521]
(2) what initiatives are being pursued by her Department to provide targeted support and protection for local producers in developing countries; and if she will make a statement. [82522]
§ Clare ShortPoor country producers can best be helped through a combination of supportive policies and programmes in country and significant trade liberalisation in areas of importance to them. Through the Doha Development Agenda agreed at the fourth WTO ministerial in November 2001, the UK is arguing for significant reductions in trade distorting policies and greater access for developing country products to OECD markets, particularly for agricultural goods and light manufactures.
Specifically, the UK Government support the Integrated Framework, which aims to mainstream trade issues into a country's growth and poverty reduction strategies. This ensures that the right sort of complementary policies i.e. rural roads, access to credit or skill training, can be developed to reduce the impact on poor people of changes in their livelihoods and enable small producers to take advantage of new trading opportunities.
My Department provides support designed to meet the different circumstances and needs of a broad range of producers throughout the developing world. These include interventions designed to improve food security as well as to support the delivery of improved rural services. We also provide support to international agencies and works to enhance the impact of interventions made by these institutions. Details of our initiatives can be found in the 2002 Departmental Report, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.