HC Deb 17 July 2003 vol 409 c510W
Mr. Simon

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action is planned to help deliver the Doha Development Agenda and reduce global poverty at the forthcoming WTO meeting in Cancun, Mexico. [126104]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

It is important that the WTO Ministerial in Cancun makes progress on a range of issues across the Doha Development Agenda including—of most interest to developing countries—on agriculture; on an agreement on TRIPS and Public Health; and on a package of measures of Special and Differential Treatment.

Trade has an important role to play in reducing poverty. As an example, studies have shown that halving protection in agriculture, industrial goods and services around the world could boost developing country incomes by around $150 billion a year—around three times the level of current aid payments. Substantial trade liberalisation could reduce the number of people living in poverty by over 300 million by 2015— a significant contribution to reaching the UN's Millennium Development Goals.