The intensive meetings taking place at the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva this week offer a real opportunity to move the Doha round of negotiations forward, according to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi.
"I am very supportive of the strenuous efforts which are being made this week by all the WTO negotiators", said Dr Supachai. "The world needs a strong signal at this time that international economic cooperation can provide a stimulus for growth. And of course the outcome of the negotiations must at the same time deliver on the promise of a "development agenda"."
Prior to becoming Secretary-General of UNCTAD, Dr Supachai was Director-General of the WTO during the early stages of the Doha negotiations, which have been ongoing for nearly seven years. "I know just how difficult it is to reach agreement among such diverse economies, and in such complex subjects as agriculture and industrial tariffs", he said. "Current WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy has UNCTAD´s full support in his endeavours."
"Over the last few years, tremendous progress has been made in the negotiations. My appeal is not to lose sight of the bigger picture and the overarching goal of producing results which will be of real benefit to developing countries - especially the least developed among them," Dr Supachai added.
