Decision on WTO Negotiations

DECISION ON WTO NEGOTIATIONS

Doc. EX.CL./151 (VP

The Executive Council:

1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;

2. RECALLS the Doha Ministerial Declaration in which the international community undertook to place the needs and interests of developing countries at the heart of the WTO Work Programme;

3. COMMENDS the African Group for its efforts aimed at bringing to the Doha Work Programme back on track and for remaining engaged in the WTO negotiations in accordance with the technical guidance and policy framework provided under the Kigali Declaration and Consensus on the post-Cancun Doha Work Programme ;

4. RECALLS ALSO the outcome of the Special WTO General Council session held in Geneva from 27 July to 1 August 2004;

5. TAKES NOTE of the July Package adopted by the WTO General Council on 1^st August 2001;

6. RECOMMENDS the speedy adoption of an approach to resolve the cotton issue based on the results of the meeting held in Bamako from 12 to 13 January 2005;

7. ALSO RECOMMENDS the early consideration of the issue of agricultural subsidies and the adoption of an Africa Common Position on commodities in general;

8. CALLS UPON the African Group in Geneva to continue to engage fully and actively in the negotiations with a view to achieving a pro­development outcome from the Doha Round;

9. ALSO CALLS UPON the same to finalise the Tunis roadmap and Work Plan in order to engage collaborative research and capacity building efforts from regional and international organizations on specific areas to enable Africa to positively contribute to the modalities stage of the negotiations leading up to the 6^th Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference;

10. URGES Member States to continue to coordinate efforts both at the technical and political levels with like-minded groups, in particular, the G90;

11. WELCOMES Egypt’s invitation for a meeting to be held in Cairo, in May 2005, to discuss ways to deal with the challenges facing cotton producing countries in Africa;

12. REQUESTS the Commission to convene a Ministers of Trade meeting to chart the way forward as far as Africa’s Agenda is concerned.

13. FURTHER REQUESTS the Commission to report on progress to the 7^th Ordinary Session of Council.