| By Azaraimy HH
Delegates watching a video presentation on NAM at the NAM
CSSTC's meeting of experts and decision-makers of member
countries to discuss "Government and Business Collaboration
in addressing WTO-Related issues".
Brunei Darussalam values the
cooperation, friendship and understanding that the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) fosters among developing countries and there is
much scope for expanding the economic ties among the regions.
Dato Paduka Haji Idris Bin Hj
Belaman, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and
Primary Resources, made these remarks in launching the NAM
CSSTC's two-day meeting of experts and decision-makers of member
countries yesterday.
In a nutshell, he said that the
multilateral trading system among member countries was very
important and must be harnessed.
The meeting is held at Sheraton
Utama Hotel in the capital and ends today with the main agenda
on discussion of "Government and Business Collaboration in
addressing WTO-Related issues".
The meeting is organised by the
Non-Aligned Movement Centre for South-South Technical
Cooperation and Brunei's Ministry of Industry and Primary
Resources.
He revealed that in 2001,
exports from Latin America and Africa to Asia (excluding Japan
and China) amounted to a mere US$23Billion, or three per cent of
the world total. Whereas, Asia's exports to Latin America and
Africa came up to US$45 billion or 10 per cent of the world
total.
One of the important points
Dato Paduka Haji Idris made was that this mutual support is
particularly important for the member countries as they are
facing a weakening world economy.
He said the security and
geopolitical concerns were also on the rise all over the world.
He said there was a need more
than ever to support multilateral cooperation, including the
so-called "Doha Development Agenda" to stimulate
economic growth.
"Development issues lie at
the heart of the Doha Round. Through these negotiations,
developing countries have the opportunity to achieve enhanced
access for their products in developed countries," he said.
He believed that that the Doha
Round could provide an opportunity to achieve enhanced access to
reduce barriers to the South-South trade.
He also maintained that
development assistance and debt relief programmes are equally
important.
"Studies by the World Bank
indicate that reduced barriers to the flow of developing country
goods could result in $1.5 trillion in additional cumulative
income for developing countries from 2005-2015, much more than
what they receive in development aid.", he stated.
Although he urged that the Doha
Round should by its own purpose live up to its name, he noted
that many difficult issues remain without solution, which were
leading to some unevenness in the negotiations.
"Agreements need to be
reached in such key areas as special and differential treatment
for developing countries, the difficulties faced by developing
countries in implementing WTO agreements and issue of providing
life-saving drugs in developing countries without domestic
manufacturing capacity."
Moreover, he said that the
negotiations on agriculture, services and market access for
non-agricultural goods faced looming deadlines.
What is needed according to him
is "flexibility" on all sides and governments must
remain committed to the multilateral trading system. People in
business have an important, indeed crucial, role to play in
this, he added.
However, they are often
sceptical of the benefits they can derive from the WTO and its
framework of rules of disciples. It is reasoned that it is
governments that participate in the negotiations and
discussions.
He also believed that another
reason for this scepticism is lack of knowledge on the part of
the business community and the public.
He said that industries and
business enterprises were increasingly becoming aware of the
need to pay more attention to the WTO's work programme.
Many of them require assistance
in enhancing their understanding of the multilateral trading
system.
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