On the sidelines of the WTO Public Forum yesterday, CUTS International released a publication in French under the title “Réflexions depuis la ligne de front: Les négociateurs des pays en développement à l’OMC” (Reflections from the Frontline: Views of developing country negotiators at the WTO).
On the sidelines of the WTO Public Forum yesterday, CUTS International released a publication in French under the title “Réflexions depuis la ligne de front: Les négociateurs des pays en développement à l’OMC” (Reflections from the Frontline: Views of developing country negotiators at the WTO).
“This book will not only serve as an invaluable source of knowledge for newcomers in trade negotiations, but also as a resource for capacity building initiatives in the French speaking regions of the world”, said Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General of CUTS International. This is a French version of the book in English language published two years ago, and holds several novelties including a new chapter on the cotton initiative.
“There is a lack of information readily available for French-speaking least developed countries like us. This is a gap that this book will help fill”, said Alain Bédouma Yoda, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso and House Leader of the ruling party. “I hope that the views expressed in this book will be defended by the greatest number in Bali”.
Etienne Alingué, Director of the Economic Francophonie (OIF), co-publisher of the book said: “This publication can be a very useful source and a guide in the work towards Bali and beyond, at a time when substantive and sustained efforts are underway to deliver on parts of the Doha mandate at Bali and agree on further work on the remaining issues”.
“Réflexions depuis la ligne de front: Les négociateurs des pays en développement à l’OMC” presents the evolution of the Doha round negotiations, its accelerations and deadlocks. It gives a substantive account of the evolution of the WTO Doha Development Agenda Negotiations and the role of developing country coalitions and alliances. The reflections are those of former and current developing country negotiators who are best placed to bring us a viewpoint “from the frontline”.
Through seventeen chapters, they explain the mandate for these negotiations – particularly the development dimension – and describe key moments like the several WTO Ministerial Conferences, from their point of view and from coalitions’ point of view in the book. The book also draws lessons from negotiating strategies and tactics applied to-date by developing countries.
Negotiating issues covered a wide range of topics, from agriculture to trade facilitation, services and intellectual property among others. “This deep-rooted contribution was designed to become a reliable ally to every current and future WTO negotiators, and supplement the relatively poor literature from the developing country perspective on these topics, especially in French language”, said Philippe Brusick, Chairman of CUTS International Geneva’s General Assembly in his concluding remarks.
Mr Brusick acknowledged the support provided by the Swedish government and OIF in publishing this book. The English version was also supported by the Swedish Government, and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.