|
|
|
THE SIXTH WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
The Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference will be held in Hong Kong, China, 13–18 December
2005. In general, ministerial conferences are the WTO’s highest decision-making
body, meeting at least once every two years and providing political direction
for the organization. This sixth conference will be vital for enabling the
four-year-old Doha Development Agenda negotiations forward sufficiently to conclude
the round in 2006.
Objective Of The Conference
The main task before members in Hong Kong is to settle a range of questions that will
shape the final agreement of the Doha Development Agenda, which members hope to
complete a year later, at the end of 2006.
|
Launched at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in November 2001, the Doha
Development Agenda includes negotiations on a range of subjects, and work on
issues related to the implementation of agreements arising from previous
negotiations (the 1986–94 Uruguay Round, which created the WTO).
For the negotiations on agriculture and non-agricultural market access, the aim
is to agree on formulas and other details that will determine the scale of
reductions in tariffs on thousands of products and on farm subsidies.
Also on
the agenda are preparations for the final stages of negotiations in services,
various WTO rules and a number of development issues.
Previous ministerial conferences have also been occasions when governments
approved new members to the WTO. Some of the current talks seem likely to be
concluded before or in Hong Kong
|