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The Press

The Members States Of The Group Of 77

Draft Doha Plan calls for more South co-operation
:Gulf Times/ Tuesday, 14 June, 2005,

THE draft Doha Plan of Action, due to be adopted by the heads of state and government of the Group of 77 and China, has noted that many goals have been accomplished since the first South Summit held in Havana.

But the Plan of Action notes that the full and effective implementation of the Havana Programme of Action requires the necessary resources and the collective political commitment of the members of the group.

The Plan stresses the need, in line with the Havana Programme of Action, to intensify bilateral, sub-regional, regional and inter-regional co-operation among developing countries in all fields.

It emphasises the necessity to continue strengthening unity and solidarity among countries of the South, “as an indispensable element in the defence of our right to development and for the construction of a more just and equitable international order and for preserving and nurturing the policy space necessary for developing countries to pursue their development objectives.”

It reaffirms the urgent need to address the special concerns of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) by accelerating the implementation of the Programme of Action for LDCs for the decade 2001-2010.

It seeks to work towards a common strategy for enhancing national policy space for developing countries in all areas particularly in trade, investment, financial and industrial policy, which allow them to adopt the most appropriate measures and actions suitable to their national interests and priorities, and to realise their right to development.

The draft Plan of Action also commits to promote within the WTO a fair, equitable and rules-based trading system that is inclusive and gives priority to the development dimension.

It aims to achieve the fullest realisation of the development mandate of the Doha Declaration and the WTO General Council decision in all areas of the Doha Work Programme particularly in agriculture, non-agricultural market access, services, trade related intellectual property system (TRIPS).

It also seeks to develop country representation at the Bank of International Settlements through the creation of an ‘Emerging Markets Committee’ so that Southern interests are considered and taken into account in the setting of international banking and financial standards.

The draft plan commits to ensure, in the reform of the United Nations, that development is given high priority and that the relevant organs, agencies, institutions, funds and programmes of the UN system are appropriately strengthened and empowered to support that priority.

It also commits to work towards securing greater foreign direct investment flows to developing countries to support their sustainable development activities and to enhance the benefits they can drive from such investments.

The draft plan also commits to work to strengthen South-South co-operation in the field of science and technology.

It asks the chairman of G77, in collaboration with Unctad and other relevant institutions, to submit a comprehensive study on new and dynamic sectors with a view to enhancing the participation of developing countries in world trade in areas where they have potential comparative advantage.

The draft Doha Plan recommends the expansion of the UN Trust Fund for South-South co-operation and requests the UN General Assembly to review its structure and modalities of operation in order to enable it to better respond to the needs of developing countries.

It also seeks to strengthen co-operation and co-ordination between the G77 and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in promoting South-South co-operation by requesting the Joint Co-ordinating Committee (JCC) to meet regularly to discuss issues of common interest in the field of South-South co-operation where synergies could be explored.

The draft plan urges all member states to make special contributions to the G77 Special Fund with a view to achieving its target of at least $10mn to further assist the full implementation of the decisions adopted by the South summits.