MEDIA ALERT

UN ESCAP ORGANIZES MEETING TO BRIDGE DIFFERENCES ON
WTO TRADE AGENDA

BANGKOK (United Nations Information Services)---High-level trade officials from more  than 20 Asian and Pacific countries that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will meet in Bangkok to discuss vital issues of concern prior to the forthcoming WTO Ministerial Conference scheduled to be held in November at Doha, Qatar.

The focus of the High-level Meeting  will be on implementation issues and the built-in Agenda of the Uruguay Round agreements.  Participating in the Meeting will also be many of the 14 ESCAP members that are in the process of joining WTO.

The ESCAP/UNCTAD High-level Meeting of ESCAP Developing Countries in Preparation for the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference will be held from 24 to 25 September at the United Nations Conference Centre.

“A well-functioning rules-based international trading system is crucial to the prosperity of the region,” said Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of ESCAP pointing out that in  this upcoming forum,  ESCAP developing countries will have the opportunity to identify their common interests and put forward their own WTO proposals in a proactive manner.

“The time is now ripe for developing countries to play a proactive role in shaping the future WTO agenda.  However, if this opportunity is to be
seized, common interests need to take precedence over narrowly focused national interests, which in the past have resulted in divided and weak negotiating positions among developing countries,” added Mr. Kim.

Besides the ESCAP/UNCTAD  High-level Meeting, the WTO Week will include other parallel activities as : a) Doha and Beyond: Expert Group Meeting on the Future WTO Agenda (24 and 26 September), and b)  Trade Policy Course for countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion  (24-28 September).  In addition an Exhibition on “Reducing Poverty through Trade” focusing on the relationship between trade, development and poverty  will be on display  during the Week.

The ESCAP region has a richly diverse membership in terms of trade strategies and openness to the world economy.  By bringing all these countries  together, ESCAP will provide a common forum for sharing regional experiences and views.  As the ESCAP forum is neither a negotiating forum, nor is it a pre-negotiating forum, the dialogue among member countries is expected to be open and frank and lead to a greater mutual understanding on issues of concern prior to the forthcoming WTO Ministerial Conference.

NOTE TO EDITORS:  You or your representatives are cordially invited to attend the opening session of the High-level  Meeting on Monday, 24 September 2001 at 9:00 AM in Conference Room 3 of the United Nations Conference Centre, Rajadamern Nok Avenue as well as other sessions.

Please kindly note that in view of the new security measures,  journalists covering the events at the UNCC MUST have their UNESCAP-accredited press badge.  If you are not registered with us please do so as soon as possible. For further details, please contact UNIS at 02 288 1867 or 02 288 1522.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

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