1.17.3. The Doha Round

♤ The Doha Round is the latest round of trade negotiations among the WTO membership.

♤ Its aim is to achieve major reform of the international trading system through the introduction of lower trade barriers and revised trade rules.

♤ The work programme covers about 20 areas of trade. The Round is also known semi- officially as the Doha Development Agenda as a fundamental objective is to improve the trading prospects of developing countries.

♤ The Round was officially launched at the WTO’s Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001. The Doha Ministerial Declaration provided the mandate for the negotiations, including on agriculture, services and an intellectual property topic, which began earlier.

♤ In Doha, ministers also approved a decision on how to address the problems developing countries face in implementing the current WTO agreements.