WTO Symposium Geneva May 2004 Trade agriculture and

WTO Symposium Geneva, May 2004 Trade, agriculture, and world poverty: Will the Doha Agenda deliver pro-development trade rules?

Agricultural trade and rural poverty • World poverty eradication is about rural development and agricultural policies. • The effective fight against rural poverty. • Trade, but not only trade: Rural development iniciatives and agricultural policies. Oxfam’s development programmes and Make Trade Fair campaign.

The organized madness of Northern agricultural policies • Northern agricultural policies are not “multifunctional” • US and EU hidden dumping: The cases of cotton and cereals. • The impact of Northern policies on developing countries.

Bitter sugar • The paradox of the European sugar sector: > The EU is one of the world’s less competitive sugar producers. . . >. . . and the second world’s main exporter of sugar. Comparative advantage? : No; high tariffs and overprice. • Despite of production quotas, systematic oversupply takes place. In other words: > dumping on world markets through direct and indirect support > market access restrictions > price volatility • Big companies and landowners win, developing countries and European small farmers lose.

From the Uruguay Round to the ‘Development Round’ • There’s no possible Development Round in the absence of: > G-146 agreement: in particular committement from developed countries and G-20. > genuine pro-development agricultural policies, through the following proposals:

From the Uruguay Round to the ‘Development Round’: Oxfam proposals for July’s framework • Put an end to Export unfair Competition: > A prohibition on export subsidies > A prohibition on export credit subsidies > A prohibition on commercial use of food aid

From the Uruguay Round to the ‘Development Round’: Oxfam proposals for July’s framework • Make Domestic Support legitimate: a redefinition of WTO’s support indicators > as a principle, subsidised products should not be exported > allow supply management systems in support to small farmers and to address overproduction

From the Uruguay Round to the ‘Development Round’: Oxfam proposals for July’s framework • Market Access: ensure developing countries’ right to agricultural development > Free access for least developed countries and low incomcountries. > Eliminate tariff escalation > Formula which really differentiates between developed and developing countries (not current blended formula) > Basic food security crops in developing countries exempt from reductions in tariffs > Special safeguard mechanism available for all developing countries