SUPACHAI HEARS LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES’ CONCERNS
On 24 September, WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi met with representatives of least-developed country (LDC) Members to discuss their concerns at the WTO, including the need to streamline accession procedures for LDCs and the significance of technical cooperation and capacity building. WTO LDC Chair H.E. Ambassador M. B. Bowa of Zambia raised these issues alongside the need for more effort by the WTO Secretariat to target assistance for LDCs and to enhance coherence in international economic policy-making. The Director-General informed the group that their concerns were in line with his own priorities, but that the WTO Membership deals with accession issues on a case-by-case basis. He highlighted the commitment of the Members in the Doha Ministerial Declaration to accelerate the accession of least-developed countries. Supachai also declared his interest in ensuring that technical assistance efforts would be effective, targeted and focussed.
"WTO Director-General meets LDC’s Consultative Group," WTO Press Release, 24 September 2002.
SUPACHAI IDENTIFIES FOUR ‘PILLARS’ TO HELP CONCLUDE NEGOTIATIONS
On 20 September, WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi spoke in Basel, Switzerland regarding his interest in concluding the current round of trade negotiations in a timely manner. The Director-General explained that he was aiming to accomplish this by focussing on four ‘pillars’. According to Supachai, the first pillar is the legal framework that "binds the multilateral trading system together". The second, assistance to developing and least developed countries, is supported through technical assistance and capacity building. The third pillar deals with the promotion of coherence in international economic policy-making. The final pillar, said Supachai, is his commitment to "strengthening the WTO as an institution."
WTO NEWS: Speech by Director-General SUPACHAI PANITCHPAKDI, WTO News, Basel, Switzerland, 20 September 2002.