CPD Distinguished Fellow and the Chair of Southern Voice, Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, was invited to make an intervention at the panel discussion on “Building a sustainable way forward for LDCs in the WTO” at the ICTSD dialogue viz. Unpacking the WTO Nairobi outcome for LDCs in Geneva. The dialogue took place on 8 February 2016 at the World Trade Organiastion (WTO), Geneva.
The first part of the dialogue evaluated the outcomes of the Tenth Ministerial Conference of the WTO (WTO MC10) for LDCs, and then proceeded to the panel discussion on the sustainable way forward for LDCs. The other discussants were Yonov. F Agah, WTO; Guillermo Valles, UNCTAD, Marion Jensen (ITC); Hannes Schloemann, WTI Advisor; and Shree Baboo Servansing (Appellate Member, WTO).
After the panel, a floor discussion took place to showcase perspectives of LDC Ambassadors. Ambassador Shameem Ahsan, Bangladesh; Ambassador Eloi Laourou, Benin; Ambassador Deepak Dhital, Nepal; Ambassador Pierre-Andre Dunbar, Haïti; Ambassador Mame Baba Cisse, Senegal; and Ambassador Ngarambe, Rwanda participated in this floor discussion.
The objectives of the dialogue were to enhance the participants’ understanding of the Nairobi outcomes; figure out how those outcomes could be taken forward at a technical level; and to discuss the way forward for the LDCs in connection to the negotiating mandate of Doha on a political level. The dialogue explored, inter alia, what role the WTO will be expected to play as regards the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).