Uganda Demands Duty Free Access to World Market

In the last three years, the world has witnessed a global economic crisis which has led to a contraction of individual national economies by up to 5 percent or higher in some cases. This may have been averted if we had moved faster to conclude the Doha Development Agenda DDA.

We in Uganda express our concern that the DDA is at a stalemate 10 years after it's launch , even though it was estimated that some 500 million people would be lifted out of poverty at the conclusion of this round. This figure is more than half of the population of Africa.

In my country Uganda, poverty was as high as 56% in 1992, two years before the conclusion of the Uruguay Round. A combination of policies, including domestic reforms, limited opening up of the markets to our products within the region as a result of Regional Integration Agreements, as well as the undertaking made in the Uruguay Round, spurred growth at an annual average rate of 5 percent.

This effectively reduced poverty to about 30% currently, which is still high and translates to about 10 million persons out of a population of 30 million. The remaining incidence of poverty is partly a result of non-positive response by the global economy to our domestic efforts towards improving our supply side constrains and capacities. The positive response can only come through open and liberal markets

It is our belief that non-tariff barriers such as standards, especially private standards are strong impediments to market access for our products. These can be comprehensively addressed, if an agreement is reached in the DDA. In order to conclude the DDA, negotiations parties in this forum, especially the developed countries, must take courageous and bold steps, exercise flexibility and see the bigger picture of global economic growth and prosperity for all.

Uganda would like to see concrete deliverables in the following areas; meaningful duty free and quota free market access for products of export interest to the LDCs outlined in decision 36 of annex F of Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration, a speedy operationalization of the services waiver that grants preferential treatment to services and service suppliers of the LDCs, sufficient flexibility to developing countries, particularly the LDCs to engage in Regional Trade Agreements RTAs in pursuit of economic development and extension of the exemption on pharmaceutical patents for LDCs beyond 2016 and the transition period under article 66.1 of the TRIPS Agreement.

There should be commensurate technical and financial assistance to enable LDCs to develop the necessary capacity and infra-structure to implement the TRIPS Agreement. Also to ensure that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from LDCs are transparent and simple in accordance with the proposals submitted by LDCs.

Development should be consolidated and mainstreamed in the work of the WTO by maintaining the centrality of the committee on trade and development CTD and strengthening its role as the focal point for the consideration and coordination of all development related activities in the work of the WTO.

Uganda recognises the importance of capacity building for trade. We, therefore, appreciate the progress made so far with the AID for Trade initiative and reiterate that priority should be attached to effective and progressive implementation of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF).

It is unfortunate that the Doha Round is at an impasse. We urge all member states, particularly the developed and advanced developing countries to exercise maximum flexibilities that should allow the successful and early conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda.

Speech Delivered by the Hon Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon Amelia Kyambadde, at the WTO 8th Ministerial Conference in Geneva on December 16, 2011.