MOREPRESS RELEASE
PRESS/238
23 July 2001
(01-3659)
MOORE HAILS G-8 PLEDGES ON DEVELOPMENT AND
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
WTO Director-General Mike Moore today praised leaders from the Group of Eight nations for
stepping up their efforts towards the alleviation of poverty and the promotion of economic growth in
developing countries.
Mr. Moore, who addressed in Genoa Friday the G-8 heads of state and government along with leaders
from several developing countries and chiefs of other international organizations, said he was
saddened by the violence that gripped Genoa during the summit.  But he said this should not
overshadow the efforts made by governments of th e eight nations.  He said the G-8 Communique was
unprecedented in its devotion to addressing the problems of the world's poorest nations.
"These Democratically-elected leaders have made tackling poverty and facilitating development in
poor countries the centrepiece of their efforts this past weekend. These are precisely the goals of so
many of those who protest against the G-8 and other international organizations," Mr. Moore said.
The Director-General also strongly supported G-8 pledges of $1.3 billion in the struggle against
AIDS.  He said he agreed with the leaders' a ssessment that the WTO's agreement on Trade-related
Intellectual Property (TRIPs) provides the necessary flexibility to ensure that developing countries
have access to the essential medicines needed to combat AIDS and other diseases.
The G-8 pledged to launch a new round of global tr ade negotiations in November at the WTO's
Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar.  Trade negotiations aimed at scaling back barriers to imports
from developing countries, particularly the Least Developed Countries, are critical to continuing
economic growth and poverty  reduction, they said.
Mr. Moore has long pushed for the elimination of all barriers to imports from LDCs.  He has been
supportive of the efforts taken by G-8 governments to open their markets to the poorest.  But he said,
absent a broad-based set of trade liberalization negotiations, the issues of greatest concern to poor
countries will not  be adequately addressed.
"Absent a round, there is a risk that trade will evolve on a regional or bilateral basis.  While
regionalism has contributed positively to the multilateral system in the past, it cannot be a substitutePRESS/238
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for it. Many poor countries will find themselves outside such agreements and unable to promote their
interests as effectively as in the WTO," he said.
When addressing the leaders in Genoa, Mr. Moore called on them to work towards overcoming those
difficult  remaining issues that separate them so that they may carry out their pledge of successfully
launching a round in Doha.  Mr. Moore said he was pleased the leaders agreed to take a personalinterest in the process.
"Looking back at previous G-8 Communiqués one is struck by the fact that Genoa marks a turning-
point in the commitment of leaders to making trade a critical element in the war on poverty.  Together
with debt relief, good governance, adequate levels of finance to assist capacity building and sound
macroeconomic policies, trade is a vital element in the cocktail of development assistance," Mr.
Moore said.  "I welcome and support G-8 efforts in  this regard and look forward to working with
them to build support for a balanced round of negotiations that offers promise and opportunity for
citizens of all nations."
END