PRESS RELEASE
PRESS/315
3 October 2002
(02-5350)
TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE
DG Supachai urges acceleration of work on Doha Agenda
The WTO’s Trade Negotiations Committee, which is responsible for co-ordinating the trade
negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda , met today to review progress to date and
discuss the future negotiating agenda. Following the start of the meeting, the first to be chaired by
Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, the Di rector-General issued the following statement:
“Our Fifth Ministerial Conference in Cancún will take place in less than one year, and we have
much to do between now and then. We all know that we must make rapid substantive progress in
all areas of the Doha Development Agenda if we are to have a successful conference. I am
confident that we can do this, and I intend to take an active part in this collective undertaking.
“This conference is set to act as a mid-term review. This means that by then we will need a clear
picture of what is achievable across the negotiating agenda. Only on that basis will ministers be
able to provide the necessary additional political guidance in order to conclude the DDA Work
Programme successfully by the 1 January 2005 deadline.
“From the reports given today by the chairpersons  heading our negotiating groups, and from the
discussions which followed those reports it is clear we have made a reasonably good start, butmuch remains to be done and time is running quickly.
“I am concerned that the positions of some delegations have not been sufficiently clarified. This
meeting of the TNC marks the start of a new phase of the negotiations — the phase of substantive
engagement. Only by accelerating our work, where necessary producing and discussing concrete
proposals, can we make real progress across the board. Our work needs to be directed not onlytowards meeting individual key deadlines, but also  towards building a sense of the negotiations as
a whole.
“December represents a set of important deadlines concerning matters related to implementation,
special and differential treatment for developing countries and a solution to the problem of
supplying pharmaceuticals in those countries which lack sufficient manufacturing capacity. Theseissues are of great importance to developing countries. We need to continue moving on these
issues, so that they become part of our forward process, not an obstacle to it.
“I would also like to underline the importance of the deadlines in the period from March to May
2003. During this period we will face deadlines in the negotiations on Agriculture, Services, Non-
agricultural Market Access and Dispute Settlement. Many of us believe that what happens then willPRESS/315
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define the rest of our process. We will face an uphill battle at Cancún if we do not grapple
successfully with these intermediate deadlines.
“It is important we meet all of these deadlines. But a deadline is not an end in itself. Deadlines are
important because they allow us to measure ho w we are advancing. And we all know we must
advance the substance of the negotiations progre ssively across all areas of the negotiating agenda
as a whole.
“You should expect the TNC to be more active. In line with this, I will be an activist as TNC
Chairman — working closely with the Chairpersons to support and help them where I think it may
be useful. I will also be active in consulting with delegations as we prepare for the important issueson the table in December.
“A successful outcome for the Doha Development Agenda is essential for the future of our
societies. A larger degree of openness and predictability in international relations can only come
about if we have the same set of rules and if we set our sights on similar objectives. That is
precisely what this Organization can offer.
“The Doha Development Agenda was launched in a world economic situation which was widely
regarded as being weak. It has not improved since then, and the outlook is uncertain in manyways. This is why it is even more important to deliver on this Round. The future prospects of
many, many people depend on it.”
END