A/RES/64/188 GA

United Nations A/RES/64/188 General Assembly Distr.: General 9 February 2010 Sixty-fourth session Agenda item 51 (a) 09-47311 *0947311* Please rec cle ♲ Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 21 December 2009 [on the report of the Second Committee (A/64/418/Add.1)] 64/188. International trade and development The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 56/178 of 21 December 2001, 57/235 of 20 December 2002, 58/197 of 23 December 2003, 59/221 of 22 December 2004, 60/184 of 22 December 2005, 61/186 of 20 December 2006, 62/184 of 19 December 2007 and 63/203 of 19 December 2008 on international trade and development, Recalling also the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 0F1 as well as the outcomes of the International Conference on Financing for Development, 1F2 the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2F3 the 2005 World Summit Outcome3F4 and the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development,4F5 Recalling further the Outcome of the Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development,5F6 Reaffirming the value of multilateralism to the global trading system and the commitment to achieving a universal, rule-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system that contributes to growth, sustainable development and employment generation in all sectors, and emphasizing that bilateral and regional trading arrangements should contribute to the goals of the multilateral trading system, Stressing the importance of open, transparent, inclusive, democratic and more orderly processes and procedures for the effective functioning of the multilateral trading system, including in the decision-making process, so as to enable developing _______________ 1 See resolution 55/2. 2 Report of the International Conference on Financing for Development, Monterrey, Mexico, 18–22 March 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.02.II.A.7), chap. I, resolution 1, annex. 3 Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August–4 September 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.03.II.A.1 and corrigendum), chap. I, resolution 1, annex, and resolution 2, annex. 4 See resolution 60/1. 5 Resolution 63/239, annex. 6 Resolution 63/303, annex. A/RES/64/188 2 countries to have their vital interests duly reflected in the outcome of trade negotiations, Reiterating that development concerns form an integral part of the Doha Development Agenda, which places the needs and interests of developing and least developed countries at the heart of the Doha Work Programme,6F7 Noting that agriculture lags behind the manufacturing sector in the process of the establishment of multilateral disciplines and in the reduction of tariff and non- tariff barriers and that, since most of the world’s poor make their living from agriculture, the livelihood and standards of living of many of them are seriously jeopardized by the serious distortions in production and trade in agricultural products caused by the high levels of export subsidies, trade-distorting domestic support and protectionism by many developed countries, 1. Takes note of the report of the Trade and Development Board 7F8 and the report of the Secretary-General;8F9 2. Reaffirms that international trade can be an engine for development and sustained economic growth, underlines the need to fully harness its potential in that regard, and stresses the importance of upholding a universal, rule-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system that contributes to growth, sustainable development and employment, particularly in developing countries; 3. Notes with deep concern that the world financial and economic crisis has severely impacted international trade, particularly affecting developing countries, including through the fall in exports and loss of export revenues, restricted access to trade finance and reduced export-oriented investment, which have resulted, in many cases, in lower fiscal revenues and balance-of-payment problems; 4. Notes that the shortage and the high cost of trade finance for developing countries contributed significantly to the reduction in trade flows during the crisis, also notes the efforts of the international community, including through the World Bank Global Trade Liquidity Programme, to ensure additional resources at affordable rates, and calls upon bilateral and multilateral donors to redouble their efforts to increase the availability and affordability of trade finance for developing countries; 5. Underlines in this regard the need for greater coherence in the trade, financial and monetary systems, with a view to promoting growth, sustainable development and employment; 6. Stresses the need to resist all protectionist measures and tendencies, especially those affecting developing countries, particularly tariff, non-tariff and para-tariff barriers to trade, and to rectify any such measures already taken, recognizes the right of countries to fully utilize their policy space, consistent with World Trade Organization commitments, and calls upon the World Trade Organization and other relevant bodies, including the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, to continue monitoring protectionist measures and assess their impact on developing countries; _______________ 7 See A/C.2/56/7, annex. 8 A/64/15 (Parts I-IV). For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 15. 9 A/64/177. A/RES/64/188 3 7. Encourages Member States to refrain from adopting any measures or restrictions related to trade and transit that affect the access by developing countries to medicines, especially generic medicines, and medical equipment; 8. Expresses serious concern at the lack of progress in the negotiations of the World Trade Organization Doha Development Round, reiterates the call on developed countries to demonstrate the flexibility and political will necessary to make meaningful progress in the negotiations, with a view to concluding the Round by 2010, and calls upon all members of the World Trade Organization to adhere to the development mandate of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, 0H7 the decision of 1 August 2004 of the General Council of the World Trade Organization9F10 and the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration,10F11 which places development at the heart of the multilateral trading system; 9. Takes note of the New Delhi informal ministerial meeting on re-energizing Doha, held on 3 and 4 September 2009, which led to the resumption of the negotiations of the Doha Round with the objective of concluding the Round by 2010; 10. Stresses the importance of accelerating the negotiations, with a strong reaffirmation that development remains at the heart of the Doha Round, building upon the progress already made, particularly with regard to modalities, and based on the World Trade Organization agreed workplan on agriculture, non-agricultural market access, services, rules, trade facilitation and other remaining issues, with a view to concluding the Round by 2010; 11. Also stresses that, in order for the Doha Round to be concluded satisfactorily, the negotiations should strengthen the rules and disciplines in the area of agriculture, eliminate agricultural export subsidies, substantially reduce the domestic measures of support by developed countries and promote enhanced market access to developed country markets, in a balanced and development-oriented outcome, while adhering to the development mandate of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the decision of 1 August 2004 of the General Council of the World Trade Organization and the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration; 12. Further stresses the need for negotiations of the World Trade Organization in non-agricultural market access to fulfil the development mandate of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the decision of 1 August 2004 of the General Council of the World Trade Organization and the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration; 13. Stresses the need for negotiations of the World Trade Organization to make substantial progress in all areas under the single undertaking, such as services, rules and trade facilitation, so as to ensure that the development concerns of developing countries are fully reflected in any outcome, consistent with the development mandate of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the decision of 1 August 2004 of the General Council of the World Trade Organization and the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration; 14. Reiterates its call for accelerating work on the trade-related aspects of the World Intellectual Property Organization development agenda, as well as the development-related mandate concerning the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of _______________ 10 World Trade Organization, document WT/L/579. Available from http://docsonline.wto.org. 11 World Trade Organization, document WT/MIN(05)/DEC. Available from http://docsonline.wto.org. A/RES/64/188 4 Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement)1F 12 in the Doha Ministerial Declaration, especially the examination of the relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity,12F 13 the protection of traditional knowledge and folklore and the issues related to the full implementation of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, 13F14 affecting developing countries, including the least developed countries, especially those issues arising from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases; 15. Reaffirms the commitments made at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization7 and at the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, 14F15 in this regard calls upon developed countries that have not already done so to provide immediate predictable, duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis to all products originating from all least developed countries, calls upon developing countries that are in a position to do so to extend duty-free and quota-free market access to exports of these countries, in this context reaffirms also the need to consider additional measures for progressive improvement in market access for least developed countries, and reaffirms further the need for members of the World Trade Organization to take additional measures to provide effective market access, both at the border and otherwise, including simplified and transparent rules of origin so as to facilitate exports from least developed countries; 16. Also reaffirms the commitment to actively pursue the work programme of the World Trade Organization with respect to addressing the trade-related issues and concerns affecting the fuller integration of small, vulnerable economies into the multilateral trading system in a manner commensurate with their special circumstances and in support of their efforts towards sustainable development, in accordance with paragraph 35 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration and paragraph 41 of the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration; 17. Expresses its deep concern at the imposition of laws and other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions, against developing countries, which undermine international law and the rules of the World Trade Organization and also severely threaten freedom of trade and investment; 18. Recognizes the special problems and needs of the landlocked developing countries within a new global framework for transit transport cooperation for landlocked and transit developing countries, calls, in this regard, for the full and effective implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action,15F16 and stresses the need for the implementation of the São Paulo Consensus 16F 17 and of the Accra Accord 17F 18 by the relevant international organizations and donors in a multi-stakeholder approach; 19. Reaffirms that developing countries should play an increasing role in the formulation of, inter alia, safety, environmental and health standards, calls for the _______________ 12 See Legal Instruments Embodying the Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations, done at Marrakesh on 15 April 1994 (GATT secretariat publication, Sales No. GATT/1994-7). 13 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1760, No. 30619. 14 World Trade Organization, document WT/MIN(01)/DEC/2. Available from http://docsonline.wto.org. 15 See A/CONF.191/13. 16 Report of the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries and International Financial and Development Institutions on Transit Transport Cooperation, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 28 and 29 August 2003 (A/CONF.202/3), annex I. 17 TD/412, chap. II. 18 TD/442 and Corr.1, chap. II. A/RES/64/188 5 full and fair representation of developing countries in the relevant international standard-setting organizations, and in this regard also calls for additional financial resources and technical capacity-building to ensure the adequate participation of developing countries; 20. Recognizes that South-South trade should be strengthened, notes that enhanced market access between developing countries can play a positive role in stimulating South-South trade, and calls for acceleration of the work of the ongoing third round of negotiations (the São Paulo Round) on the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries; 21. Calls for facilitating the accession of all developing countries that apply for membership in the World Trade Organization, in particular the least developed countries, including countries emerging from conflict that are least developed countries, bearing in mind paragraph 21 of resolution 55/182 of 20 December 2000 and subsequent developments, and also calls for the effective and faithful application of the World Trade Organization guidelines on accession by the least developed countries; 22. Emphasizes the need for further work to foster greater coherence between the multilateral trading system and the international financial system, and invites the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in fulfilment of its mandate, to undertake the relevant policy analysis in those areas and to operationalize such work, including through its technical assistance activities; 23. Takes note of the holding of the second Global Review on Aid for Trade, on 6 and 7 July 2009, aimed at reviewing progress achieved and identifying additional measures needed to support developing and least developed countries in building their supply and export capacities, and stresses the urgent need to implement the aid for trade commitments, especially with regard to the mobilization of additional, non-conditional and predictable funding; 24. Welcomes the efforts made to operationalize the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries, aimed at promoting the export and supply capacities of the least developed countries, as well as the establishment of the Enhanced Integrated Framework Trust Fund, and urges development partners to increase their contributions, with a view to ensuring increased additional, non-conditional and predictable financial resources on a multi-year basis; 25. Reiterates the important role of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development as the focal point within the United Nations system for the integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development, and calls upon the international community to work towards the strengthening of the Conference in order to enable it to enhance its contribution in its three major pillars, namely, consensus-building, research and policy analysis and technical assistance, especially through increased core resources; 26. Invites the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in accordance with its mandate, to monitor and assess the evolution of the international trading system and of trends in international trade from a development perspective, and, in particular, to analyse issues of concern to developing countries, supporting them in building capacities to establish their own negotiating priorities and negotiate trade agreements, including under the Doha Work Programme; A/RES/64/188 6 27. Urges donors to provide the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development with the increased resources necessary to deliver effective and demand-driven assistance to developing countries, as well as to enhance their contributions to the trust funds of the Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries and the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme; 28. Requests the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution and on developments in the multilateral trading system, including with regard to the implementation of the World Intellectual Property Organization development agenda, under the sub-item entitled “International trade and development” of the item entitled “Macroeconomic policy questions”; 29. Also requests the Secretary-General to transmit the present resolution to the Director-General of the World Trade Organization for circulation as a document of the World Trade Organization. 66th plenary meeting 21 December 2009

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