Latest from our campaigners in Hong Kong...
 Irene here, feeling bruised and broken after walking for days, screaming and chanting for hours. The sixth World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference is finally over and I'm leaving the event with mixed feelings...
For Oxfam's reaction, read the latest Oxfam press release: WTO Ministerial Text a betrayal of development promises. Read also: 'Will there be another trade round?' on the BBC website, and 'Modest deal struck in Hong Kong'. And then there's 'In all other respects, the meeting was a failure': The Guardian.
Though most people are obviously not happy with the results of this ministerial, it is worth noting that developing countries managed to stand in solidarity for the first time, and agreed a united front on the most important issues. Some progress has been made towards creating space for developing countries to protect their food security and livelihoods. I would like to think that this is only the beginning to greater things to come!
Some progress has also been made to reduce the dumping of Northern exports on the markets of developing countries: an end to all EU export subsidies by 2013, disciplines on US food aid and disciplines on Australia, New Zealand and Canada State Trading Enterprises. But the meeting has still failed to offer any thing specific on the elimination of domestic supports that, for example, currently puts in danger 15 million small-scale African cotton producers.
From the look of things, the outcomes of this ministerial seem to only be openings for more discussions planned for next year. This is not something that the developing world would like to hear, but we're waiting anyway...
Latest from the WTO Summit on Make Trade Fair >>
Read the previous updates from our campaigners: 15 Dec 2005, 12 Dec 2005
posted at 10:35 AM
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