Training Workshop on the WTO Negotiations on NAMA ... - TRTA i

Conclusions
Numerous ideas came up as a result of the training workshop. They included the following:
• The NAMA negotiations are complex and closely intertwined with other negotiation
topics, especially those on agricultural products and services;
• Any final agreement in this area will be a compromise between the various issues under
negotiation as well as the extent of S&D treatment and the availability of TRTA/CB in
favour of developing countries to eventually respond to the new commitments;
• Final agreement will impact on developed and developing economies differently and the
resulting adjustments will determine a large segment of the industrial policies of
Pakistan, and all member countries, for years to come;
• An alternative scenario is no DDR agreement in the foreseeable future and the
proliferation of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) or some new combination of
multilateralism and regionalism.
The training workshop built on the valuable experience gathered through a similar exercise
on trade facilitation that took place in July 2006. Both can serve as models for future ITC
interventions on MTN topics.
In what specifically concerns the NAMA negotiations, pivotal as they are to a successful
outcome of the current round of negotiations, they will continue to command the attention of
traders, governments and international organizations. Likewise, the macroeconomic
decisions that Pakistan has to make in preparation and as a consequence of non-agricultural
product liberalization, will impact on several generations of Pakistanis. It is through the
informed exchange of ideas and exhaustive discussion with experts that these decisions can
best be made and implemented.
By fostering the study and discussion of the main topics relating to the NAMA and other key
negotiations under the WTO aegis, ITC helps Pakistani government officials better discharge
their responsibilities, while fulfilling its own mandate for awareness creation and capacity
building in international trade.