Tanzania Report, Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania - ILEAP

Finally, the paper reviews the institutional structures of the WTO including the biennial Ministerial meetingand the General Council comprising of the members representatives in Geneva. The General Councilcommittees works through a number of specialized Council including the Council for Trade in Goods, theCouncil for Trade in Services, the Council on TRIPs and others. The presenter emphasized that informedknowledge of the agreements is critical to effective implementation and particularly identification of thechallenges and opportunities offered by the MTS and how a nation like Tanzania can benefit from thissystem.In his summing up remarks, the Chairman, emphasized the inevitability of the process of Globalization andthat the best thing to do at the national level is the organization of all stakeholders for more participation inthe system. It is useful that efforts are being made at the international level to adjust for anomalies thatprevail in the system so as to make it more beneficial to all through the Commission on the Social Impacton Globalization in which many eminent personalities are participating in that process.3.0 PLENARY DISCUSSIONS ON THE OVERVIEW SESSION3.1 CHAIRMAN’S SUMMARYThe Chairman summarized the presentations by highlighting pertinent issues emerging from the threepapers as follows:3.1.1 On Trade Policy Institutional Framework:o serious institutional weaknesses have been highlightedo There is low capacity on trade issues in the CSOs sector with limited participation in thetrade agendao Trade outposts at the international level in Tanzanian embassies abroad and within thedomestic environment at the regional/district level are also very weak on trade policy• Overview of the WTO Agreementso The paper highlights the importance of avoiding the extremist position of either aconformity position or confrontational one on WTO issues;o It highlights the major differences between the GATT and WTO and the binding natureof the latter; WTO agreements do have minimum of 3 years before any party may optout, hence great care must be exercised. Tanzania is well advised to play delay tactic soas to buy more time for both research and analysis work.o Notes the 5 basic principles upon which the WTO agreements operate including theMFN, National Treatment, Transparency, Dispute Settlement and Special andDifferential Treatment (S & DT) for LDCS;o The paper concludes that the agreements pose serious challenges as well as creatingtremendous opportunities and that it is necessary to understand them well so as to worktowards building on these opportunities;o For small countries like Tanzania, it is necessary to decide on priority areas and buildcapacities in select priorities for more effective participation and implementation of theagreements.• The Agreements pose a serious challenge as well as opportunities.3.1.2 Discussants Comments and Views.Participants raised several questions and highlighted the following issues in discussing the three over viewpapers.(a)Questions and issues of ConcernQ i. Participants wanted to know to what extent have Tanzanian institutions been able to alignthe national legal framework to conform with the WTO agreements."Deliberations on WTO Pre-Cancun Sensatization Workshop" 13