Identifying Commitments:

International Trade

1999

 

G8 Communiqué Koln 1999

1. Protectionism- "We call on all nations to resist protectionist pressures and to open their markets further."
2. WTO Membership-"We encourage those states not yet members of the WTO to join it, by accepting its principles."
3. WTO Transparency-"We agree on the importance of improving [the WTO's] transparency to make it more responsive to civil society while preserving its government-to-government nature."
4. Seattle Round-"We pledge to work for a successful ministerial meeting in Seattle in order to launch the new round."
5. WTO Effectiveness-"We will also seek a more effective way within the WTO for addressing the trade and environmental relationship and promoting sustainable development and social and economic welfare worldwide."
6. Seattle Round-"We therefore call on all nations to launch at the WTO Ministerial conference in Seattle in December 1999 a new round of broad-based and ambitious negotiations with the aim of achieving substantial and manageable results."
7. Seattle Round-"We encourage all members to make proposals for progress in areas where developing countries and in particular least developed countries can make a solid and substantial gains…"
8. Improved Market Access-"We reaffirm our commitment made in Birmingham last year to the least developed countries on improved market access."
9. Policy Coordination-"We also urge greater cooperation and policy coherence among international financial, economic, labour, and environmental organizations."
10. Trade and Biotechnology-"Because trade is increasingly global, the consequences of developments in biotechnology must be dealt with at the national and international levels in all the appropriate fora. We are committed to a science-based, rules-based approach to addressing these issues."
11. Trade in Developing Countries-"We intend to step up work with developing countries and multilateral institutions to improve developing country capacity to exercise their rights and meet their obligations in the global trading system so as to ensure that they derive the full benefits of liberalized trade and thus contribute to global economic growth."

 

 

 

 

Identifying Commitments

Debt Relief

1999

G8 Communiqué Cologne 1999

1. LDC Assistance-"We will continue to provide substantial support and assistance to developing and transition economies in support of their own efforts to open and diversity their economies, to democratize and improve governance, and to protect human rights."
2. ODA Assistance-"We will strive gradually to increase the volume of official development assistance (ODA) and to put special emphasis on countries best positioned to use it effectively."
3. ODA Assistance-"To ease future debt burdens and facilitate sustainable development, we agree to increase the share of grant-based financing in the ODA we provide to the least developed countries."
4. OECD aid-"We reaffirm our support for the OECD mandate to finalize a recommendation on untying aid to the least developed countries. We call on the OECD members to bring this effort to a successful conclusion as soon as possible."
5. Koln Debt Initiative-"To this end we welcome the 1999 Koln Debt Initiative, which is designed to provide deeper, broader and faster debt relief through major changes to the HIPC framework. The central objective of this initiative is to provide a greater focus on poverty reduction by releasing resources for investment in health, education and social needs…We are aware that new proposals will require additional substantial financing. While several means of financing are under consideration, credible progress in identifying additional funding possibilities is needed, and we stand ready to help with financing solutions."

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