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“I greatly welcome the serious and broad interest civil society is
showing in the work of the WTO”, said Mr. Moore. “Based on the
information provided by NGOs before the official deadline of 2 July,
and in line with criteria established by WTO Members, 647
organizations are eligible for registration. These include NGOs from
all parts of the globe and with interests spanning the full range of
WTO activities. I urge eligible NGOs to complete the registration
process as soon as possible and I look forward to their positive
contribution to the meeting in Doha.”
“The
Doha meeting takes place at a critical moment for the WTO”, said Mr.
Moore. “It is a key opportunity to build on the huge achievements of
the multilateral trading system over the past fifty years. It is a
chance as well to make the WTO stronger and more open, ready to play a
fuller role in international trade relations. The input and
involvement of NGOs is important to our shared objective of a
successful meeting. I welcome scrutiny from civil society, it is
healthy and makes us more accountable. I welcome their engagement, it
informs us and encourages us to do a better job.”
The
Director-General said the presence of NGOs in Doha would build on
similar initiatives to encourage greater interest and involvement in
WTO work from political and civil society. Mr. Moore referred to a
recent WTO Symposium in Geneva which gathered together more than 400
civil society representatives to discuss issues confronting the world
trading system. He said this meeting showed clearly that NGOs want to
engage constructively and that they have important insights to offer.
Mr. Moore added that NGOs’ enthusiasm could be an important source
of strength for the multilateral trading system.
Mr.
Moore expressed regret that only one representative per eligible NGO
would be able to attend the Doha Ministerial Conference.
“The
high level of civil society interest in the Doha meeting is gratifying
but left us with a very difficult choice, either to limit the number
of NGOs attending or limit the number of representatives per
organization. In the end we decided to make arrangements so all
eligible NGOs could have a presence at the Conference.”
“We
will continue working closely with NGOs between now and Doha”, said
Mr. Moore. “We will be seeking their comments and advice on
appropriate activities at the Ministerial Conference and beyond. I
want to encourage a debate on possible rules of engagement so we can
enhance the dialogue between civil society, international institutions
and Governments. I know NGOs will have ideas they want to place in
front of us too. I look forward to a constructive engagement with NGOs
in Doha.”
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Notes
The Members of the WTO have agreed that the 4th WTO Ministerial
Conference will be held in Doha, Qatar, from 9 to 13 November
2001. The Ministerial Conference is the topmost decision-making
body of the WTO. It meets at least every two years and brings
together all Members of the organization. The Ministerial
Conference can take decisions on all matters under any of the
WTO Agreements. Previous Ministerial Conferences were held in
Singapore (1996), Geneva (1998), and Seattle (1999).
At
its meeting on 8 May 2001, the General Council agreed specific
procedures for registration and attendance of non-governmental
organizations at the Doha Ministerial Conference. These
procedures were immediately circulated for the information of
Members and were also placed on the WTO website to inform
interested NGOs on how to register for the Conference. The
information was also disseminated widely in the Secretariat's
regular bulletins to NGOs and through other initiatives. The
deadline for NGOs to submit their requests for registration was
2 July. |
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