The International Chamber of Commerce, the world business organization, is concerned and deeply disappointed with the lack of progress in talks held at the World Trade Organization in Geneva this week on the Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations. It has repeated its call on governments to redouble their efforts to keep the Doha Development Agenda on course toward a successful conclusion next year in the interests of global economic growth and job creation.
"This is obviously a missed opportunity to make much-needed progress ahead of the Hong Kong ministerial conference in December," said ICC Secretary General Guy Sebban. "It also means that WTO members will have to work extremely hard when talks resume in Geneva in September in order to prepare the ground fully for a good result in Hong Kong."
"The pledge of G8 leaders in Gleneagles to work toward the goal of an ambitious and balanced outcome has still to be followed up by a far stronger determination on all sides to compromise at the negotiating table in Geneva," Mr Sebban said. "ICC hopes very much that all WTO members will be prepared to make these necessary compromises in the remaining months before Hong Kong."
"The importance of bringing the Doha round to a successful conclusion cannot be underestimated" Mr Sebban said. "An ambitious and balanced outcome to the Doha Development Agenda would be one of the most effective ways to strengthen the multilateral trading system, generate economic growth, create opportunities for development and raise living standards across the world."
ICC groups thousands of member companies and associations from over 130 countries and speaks with authority on behalf of enterprises from all sectors in every part of the world.
ICC promotes an open international trade and investment system and the market economy. It has maintained its conviction that trade is a powerful force for peace and prosperity since the organization's origins early in the last century.
ICC has provided business input in all the nine major rounds of GATT/WTO multilateral trade negotiations since 1947.
For more information and to request an interview with Guy Sebban, please contact Mary Kelly, ICC Director of Communications, at +33 6 09 01 11 32 (mobile).