thursday, 25 february, 2021 at 21:46
Geneva – The Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Morocco in Geneva, Omar Zniber, on Thursday pleaded for special and differential treatment (S&D) as part of any agreement resulting from negotiations under the auspices of the World Organization of trade (WTO).
Speaking at a meeting of the WTO Trade Negotiations Committee in preparation for the institution’s next General Council, Mr. Zniber reiterated the imperative for Members to complete negotiations on fisheries subsidies with the willingness to compromise, in order to confirm the relevance of multilateral negotiations for outside communities observing the work of the WTO.
Morocco remains committed to concluding these negotiations in accordance with SDG 14.6, he continued. While stressing the importance of these negotiations and the need to reach an agreement, he said the process seems to need more pragmatism and political will in order to overcome the current divide between the approaches of developed countries and countries. in development.
He stressed that the rules should cover all the pillars of the mandate, target large-scale industrial fishing and not limit the use of beneficial subsidies that can contribute to the sustainability of fish stocks, safeguard food security and the means of livelihoods of coastal communities by keeping them the political space needed to develop their marine resources while meeting sustainability needs, he continued.
Therefore, “special and differential treatment should be an integral part of the outcome of the ongoing negotiations on fisheries subsidies”, he insisted, adding that Morocco will continue to work constructively to achieve a balanced outcome in accordance with mandate for negotiations.
“SDT is one of the fundamental principles of the WTO granted to developing countries to adapt to trade rules, at their pace and according to their level of development,” he recalled, noting that this principle and this founding right must be preserved in order to meet the real and specific challenges facing developing countries in their quest for industrialization and participation in world trade.
Morocco continues to engage constructively with a view to achieving a meaningful outcome on this important issue at the 12th Ministerial Conference, he added.
On the other hand, he stressed that the enduring stalemate regarding the appointment of Appellate Body members of the dispute settlement system has important implications for the preservation of members’ rights and obligations. “A solution-oriented multilateral process to re-establish a two-forum dispute settlement system and break the deadlock in the selection process of Appellate Body members is absolutely necessary,” he urged. .
Regarding the reform of the WTO, Morocco, he said, reaffirms that the reform must promote inclusiveness, remedy historical imbalances, strengthen the integration of developing countries, especially African countries. , in world trade.
He stressed, moreover, that significant results in agriculture and in all outstanding issues must be achieved, noting that it is essential for the WTO to contribute significantly to the livelihoods of the populations, to the food security, sustainable development and job creation.
“Special and differential treatment is not limited to technical assistance and capacity building. It must strengthen rule-making in the multilateral trading system, which requires recognition of differences in levels of development and flexibility to ensure that Members make commitments commensurate with their level of development, ”he said. said.
Mr. Zniber said, in this sense, that the negotiations on agriculture have become more important than ever to achieve fair, balanced and meaningful results to build sustainable and resilient agricultural sectors.
Regarding discussions in the Trade, Debt and Finance Working Group, he stressed that the debt crisis in several low and middle income countries, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, requires a rapid and effective response to reduce debt pressure and reform their international architecture.
In this regard, Morocco calls on the international community to show solidarity by supporting national recovery strategies, he said, pleading for responsible multilateralism, such as to strengthen the actions of the WTO through concrete initiatives. and results-oriented.
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