African countries under the coordination of the African Union (AU) have been participating actively and should continue doing so in the current Doha round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks, said a report delivered Wednesday.

The potential benefits of trade and globalization for African countries have been severely limited by the existing structure of multilateral trading system, which is characterized by unfair trade rules and imbalances against developing countries, said the report released at the ninth Ordinary Session of Executive Council of the African Union (AU), which came before the seventh AU summit due to be held on July 1 and 2.

The major issues of interests and concern to Africa in the WTO negotiations include the enhancement of trade-related technical assistance and capacity building for elimination of the supply- side constrains that hinder Africa's trade and growth performance.

They also include the enhancement of market access for African agricultural and industrial products through the elimination of agricultural export subsidies and trade distorting domestic support as well as high agricultural and industrial tariffs.

The progress achieved so far on these major issues of interests to Africa has been limited, according to the report.

Experience has shown that African countries will not be able to take full advantage of market access opportunities in the emerging multilateral trading system if the issues of trade capacity building and the removal of supply-side constraints are not effectively addressed.

To achieve a more development-friendly global trade regime, in which trade can serve as a more effective economic growth and human development, African countries should continue along the road, said the report.

Meanwhile, African voice should be strongly represented in the WTO so that there is no attempt at taking top-down approach on decision-making, implementation process and in fulfilling WTO's role in its advocacy for the mobilization of the required resources under the initiative.

While it is critical to ensure coherence in trade policy formulation at national level, it is equally important to have coherence at the international level and in international policy making. In African countries there is need to strengthen coordination between the key ministries at national level to ensure coherence in particular between ministries of trade, industry, agriculture and finance as well as other relevant national institutions, the report said.

National and regional expertise and resources available in Africa should be optimally used and synergized including in the diagnosis studies and technical cooperation programs, the reported added.

Delegates to the session told Xinhua that the AU is absolutely right to resist the pressure tactics of developed countries within the WTO. African countries need to hold out for what they were promised and not be forced into signing away the economic rights of their citizens for the sake of a deadline.

The African countries should urge the WTO officials to remind the industrialized countries of the promises that they have made and the urgent need to fulfill them, Hariba Mejri-Cheikh, an AU Commission official, said in an interview with Xinhua.

Source: Xinhua