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This page is a gateway to WTO information on the agenda set by the Doha Ministerial Conference. It covers these main areas:

• The main Doha Declaration, and the resulting negotiations and other work
• The decision on implementation, and resulting work

The November 2001 declaration of the Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, provides the mandate for negotiations on a range of subjects and other work, including issues concerning the implementation of the present agreements.

The negotiations include those on agriculture and services, which began in early 2000. A number of other issues have now been added. The declaration sets 1 January 2005 as the date for completing all but two of the negotiations. Negotiations on the Dispute Settlement Understanding are to end in May 2003; those on a multilateral register of geographical indications for wines and spirits, by the next Ministerial Conference in 2003. Progress is to be reviewed at the Fifth Ministerial Conference in 2003 (now to be held in Mexico) — the exact date has not been set yet.

The negotiations take place in the Trade Negotiations Committee and its subsidiaries. Other work under the work programme takes place in other WTO councils and committees.

Ministers also approved a linked decision on implementation — problems developing countries face in implementing the current WTO agreements.

See also:    > Previous negotiations    > The Uruguay Round    > The Doha Ministerial Conference
    > Trade topics    > Ministerial conferences    > General Council

The Doha Declaration   > back to top

• Text
• Explanation
• How the negotiations are organized: the Trade Negotiations Committee, its subsidiaries, principles and timetables.

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> Implementation decision

 
The declaration’s work programme   > back to top
The subjects listed in the Doha Declaration (and the paragraphs that refer to them). Most of these involve negotiations; other work includes actions under “implementation”, analysis and monitoring:

• Implementation-related issues and concerns, some with negotiations (par 12)
      > explanation               
• Agriculture negotiations (par 13, 14)
      > explanation               > follow developments
• Services negotiations (par 15)
      > explanation               > follow developments
• Market access for non-agricultural products negotiations (par 16)
      > explanation               > more
• Trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) negotiations and other work (pars 17–19)
      > explanation               > more
• Relationship between trade and investment, preparations for negotiations (pars 20–22)
      > explanation               > more
• Interaction between trade and competition policy, preparations for negotiations (pars 23–25)
      > explanation               > more
• Transparency in government procurement, preparations for negotiations (par 26)
      > explanation               > more
• Trade facilitation, preparations for negotiations (par 27)
      > explanation               > more
• WTO rules: anti-dumping negotiations (par 28)
      > explanation               > more
• WTO rules: subsidies negotiations (par 28)
      > explanation               > more
• WTO rules: regional trade agreements negotiations (pars 29)
      > explanation               > more
• Dispute Settlement Understanding negotiations (par 30)
      > explanation               > more
• Trade and environment negotiations and other work (pars 31–33,)
      > explanation               > more
• Electronic commerce, General Council work (par 34)
      > explanation               > more
• Small economies, General Council work (par 35)
      > explanation               > more
• Trade, debt and finance, new working group (par 36)
      > explanation               > more
• Trade and transfer of technology, new working group (par 37)
      > explanation               > more
• Technical cooperation and capacity building, General Council and Secretariat work (pars 38–41)
      > explanation               > more
• Least-developed countries, work in various bodies (pars 42, 43)
      > explanation               > more
• Special and differential treatment, work in various bodies (par 44)
      > explanation               > more

 
The implementation decision   > back to top
Around 100 implementation issues were raised in the lead-up to the Doha Ministerial Conference. The implementation decision, combined with paragraph 12 of the main Doha Declaration, provides a two-track solution. More than 40 items under 12 headings were settled at or before the Doha conference, for immediate delivery; and the vast majority of the remaining items are immediately the subject of negotiations:

• Text: Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns, Decision of 14 November 2001
• Explanation

Back to
> Doha Declaration

 
The implementation programme   > back to top
The implementation decision contains 12 subject headings and two catch-all headings for outstanding issues and final provisions. The subject headings cover the over 40 items settled at or before the Doha conference, for immediate delivery. Most outstanding issues are immediately the subject of negotiations:

• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) section 1
      > explanation               > more
• Agriculture (section 2)
      > explanation               > follow developments
• Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures section 3
      > explanation               > follow developments
• Textiles and clothing section 4
      > explanation               > more
• Technical barriers to trade section 5
      > explanation               > more
• Trade-related investment measures (TRIMS) section 6
      > explanation               > more
• Anti-dumping (GATT Article VI) section 7
      > explanation               > more
• Customs valuation (GATT Article VII) section 8
      > explanation               > more
• Rules of origin section 9
      > explanation               > more
• Subsidies and countervailing measures section 10
      > explanation               > more
• Trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) section 11
      > explanation               > more
• Cross-cutting issues section 12
      > explanation               
• Outstanding implementation issues section 13
      > explanation           
• Final provisions section 14
      > explanation