Motivating African Support for a New Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations

As African countries prepare for the 4th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, to be held in in Doha in November 2001, they must be acutely aware of the tremendous pressures being exerted on them to support the launch of a new and comprehensive round of multilateral trade negotiations. This issue of Trade Hot Topics considers the key questions in anticipation of the decision African countries will make on whether or not they will support the launch of a new Round:
• should African countries support the launch of a new Round?
• what issues must be included in the agenda of a new Round to justify African support?
• what issues must be excluded from the agenda?
• what should be the modalities of the negotiations in the new Round?