What is the Doha Development Agenda?
The WTO’s Doha Development Agenda or Doha Round aims to further reduce barriers to trade (like import duties) in the agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors. The talks began in November 2001, making them the longest trade negotiations ever without an agreement (107 months). The previous round of negotiations (the Uruguay round) took 87 months. Why call it Doha Development Agenda? After the Uruguay round, the decision to begin the next round of negotiations was taken in Doha, Qatar. The term ‘development’ was included in the title at the insistence of developing countries, which wanted their interests to be captured. Why have the talks stalled? Differences have risen on two fronts:agricultural subsidies in developed countries and higher tariffs on manufactured products in developing countries. (The latter is called Non Agriculture Market Access or NAMA in WTO parlance.) Developing countries are refusing to open up their markets unless countries like the US drastically reduce the
