Press Statement: G-10 Ministerial Meeting, Davos, 29 January 2011
Bern, 29.01.2011 - Ministers of the G-10 have met in Davos today prior to an informal WTO Ministerial gathering organised by Switzerland at the occasion of the World Economic Forum 2011 in order to assess the state of play of the Doha Round negotiations and their priorities in the negotiations on agriculture.
G-10 Ministers reiterated their commitment to a successful conclusion of the Doha Round in the 2011 narrow window of opportunity identified last November by the G-20 leaders in Seoul.
They stressed that the positive political signals sent by G-20 and APEC leaders have now to be translated into concrete action by the negotiators in Geneva. Therefore, in the following weeks, all delegations have to seriously and actively engage in negotiations in order to prepare the ground for a comprehensive and balanced conclusion of the Doha round.
Ministers highlighted that G-10 Members have always shown good will in trying to achieve a reasonable balance between liberalizing agricultural markets across the board and the need to accommodate Members' specific domestic situation and concerns. G-10 Ministers acknowledge the growing awareness in the world that the Doha Round should also contribute to food security.
They noted that G-10 Members have already shown enough flexibilities in spite of difficult domestic situations and this contribution should be duly taken note of. G-10 Ministers therefore reaffirmed their needs and priorities in the agriculture dossier.
Ministers concurred that an agreement can only be found by taking into account the main concerns of all Members and by arriving at a balanced outcome in the three pillars of the agriculture negotiations. G-10 Ministers reasserted their willingness to continue working on the basis of the draft December 2008 modalities text and its attached working papers.
They emphasised that, in light of the limited time before us, our work should be based on what we have achieved. Any selective reopening of stabilised areas of the draft modalities text would lead to unravelling of the delicate balance of the text, which would be counterproductive in reaching a conclusion of the Doha Round in 2011.
G-10 Ministers renewed their determination to work constructively with all other Members to establish balanced and mutually acceptable agreement for further agricultural reform.
G-10 Ministers indicated their willingness and the need for the group to be engaged in the discussions leading to the success of the Doha Development Round.
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