In order not to perpetuate poverty and inequality we have to evaluate the performance of all the international organizations, UN, WTO, IMF and the World Bank, and see how the structure of power entangles all these organizations. It is important to note the poor countries' powerlessness when it comes to negotiating good deals for themselves in the WTO, when they face reprisals in the other organizations as punishment for not falling into line with the powerful members of the WTO. This is a real and important problem in the WTO today.

Thank you for this opportunity to respond.  I am presenting a paper at the Oxford Round Table, 31 July-5 August entitled, Professional Ethics: A Must for the Globalized Society of the 21st Century.  In my review of The Future of the WTO, I do not find a chapter on ethics.  I commend you on the chapter and discussion entitled "Transparency and dialogue with civil society."  It is a strong first step toward developing global trust.  However, I believe you will agree that interactions of groups requires ethics.  Common belief elements found in protesters include: (1) distrust of the process, (2) lack of understanding or appreciation of the process, and (3) an adverse effect either direct or indirect, which may be either real or perceived. 

People require trust.  Polls show a significant minority of people do not trust leaders.  Distrust is prompted by scandals, from Enron to the UN Iraq oil for food scandal.  Public trust can be enhanced by ethics.  Unfortunately, a written Ethics Code is not enough.  (Enron had a 65 page Ethics Code that was not followed.)  Ethics is a learned attitude that must be permeated throughout an organization from top to bottom. 

The WTO has the awesome responsibility of developing trust in itself throughout the world.  Ethics must become a priority to further that trust.  I recommend that a program of ethics be made a priority and embodied in detail and practice.  The ethics program should have clear goals that require persons to think, act, and be ethical in the performance of their duties.

Bill Brant

Yes - I agree with you to a point but my country has developed in the same way (child labour, environmental problems) and I wonder whether this isn't true of all countries and probably necessary in most? 

At least a comparative advantage in something, and market access somewhere, allows countries to service their debt payments (and that's probably another story).

Ari

Cost / benefit analysis study of the impact of trade liberalisation for the individual countries?. It has been conducted in some CARICOM Memberstates by CARICOM.

Also the social, cultural and legal impacts schould be included in the study

Schould W.T.O. conduct such a study in relation to India, Pakistan and other member states?

The ONLY way for a nation to get richer is to GENERATE more income, donations wont solve problems, neither would international organizations, they may help but the individuals.  WTO is about trade and to facilitate transactions between individuals, corporations (they are the ones that trade).

World hunger and war are deeper problem and prosperty helps, BUT, obstructing trade wont help, protectionism has failed.  The problem is that WTO is allowing developed countries to protect themselves (agriculture, subsidies) and leaving developing countries unprotected. If the game is to liberalize, then it truely should do that in all levels, otherwise it wont work.

Hi Rsund!

You're right in that they have to allow textiles and agricultural products on the market but there are quotas, tariffs, quality standards and potential anti-dumping actions not to mention import duties thus artificially raising prices. Of course the other problem that many developing countries have is getting the products transported.

Ari