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DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA: DOHA WORK PROGRAMME

The July 2008 package

The July 2008 package is a stepping stone on the way to concluding the Doha Round by the end of 2008. The main task before WTO members is to settle a range of questions that will shape the final agreement of the Doha Development Agenda. Political breakthrough requires consultations among a group of ministers representing all interests in the negotiations. A series of meetings were held in Geneva from 21 to 30 July.

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> Latest negotiating texts and reports

News related to the meeting  back to top

Latest negotiating texts and reports   back to top

Objectives

The immediate goal of the July meeting was to agree “modalities” in agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) — ie, the formulas and other methods to be used to cut tariffs and agricultural subsidies, and a range of related provisions — and to look at the next steps in concluding the Doha round of negotiations. Agreeing modalities would determine the scale of reductions in tariffs on thousands of industrial and agricultural products and future levels of farm subsidies in the WTO’s member countries. Other issues were also on the menu, including services and rules.

Explanation  back to top

• How the meeting was organized
• Schedule
• Briefing notes on the main issues
• Doha Development Agenda
• What are “modalities”?

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THE STORY SO FAR

• 2000: Agriculture and services negotiations launched • 2001: Doha Development Agenda launched (November) • 2004: “Framework” agreed (August) • 2005: Further agreements in Hong Kong Ministerial Conference (December) • 2008: Revised draft modalities (10 July) in agriculture and non-agricultural products