No justification for defaulting on WTO Doha Round commitments: experts

Ahead of the World Trade Organization's 10th Ministerial Conference, a group of United Nations human rights experts on Friday called on governments across the world to deliver on the Doha Round Development Agenda and not weasel out of prior commitments to address the needs of developing economies.

"If trade is to work for human rights and development it should contribute to the realization of the rights to adequate food, to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and to live in a clean environment," the United Nations experts said in a public statement addressed to negotiators due to gather in the Kenyan capital from Dec. 15 to 18.

"There is no justification for defaulting on the Doha Round commitments, as such action would have a detrimental impact on human rights in many countries," the experts observed. They deplored indications that certain developed countries will move for the premature ending of the Doha Round at the upcoming WTO conference.

The independent experts emphasized that human rights obligations must be reaffirmed in the context of global trade rules to ensure that "WTO negotiations and rules support development efforts to eliminate the root causes of hunger, ill-health, and poverty, strengthen human rights protection and promotion and ultimately ensure that the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals are achieved." Endit