WTO fails to contribute to LDC dev

Referring to 6th ministerial conference of World Trade Organisation (WTO) held in Hong Kong last year, they said it assured of duty and quota free access for 97 percent of LDC products but the options for selecting the products by the importers favoured the latter.

The discussion titled 'Hong Kong Ministerial Conference: Achievement and Obligation of Bangladesh' was organised by Alliance of Food Sovereignty Campaign (AFSC) in cooperation with ActionAid Bangladesh, Ghasful and Jagrata Jubo Sangstha (JJS) at Chittagong Press Club.

Participants at the discussion alleged that very often the importing countries put the major exportable products of an LDC outside the list of 97 percent goods that they are supposed to import.

They called upon the media to focus this issue and help the LDCs like ours reap the benefit of WTO conference in future.

M Nasirul Hoque, chief reporter of a local daily Suprabhat Bangladesh, moderated the discussion where JJS Manager Abdullah Al Mamun presented the keynote paper.

Ghasful Executive Director Aftabur Rahman Jafri, JJS Executive Director ATM Zakir Hossain and ActionAid Bangladesh Assistant Coordinator Mohammad Aman also spoke on the occasion.