September 6, 2002
The new head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Supachai Panitchpakdi, on Friday admitted that the powerful global body was partly to blame for some of the world's social ills. "The WTO is responsible for some of, not only commercial, but also social problems that have incumbered societies in the world," Supachai told Kenya's Health Minister Sam Ongeri in Nairobi towards the end of a two-day official visit to Kenya.
At a meeting attended by AFP, the Thai former trade minister acknowledged that "some WTO trade policies have had negative impacts on social policies in the developing countries, especially in health and biodiversity". "WTO looks forward to working with everybody, particularly rich countries, to reverse the current trend in trade and social issues," the WTO director-general added.
He said the WTO backed efforts to reduce the cost in poor countries of drug used to delay the onset of full-blown AIDS in people with the HIV virus. "In so doing we counter the AIDS nightmare in Africa," Supachai added.
Supachai, who was also a deputy prime minister in Thailand and is the first WTO chief from a developing nation, pledged to protect the intellectual property rights of poor countries from being assaulted by wealthy ones, especially when it came to biodiversity. "Rich countries have accepted that the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement is applicable in health, and now we should make sure that it protects biodiversity," explained Supachai.
Commenting on the West's much derided trade and farm subsidies, Supachai said: "US and the European Union have a made proposal to WTO that they are considering reducing international and domestic subsidies, trade tariffs and expanding their markets." "This is the basis of our further negotiations on the subject," Supachai added.
Developed countries spend almost a billion dollars a year dollars a year in farm subsidies, according to the World Bank. If 16 billion dollars a year were made available to farmers in developing countries, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, great strides could be made in alleviating poverty and hunger.
Developing countries hope to benefit from Supachai's stint at the WTO top office. He took over as chief of the global trade organisation from New Zealand's Mike Moore on August 31.
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