What Is the Doha Development Round?
The Doha Development Round is a series of multilateral trade negotiations focusing on the liberalization of trade in goods and services.
This round is named after the location where the negotiations began, Doha, the capital of Qatar, in 2001. Its official name is the Doha Development Agenda.
Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO), numbering 160, are endeavoring to establish new rules across seven areas: agriculture, non-agricultural products, services, rules, dispute settlement, development, and trade and environment. The overarching goal is to foster economic development in developing countries.
Uses of the Doha Development Round
The Doha Development Round plays a pivotal role in achieving targets 2 and 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), set for 2030.
Global food supply and demand are escalating due to population growth and economic development in developing countries. However, this growth is also subject to constraints due to extreme weather and water resource limitations. The number of undernourished people worldwide is rising annually, and two-thirds of those in extreme poverty are employed in agriculture.
Therefore, to ensure the livelihoods of the impoverished and agricultural producers, and to achieve sustainable global food production, it is crucial to negotiate equitable trade terms that encompass all countries, including both developed and emerging nations, within the framework of the Doha Development Round.