A review hearing of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Agriculture in Geneva last week dismissed the Harbinson Draft, describing the document as inadequate in addressing the concerns of developing nations in international agricultural trade.
The draft, commonly known as the Harbinson Draft, had been issued on 17 February by Stuart Harbinson, chairman of the WTO Agriculture Committee. In a statement released at the end of the review hearing last week, participants said: "The Harbinson Draft text reveals the emptiness of the Doha Ministerial Declaration's stated intention of placing development, food security and rural livelihoods at the heart of the Doha Round."