Doha Round Briefing Series -- 03/13

This briefing, published by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), outlines the status of trade in services negotiations under the WTO Doha Round as of February 2003. It details the mandated deadlines for market access requests and offers, the disagreements between developed and developing nations regarding 'credit' for autonomous liberalisation and the assessment of trade in services, and the ongoing debates over the establishment of an emergency safeguard mechanism (ESM).

• The Doha mandate for trade in services aims to achieve higher levels of liberalisation and increase the participation of developing countries, providing them with 'appropriate flexibility'. The process follows a 'request-offer approach' for new specific market access commitments.
• Specific deadlines were set for the services negotiations: initial bilateral market access requests were due by 30 June 2002, initial offers by 31 March 2003, and the overall mandated services negotiations were scheduled to conclude by 1 January 2005.
• In the bilateral request phase, the US and EU have sought new market access commitments across 12 sectors, including financial services, transport, and environmental services. They have also requested 'additional commitments' regarding domestic regulatory measures, such as necessity and transparency requirements.
• Developing countries have expressed concerns over the bilateral negotiation process, citing a lack of transparency, inequalities in bargaining power, and the high resource capacities required. Many question the benefits of further multilateral services liberalisation.
• There is a significant dispute over the 'assessment of trade in services'. Developing countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, and Cuba, argue for an overall multilateral assessment before new negotiations, while the US and EU argue that Members should conduct their own national assessments.
• Members are divided on the creation of an Emergency Safeguard Mechanism (ESM). A majority of developing countries, led by ASEAN nations, support an ESM to encourage market access commitments, whereas the US and EU question its desirability or feasibility.
• Disagreements exist regarding 'credit' for autonomous liberalisation. Several Asian and Latin American developing countries reject draft modalities that treat developed and developing countries equally, demanding that no full reciprocity be required from developing countries.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Doha Round Briefing Series -- 03/13. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wto_doha_trade_services.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Doha Round Briefing Series -- 03/13. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wto_doha_trade_services.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Doha Round Briefing Series -- 03/13 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wto_doha_trade_services.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentnddoha, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Doha Round Briefing Series -- 03/13}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wto_doha_trade_services.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }