The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the German Marshall Fund and the Salzburg Seminar planned a problem-solving retreat called Realizing the Doha Agenda as if the Future Mattered from February 16 - 21, 2007, at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria.  This unique and important initiative, with strong encouragement from the World Trade Organization, sought to help break the current deadlock in the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations, and set the stage for a successful conclusion of the Doha Round.  The WTO Director General Pascal Lamy and the chairs of key negotiating committees participated to ensure that any recommendations and breakthrough thinking arising from this initiative would be applied directly to reinvigorating the process in Geneva.

The participants included some 50 international decision-makers and opinion-leaders from government, industry, and civil society who are in favor of moving the Doha Development Agenda forward at the negotiating table, and in national capitals among governments, constituencies, and interest groups.  Our work was also aided by the inclusion of a small number of expert consultants and facilitators.

For a full event writeup click here.

The Way Forward

After four days of active debate and discussion, participants left with the understanding that if an agreement is not reached by the end of 2007, the Doha Round could be moribund for five years or more, with major geo-political repercussions. The recent commitment by the Group of Six to finalize the Doha negotiations by December 2007 is therefore a welcome development. 

At the end of the four days, participants coalesced around some straightforward actions that could be taken by governments, by the WTO and by the participants themselves that would improve the chances for real success-not just for a "deal", but one that supports the aims of the Doha Development Agenda. Unless political leaders take steps to change the negotiating dynamics and to educate their constituents about the importance of the negotiations, participants agreed there is a real risk that no progress will or can be made to bring the negotiations to a satisfactory conclusion.

To read the final report cover letter click here.

To read the final report click here. 

DISCLAIMER:
This brief report reflects many of the points raised and issues discussed during the four-day retreat, but is not an exhaustive exploration of the theme nor does it purport to reflect a consensus amongst the participants on the issues and recommendations presented. The report reflects the interpretations of representatives of the organizing institutions of the multi-layered, nuanced and complex discussions that took place over a four-day period. The report does not necessarily reflect the views of the organizing institutions themselves.