Oxfam Press Release – 28 June 2007
Afghanistan’s fight against poverty could suffer if it rushes to join the World Trade Organization, international aid agency Oxfam warned today.
The report “Getting the fundamentals right – the early stages of Afghanistan’s WTO accession process” says that joining the WTO too soon may not boost Afghan exports as promised but instead open vulnerable sectors of agriculture and industry to strong foreign competition. In the short-to-medium term, tariffs and other measures are necessary to protect local industries and rural trades, and to foster economic development.
[ Read the press release | report ]