Ownership of a patent enables a company to price its protected drug much higher than if there were competition, for example, f rom generic or non-patented versions. The ministers of all developed countries, except those from the European Economic Community (EEC), agreed to the work programme, and the EEC endorsed the objectives in principle. Even if duties are not imposed finally, the initiation of investigations itself creates a huge burden for developing countries, which feel they have been ‘harassed’. The United Nations convened the International Conference on Trade and Employment in Havana in 1948. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. ‘Weary Delegates Finally Clear the Way,’ SUNS #3206, 16 December. With regard to governance, for international trade to be reoriented towards development, a conceptual and operational framework would have to be drawn up within which the roles of the various institutions would be clarified. Only on the night before the Conference ended were all the delegations summoned, given the final draft that had been thrashed out in secret by the small group, and asked to endorse it without change. Accessed May 5, 2020. Few of them allowed patents on chemical and pharmaceutical substances until the last decades of the 20th century. There are also several problems that have emerged in the operations of the dispute settlement system (DSU) since the establishment of the WTO (see Raghavan 2000c). Although several Ministers protested at the non-transparent and undemocratic process, the draft was eventually adopted unchanged. Thus, for the first time, the trading system is applying pressure on developing countries to liberalize not only trade but also investment. Needless to say, should the negotiations lead to the establishment of new agreements, the burden of obligations on developing countries will be much heavier and the scope of the WTO’s mandate would immensely expand. Further, in coming to a conclusion, the IMF report takes into account the total foreign exchange reserves, inflows and outflows. There is need for serious and sincere implementation of the special provisions. One idea would be that there is little to be concerned about with deep PTAs on the tariffs side, since the limited role of preferential tariffs implies little danger of trade diversion. In the discussions on rule-making and the development of new rules, including those on domestic regulation and government procurement, great care must be taken to ensure that the flexibility and options for governments to make their own domestic regulations and policies are not adversely affected. The mandated review of Article 27.3b of TRIPS should eliminate the artificial distinctions between those organisms and biological processes that can be excluded from patents and those that cannot. According to UNCTAD, it ‘led to a sharp increase in their import propensity, but exports failed to keep pace, particularly where liberalization was a response to the failure to establish competitive industries behind high barriers’ (ibid: vii). There is some degree of ambiguity as to the extent to which government services are exempted from the coverage of GATS. In the case of textiles, although under the Uruguay Round developed countries agreed to progressively phase out their quotas over ten years to January 2005, they have retained most of their quotas even after seven years of implementation. Given the recent evidence that there is no direct or automatic link between import liberalization and growth, and in light of the export difficulties facing many developing countries, a more realistic approach should be adopted by WTO members. The WTO would be even more split on North-South lines, threatening the good will, functioning and even survival of the system. In discussions within the WTO Competition Working Group, developing countries have raised issues of concern to them, including the restrictive practices of transnational companies and the abuse of anti-dumping measures by the United States and other developed countries (which prevents the competitive exports of developing countries from having access to their markets). The role of trade (and what constitutes appropriate trade policy) may be different for countries with different conditions, including differences in levels and stages of development. ‘Gains from the Uruguay Round: Facts, Myths and Faith,’ Third Worl d Economics, No. Deliveries to NFIDCs fell from 1,627,819 to 574,795 tonnes for cereals, and from 170,470 to 109,107 tonnes for non-cereals. If the post-war history of business cycles of expansion and recession is examined, it is clear that there have been as many cases of recession after the conclusion of a GATT negotiating round as cases of expansion.