Civil society members and economic journalists have expressed concern about data discrepancy in the country's trading sector before the country starts negotiations with WTO.
EquityBD and Economic Reporters' Forum (ERF) jointly organised a Media workshop titled "WTO Trade Rules and LDC Graduation of Bangladesh" held on Thursday at ERF auditorium in the city.
It was chaired by ERF president Refayet Ullah Mridha and moderated by its secretary Abul Kashem.
Over fifty economic journalists from different news papers and news agencies participated in the Media Workshop. Its main speaker was Hafizur Rahman, Additional Secretary and former DG of WTO Cell, while Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Chief Moderator of EquityBD gave the welcome speech. Barkat Ullah Maruf presented the keynote on different WTO agreements.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said, EquityBD and COAST Foundation have been working on WTO since 2005 and since demanding a separate WTO Cell under the Commerce Ministry to effectively monitor WTO issues and build the country's negotiation capacity.
Barkat Ullah Maruf of COAST Foundation in his Keynote said we must have a national strategy based on true data and benefit calculation before we go for the graduation negotiation from LDC.
He said we have data discrepancies as the mismatch has been politically motivated but we are about to lose some negotiation ground in different sectors including Agriculture and Fisheries from such discrepancies.
Hafizur Rahman who is also a member of Bangladesh Competition Commission, said we have the benefit of either side of LDC graduation. We will benefit if we graduate that promote advancement of our competencies to openly compete with developed and developing countries.
We will also be benefit if we delay our graduation for a few years and that will include the continued opportunities that the LDCs are entitled. We have to choose either of those provisions.
