Together， let us dedicate ourselves to making this new round of negotiations a stunning success. Through our enthusiastic support for international cooperation， let all our nations repudiate the message of terrorism and strive together for greater underst
Right now， the general public tends to hear only one side of the debate. While anti-globalists capture headlines with their angry demonstrations and their street theatre， those who support stronger trade relationships tend to be muted in their support.
As Woody Allen once said： “80% of genius is just showing up！” We must speak up， before time runs out. Because the failure to push forward with trade liberalization and the strengthening of a rules-based international trading system could result in a major setback. That would be devastating. And an opportunity to send a powerful signal of confidence and determination will be missed， at a time when the global economy is slowing down.
And the saddest thing is that such a setback to globalization would hurt the world's poor most of all. Those countries that have the means - largely the developed countries - will turn their focus to regional and bilateral trade agreements. And， as Kofi Annan has observed， countries in which poverty has deepened suffer not from globalization - but from a lack of globalization， or from being marginalized from the world trading system.
Next Round of the WTO
We must act， boldly and quickly. In less than a month， the next meeting of WTO Trade Ministers is scheduled to begin.
From my discussions with trade ministers around the world， I find that support for the launch of new trade negotiations is growing. It is clear that differences remain on the scope and ambition of the negotiating agenda， and some countries are not yet fully convinced of the benefits of new negotiations. However， I am increasingly optimistic that a consensus will be achieved to move forward at the next Ministerial Meeting. The most tangible sign of our progress towards a consensus came on September 26， when the Chair of the WTO General Council - Stuart Harbinson （of Hong Kong， China） —— circulated to Members a draft Ministerial Declaration.
With further discussions， this text provides a sound basis for launching expanded negotiations at the next Ministerial.
One clear virtue of this text is that it is 42 paragraphs long， compared to the 34-page， heavily bracketed text we had in Seattle. I am particularly pleased that the Draft Declaration reflects the kind of balanced and realistic agenda Canada has espoused since Seattle. I was also pleased that the draft provides the basis for the “Growth and Development Round” Canada has been calling for.
Sharing the Benefits of Growth
This focus on growth and development is a reflection of the fact that governments in industrialized nations have recognized the shortcomings seen in many international trade institutions， and are taking concrete steps to renew the system， in the interest of all peoples.
This same commitment to sharing the benefits of growth more equally can also be seen in the Democracy Clause adopted at the last Summit of the Americas， in Quebec City last April， as well as the G-8's focus on the world's poor， and especially the situation in Africa.
I believe that this spirit of global solidarity will also energize the next WTO Round. This new Round will look both forward and back. One key objective is to get the last Round right —— in other words， to ensure that the developing world can reap the full benefits of its WTO membership.
This will be a Round that addresses the clear needs of the South， the strong expectations of the North， and the best hopes of us all.
Progress on development that raises living standards， literacy and political freedom is dependent on the revenues that participation in the global economy can generate. Without commitment to securing that firm economic foundation， talk of social justice risks becoming nothing more than an intellectual exercise.
The Need for Transparency
Another way in which Governments can strengthen the support for and understanding of the links between growth and development， is to increase the transparency of these multilateral institutions.
As many of you know， Canada is a leading proponent of including language in the Ministerial Declaration on transparency and increased openness， both among WTO Members and between the WTO itself and the public.
Recently we proposed that WTO Members direct the WTO Secretariat to make public the draft Declaration and subsequent drafts of it. Such openness has proved beneficial for us in the context of the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
Canada - and I personally - had pressed our 33 FTAA partners on the issue of transparency for quite some time and I am very pleased to say that our efforts were successful.
