First ministerial conference Main article: WTO within the EU and the US.
The talks broke down
Ministerial Conference of 1996: The inaugural without progress. ministerial conference was held in Singapore in 1996. Its primary purpose was to initiate an Sixth ministerial conference international effort among global trading For more details on this topic, see WTO nations to overhaul the structure and Ministerial Conference of 2005. The sixth WTO mechanisms of the the General Agreement on Conference Ministerial was held in Hong Kong Tariffs and Trade (GATT) while preserving the from 13 December – 18 December 2005. It was considerable progress and success achieved by considered vital if the four-year-old Doha that system since its inception in 1948. Development Agenda negotiations were to Disagreements, largely between developed and move forward sufficiently to conclude the developing economies, emerged over four round in 2006. In this meeting, countries agreed issues initiated by this conference; afterward, to phase out all their agricultural export these were collectively referred to as the subsidies by the end of 2013, and terminate any "Singapore issues". cotton export subsidies by the end of 2006. Further concessions to developing countries Second ministerial conference included an agreement to introduce duty free, tariff free access for goods from the Least Main article: WTO Ministerial Conference of Developed Countries, following the Everything 1998 Was held in Geneva in Switzerland. But Arms initiative of the European Union — but with up to 3% of tariff lines exempted. Third ministerial conference Other major issues were left for further Main article: WTO Ministerial Conference of negotiation to be completed by the end of 1999, The third conference in Seattle, 2006. Washington ended in failure, with massive Doha Round demonstrations and police and National Guard crowd control efforts drawing worldwide For more details on this topic, see Doha Round. attention. The WTO launched the current round of negotiations, the Doha Development Agenda Fourth ministerial conference (DDA) or Doha Round, at the Fourth Ministerial Main article: WTO Ministerial Conference of Conference in Doha, Qatar in November 2001. 2001 was held in Doha In Persian Gulf nation of The Doha round was to be an ambitious effort Qatar. The Doha Development Round was to make globalization more inclusive and help launched at the conference. The conference the world's poor, particularly by slashing also approved the joining of China, which barriers and subsidies in farming.[3] The initial became the 143 member to join. agenda comprised both further trade liberalization and new rule-making, Fifth ministerial conference underpinned by commitments to strengthen substantial assistance to developing countries. Main article: WTO Ministerial Conference of [4] 2003 The ministerial conference was held in Cancún, Mexico, aiming at forging agreement The negotiations have been highly contentious on the Doha round. An alliance of 22 southern and agreement has not been reached, despite states, the G20 (led by India, China[2] and the intense negotiations at several Ministerial Brazil), resisted demands from the North for Conferences and at other sessions. agreements on the so-called "Singapore issues" Disagreements still continue over several key and called for an end to agricultural subsidies areas including agriculture subsidies.[5]